Do
you remember the grapefruit diet? How about the cabbage soup diet? Fad
diets are huge money makers in today’s society. Diet companies often
hire on celebrity spokespeople who claim that they tried every other
diet on the market with little success, until this one, and credit the
diet with their weight loss milestones. While their testaments may or
may not be true, diet companies love when celebrity spokespeople speak
highly of their products, as consumers flock to stores and empty the
shelves.
With
so many fad diets now, do you know which ones can you can trust? We
found 10 of the most popular fad diets that actually have a proven
history of success. Because the success of any diet is dependent on the
person and the efforts made, we know that listing the worst diet fads is
not beneficial to anyone. Without further ado, lets find out what fad
diets actually work.
Low Carb Diet
There
are some variations of the low carb diet (one of which we will look at a
little later), but the original idea is similar to that of the Paleo
Diet. By lowering the amount of carbs you consume, many people have been
able to lose weight. The idea is that you want to eat healthy foods
without eating many carbs, regardless of whether those carb-filled foods
are seen as good or bad for you. Too many carbs can lead to high
insulin levels, which can be tough to balance.
To
get the full effect of a low carb diet, you are supposed to take only 10
percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates. The other 90 percent
of your calories should come from fat (60 percent) and protein (30
percent). Some people are apprehensive of a low carb diet since it means
eating a lot of fat, but these are typically the unsaturated fats that
your body actually needs. Just a tip, you better have an appreciation
for eggs when doing a low carb diet.
Zone Diet
The
Zone Diet takes the idea of controlling what you eat, and provides its
followers with a different take on the low carb diet. Instead of eating
just 10 percent carbohydrates, the Zone Diet asks that you take 40
percent of your calories from carbs and split the other 60 percent in
half between fats and proteins. These percentages will differ slightly
after you take an assessment from the Zone Diet.
If
you stay in these zones, you should be able to lose up to two pounds
each week, especially when you consider the low amount of calories that
are suggested by the regimen. The diet, which was created by Barry
Sears, suggests that women on the program should only be eating around
1,200 calories per day, with a 300 calorie increase for men. This diet
takes a lot of restraint, not to mention that the calorie count might be
too low for some.
Gluten Free Diet
The
Gluten Free Diet craze did not start as a weight loss program, but as a
means to combat a digestive disorder known as Celiac disease. When
people with Celiac disease consume foods that contain gluten (a protein
found in some grains), it irritates the lining of their small intestine
and makes it difficult for their body’s to absorb nutrients. This causes
them to steer clear of any foods that contain gluten (and, there are a
lot of them.)
Many
of the foods that contain gluten also contain a lot of carbohydrates.
Bread and pasta are two of the biggest culprits of gluten, and are also
high in carbs. People who are avoiding gluten often have a low-calorie
intake of food (as long as they’re avoiding gluten free junk food, as
well), which directly contributes to weight loss.
South Beach Diet
How
much weight do you want to lose in the next two weeks? If the answer is
8-12 pounds, then you might want to check out the South Beach Diet.
Obviously, this number can change depending on what your starting weight
is, as those who are heavier will be able to drop the pounds at a
faster rate. The South Beach Diet is not as restricting as most, since
there is no calorie counting involved.
The
South Beach Diet contains multiple steps, the first of which is to cut
almost your entire carb intake for the first two weeks. This will help
to balance out your body (and lose weight quickly) before getting back
into a carb-friendly diet. The increase in carbs afterwards is up to
about 25 percent, and you actually get to eat six times per day,
including three full meals and a dessert.
Atkins Diet
The
Atkins Diet is perhaps the most famous of all of the ‘fad diets’ on the
market. The Atkins Diet uses a high amount of fat and eliminates almost
all carbohydrate filled foods. This allows your body to burn the fat
first, so even though you’re eating a lot of it, you don’t have it
sitting in your body for very long.
Just
like the South Beach Diet, there are different steps to the Atkins
Diet, including a dramatic drop in initial carbs all the way down to 20
each day. Even with those 20 carbs that you eat, almost all of them have
to come from veggies since they are also filled with fiber. Fiber
cancels out carbs, so if you see something that has 15 grams of carbs
and 12 grams of fiber, you are only eating three net grams of carbs.
Mediterranean Diet
For those who not only want to lose weight, but also want to improve
their heart health, the Mediterranean Diet is an amazing option. Not a
lot of the diets on this list are suggested by doctors, but the
Mediterranean Diet is highly recommended by medical professionals,
including the famed Mayo Clinic. The Mediterranean way of cooking
includes a lot of olive oil and the occasional glass of red wine, both
of which are incredibly beneficial for your heart.
The
heart healthy fats and vitamins that you get from the Mediterranean Diet
will have your body performing at a normal level, which will allow it
to burn more calories. The Mediterranean Diet was found almost the same
way as the Gluten Free Diet, in the sense that it was not originally
intended for weight loss. However, people who followed the diet saw
great results in losing weight, as an added benefit. Fruit fans will
definitely want to try this diet since almost half of it comes from
fruits.
DASH Diet
The
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet (which is more commonly
known as the DASH Diet), is another diet that will help your heart
health. Followers of the DASH Diet (under medical supervision) have been
able to drop their blood pressure by several points in just two weeks.
The diet works by lowering the amount of sodium in your blood and
increasing the blood flow in your body, a winning combination for lower
blood pressure.
With
an increased blood flow, not only will you have more energy, but your
body will be able to process foods in a highly functional way. There are
two different programs within the DASH Diet, with the regular style
limiting you to 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day and another that
limits you to just 1,500 milligrams. Typically, people consume
approximately 3,500 milligrams of sodium each day, which goes to show
you that there is a huge difference in salt intake on the DASH Diet.
3 Day Diet
There
is a reason that this diet is called the 3 Day Diet, as it’s not
advised that you follow this program for more than 3 days. Why? The 3
Day Diet is very dramatic and limits your calories to a very low level.
Patients that need to lose weight fast before undergoing heart surgery
usually follow the 3 Day Diet, which is why it’s also known as the
Cardiac Diet.
After
just three days, people typically lose 10 pounds. The first day of the
diet consists of just a piece of toast and half of a grapefruit for
breakfast, causing many people to quit by their first lunchtime. You
really have to enjoy a small amount of broiled lean meat like chicken or
fish to be successful through the 3 Day Diet.
Super Shred Diet
The
Super Shred Diet promises to help you lose up to 20 pounds in the first
month alone. Though that might sound too good to be true, a lot of
people have found that success on the program. The creator of the Super
Shred Diet is Dr. Ian Smith, who created the diet when many of his
clients were unable to control their calories, which means that you do
not have to worry too much about counting calories on this plan.
Instead
of counting each calorie that you consume, you have to be mindful of
how many items you are putting into your body. A lot of the foods in the
program are vegetables. You can still drink alcohol, coffee and diet
soda while on the Super Shred Diet, so this might be a wiser choice for
those who absolutely must have their caffeine.
Flat Belly Diet
According
to the Flat Belly Diet, you will be able to lose 15 pounds in your
first month and keep off the extra weight from your midsection. A lot of
the weight around your stomach right now is the cause of bloating. With
this in mind, the first few days of the Flat Belly Diet will help to
get rid of some of that discomfort. This initial phase only allows you
to drink water and consume 1,200 calories per day in equal small meals.
After
the initial phase is completed and your bloating has been reduced, you
then switch to a diet that is highly concentrated in monounsaturated
fats, which includes foods such as nuts and olive oil. You can still eat
meat on the Flat Belly Diet, but you better have a taste for seafood as
fish is a big part of the meal plan. Vegetarians will love this one, as
vegetables, fruits and grains are also a huge recommendation for
success.
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