A lot of weight loss supplements are available in the market but most of them prove to be ineffective. However there are certain supplements which aid in weight loss considerably. One of the foremost among them is green tea. Green tea is considered to be one of the most effective natural means of losing weight. A substance called catechin which is present in the green tea herbs work as antioxidants and sufficiently aid weight loss and green tea pills are successfully sold in the markets. Alli pills which have been sanctioned recently have also proved to a very useful supplement for weight loss. Weight loss surgeries are also very useful but they are usually not recommended for all and one should embark on a weight loss surgery after consulting with the physicians thoroughly. In case of surgical procedures, it has been estimated that patients are able to sustain a weight loss of about 50% to 60% even after a decade post surgery. There are scores of diet programs like those of Atkins Diet Program, DASH Diet Program, Pritkin Principle Diet Program, Dr. Goor’s Diet Program, Volumetric diet program etc. which have been studied extensively by experts and they ensure weight loss considerably. While several weight loss supplements are available in the market, it must be borne in mind that very few are actually effective.

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You may not have to go to the gym, spa or any weight loss program center and spend much just to slim down or obtain that longed for sexy body. There are many books available in the bookstore, which offer weight loss programs that are convenient and for free, of course the books are not a complete solution. These weight loss programs, or diet plans are gaining immense popularity through publicity, testimonials and reviews.

Before choosing which weight loss programs to follow, read these summaries about the most popular diet plans. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution; by Dr. Atkins: This weight loss program encourages high protein diet and a trim down on the carbohydrates. You can feast on vegetables and meat but should fast on bread and pasta. You are not restricted against fat intake so you can pour on the salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. After the diet plan, you may find yourself lacking in fiber and calcium yet high in fat. Intake of grains and fruits are also limited.

Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet; by Drs. Heller: This diet plan advocates low carbohydrate consumption. The weight loss program depends on eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. However, warns against taking in too many carbohydrates. Your meals are too high on fats.

Choose to Lose; by Dr. Goor: The weight loss program restrains fat intake. You are given a “fat” budget. The weight loss program does not pressure you to watch your carbohydrate intake. Dr. Goor encourages eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafood. An approval is also given on eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss program is fairly healthy with good amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; if high, trim down the carbohydrates and eliminate more of the fats.

The DASH Diet: A diet plan that suggests moderate amounts of fat and protein intake and high on carbohydrates. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages high intake of whole wheat grains as well as fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think the diet plan advocates too much eating to procure significant weight loss.

Eat More, Weigh Less; by Dr. Ornish: This weight loss program suggests primarily vegetarian and strictly low-fat. Gives the approval of “glow” foods but warns against non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet plan is poor in calcium and restricts consumption of healthy foods like seafood and lean poultry.

Eat Right for Your Type: Weight loss program that is based on your blood type, recommends plenty of meat for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally imbalanced and too low in calories. For the record, there is no documented proof that blood type affects dietary needs.

The Pritkin Principle: Focused on trimming the calorie density in eating by suggesting watery foods that make you feel full. Eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is okay. The diet plan limits protein sources to lean meat, seafood and poultry. Although it is healthy by providing low amounts of saturated fat and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources.

Volumetrics: For low-density calorie eating. The weight loss program recommends the same foodstuff as Pritkin but restricts fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This diet plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.

The Zone: Weight loss program that is moderately low on the carbohydrates yet moderately high on the proteins. The diet plan encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus veggies, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but lacking in grains and calcium.

Weight Watchers: Weight loss program that is high in carbohydrates and suggests moderation on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet plan, unless you are a diabetic. However, it allows the dieter to plan his own meal rather than give him a set diet plan to follow.

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WHICH DIET IS BEST?

The acute fall in demand for Atkins-type low-carb food products, which led to the recent decision of Atkins Nutritionals, the promoter of the Atkins diet, to file for bankruptcy protection, has left many dieters wondering what type of weight loss diet is best. The short answer is: any balanced diet which is calorie-controlled. The US Department of Agriculture offers two dietary paradigms: it’s own “Food Guide” – a balanced food plan – and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan – a diet to reduce raised blood pressure – neither of which merits the description “low-fat” or “low carb”. Furthermore, the consensus among most dietitians and nutritionists is that the precise percentage of fat, carbohydrate or protein, matters less than the type of these macronutrients. Put simply, whether you eat 30 or 35 percent of your calories as fat is less important than the type of fat you eat.

FATS TO EAT, FATS TO AVOID

Recommended fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties, with most coming from foods like fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel and sardines, are especially nutritious as they contain omega-3 fats which are not manufactured inside the body and must be obtained from food.

The new “bad guys” are saturated fats and trans-fats (AKA hydrogenated fats). It’s best to eat less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fats and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, while eating as few trans fats as possible. Cheese and beef are the main diet foods which contribute to excessive intakes of saturated fat, while cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, animal products and margarine are largely responsible for the high intake of trans-fats. Eggs, while high in dietary cholesterol, are now regarded as a healthy food.

CURB YOUR REFINED CARBS

The rise in digestive disorders such as diverticulosis, as well as metabolic disorders like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, is directly attributable to our modern dietary preference for white flour foods, as well as our overconsumption of foods and drinks with too much added sugar, including: regular sodas, frosted cereals, cakes, and confectionery. Being easily converted to blood-glucose, these refined carbohydrates can lead to excessive levels of blood glucose and insulin – causing appetite swings, cravings and a variety of metabolic problems. And being easily digestible they can also cause calorie overload and weight gain. All this is reflected in the latest Dietary Guidelines which advocate a reduction in refined carbs and a corresponding increase in the consumption of whole grains, like oats, brown rice, basmati rice, whole wheat breads and pasta. Being largely unrefined, whole grains are richer in fiber and nutrients. In addition, they keep us full for longer, which assists appetite and weight control.

BE GUIDED BY THE GLYCEMIC INDEX

The most comprehensive guide to healthy carbs is the Glycemic Index (GI). Originally created to help diabetics control their blood-glucose levels, the GI classifies carb-rich foods into three categories: high-GI, intermediate and low-GI. Put simply, the higher a food’s GI value, the faster and greater its impact on blood-glucose, and the more health problems it can cause. Intermediate and low-GI carbs are the basis for the new generation of “GI Diets”, which in effect offer all the benefits of traditional low carb diets, without any of the nutritional risks associated with long term carb restriction.

Concerning non-starchy carbohydrates, the message has not changed in years. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables of all types, including: leafy green vegetables, deep green, yellow, orange or red vegetables; as well as fruits, notably: blackcurrants, cantaloupe, kiwi fruit, mango, all citrus fruits, and strawberries. All these foods contain important micronutrients many of which are beneficial for metabolism and weight management, as well as general health.

DO CARBS CAUSE A SLOWDOWN IN WEIGHT LOSS?

It’s not accurate to say that eating carbohydrate has a detrimental effect on weight. True, low carb diets are famous for causing fast initial weight loss, but let me explain how this occurs. When we eat a normal amount of carbohydrate, we burn it straightaway or else store it for future use in the form of glycogen. Point is, each unit of glycogen binds with 3 units of water. When we start a low carb diet, we rapidly use up all our stored glycogen along with the attached water. It is this sudden loss of water which accounts for most of the extra weight lost when starting a low carb diet. Naturally, as we reintroduce carbs into our diet, we rebuild our glycogen reserves and re-absorb water. Thus, it is more accurate to say that restricting carbs causes an unnatural loss of water-weight, rather than saying that eating carbohydrate causes a slowdown in weight reduction.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO WE REALLY NEED?

How much protein we need depends on our ideal body weight. This is because protein is not needed by fat cells, only by our lean tissue. According to official US guidelines, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein for adults is 0.8 gram per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of ideal body weight. This RDA is said to meet 97.5% of the population’s needs. For example, a woman of 5′4 who is at her ideal weight of 126 pounds needs 45g of protein per day. This amount is easily obtainable as follows:

BREAKFAST (14g protein)
1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup skimmed milk, 2 tbsp wheatgerm

LUNCH (18g protein)
Whole wheat pita, 2 oz salmon, sliced tomato and spinach leaves

DINNER (34.5g)
3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup mixed vegetables

This daily menu actually includes a massive 66.5g of protein, well over the RDA for a person of her size. Yet it hardly looks like a high protein eating plan, does it? This is because there really is no such thing as a food that is ‘just’ protein or ‘just’ carbohydrate – most foods are a combination of protein, carbs and fats. For example, 1 cup of cooked rice has 5g protein even though we think of rice as a ‘carb’. The same applies to spaghetti – in most people’s mind this is classed as a ‘carb’ food, yet 1 cup of cooked spaghetti contains 7g protein!

WHICH PROTEIN IS BEST?

Protein from animal foods is marginally better than vegetable protein, although many animal protein sources can be high in unhealthy saturated fat. Ideally, include both vegetarian and low-fat animal protein in your diet.

HOW TO GET 10g OF HEALTHY PROTEIN

Here are some easy ways to meet your daily protein requirements. Provided your weekly diet contains some complete proteins from meat, eggs or milk, vegetable protein is perfectly fine.

1.5oz of white fish
1.7oz of oily fish like salmon
1.1oz of skinless chicken/turkey fillet
1.25oz of pork tenderloin/lean beef
3 egg whites
2.5oz of Brazils
1.25 cups of fat-free milk
1 cup of fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1.5oz of hard cheese
1/2 cup of lentils
3/4 cup soybeans
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked pasta
2 cups cooked oatmeal
2.5 slices of rye bread
1 tbsp wheatgerm

CONCLUSION

There is no best weight loss diet. Provided you choose foods from all food groups, taking care to select the right type of fats, carbs and protein, the exact percentage of these macronutrients is up to you. As a basic guide, eat 20-35 percent of calories as fat; 45-65 percent of calories as carbohydrate and 10-35 percent of calories in the form of protein.

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Dr. Heller’s Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet Program- this diet plan stresses upon lowering the consumption of carbohydrates and instead reduces the quantity of carbohydrates in one’s diet with vegetables, meat and fresh fruits along with grain products.

* Dr. Goor’s Diet Program- this diet plan concentrates on refraining from the consumption of fats. This diet program allows the individual to eat seafood and meat and even certain amounts of carbohydrates and low fat dairy products, vegetables etc.

* Atkins Diet Program- this is a very well-known diet program by Dr. Atkins who devised this program according to which the individual is to immerse himself in a high protein diet to ensure that the carbohydrate intake is lowered in course. Vegetables and meat are allowed but fruit consumption is also checked in this diet.

* Certain diet programs are also governed by the type of blood of an individual as certain blood types are extremely low in terms of calorie content and nutritionally not quite balanced either.

* Dr. Ornish’s Diet Program- this diet is essentially a vegetarian diet and also restricts the intake of fats. As a result poultry products and seafood are also exempted from consumption.

* The DASH Diet Program- this diet is meant for individuals suffering from high blood pressure and they are prescribed to consume high proportions of carbohydrates along with reasonable amounts of proteins and fats which aid in lowering the blood pressure.

* The Zone Diet Program- according to this diet carbohydrate consumption is to be reduced while increased protein consumptions are advised like vegetables fish, fruits, chicken, grains.

* The Pritkin Principle Diet Program- this is a unique diet program which supports the consumption of products which contain high proportions of water so that the individual is full and he doesn’t feel the urge to consume more. Some of these products include soups, pasta, oatmeal etc. and it is low in protein and calcium.

* Volumetric diet program- it is a healthy diet similar to the Pritkin program and allows consumption of fruits and vegetables.

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