Six Popular Diets
With so many diet plans and books on the market how do you choose which one to follow? Which diets will work for you? In this review I will give a brief review of some of the most popular diets on the market today. After reading the review you will be able to decide which plans are appropriate for you.
1. Atkins Diet
Robert C. Atkins is the founder of Atkins' New Diet Revolution. Atkins is also the founder and former director of the Atkins Complimentary Medicine in New York City. The diet is a low carb high fat diet with no restrictions on fat intake. The diet begins with an induction phase (ranging from 2-36 weeks) limiting carb intake to only 20 g/d. The consumption of fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, and dairy other than cheese, cream or butter are prohibited in this phase of the diet.
There are two phases following the induction phase where daily carb intake is increased in weekly increments of 5gms & 10gms. Then, comes the maintenance phase.
Proponents of high-fat, low carb diets dismiss the notion that caloric intake is important to either weight gain orweight loss (this is a ridiculous statement). They claim that "most overweight individuals do not overeat" (if youbelieve this you need a brain transplant), even as they suggest that high carb meals leave individuals less satisfied than meals that contain adequate fat, resulting in increased hunger and increased food intake.
With respect to weight loss, Atkins claims that on a low carb diet there are "metabolic advantages that will allow overweight individuals to eat as many calories as they were eating before starting the diet yet still lose pounds and inches".
Furthermore, proponents contend overproduction of insulin, driven by high carb intake, is the cause of the metabolic imbalance that underlies obesity (the over exaggeration of insulin's role in obesity is commonly promoted by many of today's most popular nutrition gurus, needless to say this issue has been blown out of proportion and is only one factor in weight gain).
Proponents of high-fat, low carb diets dismiss the notion that caloric intake is important to either weight gain orweight loss (this is a ridiculous statement). They claim that "most overweight individuals do not overeat" (if youbelieve this you need a brain transplant), even as they suggest that high carb meals leave individuals less satisfied than meals that contain adequate fat, resulting in increased hunger and increased food intake.
With respect to weight loss, Atkins claims that on a low carb diet there are "metabolic advantages that will allow overweight individuals to eat as many calories as they were eating before starting the diet yet still lose pounds and inches".
Furthermore, proponents contend overproduction of insulin, driven by high carb intake, is the cause of the metabolic imbalance that underlies obesity (the over exaggeration of insulin's role in obesity is commonly promoted by many of today's most popular nutrition gurus, needless to say this issue has been blown out of proportion and is only one factor in weight gain).
2. South Beach Diet
Arthur Agatston, MD, created this diet. His specialty is heart imaging and he is an associate professor of medicine at the Miami School of Medicine. The first phase of the diet includes a 14-day initiation to "rid yourself of your sugar addiction". Consumption of fruit, bread, pasta, baked goods, dessert and alcohol are prohibited in the initiation phase. In the second phase lower GI-fruit and lower GI-starches are permitted.
Once target weight is reached you go into the maintenance phase. If weight gain occurs while in the maintenance phase repeat phase one.
3.Enter The Zone
There is no magic macronutrient percentage. People have done fine (weight loss and functionally) using a wide array of different macronutrient percentages while dieting. The information regarding insulin is incomplete and mis-leading (insulin has numerous roles in metabolism).
Suggesting that high-GI carbs per se make you fat is incorrect. Most people find it difficult and time consuming to calculate the macro percentage of every meal.
The diet is generally nutritious. The diet also promotes the consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can have numerous health benefits.
Suggesting that high-GI carbs per se make you fat is incorrect. Most people find it difficult and time consuming to calculate the macro percentage of every meal.
The diet is generally nutritious. The diet also promotes the consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can have numerous health benefits.
4.Very Low Fat Diets
VLF diets contain 10% or less fat, very high carbohydrates, and low-moderate protein. Representative VLF diets are those promoted by Dr. Dean Ornish (Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease), and Nathan and Robert Pritikin (The Pritikin Program).
VLF diets are based primarily on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans, with moderate quantities of egg whites, nonfat dairy or soy products, and small amounts of sugar and white flour.
Ornish's diet is vegetarian; Pritikin allows a limited amount of low-fat animal protein daily (no more than 3.5 ounces of lean beef, fowl or fish - my comment: this suggestion completely ignores individual needs and requirements).
Each plan includes a nutrition and exercise component; Ornish's plan includes stress reduction and emotional support as well. Pritikin also claims medications for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure may be reduced or completely eliminated by following these plans.
VLF diets are based primarily on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans, with moderate quantities of egg whites, nonfat dairy or soy products, and small amounts of sugar and white flour.
Ornish's diet is vegetarian; Pritikin allows a limited amount of low-fat animal protein daily (no more than 3.5 ounces of lean beef, fowl or fish - my comment: this suggestion completely ignores individual needs and requirements).
Each plan includes a nutrition and exercise component; Ornish's plan includes stress reduction and emotional support as well. Pritikin also claims medications for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure may be reduced or completely eliminated by following these plans.
5. UD 2
Lyle McDonald created UD2. McDonald suggests if you are a male planning to follow the UD2 Diet you should have no more than 15% body fat, and if you are female you should have no more than 22% body fat.
The title of the book is a tribute to Duchaine and Zumpano's original Ultimate Diet that was released in 1982. The book is an update to the same diet incorporating new findings about metabolism, fat loss and muscle gain. As with computers, newer versions get new numbers (thus we have 2.0). McDonald says he hopes it is the last diet you will need thus the name ultimate.
Basically the diet has two parts: a catabolic/low-carbohydrate phase to maximize fat loss and an anabolic/high-carbohydrate phase to rebuild and gain muscle.
Day 1 and 2 are both low-carbohydrate days, coupled with high rep, short rest period workouts.
Day 3 is nutritionally a repeat of Day 1 and 2. No weight training occurs on day 3.
On Day 4 you will have both low and high-carb meals.
Day 4 AM: During the day, you're going to stay with your normal low-carb/low-calorie diet but you only get to consume 75% of the total calories that you were eating on days 1-3.
Day 4 PM: Consume 25-30 grams of carbs, with about 15 grams of whey before the workout (approximately 30-60 minutes before workout). The workout is a full body heavy duty/high intensity workout.
6. The Anabolic Diet
The basis of the Anabolic Diet is to carb-deplete during the weekdays, then carb-load on the weekends. This involves 5 days of high fat, high protein, low carbs and 2 days of high carbs, moderate fat, and low protein.
This diet was developed by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale. Di Pasquale is a former world-class powerlifter who won the World Championships in powerlifting in 1976 and won the World Games in 1981.
Author: Jamie Halie
Website: Bodybuilding.com
Website: Bodybuilding.com
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