Cyndi's
Ratings of Weight Loss Programs
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
 =
Really Lousy
Weight
Watchers Yeah,
I know that I've told you how much I hate diets! However, if you're going
to try a diet, Weight Watchers is a good one to try! What
I like about Weight Watchers is that it allows you to eat from all food groups.
You simply have to keep track of how much you eat…which really helps you
to stay focused on WHAT you put in your mouth. Another
thing that I like about Weight Watchers is its support system. Anytime you
take on a challenge, such as the weight-loss challenge, it's a good idea to have
moral support and guidance to help you stay on track. Weight Watchers meetings
are fabulous for exchanging weight-loss stories and ideas, as well as for finding
support from individuals like yourself who are fighting the battle of the bulge.
Weight Watchers
has been around for years! Many people have experienced successful weight
loss and weight maintenance through the Weight Watchers program. Its good track
record shows that it is NOT simply a passing fly-by-night craze. Weight
Watchers encourages exercising, as well as eating a healthy diet!
The
Adkins Diet
I
KNOW how popular The Adkins Diet was for awhile! Super markets began stocking
up on all kinds of low-carb foods. Many people feared letting one little morsel
of carbohydrates touch their lips! As for me, give me my carbs! WebMD
describes The Adkins Diet as follows: "The diet is based on the theory
that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates. Our bodies burn both fat and
carbohydrates for energy, but carbs are used first. By drastically reducing carbs
and eating more protein and fat, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored
body fat more efficiently." However,
many medical experts are wary about long-term effects of The Adkins Diet: Robert
H. Eckel, M.D., director of the general clinical research center at the University
of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, says about The Adkins Diet, "We
have concerns over whether this is a healthy diet for preventing heart disease,
stroke, and cancer. There is also potential loss of bone, and the potential for
people with liver and kidney problems to have trouble with the high amounts of
protein in these diets." The
American Dietetic Association also has concerns about the Atkins diet. Gail Frank,
PhD, spokeswoman for the organization and professor of nutrition at California
State University in Long Beach, says, "The body needs a minimum of carbohydrates
for efficient and healthy functioning -- about 150 grams daily." Below that,
normal metabolic activity is disrupted. "The
brain needs glucose to function efficiently, and it takes a long time to break
down fat and protein to get to the brain," says Frank. Carbohydrates, especially
in the form of vegetables, grains, and fruits, are more efficiently converted
to glucose. And this more efficient use of glucose has developed over a long period
of time, according to Frank. "Fruits and berries are much more indicative
of early man's eating pattern than eating only protein, and we haven't changed
all that much physiologically." Volumetrics
author Barbara Rolls, PhD, who holds the Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at Penn State
University, offers this: "No one has shown, in any studies, that anything
magical is going on with Atkins other than calorie restriction. The diet is very
prescriptive, very restrictive, and limits half of the foods we normally eat,"
she says. "In the end it's not fat, it's not protein, it's not carbs, it's
calories. You can lose weight on anything that helps you to eat less, but that
doesn't mean it's good for you." Okay…enough
said about The Adkins Diet! I think the above statements are enough 'food for
thought,' and they support my reasons to dislike of this particular diet! Just
remember, carbs are good!
The
Zone Diet
Dr.
Sears, creator and author of The Zone Diet, has been writing about health and
diet since 1982. This diet allows you to eat good carbohydrates, such as fruits
and vegetables, as well as a healthy balance of low-fat proteins, and heart-healthy
monounsaturated fats. You won't go hungry, because you eat five times a day…three
meals and two snacks. By
eating regularly, your metabolism should run more efficiently and burn calories
more efficiently. (Of course, you still have to monitor the amount of food
you eat! After all, the only way you're going to lose weight is to burn more calories
than you consume!) The
Zone Diet offers online support and guidance to help you achieve your weight-loss
goals. And, it also teaches you how to make healthy lifestyle changes that you
can stick to throughout your life. This
is a diet that you could potentially live with for the rest of your life! eDiets
offers Zone Diet Plans and a FREE Diet Profile.
The
Foolproof Diet Plan
On
the surface, The Foolproof Diet Plan sounds healthy enough. I need more information
to determine whether it warrants more than three stars. It appears that, as
a short-term diet plan, it is healthy and provides quick results. However, it
may not be quite so healthy for the long-term. Evidently, the Foolproof Diet
is only intended to be 30-day weight loss program. Below
is a little information about the Foolproof Diet Plan:
Just Quick Results - The
Foolproof 30-Day Diet is a clear-cut road map for losing fat.
- You
will simply follow pre-designed menus for each day - no meal planning or calorie
counting required.
- You
will eat 3 meals a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. No starving and skipping
meals, no meal replacements.
- Absolutely
no diet pills - they don't really work and can be very dangerous. An all-natural
plan like this one is a much better approach for your health.
- Eat
regular food - none of those yucky diet shakes, pills, powders or meal replacements
- just normal food for all your meals.
For
quick weight-loss results, the Foolproof Diet has been successful for many individuals.
Click Here to learn more about
the Foolproof
Diet Plan.
The
Sugar Busters Diet In
theory, this is a really good diet, as far as diets go. Below is information about
the Sugar Busters Diet, which can be found at www.sugarbusters.com: -
The Sugar Busters Diet will show you which foods you should eat and at what time
of day you should eat them.
- This
diet will show you what food combinations you should eat to lose weight.
- You'll
get a glycemic index to help you determine the glycemic levels of various foods.
Now,
I don't know about you, but the Sugar Busters Diet (aside from depriving me of
sugar) seems like a lot of work! I mean, you've gotta figure out what combinations
of food you can eat, when you can eat them, and what the glycemic level of these
foods are! I'd much prefer a diet that requires less mental work! However, if
this diet sounds like the perfect one for you, I say "Go for it!" By
Cyndi Schoenhals
"I Hate Diets!" Weight Loss Program
| 