28 Aralık 2008 Pazar

Fit Diet Adverts

You need them for the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein they provide. Pick the lowest fat choices from the food groups. No specific serving size is given for the fats, oils, and sweets group because the message is: use sparingly.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

* 1 cup of milk or yogurt
* 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
* 2 ounces of processed cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

* 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
* 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans
* 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of lean meat

Vegetable

* 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
* 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
* 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit

* 1 medium apple, banana, orange
* 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
* 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

* 1 slice of bread
* 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
* 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Alcohol Calories

Beer Calories

* Beer 12 fl. oz. 146
* Light Beer 12 fl. oz. 100
* Hard Cider 12 fl. oz. 144

Wine Calories

* Champagne 4 fl. oz. 90
* Dry Sherry 2 fl. oz. 84
* Red Table 3 ½ fl. oz. 74
* Rosé Table 3 ½ fl. oz. 73
* White Table 3 ½ fl. oz. 70
* Dry Vermouth 1 fl. oz. 33
* Sweet Vermouth 1 fl. oz. 44

Vegetables Calories

# Asparagus boiled 7
# Aubergine 4
# Avacado flesh 54
# Bamboo shoots canned, drained 3
# Beans french boiled 6
# Beans runner boiled 5
# Beansprouts fried 21
# Beetroot raw 10
# Broccoli boiled 9
# Cabbage green boiled 5
# Cabbage red boiled 4
# Cabbage white boiled 4
# Carrots boiled 7
# Cauliflower boiled 8
# Celery raw 2
# Chickpeas boiled 35
# Corn on the cob boiled 19
# Courgettes boiled 5
# Cucumber 3
# Fennel boiled 3
# Garlic 27
# Leeks boiled 6

Pasta Per 28g/1oz Calories

Pasta Per 28g/1oz Calories

* Egg pasta dried 105
* Fresh 80
* White boiled 34
* White dried 103
* Wholemeal boiled 32
* Wholemeal dried 96

Meat Per 28g/1oz Calories

Meat Per 28g/1oz Calories

* Bacon grilled 86
* Beefburger raw, grilled 120
* Beef braising 46
* Beef,minced, lean, raw 50
* Beef, quick-fry,lean, raw 36
* Chicken drumstick, raw with skin 36
* Chicken meat, roast 51
* Gammon joint, boiled 80
* Ham, honey roast 50
* Ham Parma 60
* Haslet 70
* Lamb chops lean, grilled 62
* Lamb mince lean, raw 59
* Liver, pigs raw 32
* Pork chops, lean grilled 53
* Pork shoulder, lean roast 58
* Turkey roast, no bones 45
* Veal fillet roast 65
* Venison raw 30

Cereals Per 28g/1oz Calories

* Bran flakes 90
* Bran High Fibre 75
* Cornflakes 105
* Fruit and Fibre 105
* Muesli 110
* Porridge oats (dry) 105
* Puffed rice 100
* Puffed wheat 95

Bread Per medium slice Calories

* Brown 80
* Softgrain 80
* Wheatgerm 80
* White 80
* Wholemeal 75

DAY 3

DAY 3

* BREAKFAST
* Black Coffee or Tea (if required, with 1-2 packets of Sweet and Low or equivalent)
* 5 regular saltine crackers
* 1 oz. cheddar cheese
* 1 apple
* LUNCH
* 1 boiled egg
* 1 slice of toast
* Black Coffee or Tea (if required, with 1-2 packets of Sweet and Low or equivalent)
* DINNER
* 1 cup each of:
o tuna
o carrots
o cauliflower
o melon
* 1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

DAY 2

DAY 2

* BREAKFAST
* Black Coffee or Tea (if required, with 1-2 packets of Sweet and Low or equivalent)
* 1 Egg (boiled, scrambled, omlette)
* 1/2 a Banana
* 1 Slice of Toast
* LUNCH
* 1 cup of cottage cheese or tuna
* 8 regular saltine crackers
* DINNER
* 2 beef franks
* 1 cup of broccoli or cabbage
* 1/2 a cup carrots
* 1/2 a banana
* 1/2 a cup of regular vanilla ice cream

DAY 1

DAY 1

* BREAKFAST
* Black Coffee or Tea (if required, with 1-2 packets of Sweet and Low or equivalent)
* 1/2 a Grapefruit or Juice
* 1 Slice of Toast with 1 tbsp. Peanut Butter
* LUNCH
* 1/2 a Cup of Tuna
* 1 Slice of Toast
* Black Coffee or Tea (if required, with 1-2 packets of Sweet and Low or equivalent)
* DINNER
* 3 Oz. any lean red meat or chicken
* 1 cup each of
o green beans
o carrots
o regular vanilla ice cream
* 1 apple

3 Day Diet

3 Day Diet

The 3 day diet plan - is a calorie limited diet over 3 days. There are claims that following it correctly, you can lose up to 10 lbs in 3 days. After the 3 days of dieting you should return to eating a normal healthy diet for at least four to five days, and you should not over eat.

This diet is not a good sustainable diet, we are providing it as we aim to be a complete site for weight loss. A site we'd recommend for sustainable weight loss diets is eDiets.

This site does not provide medical information and if you are at any medical risk in undertaking a diet such as this, please check with your doctor before undertaking it.
Instructions:
Drink 4 glasses of water or diet soda per day.
For additional flavoring you can add herbs, salt and pepper, lemon, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard and ketchup to your foods.

South Beach Diet

South Beach Diet

The key with the South Beach Diet is that it teaches you to eat the right carbs and the right fats, so you lose weight. Additional benefits of the diet, experienced by many people, are that it can lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart issues and diabetes, and you don't feel hungry as you are losing weight.

The basis of the south beach diet is that you are allowed to eat healthy sized portions as long as you stay away from sugars and refined foods carbs. Over time you begin to control your blood sugar levels, and as a result you find you eat less than you used to, because you aren't hungry.
The diet phases

Phase One entails 2 weeks of strict dieting and is the initial weight loss period. As with the Atkins diet, nearly all carbohydrates are avoided, you still eat normal sized meals and many people report losing between 8 - 13 lbs.

Phase Two The good carbs are introduced back into your diet, you continue to lose weight until you reach your target weight.

Phase Three This is the life long period, maintaining your desired weight with a healthy balanced diet. If you start to gain weight again, you return to phase one, for a few days.

As with many diets it is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and with this diet it is also recommended to take a daily calcium supplement.

As we always recommend consult your doctor or medical advisor before altering your diet or exercise plan.

Slim Fast Diet

Slim Fast Diet

The Slim Fast Plan Diet is a plan for weight management that incorporates meal and snack replacements with regular food and snacks to provide structure and help improve your chances of success.

The Plan is comprised of 3 components:

a) Slim Fast meal and snack replacements, these provide the nutrients that your body needs, with a controlled amount of calories, with no need to count points, calories, or portion size;

b) Sensible, healthy meal(s) and snacks of regular foods emphasizing lean protein as well as fruits and vegetables;

c) Daily activity of 30 to 60 minutes.

Clinical studies indicate that the combination of these 3 components provide the foundation for a healthy lifestyle, and the plan has been proven to help people lose weight and keep it off.

Rosemary Conley Diet

Rosemary Conley Diet

Rosemary Conley is the UK's leading diet and fitness expert with over 30 years' experience of helping people lose weight and get fit.

In the recent BBC (UK) Diet Trials programme, which followed 300 volunteers over a 6-month period, Rosemary Conley's Eat Yourself Slim low fat diet and exercise came out top.

It was the most effective in reducing body fat and in retaining lean muscle tissue. It also proved the most effective in increasing fitness levels and, equal with WeightWatchers, in reducing harmful cholesterol thus preventing heart complications.

GI Diet

GI Diet
The Glycemic Index Diet was developed by Rick Gallop. During his time as the President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario he gained a significant in-sight into the nutrition, diet, and weight loss industry. The GI diet was born after he suffered a lower back problem and had to stop exercising which lead to weight gain.

Following his back problem and subsequent weight gain, he tried several popular diets, none of which worked as expected. This lead him to create his own diet to address the flaws of other popular diets. And so the GI diet was born.

The GI diet helps you understand the key components of any food; carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and how they are digested by our bodies.

Essentially the index shows how quickly your body digests food and turns it into glucose, which is used as energy by the body. Glucose is the bench mark at 100, with other foods scored against how they spike your glucose levels.

The theory behind the Glycemic Index is that higher GI foods quickly enter your blood stream as glucose, and quickly leave. This results in you feelign hungry for more energy, compared to a low GI food, which is slower to enter the blood stream and leave, which means you feel full for longer.

An additional benefit is that if insulin levels are kept low, the formation of fat is slowed, and it can be converted back into energy to be burnt, rather than stored.

As always you should consult your doctor or medical advisor before altering your diet or exercise plan.

Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet was launched in the 70's when Dr. Atkins published the New Diet Revolution. Atkins spoke up against the medical establishment and told us of the effects of sugar and carbs in foods, and how managing your intake of carbs would lead to weight loss.

The two week induction phase of the Atkins Diet, is the strictest phase of the diet, where only pure proteins are allowed, and a very limited amount of carbs. The proteins allowed include meat, fish, poultry, and eggs, an pure fats such as olive oil, butter, and mayonnaise.

Only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day are allowed during this period, via vegetables such as broccoli, salad, and asparagus. No bread, grains, starchy vegetables or fruit should be eaten during this phase.

The dieter then moves through two more phases, slowly building their carbohydrate intake, until they know how much can be eaten without putting on weight - and moves into the Life time maintenance phase.

Robert Carels Diet

According to a study by Robert Carels, PhD, a psychology professor at Bowling Green State University, people who recorded their food and exercise during a six month period lost 10 pounds more than those who didn't. It's on this premise that The Calorie Balance Diet is based. It's not revolutionary by any means, but a little common sense can go a long way. If you are keeping track of your calorie intake, you can feel more comfortable having the occasional treat (in smaller portions) when you can see how many calories it adds up to at the end of the day.

With The Calorie Balance Diet you get a free software download which tracks your calories and exercise. The powerful dieting software is continually being updated, and currently includes many features that help you succeed:

*

Calorie Counter: You have more than 30,000 foods at your fingertips.
*

Fitness Tracker: Plan your workouts. Know how many calories you are burning, and progress from week to week like a pro.
*

Meal Planner: Dieting is so much easier to do if you plan your meals. The meal planner allows you to create and edit meals.
*

Recipe Builder: Enter your favorite recipes and get estimates on the calories and nutrition of your food.
*

Shopping Lists: Enter your foods for the week and then easily print out a shopping list for yourself.
*

Journals and Reports: Keep track of your progress.

27 Aralık 2008 Cumartesi

Zone Diet

Devised by Barry Sears and first introduced in 1995, the Zone Diet was made popular by celebrity dieters like Jennifer Aniston. "Although the diet does seem to work for many who have the willpower to stick with the program, research from Stanford and Tufts Universities have shown that study participants on the Zone fared no better than those on other popular diets including Weight Watchers, Ornish and LEARN, losing between 3.2 and 3.5 pounds in a year. Furthermore, many nutritionists believe that the weight loss experienced on the plan has nothing to do with hormone levels and is, rather, a result of eating fewer calories, carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. But one of the Zone's biggest flaws is that it claims that following the 40-30-30 plan may do a variety of things besides help you lose weight, from decreasing your risk of developing cancer, heart disease and other major ailments to improving athletic performance. Unfortunately, according to experts, there isn't much scientific research beyond the testimonials Sears himself has rounded up over the past decade to back up these claims. That means dieters looking to the Zone as a one-stop solution to all of their health concerns may be sadly disappointed.

Weight Watchers Diet

When founder Jean Nidetch began inviting friends into her Queens, New York home once a week to trade weight loss strategies, Weight Watchers was born. Now millions of people turn to the group-based program to help them shed weight. A robust medical advisory board featuring high-profile nutrition and weight loss experts, keeps the company on its toes, and those developing diet strategies include registered dietitians and scientists. But instead of telling you what you can and can't eat, Weight Watchers motivates dieters to make healthful decisions to help instill permanent lifestyle changes. With variety, simplicity and a lot of flexibility, it's easy to understand why dieters lose weight on this plan -- if only because they can stick to it! Even the POINTS system is relatively painless once you get the hang of it.

Ultrametabolism Diet

Mark Hyman, M.D. should be praised for his forward-thinking approach to personalized nutrition with the UltraMetabolism Diet. His laundry lists of scientific principles and research may be overwhelming and intimidating to some. Still, Hyman's advice regarding whole foods, high-fiber fruits and vegetables and stress reduction is based on sound science. With a cover line that promises a "simple plan for automatic weight loss," the diet is anything but. The detailed shopping list and kitchen recommendations can be overwhelming for an inexperienced dieter, and while Hyman offers some fabulous recipes for those with a holistic view of food, they may be too time-intensive and expensive for many Americans.

However, since dieters are required to swap out processed foods, artificial sweeteners and saturated and trans fats for fiber-rich whole foods, they're likely to get full on fewer calories -- and lose weight. With the diet's emphasis on exercise and stress reduction, most UltraMetabolism dieters will experience a spike in metabolism to boot. But people who are accustomed to eating large portions may have trouble losing weight on this diet. Since portion control is not emphasized or defined and there's little to no room for the occasional indulgences, dieters may feel deprived and binge. And even binging on healthy foods can cause weight gain.

Ultimate New York Diet

Fitness trainer to busy CEOs, new moms, and top celebrity models, David Kirsch's Ultimate New York Diet promotes physical activity and provides specific workout recommendations for even the most time-crunched people. But with severe food restrictions and significant emphasis on supplements (which may or may not be helpful), the diet may be a recipe for disaster for some dieters. The detailed meal plans weigh in well below 1,000 calories during all three phases. And his lists of prohibited foods may be overwhelming and intimidating for readers. In fact, many dieters may fail the plan long before they reach the "lifestyle phase." Supplement mumbo jumbo aside, Kirsch's advice regarding high-fiber vegetables, lean meats, portion control and physical activity is solid. And he offers some fabulous workout instructions for those who live life on-the-go.

Sonoma Diet

A registered dietitian, culinary professional and nutrition consultant to the Culinary Institute of America, Connie Guttersen spent 10 years counseling patients in weight management before creating the Sonoma Diet. In her book, Guttersen advises dieters to embrace healthful, whole foods, while simultaneously banishing processed foods, simple sugars, refined flour and saturated fats, and she deserves credit for recognizing that dieting does not equal deprivation. She looks to California's Sonoma and Napa valleys -- home to fresh fruits and vegetables, aromatic herbs and spices, fine wine, lean meats, fish and heart-friendly olive oil -- for food inspiration. The abundant pickings make weight loss an exciting flavor adventure, rather than a test in tolerance, though finding the recommended foods in some areas of the country may be difficult and costly. With a cover line that promises a "trimmer waist and better health in just 10 days," the Sonoma Diet's aggressive first wave may also be too restrictive for some. And while Guttersen offers some fabulous recipes for those with a culinary bent, they may be too time-intensive for many.

Slim Fast Diet

Slim-Fast’s longevity on the diet industry scene has allowed researchers to thoroughly investigate the diet’s effectiveness. The results, published in several scientific journals, show that sipping Slim-Fast shakes or munching on the company’s meal replacement bars can help dieters safely shed unwanted pounds -- and keep them off. The diet is basically a low-calorie plan that encourages portion control. Easy to do since the meal replacement products contain fewer calories than most Americans typically consume in one sitting. To keep up with the low carb craze, Slim-Fast introduced the Optima line, a carb-controlled version of their traditional products, which contain 55 percent less sugar and higher levels protein and fiber to boot. Both replacements weigh in with the same calorie counts and in either case, dieters swap out standard fare with Slim-Fast replacement products for two meals each day and tack on a 500-calorie sensible meal they create themselves. The three meals are supplemented by a variety of snacks ranging from 130-calorie Slim-Fast bars to whole foods, fruits and vegetables.

NutriSystem Diet

If reconstituting sloppy joes and Asian noodles with water and heat sounds appetizing to you -- and you never tire of eating not-so-great faux food meal after meal -- you may do well on Nutrisystem. Foods rate low on the Glycemic Index (GI), meaning they break down slowly in the body and encourage blood sugar levels to remain stable. Although the Nutrisystem Nourish plan is a new incarnation of the original, both are low-calorie programs that do help dieters shed pounds. No counting, measuring or cooking required. The only remaining question is whether dieters can maintain their results once they're no longer relying on prepackaged foods.

The Martha's Vineyard Diet

The diet also relies on many supplements and services that leave most doctors and nutritionists shaking their heads in disbelief. (In fact, the book even instructs you on how to explain the concept of detoxing to your doctor, since they'll most likely be alarmed when you tell them what you're about to do.) Some of the treatments the program recommends are so outrageous they bring into question the validity of the program itself, such as having lymph drainage massages, cellulite treatments, a liver flush and even spending up to an hour a day on a "Chi machine" -- a device that swings your legs back and forth to improve the flow of your "life force." It even suggests that jumping on a trampoline three times a week detoxifies your lymphatic system and purges fluid from it, causing you to lose weight.

LA Weight Loss Diet

LA Weight Loss clients are basically paying for a lot of common sense nutritional advice about portion control and recipes. One major problem with the program is that when clients make their frequent visits to the center to meet with counselors, they're often given the hard sell, encouraged to purchase the company's exclusive line of weight-loss supplements. In fact, many of the counselors aren't certified nutrition experts or dieticians, but employees who work on commission from the supplements they can sell you during your check-ins. This can make it impossible to judge if dieters are being supported or preyed upon with each visit. It's also the reason the company paid a total settlement in 2006 of $100,000 to past clients who felt misled.

Grapefruit Diet

No one knows who first created the Grapefruit Diet, but since it first emerged it's drifted in and out of being vogue, usually brought back into the spotlight by a celebrity on a diet who decide to try one of the dozens of variations. The mainstay of the diet revolves around eating half a grapefruit or drinking an eight-ounce glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice before each meal. Proponents of the diet claim that grapefruit has a fat-burning enzyme, helping you eliminate fat, and their claims may not entirely off. A study from a 2006 issue of the ‘Journal of Medicinal Food' revealed that people who ate half a grapefruit before each meal for 12 weeks lost 3.6 pounds. Likewise, people who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. However, many individuals in that study lost more than 10 pounds. Researchers suggest that grapefruit may lower insulin, which is a fat storage hormone. Yet it's important to note that in this study, individuals ate healthy, balanced diets and could exercise up to three times a week. Note that this is substantially different from the Grapefruit Diet, which takes an unhealthy approach to weight loss and will inevitably set people up for diet failure.

The Fat Smash Diet

The Fat Smash Diet began as a plan that celebs followed in a competition to lose weight on the VH1 hit show Celebrity Fit Club. Now, the program's diet doctor, Ian K. Smith, M.D., has developed a plan for anyone who wants to lose weight. Smith’s diet book guides you through four phases, each of which comes with lists of permissible and prohibited foods. During the initial detox phase, you eat mostly fruits and vegetables. Detox also comes with a prescription for 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. In the foundation phase, which lasts three weeks, more foods appear on the permissible list and exercise is kicked up 10 to 15 percent above phase one. The four-week construction phase allows for an occasional treat, and exercise jumps 25 percent over phase two. Once dieters reach the lifetime temple phase, Smith claims they will have constructed a routine of good habits that will last a lifetime.

Smith should be commended for his lifestyle approach to weight loss and emphasis on physical activity. But with a cover line that promises to be the last diet you'll ever need, Fat Smash is on the skimpy side. There are few menus, details, specifics, or pages for that matter. And his laundry lists of prohibited foods may be overwhelming and intimidating for an inexperienced dieter. In fact, the early phases may turn many dieters off the plan long before they reach the maintenance phase. Detox mumbo jumbo aside, Smith's advice regarding whole foods, fruits and vegetables, lean meats, portion control and physical activity is based on sound science. And he offers some fabulous recipes for those with a culinary bent.

Fat Flush Diet

The Fat Flush Plan was born out of author Ann Louise Gittleman's stint as a guest expert on iVillage's diet and fitness channel where she presented the Two-Week Fat Flush. A former nutritionist for the Pritikin Longevity Center, Gittleman watched clients languish with the Pritikin-prescribed low-fat approach to food. After discovering the liver's role in weight loss, she developed Fat Flush to optimize liver function with deoxifying cocktails and specific combinations of protein, carbohydrates and fat. But with severe food restrictions and significant emphasis on supplements like Evening Primrose Oil (which can interact with anticonvulsant medicines and shouldn't be taken if you're on blood thinning drugs or supplements such as fish oil) the Fat Flush Plan may be a recipe for disaster for some dieters. In fact, many dieters will "fail" the plan long before they reach the "lifestyle phase." And her directive to "bounce off fat" on a mini-trampoline is not only unsubstantiated, it's downright strange. Barring the supplement mumbo jumbo and mini trampoline miracle claims, Gittleman's advice regarding sleep, stress reduction and journaling is sound.

Dr. Phil Diet

Drawing from his years of experience counseling overweight individuals, Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Solution is loaded with behavioral modifications. While none of his strategies are particularly new, they are sensible and effective. For instance, he advises replacing negative self-talk with positive internal dialog, clearing your pantry of trigger foods that tempt you to overeat, and scheduling non food-related activities during times of the day when you're most tempted to overeat.

Some of his nutritional advice, though, raises red flags. After all, Dr. Phil is a psychologist, not a nutrition expert. Take, for example, his claim that crispy foods with sharp edges like taco or tortilla chips aren't only unhealthy but they can also lacerate your throat, which is another reason you shouldn't eat them. Most nutrition experts would undoubtedly call this nonsense.

To his credit, though, the foods he classifies as high-response, high-yield foods are mainly nutritious picks. He even discusses portions, advising you to split your plate into four quadrants and fill one section with protein, another with a starch and the last two with vegetables or a vegetable and fruit. Of course, why he uses such confusing language to differentiate the good foods from bad foods isn't clear, for aren't terms that any dietitian or nutritionist use and appear to be his own creations.

The most troubling part of his plan concerns his advice about supplements. For people who are what he calls weight-loss resistant, which means you're unable to lose weight despite continuous diet attempts and a regular exercise program, he recommends 13 supplements that he claims aid in weight loss. He even suggests supplements based on figure -- specific supplements are suggested for people with pear-shaped bodies while others are for people with apple-shaped bodies. This advice, though, is simply not credible and isn't backed by research, which may be why it's received harsh criticism from organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Cardio Diet

Stripped down to its core, the Cardio-Free Diet from trainer to the stars Jim Karas is basically a plan that recommends eating reduced calories and exercising three times a week. That in itself isn’t so bad, it’s when you drill down to the specifics that there are flaws.

On the nutrition side, the diet is basic and somewhat sound, though it’s often contradictory. For example, Karas declares that there are no forbidden foods on his plan, which would lead you to believe you can eat anything but perhaps in moderation. However, in the same chapter a few pages later, dieters are told to minimize or avoid processed carbohydrates, liquid carbohydrates (soda, juice) and salad dressings.

It’s the exercise portion of the book, however, where the most flaws can be found. On the very first page, the author admits that thousands of doctors, exercise physiologists and fitness experts praise the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Yet according to Karas, all those decades of research is wrong. In fact, despite countless studies performed at hospitals and universities worldwide that show that regular cardiovascular exercise increases your endurance and aerobic capacity, strengthens your heart, reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension -- and burns fat and calories to boot -- the diet preaches that cardio not only doesn’t work, it also “kills your immune system” your internal organs and your entire weight-loss plan.

It seems that in order to differentiate itself from the rest of the diet plans that look strikingly similar, the book relies on theories that simply don’t ring true with any fitness organization or medical expert. They are also theories that the book simply can’t back up. Instead of citing actual studies -- or performing any studies on his own to prove his “cardio kills” theory before making such claims -- Karas refers instead to his own personal to back up his opinions instead.

Cabbage Soup Diet

The origin of the Cabbage Soup Diet remains shrouded in mystery, despite the fact that some authors have written books around the subject. The diet's allure is that it promises to help you lose up to 10 pounds in just seven days, but there are no magical weight-loss properties attached to cabbage, the fact of the matter is that soup is extremely low in calories. Eating ample amounts of it instead of food simply places dieters on a severely restrictive plan that some nutritionists speculate falls between 800-1,000 calories a day.

Although eating the soup is meant to suppress your appetite, starving yourself this way basically forces your body to burn anything it can for energy, which dieters assume will be unwanted fat. Unfortunately, much of the weight loss from the diet ends up being water weight and lean muscle tissue instead.

Most nutritionists also agree that it's virtually impossible to get all the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs to stay healthy eating less than 1,500 calories a day. Because the Cabbage Soup Diet goes one step further and only allows certain foods on certain days, it's even more nutritionally unbalanced than other low-calorie diets, especially when it comes to protein, calcium and Vitamin D.

Bob Greene Best Life Diet

Because of Bob Greene's affiliation with Oprah (she wrote the foreword to his book and says the diet mirrors how she eats and lives now), many skeptics have dismissed the Best Life Diet as another celebrity weight loss fad. However, it's become highly regarded among nutritionists because of its motivating tone and and honest approach to nutrition and exercise. The average number of calories dieters can expect to eat is 1,700 per day, which makes it easy to create well-balanced meals compared to many restrictive diets that tend to be deficient in certain nutrients because they allow far fewer calories and a Another plus is how dieters are encouraged to exercise as a way to earn rewards. Depending on how much exercise you're doing each week, dieters are allowed to eat additional calories per day.

Blood Type Diet

The diet was created by Peter J. D'Adamo, N.D., a naturopathic physician whose father first introduced him to the idea that optimal health might be linked to specific diet and exercise patterns for each blood type. D'Adamo continued exploring this theory and eventually concluded that his father's observations held merit, hence the birth of the Blood Type Diet. Although D'Adamo attempts to bring in scientific facts, this diet is based on convoluted nonsense. No studies, after all, indicate that your blood type should determine what you can or can't eat. Even worse, all four of these diets require you to abide by lists, shunning many foods that are otherwise healthy. And although these diets do recommend exercise, there's no logical rationale for creating an exercise program based solely on blood type.

Atkins Diet

Started by the late Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970's, the diet has maintained its popularity because it does seem to work in the short-term. However, according to nutritionists, the Atkins' Diet success rate in terms of weight loss is considered to be middle of the road. A 2007 study performed at Stanford University found that subjects who used Atkins lost more weight on average than those who followed the Zone, the LEARN diet and the Ornish Diet. However, these same subjects only lost an average of 10.4 pounds on the Atkins diet in 12 months time.

The diet also has its fair share of side effects. Limiting your carbohydrates throws your body into a state of ketosis -- when your body starts using fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Side effects from ketosis can include dizziness, nausea, lethargy, and even bad breath. Because of the lack of fiber in the Atkins plan, some people may even find themselves feeling constip,ated.

The 3-Hour Diet

The 3-Hour Diet is the follow-up from Jorge Cruise -- the fitness guru who pioneered the 8 Minutes in the Morning workout program for weight loss. Though he's not a nutrition expert, Cruise speaks from his experience of being overweight. With his diet, Cruise advocates a strict timeline of when and what you should eat. Essentially, there are three rules you must follow: Eat breakfast within one hour of getting up, eat every three hours, and stop eating three hours before bed.

Why eat every three hours? Cruise claims that if you don't, you'll turn on your body's starvation protection mechanism (SPM). When that happens, your body conserves fat and burns muscle to help you survive, thus slowing your metabolism. By eating every three hours, you turn off your SPM and rev your metabolism. You also increase your energy levels, prevent binges and reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which Cruise says is linked to belly fat.

What's more, you don't have to exercise (it's optional), nor do you have to abandon your favorite foods for this diet to work. For instance, many of your top splurge foods are included in the list of snack options (i.e. a small candy bar, seven chocolate-covered almonds, or 15 to 20 potato chips).

While many nutrition experts do advocate eating every few hours to keep the metabolism ticking, there's no consensus about how many hours should pass between each meal so Cruise's three hours is somewhat arbitrary. (To his credit, though, he does say that if you're off by 15 minutes or so, that's okay.) Plus, snacking between meals -- you'll be eating about a 100-calorie snack between your main meals -- could be detrimental for some individuals, especially those who ignore his advice on portion sizes and overeat. The rigid eating schedule Cruise sets might also be impractical for some people, including individuals who work late and have to eat late or close to bedtime. On the flip side, though, it could help others who let hours pass between meals and then binge because they're so hungry. And although losing belly fat is certainly a desirable goal, there's no guarantee that any diet will shed belly fat first, especially if you're not exercising.

5-Factor Diet

With the 5-Factor Diet, Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., presents a five-week diet and fitness program that encourages grazing instead of gorging. Born out of Pasternak's experience as a husky teenager who watched his two younger brothers struggle with Type I diabetes, the 5-Factor Diet encourages dieters to eat five normal size meals (on a schedule rather than waiting until they're hungry), which means less food at each meal, less insulin released and less fat stored. And instead of pushing pricey supplements and specialty foods, Pasternak promotes lean proteins, whole foods, fruits and vegetables -- so you'll get the necessary nutrients from food, not pills. Unfortunately though, dieters are left to guess approximate portion sizes. As a follow up to Pasternak's blockbuster 5-Factor Fitness, the plan isn't short on activity recommendations. In fact, exercise guidelines and instructions take up a good chunk of the book and include a combination of cardio and strength training. All you need are weights and a balance ball. The only drawback: Pasternak presents the diet as a five-week plan when it should be a way of life.

Abs Diet

In an age of diet tricks and gimmicks, the Abs Diet for Women is a solid bet. Overlook the diet's grandiose claim of flattening your stomach in six weeks (something highly unlikely to happen in such a short amount of time) and focus instead on the effective eating and exercise plans -- the combination of which are essential to long lasting results -- and you have a weight-loss winner.

You'll be basing your meals on 12 power foods, which are healthy, wholesome, nutrient-dense foods. While the book's claim that these foods trigger fat burning may be stretching the truth, they are still good choices. The fact that you're eating more nutritious, less caloric foods is more likely the reason you'll lose weight on this plan, not because there's anything special about these foods themselves. You'll also be eating more frequently on this plan -- six times a day. While there is some science to suggest that eating more frequently can be an effective weight-loss strategy, there's nothing magical about the number six.

Because it's designed for women, the diet also addresses things like hormonal issues, strategies for handling emotional eating, dieting before, after and even during pregnancy. While Zinczenko should be credited for including post-pregnancy dieting information, dieting while pregnant should be discouraged.