Best Fad Diets that Work

Obesity or being over weight are common health problems faced by many people across the world due to poor and unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. With no time to exercise and increasing dependency on junk or fast foods, people have become more prone to gain weight and suffer health ailments like diabetes, heart diseases, strokes, hypertension, etc. Besides these health problems, obesity also hampers an individual's appearance and self-confidence. Hence in order to overcome all these problems, people usually look out for easy ways to lose weight that will not require much time or efforts.

One such talked about method to lose weight fast and effectively is fad diets. Fad diets are basically diets that follow eating patterns which promote weight loss or reduce obesity without restricting the calories consumption. But with so many fad diets come up almost everyday, it becomes extremely difficult to decide which are the best diets.

List of Fad Diets that Work

Atkins Diet: Considered to be one of the best fad diets, Atkins diet is a diet plan based on avoidance of carbohydrates in the diet to keep the body from adding weight. This diet encourages eating less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day to achieve ketosis, a state wherein body burns stored fat in place of its energy giving glucose. The dieter needs to avoid food items that are high in carbohydrates like bread, grains, juice, chips, potatoes, flour, sugar, rice, pasta and cereals and encourage intake of fresh fruits and green vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Negative Calorie Diet: Negative calorie diet is an effective fad diet that works on the principal of eating foods that have negative calories, i.e., foods which require more calories to digest. In simple words, it means that the number of calories you need to chew, digest and excrete the food is more than the number of calories you gain from the food. The diet claims that a person can lose up to 2 pounds of weight daily. The diet mainly includes fruits and vegetables like asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, green cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, apples, blueberries, cantaloupes and cranberries.

Cabbage Soup Diet: Although not beneficial for long term weight loss plan, cabbage soup diet is a low fat, high fiber fad diet that can help you to lose those extra kilos and get in shape. It is a seven day diet plan that encourages consumption of low calorie cabbage soup twice a day with alternating additional menu options comprising fruits and vegetables for each day of the week. The diet claims to make an individual lose up to 10 to 15 pounds in just seven days. Here is a sample diet plan for seven days:

• Day One: Cabbage soup and fruits only, excluding bananas
• Day Two: Cabbage soup, some veggies and a potato with butter
• Day Three: Cabbage soup, veggies and fruits
• Day Four: Cabbage soup, 6 bananas and fat free milk
• Day Five: Cabbage soup, 6 tomatoes and 450 grams of meat or fish
• Day Six: Cabbage soup, meat and vegetables
• Day Seven: Cabbage soup, brown rice, juice and veggies

South Beach Diet: In comparison to other fad diets, south beach diet is a low calorie diet which is easy to follow and encourages you to reduce the consumption of foods that are high in carbohydrates, sugar and fats, without making a person give up on his/her favorite foods. The diet plan can be divided in to three phases, 1st phase wherein the dieter should eliminate processed carbohydrates, sugars, fruits and high glycemic vegetables from the diet, 2nd phase encourages consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables along with some whole grains and finally 3rd phase wherein the dieter can follow a healthy balanced diet which should be low in calories and carbohydrates. A person can lose up to 8 to 13 pounds of weight in just two weeks.

Lemonade Diet: The lemonade diet is an effective fad diet for rapid weight loss and an extreme test of willpower as it expects the dieter to stay away from solid food, even plain water and consume only lemonade for considerable period of time. To prepare the lemonade you need to mix lemon juice in water with maple syrup and cayenne pepper. One has to drink 6 to 10 glasses of lemonade daily, and without any solid food. Hence on a long run, this diet is not very healthy as it may result in to some health complications like diarrhea, dizziness, bloating, etc.

Zone Diet: Another useful fad diet is zone diet wherein the calorie consumption is divided as 40% of calories from carbohydrates, 30% from proteins and another 30% from fats. The diet emphasizes on having 5 small meals in place of 3 large meals a day after every 3 to 4 hours with plenty of water intake. The foods included in the diet should be low in fat and starch, and total calorie intake in a day should not be more than 1700 calories.

3 Day Diet: 3 day diet is a diet plan that helps in losing weight in just three days, hence it is a quick weight loss method wherein the dieter has to strictly follow a diet which is low in calories and fats, and high in vitamins and minerals. The 3 day diet plan includes tuna as the major food and emphasizes on drinking minimum four glasses of water daily. However, the diet also allows consumption of all types of herbs, pepper, salt, vinegar, lemon, mustard, sauces, toast, fruits, black coffee, vegetables, ice-cream, saltine crackers and even cheese.

These were some of the best fad diets that work which can be considered to lose weight fast and effectively. Ensure that along with following any of these fad diets you keep yourself hydrated by drinking enough water and practice a regular exercise regime for better results. It is also advisable that before following any of the aforementioned fad diets, do consult your health care provider in order to avoid any unexpected complications.