There are quite a number of weight loss diets to choose from. Some are mainly focused on suppressing your appetite while others are only meant to limit your intake of fat, carbs or even calories. However, making the decision to rely on one is at times difficult since they all claim to offer superior results. Nevertheless, not all Diet plans will work in the same way since we have different body types. To make your decision easier, here are 10 Controversial weight loss diets that claim to work effectively.
- The Vegan Diet
The vegan diet is among the most relied upon weight loss programs as it focuses on restricting all animal products because of health, environmental or even ethical reasons. This diet plan mostly suits vegetarians since it is against the exploitation of animals.
How it Works
The Vegan Diet is termed as a strict form of vegetarianism. Apart from removing meat from your diet plan, it also focuses on eliminating products such as whey, honey, casein and gelatin which have been derived from animals. You will, therefore, have nothing to do with animals since your main focus is vegetables.
When it comes to losing weight, the Vegan Diet is quite effective as it does not require a dieter to count calories. This is because it contains high fiber and low-fat contents hence you will always feel full. Unfortunately, Vegan diets may not work that well when compared to other Diet plans since weight loss is only determined by a reduced intake of calories.
Apart from achieving weight loss, the Vegan Diet helps in reducing heart-related diseases, premature deaths, and type 2 diabetes. In addition to this, it will also reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, the Vegan Diet may lack important nutrients such as iodine, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, etc. since it completely eliminates animal foods.
- The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet mainly focuses on limiting your intake of carbs to 35%-45% in a day while at the same time restricting fat to 30%. With this diet plan, you are only allowed to eat carbs that have a low glycemic index (GI). A food’s GI refers to the extent at which it increases your blood glucose levels after having a meal. The Zone Diet was relied upon in reducing the chances of developing chronic diseases, reducing diet-induced inflammation and achieving weight loss goals.
How it Works
When following the Zone Diet Meal plan, you will have to balance each meal as per the set requirements. This will mean having 1/3 of the meal as proteins and 2/3 comprising of vegetables and fruits. You can also consider low intake of fat specifically from almonds, avocados or even olive oil.
One of the greatest benefits that you will get from this meal plan is lowering chronic inflammation, especially in overweight and obese individuals. In addition to this, the diet tends to reduce risk factors of heart diseases, reduced waist circumference, and blood sugar control. However, you must follow the diet strictly if you are to enjoy these benefits. Unfortunately, the diet does not allow the consumption of healthy carbs like potatoes and bananas.
- The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is a popular low carb weight plan that mainly focuses on eating as much fat and proteins as possible while completely avoiding carbs. The main reason as to why this meal plan guarantees maximum results is the suppressing of a dieters appetite. This, in turn, makes it easy for a dieter to handle the low intake of calories without even thinking about it.
How it Works
The Atkins Diet plan is divided into four very important phases. During the first phase (Induction Phase), a dieter will have to make do with as little as 20 carbs in a day for close to two weeks. During the other three phases, you will have to slowly increase your intake of carbs until you are able to get the desired weight.
Numerous studies conducted on the Atkins Diet seems to suggest that it works faster in reducing weight when compared to other low-fat diets. Apart from weight loss, the Atkins Diet reduces risk factors for different diseases such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol just to list a few.
- The Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet is one of the few meal plans that asks dieters to eat natural foods which were mostly relied upon by our ancestors. With this meal plan, you will no longer eat processed foods, dairy, and grains as they are closely linked to modern diseases.
How it Works
The Paleo Diet achieves weight loss by eating vegetables, lean proteins, whole foods, seeds, and nuts. It also prohibits the intake of grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods. However, the latest versions of the Paleo Diet allow dieters to eat dairies like butter and cheese.
Quite a number of studies have proven how the Paleo Diet can help dieters lose weight while also reducing the size of their waist. Furthermore, the diet also reduces risk factors which may increase your chances of developing heart diseases. Some of the risk factors include blood triglycerides, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
- The HCG Diet
The HCG Diet is one of the most effective meal plans as it helps dieters lose close to one pound in a single day. Proponents of the HCG Diet claim that dieters can lose weight without feeling hungry even though it involves taking a low-calorie diet. In addition to this, you will have to take the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) hormone which is present in pregnant women during the first three months.
How it Works
The HCG Diet is split into three different phases. During the first phase, a dieter is introduced to the HCG hormone by taking HCG Drops, HCG injections or HCG sprays. You will also have to eat all sorts of food in order to prepare your body for the task ahead. During the second phase, dieters will have to make do with a low-calorie diet (500 calories in a day) while also taking the HCG hormone. Phase two of the HCG Diet lasts for 3-6 weeks depending on the weight that you wish to lose.
During HCG Diet Phase 3 (Maintenance Phase), you will have to stop taking HCG supplements while at the same time increasing your daily food intake. Most dieters will have achieved the desired weight loss during the third phase
Even though the HCG Diet offers numerous benefits, it still has some drawbacks just like most weight loss meal plans. For instance, it may end up causing side effects such as depression, fatigue, and headaches. It is for this reason that the HCG Diet has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as it is considered to be illegal, fraudulent and dangerous.
- Low-Carb Diets
The low-carb diet is the oldest meal plan that is relied upon in weight loss. There are different types of low-carb diets even though most of them involve limiting your intake of calories to about 20-150 grams in a day. This diet plan mainly focuses on forcing your body to burn fat which is eventually used as energy.
How it Works
Dieters who rely on low-carb diets are supposed to make do with unlimited amounts of fat and proteins. You will, however, have to limit your intake of calories if you are to achieve the desired weight loss. With a low intake of calories, the body will have to move fatty acids into your bloodstream before transporting them to the liver. It is here where the fatty acids are converted into Ketones. The Ketones and fatty acids are then used by the body as its main source of energy instead of carbs.
Low-Carb diets work efficiently in obese and overweight individuals who wish to lose weight. In addition to this, they also play a key role in reducing belly fat which may end up accumulating in important organs. Studies have shown that dieters taking the low-carb diet will lose twice the weight when compared to those who rely on low fat and calorie restricted diets.
Individuals who are taking the low-carb diet are destined to benefit from a reduced appetite. You will, therefore, stay full for longer periods thus reducing your intake of calories. Apart from suppressing appetite, low-carb diets also handle major risk factors such as insulin levels, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol levels.
- The Dukan Diet
The Dukan Diet simply involves taking a high-protein diet together with low-carb diet weight loss meal plans. This diet is divided into four phases. The first two phases are meant for weight loss with the last two are designed to help dieters maintain their new weight. There is no specific time frame that you should spend on a given phase since it is determined by the weight that you wish to lose. However, each phase has its own dietary plan that a dieter should follow.
How it Works
The two weight loss phases basically involve sticking with an unlimited intake of proteins together with mandatory intake of oat bran. During the other two phases, you will have to make do with starchy vegetables after which you can follow it with some fat and carbs. Later on, dieters will need to rely on pure proteins in order to maintain the new weight that they have just achieved.
Unfortunately, the Dukan Diet may lead to loss of muscles unlike other programs such as the HCG Diet. Furthermore, the severe restriction of calories may force your body into conserving energy. This will, in turn, make it easy for dieters to regain the lost weight.
- Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a program that revolves around eating and fasting. Instead of restricting the types of food that you consume, the program determines when to eat. Therefore, many people consider it to be more of an eating pattern rather than a weight loss diet. There are four common methods of doing intermittent fasting. They include:
- The Warrior Diet
- The 5:2 Diet
- The 16/8 method
- The eat stop eat method.
How it Works
Intermittent fasting aids in weight loss since it restricts calories very easily. With this pattern, you can eat fewer calories so long as you follow the same trend after fasting. By following the correct steps, you will get to lose as much as 3-8% within a period of 3-24 weeks.
- The-Ultra-Low-Fat Diet
With an ultra-low-fat-Diet, you will only take less than 10% of fat in a day. However, studies seem to show that it is not an effective Diet for weight loss. Despite this, proponents of the diet claim it offers weight loss together with other health benefits.
How it Works
This diet plan can be said to be plant-based since dieters are only allowed a low intake of animal products. Therefore, the Ultra-Low-Fat-Diet is very effective on obese and overweight individuals who wish to lose weight. Unfortunately, it may end up causing long term side effects since fat is a very important component of your body.
- The Dash Diet
The Dash Diet is one of the solid options that you can rely upon as it enhances your overall health, provides weight loss and lowers the cholesterol levels. Dash stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
How it Works
The Dash Diet aids in weight loss by restricting dieters to whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Furthermore, it also removes foods which are rich in protein from your diet. Through this action, you will be able to reach your intended weight loss goals. In addition to this, the Dash Diet will reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
There is no specific Diet that will help you lose the desired weight easily. Different diets tend to work differently on people and hence you should choose the one that suits your needs. Through this action, you can achieve your weight loss goals without going through a lot.