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Rate That Diet

Here we offer a comprehensive guide to numerous diets, which our experts have rated for safety.  The posting of a diet here in no way shows an endorsement of the diet. In fact, you will find that most of these diets receive very low ratings.  Gimmicks do not work when it comes to long-term weight control.   By choosing a healthy, well-balanced plan and adding fitness you give yourself the BEST chance of losing weight and keeping it off.

We know that many people will tell you, "I lost a lot of weight on that diet." The real question, however, should be "How long did you keep it off?" 

The best food plans will be reasonable and simple to follow. Don't forget to keep that healthy diet interesting with our healthy yet delicious low-fat recipes.

The intention of providing this list is to make you aware of the pitfalls of many fad or gimmicky diets.  You will find that the highest ratings go to diets that are balanced and emphasize fresh vegetables and fruits as well as lean proteins.

The Wellspring Way has worked wonders with children, teens, and young adults. It is not only based on solid scientific principles, but the Wellspring Academies and Wellspring Camps have followed their participants closely to see how they do over the long term. The results for young people have been unprecedented. No other intervention for childhood overweight or obesity has been so successful. We share the basics of the Wellspring Way with you here. Many people do better if they get a structured "kick start" on their new healthy lifestyle. If you are interested in getting a firm foundation for life-long healthy weight control, please read more about the summer programs at Wellspring Camps and Wellspring Retreats and our year-round programs at Wellspring Academies (previously known as Academy of the Sierras).

People who have struggled for years with dieting and weight control often find a residential program such as a weight loss camp, retreat, or other program can help them build a strong foundation for more successful weight control.

These plans focus on the underlying behaviors that sabotage a healthy lifestyle. They emphasize behavioral changes to effect long-term changes.

Although a small amount of dietary fat is needed for good health, overeating fat is the fastest way to get fat, particularly if you are eating the fats found in processed foods. Diets high in saturated fats have been linked to higher blood pressure and risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association emphasizes a low fat diet as the best way to reduce not only weight, but your risk of heart disease. Low fat diets range from 30% of total calories to very low fat (under 10% of calories).

Dietary fiber is an essential part of a balanced diet.  Dietary fiber is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It has been shown to be an important factor is healthy digestion and a preventative against certain types of cancer.  Recent studies ahve shown that high-fiber diets make you feel more full and can help control blood sugar levels.

Low Carbohydrate or Low Carb diets focus on reduces the percentage of your diet made up of this group of foods. There are a wide variety of low carb diets, ranging from very low carb (Atkins) to moderation (South Beach). The most common theme is to avoid processed or refined carbohydrates (breads, cakes, white rice) and emphasize complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains). The theory of low-carb is that if your body does not have a large number of carbohydrate calories to burn, it will turn to burning body fat instead.  Dr. Atkins is the most well-known advocate of the very low carb diet.

Low-sugar diets are similar to low glycemic index, although there may be more options for fruits and other non-processed sugars.

The Glycemic Index is a scientific method of ranking foods based on their impact on blood sugar. The rise in blood sugar triggers the production of insulin, a critical factor for diabetics. Some of the advocates of this diet believe it is easier to stay on a healthy eating plan if your blood sugar levels remain stable - the spikes can cause extreme hunger and a tendency to binge.  By eating lower glycemic index foods you theoretically experience fewer "lows" where the dieter feels "shaky" with hunger.

These types of diets offer convenience and the ability to plan your meals by simply choosing the right box from the freezer. The types of diet vary from low fat to low carb and generally offer you three meals a day in either frozen or milkshake form.  Participants often make their own healthy snacks to supplement the menu. The most well-known of these are Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig.  Some offer their frozen meals at local grocery stores so you can choose to substitute for just one meal rather than ordering 21 meals a week to be shipped to your home.

These diets are hard to categorize, although many could be included under Fasting because they have such strange limitations you cannot possible get the broad spectrum of nutritional ingredients necessary for a healthy and balanced diet.  These diets might lead to rapid early weight loss, but they cannot be sustained long enough for any lasting results.  Most participants will lose more weight because they are losing water during the first week.  Some of these diets may also cause you to lose muscle rather than fat, a very bad way to go since the more muscle you have, the more calories you naturally burn throughout the day.

Simply put, calories are a measure of stored energy within food. Humans burn a certain amount of energy (calories) throughout their day. Low calorie diets aim to have dieters consume less calories than they burn to lose weight. Most traditional diet plans are, in some way, calorie controlled or low calorie plans.

These diets emphasize one particular food that supposedly has magical weight loss powers.  Most of these diets can only be followed for a very short period of time. The "magical" diet food is likely a diuretic or has another temporary effect that makes it seem as if it is causing you to lose weight.

High protein diets are similar to low-carb diets, although they may emphasize a higher ratio of meats and other proteins than a diet such as the South Beach Diet.

Diets that emphasize the addition of supplements to help you lose weight or curb the appetite are generally gimmicks and do not deal with the underlying behavioral issues that lead to overeating. These types of diets can lead to yo-yoing of your weight, which is considered very unhealthy.

Diet emphasizes many small meals throughout the day versus three big meals. This diet tends to be good for people who are hypoglycemic or diabetic and anyone who is a "grazer."

Weight loss programs that emphasize the support of fellow weight controllers through meetings or support groups.

Celebrity diets either tout the eating and fitness habits of a particular famous person or the diet favorites of Hollywood celebrities in general. They can vary from typical low-fat or low-carb - the main difference being the supposed endorsement by the rich and famous.

Ultra-strict vegan diets. No meat. No dairy. No eggs. Lots of cantaloupe.

Great quote from chetday.com: "In spite of all the rhetoric from vegan diet teachers, there has never been a civilization in the entire world that has been able to survive on the vegan diet.  Every culture depends on some type of animal products to a degree, be it eggs, milk, cheese, or meat (even insects in third world countries).  This includes the Hunza people who are often falsely represented as vegan even though they eat dairy and some meat."