Diet Reviews
There are dozens of diet plans on the market, and many promise to magically shed fat off your body in a matter of days—often in bizarre and sometimes dangerous ways. They have names ranging from boring—The Grapefruit Diet—to outlandish—The Skinny Bitch Diet. Do some of these so-called "fad diets" actually work? We reviewed 23 of the most popular diet plans to find out.
Click through the slideshow to learn which diets work and which to avoid.
3-Hour Diet
The 3-Hour Diet involves eating small portions every three hours throughout the day. The theory is that eating constantly will keep your metabolism continually running at a high rate and burning fat. There are no prohibited types of food—only portion restrictions. Fried chicken, candy bars, bacon, and red meat are allowed.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Atkins Diet
The
Atkins Diet emphasizes eating lean protein and low-starch vegetables and
avoiding simple carbohydrates such as flour and sugar. The diet involves a
reduced glycemic load (carb content) to keep blood sugar levels in a healthy
range. In theory, consuming fewer carbohydrates allows your body to burn
greater amounts of fat.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Best Life Diet
The
Best Life Diet attempts to change the way you eat, exercise, and live to
achieve better health. Its goal is to tackle the root cause of overeating. The
diet was designed to counter the quick-fix mentality of most diet programs out
there. The Best Life Diet promises to help you discover why you were out of
shape to begin with and inspire physical and emotional changes that will last a
lifetime.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Blood Type Diet
The Eat Right for Your Type diet (Blood Type Diet) advises people to eat certain foods based on their blood type: A, B, AB, or O. The plan posits that each blood type digests food proteins (called lectins) differently and that eating the wrong food proteins can cause ill effects on the body—including slower metabolism, bloating, and even certain diseases. According to this diet, avoiding bad food proteins will help you achieve better health.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Cabbage Soup Diet
As
its name suggests, the Cabbage Soup Diet involves eating a very limited diet
primarily made up of cabbage soup for a week in order to achieve quick weight
loss. The diet promises rapid weight loss—about 10 pounds in a week and is
promoted as a "vanity diet"—a quick way to lose a few extra pounds to
look good for a special occasion.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Caveman Diet
The
Caveman Diet focuses on eating foods from the Paleolithic era of human
nutritional needs—foods we ate prior to farming and domesticating animals. The
goal is to train your body to crave healthy foods. This diet promises to
achieve your ideal body weight, sharpen the mind, and enhance a connection to
your body’s inner being—similar to a wild animal's keen hunting instincts.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Fat Flush Diet
The Fat Flush Plan folds weight loss into a low-carbohydrate, restricted-calorie diet. The notion is that the liver is a "fat-burning furnace," and the right combination of foods and a specific eating schedule will increase metabolism and cause the body to burn fat efficiently. The diet promises to cleanse the liver, which, in theory, will help melt fat and cellulite away from the waist, hips, and thighs.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
French Women Don't Get Fat Diet
The French Women Don’t Get Fat Diet is based on the creator’s theory that French women don’t diet, count calories, or skip meals. Instead, French women develop a balanced relationship with food and remain thin. The diet involves eating high-quality foods in moderate portions. Instead of counting calories or cutting out certain foods, this diet promises that you’ll be able to trim down without giving up the decadent things in life.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Glycemic Index Diet
The
glycemic index (GI) is a scientific ranking that classifies foods based on how
quickly they raise blood sugar levels. High-GI foods trigger a rise in blood
sugar and release insulin, which is thought to trigger fat storage, intensify
hunger, and lead to weight gain. The premise is that by avoiding foods that
have a high-GI score, your appetite will decrease, and you will subsequently
lose weight.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Grapefruit Diet
The
Grapefruit Diet is a meal plan with a primary focus on consuming grapefruit or
grapefruit juice at every meal. Foods can be prepared with spices, dressings,
or butter. Some caveats include no extremely hot or cold foods, nothing
prepared in aluminum pans, and keeping “protein meals” and “starch meals” at
least four hours apart. Used for more than 80 years, the diet’s goal is quick
weight loss with a daily caloric intake less than 1,000 calories.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
The Hormone Diet
The
Hormone Diet suggests that hormone fluctuations can negatively affect a
person’s weight, as well as other factors that can contribute to weight gain.
The diet is designed to sync hormones with diet, exercise, nutritional supplements,
and detoxification. The diet regulates what you eat and indicates the right
time to eat to ensure the maximum benefit to your hormones.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Jenny Craig
Jenny
Craig is a three-tiered personalized weight loss program that focuses on food,
body, and mind. The core of the diet is portion control that begins with
prepackaged meals, which are usually frozen. The program also provides support
to dieters through one-on-one consultations. The ultimate goal is to wean
people off the prepared meals and teach them to make healthy food choices on
their own.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Macrobiotic Diet
A
blend of Buddhism and Western practices, this diet is more of a life
makeover—macrobiotic means “long life”—to achieve both physical and Zen-like
mental harmony. The diet is primarily vegetarian, with some fish and seafood,
and focuses on natural and organic foods. True followers of the diet opt for
fresh, locally grown foods. The diet's nod to Eastern philosophies supports the
idea of achieving a yin-yang balance from food.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Master Cleanse Diet
The
Master Cleanse Diet is a liquid diet used to detoxify the body and encourage
weight loss. The diet is meant to be strictly followed during a three- to
10-day period. It is broken up into three phases: Ease-In, The Lemonade Diet,
and Ease Out. The Master Cleanse Diet claims to make the body healthier and
energized while removing toxins from the body and promoting weight loss.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Mediterranean Diet
The
Mediterranean Diet encourages an all-encompassing healthy lifestyle through
consumption of simple, fresh foods and fitness. Based on the traditional eating
habits of poor coastal regions of Southern Italy, Crete, and Greece, it
includes vegetables and legumes, fresh fruit, olive oil, and moderate amounts
of fish, poultry, and red wine. The diet promises healthy weight loss, along
with numerous other health benefits.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
New Beverly Hills Diet
The
New Beverly Hills Diet is an updated version of the original that was published
in 1981. The diet suggests that food doesn't inherently cause weight gain;
inefficiently digested food is to blame. The diet encourages eating the right
foods at the right time and paying particular attention to food pairing—that
is, which foods you are eating together.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Nutrisystem Diet
The
Nutrisystem Diet is a prepaid meal plan with 28 days worth of meals (breakfast,
lunch, dinner, and dessert) delivered to your door. Menus provide a mix of
low-glycemic carbohydrates, plenty of fiber, and lean protein. Daily caloric
allowances are restricted to 1,200 for women and 1,500 for men. Nutrisystem
offers support from registered dietitians throughout the program.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Shangri-La Diet
The
Shangri-La Diet has one rule: Take 1 to 3 tablespoons of extra light olive oil
and/or 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar water twice daily between meals. The premise
is that the body learns to associate flavorful foods with calories, thus
leading to overindulgence and weight gain. In theory, by consuming olive oil and
sugar water, which have calories but little taste, you teach your body to stop
associating flavor with calories, and it will want less food.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Skinny Bitch Diet
The
Skinny Bitch Diet claims to be “a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls
who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous." The diet
requires a full transformation to a vegan diet—banning sugar, meat, dairy,
alcohol, and caffeine—and promoting fruits, vegetables, soy, nuts, legumes, and
green tea. The premise is that being skinny means being healthy. It’s about
eating what’s good for you and passing on what’s not.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
South Beach Diet
The
South Beach Diet was designed by a Florida doctor and dietician to help people
lower their risk of developing heart disease. The goal is to replace "bad
carbs" with "good carbs" and "bad fats" with
"good fats." So nix refined sugars and processed grains in favor of
vegetables, beans, and whole grains and replace saturated fats with foods rich
in good fats and omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and avocado.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Volumetrics Diet
The
Volumetrics Diet aims to empower readers to quit on-and-off dieting for good by
living a healthy lifestyle based on nutritious food and regular exercise. The
diet focuses on the “energy density” of foods (the number of calories in a
specific amount of food). This low-calorie, high-volume eating plan includes
foods with a lot of water and fiber, as both can increase your sense of
fullness.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Weight Watchers Diet
The
primary focus of Weight Watchers is long-term weight management with a
commitment to better eating habits and a healthier lifestyle. There are no
forbidden foods. Instead, a point system ascribes values to foods. To achieve
weight-loss goals, dieters must stay under a certain number of points for foods
consumed. Support and education are part of the comprehensive approach to
healthier food and exercise choices.
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
The Zone Diet
The
Zone suggests that food can affect the hormonal response of the body and cause
changes in insulin production. The diet suggests a food plan with a balanced
ratio of carbohydrates (40%), protein (30%), and fat (30%). This mix is optimal
for how the human body is genetically programmed and will allow the body to
enter an efficient metabolic state ("The Zone").
Learn pros and cons of this diet in the full review.
Read the Full Reviews
To find the full versions of these 23 diet reviews, visit the Diet & Weight Loss Health Center.
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