By the time we realize that we should get rid of some extra weight, the big question is which diet is the best. Our motivations may be different for everyone, but we all share the same goal: finding a diet that works fast and is easy to follow. Some kind of miracle pill or eating plan that puts fat and extra weight away and never ever return. That’s actually the second part of the big wish: how to make sure that all the weight lost through dieting remains lost forever.

    As the number of diets published in magazines and Internet increases, people get more confused about what dieting actually means and about the proper way of bringing your body in shape and right weight. The increasing number of overweight and obese people has turned weight loss into an industry with no precedent and the market is growing more and more every year. It seems that all one needs is a attractive idea and a nose for marketing in order to make lots of money or earn a lot of popularity by proposing some sort of different diet, despite the lack of professional expertise in nutrition.

    And of course there is a LOT of diets available, and it is impossible to review all of them. We’re going to go here only through the most popular diets.

Atkins
    Let us start with one of the latest myths of the weightloss world: the Atkins diet. Pretty much everybody’s heard of the Atkins diet, largely due to the amount of articles commenting the extraordinary results and the loads of good mail from satisfied customers. The greatest thing in favor of this diet is that it allows you eat high fat dairy products like butter and cheese. The downside of the Atkins diet is that it has fallen from its privileged position over suspicions of increasing the risk of heart disease and a growing number of followers complaining of diarrhea, muscle cramps, weakness, and rashes. The debate over the scientific support of the Atkins diet has yet to be settled.

Zone Diet
    Next one is the Zone diet; another well-popular eating plan. This diet is the brainchild of Barry Sears and it is based on eating the proper combinations of foods in order to reach the adequate balance of hormones. This state of balance is called the Zone, lets the body get calories and use them through the day without putting anything aside as fat. However, the Zone diet does some serious discrimination among foods without any apparent supported scientific basis. Some foods like starchy vegetables, beans and grains are banned, although these foods do not conflict with the basis of this diet. The American Heart Association advises that the Zone diet lacks some essential nutrients while promoting high-protein foods.

Jenny Craig and similar plans (Diet to Go, Medifast, et cetera)
    The Jenny Craig diet comes next. A long running diet, Jenny Craig started this business about 30 years ago and it’s still around. The idea of this diet is a trade off: you don’t have to choose recipes, shop or cook. Instead, you have to buy their ready-to-eat food. Both the concept and the diet are very good, but it might turn somewhat expensive. About $100 per week for the food plus the membership costs. Add the vegetables and fruits which are not included. If you can afford it and are not a very well organized person, go for it. Besides Jenny Craig, other reputable companies offer this kind of dieting programs. Find some recommendations below.

South Beach
    Another very popular is the South Beach diet program. So far, a lot of people have managed to lose weight with this diet and it actually works, if you can really stick to it. Some people find the South Beach really hard to follow. The first part of the diet eliminates most foods containing carbohydrates from your daily meals. This phase lasts two weeks. The second phase focuses on a modest return of whole grains and fruits and lasts as long as needed. If you don’t like the foods advised by this diet then you’re out of luck. There are no alternatives.

Weight Watchers
    Weight Watchers is another well-known dieting program. This is considered one of the best diets plans because it puts all the management tools in your hands. If you are really committed to losing weight, you have all the information you need to do it. And a lot of people who are going through the same thing are going to be there to help you. If having company during difficult times helps your willpower, then you are probably going to lose all that extra weight. If, on the other hand, you don’t like the idea of being constantly under peer pressure, then this diet is not for you.

eDiets
This is a good example of a diet that provokes conflicting feelings. There are eDiets lovers wanting to spread the word, while others dislike it and vow to spread the word as well. However, the problem doesn't seem to the dieting itself and if you don’t mind spending some cash, you might have a good dieting experience.

The core of the diet is flexibility. eDiets is based on the idea that different people need different approaches to dieting and tries to provide alternatives, but the really bad part of the eDiets program appears to be the problematic way in which they handle the finances. Complains range from discounts not taken into account to fees and charges not readily apparent during the sign-up process. Others complain about auto payment deduction that goes on even after one has cancelled the subscription and the staff members who claim they never got any cancellation order, this is one diet you want to be careful about. While it’s true that many clients did not complain about such practices, there is a vocal minority of dieters who had to fight to get their money back from them. There is even

In the end you are the judge. But if you don’t like what they recommend you, then you are going to have some problems with the $25 early cancellation fee, not to mention having to make sure they are not going to charge you again and again after the cancellation.

    Although there are many more diets out there, we have covered the most popular and recommended dieting programs. The best thing to do when choosing a diet is to do lots of research. Once you figured out which ones you like, ask your doctor or dietitian. If they think that a certain diet can put your body to risk then think twice before trying it.