| It seems like every week there is a
new fad weight loss diet that is promoted as being
an easy road to weight loss, a delicious new method
to quickly lose those extra pounds.
Well, there is no quick and easy healthy way to lose weight, and keep the weight off. What there are, are several medically- and time-tested methods to build a new lifestyle. That is, to re-learn eating habits that promote good health, a proper weight level, and activities that include exercise. Research has repeatedly shown that a weight loss program by itself is inadequate. Successful weight loss programs include understanding the body's needs and cravings, learning what foods are best to meet those needs, and developing a personal diet tailored to fulfill those needs, while providing taste and enjoyment at the same time. Along with the diet itself, any successful weight loss program will also include an exercise regimen, and support to reinforce what the person has now learned, so to apply it to a new, life-long plan, to keep the weight off, otherwise keep fit, and enjoy life. Following are discussions of some of the healthiest and most successful online diet plans available. Among these are brief discussions of what the specific diet programs include, the tools they provide, and links to their online sites. |
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World-renowned for its expert
staff and break-through developments in health and
fitness, Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center
has been doing research and developing diets for
almost 40 years. Their residential program, located
in Durham, North Carolina, has helped patients turn
their lives around, for decades, and now their
knowledge and expertise is available online.
The Duke diet plan is a reduced-calorie program that includes regular exercise and behavioral strategies, and it includes a follow-up plan for lasting weight loss. Their online plan consists of 4 components: 1) a personalized diet, 2) a fitness routine, 3) behavioral strategies, and 4) medical expertise. After joining, a new member is given a weight loss evaluations, and is then provided an interactive Weight Tracker, hundreds of approved recipes, daily meal plans, customized exercise routines, and 16 online weight-loss tools,along with access to Duke's weight-loss information data base, and advice from Duke's expert staff members. One of the Duke diet plan's top features is the access to real experts in the weight-loss field, from whom members can not only access frequently asked questions, but ask their own personal questions. Additional tools include shopping guides, eating-out guides, a video exercise library, calorie and fitness calculators, and more. |
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The Sonoma bases its principles
on the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. The
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid is a nutrition guide
developed in 1993 in part by the Harvard School of
Public Health and the World Health Organization,
and refers to traditional Mediterranean eating
customs as to types and frequency of foods
regularly consumed. It stems from earlier research
done in areas of the Mediterranean region wherein
people suffered some of the lowest disease rates
and highest life expectancy, despite limited
medical services. Independent scientific research
has related that Mediterranean diet consumption
patterns with decreased risk of various illnesses
alergies.
These principles have led the developers of the Sonoma diet to create a diet featuring gourmet cooking and moderate portion sizes, resulting in members actually enjoying their diet foods. The diet program include includes 3 stages, or waves: The first is the initial 10 days of the diet, wherein old eating habits are broken, but with new, delicious meals, prepared with healthful whole foods. The second is the primary wave, where a new eating plan is instituted to take the member to their ideal weight. This includes what they call the Sonoma diet lifestyle, the enjoyment of a heightened appreciation of fresh foods, and weight loss. The final wave begins as the member reaches their target wright and developed lifelong eating patterns to sustain that ideal weight, while continuing to enjoy good food. The Sonoma diet's "secret" is for its members to eat, and enjoy flavorful foods, and top features of the diet include its inclusion of wines with evening meals, and that facts that there are neither calorie counting nor are their special foods or supplements. Members receive 500 easy-to-make recipes, a customized Meal Planner, printable shopping lists, support features, and more. |
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The South Beach Diet plan
developed from a regimen developed by Miami,
Florida and Mt. Sinai Hospital cardiologist Arthur
Agatston, MD, for heart patients. As an offshoot of
promoting their improved health, his overweight
patients showed significant weight loss, and use of
his diet plan expanded to others with weight
problems.
The basic findings of Dr. Agatston's research, and tenants of the South Beach Diet, are that the consumption of "bad carbohydrates" and "bad fats" creates an insulin resistance syndrome manifested by an impairment of the hormone insulin's ability to properly process fat or sugar, and to an increase in cardiovascular disease. Thus, the South Beach diet is based on limiting consumption of bad fats and bad carbs, and increasing consumption of good fats and good carbs. The diet consists of 3 phases: The first 2-week phase primarily concerns the elimination from the diet of food high in bad carbs, causing the body to lose its insulin resistance, and begin to use excess body fat, resulting in weight loss, changes in body chemistry, and the end of food cravings. Phase 2 then includes the reintroduction of some of the foods previously eliminated, but in small amounts, and with continued weight loss. The third and final phase is maintenance, follows the desired weight loss period, and emphasizes a new lifestyle built around eating healthy foods and maintaining the optimum weight. The distinguishing feature of the South Beach diet is not that it is a no carb or low carb diet, but that it distinguishes between good and bad carbs, and relies on the Glycemic Index as to distinguishing between carbs. Feature of membership in the plan include a complete personalized diet, recipes and food guides for each phase, a weight-tracker tool and journal, daily email newsletters, and online dietitians. |
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Medifast is a
portion-controlled, low-calorie meal replacement
program designed for rapid weight loss. Their "5
& 1 Plan" boasts of being confusion-free, as
while helping to burn fat and lose weight quickly,
there is no calorie counting and no points system
to keep track of. Following the 5 & 1 Plan
period, Transition, Maintenance and Exercise Plans
pick up and have as their goal, a lifestyle change
to promote a permanent weight loss solution.
During the initial 5 & ! period, members eat 6 times per day - every 2-3 hours - to keep from getting hungry. The meals consist primarily of choices from dozens of pre-packaged Medifast meals, and greatly reduce calories consumption. Once the optimum weight has been reached, the Transition Plan begins. Here, foods eliminated earlier are now available, and the lowered calorie consumption is also raised. The Maintenance Plan then follows, and attempts to produce a new, long-term lifestyle of healthy eating following the Medifast plan. The Exercise Plan incorporates an exercise program into the lifestyle-changing food programs, to produce and maintain overall health benefits. The plan incorporates 3 types of exercise - aerobic exercise, strength training, and lifestyle exercise. The plan also includes “MyMedifast”, an online system of support, information, and tools, to help with following and success with the plan. It includes assistance with nutrition, exercise, and motivation, and provides a meal-planning tool and connections with other people in the Medifast program. |