We recommend a more consistent approach for weight loss that’s geared towards lifestyles changes that you will be able to maintain over your lifetime. For example:

portion control
planning meals (eg., pack a lunch instead of buying fast food because you’re really hungry)
paying attention to serving sizes on food labels
increasing your water intake
eating for satisfaction and not for fullness
using food journals to keep track of what you're actually eating.

But since so many girls write us with questions about fad diets, we decided to tell you more about the ones you hear about most.

Low carb diets are extremely popular these days. The idea behind the diets is that the body usually uses carbohydrates as its source of energy. When the carbs are reduced, the body will burn fat as an energy source resulting in weight loss. Two of the most popular diets are Atkins and South Beach.

The first phase of the Atkins diet requires drastically reduces carbohydrate intake. You are not allowed to have milk, fruits, grains, cereals, breads, or certain vegetables. But you are allowed to eat unlimited meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, oils, butter, cheese, margarine, and butter. After Later, you gradually eat more “good carbs” such as brown rice, whole grain bread, bran oats, whole grain cereal, fruit, etc., until weight loss stops.

The South Beach diet is another low carb diet created by a cardiologist (heart doctor). It’s very similar to Atkins except it recommends restriction of "bad" saturated fats to help protect the heart. "Bad" fats include butter, cream, high fat dairy products, fatty red meats, etc. "Good" fats include olive oil, canola oils, oils in fish, nuts, seeds, etc.

Atkins and South Beach are just DIETS, not miracle solutions. They call for drastic changes in eating habits that will result in significant weight loss in a short period of time. However such diets are not easy to maintain over an extended period of time.