Which Diet Plan Is Best. Diet Study Surprising Results

Which Diet Plan Is Best. Diet Study Surprising Results

As the old year comes to a close and everyone begins to look forward to the beginning of a New Year, many people are also anticipating the beginning of their New Years resolutions. For numerous individuals, New Years resolutions will involve vows to cut back on their food intake, get on a diet and exercise regimen and drop at least a few pounds. The question that hangs in the air for those who are anticipating the start of a new diet lies in exactly which diet might happen to be right for them and which diet holds the key to helping them lose the most weight.

Certainly, there are numerous diets available and it seems like every few months a new diet or eating plan has emerged to become the new successful diet rage. Is it possible that all the popular diets can help you lose weight or are there certain diets that can help you lose more weight than others?

This is the question that a group of researchers set out to answer recently. Over a period of two months, 160 individuals were monitored closely as they followed a supervised program. The varying factor among all 160 program participants was that they were allowed to choose whichever diet suited their fancy. Researchers waited and watched in anticipation to learn which diet or diets would prove to be most successful.

What they learned at the conclusion of the study proved to be quite interesting. The data they collected not only helped them to learn more about which diet programs tend to be more successful in terms of total weight loss but also which diet programs more individuals were more likely to stick with for long term weight loss and maintenance.

While the study participants were allowed to choose their favorite diet plan, most participants opted for one of the following: Atkins, Weight Loss, Ornish and the Zone. Even though initial data was conducted after just two months, researchers continued to study the remaining participants. They discovered that after a period of time more than half of those participants who opted for diet plans that focused on low carbs and high fat, such as the Atkins plan, dropped out. Additionally, approximately the same percentage of individuals who chose the Ornish plan, which focuses on low fat and high carb vegetarian foods, also quit their diets. Weight Watchers participants fared moderately better, with about two-thirds of that groups participants sticking with it. The Zone participants showed similar results.

So, which diet plans performed best overall in terms of total weight loss? Surprisingly, they all performed about the same. Those individuals participating in the Ornish plan who were able to stick with their diet for the entire year achieved a weight loss rate of about 6%; the highest of all groups. Atkins came in at about 4%, with Weight Watchers and the Zone performing at an average of 5% weight loss. Health risk factors related to obesity were an entirely different matter; however. In terms of heart disease risk, Weight Watchers participants decreased their risk by 15%, while other diet plans hovered in the 12% range. The Ornish diet plan participants, who showed a higher overall weight loss, showed a lower decrease in risk of heart disease, at just 7%.

Overall; however, researchers concluded that in the end, there is no one magic diet. If youre planning to resolve to lose weight in the New Year, your best strategy is still the same regardless of which diet plan you ultimately choose. Eat sensibly, cut back on portions, drink plenty of water, participate in a moderate exercise routine and find a diet buddy to support you in your weight loss goals.

Lemonade Diet Scam. Master Cleanse Diet is a Scam

Master Cleanse Diet is a Scam. Lemonade Diet Scam

Source: Dr. Z’s Medical Report: by Ed Zimney, M.D.

I’ve railed many times against fad diets in this column. And today, an article in the New York Times prompts me to debunk the so-called Master Cleanse diet.

Many of you have heard of the “amazing” results and other glowing testimonials about this patently absurd diet in which you essentially fast for 10 days, living on a drink made from water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. This is basically a starvation diet, nearly guaranteed to take off a few pounds in the short run, but just as guaranteed to put them back after it’s done. No one can survive very long on such a starvation diet, and many people find it extremely difficult even to complete it.

So let’s take a look at the components of this diet. Nearly all of it consists of water, which is essential for life, but is of no nutritional value. Next comes the maple syrup. This is the sole source of calories in the diet and prevents you from starving at a faster rate than if it were not included. The calories come from the sugar in the maple syrup. Why maple syrup? No reason except to make it sound esoteric and magical. As far as your body is concerned, sugar is sugar. Next, we add some lemon juice. Essentially, this drink is a form of lemonade using maple syrup instead of plain sugar. What does a lemon contain that makes it so important? Nothing! Lemon juice is a weak acid as is vinegar. The amount of acid already in your stomach is orders of magnitude higher than the little bit of added acid from the lemon juice, so it is essentially like spitting in the ocean. Does lemon have any other magical properties that might help “detoxify” the body or otherwise aid in weight loss? Absolutely not! Last is the cayenne pepper. The only possible effect of this substance is to irritate the lining of the GI tract and to potentially cause diarrhea.

In fact, this entire diet is basically similar to some laxatives and taking a laxative tea is also recommended along with the lemonade. Laxative abuse is, unfortunately, an all too common form of misguided dieting. Laxatives decrease the time waste products remain in the colon. Their effect is to increase the expulsion of water only, the nutrients have already been absorbed higher up in the GI tract, and the colon is primarily a water retainer. The problem for babies and the elderly who have diarrhea is that they cannot replace the water they are losing fast enough. The only “fortunate” thing about this diet is the intake of excess water, which may help prevent you from becoming dehydrated. It may also help hydrate the skin, which is why many people report better looking skin while on the program.

Some will doubtless argue that this isn’t really a diet but is intended to be a “detoxification” program. We all know, however, that it is being widely used as a diet. But let’s take a look at detoxification. While it is true that the body absorbs a variety of toxic materials from the environment, the important thing to understand is that either the body already has a mechanism to remove the toxins or it does not. The body uses the liver, kidneys, GI tract and the lungs to rid itself of many toxic materials. This is normal. Some toxins, however, cannot be eliminated normally because they build up in “hidden” locations such as fat tissue or within the airways (think of miner’s lung disease). Some of these toxins can be removed using highly sophisticated medical treatments, but some can’t and some people who work with certain toxic chemicals can die from this exposure. Most importantly, however, is that drinking this peppered lemonade could not in any possible way eliminate any of these toxins.

It is really unfortunate how much hype and misinformation there is about this idea of “toxins.” The vast majority of what you hear about toxins is simply untrue. This is because these nebulous factors are never identified as being anything specific. It’s purely scare tactics designed to convince you that your body is somehow dirty and must be cleansed. This is pure nonsense. There are real toxins, as alluded to above, but these can be named and identified. Eat a high fish diet and you’re likely to absorb more mercury than you should. That’s a real toxin. And if you think the Master Cleanse or any other cleansing procedure is going to remove mercury from your body, you are 100 percent wrong.

In summary, the Master Cleanse program is basically a way to starve yourself, with just enough sugar to keep you going for a few days. The lemon juice and cayenne pepper add nothing as we’ve seen above. If you don’t eat for a few weeks, you’ll lose some weight. If you don’t eat for a few months, you’ll die. And in either case, if you start eating again (before you die of course), the weight will come back. It’s only a matter of time.

The only diet that can work over a long time is to eat a little bit less and to exercise a little bit more. A few hundred less calories in and a few hundred extra calories burned off, and you’ve changed your basic metabolic equation. That could be as easy as one less soda and walking a few extra blocks (the effect may not be extreme, but neither were the changes). Neither part of the program is so severe that it can’t be maintained over the long haul. Starving, however, surely cannot.




Dr. Z’s Medical Report: by Ed Zimney, M.D.

Scam Weight Loss Products. Fraudulent Weight Loss Programs

Scam Weight Loss Products. Fraudulent Weight Loss Programs

Fraudulent weight loss products and programs often rely on unscrupulous but persuasive combinations of the message, program, ingredients, mystique and method of availability. A weight loss product or program may be fraudulent if it does one or more of the following:

Message

Claims or implies a large, fast weight loss — often promised as easy, effortless, guaranteed or permanent. (Recommended loss for most people is no more than two pounds per week.)

Implies weight can be lost without restricting calories or exercising, and discounts the benefits of exercise.

Uses typical quackery terms such as: miraculous, breakthrough, exclusive, secret, unique, ancient, accidental discovery, doctor developed.

Claims to get rid of “cellulite.” (Cellulite does not exist and reference to it is a red flag warning of fraud or misinformation.)

Relies heavily on undocumented case histories, before and after photos, and testimonials by “satisfied customers” (who are often paid for testimony which is written by the advertiser).

Misuses medical or technical terms, refers to studies without giving complete references, claims government approval.

Professes to be a treatment for a wide range of ailments and nutritional deficiencies as well as for weight loss.

Makes claims that are not stated on the label.

Program

Promotes a medically unsupervised diet of less than 1000 calories per day.

Diagnoses nutrient deficiencies with computer-scored questionnaire and prescribes vitamins and supplements (rather than a balanced diet). Recommends them in excess of 100% of Recommended Dietary Allowance.

Requires special foods purchased from the company rather than conventional foods.

Promotes aids and devices such as body wraps, sauna belts, electronic muscle stimulators, passive motion tables, ear stapling, aromatherapy, appetite patches and acupuncture.

Promotes a nutritional plan without relying on at least one counselor or author with nutrition credentials. (Many who self-identify as “nutritionists” have no credentials. Licensed nutritionists, nutrition educators and dietitians do. The science of nutrition is taught only through college Family Consumer Science, Dietetics and related departments.)

Fails to state risks or recommend a medical exam.

Ingredients

Uses unproven, bogus or potentially dangerous ingredients such as dinitrophenol, spirulina, amino acid supplements, glucomannan, human chorionic gonadotrophin hormone (HCG), diuretics, slimming teas, echinacia root, bee pollen, fennel, chickweed, ephedra and starch blockers.

Claims ingredients will block digestion or surround calories, starches, carbohydrates or fats, and remove them from the body.

Mystique

Encourages reliance on a guru figure who has the “ultimate answers.”

Grants mystical properties to certain foods or ingredients.

Bases plan on faddish ideas, such as food allergies, forbidden foods, blood type or “magic combinations” of foods.

Declares that the established medical community is against this discovery and refuses to accept its miraculous benefits.

Method of availability

Is sold by self-proclaimed health advisors or “nutritionists,” often door-to-door, in “health food” stores, or a chiropractor’s office.

Distributes through hard-sell mail order advertisements, television infomercials, or ads that list only a toll-free number without any address, indicating possible Postal Service action against the company.

Demands large advance payments or long-term contracts. (Payment should be pay-as-you-go, or refundable.)

Uses high pressure sales tactics, one-time-only deals, or recruitment for a pyramid sales organization. Displays prominent money-back guarantee. (A common complaint against such companies is that this is an empty promise and they do not honor their guarantees).

Questions and complaints should be directed to your State Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Affairs. Other agencies concerned with fraud are the FDA, FTC, Postal Service and Better Business Bureau.

Excerpted from “Weight Loss Fraud and Quackery”, by Francie M. Berg. Healthy Weight Network, Hettinger, ND. www.healthyweight.net

Best Fat Burners. What Fat Burners Work

Best Fat Burners. What Fat Burners Work

Best fat burners? Is there such a thing? Aren't all fat burners just the same, you know, nothing more than good marketing for a useless product?

Actually NO!

There are some that truly can be called the best fat burners available, but unlike all other brands that do nothing but put all their money into marketing, this particular brand of fat burner actually focuses on quality, tremendous fat burning ability and even more importantly - safety.

Many things change rapidly in the supplement industry. For example, ephedra was quite popular to use in almost all fat burners a few years ago, but it's now banned.

Many ephedra free products have been produced recently but almost none have proven to have much of an effect on burning fat off your body, despite what the marketing tells you.

We've been studying fat burners for the past couple of decades now and thankfully have recently come across one brand that is new, proven to work, safe and can truly be called the best of the best fat burners.

There are hundreds possibly even thousands of so-called fat burners available to consumers. They are in every health food store, drug store, promoted in magazines, on T.V., and of course on-line.

Since they all claim to be the best fat burning pills, how do you know what ones truly are the best fat burners and which ones are bogus?

Ask you self this question:

Should you be using the best fat burners or even considering using any fat burners at all?

Yes, but...

Only if you have been exercising for a while, plus...
Plan on continually exercising on a consistent basis, plus...
Have a good and healthy nutritional plan that you follow consistently, plus...
Have realistic expectations.

It's a fact that if you don't change something that you're currently doing that's preventing you from losing fat - you won't change your physical appearance or your health at all.

Even the best fat burning pills won't do a thing for you if you consistently sit in front of the T.V. eating junk food day after day.

The best fat burners are only meant to supplement your routine of exercise and healthy living.

There's no "miracle pill" to do the job for you.

However, the best fat burners will help you to speed up the results and give you better results than you would have gotten if you didn't use them.

It's the same for everyone, whether you're trying to burn off 30 lbs of fat for health reasons, improve your appearance, competing in fitness competition, just wanting to look better the next time you take a vacation, etc.

You must exercise and eat properly, not try and rely on a pill to do it for you. The best fat burners make the end result much better, they don't give you the end result.

Natural Fat-Burners. Metabolism Boosters Fat Burners.

Natural Fat-Burners. Metabolism Boosters Fat Burners.

Struggling to lose weight? You're not alone. And the nutritional industry is more than willing to provide supplements and "natural" ingredients to help make your war on weight faster and easier. These products offer amazing claims, no prescriptions needed, and lots of choices. Cruise any store that sells supplements and you'll see fat burners, fat blockers, and metabolism boosters. These products are flying off the shelves as Americans eagerly buy into these quick and easy weight loss claims. But do fat-burners really help you shed the pounds? And how safe are they?

CARNITINE
Carnitine has been vigorously promoted as a "fat burner" to speed weight loss. At first glance, the claims of carnitine to make sense. The truth is — carnitine is involved in fat metabolism. Carnitine is a vitamin-like substance that functions as a shuttle to transport fatty acids into the muscle which will then be burned for energy. This truth has been turned into claims that carnitine supplements will help you burn more fat.

More than 50 percent of our daily needs for carnitine is normally supplied by the diet. Sources include animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish, and some dairy products. The remainder is synthesized by the body. Deficiencies are unlikely in most people, but may occur in strict vegetarians.

Research on carnitine shows no evidence that carnitine supplementation reduces body fat. It does not increase fat burning. The body of evidence shows that the supplement doesn't deliver on its promises.

CHITOSAN
Chitosan is sold as the Fat Trapper and the Fat Burner. TV infomercials inform that it frees you to eat fried chicken, pizza, cheeseburgers, and even butter without worrying about your weight. Chitosan is a fiber-like material made from shells of lobsters, crabs and shrimp. Manufacturers claim that it causes weight loss by binding to fat in the small intestine, thereby preventing absorption.

Chitosan does bind a little fat, but hardly enough to help you lose weight. Unless you take massive amounts (over 15% of your diet being chitosan), the amount of fat absorption that is blocked by chitosan is minimal and of no significant benefit.

If you're really looking for a fat blocker, ask your physician about the prescription Orlistat (brand name Xenical). Clinical trials involving Orlistat when used in conjunction with diet and exercise have been shown that the average patient will lose about 10% of their initial body weight. The average weight loss that is attributed to the medication averages about 7.5 lb.

CHROMIUM PICOLINATE
"Not everyone needs chromium picolinate - only those who want to lose excess fat and build more muscle." "Melts the fat away!" "Since chromium picolinate is so effective at removing fat, some people can lose weight too fast. Don't allow yourself to become too thin." These are the claims manufacturers make about chromium picolinate. It is not surprising with these claims, that millions of Americans consume $150 million worth of chromium supplements a year. Chromium is the second best-selling mineral supplement in the United States, behind calcium.

Chromium is sold alone and as an ingredient in many weight loss products. It is an essential mineral that in tiny amounts helps burn carbohydrates and fats in the body, and regulates blood sugar levels. A safe and adequate intake of chromium is considered to be 50 to 200 micrograms (mcg) daily. Weight loss supplement labels often suggest taking 200 mcg. Good dietary sources include whole grains, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, seafood, mushrooms, nuts, and cereals. Generally, it is poorly absorbed in our intestinal tract.

In 1982 Dr. Gary Evans, a chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, created chromium picolinate by combining chromium with picolinic acid. Cells absorb the compound more efficiently than they absorb plain chromium. Two small studies done in the late 1980's by Evans found those taking 200 mcg of chromium picolinate added more muscle and took off more body fat than a placebo (sugar pill). But aside from Evan's own research, the results of these studies have never been duplicated. Manufacturers may tout this substance as a "super reducer" but the there is no data from well-controlled experiments to support the use of chromium to help you lose weight.

Safety concerns also exist for chromium picolinate. In 1996 a laboratory study from Dartmouth College showed that chromium could damage the genetic material of hamster cells. This raised the question of whether it might cause cancer in humans. In 1999, a new study from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa shows that chromium picolinate reacts with vitamin C which produces a dangerous compound capable of causing mutations in DNA.

The bottom line is that, if you're getting enough chromium in your diet, additional benefits from supplements are unlikely.

MA HUANG (also known as ephedrine)
Most of us would welcome an increase in energy and a little weight loss to boot! Ma Huang, an age-old Chinese herb, promises all these things. Dieters are eagerly consuming this natural supplement which is often combined with caffeine, aspirin or extracts from the guarana fruit (which contains a caffeine-like stimulant), to enhance it's effectiveness.

Also know as ephedra or ephedrine, ma huang has been an active ingredient for decades to treat asthma and allergies. Today, this powerful stimulant is used in diet pills, herbal ecstasy and energy booster products. Such products include Diet Fuel, Metabolife, Herbal Ecstasy, Herbal Trim and Diet Pep. This plant amphetamine suppresses the appetite and speeds up metabolism.

Animal research indicates that the metabolism boosting, appetite suppressing claims are probably true. Most studies show that ephedrine plus caffeine (or guarana) promotes greater weight loss than a placebo. There are side effects. Since 1993, the FDA estimates that there have been reports of 58 deaths and almost 400 adverse effects associated with ephedrine. The adverse effects include seizures, strokes, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, high blood pressure, nervousness, insomnia, and suicidal acts. These effects occur because ephedrine is a stimulant that can overstimulate the heart and nervous system. The FDA advises anyone with high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes or neurological disorders to avoid ephedrine.

The expert take on ephedrine is that the bulk of research indicates that it helps people lose weight, but it's not necessarily safe. Safety depends on your health status and your individual reaction to ephedrine.

PYRUVATE
Pyruvate, is claimed by manufacturers to promote fat and weight loss, increase muscle mass, and increase endurance - all without diet or exercise.

Marketers rely heavily on one clinical study that has "proven" pyruvate can induce 37% weight loss and 48% fat loss. While these numbers may sound impressive, the study's protocols and results are questionable. The study involved 14 obese women (over 200 pounds). Seven of these women added 30 grams of pyruvate to a 1,000 calorie liquid diet for 21 days. Subjects using the pyruvate lost an average of only 2.8 pounds more fat than the control subjects. The researchers of this study acknowledged that these small differences in body composition may have been due to measurement error alone. Also, note that 30 grams of pyruvate is much higher than the 1 to 5 gram dose found in most over-the-counter supplements. There is no published evidence that the dosage in the supplements available on store shelves will be effective.

A FINAL WORD
Some nutritional and herbal products may be beneficial for certain individuals. Remain skeptical and carefully review all label and advertising claims, even when the product is billed as "natural." In 1994 the FDA approved the Dietary Supplement Act that allowed dietary supplements to be marketed without mandatory testing for safety and effectiveness. Because supplements are no longer reviewed, manufacturers can make claims that are unproven. People may incorrectly assume that because a product is marketed as "natural" or "herbal" that these products are safe and without negative side effects. Buyer beware - supplements can be marketed without any safety testing. In the end, eating well and exercising regularly are the answer to maintaining weight loss.

Annette Colby, PhD, RD is a nutrition therapist who specializes in weight loss, disordered eating, fitness and women's health. For information and a free weekly email newsletter, log onto " >www.power-nutrition.com/newsletter http://www.nutritionresource.com/new/offsite.cfm?site=http://www.power-nutrition.com/newsletter. 972.985.8750