The Instinct Diet

The Instinct Diet

The Promise
Your brain already holds the tools you need to lose weight and keep it off. At least, that's the theory behind the Instinct Diet. You learn how your brain responds to eating and how various foods affect the brain. Then you use the information to shed pounds.

The Instinct Diet comes from creator Susan Roberts, PhD, a nutrition professor at Tufts University. She says you don't have to count calories, but you do have to base your eating around protein, certain carbohydrates, and fiber.

On average, people will lose an average of 30 pounds over about 6 months on the Instinct Diet, Roberts says.

What You Can Eat and What You Can't
The diet is divided into stages.
In the first stage, which lasts 2 weeks, you won't be able to eat refined carbohydrates like white bread or drink alcohol.
In the later stages, you can add "free choices" like steak fries (only six at a time) or one glass of alcohol.
The diet is flexible and gives you lots of food choices.

Limitations: Once you finish the first stage, you'll be able to choose from a wide variety of foods, including treats such as chocolate.

Cooking and shopping: You can use the diet's shopping list at any grocery store. The book includes recipes and ideas for meals you can serve up from prepared food from the supermarket.
It can help you lose weight. That's because the diet is based on eating mostly healthy, whole foods that fill you up on fewer calories. The foods also are low on the glycemic index, meaning they won’t raise your blood sugar too much.

The Final Word
The Instinct Diet provides healthy eating advice and helps you understand why eating certain foods can control your appetite.
The downside is that it doesn't give specifics on exercise, and you might feel like you're eating the same foods over and over.
If you’re starting your first diet or don’t like to cook, then the requirements of this plan might be a challenge for you.

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The aim:

Optimum mental and physical health, along with disease prevention.
The claim:

Chronic inflammation causes chronic disease. Reducing inflammation prevents age-related disease and promotes overall wellness.

The theory:

Developed by Andrew Weil, the Harvard-educated doctor and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, this diet reflects Weil’s belief that certain foods cause or combat systemic inflammation. Unlike the redness or swelling that occurs when your body fights a chronic or low-grade infection, inflammation can lead to serious conditions such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Stress, environmental toxins, physical activity and diet all play a role in one’s inflammatory state, Weil says. His diet aims to boost physical and mental health, provide a steady supply of energy and reduce the risk of age-related diseases by serving up healthy fats, fiber-rich fruits and veggies, lots of water and limited amounts of animal protein – except when it comes to oily fish.

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet is based on a daily intake of 2,000 to 3,000 calories, depending on your gender, size, and activity level. About 40 to 50 percent of your calories will come from carbs, 30 percent from fat and 20 to 30 percent from protein. Weil suggests striving for a mix of all three nutrients at each meal.

It’s based on the Mediterranean diet, Weil says, with a few extras such as green tea and dark chocolate. The program calls for a variety of fresh foods, with a heavy emphasis on fruits and vegetables, which Weil says provide phytonutrients that fight cancer and other degenerative diseases. In addition, he recommends routine consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and avoiding fast and fried foods at all costs.

The guidelines get more specific by dietary component. For example, when it comes to carbs, you want the kind that will keep your blood sugar low and stable. Toward that end, opt for less processed foods, filling up on healthy carbs such as whole grains, beans, squashes and berries.
You’ll cut down on saturated fat, which is found in butter, cream and fatty meats, and steer clear of margarine, vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated oils. Instead, your dietary fat will come from extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation. The plan stresses substantial intake of omega-3s from cold-water fish such as wild salmon, sardines and herring. If you’re not eating oily fish twice a week, Weil recommends a daily fish oil supplement that includes EPA and DHA. Protein sources include fish, yogurt, cheese and beans, especially soybeans.

You’ll aim for a variety of colorful produce, especially berries, tomatoes, orange and yellow fruits, cruciferous veggies and dark leafy greens. Whenever possible, choose organic to avoid pesticides. Weil suggests drinking only purified water to avoid toxins such as chlorine and chloramine. Opt for tea over coffee, particularly the white, green and oolong varieties. He also permits plain dark chocolate (with a minimum cocoa content of 70 percent), which contains antioxidants, and red wine, in moderation, which has been linked to cardiovascular health.

Weil takes a holistic approach to wellness, and exercise is part of his overall regimen. Although it’s not explicitly outlined in this diet, Weil encourages it for physical and mental health. Walking is one of the best exercises, because it boosts bone, organ and immune health, he says, but he also plugs the benefits of yoga, belly dancing and tai chi

Skinny Bitch Vegan Diet

Skinny Bitch Vegan Diet
The Promise

Drop all animal products, plus a few other things from your diet, and get a great-looking bod and better health. That’s the plan laid out in the best-selling book Skinny Bitch.
Co-authors/modeling industry vets Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin don't offer specifics about how many pounds you'll lose or how long it will take. They simply note that you'll get slim if you adopt their "way of life."

They say that the massive changes you’ll likely need to make with this diet are worth it -- for the sake of your health and waistline, and the well-being of animals.

What You Can Eat and What You Can't
You need to cut all meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. You'll also need to shun sugar, artificial sweeteners, and refined carbs.
Caffeine and alcohol are strongly discouraged. But an occasional cup of coffee or glass of organic sulfite-free red wine is allowed. They also ask you to eat only organic.
Mostly you'll be eating fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. You can eat as much of these as you like. There’s no calorie counting.
The ideal Skinny Bitch breakfast is fruit. Lunch is a salad and/or vegetables. Dinner is something "heavier," such as a fake chicken patty or tofu stir-fry.
Unless you're already a vegetarian, be prepared for a major lifestyle overhaul. Even the authors acknowledge that adapting to their regimen may leave you feeling "deprived, angry, overwhelmed, and frustrated," especially for the first few months.
Exercise: Skinny Bitch recommends carving out about 20 minutes, 5 days a week, for any exercise of your choosing.
There's some wiggle room. For example, while Skinny Bitch recommends a fruit-only breakfast, it also includes a list of acceptable packaged breakfast items.

If you follow the Skinny Bitch plan, you’ll probably lose weight because it’s very low in calories, which may also make it hard to follow long term. You may also fall short in some areas of nutrition.
While most people would benefit from eating a more plant-based diet, cutting out all animal products isn’t necessary.

A vegan diet can be healthy, but some of the suggestions in this book, like waiting until you’re ravenous before eating or fasting to jump-start your weight loss, are not safe and have no evidence to back up their claims.

A well-balanced, calorie-controlled, plant-based diet can be good for heart health, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. But this plan lacks the necessary guidance and includes too much questionable advice to be recommended for any health conditions.
If you're interested in trying a vegan diet, talk to your doctor or dietitian to be sure you're meeting your nutritional and health needs.

The Final Word
If you're looking to clean up your diet with a strict, low-calorie, vegan lifestyle, this book offers a first step, but it also comes with some problematic recommendations.
If you like to eat out, enjoy convenience foods, or eat on a schedule, this diet is not for you.
The straightforward, in-your-face tone of the book is not for the meek or faint of heart.

The Fresh Diet
The Promise
Designed by a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, The Fresh Diet serves up fine dining with calories in check. You get every meal delivered directly to your door.

Each day, you get three portion-controlled meals, plus side dishes and two snacks. The meals fall within a set calorie range based on your gender and diet goals.

Most women get 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day, while men follow a 1,600- to-1,800-calorie plan. How you adjust your calories will depend on how much weight you want to lose.

What You Can Eat
You get fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains served up in mouth-watering combinations, like persimmon and fig marmalade-stuffed French toast with turkey bacon, or miso halibut with wild rice and cabbage. You can even eat desserts like caramel panna cotta or cappuccino cheesecake.

You have two plan options. If you choose the Premium Plan, you design your own menu. On the less expensive Chef's Plan, your meals are chosen for you.
Drinks aren't part of the program. You can drink as much water and calorie-free drinks as you'd like, but adding sugar-sweetened or alcoholic beverages will raise your daily calorie count.

The Fresh Diet is simple. You order the food online, and it arrives in prepackaged containers ready to heat up in the microwave or oven.

Limitations: Though you have some flexibility in choosing your own meals, options are limited. There's no room for adding foods from your fridge or pantry. The delivery options depend on where you live. In some areas it's daily delivery, but in most it's twice a week. You can enter your ZIP code on the web site to find out.

Cooking and shopping: You won't have to do any, since all of the food you need each day will be delivered right to your door.

Exercise: Recommended.
Cost ranges from $35 to $60 a day. There are 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-day plans. The longer you stay on the diet, the less you'll pay per day.

Support: An online meal planner will help you choose nutritionally balanced foods that you'll like. The plan also gives you access to a certified dietitian to help you make smarter food choices.The Fresh Diet is based on portion control and low calories, while focusing on healthy, whole foods. Although there is no research on whether this specific plan works, it is likely to help people lose weight.

It's not clear whether a dietitian is calculating the nutrition content of their food. So, if you have a health condition -- like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or high cholesterol -- you would need to ask about the saturated fat, carb counts, and sodium in their meals. Check with your doctor about whether this diet is OK for you.

The Final Word
The benefits of this diet are that it’s tasty, convenient, and takes the guesswork out of meal planning. Plus, the focus on fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables, is good.
The downside is its cost, especially over the long-term.
The diet may work for people who are very busy, can't cook, and can afford the meal service. It's not for you if you love to be in the kitchen and would rather save money by shopping and cooking for yourself.

Cheater's Diet

The Promise
You have to cheat on this diet. You eat a Mediterranean-style diet during the week, “cheat” on your diet all weekend long, and you’ll still lose weight, according to The Cheater's Diet by weight-loss doctor Paul Rivas, MD.

Purposely blowing your diet on weekends, Rivas claims, cranks up your metabolism, reversing the metabolic slowdown that happens when you restrict calories. Your furnace stays hot, so that when you eat fewer calories Monday through Friday, your body burns fat. Rivas doesn’t cite research to back up this theory, however.

Weekend “cheating” also strengthens your resolve to eat well the rest of the week, Rivas says (though it seems some people may find it even harder to stick to healthy eating after a weekend off). You can even cheat on exercise, working out only twice a week and doing “lifestyle” exercise, such as cleaning the house, on other days, according to the plan.

What You Can and Can't Eat
Pizza, ice cream, steak, wine, beer, cinnamon buns -- they’re all fair game from Saturday morning to Sunday night. In fact, they’re downright encouraged. Only foods that might trigger overeating are off-limits.

On weekends, you add an extra 10 calories per day for every pound you weigh, which could mean a whopping 1,500 additional calories or more on both days.
On all other days, you fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein (such as fish, chicken, beans, “and some pork loin thrown in now and then for taste”), and one-quarter with whole grains.

You have at least three servings of fruit per day (not bananas, which contain too much starch) and at least four servings of vegetables.

Low-fat yogurt, peanuts, eggs, and skim milk are specifically endorsed.
Sugar, bread, white rice, potatoes, saturated fats (like butter, cream, marbled meats, and most fried foods), and alcohol are off-limits during the week.
Preparing healthy meals, avoiding potatoes and other foods, and fitting in exercise during the week will take some effort.

Limitations: Many foods are off-limits during the week, as is alcohol.

The Final Word
The Cheater’s Diet is based on healthy foods, at least on the weekdays, and can help you get used to portion control.
Allowing yourself a guilty pleasure once in a while might be enough to stave off boredom and help you keep your diet on track, but letting yourself eat whatever you want on the weekend might not be a habit you want to develop.

Looking to Shed Pounds in the New Year

Looking to shed pounds in the New Year? Perhaps you’ve dieted and lost weight, only to regain it again. It can be frustrating, but the good news is that long-term weight loss is possible. While there’s no magic pill, decades of research have yielded clear strategies for increasing your chances for success.

Here are 5 strategies proven to help you lose weight:

1. Keep a Food Journal
It may sound too good to be true, but there is one simple strategy that can help you double your weight loss: write down everything you eat and drink.
Studies indicate that writing down what you eat can help you lose weight and keep it off.
With apps like LoseIt and MyFitnessPal, it’s easier than ever to keep track of meals, snacks and beverages. And if you want to go low-tech, a simple notebook will do.

2. Get on the Scale
Afraid of stepping on the scale? You shouldn’t be. Regular weigh-ins are one of your best weapons in the battle of the bulge. According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers reported that people who weighed themselves daily lost about three times as much weight as those who were more lax about stepping on the scale. In fact daily weight checkers lost an average of 20 pounds, compared to an average of just seven pounds for those who weighed themselves only five days per week.

3. Eat at Home
Prepare more meals at home. A recent study published by Public Health Nutrition found that people who eat at fast-food or full-service restaurants consume an extra 200 calories per day on average compared to those eating at home. Those calories added up to about 10% of their total daily intake. What’s more, the researchers found that people who ate out consumed more sugar, salt and saturated fat.

4. Know Your Portions
You may not realize it, but we live in a ‘super-sized’ culture. Looking at data from national surveys involving more than 60,000 Americans, researchers found that serving sizes have gotten bigger over the past 20 years – not only at fast-food chains and other restaurants, but even in homes. How much bigger? The study found that hamburgers have increased by 23%; soft drinks are 52% larger; and snack foods like potato chips and pretzels are a whopping 60% bigger.
It’s no coincidence that as portions have grown, so have waistlines. In the 1960s, 45% of Americans were overweight or obese. Today that number is nearing 70%!
When we’re given larger portions, we eat and drink more. One way to fight back against supersizing is to use smaller plates, bowls and silverware.
When dining out, a simple rule to follow is to eat half of what is served. Have the server put the rest in a take-away bag and you’ll have a second meal for later.

5. Turn off the TV..be careful what you watch
Put down that remote and step away from the TV. The more time you spend watching television or staring at a computer screen, the less time you have for just about everything else, including physical activity.
What’s more, what you watch can influence how much you eat! Researchers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges found that viewing just 10 minutes of a food show may lead to cravings and overeating.
Tempted to watch TV? Limit viewing to just 2-3 hours a week and avoid watching food and cooking shows.

Body Reset Diet

Body Reset Diet:
The aim:
Jump-start your metabolism, reboot your system and set yourself up for sustained weight loss.

Low-calorie Diet: These diets provide far fewer calories than is generally recommended, which leads to weight loss.

The claim:
By getting most of your nutrients through smoothies and then incorporating solid food back in your diet over the course of 15 days, you’ll “reset” your body, lose weight quickly and sustain that weight loss long term.

The theory:
While many diets will help you lose weight while you’re on the diet, the results are often not sustainable. Instead, you need to restart your metabolism and kick it into gear. By eating a low-calorie plant-based diet made up mostly of smoothies over the course of 15 days, you can train your body to use energy more efficiently and burn calories faster, even while you’re asleep. Combine this with resistance exercise three days per week, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term, sustained weight loss.

The Body Reset Diet was created by celebrity fitness trainer Harley Pasternak, who holds a masters degree in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto and co-hosted ABC’s daytime talk show “The Revolution” in 2012. Pasternak has worked with celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Bono.

Will you lose weight?
Probably. There isn’t any clinical evidence behind the diet, but sticking to smoothies full of fruits and vegetables will likely result in a calorie deficit, which would help pounds drop off. How quickly and whether you keep the weight off, however, is up to you.