Where do I start on my diet?
Popular Diets

There are many diets on the market and they all work in different ways. Some are good and some are bad. One thing they have in common is that they will all help you lose you some weight. However some go about it in the wrong way and expose you to the risk of the yo-yo diet trap.

We have listed a selection of the most popular diets on the market. We will describe each one and then compare it to the science of long-term weight loss to see if we agree or disagree with the regimes involved.

• South beach
• Atkins
• GI diet
• Cabbage soup diet
• Skinny bitch diet

HEALTH WARNING: Before we start, a major factor in many diets that limit certain food types is a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in your diet. It is important to supplement these in some way.

We don't advise any of these diets fully, as none work 100% with no big disadvantages. However some are a good start and have some elements agreeing with our complete weight loss solution. We will use this simple tick and cross system to point out the ones which are based on good sounds ideas and are not just quick fixes.

South beach

This diet was created in the by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist from Miami, Florida (hence then “south beach” name).

The diet concentrates on limiting saturated fats and keeping stable blood sugar levels. The diet consists of 3 phases in which you stop eating a certain food type and incorporate a more healthier options.

It emphasises on eating fruits, vegetables and lean protein as well as healthy fats and the essential vitamins.

It has a good support from the medical science community and has 1000’s of satisfied clients. It also bases a lot of its food choices on the GI index.

It is not a very vegetarian friendly diet and the lack of sugars and fruits for the first 2 weeks in phase one can be a little difficult.

Atkins diet

Although developed in the 1960’s, this diet shot to fame a few years ago, making it one of the most famous diets on the market. Being famous doesn’t mean that it’s a good diet though.

This diet is about eating little or no carbohydrates and replacing them with protein and fats.

One of the main selling points of the diet are that you can still eat the “bad” foods that you enjoy, as eating fat is promoted in the diet. It also boasts you will lose a substantial amount of weight. However the nature of the diet means it is difficult to stick to and will lead to the yo-yo diet effect when you stop.

There is much controversy over the effect the diet has on health and it doesn’t help that Dr. Atkins died of a heart problem in 2000 after being a faithful follower of his own diet.

Other disadvantages include tiredness, lack of energy mood swings and bad breath.

GI diet

The GI (glycemic index) diet has risen in popularity over the last few years. It concentrates on how quickly your body absorbs carbohydrates and rates them on a scale of 1-100 – The lower half being the ones to eat.

It is based on the idea that higher GI foods will cause hunger cravings and uses this simple system to differentiate between them.

It’s a pretty good diet to follow, and when incorporated with exercise there are good long term weight loss results.

The GI diet forms part of our weight loss guide here.

Cabbage soup

This is possibly the worst diet on the list. As the title suggests, your regime is to eat cabbage soup but also allows celery, onions carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms.

However the diet is dangerously low in calories and is designed to be a quick diet that you can use for a few days to lose weight.

The diet lacks vital nutritional values and you will not be able to stand it for more than a week. The only advantage is that you will lose some weight.

Disadvantages are light headedness, the complete lack of variety and taste of meals. Possibly the most important one to know for dieters is that as soon as you come off this diet, you will put more weight back on that when you started duet to the yo-yo diet effect described here.

Skinny Bitch

This is more of a light hearted read than a weight loss guide. It became popular when Victoria Beckham was seen walking down the street with a copy.

It uses a tough approach to scare you into eating right and uses quite colourful language in doing so. It advises you to eat a wide range of healthy foods, but no meat and some may not like it because it is basically a vegan diet.

It doesn’t mention exercise which is a major drawback and the advice is described as anecdotal in some cases.