Dieting Fads and Their Impact

As the years pass by, the statistics of overweight and obese people grow more and more alarming, since it increases at a very rapid rate. If this goes on, the world will soon be full of fat people, including todays children and the generations to come. This is why weight loss programs and means has become some sort of an obsession for health and fitness experts including developing quite a number of wonder diets.

The term dieting fad has been coined because of the sudden popularity and explosion of these so-called wonder diets, due to the fact that obesity and weight is being carefully looked at by society today.

A fad, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is something that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a short period of time. Several diets can be considered fads due to their sudden popularity, although it does not necessarily mean that it will remain as popular after several years go by.

Atkins Diet

One of the more popular dieting fads during its time (not as popular now, but still continuing) is the Atkins Diet, developed by Dr. Robert Atkins. The main idea of this diet is to take in a low amount of carbohydrates, which increase minimally for every phase of the diet (there are four phases). Many people believe that the Atkins Diet was responsible for the revolution of the current diets which are mostly low-carbohydrate diets.

Dr. Atkins believes that a main factor in causing obesity is refined carbohydrates, mainly white rice, refined sugar, flour, and the like. Eating too much carbohydrates can cause oversecretion of insulin, which leads to food cravings, which ultimately leads to weight gain. According to the Atkins Diet, by faithfully following its guidelines, it will eliminate that particular process, which prevents you from gaining weight and ultimately allowing you to lose it much easier.

It has been said that the Atkins Diet is most effective for the first six months, with not much of a difference after that. Health wise, studies have proven that it increases good cholesterol levels and lowers some of the risks associated with heart disease. This is unlike crash diets and other diets wherein you will lose weight, albeit at the expense of your health.

South Beach Diet

Another dieting fad is the South Beach Diet, so aptly named because it was developed in Miami, FL, by a heart specialist Dr. Arthur Agatston. His focus in developing this diet was to help his patients, stricken by various heart ailments. However, its health benefits have been documented, not to mention the rate of weight loss, which has made this diet popular with not only heart patients, but with the whole world.

The focus of this particular diet is the consumption of good carbohydrates and good fats.

Are there such things as good carbs and fats? The answer is yes, according to Dr. Agatston.

Good carbohydrates are the ones that are high in fiber content, such as brown (organic) rice and wheat bread, just to name a few. White, or refined rice, is discouraged as this is considered a source of bad carbohydrates. Good fats are basically poly and mono unsaturated fats, while bad fats are saturated and trans fats.

The South Beach Diet aims for its followers to consider the diet as a way or part of their lifestyle, and not simply a means to losing weight. It stresses that weight loss is a positive result of the diet, but that other health benefits can be achieved by faithfully following the diet. That is why this diet does not restrict on the amount of food to be taken in, just the type.

How to Achieve Weight Loss

Diets such as the Atkins Diet and South Beach Diet can be very helpful in allowing you to lose weight; however, it does not stop there. Proper and constant exercise is highly encouraged to experience the full benefits of these diets in relation to weight loss. One without the other is an incomplete way of achieving your goals.

Many dieting fads will come and go, while some will generally be accepted in society, as is the case with the two aforementioned ones. Before deciding whether to pursue one diet or another, it would help if you consult experts or your physician, especially if you have an illness.

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