Overview:

This plan asserts that most people suffer from insulin imbalances that cause them to gain weight.  According to Sears, consumption of protein, carbohydrate and fat in exact proportions corrects this imbalance and, thus, excess weight drops off.  Average caloric intake ranges from 1,000 to 1,700 calories per day.

Advantages:

The plan recommends lean protein sources, minimizing consumption of saturated fat.  The typical American diet is not far from the 40/30/30 ratio of carbohydrate/protein/fat.

The substantially reduced caloric intake is the main key in the weight loss plan.

Disadvantages:

Carbohydrates such as processed grains, pasta, starchy vegetables and bread are not prohibited and serving sizes are minute (1/4 c. cooked pasta, 1/8 c. baked beans, one-square-inch of corn bread). Choices, combinations and portions can be odd and unappetizing. For example, a snack choice includes two hard-boiled egg whites, half an apple and three almonds.

According to Sears, the main theories for the diet’s success are that eicosanoid (a hormone) levels increase and insulin must be moved into a zone.  Sears bases his whole diet theory on these hormones, yet he has never measured eicosanoid levels in people on his diet.

Gerald Raven of Stanford University says, “I find it hard to swallow that anyone could really believe eicosanoids are the key to all health and disease” (Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Newsletter, May 1996).

William Evans, Ph.D, director of the Physiological Research Center at Penn State University says, “There are not any studies that I’m familiar with that suggest that this hormone is dangerous. Anyone who tries to sell a diet as the key to stemming off ‘bad’ eicosanoids is capitalizing on an unfounded idea.”

Long-Term Success:

Because the diet is based on very low calories and strict combinations of protein, carbohydrate and fat at every meal, long-term success would be very challenging. Not to mention the fact that everyone has differences in hormone physiology.

Overview:

This best seller claims that dieters can lose all the weight they want by eating “forbidden foods.” Dr. Atkins charges that processed carbohydrates and insulin, not excess calories, is the only thing responsible for obesity in the United States.

Advantages:

User’s seem to gravitate to the plan’s simplicity. By eliminating carbohydrates and sugar from the diet, a significant number of calories are also eliminated.

Disadvantages:

The downside to the plan is the reliance on protein. High-protein diets put the body in a state of ketosis, causing headaches, bad breath, nausea and carbohydrate cravings due to depleted glycogen stores. The plan is too high in saturated fat and too low in fruits, whole grains, calcium and fiber.

Long-Term Success:

Information from the National Weight Control Registry indicates that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are not maintained for life. This low-carb, high-protein plan consists of 1,200 and 1,800 calories. This limited calorie range can result in weight loss, but the dieter eventually rebounds when carbohydrates are reintroduced into the diet.

Incidentally, Atkins was called to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs in 1973, because of charges against the diet from the American Medical Association.

Dr. Atkins died at the age of 72 at 258 lbs. with a history of heart disease.  According to the Wall Street Journal, “Before his death, he had suffered a heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension,”(1)

*(1)http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/02/10/atkins.widow.ap/index.html

The Individual Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer and Achieving Your Ideal Weight

Peter J. D’Adamo, N.D.

Overview:

D’Amano, a naturopath, claims that an individual’s blood type should determine what foods to eat and which ones to avoid. He asserts that when a particular blood type consumes “off-limit” foods, the effect is akin to a transfusion of mismatched blood. His theory attempts to tie the evolution of man to changing blood types and diets. Recommended caloric intake varies widely from day to day.

Advantages:

The diet emphasizes lean sources of protein in addition to recommending several servings of fruits and vegetables for all dieters.

Disadvantages:

Current scientific research does not support D’Amano’s claim that blood type determines an individual’s response to certain foods. Further, most critics of this diet cite the lack of a relationship between blood type and disease as well as the false assumptions made about the diet of early man.

One criticism of D’Adamo’s hypotheses and recommendations claims that he provided inadequate evidence. For example, his first book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, published in 1997, contains only a single reference.

Another criticism is that even though D’Adamo claims there are many ABO specific lectins in foods, this does not agree with what is found in the scientific literature.  In research done by separate and independent groups of biochemists, on lectins in different foods and their reactions with ABO blood type, it was shown that there were no differences in how lectins react with human ABO blood type.

Long-Term Success:

Recommended menus include unusual and hard-to-find foods, and hopefully everyone in your family has the same blood type or meal preparation could prove challenging over the long term.

Jenny Craig, Inc. is one of the largest weight management service companies in the world. Jennie’s diet is about pre-packaged foods and portion-controlled weight loss.

Advantages:

Jenny Craig allows you to visit with a counselor. Large variety of prepackaged meals.  Jenny is more flexible on meal choices.

Disadvantages:

Jennie Craig allows you to visit with a counselor – although you may not know how qualified they are in nutrition.  Jenny Craig charges a membership fee (which requires signing a contract). As with all of the prepackaged food programs, usually food fatigue causes the client to leave the program.  Jenny Craig is low-calorie, junk food. Jenny makes no distinction between good “carbs” and bad “carbs.” The food again is not that healthy, only low calorie.

Long- term success:

No magic here.  You eat fewer calories with these prepackaged meals and then you lose weight.  The transition back to normal food can be a challenge.  Long-term success will be difficult without being a lifetime member and that means another monthly bill.

Kevin Trudeau is an author with no medical training that has had a “Natural Cure” conspiracy book on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks. He is a noted infomercial salesman that says he has discovered a hidden secret for dieting that only royalty, celebrities and the super wealthy can access in a clinic in Germany.  He says he cannot reveal the name or location of the clinic as he is sworn to secrecy.

He claims that a magnetic mattress can cure Multiple Sclerosis and that those that are clinically depressed should give up medications and join Scientology.  He makes claims in his books that have no substantiated proof and has attempted to impersonate a physician.

According to an October 2005 article in the Washington Post, in 1998 Trudeau was sighted by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) for giving false and misleading information to cure hair loss and drug addiction.  In 2003, he had to pay out 2 million dollars to the FTC for claiming coral calcium can cure cancer. The list goes on and is a prime example of the kind of hucksters that the diet industry attracts.

Advantages:

Dieter’s are encouraged to look at some aspects of daily living that could contribute to poor health habits.

Disadvantages:

The diet does not give any specific daily instruction.  The person is required to inject human chorionic growth hormone to achieve results.  This hormone is produced by known forms of cancer and noted medical authorities and scientists have disproved this dangerous drug for weight loss on every occasion.

Long- tem success:

The diet protocol is misleading, difficult to follow, unproven and unsubstantiated.  In addition, it claims that you can eat almost anything and leads the consumer to believe that the cost for the hormone injections is minimal and the effect safe.  The diet is doomed to fail and can put any innocent person in considerable health risk.