We've all heard the promises: 10 or more pounds of weight loss in just a week or two, simply by going on the latest and greatest diet.

But healthy weight loss doesn't come via a miracle diet it comes with healthy eating, regular exercise and making small lifestyle changes that can be adopted for the long term, health experts said.

Here are four diets that may seem to work, but don't hold their heft for lasting weight loss :

1. The Dukan Diet

"The Dukan Diet" book was released today (April 19) in the United States, and is already a fad-diet phenomenon in France. The diet was devised by French doctor and nutritionist Pierre Dukan and includes four phases.

The first phase allows dieters to eat unlimited protein, the second phase allows dieters to eat protein and vegetables, the third phase lets dieters add starches, fruit, cheese and bread, and the fourth phase allows dieters anything they want, so long as they take the stairs whenever possible, set aside one day of the week as a protein-only day and eat three teaspoons of oat bran a day. Dieters are encouraged to limit intake of carbohydrates throughout the diet.

The bulk of the American diet is carbohydrates, said David Levitsky, professor of psychology and nutritional sciences at Cornell University in New York. Because they make up so much of the typical meal, it's easy to cut out carbs and reduce calorie intake.

Why the effects won't last: By cutting out carbs, a person is really losing water weight, not fat, Levitsky said. Reducing carbohydrates decreases sodium, which leads to an increase in water loss. Water loss is most evident in the face, which can make weight loss appear greater than it actually is, he said.

2. The 17 Day Diet

"The 17 Day Diet " book (Free Press, 2011) was written by California family practice physician Dr. Michael Moreno, and touts a four-stage weight loss plan that involves low carbohydrate intake.

With each 17-day stage, dieters must vary their intake of carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and protein. Dieters are also encouraged to substitute healthy ingredients for unhealthy ones, such as mustard for mayonnaise, and can't eat certain fruits and carbohydrates after 2 p.m. Dieters must also walk for 17 minutes a day.

Like the Dukan Diet, this diet involves cutting back on carbohydrates, thereby reducing the amount a person eats in a typical meal.

Why the effects won't last: Nutrition experts say the healthy ingredient swaps are examples of small diet changes that can pay off for long-term weight loss. But other aspects such as the 17-day cycles and the rule about no fruit or carbohydrates after 2 p.m. serve no purpose for weight loss and are just "gimmicks," Levitsky said.

3. The Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet, devised by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s, is one of the most popular low-carb, high-protein fad diets on the market, and claims to help people lose up to 15 pounds in the first two weeks of the diet.

Atkins works by limiting dieters' carbohydrate intake and upping fiber intake, so that the body burns fat instead of carbohydrates. It includes four phases; the first phase has dieters limit carbohydrate intake but encourages liberal consumption of protein-rich meat and fish, eggs, cheese, salad vegetables, butter and oil. With each phase, dieters add in more carbohydrates until they find the balance where they are no longer gaining weight from their diet.

Why the effects won't last: Like other low-carb diets, water loss accounts for much of the weight loss at the beginning of the diet.

Healthy weight loss takes time and should not be drastic, said Stella Volpe, a registered dietitian and professor and chairwoman of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

"People need to come to terms with that if they're going to do it right, it will take time," Volpe told MyHealthNewsDaily. "So they might be frustrated, but really one to two pounds a week will mean that they're losing more fat, less muscle and less water."

4. The HCG Diet

The HCG diet involves a combination of calorie restriction consuming anywhere from 500 to 800 calories a day, which is about a quarter to a half of the recommended daily calorie intake and supplementation with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone that is produced during pregnancy. HCG can be injected into the body or taken via a pill supplement.

HCG is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight loss purposes, but is approved to treat fertility problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Why the effects won't last: Weight loss comes when a person minimizes the amount of calories he or she eats and that's likely why people lose weight on this diet, the Mayo Clinic said. However, it's hard to maintain that low of a calorie intake over the long term, not to mention it's hard to get the necessary nutrition from that small amount of food to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The HCG hormone itself isn't likely to have any effect on weight loss, research shows. Authors of a 1995 study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, reviewed the results of 24 studies on HCG and weight loss and found that HCG did not help to combat obesity, did not curb appetite or promote feelings of well-being and did not spur weight loss or fat distribution.

Pass it on: For lasting weight loss, nix the Dukan Diet, Atkins Diet, 17 Day Diet and HCG diet. Instead, opt for healthy eating, small changes and exercise, experts say.

Follow MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer Amanda Chan on Twitter @AmandaLChan.

Link:
4 Fad Diets That Don't Really Work - livescience.com

John Douillard has been on the leading edge of dynamic optimal health for decades. And I have personally benefited from it. Now he questions our obsession with gluten free, dairy free eating by asking the question, Why, after centuries of eating these foods with no problems are so many people so adversely affected by them?

His answer to that question is scientifically accurate and thought-provoking. Its because our digestion is suboptimal to begin with. And our detoxification systems are overloaded for many other reasons. Dr. Douillard has helped thousands of people cure their food intolerances by treating the cause at its root not just the symptom. And whether or not you ever decide to consume gluten or dairy again, what youll learn in this book is crucial to your health.

Amidst Americas current gluten and dairy-free craze, the title Eat Wheat may seem somewhat shocking. However, Dr. John Douillard has been a highly respected healthcare innovator for many years, and this new book may be his greatest contribution yet. His compelling evidence-based approach for safely eating wheat and dairy, will greatly ease the concerns of a rapidly growing segment of our population committed to eating healthy. For those of us who enjoy eating a well-rounded diet and believe in everything in moderation, this book is a must-read.

Eat Wheat is clearly the most brilliant and groundbreaking dietary book in recent years that everyone should carefully read both the lay person and the medical professional. Dr. John Douillard explodes the myths behind gluten intolerance and reveals the real culprit in our own weakened digestive systems.

He exposes similar issues behind the wholesale rejection of dairy products, which like wheat, have enormous nutritional value and usage going back thousands of years. He reveals the faulty science and commercial propaganda that have turned millions of people against some of the most valuable foods in human history.

Dr. Douillard highlights the wisdom of Ayurvedic medicine and its profound insight into the role of Agni or the digestive fire, which modern medicine has not yet properly understood. He carefully explains how, by improving our digestive fire, we can increase both our food choices and promote our own positive health and vitality.

Continue reading here:
John Douillard's - Eat Wheat Book

WESTFORD -- Allen Campbell looked out over the sea of smiling students at Nashoba Valley Technical High School's graduation, certain there was at least one among them feeling the way he did when he was that age: alone, hopeless, despairing.

And then he recounted his story: how he went from Nashoba Tech's culinary arts program to college to the restaurant world, how he struggled with depression and addiction, how he got sober and became interested in a sustainable plant-based diet, how his ideas landed him as the personal chef for a certain New England Patriots quarterback.

"I wanted to reach out to that person in the crowd feeling like I was and let them know, 'You have a shot at this,'" Campbell recounted last week. "This school really gave me a foundation to stand on."

Now 36, Campbell has co-authored the "TB12 Nutrition Manual" with Tom Brady, will deliver a TEDx Talk this month and will release another cookbook with Julie Loria, owner of the Miami Marlins, later this year.

And that whole journey, he said, started out in the kitchen at Nashoba Tech.

Born in Somerville, Campbell grew up in Chelmsford and started at Nashoba Tech as a freshman. Steve Whiting, the school's now-retired culinary arts instructor, said Campbell was "a serious kid" at first who began to develop a passion in the kitchen.

"The more he got excited about cooking, the more I got excited about cooking," Whiting said.

Whiting played an important role in the budding student's journey.

"I was so distant," Campbell recalled. "I had a very thick wall around me and I was not letting anybody in. He just saw through it. He was one of those teachers that saw through it. Some people are born to be teachers and born to help kids. I think he was one of them."

After graduating, Campbell went through Newbury College and then began working in Boston. But he was suffering from addiction and depression, and he was experiencing health problems, so he could not hold down a job in a kitchen.

He got sober in rehab, and then moved to Miami where "everything started to transform."

Campbell began exploring side work as a personal chef -- just for a few friends at first -- and became interested in developing a healthier, plant-based diet, focusing on "healing with food." He soon turned down a restaurant job so he could devote himself full-time to fleshing out his new cooking philosophy.

"I could not find a restaurant or hotel in Miami that was cooking the kind of food I wanted to cook," he said.

After spending some time building his reputation, a confluence of events landed Campbell in talks with model Gisele Bundchen, who is Brady's wife, and the quarterback. Because of a shared interest in healthy cooking, Campbell said, "it was love at first sight."

The duo asked Campbell to move back to New England to become their family's personal chef. For two and a half years, he would visit their home a few times a day, prepare meals and offer diet suggestions.

Last year, he helped Brady compile 89 recipes for the cookbook, focusing on seasonal ingredients and emphasizing plants whenever possible.

"It was incredible," Campbell said. "It was all based on this philosophy that I created."

Campbell left his job as Brady and Bundchen's chef in April 2016, looking again to branch out on his own further. He does consulting work about his diet and speaking arrangements about his journey, and he said he will deliver a TEDx talk this summer.

Later this year, Campbell's second cookbook contribution will be released. He said Loria, who owns the Marlins along with her husband Jeffrey, contacted him after reading some of his writing about the diet.

Loria did interviews with 20 Major League Baseball players, asking their favorite meals and how they shape their diets during the season. Based on that information, Campbell came up with 125 recipes ranging from dinners to smoothies.The book does not yet have a name, but Campbell said they signed a deal last week for it to come out later this year.

Despite his journeys around the country and his work with high-profile celebrities, Campbell never forgot his roots at Nashoba Tech. He kept in touch with Whiting, calling him at least once a year to catch up or stopping by the school whenever he was in town.

"I couldn't be more proud of Allen," Whiting said. "The fact that he's kept a relationship with me as far as a friend goes, not just as a mentor, but hearing how he's doing, really warms my heart, to be honest with you."

Campbell used his graduation address on June 3 to praise Whiting, the man who had been an encouraging paternal figure for so long.

"Some people are born to be teachers and born to help kids," Campbell said in an interview. "I think he was one of them."

Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisLisinski.

Brady's playbook

* 80 percent vegetables and whole grains, and 20 percent fish and lean meats, such as some steak and duck.

* No sugar or white flour.

* No nightshade fruits and vegetables, (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes).

* No MSG, iodized salt, coffee, or dairy.

Wife Gisele Bndchen, follows the same diet, though their two children eat a less-restrictive version.

Some nutritionists have questioned whether the diet has real health benefits.

Read the original here:
Chelmsford native helped develop QB's diet plan - Lowell Sun

NEW YORKThe days of Michael Phelps wolfing down food to keep up with his rigorous swimming training are gone.

But he still wants to clear up something about his diet. During a Q&A session at an event for Krave Jerkyat Manhattans Chelsea Piers, Phelps talked about his eating habits and mentioned the legendary 12,000-calorie diet in scare quotes before going into what he meant:

Dont believe everything you read. The stories were just ridiculous. I was probably eating anywhere between like 8 to 10 [thousand] probably at my peak where I was really growing. Still, it became a job.

This is a fantastic quote for a lot of reasons. First, it was myth-busting that he ate up to 12,000 calories a day.

But second, and its hilarious,he was still eating anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 calories anyway!!!!!

Thats still SO. MUCH. FOOD.

I did a little searching and found this breakdown on Active.com of what cyclists eat to ingest 8,000 calories. It included what that many calories looks like in a hypothetical diet:

22 eggs for breakfast

3 cereal bars

14 20 oz. bottles of sports drink

4 cups of rice

2 cups of granola with fruit

8 chicken breasts

4 bananas

Thats how much youd have to eat to get to 8,000. So although it turns out that Phelps didnt house 12,000 a day, he was still scarfing down tons.

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Michael Phelps reveals his 12000-calorie diet was a myth, but he still ate so much food - For The Win

source Getty Images/Jason Merritt

Eat like a baby. Cook like a caveman. Snack on one color of the rainbow each day of the week.

These habits belong to some of the viral diets that celebrities from Beyonc to Taylor Swift have sworn by.

Oddly enough, some of these eating plans contain nuggets of wisdom that could help you lose weight. Still, the bigger danger with any diet is that it sets us up for unhealthy habits we can't maintain, says Andy Bellatti, a registered dietitian and the cofounder of Dietitians for Professional Integrity.

"I know many people who've gone on some kind of crash diet for a week and lose a bunch of weight and a few months later they're back to square one."

With that in mind, here's the dirt on the strangest viral diets along with some science-backed wisdom about what actually works if you want to lose weight and keep it off.

The hype: Actresses including Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Dunst, and Gwyneth Paltrow, have all reportedly done the pH or "Alkaline" diet, which advocates swapping so-called acid-forming foods like meat, fish, dairy, and grains with alkaline ones like fruits, nuts, beans, and vegetables.

The truth: The diet is based on the misleading idea that you can change your blood pH with food. While the pH of the stomach is acidic, the blood is slightly alkaline, something the food you eat can't change. Still, one positive part of the diet is that it advocates eating more fruits and veggies, something most dietitians agree we should all be doing.

The hype: Beyonc reportedly used the Master Cleanse to slim down before the movie "Dreamgirls." The cleanse involves drinking a lemon juice-based mixture to allegedly clean out the system and speed weight loss.

The truth: Any diet that's based around the idea of detoxing is probably bogus, since our bodies naturally detoxify themselves.

The hype: Singer Tim McGraw sticks to a paleo diet, a meal plan free of dairy, legumes, refined sugar, alcohol, and grains.

The truth: The US News and World Report ranks the paleo diet 36 out of 38 diets, saying that it can be tough to follow and is somewhat "nutritionally incomplete."

The hype: Slashing carbohydrates from your diet will force your body to burn fat, and celebrities including Adriana Lima, Megan Fox, and Mick Jagger are supposedly doing it.

The truth: First developed to treat childhood epilepsy, ketogenic or "keto" diets have become something of a fad among the Silicon Valley crew. The plan mimics starvation, sending the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. Some studies have linked the plan with a variety of health benefits from weight loss to a reduced risk of chronic disease, but it can also come with side effects like nausea, headaches, and fatigue - all of which could make it tough to stick to.

The hype: The Baby Food Diet, which involves eating 14 jars of baby food with the option of adding in one low-calorie meal each day, has been traced to celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, who's since denied supporting it. Celebrities including Reese Witherspoon have allegedly tried it.

The truth: The diet is likely linked with weight loss because it involves calorie restriction, rather than having anything to do with the baby food itself. An average jar of the stuff has around 80 calories, so if you ate the number outlined in the diet, you'd end up with roughly 1,000 calories each day, not counting the allotted single meal.

The hype: Snooki reportedly lost weight in 2010 with a diet based on special cookies created by Sanford Siegal, who calls himself "The Cookie Doctor." The three-week plan involves eating six of the 90-calorie treats a day and one small meal.

The truth: Like the Baby Food Diet, the reason the Cookie Diet could be linked with weight loss is because of calorie restriction - all of those cookies only add up to 540 calories, about the equivalent of a single meal. A look at the ingredients in Siegal's "cookies" (wheat bran, beef protein, egg whites) also suggest they're more of a high-protein, high-fiber snack than anything else.

The hype: Shortly after singer Sam Smith took home four top awards at the Grammys in February, he started shedding pounds, crediting his transformation to nutritional therapist Amelia Freer and her "Nourish and Glow" 10-day plan. Freer also had him exercising regularly and eating lots of fresh veggies, fruit, lean meats, and some seafood while abstaining from pastries and ice cream.

The truth: There's nothing about the plan that's outright unhealthy. If you can keep up the habits you start with in the 10 days on the plan, it might work for you.

The hype: Singer Katy Perry claims the "M Diet," which involves swapping a meal with raw mushrooms for two weeks, helps her get lean only in select areas of her body, namely her waist, hips, and thighs.

The truth:"There's no evidence that any diet will help you lose weight in a particular spot," registered dietitian Katherine Tallmadge told LiveScience. Again, you can chalk any weight loss that results from this plan to calorie restriction. While a traditional meal is around 700 calories, a cup of raw mushrooms is about 20.

The hype: The day before his 44th birthday, artist Jay Z joined partner Beyonc in a 22-day "vegan challenge." Now, both stars are partners in a vegan food company founded by their personal trainer, Marco Borges, called 22 Days Nutrition.

The truth: As with any eating plan, if you can stick with the lifestyle changes it advises for a long time, it might be worth a shot. Experts also advise people transitioning to a vegan diet to replace meat and dairy with foods that have a similar nutritional profile, like tofu, beans, and dark, leafy greens to ward off nutrient deficiencies. Also, instead of Bey and Jay Z's plan, which costs about $600 for 22 days, you might want to simply try going vegan with a friend.

The hype: Singer Christina Aguilera reportedly went on the seven-day Color Diet at one point, eating foods of one color each day. Day one starts with white, which is followed by red, green, orange, purple, yellow, and, on the seventh day, all of the colors.

The truth: Different-colored foods do often provide different nutrients, so the temporary plan might help encourage you to try new things that you might otherwise ignore, from purple yams to emerald green kale. If you start by eating one color of fruits and veggies every day, you can establish a healthy habit of incorporating color into your diet, but don't forget the protein and whole grains.

The hype: Hollywood fitness trainer Harley Pasternak is the author of the New York Times best seller "The 5-Factor Diet," which encourages people to eat five 5-ingredient meals per day, each of which allegedly take just five minutes to prep.

The truth: The plan, more of a lifestyle and less of a temporary "fix-it" diet, is based around the idea that each of your meals contains one of each of four main food groups: protein, complex carbs, fiber, and healthy fats. The fifth group is water or other sugar-free drinks.

Read the original post:
11 viral diets and the ones that actually work - Business Insider Nordic

If youre sleeping then youre not eating.

Thats the idea behind a worrying new trend where anorexics abuse sedatives in the hope of losing more weight.

Dubbed the Sleeping Beauty Diet, it has caused concern among experts.

Instead of eating food, women are knocking themselves out with the help of sleeping pills, snoozing through meal times.

Those following the dangerous trend severely restrict their calorie intake,sleeping for up to 20 hours a day, in extreme cases.

Perhaps even more worrying, the trend, also dubbed narcorexia, is proving popular on pro-anorexiawebsites.

One user wrote: This diet is perfect for the end of the school semester, or just for people who have a lot of extra time on their hands.

'PRETTY LITTLE LIARS' STAR TROIAN BELLISARIO DETAILS ANOREXIA STRUGGLE IN NEW MOVIE

Less extreme advice advocates a better nights sleep each night and a healthy eating and exercise plan.

The Sleep Doctors Diet Plan by Dr Michael Breus suggests people exercise no less than four hours before bed and get at least seven hours of shut eye per night.

But it has been taken to the extreme as people seek ways to skip meals.

The Suns nutritionist Amanda Ursell said the new trend was shocking and is not to be dismissed lightly.

Most of us need three meals a day just to sustain us from an energy point of view. If you skip breakfast your ability to concentrate and focus in the morning and your mood are going to be not as good as if you did have breakfast. And if you skip lunch the same thing will happen in the afternoon," she said.

Eating disordersare really big issues and they profoundly affect your physical health and your mental well-being. This is not to be dismissed lightly, this trend towards sleeping diets, because they are deeply, deeply worrying, she added.

More than 725,000 men and women in the UK are affected by eating disorders, according to the UKs eating disorder charity Beat.

Ursell added that recent data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey suggests that many women already struggle topack enough nutrients into their dietsand as a result often suffer deficiencies in iron, calcium and other nutrients.

If you are cutting out food, you are going to be malnourished. If you are then starving yourself through sleeping, youre just going to exacerbate it, so you will feel shocking when you do wake up. Sleep itself wont sustain you. It is almost inconceivable that someone has put this out there, she said.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important for maintaining good health.

The NHS recommends eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, basing meals on starchy foods like rice or pasta, eating lean proteins like fish and legumes and drinking plenty of water.

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with complex causes. The messages and methods of losing weight promoted by the diet industry are unlikely to be the sole and direct cause of an eating disorder, but they may exacerbate the problem or be a contributing factor for someone who is vulnerable to developing one or is already ill, a spokesperson for Beat said.

If someone has become obsessive about what theyre eating or appears to be going to extremes in order to lose weight, it could be a sign that they are developing or have developed an eating disorder. The important thing is not to delay, as the sooner someone is treated, the better their chance of full recovery, she added.

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If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder and are in need of support, please call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.

Read more from the original source:
Dangerous fad diet encourages sleeping instead of eating - Fox News