Below are 4 of the most popular weight loss diets. With each diet you will find a short summary of the diet and pros and cons to each eating plan.

The Atkins Diet
Summary: The Atkins diet is a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate plan. The diet allows for unrestricted amounts of meat, cheese and eggs while severely restricting carbohydrates, including sugar, bread, pasta, milk, fruits and vegetables.

Pros:

• Those who have been unsuccessful on other low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets will often lose weight with this plan.


• The diet is easy to follow; no point system, calorie counting or complicated meal plans are involved.

Cons:

• The Atkins diet restricts carbohydrates and limits the amounts of fruits, vegetables, milk and other high-fiber foods that are essential to a well balanced diet.


• Atkins diet followers may have difficulty maintaining this diet long term because of the lack of variety in taste. Many dieters find that the only way to satisfy the desire for better taste without adding carbohydrates is to increase fat.

Weight Watchers
Summary: The Weight Watchers Program based on matching the food calories consumed with those expended through both exercise and your basal body metabolism. In short you should be eating fewer calories than you burn each day.

Pros:

• The Weight Watchers diet program is rated as one of the most successful by researchers. It is based on sound nutritional advice and allows for choice and flexibility.


• It is popular and available almost anywhere. Many restaurants and packaged foods list Weight Watchers Points. Weigh-ins make the dieter accountable and serve as motivation for success.

Cons:

• While the program says that weigh-ins are confidential, often they are semi-public due to the meeting space, and this may make many uncomfortable.


• Counting "Points" can become tedious or possibly even lead to greater food fixations.

The Zone Diet
Summary: The Zone Diet recommends 40% of calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fats (40-30-30). When this ratio is achieved, the body is working within the "Zone."

Pros:

• It encourages eating balanced meals that include high-fiber fruits, vegetables and beans and grains.


• The eating plan is easy to follow.

Cons:

• The zone diet ultimately is a low-calorie diet. It is difficult to consume essential daily vitamins and minerals naturally from foods on low-calorie diets.

South Beach Diet
Summary: The South Beach Diet is based on the GI Diet. In practice, the diet severely restricts carbohydrates in the first two weeks (referred to as Phase One), before gradually re-introducing those with a low glycaemic index.

Pros:

• Diets based on eating low GI foods encourage you to eliminate the empty calories in your diet and cut down on carbohydrate rich foods that have few other nutrients (such as white bread, sugary cereals and sweets).

Cons:


• The extreme carbohydrate restriction in the first two weeks requires serious willpower and may leave you feeling weak. In addition, Phase One of the program does not include eating five servings of fruits and vegetables. This may leave your body lacking vitamins and minerals.


• Eliminating all carbohydrate-rich foods during this phase also means you'll be cutting out some good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals.