What Are Real Weight Loss Diets?

Can They Help In Healthy Weight Loss?

Do you know what fat burning diets are? It's confusing isn't it. With the plethora of diets on the market its hard to know what is healthy and what is not. We go through some of the popular dieting trends and discuss the facts concerning each one.

Healthy Calorie Controlled Fat Burning Diets

A calorie controlled diet works on the principle that the energy you expend needs to be greater than the energy you take in. In achieving this, you are causing your body to go into what is called a negative energy balance.

A dietitian may recommend, depending on your individual circumstances, a diet plan that has an energy total 15 - 20% lower than the energy needs of your body. Those who are in the situation where they cannot lose weight with a calorie controlled diet, feel that fat burning diets mean, at least for them, a low carb diet.

The low carb philosophy has been around for some time now, since the 70's in fact. The philosophy gained notoriety after Dr. Atkins launched his first book. More recently the low carb philosophy has gained more supportive scientific evidence and less marketing hype.

Low Carbohydrate High Protein Fat Burning Diets

Are fat burning diets, an absence or restriction of carbs? Do carbs make you store fat?
No carbs don't MAKE you store fat. Whatever you eat, whether it be fat, protein, or carbohydrates, they all contain calories. If the amount of calories you take in, is more than your body needs, then the extra energy is likely to get stored as fat, whatever food source it came from.

Low Glycemic Diets

Some low carb diets and dietitians will recommend consuming carbohydrates with high levels of fiber, which have escaped processing. These foods are likely to, but not always, have a low glycemic index and low glycemic load.

It is still a matter of opinion, as to whether the glycemic index has a bearing on weight loss and body fat ratios. It has not been proven beyond a doubt whether or not there is a causal relationship between foods with a low glycemic index and weight loss.

Having said this, though, some studies have shown that those who consumed high glycemic carbs (consuming the same amount of calories) lost less weight than those consuming low glycemic carbs.[1]

Some foods such as japanese foods can have low glycemic loads.

Healthy Fat Loss

Healthy fat loss can be defined as gradual but sustained weight loss. A diet that is difficult to implement, will not easily lead to permanent weight loss. Well balanced fat burning diets incorporate fruit, vegetables, dairy, fish, red and white meats, whole grains and a small amount of the right fats (roughly around 50 - 60% carbohydrates, 20 - 25% protein and 25 - 30% fats*) to provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs.