Diets
Below you will find a list of diets that we currently offer our users on DietingDiet.com. Of course, this is not a list of ALL diets in the world - but we are continually adding the ones that we feel will help you the most.
Please browse through the diet information before starting your next diet so that you know exactly what is expected of you and what you need to stick to.
Types Of Diets
Contact us if you would like to see your favourite diet on DietingDiet.com.
Dieting Myths
- Fasting or a crash diet can help you lose weight
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This may be true in the short term, but ultimately it can hinder weight loss.
Claire MacEvilly, a nutritionist at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge, explains: 'Losing weight over the long term burns off fat. Crash dieting or fasting not only removes fat but also lean muscle and tissue.'
The loss of lean muscle causes a fall in your basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories your body needs on a daily basis.
This means your body will need fewer calories than it did previously, making weight gain more likely once you stop dieting.
It's also why exercise is recommended in any weight-loss plan to build muscle and maintain your metabolic rate.
Claire MacEvilly adds: 'Fasting can also make you feel dizzy or weak so it's much better to try long-term weight loss.'
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- Eating food late at night is more fatting
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Many diets tell you not to eat after a certain time in the evening. They say the body will store more fat because it is not burned off with any activity.
A study at the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge suggests otherwise.
Volunteers were placed in a whole body calorimeter, which measures calories burned and stored.
They were fed with a large lunch and small evening meal for one test period, then a small lunch and large evening meal during a second test period.
The results revealed the large meal eaten late at night did not make the body store more fat.
It's not when you eat that's important, but the total amount you consume in a 24-hour period.
Lyndel Costain adds: 'It is true that people who skip meals during the day, then eat loads in the evening are more likely to be overweight than those who eat regularly throughout the day.
'This may be because eating regular meals helps people regulate their appetite and overall food intake.'
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- If I eat fattening foods I'll put on weight faster
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Believe it or not, true weight gain is a slow process. You need to eat an extra 3500 calories to gain one pound of body fat (and vice versa for losing it).
Lyndel Costain explains: 'If the scales say you've gained a few pounds after a meal out, it's largely due to fluid, which will resolve itself - as long as you don't get fed up, and keep overeating!
'A lot of people feel guilty and think they've blown their diet if they eat rich foods. But, how can a 50g chocolate bar make you instantly put on pounds?
'For long-term weight control, balance high-fat foods with healthy food and activity.'
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- If I eat low fat foods I'll lose weight faster
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'Low-fat' or 'fat-free' doesn't necessarily mean low calorie or calorie-free, warns Lyndel Costain.
Check the calorie content of foods, especially cakes, biscuits, crisps, ice creams and ready meals.
Extra sugars and thickeners are often added to boost flavour and texture, so calorie content may be only a bit less, or similar to standard products.
Foods labelled low-fat should contain no more than 3g fat per 100g.
'Watching the quantity is important,' adds nutritionist Alison Sullivan. 'People tend to have half-fat spread but then use twice as much.
'And things like fruit pastilles may be low in fat, but are high in sugar which turns to fat.
'With low fat foods, look to see where else the calories might come from.'
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