Low Carb Weight Loss Plans - Comparing and Contrasting the Popular Weight Loss Systems

Weight loss is a constant quest for many people, particularly Americans. Because we are a country of relative wealth, most of us have the means to eat however we please. Unfortunately, that specific luxury comes at a price to many- malnutrition and disease.

Doctors have developed many well-known diets to help those in need to drop the excess weight. Take, for instance, the high-protein diet developed by Dr. Atkins. The Atkins weight loss diet was among the first of many low-carb meal plans designed to drop weight fast and burn fat. Since its debut in 1972, many revisions have been made to keep up with new scientific findings about insufficient carbohydrate and fat intake. An update has since been published by Dr. Tanya Zilberter called The Banta Diet. This diet uses the same low-carb concept as the Atkins Diet, but increases the required amount of fat. Dr. Zilberter reports on her site, BantaDiet.com, her clients boast a 92% success rate.

Within the past few years, a new generation of diets was spawned which frowned on the seemingly virtual removal of carbohydrates that Dr. Atkins had proposed. So in 2003, Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist from Miami, Florida published his weight loss plan which he entitled the South Beach Diet. This meal plan has often been incorrectly compared to the Atkins diet because it calls for a removal of carbohydrates in the first phase of the total three phases. However, during the next phase, Dr. Agatston reintroduces carbohydrates and identifies his definition of “good carbs” and “good fats.” Good carbs are those that are high in fiber and have a low score on the glycemic index because they are digested and absorbed slowly. Good fats are defined by Dr. Agatston as most unsaturated fats. The considerate Dr. Agatston also published numerous additions to his recipe books that cater to the vegetarian population.

The Zone Diet was another diversion from the Atkins diet. The basics are much the same as the South Beach diet, except there is no carb-elimination phase. Instead, Dr. Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises consumption of simple carbohydrates such as fruit which are easier for the body to digest. Dr. Sears argues that this will allow energy and nutrients into your body more quickly to help fight cravings. Vegetarian meals are actually advocated by the developers of the Zone Diet and areavailable in all of the recipe books as well as online.

By reading any of these books, it should become clear that there is no legitimate diet that does not specifically state that an exercise regimen is entirely necessary for real success. These meal plans work by making us aware that ultimately to lose mass we must burn off excess calories. Most diets are hesitant to suggest lifting weights or high-impact aerobics simply because those are not right for everyone. However, they generally suggest a half-hour of low-impact aerobics (ie walking) four to five times a week to help the body metabolize food. Both diet and exercise are essential for long-term weight loss.


By Charlene Lee

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