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Also known as a "non-diet diet," Real Age diet is a weight loss program created by Dr. Michael Roizen which promises to make you biologically younger than your choronological age.

He claims that eating the right foods is the secret, and that losing weight while preserving the looks of your youth will lead you to a healthy lifestyle. The idea of real age lies on one's biological age, not on the typical chronological age that we know.

According to Roizen, eating the right foods reduces the risk of having chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. His eating philosophy: "Eat nutrient rich, calorie poor and delicious."

Focusing on a single food or food group isn't advisable according to Roizen, as it may not contribute to weight loss and delay of aging. He also stressed out the importance of a stress-free and enjoyable eating environment.

Foods to avoid: red meat, saturated fats, trans-fats, simple sugars, and empty calories or foods with high GI or glycemic index, which can cause weight gain.

The RealAge diet doesn't give a system in creating your own version of the diet, although there are recipes and menus which provide a basis for changing your diet. A sample day's menu for a person who's into RealAge diet include the following:

• Breakfast: Blueberries, soy milk, and orange juice
• Lunch: Soy nut butter and whole-fruit spread on whole-wheat bread, a plum, and soy milk
• Dinner: a salad with avocado, canned tuna, and nuts with olive oil dressing, whole-grain crackers, and a glass of red wine
• Dessert: strawberries dipped in a little dark chocolate
• Snack: whole-wheat pretzel with mustard

This diet is highly recommended to those who are willing to make some serious changes to improve their health, but not those whose main motivation is weight loss.

One popular criticism by experts to Roizen's program is that it's doubtful how he managed to calculate the exact extra years you can expect to live by changing your diet.

Roizen says that every recommendation made in the book is backed up by scientific evidence. Critics rise up saying that there's no research that backs up the calculations of how many years will be added or subtracted from your life depending on how you eat.

The Mayo Clinic Weight Loss Diet is a health and lifestyle program promoted by the Mayo clinic. With its method of combining healthy eating habits, healthy exercise and complete lifestyle change, the diet promises to help one maintain his or her ideal weight for life. Aside from food intake, this program dwells on the other aspect of health and lifestyle.

History goes back thirty years ago when this "miracle diet" was passed through mail, word-of-mouth, bulletin boards, fax machines and with the technological advancement, the web and the e-mail.

Mayo Clinic Diet - Meal Plan

The Mayo Clinic Diet is three to seven day, high-protein and high-fat eating plan. There are a lot of versions of this diet, but regardless of the variations, all suggest people to eat unlimited amounts of meat, poultry, and fish while limiting the amount of vegetables. It also requires dieters to take extremely high amount of grapefruit or eggs. It acknowledges the consumption of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods. The plan also claims that eating grapefruit actually burns up fat.

Although the program employs a holistic approach to health and weight management, the first step is still focused on making the right food choices so that you can achieve a healthy body. If you do follow this diet long enough to begin losing significant weight, keep in mind that the faster you lose weight, the more likely it is to come back. Keep in mind that a promise of a drastic loss of 52 pounds can never be considered safe.

Bottom line of this diet is that despite the fact that it could help people achieve their ideal size in a small amount of time; they are not nutritionally balanced and may not be a safe method of weight loss for long-term success.

The Picture Perfect Weight Loss was formulated by the famous physician Howard Shapiro. This weight loss program has been the favorite of many in America with fashion models and business executives as its top clients. It has been featured in Vogue, Good Morning America, New York Finest and recently, in the newest book entitled Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan by Rodale in 2002 which provides helpful advice to children having issues with obesity.

The Principle

The program serves as an eye opener for the dieters subjected to it. It offers simple behavioral strategies and visual comparisons with regard to what food one would like to eat. The goal is to lose weight through choosing the healthy food containing the lower calorie level. Everything in this program is about choosing and creating a change.

How does it work?

As what many experts say, the Picture Perfect Weight Loss is not really a diet but a strategy in losing weight. The program provides food pyramid. It shows all the healthful food selection on can have and the information about its content such as calories. Howard Shapiro calls this weight loss program the Fat and Food Awareness Training.

What can be eaten?

Just like any other diet program Shapiro's advice in taking more vegetables as well. Whole grains are advised to be included in the daily diet more over than that of refined products. Avocados, seeds, healthful oils and nuts are the permitted fats. For protein, it is recommended to have seafood, legumes and soy. Fat free frozen desserts like yogurt, fudge bars, sorbet and hard candies are for dessert. Meanwhile vegetables, soups, fat-free dressing, fat-free dips for the veggies, fat-free condiments, fruits, hard candy can be eaten up anytime.

NBC's The Biggest Loser's trainer, Jillian Michaels, shares a written guide on dropping those extra pounds in 30 days in her book, "Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You." Her program is a great match for people who are tired of fad diets.

The Jillian Michaals diet plan sets apart from other programs because Michaels' uses the process if oxidizing as a way to determine what kind of a metabolism your body has in order to effectively lose weight.

The diet program works firsthand by determining whether a person is a slow, balanced or fast oxidizer, and dictating what menus and recipes to eat. Before starting with the program, a person is required to take a body fat percentage test and a fit test to measure and evaluate the self before and after undertaking the program.

The program provides 12 weight-loss tools, constructs a personalized exercise routine that can be performed at home, offers online support groups and recipes, and Jillian’s renowned motivation. Michaels also includes helpful tips and advice for how to improve self-esteem and confidence, since she believes that willpower is important for a weight goal to be achieved.

Jillian Michaels, who has been in the fitness world for twenty years has created a diet that is inexpensive and focuses not only on the exercise and nutrition components but also on the mental aspect of losing weight. Her approach to weight loss is personalized and sensible. Exercise is the major component of Jillian’s strategy for weight loss. 

One big issue with this approach is that it seems to be ambitious, since the 30-day promise might be incredulous in a way and the fact that the science behind the oxidizer theory has not been firmly established.

As an American fitness and exercise expert for over 25 years, Denise Austin has built her name and career through her eating and exercise plans that help people successfully meet their weight loss goals. Austin shares her secrets to weight loss through her official website (denisaustin.com) as well as books that she wrote.

More exercise

The benefits you get from consistent exercise include increased energy, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, higher self-esteem, and weight loss. Austin recommends a combination of cardio exercise, stretching, and toning daily. Her website features a variety of "Daily Routine" suggestions, as well as more than 100 exercises that you can customize according to your preferred level of difficulty.

Eating in moderation

Aside from exercising, Austin recommends nutritious eating and snacking. Her plan does not include restricted food categories, although moderation is very much required.

Portion control

Food should be measured in small bowls. Oversized portions of food should be cut in half and eat only the first half (the other half you can save for later). Nutrition facts on labels should be followed.

More fiber

Eat foods rich in fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice to lose weight more quickly.

Eat good fats

Consuming moderate amounts of fatty acids and unsaturated fats found in fish, olives, avocados, and nuts are necessary to have a healthy heart.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Prioritize your meals with a variety of fruits and vegetables, even starchy ones like bananas and potatoes.

Eat only when hungry

Learning to hone in on your hunger would avoid overeating.

Change of behavior

Create a positive outlook in life, as well as eliminating any bad eating habits such as frequent trips to the vending machine.

The website also offers 12 weight-loss tools like a diet profile, weight tracker, and discussion boards. It even has a section dedicated to kid fitness.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a program designed to prevent the silent killer called hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertension can cause permanent damage that if remained unchecked, might result in kidney failure, heart attack or stroke.

With DASH, elevated blood pressures can be reduced with an eating plan low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, and rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. The plan is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber.

This diet is backed by the National Institute of Health which made its claims sounds more valid. The DASH Diet focuses on keeping blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg and any value above this is considered to be a health risk.

Foods included in the DASH Diet are: foods low in saturated fat, foods low in cholesterol and total fat, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy foods, whole grain products, fish, poultry and nuts. Foods need to be reduced in the DASH Diet are red meat, sweets, beverages containing sugar and all salty food and sauces so stay away from mustard, pickles, soy sauce, MSG and catsup.

By limiting the sodium intake of 1500mg per day, hypertension could be reduced dramatically as well as the number of headaches people experienced compared to a group of subjects on a higher (3000mg) sodium diet. It should be minded though that this high-fiber diet can cause diarrhea in some people. If this occurs, individuals are encouraged to eat more fruit, vegetables and whole grains. But fiber can also cause constipation if not enough water is consumed.

A number of people have garnered a number of issues with the DASH diet in regards to its implementation. This is a kind of diet that needs motivation and difficult sustain. Nonetheless, it's a recommendable diet, as it could create a long lasting change which hopefully will reduce blood pressure the natural way without drugs.

Unlike many other popular diets, The CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Diet relies on totally new research funded by an Australian research institute of the same name, and information is available for the public to use.

The diet came up based on a study wherein the weight lost between two groups of people who both receive the same amount of calorie intake, but one on the high carbohydrate and the other on the high protein. The result showed that although both groups did lost weight, those who are on the high protein diet lost more and felt better.

In addition, those who are in the high protein diet reported that they felt less temptation to eat snack between meals and that the dieters found it easier to stick to the high-protein diet than one rich in carbohydrates

As a result, it has been translated into a complete diet plan which aims to stick to a balanced diet with the right amount of calories. A typical day's meal plan consists of the following:

Breakfast

• Cereal and low fat milk,

Snacks

• Fruit twice a day

Lunch and Dinner

Two main meat meals can be:

• 100 grams of chicken,fish or red meat for lunch
• 200 grams of red meat for dinner
• Both meals accompanied by vegetables
• A slice of bread or an alternative carbohydrate
  

Dessert

• A cup of low fat yogurt sweetened with one

Optional

• Two glasses of wine per week

The diet plan could be trusted for a number of reasons. First, it's developed by qualified nutrionists and dieticians. Second, the diet includes food from all the main food groups. Third, it is very structured and if followed correctly, can really give positive results.

However, this diet plan doesn't cater to everyone, especially to vegetarians. CSIRO diet promotes eating a lot of meat. Second, it hasn't been tested in the longer term - to see how healthy it is, or if it really is easier for people to follow.

Basically, there's no harm following this diet especially that this came from the most trusted of people in the nutrition world.