Ever wonder why some people lose weight so easily while others struggle so hard? Some point out it is because of the difference in body composition eating habits, but psychologist Dr. Judith Beck thinks otherwise. She believes that people struggle with their weight loss because they do not know know to think like a thin person. Their best intentions are sabotaged by their behavior, mindset, lifestyle, and habits.

In her book "The Beck Diet Solution," Dr. Beck does not provide what to eat or what exercise routines one should do to lose weight fast. Instead, she associates weight loss to a field of expertise she knows best: cognitive behavioral therapy.

The gist

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychological treatment that uses one's cognitions, assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors and identify how they are dysfunctional, inaccurate, or simply not helpful. Judith is a daughter of Dr. Aaron Beck, who is famous for perfecting cognitive behavioral therapy on people suffering from depression. She then used the same psychotherapy to aid people struggling with healthy eating and weight loss. For instance, people who struggle to lose weight often have thoughts such as "I know my diet plan says I shouldn't eat this, but I don't care," or "It's okay to eat this; It's just one time."

Dr. Beck recommends solving these problems that interfere with the readers' weight loss by helping them pinpoint what causes them to go back to square one. The reasons could range from lack of time (r the perception of lack of time), bad habits like eating in front of the television, using food as comfort and stress relief, to not wanting to offend hosts at parties or servers in restaurants. And because these bad habits trigger them to eat poorly, they feel bad, dampening their hopes for success, begin to lose faith in their ability to manage their weight, and eventually triggered to eat again.

The therapy teaches the readers that good intentions and willpower could only get them so far. After the first few days of enthusiasm, people need the knowhow, preparation, pragmatism, as well as the ability to confront and work through the inevitable difficulties that will go along their way.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most of the book contains day-by-day plans for breaking out of a self-sabotaging mindset. The readers are provided with little goals, checklists, to-do tasks, and explanations of why these strategies work. Dr. Beck also includes some transcripts of therapy sessions with her clients to show how they were able to work through their negative self-talk and end up with a different view of things.

Be forewarned that the book, as you may have noticed by now, does not contain much information about eating plans or exercise routines. If you are looking for a diet plan that provides just that, it is better to look for another book. However, The Beck Diet Solution can give you your own diet plan but in a different light, using your "mind muscles" to help you stay in control and make good choices.

Conclusion

The Beck Diet Solution is not just a handy guide to accomplish one's weight loss goals, but also as a point of entry into solving other areas in life with the use of cognitive behavioral therapy

The Oprah Diet was developed by the celebrated talk show host's personal trainer Bob Greene. He is an exercise physiologist as well as a certified personal trainer that specializes in fitness, metabolism and weight loss.

Aside form being Oprah's personal trainer, he also has become a frequent guest at the Oprah Winfrey Show as well as a contributing writer on health and fitness on The O Magazine. He has also written some best selling books on health and fitness.

The Oprah Diet is also known as the BestLife diet. This diet has become very popular partly because of how it was able to help Oprah gain control over her weight. The said diet has also helped thousands of people regain control of their weight even after they think that they no longer have the power to do anything about it.

The Oprah Diet is not merely a diet; it is about following healthy kind of lifestyle that focuses on health and wellness. The diet works first by helping the individual examine his or her lifestyle more extensively and go through several healthy lifestyle changes that lasts.

The lifestyle changes should come from within and not through outside programs. The change should come from personal commitment and the proper motivation to diet and exercise regularly. The individual is encouraged to start slow. This eventually leads to provide the person with the power to take back control not only with the weight issues but also with one's own life.

In the program proper, the first stage deals with trying to raise the body's metabolism in order to give the individual the encouragement to eat well. Greene believes that poor nutrition poisons the body and will not help the individual in losing weight the healthy way. By eating well, Greene believes that the person tries to avoid what is called emotional eating, which tends to lead a person to overeat.

And just like most effective diets out there, The Oprah diet also combines the effectiveness of healthy meals in smaller portions that go hand in hand with regular exercise. With its meal plans, the focus is less on counting the calories as it is determining the reason why one overeats.

The meal plans being followed are one of the most well-balanced programs available which also helps in how one may be able to change eating and exercise habits.

The Oprah diet is an effective option to weight loss and is mostly based in trying to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes instead of just aiming for instant weight loss results.

By focusing on making lifestyle changes, the results are usually effective for the long term and may less likely make an individual feel deprived or make it hard for him to follow this type of diet. Setting goals is also important in this type of diet which also has its won set of benefits when one is able to achieve each one of them along the way.

Phil McGraw, most popularly known as Dr. Phil is a psychologist who catapulted himself to fame after his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. While he's known for his advices from relationships to eating disorders, Dr. Phil starts tackling on obesity.

In his book, "The Ultimate Weight Solution," he opts for people to seek change regarding their behavior and thought about food, weight loss and themselves. He says that it doesn't take counting calories and tracking carbohydrates and fats to lose weight.

In this book he reveals the way how can one be "finally control of their weight instead of their weight controlling them." Despite not a fitness or weight loss professional, but a self-improvement guru his take in the subject is a fresh and a no non-sense one.

Dr. Phils says that when we diet, we rebel to our system that's why it usually fails. One needs to identify exactly what it is that motivates him to eat beyond three meals a day. This is refreshingly honest and ushers an almost unique perspective to the realm of weight loss books on the market today.

The book is sub-titled: "The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom" wherein diet is only one of those seven keys, a minor one actually, while the other keys play a much larger role in the overall scheme of his theme. Dr. Phil emphasizes that it takes a personal commitment and a supportive plan of action to help melt that fat away.

Unlike other diet systems that promise their customers a fast and easy way of weight loss, Dr Phil's take is brutal but honest: losing weight is not quick and easy. His approach to weight loss involves a lifestyle change and he focuses on the causes of overeating and not on offering food supplements and out of this world diets to cut out the inches along the waist area. Basically, his is an advice of a tried and tested way of losing weight.

Here is the rundown of the Seven Keys To Weight Loss Freedom:

• The right thinking. Be a positive thinkee and overcome negative barriers on yourself.
  
• The healing feelings. Understand why you tend to overeat and learn to move past from it.
  
• Create a no-fail environment. Identify the people. places and situations that surround you and focus on the positive.
  
• Mastery over food and impulse eating with your diet. Understand and manage why you crave on those snacks and learn to give them up.
  
• Eat high-response, high nutrition foods with your diet. Learn how to choose the right foods. Educate yourself to make better and healthier decisions.
  
• Intentional exercise with your diet. Learn how to exercise according to your body, age, sex and other factors.
  
• Circle of support. Find a group of people who will offer you the added support you need to help make it to your goal and find lifelong success.

Some criticize Dr. Phil's work, saying that he doesn't offer anything new. The main point here is that, an individual only loses weight if he really wants to lose weight, and that he is aware that it is a goal that something to work hard upon, not an instant transformation.

A Mediterranean diet is a popular diet regimen that has been utilized by a number of people not only as a weight loss plan but also as a diet lifestyle. Unlike other types of diet designed specifically for weight loss, the Mediterranean diet evolved as a traditional lifestyle diet. It is simply a type of diet pattern that is being followed by people living in countries found in the Mediterranean Basin. This group of countries include Greece, Spain and Southern Italy.

The reason why the Mediterranean diet became popular is due to a puzzling paradox typical in the region. Researchers in the past were puzzled as to why countries in the Mediterranean Basin following a diet that is relatively high in fat seem to have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in other countries such as the US which also consume similar levels of fat. Studies have shown that the primary reason why the Mediterranean diet has this effect is due to the type of fats that people in these countries consume.

Although the traditional Mediterranean diet is high in fat, it is also known to be low in saturated fat and high in mono unsaturated, or good fat as well as high in dietary fiber. This has provided the answer to the high fat diet-low heart disease incidence paradox more famously referred to as the French Paradox. Common on the typical Mediterranean diet is the high consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish and red wine.

One of the appeals of the Mediterranean diet is that it is not too restrictive. People do not avoid consuming carbs, fats, sugar or meat. Instead the diet focuses on providing people with healthier selections of the different food groups. In the Mediterranean diet, people are urged to eat fresh and healthy food such as fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, olive oil and moderate amounts of wine. And since fresh food is given priority, the Mediterranean diet generally avoids most processed foods.

Portion control is also important for the Mediterranean diet. It focuses on consuming small portions of food that provides satisfaction to the senses instead of trying to just fill up the stomach. The consumption of healthy fats found in olive oil as well as those derived from nuts, and seeds make this high fat diet an easier alternative that people can follow. And because the Mediterranean diet focuses on consuming only the freshest of foods, eating processed and packaged foods that are high in unhealthy trans fats are avoided.

Aside from fats, the Mediterranean diet, with its regular consumption of fish, provides abundant amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids. These fatty acids have been shown to help reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular disorders as well as have a hand in preventing certain forms of cancers.

Developed by Doctors Andy and Ivy Larson, the Gold Coast Cure is a total-body health program, which incorporates three key components to help you manage your weight and health. The five-week program focuses on a nutritious, natural diet, supplements, and exercise. It also claims to decrease your risk of illnesses like diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity.

Its eating program makes you avoid the "bad carbohydrates," which includes processed foods like white bread, French fries, and pasta, all while enjoying "good carbs" like fresh produce and whole grains. The diet also incorporates fiber and antioxidant-rich foods. Meanwhile, its exercise program would make you commit to three, half-hour weekly sessions of circuit training.

To get into the program, you could either buy the book, "The Gold Coast Cure: The 5-Week Health and Body Makeover, A Lifestyle Plan to Shed Pounds, Gain Health and Reverse 10 Diseases," or through the company's website goldcoastcure.com, wherein you can receive online consultations starting at $59.95. Buying the book is more advisable, as the online component is expensive, even more expensive than most diet consultation websites. Despite of this, rest assured that you are getting a smart and common-sense advise on food choices.

The Gold Coast Cure promises to improve your overall well-being, and helps you reverse years of damage you get from poor eating and exercise practices by relying on the inherent healing value of food.

It has been such a wonder for a lot of people that French women don't get fat. It seems that in women in France are known to enjoy eating food but don't seem to get fat. This was especially highlighted by a bestseller book called "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano.

In this book, the author tries to explain why French women who eat the traditional way seem to stay slim and trim than American women. It sprung from an observation among French women who eat bread, drink wine and enjoy eating regular three-course meals and yet are less inclined to become obese than American women. Studies show that the French only have 11 percent of their population as obese compared to 30 percent for Americans.

The author, Mireille Guiliano, maintains that most diets don't work is because what they offer is a round of undergoing rapid weight loss to get temporary results. She further says that most diets don't work long term because they are based upon deprivation and sheer force of will. Part of the problem is that such diets begin to bore people after some time until they eventually lose interest and fail at dieting.

What Guiliano tries people to follow is a diet that is based on a healthy lifestyle that doesn't rely on deprivation but instead advice on eating smaller portion sizes, and savoring food to increase the felling of satisfaction.

She also says in her book that choosing to eat small amounts of high quality food instead of large amounts of low quality food as well as drinking plenty of liquids like water, tea and soup may help one lose weight gradually. Here are some other tips that Guiliano has written on her book:

Keep a Food Journal

Having a food journal helps you realize what you are eating. Keeping track of what you eat would lead you to see eating habits that you unconsciously would not know of which might be the reason why you are getting fat. If you realize just how many bagels you are consuming, it will be easy to know what food to cut out or reduce on your daily diet.

Savor the Food You Eat

Guiliano believes that one of the reasons why French women are less inclined to get fat is because they eat using the five senses. Savoring what they eat allows them to eat less by paying particular attention to every bite of food they partake.

Slow and Steady is Best

The author aims for a lifestyle change route when it comes to losing weight. The book is not after a quick fix to weight problems but instead offers a way to make losing weight a lifestyle that can be followed. It is a slow but steady process that will gradually show effective results over the long term.

Walking

The author writes that French women don't usually like sports or going to the gym. But they like to walk. It has been a part of the French culture to walk everywhere, which has not been the usual practice in the US. Walking a few blocks or climbing the stairs on a regular basis can do wonders even if you don't usually go to the gym or play any type of sport.

It is considered one of the most successful (and most profitable) diet plans, with a lot of testimonials who swear by this eating plan. Some of those success stories were even featured in leading magazine like People.

What makes it click? For one, it has the word "fast".

Unlike other fad diets that are all the rage these days, Medifast has been around for a several decades. At one time, it was only available through physicians. Today, Medifast products can be ordered through its official website (medifast1.com) or its distributors across the United States.

What's it all about?

Medifast is a meal replacement plan, or what they call "a lifestyle change", wherein you substitute the food you have been used to with its variety of low-calorie, low-fat products.

The formula would generally take you into a mild state of ketosis, wherein your liver would convert fats into fatty acids that are useful to your body.

Their most popular plan is called "5 and 1". It comprises 5 meal replacements and one full meal containing lean protein, vegetables and salad. This plan claims a weight loss of two to five pounds a week.

Proven effective

It is actually one of the very few commercial weight loss programs that have undergone any clinical studies, and its conclusions were positive.

Medifast is proud of a Johns Hopkins university study showing significant weight loss among its patients (an average of 67 pounds in men and 57 pound average in females).

Medifast has also been found an effective program in controlling type 2 diabetes, even more effective than what the American Doctors Association approve.

Drastic changes

Taking the Medifast diet would be very drastic to your body, since you are taking less protein and less calories. One obstacle you would need to overcome is the plan's long-term commitment.

Weaning yourself from an eating habit based on shakes and soups would be pretty tricky. The transition phase is between four to six weeks, which usually comprises of oatmeal for breakfast and some fruits for snacks.

Exercise is also an important part of Medifast, but should not be done too much during the transition phase considering the low amount of calories you would burn. Once you get over it, you can start with basic strength training to avoid muscle loss.

The cost

If you want to follow the 5 an 1 plan faithfully, it would take some $275 off your wallet a month and that's for the "5" part alone. You still need to buy your daily lean and green meal.

Commitment

Taking the Medifast diet requires a long-term commitment because the plan does not promise a simple loss of pounds, but rather a continuing loss of weight until you achieve the body that you want with the help of regular support from its clinic as well as medical advises.

Dr. Robert F. Kushner, a medical teacher at Northwestern University, has introduced a type of weight-loss program that is customized according to the individual, which he called "The Personality Type Diet", after realizing during his consultations with people who wanted to lose weight that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all diet.

The approach targets diet advice to people based on what they need the most help with, and at the same time focuses strategies in eating, exercise, and coping with lots of realistic tips and tricks. Here are what you need to know about this revolutionary diet plan.

It starts with a test

Patients are asked to answer 66 questions about their habits and attitudes toward eating, exercising, and coping. The answers would classify each person according to one or more categories such as "Mindless Muncher", "All-or-Nothing Doer", or a "Can't-Say-No Pleaser".

Improving one's self

Kushner's book offers specific advice that are helpful in changing particular behaviors and attitudes that a person within a certain category suffers. Once readers have identified what they have to change, Kushner points you to the areas where diet and lifestyle change will do you most good.

Munch on "super foods"

Kushner pushes for a plant-based diet, including soy products. However, unlike vegetarian diet, fish and poultry are also available on the menu. There aren't any beef dishes in the book's recipe section, as well as a few pork recipes.

The caveman diet is based a diet regimen that tries to emulate the diet that ancient humans probably consumed during the Stone Age. This approach to dieting has recently become a popular alternative for people who look for different ways to try to lose weight or stay in shape. At first look, the caveman diet may prove ancient to some people. But by looking at it closely, there might be some sense behind following such a diet.

The caveman diet first came out sometime in the mid-seventies as it was suggested by gastroenterologist named Walter L. Voegtlin. This type of diet has since been expounded by a number of other researchers and authors. Putting it simply, the caveman diet is based upon the nutritional concept that the ideal diet for humans is one that resembles the Old Stone Age diet that ancient humans followed. Such a diet was then based on food consumption way before Man began to plant for food.

How the diet works?

This diet mainly consists of food based on meat and fish since ancient human diet consists mainly of food gathered from hunting wild animals. Food such as dairy products, grains and legumes are usually avoided since these food sources came after the time Man learned how to plant. Processed food as well as beverages are also eliminated form the daily regimen along with cultivated plants and domesticated animal meat. What may be included in the caveman diet would be any type of food that can be gathered or hunted such as meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, herbs and spices.

Although the caveman diet adheres strictly to ancient eating practices, selected types of food that was not available then began to be permitted with the daily regimen. Such foods include those with low glycemic loads such as beets, carrots and turnips. Some advocates of the caveman diet allow root vegetables if they can be eaten raw or uncooked. Natural sugars such as honey and maple sugar are sometimes allowed in small amounts.

When it comes to liquids, practitioners of the said diet usually drink only water. But certain advocates of the caveman diet have opened up to consuming beverages such as tea, coffee and juices in limited amounts. Some version of the diet permit the consumption of oils which can be derived or are edible in their natural and uncooked state.

Advocates of the caveman diet believe that this nutritional approach would help people steer away from diseases that is brought about by modern civilization. But there are also critics who believed that ancient ancestors following such a diet did not suffer from diseases of modern civilization such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc. simply because our ancient ancestors did not live long enough to develop such illnesses that are usually associated with old age.

In today's hectic lifestyle, women of today have difficulty balancing a lot of thing in their lives such as career and family. However, they tend to take themselves for granted, leading to changes in self-image including weight gain. This is what Curves International, a women's gym located in the United States, would like their clients to beat by providing convenient workouts that only lasts for 30 minutes three times a week. This fitness program specifically targets women who struggle to find a time for themselves because of their busy schedule.

The gist

The Curves Program consists of 30-minute workouts that women can do for only three times a week. The workout starts with a warm-up, then aerobics followed by strength training, and finally the cool-down and stretching.

Meanwhile, the Six Week Solution is a nutritional supplement to the physical aspect of the program, letting women choose either the high-protein (for muscle toning) or the high-carb eating plan (for faster weight loss while exercising). The meal guide lets the members enjoy five meals a day while restricting consumption of manufactured food.

If you do not have a Curves branch in your local area, you can register online for $5 a week. The online guide includes tons of healthy recipes, personalized exercise plan, and tips for weight loss.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Curves Program combines an online diet, fitness plan, and gym membership all in one package. The program provides convenience by giving members workouts that only last for 30 minutes but providing the much-needed energy boost and weight loss at the same time.

It is a wonderful way to stay motivated about your fitness in a manageable amount of time. However, in order to be get yourself pumped into exercising, you must first find time for yourself, leaving all the problems of career and family behind even for just a moment.