What Are The Most Effective Programs To Lose Belly Fat?
July 12, 2009 by Kathy Forcey
Filed under Weight Loss
There is certainly no shortage of fat loss programs for people who want to lose weight. Just about everyone wants a popular fat loss program that can work and do the job effectively and with the least amount of fuss and pain. Different types of programs have varying degrees of success, the majority are effective for short-term weight loss.
There are two popular fat loss programs that have huge followers throughout the world. These are the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Both programs emphasize protein as the core of the diet, while restricting the intake of carbohydrates, especially fruits and grains. The reason for this is to wean your body away from sugar or carb cravings that most people suffer from when trying to lose weight.
Under the South Beach weight loss program, participants are required to undergo an induction phase of fourteen days where certain foods including fruits and most other high sugar, high carbohydrate foods are forbidden. The dieter is taught to make better food choices that promote faster fat loss. However, some critics believe that most the weight lost during this period is mainly from water which is easily regained. But unlike other diets, hunger pangs and cravings are substantially reduced. as snacking during certain times is permitted.
The Atkins fat loss program is much more restrictive in that nearly all carbs are forbidden for the duration of the diet and beyond. Atkins advocated the concept that the body should be a fat-burning machine, a process which is induced when the body must burn its own fat rather than through food sources provided by carbs. Controversial at best, this diet claims to be heart and cholesterol friendly, but seems counterintuitive given the high amounts of fat and protein allowed. Even so, there are lifetime adherents to this diet.
Some people find that the South Beach Diet is more reasonable to adhere to as some low-sugar carbohydrates and minimal fat is allowed back into the diet once the person achieve the goal weight and can enter into the maintenance phase of the fat loss program. Critics of the Atkins diet find that the severe limitations placed carbs along with the higher fat and protein requirements make this diet questionable when it comes to long-term health considerations.
One type of popular fat loss program calls for internal cleansing and fasting to rid the body of toxins and allow for faster weight loss. Of these programs, the lemon juice diet is one of the more well known. Under this weight loss program, the individual is required to fast and can only drink a beverage made from lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper along with purified water for a period of up to ten days. Once the cleanse is completed, the individual can gradually incorporate solids back into the diet.
Although the different types of popular fat loss programs may work to varying degrees, there are legitimate questions regarding the safety of continuing on these diets for extended periods. You are better off consulting with your doctor if you need to lose a lot of weight. As with anything else in life, all things in moderation and balance is a more prudent undertaking, especially when it comes to your health.
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