Diet Review

With so many different weight loss plans around it can be hard to know what's what and what's suitable for you...

On this site we advocate low fat weight loss but perhaps you're looking for a low carbohydrate plan, or a low calorie diet. Whichever plan you decide to follow here's a round up of the main diets around at the moment.

The weightloss plans on this page are:

Vegetarian
The Green Diet: Weightloss for Vegetarians
Vegetarian Slimming

Low Carbohydrate
Atkins Diet
Carb Addicts
The Zone
Sugar Busters

Combo Diets
Schwarzbein
Suzanne Somers

Low Fat
Dean Ormish
Rosemary Conley

Low Calorie
5 Days to a Flatter Stomach
Weight Watchers
Jenny Craig

Very Low Calorie
New Mayo Clinic Diet

 

Vegetarian

THE GREEN DIET: WEIGHTLOSS FOR VEGETARIANS

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Whether you want to lose just a few pounds, or completely change your eating habits, size and shape, The Green Diet is full of tips and hints for healthy eating. It tells you how to avoid the crash diet and stay lean, how to educated your fat cells, and how to limit your intake without losing the essentials. It also includes excellent fillers for fridge-pickers and exercise for loafers. A must for anyone who wants to lose weight - for life.

Click the above link to read reviews of the book, or to buy it.

VEGETARIAN SLIMMING

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We have done a full, impartial review of this publication. Click here to read out review. Or click the image above to read reviews and/or buy the book.

 

Low Carbohydrate
ATKINS DIET

PHILOSOPHY:
Cut out the carbs (no more than 20g a day, or what's found in one corn muffin) so you burn off your stored fat. Drink a lot of water because it is hard on your kidneys.

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Scrambled eggs and bacon, decaf coffee or tea (but no o.j.)
LUNCH Bacon cheeseburger, no bun, no fries, small salad
DINNER Shrimp cocktail, clear consomme, steak, salad with dressing, sugarless Jell-O with whipped, artificially sweetened heavy cream

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
First 14 days brutal for carb lovers, any unless you are very motivated and very organised you are going to find it VERY hard to get enough protein variation to keep you interested. Some celebrities (such as Jennifer Aniston) swear by this diet and have lost a lot of weight using it but it is a meat-eaters diet really.

If you want to read a book on the Atkins diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

CARB ADDICT'S

PHILOSOPHY:
Limit consumption of carbs by eating them less frequently (once or twice a day) and more quickly (within an hour)

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Carbohydrate Addict's brand French toast and syrup (both low carb), coffee, tea or diet soda
LUNCH Baked fish, steamed cauliflower with butter, Carbohydrate Addict's bread, diet soda
DINNER Reward yourself; eat anything but finish within an hour

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Reward meal makes it easier than Atkins, but no snacking for two weeks. Same problem with the protein emphasis - can you really eat just tofu or beans or soya for two weeks with no carbs?

If you want to read a book on the Carbohdyrate Addicts diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

THE ZONE

PHILOSOPHY:
Lower your carbohydrate consumption, but balance it with the right amount of protein and fat

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Four scrambled egg whites with nonfat cheese, grapes, rye toast with peanut butter
LUNCH Green salad, shrimp-salad sandwich in pita bread with mayo, apple
DINNER Lean-beef chili with nonfat cheese, onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, beans, tomatoes

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Tallying the right carb-protein-and-fat balance takes time and effort.

If you want to read a book on The Zone diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

SUGAR BUSTERS

PHILOSOPHY:
Eliminate sugar, so say goodbye to white rice, potatoes, carrots and beer; stick with lean meats high in protein

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Orange juice, instant oatmeal with skim milk, coffee or tea
LUNCH Turkey on whole-grain bread with mustard or light mayo, lettuce, tomato, diet soda
DINNER Grilled pork, brown rice, steamed fresh green beans, water

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIAN:
You'll have to give up your sweets along with your favorite fruits. Why are all these diets so focussed on protein? If you can find a way to make one of these diets work for vegetarians let us know!!

If you want to read a book on the Sugar Busters diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

Combo Diets
SCHWARZBEIN

PHILOSOPHY:
Eating proteins and nonstarchy carbohydrates together will keep the food from being stored as fat

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Scrambled eggs, nitrate-free sausages, oatmeal with butter and cream
LUNCH Cobb salad with chicken, nitrate-free bacon, hard-boiled egg, salad greens, tomatoes, blue cheese
DINNER Roast pork loin, brown rice with butter, asparagus with butter, salad with dressing

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Limited carbs but plenty of protein, fat and nonstarchy veggies

If you want to read a book on the Schwarzbein diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

SUZANNE SOMERS

PHILOSOPHY:
Don't eat fats with carbs, and if you eat fruit, wait at least 20 min. before eating additional carbs

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Whole-grain toast with tomato, nonfat (because of the carbs in toast) cottage cheese or yogurt
LUNCH BLT, but replace the bread with iceberg lettuce
DINNER Swedish meatballs made from lean beef and pork, tomatoes roasted in olive oil

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Keeping track of the right combo of foods at the right time can get tedious

If you want to read a book on the Suzanne Somers' diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

Low Fat
DEAN ORNISH

PHILOSOPHY:
Stay away from fat and eat natural, whole foods like fruits and veggies to lose weight and lead a healthier, longer life

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Oatmeal with sliced bananas, grapefruit, decaf coffee or tea
LUNCH Soyburger on whole-wheat bun with trimmings, corn on the cob, pears poached in red wine
DINNER White-bean soup with winter greens, mixed-vegetable enchiladas, fruit tart

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Giving up your favorite fatty foods takes sheer self-discipline BUT this diet is a lot easier for veggies to follow than any of the non-carb ones. It's also a LOT healthier.

If you want to read a book on the Dean Ormishs' diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

ROSEMARY CONLEY

PHILOSOPHY:
Cut the fat from your diet by substituting low fat alternatives and using fat free cooking methods (recommended you eat no more than 4g of fat per 100g - totalling no more than 30g of fat a day). Also advocates eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and wholemeal carbohydrates and exercising 3x a week.

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST 2 slices wholemeal toast with jam or marmalade
LUNCH Wholemeal roll with cottage cheese/tuna/low fat turkey and lots of salad. Apple.
DINNER Poached fish with jacket potato with a low fat yoghurt dressing and salad. Jelly/Jello for dessert.

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
One of the best for vegetarians as her cookbook contains a lot of low fat vegetarian recipes. You can also adapt the meat recipes for vegetarian alternatives (e.g by subsituting veggie mince where it says lamb or beef 'mince'.

If you want to read a book on the Rosemary Conleys' diets click here (via Amazon.co.uk)

Low Calorie

5 DAYS TO A FLATTER STOMACH

PHILOSOPHY:
A plan by diet expert Monica Grenfell to help you lose your bulging belly in double quick time.

SAMPLE MENU:

BREAKFAST:Two slices of toast and butter from an allowance for breakfast plus water, tea or coffee

MID-MORNING: banana milkshake and more water

LUNCH: Tuna with mashed potato for lunch.

MID-AFTERNOON: bio-yoghurt

DINNER: a piece of cod

SUPPER: one weetabix with a handful of almonds.

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:

You will have to find non-meat substitutes for some of her suggested menus otherwise it is a sound plan.


If you want to have a look at a "5 days to a Flatter Stomach" click here for Amazon.co.uk (not available on Amazon.com)

 

WEIGHT WATCHERS

PHILOSOPHY:

Foods are assigned points, and you eat only those that don't exceed a total based on your weight-loss goal SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Bagel with light cream cheese, artificially sweetened yogurt
LUNCH Roast-beef sandwich with nonfat cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato, artificially sweetened yogurt, fruit
DINNER Salad with low-fat dressing, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Calorie counting is done for you, and you don't have to rule out any foods. While it's not perfect for vegetarians the WW databases holds the points values for loads of different foods (including vegetarian) so you should be able to eat a little of what you fancy. Veggie sausage sandwich anyone?

If you want to have a look at a Weight Watcher's cookbook click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

JENNY CRAIG

PHILOSOPHY:
Make carbohydrates 60% of your daily diet; denser ones fill you up and require more calories to digest

SAMPLE MENU:
BREAKFAST Half a toasted bagel with margarine, strawberries, skim milk
LUNCH 2 oz. turkey on rye with mustard, lettuce and tomato, apple, iced tea
DINNER 4 oz. roasted chicken breast, 2/3 cup seasoned brown rice, 1/2 cup steamed vegetables

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
No snacking on cookies, just granola, yogurt or raw vegetables.

If you want to have a look at a Jenny Craig cookbook click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 

 

NEW MAYO CLINIC DIET
(In 2 1/2 Months You Should Lose 52 Pounds. 12 Days On and 2 Days Off)

Menu:
BREAKFAST:
½ Grapefruit or (4 oz) Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
2 Eggs (Any Style)
2 Slices of Bacon

LUNCH:
½ Grapefruit or (4 oz) Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Salad (Any Kind of Salad Dressing)
Meat (Any Style, Any Amount)

DINNER:
½ Grapefruit or (4 oz) Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (Any Style, Any Amount / Fish May Be Substituted for Meat)
Vegetables (Any Green, Yellow, or Red Vegetables Cooked in Butter or Any Seasoning)

BEDTIME SNACK:
Glass of Tomato Juice or Skim Milk

This diet is supposedly given to heart patients needing to lose weight fast for bypass surgery.

You MAY HAVE:
Red onions
Green onions
Bell peppers
Radishes
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Spinach
Lettuce
Cabbage
Carrots
Peas
and Tomatoes

You MAY NOT HAVE:
White onions,
Potatoes,
Celery

SUITABILITY FOR VEGETARIANS:
Not unless you need to lose weight for surgery.

If you want to read a book on the Mayo Clinic's diet click here (via Amazon.com) or here for Amazon.co.uk

 



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