Probably the most important things people want to know when they think the time has come (again) to cut some of the daily food intake is which diet is the best. We are surrounded by thousands of advices on how to lose weight - effectively and rapidly. We read everywhere about diets and different nutritional programs - in the magazines, on the internet, on TV.

But the more ressources are available out there, the more confused we become, of which plan to choose for ourselves. And after that appears the other, so important question, of whether this particular diet really works, and how long would we be able to keep the achieved weight.

We have outlined for you some of the most popular and effective weight loss diet plans and described their pros and cons.

» Atkins Diet

One of the most popular diets in the last years. The basics of the Atkins Diet are low carbohydrate intake and high fat and protein intake. When the intake of carbohydrates is reduced, the body is forced to burn fat. The goal is burning the stored fat. Allowed foods in the Atkins Diet are meat, seafood products, cheese, delactosed milk products, even butter, olives, cream, mayonnaise, processed cheese. The restricted foods include bread, fruit, cereals, potatoes.

Pros:
The Atkins Diet includes many meals, that are highly fat and generally restricted in the most diet plans. It is easy to follow, as it contains four stages and each stage gets less restrictive and increases the amount of allowed carbs.

Cons:

Due to the increased amount of fat and especially meat, the risk of hearth attack gets bigger. The limited amount of carbohydrates for a long period of time could cause fatigue, nausea, potentially dangerous fluid loss.

» Mediterranean Diet

Another  popular diet in the last years is the Mediterranean Diet. It is inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of  the Mediterranean countries. The basics of the Mediterranean diet is that it does not exclude fat, but replaces saturated fats with monosaturated fats, mainly the following ones: nuts, olive oil, avocados, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, fat from plant sources.

Pros: 
The increased amount of fresh food decreases the risk of hearth attack and cancer. It is poor in carbs and that accelerates the process of weight loss.

Cons:
The Mediterranean nutrirtion plan is more of a lifestyle and not a diet, more specifically the lifestyle of the mediterranean people, which include more physical activity. So if you want to go for this diet, it is highly recommended to include exercise as well.

» Zone Diet

Another well-known eating plan is the Zone diet.  The Zone Diet is based on the formula 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrates in the daily food intake. Its main idea is the right hormonal ballance. Although the Zone Diet is defined as a low-carbohydrate diet, the percentage of cabrs is bigger than the one of fat and protein.The Zone Diet insists that dieters keep a close watch on the calorie consumption while eating: a meal not exceeding 500 calories and a snack not exceeding 100 calories is ideal for staying in the Zone.

Pros:
If going for this diet, you would obtain good eating habits, such as portion control and sugar reduction. The diet does not exclude fruits and vegetables.

Cons:
The Zone diet involve cutting out some vital minerals and vitamins. It could also be quite time consuming and expensive.

As you can see from this short review, there are many more diets out there, than we are able to cover here. The best thing to do when choosing a diet is to do as much research about it as possible. Think over the pros and cons. Check out personal experience of people who have tried it. Then see what doctors and dietitians have to say about it. Between those singing praises and those trying to prove the diet wrong you can probably get the truth yourself.