Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best one. This does not necessarily hold true for people who are dieting, though. The simplest approach to losing weight is to stop eating and let the body start consuming its own fat reserves for energy. This approach is very unhealthy, difficult to sustain in the long haul, and often creates more problems than the excess weight does. Still, that doesn’t stop people from trying to take advantage of the short-term benefits of diet plans like the cabbage soup diet. On paper, it looks like a decent idea, but how does it hold up in practice?

What exactly is the cabbage soup diet?

The basic idea is simple. The amount of food one can consume for a one-week period is unlimited, but the selection is severely limited. Essentially, all that the person gets is cabbage soup and a very small selection of low-calorie foods. The diet is in no way individualized or customizable, compared to other diet plans on the market. It is a whole week of nothing but cabbage soup and water. It contains no advice for exercise plans, lifestyle changes, or behavioral advice. Eating out is also not an option, since most of the foods that the plan suggests as an alternative won’t be available in most restaurants. What the cabbage soup diet plan leads to is a dramatic drop in weight in a short period.

Is it worth it?

There’s little doubt that an extreme diet of this nature can help people in losing weight. The severe food intake restriction and the dangerously low levels of calorie intake virtually guarantee that the body will start consuming its reserves for the entire one week period. So, among those looking for diet plans, the question is whether or not the weight loss is worth it. The amount of controversy behind this also suggests that it might not be as good an idea as some might think. Ultimately, the answer might depend on the individual, but it is notable that very few diet plans generate as much criticism from the scientific community as this one.

What about side effects?

In any diet that suggests the ingesting of that many vegetables, particularly cabbage, over a prolonged period, there is an increased risk of gas. The high fiber and low protein content is also known to cause trouble in some people, since the human stomach is not generally meant to have such radical shifts in intake. Low energy levels are also going to be problematic for this diet, along with any other that has such low calorie intake. Migraines have also been reportedly common.

The cabbage soup diet strategy is one of those diet plans that sounds good in theory, but ultimately falls short of expectations. It works, but it is strictly short-term and the way it goes about weight loss carries a bigger risk than being overweight. A more long-term plan will include a mixture of proper diet and exercise. In the end, that’s still the best way to go.

So many people have losing weight as a long-term or short-term goal that the market is littered with various forms of diets and reduction plans. Not all of them are as effective as they claim, though they’re not completely false in what they say they can do. Diet plans usually have some validity to their methods or claims if they want to survive very long. One of the most promising diets on the market is the LA weight loss program.

An overview of the program

The LA weight loss plan claims to serve 400 locations around the world. The strategy involves not just telling dieters what needs to be done, but also how to keep doing it even after the weight’s been dropped. The program takes pains to get a complete medical history of each client and endeavors to tweak a base strategy around that information, adding a level of safety and attentiveness. There are also counseling meetings at the centers, which are meant to act as a support structure.

Advantages

One of the biggest draws of the LA weight loss program is that it doesn’t require people to eat pre-prepared meals. A lot of diets fail for most people because they can’t stand the pre-selected meals after a while. The LA program doesn’t involve this, or the other common practice of diet plans: counting. The counseling is also personalized, along with the structure of the plan itself, so each dieter gets something tailored to handle their individual situation. This is a step up from most other plans, which offer a lot of basic groundwork but little in the way of customizing it for individual situations. The program has also been around since 1994, and has an established record for safety and consistency.

Flaws

The biggest problem with the LA weight loss program is that the cost for being part of it can vary from center to center. There are 400 locations for it, and the price in one center can be much higher than in others. This can turn away people who are interested, but see the cost is much more than what they would have to pay for in other diet plans. Availability is also a concern, since not every city would have one. Finally, some may find the weekly in-person counseling sessions to be a hassle, and difficult to work into their schedules.

The LA weight loss program holds a lot of promise – it is personalized and has a good record for being effective. There may be some issues concerning its availability in some areas, but if it can be found, then it should be considered a viable option for losing weight safely and permanently.

Controversy, people say, generates interest, and that interest can propel a product to have a market share far more than it should logically have. This has been observed before, and not even weight loss plans are completely safe from this sort of tactic. One of the most controversial plans in recent memory has been the HCG diet plan. Most of these plans generate controversy because of questions on whether or not their claims are true, as well as the possibility of overlooked nutritional problems that strict adherence might cause. In the case of HCG, it is less about that and more about whether or not the benefits of the diet are outweighed by the risks.

The idea

Much like other weight loss plans, the HCG diet plan for losing weight involves multiple factors. The first is regulation of the dietary intake, such that calorie consumption is reduced as low as possible without putting undue stress and risk to the body’s functions. So far, this has been reasonable to consider – a low calorie diet plan has been proven to have positive effects for both weight loss and tissue maintenance. The other half of the plan, however, is the use of injections of a hormone known as HCG. The controversy lies in the use of the hormone, and the potential risks this involves.

Human chorionic gonadotropin

This hormone, better known as HCG, is used in any of the weight loss plans based on HCG. It is produced during pregnancy and plays a role in maintaining the production of progesterone, which plays a large part in the early stages of pregnancy. It also regulates the immune response of the body to a pregnancy, preventing the body from treating the developing fetus as an infection. It is also believed to have a role in cellular differentiation early on, possibly triggering apoptosis – the “suicide” of individual cells.

Health concerns

British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons was the first one to test the potential applications of HCG hormone in weight loss, and after his death, it was popularized into the variety of weight loss plans seen today. However, various agencies have said that the hormone’s use as a diet tool is not only ineffective, but potentially dangerous. Apoptosis, when controlled or regulated properly, is a natural process, but there is the worry that the HCG diet plan might cause too much and lead to unpredictable issues with the body’s overall wellbeing.

In general, tampering with hormones is an ill-advised thing unless strictly regulated. There are instances when it can be useful, but as far as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is concerned, this does not include weight loss plans. There’s a lot of risk involved in the HCG diet plan, which is why most reputable health organizations don’t endorse it.

Arguably, the most famous of diet plans in the world is that of Weight Watchers. It isn’t hard to see why, since it has a lot of exposure in the media and in pop culture. In some circles, it is considered the overweight person’s equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous – a combination of support group and recovery path. Despite this overwhelming popularity, not everyone is entirely aware of just what the program requires. Naturally, not all of the details or secrets can be given out to those who aren’t using it, but broad strokes of information can be found.

The idea

The fundamental diet strategy used by Weight Watchers has not actually been consistent over its four decades of existence. The company adjusts its plans and techniques based on the latest available science, to ensure that the members have the best possible methods available to them at any time. The group is a major proponent of keeping track of food intake, leading to smaller portions with healthier overall choices. One of the keys to their system is to provide a good amount of energy, prevent excessive hunger, and reduce weight. All of these are considered in the long-term, which means that being involved in the Weight Watchers program is likely a lifetime commitment.

The key to success

Most of the people on the Weight Watchers diet plans don’t really use a very strict or intense diet strategy, yet there is no denying that the results far outstrip those of other plans on the market. What most people don’t realize is that the simple approach to losing weight is not the most crucial component to success. That it is easy to follow and based on solid scientific data is part of the key, but the real reason it works so well is the support structure that comes with enrolling in Weight Watchers.

The organization makes a point of keeping its members in contact with one another as a support structure. This kind is something many dieters badly need, since it can be tempting to go back to old habits, even briefly. This structure provides the morale boost and the psychological crutch needed by many to stick with the plan, and is the most critical part of the success of this program for losing weight.

Weight Watchers undoubtedly deserves the reputation it enjoys, but it is one that is built on regular upgrades and a strong support system. The company acknowledges that it isn’t just diets and exercises that cause people to lose weight. There has to be a structure that keeps them from slipping and that reaffirms their commitment.

The notion of eating cookies to achieve one’s goals for losing weight seems nonsensical, as most people associate snacks with weight gain. Most of these foods have ingredients that are likely to be stored by the body as fat reserves, rather than being burned for energy early on. However, that’s exactly what the cookie diet claims to do for people looking for a way to cut down on excess pounds. Like most diet programs, it has a marketing machine that hypes up its effectiveness. It is left to the consumer to figure out just how much of that hype is actually true.

What this is

The cookie diet essentially refers to a low-calorie diet that is based on the use of meal replacements that control hunger. These come in the form of a cookie, thus the name of the diet. The idea is that people eat about four to six of these cookies a day, with the possible addition of other food. The cookies control hunger through a combination of specific amino acids being baked into the food item. A common daily routine involves substituting these cookies for meals throughout the day, with a reasonably-portioned dinner in the evening. Recent variations of cookie-based weight loss plans have come in the form of drinks and soups with similar properties.

The positive

One of the foremost positive aspects of the cookie diet is psychological in nature. A person eating a cookie psychologically associates it with regular cookies, rather than products from diet programs. This means that the mind may feel less inclined to break the diet and binge. These cookies also contain good amounts of protein, amino acids, and fiber, providing a good nutrient mix. Some studies have shown that these are very good for suppressing hunger, and there is a large amount of anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of this plan. The program also follows an organized and structured plan, which many dieters need.

The negative

One of the main problems with the cookie diet is that, unlike most diet programs, it contains no comprehensive or recommended exercise guidelines. This can be problematic, since most attempts at losing weight involve exercise at regular intervals, with intensity usually adjusted to match the diet. A lack of it can become a problem, since it opens the risk of a person exercising too little or too much. The diet is risky because of the very low calorie intake, depriving the body of energy. There are also indications that diets based on meal replacement are rarely capable of sustaining weight loss.

A cookie diet is a very interesting approach to losing weight, but one that may not be sustainable. There is data suggesting it is a good way to start, but experts advise weaning off of the cookies and getting into a real weight loss strategy after a while.