Weight Watchers is the world's most popular weight loss program. The program has been around for over 40 years and the company was originally founded by Jean Nidetch. Lately, the emergence of the Internet has helped the company reach new customers, in new ways, around the world.

Weight Watchers has never been a "quick-fix" solution to weight related problems, rather, the program stresses long-term weight management.

In other words, the program is about developing healthy lifestyle, which to the company includes mental, emotional, and physical health.

Although the program has been around for so long, the company strives to keep up with the latest scientific discoveries and thinking.

As an example of this, the Weight Watchers weight loss plan is, according the company, developed by scientists with profiency in weight management. They also use a Scientific Advisory Board that helps them keep up with science.

Weight Watchers Weight Loss Plan
The company's program relies much on group support and allows a very broad range of food to the diet. Each food has a point value, and you will find from the program just how many points you can use each day.

The point allotment is given on the company's first meeting, and from then on you will record your daily use of the points on a food diary, which will aid you in tracking your daily progress and helps plan your food consumption.

The emphasis of the program is very much on the points, not on what foods you eat. The general idea is to plan the meals from the points view. The program allows also some flexibility with the points if you have a special occasion coming up.

Weight Watchers - Resources
Starting the program is easy, you just go to a meeting, sign up, and you'll be supplied with the necessary information and tools to get you started. You can ask questions if you feel there's anything that's left out of the information provided.

Because the program allows so broad range of foods to be eaten (they're all given points), this is probably an easier program to follow than the ones that restrict severely what types of foods you can eat.

Also, many feel comforted by the group support given at the meetings. If you're not one of them, you can now attend the online meetings, which are an easy way to start and follow the program, especially if you're too busy to attend the off-line meetings.

South Beach diet was developed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston. The diet first became popular in Miami and was then developed into book form, which has become a best-seller throughout the country.
The diet is not about low-carbs or low-fat. Instead, the diet teaches you to rely on the right kind of carbs and the right kind of fats.

Agatston has created a modified carbohydrate plan, with plenty of high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits.

The diet is a based on three phases that in total last for the rest of

your life. Therefore, this is not a quick-fix diet, but instead a diet plan for a changed dietary lifestyle.

In fact, most of the more popular diet plans today take that complete approach to changing your lifestyle and habits.

Some also stress the mental side of motivation and keeping on track, as well as the physical side, exercising to keep fit. Here, there is less focus on those last-mentioned issues.

South Beach Diet Phases
The first phase of the diet is about banishing your cravings. Possibly the worst undermining factor on a weight-loss plan is the distressing sensation that you need more food.

On the first phase, according to Agora Media, the company behind the South Beach diet success online, you'll eat normal-size helpings of meat, chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish.

Also, you will eat vegetables, eggs, cheese, and nuts. You'll have salads with olive oil in the dressing.

At this stage of the South Beach diet there will be three balanced meals a day plus snacks.

However, for the first 14 days, you won't be having any bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. This is to help you get rid of the cravings (they'll be back in the diet after the two weeks).

The phase two is about reintroducing carbs again. However, the weight loss that started at phase one will continue because you'll be eating fewer of the foods that used to create those urges. The phase 2 continues and you continue lose weight as long as you reach your goal.

When the goal is reached, the South Beach diet plan transforms into more liberal form, which will help you maintain your ideal weight.

The third phase lasts the rest of your life. When you get to this point, the plan is less like a diet and more like a way of life.

You'll be eating normal foods in normal-size portions. The continuing thing to do is to remember to live by the few basic rules of the South Beach diet.

South Beach Diet - Resources

To start on the diet plan, you can buy the available book that has all the rules in it. The book is titled "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss". The book is also available in audio cassette and audio CD formats.

There are also companion books to the basic book, such as the "South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide: The Complete and Easy Reference for All Your Favorite Foods".

In addition, the official South Beach diet web site is full of helpful tools and advice.

To mention few of these things, there are message boards to get support, the ability to keep an online journal, plus a weight tracker to type in your weight, plot your progress, and learn how to stay on course.

The Zone Diet, as developed by Dr. Barry Sears, got it's name from the diet's main aim: keeping the hormone insulin in a tight zone: not too high, not too low.
Thought of as such, The Zone Diet is a life-long hormonal control strategy. In fact, Dr. Sears is commonly described as a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response.

Dr. Sears originally developed the diet to fight his unfortunate family genetic inheritance for early heart attacks.

He's a former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids.

In addition, he holds 13 U.S. Patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

The Zone Diet got nationwide attention upon the successful publication of the landmark book, The Zone, in 1995. The book was quickly followed up by such books as "Mastering the Zone" and "Anti-Aging Zone", both giving additional insights into the Zone method.

Zone Diet Principles
The approach the Zone Diet takes is that food should consist of personally targeted portions (factors that affect meal sizes include fat percentage, level of activity, and gender), of which 40% of the calories should come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 30% from fat.

The meals are generated through "blocks" and each food has its own block value (amount of food per block). You then generate meals by getting enough of blocks from protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

According to the Zone, this balance maintains a balance of insulin within the body, reducing your hunger cravings, and getting you into the correct "zone".

Resources for the Zone Diet
Starting on the diet is simple, you just purchase a book with the rules and instructions of the diet, such as "The Zone : Revolutionary Life Plan to Put Your Body in Total Balance for Permanent Weight Loss", and your next meal could be based on the Zone principles.

There are now many books on the Zone Diet, including the following

• The Zone by Barry Sears
• A Week in the Zone by Barry Sears, Deborah Kotz
• Top 100 Zone Foods: The Zone Food Science Ranking System by Barry Sears
• What to Eat in the Zone: The Quick and Easy, Mix and Match Counter for Staying in the Zone by Barry Sears
• The Omega Rx Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil by Barry Sears
• Zone Food Blocks: The Quick and Easy, Mix-and-Match Counter for Staying in the Zone by Barry Sears
• The Age-Free Zone by Barry Sears
• Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes: 150 Fast and Simple Healthy Recipes by Barry Sears
• Soy Zone: 101 Delicious and Easy-to-Prepare by Barry Sears
• Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving SuperHealth and Permanent Fat Loss by Barry Sears

In addition to the books, you may find value in the online web sites dedicated to the Zone Diet.

Atkins Diet was developed by the late Robert C. Atkins, M.D. The original rules were published in the book "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution", back in 1972, which introduced the Atkins Nutritional Approach to the world.

Dr. Atkins was known to champion the natural healing arts as a safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and surgery for many debilitating illnesses.

He stressed the importance of proper diet in concert with nutritional support to prevent and combat heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

In its basics, the program targets insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

To do this, the Atkins theory goes, the Atkins diet is extremely low in carbohydrates.

According to the Atkins Diet book, carbohydrates help to regulate insulin production and decrease circulating insulin. Less insulin results in less fat storage and fewer food cravings.

The Atkins Diet Controversy
There has been a lot of publicized bad press for the Atkins diet. For a short list of available critical reviews of the Atkins diet, the following should give you a rounded view to continue your search for Atkins Diet information from all angles:

The Atkins Diet - Resources
Starting on the diet program is easy as there are books and online resources for quick and deeper information on the topic.

Also, because the diet program is one of the most followed diet programs out there, there are a lot of books on the subject.

In addition to the core Atkins books with all the rules, there are cookbooks with recipes, as well as tools on book format (such as an Atkins Diet journal).

Available info on the Atkins program from books by Robert C. Atkins include:

• Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
• Dr. Atkins' Quick & Easy New Diet Cookbook: Companion to Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
• Dr. Atkins' New Carbohydrate Gram Counter
• Dr. Atkins' Age-Defying Diet
• Atkins for Life

You can get a lot of information from the non-official online resources that include information sites and people on the diet program.

To get reviews of the Atkins Diet, one of the best places for them are online booksellers.

People who have read the book and been on the diet share their experiences (at least their reading experience of the book) with others online.

This type of diet book reviews are available from the biggest online booksellers, such as Amazon.com. You can even leave your own mark by voting whether the review was helpful or not (those that receive "helpful" votes raise to the top of the review page).

Other online resources include online forums, chat rooms, and groups. For example, the last time I checked, search for "Atkins Diet" (without the quotations) returned 192 results on groups.yahoo.com.

The Dr Phil diet, from Phil McGraw, whose nationally syndicated show has made him a household name all over America, is laid out in the book "The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom".

Philip McGraw is something of a self-improvement guru, but promises no quick solutions to weight problems.

The approach to weight loss by Philip McGraw is more comprehensive than just about food. The approach also takes into account the mental point-of-view that you have about eating and your weight.

Dr Phil Diet for Weight Loss
In addition to controlling what foods you eat, the change towards slimmer self is also done through the elimination of counter-productive thoughs that may hold you back.

The process guides you to change your environment, master impulse eating, choose foods, adopt an exercise habit, and assemble a support circle. All in all, the plan is about changing your lifestyle.

Each step is explained with case studies, fill-in charts, and self-tests.

As for the food part of the equation, the Dr Phil diet plan emphasizes foods with high nutritional yields for few calories.

Also, the stress is on foods that cannot be eaten quickly due to high fiber content or otherwise, making it less likely for you to overeat.

Dr Phil Diet - Resources
Starting on Philip McGraw's diet is as easy as purchasing the book where the principles are laid out. The book is available in paper format, as audio cassette, as audio CD, and as a digital download.

You may also find value from the companion book "The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide".

The companion book delivers more weight loss strategies, more specific food lists, and more of the Dr Phil diet information.

Also helpful in the process is the drphil.com web site that has supporting material, such as the possibility to keep an online journal of your journey to weight loss.

Then there's the Weight Loss Challenge, where you can join others starting on the diet, for support and motivation. The challenge participants can communicate and find each other (from nearby areas for example) through Dr Phil's web site.

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