There are several very popular weight loss programs today that people are trying. Some work, some don't, and some are actually unhealthy.

The list of weight loss programs include:

Atkins Diet

Pritikin Diet

Dean Ornish Diet

South Beach Diet

Do any of these work, and are there any reasons these might be unhealthy? There are problems with each of them, although the last is better than the others.

The first three promote a high intake of items that can cause health problems such as an increased chance of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. One of the good things encouraged by the Atkins diet is to increase your vegetable intake.

The South Beach diet encourages the eating of gelatin and dairy products, two things that can cause disorders such as mad cow disease and increased cancer risk because of certain viruses found in the cow's milk.

The South Beach diet also encourages the consumption of beef which has been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers. Decrease those three things in the diet and it is fairly healthy.

Everyone needs to reduce the following items from their diet. This is a partial list of things that will cause obesity:

MSG

Inactive lifestyle

Protein isolate

Broth, stock and bouillon

Spices

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Also, keep in mind that weight is not what matters: Fat is what matters. Reducing your weight will not help your health if you are losing muscle.

For this reason, when you look for a diet to follow, make sure it does not stress weight loss. It needs to stress loss of fat.

There is one man who was able to reduce his body fat from 36% down to 6.5%. If you would like to find out how he did it, visit the Web site listed below. Many people have followed his weight loss plan and found they feel better, look better, and are much more energetic.

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