What Have You Got to Lose?

Fab140

When it comes to weight loss, not all methods are created equal.
By Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

Let's say you want to lose 10 pounds, and you want to do it quickly—in time to see results in your wedding dress, fit into that teeny bikini on a last-minute beach vacation, or to squeeze into a sexy little black dress bought for your high school reunion. The problem is that speedy weight loss is rarely safe (or permanent) weight loss. Drastically cutting calories and seriously restricting what you're allowed to eat are usually a recipe for diet disaster.

"There is no magic formula for losing weight other than the basics of calories in versus calories out," says Tara Gidus, a dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "It's not really about what you're eating, it's about how much you’re eating." Her advice, for healthy weight loss: Make all your portions a little bit smaller and move a little bit more. And be patient—experts say the safest pace of weight loss is about 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Of course, we're not always that patient. These quick-fix plans all promise fast results, but they might also serve up some unwanted side effects. Here, the pros and cons examined:

21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Detox Diet

What it is: Essentially a liquid diet that can be done in a 2-day, 7-day or 21-day plan. The diet's creator (a registered nurse and naturopathic practitioner) claims that the all-liquid diet will allow your digestive system a chance to rest and spend its energy repairing and rebuilding rather than having to chew and break down food.

What you can eat: If you considering chewing part of eating, you're not really eating on this plan. You get about 1,000 calories a day of vegetable soup, herbal tea, a green drink (made from a powdered mix including algae, wheat grass and green tea), vegetable juice, a berry drink, and water.

Weight loss and health claims: In addition to the 21 pounds of weight loss promised in the book's title, the plan purports to increase metabolism, help with chronic health problems like diabetes, and purge dangerous toxins from your body.

What the diet expert says: "I have a problem with the whole idea of detox," says Gidus. "The body has its own natural detoxifying system, and there is no evidence that these fasts have health benefits or rid the body of potential 'toxins.'" Gidus also takes issue with the claim that ridding the body of toxins helps speed metabolism, and says that by providing you with so few calories it could actually have the opposite effect of slowing down your metabolism. And while the plan will provide some nutrients—thanks to the vegetables and fruits in the soups and juices—you're missing out on many more essentials. "It's not enough calories, and you're definitely not going to get enough protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12," says Gidus.

The Master Cleanse

What it is: This liquid fasting plan has been around since the 1940s, but its popularity has been boosted in recent years by celebrities like Beyoncé Knowles, who reportedly lost 20 pounds on the plan to prepare for her role in the movie "Dreamgirls."

What you can eat: Nothing. The basis of the plan is a special elixir made from 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper mixed into 8 ounces of purified or spring water. You can drink 6 to 12 glasses of that, plus water mixed with sea salt in the morning and a cup of herbal laxative tea at night. That's a grand total of about 650 to 1,300 calories a day, and it's suggested you do it for 10 or more days.

Weight loss and health claims: The plans proponents claim to have seen major weight loss of up to a pound or more a day, say they have more energy, clearer skin, and sharper minds.

What the diet expert says: "There’s absolutely no nutritional value at all to this plan," says Gidus. While there is research to suggest that cayenne pepper may give your metabolism a boost, you'd probably need much more than a palatable amount in order to see any dramatic change. And as with the Martha's Vineyard detox plan, you're going to come up seriously short on protein and other nutrients. Plus, taking in so few calories is giving your body the signal to shift into starvation mode—after a day or two, it will start holding onto fat and burning muscle for energy. So the majority of weight you do lose will be water and muscle. "And ideally, on a healthy diet you want to be losing more fat than muscle," she says.

'Skinny *****'

What it is: A strict vegan diet delivered in a snarky, sometimes foul-mouthed, girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone. The plan—and the best-selling book—is the brainchild of a former model and a former modeling agent. Neither the restrictive diet nor the hard-edged book are for the faint of heart. The authors aren't afraid to insult readers by referring to them as "fat pigs," and calling anyone who craves a morning latté "pathetic" and a "*****." If you’re looking for cheerleaders to support you while you drop pounds, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you respond well to being harangued and bullied into breaking your bad habits, you might soon become a skinny *****.

What you can eat: Lots of things—as long as they are organic, unrefined, unprocessed, and don't come from an animal or any animal product (i.e., milk, cheese, eggs, etc.).

Weight loss and health claims: Although the authors support eschewing all meat and dairy—as well as refined flour, sugar, and artificial anything—in order to stay skinny, the book also lectures a bit about animal rights and how badly mistreated most poultry and livestock are before they make their way into the food supply.

What the diet expert says: "It's a very healthy approach that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans," says Gidus. And removing all animal products—as well as all artificial ingredients, processed foods and refined sugars—will definitely leave you with a low-fat, low-calorie diet that will probably lead to weight loss. Gidus's biggest concern is balance. "When you give up all animal sources of protein, you have to be very careful about how you replace it and how you get adequate amounts of the nutrients normally derived from animal protein—like iron, zinc, omega 3s, vitamin D and vitamin B12," she says. And since the authors are not dietitians, they don’t, according to Gidus, have the education to inform readers about how to maintain a healthy balance while eating a strict vegan diet.

Fab140

When it comes to weight loss, not all methods are created equal.
By Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

Let's say you want to lose 10 pounds, and you want to do it quickly—in time to see results in your wedding dress, fit into that teeny bikini on a last-minute beach vacation, or to squeeze into a sexy little black dress bought for your high school reunion. The problem is that speedy weight loss is rarely safe (or permanent) weight loss. Drastically cutting calories and seriously restricting what you're allowed to eat are usually a recipe for diet disaster.

"There is no magic formula for losing weight other than the basics of calories in versus calories out," says Tara Gidus, a dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "It's not really about what you're eating, it's about how much you’re eating." Her advice, for healthy weight loss: Make all your portions a little bit smaller and move a little bit more. And be patient—experts say the safest pace of weight loss is about 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Of course, we're not always that patient. These quick-fix plans all promise fast results, but they might also serve up some unwanted side effects. Here, the pros and cons examined:

21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Detox Diet

What it is: Essentially a liquid diet that can be done in a 2-day, 7-day or 21-day plan. The diet's creator (a registered nurse and naturopathic practitioner) claims that the all-liquid diet will allow your digestive system a chance to rest and spend its energy repairing and rebuilding rather than having to chew and break down food.

What you can eat: If you considering chewing part of eating, you're not really eating on this plan. You get about 1,000 calories a day of vegetable soup, herbal tea, a green drink (made from a powdered mix including algae, wheat grass and green tea), vegetable juice, a berry drink, and water.

Weight loss and health claims: In addition to the 21 pounds of weight loss promised in the book's title, the plan purports to increase metabolism, help with chronic health problems like diabetes, and purge dangerous toxins from your body.

What the diet expert says: "I have a problem with the whole idea of detox," says Gidus. "The body has its own natural detoxifying system, and there is no evidence that these fasts have health benefits or rid the body of potential 'toxins.'" Gidus also takes issue with the claim that ridding the body of toxins helps speed metabolism, and says that by providing you with so few calories it could actually have the opposite effect of slowing down your metabolism. And while the plan will provide some nutrients—thanks to the vegetables and fruits in the soups and juices—you're missing out on many more essentials. "It's not enough calories, and you're definitely not going to get enough protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12," says Gidus.

The Master Cleanse

What it is: This liquid fasting plan has been around since the 1940s, but its popularity has been boosted in recent years by celebrities like Beyoncé Knowles, who reportedly lost 20 pounds on the plan to prepare for her role in the movie "Dreamgirls."

What you can eat: Nothing. The basis of the plan is a special elixir made from 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper mixed into 8 ounces of purified or spring water. You can drink 6 to 12 glasses of that, plus water mixed with sea salt in the morning and a cup of herbal laxative tea at night. That's a grand total of about 650 to 1,300 calories a day, and it's suggested you do it for 10 or more days.

Weight loss and health claims: The plans proponents claim to have seen major weight loss of up to a pound or more a day, say they have more energy, clearer skin, and sharper minds.

What the diet expert says: "There’s absolutely no nutritional value at all to this plan," says Gidus. While there is research to suggest that cayenne pepper may give your metabolism a boost, you'd probably need much more than a palatable amount in order to see any dramatic change. And as with the Martha's Vineyard detox plan, you're going to come up seriously short on protein and other nutrients. Plus, taking in so few calories is giving your body the signal to shift into starvation mode—after a day or two, it will start holding onto fat and burning muscle for energy. So the majority of weight you do lose will be water and muscle. "And ideally, on a healthy diet you want to be losing more fat than muscle," she says.

'Skinny *****'

What it is: A strict vegan diet delivered in a snarky, sometimes foul-mouthed, girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone. The plan—and the best-selling book—is the brainchild of a former model and a former modeling agent. Neither the restrictive diet nor the hard-edged book are for the faint of heart. The authors aren't afraid to insult readers by referring to them as "fat pigs," and calling anyone who craves a morning latté "pathetic" and a "*****." If you’re looking for cheerleaders to support you while you drop pounds, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you respond well to being harangued and bullied into breaking your bad habits, you might soon become a skinny *****.

What you can eat: Lots of things—as long as they are organic, unrefined, unprocessed, and don't come from an animal or any animal product (i.e., milk, cheese, eggs, etc.).

Weight loss and health claims: Although the authors support eschewing all meat and dairy—as well as refined flour, sugar, and artificial anything—in order to stay skinny, the book also lectures a bit about animal rights and how badly mistreated most poultry and livestock are before they make their way into the food supply.

What the diet expert says: "It's a very healthy approach that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans," says Gidus. And removing all animal products—as well as all artificial ingredients, processed foods and refined sugars—will definitely leave you with a low-fat, low-calorie diet that will probably lead to weight loss. Gidus's biggest concern is balance. "When you give up all animal sources of protein, you have to be very careful about how you replace it and how you get adequate amounts of the nutrients normally derived from animal protein—like iron, zinc, omega 3s, vitamin D and vitamin B12," she says. And since the authors are not dietitians, they don’t, according to Gidus, have the education to inform readers about how to maintain a healthy balance while eating a strict vegan diet.