Are you looking for a diet that you can follow? If you are, ask your self - How does this one work? How will I loose weight by following it? The answers to these questions can help you find the ideal diet food plan. Below are some of the most popular diets today, which are Calorie Count, Atkins, and the South Beach Diet.

Calorie Count

The Calorie Count Diet unlike other restrictive diet pretty much allows you to eat whatever you want in moderation, of course. This diet, as its name suggests involves keeping track of how many calories take per meal and your total in day coupled with how many calories you burn. In order to loose weight, you need to burn more calories than what you take in.

You can start off doing the Calorie Count Diet on your own. All you have to do is what how much you eat. You really dont need a rigorous diet plan. If you need assistance, you can visit sites like www.CalorieCount.About.com, which is a free service that helps you keep track of the calories you eat and the calories you burn during the day. Most of those sites also give you a chance to tailor your calorie requirements to your needs.

Athletes often rely on the Calorie Count Diet. If you remember how Olympic swimmer and record Holder Michael Phelps used to take in up to 12,000 Calories a day and still have the body that he has. Its because, even if he ate 12,000 calories, he would often burn more than that in the pool.

The same can go for you with the Calorie Count Diet. On average, you should not take less than 1200 calories a day-for women and nothing less than 1800 calories a day for men. Of course, you would also have to factor in how active you are during a day.

An emergency room nurse for example, can stand to eat more calories than, say, a person who works in an office in front of a computer. Its because the former spends more time on his/her feet and burns more calories than the latter who sits all day. This, of course, includes other elements such like exercise, which you can perform before or after work, thus raising your calorie burn rate.

To sum it up, the Calorie Count Diet is a weight loss diet that causes you to loose weight by encouraging you to take less and burn more than what you eat.

Atkins

Named after its formulator, Dr Robert C Atkins, the Atkins Diet is arguably one of the most popular diets of the past century. Advocates of this Diet Plan have claimed to loose pounds effortlessly, but like most diets, Atkins also has its critics.

Basically, the Atkins Diet advocates low-carbohydrate, high-protein, and moderate-fat diet. Its weight loss premises states that you gain weight based on how your body process carbohydrates and not on how it processes fat. By lowering your carb intake and by increasing your protein and you fat in take, you trick your body into weight loss while still being able to eat all the protein and fried food you want.

In essence, the Atkins Diet forces the body into a state of Ketosis where because of the absence of carbohydrates (fuel food) in your diet, you body turns to turn to fat stores for food instead.

Since it came out, Atkins has had a strong following. It is touted as being the ideal diet for people who love meat. Those who enjoy carbs-loaded diet food (pasta, bread, potatoes, rice), however, would not fare as well.

It may have great weight loss benefits, but Atkins is generally not recommended for people who will be performing rigorous physical activity like athletes or those who need to be active at work. This is because the lack of carbohydrates in your diet will make you feel groggy and feel like you have decreased energy.

The Atkins diet follows a strict 14-day plan and if you want to follow this diet, it is recommended that you get a book on it.

South Beach

Developed by Dr Arthur Agatston, the South Beach diet originates from Miami. It was later on developed into a book and is now one of the popular diets in the world.

Touted by some as the smarter Atkins, the South Beach diet does not look at carbs with as much disdain as the Atkins diet does. Essentially, the South Beach Diet looks to dividing the food group into bad carbohydrates (white carbs) and good carbohydrates (high fiber, whole wheat). The diet also looks for a balance between good carb intake and fat intake.

Like Atkins, the South Beach Diet starts with a strict diet plan for its first stages; it comes in three parts. The first part of this diet includes the exclusion of certain food items like bread, rice, and potatoes. For most, the first 2 weeks of the diet can be very daunting and it may not be ideal for people who are exercising a lot. During this time, the body will be adapting to the changes in your eating habits and you may not have as much energy as you used to feel. As you progress with the diet, however, you will start to feel more energized.

After the initial stage, you continue with the recommended diet plans in order to maintain your weight. It is also aimed to help you eat healthier.

Weight loss for the South Beach diet is caused by the change in diet during the start of the plan. The controlled portions also assist in weight loss.

Aside from the above, there are a lot of other weight loss diet plans that you can choose from. Before you start on any plan, however, make sure that the plan is ideal for you and is alright for your health status. Keep in mind, if you already have high cholesterol levels, are suffering from heart diseases, or diabetes, the more restrictive diets may not be ideal for you. It is also important to consult your healthcare provider or your nutritionist before trying any diet out.