Trying to lose weight can be challenging and confusing, because there are so many different diet plans competing for attention. Low fat, or low carbohydrates, or high fiber? It's hard to know which diet is most effective, especially when each one promises the best results. One of the most popular, known as the Atkins diet, calls for strict controls on consumption of carbohydrates, such as bread, rice, pasta and starchy vegetables. The Atkins plan claims success even for those whose diet is high in fat, but a recent study indicates it is no more effective than a low-fat weight-loss diet.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts studied the eating habits of 83,000 nurses for 20 years. It turns out those nurses on a low-carbohydrate diet lost no more weight than those on low-fat diets.

Atkins Low-Carb Diets Encourage Eating Fruit

This Fredericksburg, VA-based Free-Lance Star column about how important exercise is for the sake of brain function included some rather lamebrained information perpetuating the myths about fruit consumption when you are livin' la vida low-carb that are obviously NOT based on any low-carb program I am familiar with. Here's the quote from the article:Low-carb diets are all wrong. "It makes me crazy," the medical expert in the story said, when his patients tell him they can't eat fruit and vegetables because they're on a low-carb diet. "Almost all the anti-aging nutrients come from carbohydrates."If somebody is telling their doctor they can't eat any fruit at all because they are on a low-carb diet, then apparently they haven't read any of the same low-carb diet books that I have. Certainly, there are a few high-sugar fruits that are not recommended for low-carbers to consume, including bananas, raisins, and even orange juice, especially during the weight loss phases because they will kick you out of ketosis just as fast as a sugary candy bar will.I have blogged about some of my favorite low-glycemic fruits such as yummy blueberries and strawberries as well as melons and cantaloupes that have been and still are an essential part of my Atkins low-carb lifestyle.

Working Off the Holiday Pounds

The Holiday season is full of love and joy with family and friends. Of course, it also seems to be an endless cycle of eating and drinking at dinner parties, office get-togethers, and family reunions. Now that this little era is done with, we ladies are left with not only gifts galore and precious memories, but just a little bit of weight gain: the Holiday Pounds.

Weve heard them all and probably tried them all: Atkins with their low carbs and high protein diet; the South Beach Diet and the Beverly Hills Diet, yeah like we could really look like them; Jenny Craig has counseling and monitored food intake; and the Raw Foods Diet? I cant even fathom how many fad diets are out there and the claims those diet pills promise. So when looking at it all, it really comes down to what you eat and how much exercise you are willing to do.

January health news: Carb control gains support

Fans of the Atkins weight-loss regimen can breathe a little easier -- contrary to what some believed, a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet does not increase the risk of heart disease, a recent study suggests.

In 1973, a year after the book Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution was published, the American Medical Association called the diet's emphasis on meat, eggs and cheese "potentially dangerous" and many in the medical community agreed.

The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University's Schools of Medicine and Public Health and published in the November 9, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, claims otherwise. It found that low-carb, high-protein and high-fat diets do not increase the risk of heart disease in women and that when such diets primarily include vegetable sources of protein and fat, the risk of heart disease decreases by 30 per cent.