Americans spend on average about $35 billion per year on weight loss products and services. With that kind of money incentive, it is no wonder that there are a multitude of ways to lose weight. The various ways that have be devised include plans which are called fad diets. There are called fad diets because they become popular. It is to know that some fad diets are nutritionally balanced, but in many cases, such diets may be flawed because their use can undermine your health. It is also essential to know that successful dieting requires changes in your behavior and day-to-day habits, as well as changes in what you eat. This guide will give you some criteria to help you determine if adopting new fad diet is actually a bad diet.http://www.researchamerica.org/app/webroot/blog/?p=592 http://www.medicinenet.com/diet_plans_and_programs/article.htm

This page contains many resources that can help you identify and avoid fad diets, including: a list of popular fad diet plans, recommendations on what makes up a proper diet as well as links to pages like the Best Ways to Lose Weight. Additional Google and Related Mahalo Pages are provided for more information.

Fad diets sometimes offer claims that are too good to be true. Other characteristics of bad fad diets are those that have less than 1000 calories per day or require a specific supplement for weight loss to occur. The American Heart Association (AHA) specifically recommends against diet plans that promise quick weight loss or if they focus on specific superfoods for weight loss. The Cabbage Soup Diet is one that is specifically pointed out as not healthy. The Acai Berry Diet would also fall under that criteria, if one were to assume that all of the work of the diet was due to this one "superfood." Also not recommended are plans that omit entire food groups, such as carboydrates or fats.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the best diets are based on regular exercise, stress reduction techniques, and the eating of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein and unsaturated fats. On top of that, you can follow the AHA recommendation to determine what your recommended daily calorie intake should be and then plan meals to reduce your intake by 500-1000 calories per day so that you can lose from 1-2 pounds per week. You can also use charts to estimate calories burned by your daily exercise routines as well. Check out additional recommendations on the best ways to lose weight site.http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4584 http://www.medicinenet.com/diet_plans_and_programs/article.htm http://www.everydiet.org/fad_diets.htm http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3031816

Acai Berry Diet - This diet is centered around the acai berry, a tropical fruit from the Amazon that has never been associated with any claims for weight loss historically in Brazil.

Chocolate Diet

High Protein Diets - These type of diets, also called low carbohydrate diets, which cause accumulation of uric acid in your body (ketosis) are not recommended by The American Heart Association, the Food and Drug Administration, the U. S. Department of Agricutlure, the Surgeon General and the American Dietetic Association. Ketosis can be fatal for those with diabetes. http://www.google.co.cr/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CA8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnirc.cas.psu.edu%2Fpdf%2FFadDietsHealthyorHazardous.pdf&ei=9t_ES4H2GpTMsQOLoqjfDA&usg=AFQjCNFsSaxMgDb0gWkcZjfe6G8RnOkFaA&sig2=4YgvyQK91IFs0FWHxF_j0w

1. Atkins New Diet Revolution
2. Calories Don’t Count Diet
3. Drinking Man’s Diet
4. Mayo Diet - different from the Mayo Clinic diet which recently made its debut (2009)
5. Protein-Sparing Fast
6. Scarsdale Diet
7. Simeons HCG Diet
8. Ski Team Diet,
9. Stillman Diet
10. Zone Diet