Your doctor advises you to lose some weight. And you think that’s a fair comment; and you decide that you would. Go on a diet, that is. Question is, how? What diet?

There are countless diets that one can follow; some fads, others quite well established. Anyone worth their weight in salts would have heard of the Atkins Diet, or the South Beach Diet. How about the Mediterranean Diet, or the Okinawan? Or the Simmons and the Craig? One can get confused just thinking about it! So which diet should you choose to follow? As it turns out, there are a few diet plans that could be suited just for you – one that is tailor-made, so to speak. Here are three of the most popular ones.

The Blood Type Diet
Dr Peter D’Adamo, author of Eat Right For Your Type, suggests that there are foods that you should avoid – or consume more – based on your blood type. According to Dr D’Adamo, your blood reacts with the food you eat in a chemical reaction caused by a factor known as lectins. Lectins are proteins that bind specifically to carbohydrate-containing receptors on cell surfaces, like those of red blood cells. So when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the food simply does not break down efficiently, leading to formation of excess fat tissues.

The Blood-type diet is categorised into the four blood groups, that is, Type A, B, O and AB. People with blood type A should preferably be vegetarians, while the diet profile for Type O’s is high protein, with limited grains, beans and legumes. It further suggests that for the ‘balanced omnivore’ – people with Type B blood – the best foods to consume to help in weight-loss are greens, eggs, venison, liver, licorice and tea.

Dr D’Adamo explains his theory: “Losing weight by eating for your blood type is characterised by an increase in your muscle mass, which actually increases your metabolic rate, minimising the chances of 'yo-yo dieting'.”

By consuming the “correct” food for your blood type, your body fully metabolises what you eat, bringing about total health. Weight loss is just a bonus. As your body gets healthier, there are various plateaus that you may go through where the glands and hormones start to reset and normalise their functions. During these periods, it is common not to lose weight. In addition, lectins blocking insulin receptors on the surface of cells do not willingly let go. In what he calls a “healing period”, Dr D’Adamo recommends that patience and adherence to keep off the foods to avoid is important.

“When we discuss ‘diet,’ we are not talking necessarily about a weight loss plan, that’s a side benefit to following this plan. We are actually discussing diet in the more traditional sense, meaning a way to eat,”

explains, Dr. D’Adamo.

Type A Diet

Type As flourish on a vegetarian diet – if you are accustomed to eating meat, you will lose weight and have more energy once you eliminate the toxic foods from your diet. It is particularly important for sensitive Type As to eat their foods in as natural a state as possible: pure, fresh and organic.

Type B Diet
For Type Bs the biggest factors in weight gain are corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. Each of these foods affect the efficiency of your metabolic process, resulting in fatigue, fluid retention, and hypoglycemia – a severe drop in blood sugar after eating a meal. Also, because chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue, it is best to wean yourself away from chicken and replace them with highly beneficial foods such as goat, lamb, mutton, rabbit and venison. Other foods that encourage weight loss are green vegetables, eggs, beneficial meats, and low fat dairy.

Type O Diet
Focus on lean, organic meats, vegetables and fruits and avoid wheat and dairy which can be triggers for digestive and health issues in Type O. Additionally, avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine can be particularly harmful because of its tendency to raise adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are already high for Type O’s.

Type AB Diet
Focus on foods such as tofu, seafood, dairy and green vegetables if you are trying to lose weight. “Avoid all smoked or cured meats. These foods can cause stomach cancer in people with low levels of stomach acid,” recommends Dr. D’Adamo. There is a wide variety of seafood for Type AB, and it is an excellent source of protein for Type AB. A few highly beneficial fish are mahi-mahi, red snapper, salmon, sardines, and tuna. Some dairy is also beneficial for Type AB – especially cultured dairy such as Yogurt and kefir.

Source: www.dadamo.com

The Body Type Diet

The Body Type Dieting was first put forward by Dr Elliot D. Abravanel almost thirty years ago. His personal experience in advising two women who started off on the same low-fat, high complex carbohydrate diet saw contrasting results. Upon further analysis, he found that both the women had different body types – one had a strong, steady metabolism with good digestion and little variation in her energy level, while the other had a very different metabolism. She was livelier, but had more ups and downs and would be almost depleted of energy by the late afternoon.

He concluded that success in dieting depends on following a programme that is right for one’s metabolism.

The Body Type Diet system places body types into four categories from which the four major glands of the endocrine system is strongest in its metabolism: the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, the pituitary gland and gonads or sex glands. According to which of these glands dominates your system, women can be Thyroid Types, Adrenal Types, Gonadal Types or Pituitary Types.

The food plan sounds simple enough: eat less of foods that over-stimulate the dominant glands and eat more of those foods which support and nourish the other, less active glands. The trick therefore is to know your body type.

For example, if your dominant gland is the pituitary gland, you would likely have a youthful-looking body shape, with a small-boned body. You would gain weight all over, and your food cravings centre on dairy and sweets. You would be a morning person, with energy falling off in the evening.

So how do you know what body type you are? Dr Abravanel has created an on-line test where you can get to find out your dominant gland at http://bodytypes.com/newforms/order/checklistorder.cfm

After taking the test, it’s very well and good if you fall squarely into one of the four groups. Problem will arise when you find yourself as an “in-betweens”; and that is where this programme has its problems. Placement would be a lot more subjective.

Are these diets truth or just hype? Nutritionists will agree that there is no “one-size fits all” diet, where everyone achieves the same results. Our bodies do react differently to foods – whether it’s because of our blood type or our metabolism – and certainly one’s lifestyle usually dictates the kind of food one consumes.

Thyroid Type
Dominant Gland: the thyroid gland, located at the base of the neck.

Basic Body Shape: long-limbed, fine-boned, high waist, oval or long face.

Weight Gain Spots: between shoulders and knees, including thighs, upper hips, and round waist.

Food Cravings: sweets, starches, caffeine.

Energy Pattern: up and down: energetic for a while, with a tendency to “crash.”

Personality: creative, lively, full of energy when “up.” Tendency to be irritable or depressed when tired or stressed.

Adrenal Type
Dominant Gland: the adrenal glands, located atop each kidney.

Basic Body Shape: strong-looking, bigger above the waist than below, large breasts, slim hips.

Weight Gain Spots: mostly above the waist: upper back, breasts, stomach, with hips and legs remaining shapely.

Food Cravings: salty foods, fats, alcohol.

Energy Pattern: steady energy all day, falling off in the evening.

Personality: friendly, practical and outgoing. Slow to get angry, but with a temper when provoked.

Gonadal Type
Dominant Gland: sex glands (ovaries), located in the pelvic cavity.

Basic Body Shape: pear-shaped, with curvy rear and slender upper body.

Weight Gain Spots: mostly on the rear, to a lesser extent the hips and outer thighs.

Food Cravings: rich, creamy and spicy food.

Energy Pattern: very strong, even energy, able to keep going even when tired.

Personality: warm and nurturing, with a tendency to become stressed when she doesn’t take care of herself too.

Pituitary Type
Dominant Gland: the pituitary gland, located deep within the head.

Basic Body Shape: youthful-looking, with a small-boned body and a head that is somewhat large for her body size.

Weight Gain Spots: all over, not in any one defined spot. Weight may accumulate on the knees.

Food Cravings: dairy foods and sweets.

Energy Pattern: a morning person, with energy falling off in the evening.

Personality: very idealistic and intelligent, with a tendency to be reserved except with close friends.

Source: bodytypes.com

The Personality Type Diet

Dr Robert F. Kushner, author of Dr. Kushner’s Personality Type Diet, developed his weight loss programme by observing his patients and found seven broad categories of lifestyle patterns that dictate what kind of food is suitable for you.

Some of these are the “unguided grazer” who tends to eat anytime, anywhere; or the “fruitless feaster” who eats mainly plain meat-and-potatoes menu, consumes very little fruits and vegetables, except for the occasional banana, apple or orange juice. A “deprived sneaker” may eat a strict diet of “good” foods one day, then overeat on “bad” foods on another.

For each of these eating disorders, there are solutions and customised diet and exercise plans suited for their behaviour.

According to Dr. Kushner, “Most diet plans miss the boat when it comes to getting one’s weight under control for life. Being overweight is a multi-dimensional lifestyle problem; it’s not just about the food.”

Through taking a 50 question quick quiz (you can do it online at www.diet.com/diet/personality_quiz_1.php), patients obtain a complete profile of their eating, exercise and coping lifestyle patterns that have caused weight gain.

They find out, for example, if their eating pattern is a Meal Skipper, a Nighttime Nibbler or a Hearty Portioner, if their exercise pattern is a Couch Champion, an All-or-Nothing Doer or a Tender Bender or if their coping pattern is a People Pleaser, a Procrastinator or an Unrealistic Achiever. The programme is highly focused on the psychological link between personality and weight loss, but unfortunately there is no scientific proof of a link between personality and/or behavioural patterns and one’s weight.

The 7 Common Eating Patterns

1. Nighttime Nibblers: load up on calories in the evenings
2. Unguided Grazers: eat without structure or planning and choose food based on convenience and accessibility rather than hunger.
3. Convenient Consumers: eat mainly “packaged, bagged, microwaveable, and frozen” foods, which are generally higher in fat, sodium, and calories and lower in fibre than fresh home-prepared foods.
4. Fruitless Feasters: meat and potato people who ignore or don’t understand the need for fruit and vegetables, which are more nutritious and lower in calories.
5. Mindless Munchers: eat in response to “cues,” like commercials or vending machines.
6. Hearty Portioners: the “clean your plate” crowd. If they can see, smell or reach food, good or bad, they eat it.
7. Deprived Sneakers eat “good” food in public, and then sneak the “bad” stuff they really wanted in private.

Source: www.diet.com

The truth is that all diets work; it’s the lifestyle and change in eating habits to one that is healthier, with more fruits and vegetables and less refined carbohydrates and processed foods that help in achieving the right body weight. Find one that works for you! Also, most diet plans include regular exercise as a key component, and it is this that takes out the extra calories. The science of losing weight is quite simple: you will lose weight if your caloric intake is less than your output. And finally, watch your portions!