Top 5 Diets To Lose Weight Fast

Whether it's an upcoming event like a wedding or graduation, or you just need to fit into that bikini before you go on holiday, there are times in life when you need to shift the pounds as quickly as possible. But which diets are the most efficient and will help you lose weight fast?

Atkins Diet

Robert Atkins was a cardiologist who started this diet to treat his overweight heart patients who were having trouble eating healthy. The diet concentrates on cutting out all carbohydrates, especially sugars and refined carbs, and eating a diet high in protein and fat.

Fats and proteins take longer to digest meaning dieters feel full for longer and eat fewer calories overall. The low carbohydrates prevent blood sugar from rising and falling dramatically, increasing insulin sensitivity and decreasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2014 compared a low fat diet with the low carb in 148 participants. After three months, those on the low carb diet lost a median of 10 pounds each, and the most successful dieters shed 15 pounds – that's pretty quick weight loss.

Another study published by Stanford in 2007 also discovered that the group on the Atkins diet lost significantly more than any other diet, with Atkins participants losing an average of 10.4 pounds compared to only 3.5 to 5.7 pounds on the other diets.

Paleo Diet

This diet is based on the idea that what our ancestors ate during the Paleolithic period is what our bodies are best adapted to eating, and it's when you deviate from this natural diet that things start to go wrong.

The initial weight loss on this plan is the most dramatic, with people losing between 4 and 9 pounds in the first week and between 3 and 5 pounds in the second week. After that it slows to 1 to 2 pounds per week, but that initial sharp drop is very fast weight loss and good motivation to keep going.

A study in Nature in 2008 found that participants lost and average of 5 pounds over three weeks, perhaps not quite so exciting, but these were healthy subjects with a BMI under 30. People who are overweight can expect to lose a lot more, and it shows the diet is effective even if you're already in pretty good shape and only want to shift a few pounds.

5:2 Diet

Dr Michael Mosley's famous intermittent fasting diet has you on a very restricted calorie intake (600 calories per day for men and 500 for women) two days per week and eating normally the rest of the time.

The idea is that putting this slight stress on your body encourages it to repair and strengthen itself, and the dip in blood sugar increases your sensitivity to insulin and prompts your body to burn its fat reserves.

In his book The Fast Diet, Dr Mosley actually worries that he's losing weight too fast after he loses 19 pounds in three months, so it's pretty clear how well it works. Weight loss varies by person, but participants in the 5:2 diet's weight loss tracker lost an average of 11 to 13 pounds in the first 12-13 weeks.

While not as dramatic in the first few weeks as some of the other diets, on the 5:2 you lose weight steadily instead of dropping a lot of water weight all at once, and the long term results are some of the best for any diet.

Mediterranean Diet

Inspired by the typical diets in Greece, Spain and Italy, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans, with fish and seafood much more commonly eaten than red meat. It also promotes the use of olive oil over richer fats and butters, which boosts levels of healthy cholesterol.

A 2011 survey of sixteen randomized controlled trials showed that subjects, aged between 25 and 74, weighed between 2.7 pounds and 14.4 pounds less when adhering to the Mediterranean diet compared to a control diet.

It also had a strong effect body composition; that is, the ratio of fat to muscle. In some cases people who only lost a little weight actually lost a lot of fat but gained muscle at the same time. So don't just pay attention to the numbers on the scale – also check your waist measurement and body fat percentage to see if you're losing weight fast enough.

Weight Watchers

It's been a part of our lives since the early sixties, and Weight Watchers shows no signs of slowing down. Founder Jean Nidetch originally invited friends to her New York home every week to talk about their weight loss and support each other, and that idea of community and encouragement still informs the way Weight Watchers works.

Participants track how many calories they eat and how many they burn every week, and attend weekly meetings where they discuss their progress and get advice from other members on how quickly they lost weight.

No food is off-limits provided you stay within the calorie intake, meaning you can have any treat in moderation. People who join often find themselves surprised by how many calories they were eating in seemingly healthy things – salad might be good for you but salad dressing is definitely not!

A randomized clinical trial led by Dr Craig A Johnston compared people on a Weight Watchers program with people who tried to lose weight on their own over a twelve week period. Weight Watchers participants lost on average 8.6 pounds - five times more than the control group, who lost only 1.8 pounds.

All of these diets work; the important thing is to choose the diet that suits you best, and that you're most likely to stick to. What they all have in common is a few simple principles to lose weight fast – eat fresh whole food, not packaged and heavily processed meals, have lots of protein and vegetables, and check the ingredients and calories to make sure you know exactly what you're eating.

Above all, you should eat something you enjoy, so you can love your food as well as your body.