Types of Diets

With so many different types of weight-loss diets available, it's easy to forget that weight loss is not the only possible diet goal. Some people use diets to gain weight, and others must follow a particular diet to help alleviate the effects of chronic disease. Still others follow specialty diets, ;limiting the types of food they eat for other health or moral reasons. Seek medical advice before embarking on any type of diet, because your doctor can tell you what kind of diet is best for your needs.

Weight-Loss Diets

The goal of weight-loss diets is fat loss. This is achieved by creating a calorie deficit or consuming fewer calories than you burn. Many people simply cut calories, others cut fat intake. Some dieters reduce carbohydrates in favor of increased protein. Each technique has its merits, but the bottom line is that there must be a calorie deficit for the weight to come off. No matter how few carbohydrates and how little fat you eat, if you're eating extra calories, you will not lose weight.

Weight-Gain Diet

Weight-gain diets are designed to help underweight individuals gain weight. It is much more complicated than just eating pizza and ice cream; the intent is to gain healthy weight, not just fat, so exercise often plays an important role. Calorie-dense foods like nuts, peanut butter and cheese are emphasized, and the dieters are taught how to add extra calories to everyday foods. Weight-gain diets are just as focused on whole grains and lean protein as weight-loss diets are. The only difference is that the goal is a calorie surplus. Any calories consumed that are not burned off will result in weight gain, which is the goal.

Medical Diets

People with chronic diseases are often given strict dietary guidelines to follow that may help slow the progression of the disease and help reduce its effects on the body. The recommendations vary along with the disease and the parts of the body affected. Patients with heart disease are encouraged to avoid cholesterol and sodium, and diabetics are supposed to avoid sugar. People with chronic kidney disease are instructed to follow a low-protein diet that restricts salt and electrolytes to avoid stressing the kidneys. The one thing they all have in common is an emphasis on healthy foods and weight control.

Fad Diets

A fad diet is any diet that promises dramatic results in a short period of time, no matter what your goal. These diets often promote unhealthy practices like severe food restriction and drastic calorie-cutting that can lead to nutritional deficiencies and other health problems. You may lose weight, but the diet will be so restrictive and difficult to stick to that you'll eventually begin eating normally again and the weight will come back. The best way to lose weight to is to make gradual, healthful changes that will last a lifetime.

Specialty Diets

People follow specialty diets for various reasons, sometimes moral, sometimes health-related. These diets vary drastically from very healthy to very unhealthy, and some are doctor-recommended while others are not. Vegetarianism, for example, eliminates most--and sometimes all--animal products from the diet. If done correctly, vegetarianism applauded by doctors as a heart-healthy move that can also keep your weight in check. On the other end of the spectrum is the Starvation Diet, whose adherents believe that cutting your daily caloric intake to half of what your body requires will make you live longer. In between falls the Raw Food Diet, whose proponents believe that cooking destroys the nutrients in food and eat everything uncooked. Talk to your doctor about any interest you might have in a specialty diet. She will be able to assess the program's ability to suit your needs.