Lose Weight Now: Popular, Man-Friendly Diets

atkins diet how to lose weightAtkins Diet
The Gist: This low-carb, high-protein form of eating restricts all carbs for the first few weeks, emphasizing meat and fat consumption, then allows you to slowly work “good carbs” back into your diet until your weight loss hits a plateau.

Pros: Most people who try this diet report a weight loss of at least 10 pounds within the first few weeks. Body weight and fat tend to go down along with triglycerides and “bad cholesterol” while “good cholesterol” stays up. Plus it’s “manly” — you can eat steak and eggs (within reason), and the name sounds a lot better than eating seaweed or whatever.

Cons: Again, “deprivation is never easy to stick to and most people can’t do it for the long haul,” says Avanti. The Atkins diet requires deprivation for at least a few weeks. And as soon as you start working those carbs back in, the weight could start coming back. Plus, it’s amazing how many foods contain carbs, from the obvious breads and cereals to the not-so-obvious fruit, mussels, carrots, cheese and deli meat. Also, if you’re not into counting sugars and carbs, this method’s probably not for you.

Next: Weight Watchers