With plenty of popular fat loss programs to choose from, if you are looking to shed some excess fat around your belly or just need to get into a smaller dress size, there is a fat loss program or diet that can give you the results you are looking for. Most fat loss programs if adhered to faithfully will be effective, at least for the short term.

Two of the more famous fat loss programs followed by a large number of people around the world are the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. These two diets are fairly similar in that they both limit starchy or sugary foods. Most fruits and grains and alcohol are not permitted during the first phase of the diet. This is to train your body to stop craving high sugar carbs.

The South Beach fat loss program requires a two week induction stage where you learn to eliminate unhealthy foods and stick with healthier choices. Some people feel this diet’s weakness is that most of the early weight loss is due to water weight and therefore not a true fat loss. However, hunger pangs are fewer than with many other diets, as regular snacking is encouraged during this stage and permits many people to achieve greater weight loss than might otherwise be possible.

The Atkins Diet is more controversial in that almost all carbohydrates are forbidden. The idea is to force the body into becoming a fat burning machine. This popular fat loss program has its share of fans and critics. There are several phases to the Atkins Diet. The first and most restrictive phase of this fat loss program is spread over two weeks. This is the phase in which you will have to restrict what you eat to a great extent. Tiny amounts of carbs are allowed, but the bulk of your food intake is protein and interestingly, fat.

Some people find that the South Beach Diet is more reasonable to adhere to as some low-sugar carbohydrates and minimal fat is allowed back into the diet once the person achieve the goal weight and can enter into the maintenance phase of the fat loss program. Critics of the Atkins diet find that the severe limitations placed carbs along with the higher fat and protein requirements make this diet questionable when it comes to long-term health considerations.

There are popular fat loss programs which entail a cleansing component. These are also controversial in that most advocate fasting for a few days and slowly reintroducing solids back into the diet. One such program is the so-called lemon juice cleanse. With this diet, the individual drinks a mixture of fresh lemon juice, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper several times a day for between three to ten days.

Certainly there are all kinds of popular fat loss programs out there that can deliver results. However, the question is whether they are the best choice to make when it comes to your long-term health. Maintaining a healthy balanced diet that offers proper nutrition and keeping an active lifestyle seems to be a much better alternative. As always, if in doubt, you are better off discussing any weight loss program with your doctor before jumping in.

How do celebrities lose weight is a big question that shoppers voice every time they see a magazine cover at the checkout. I am not sure if they stick to 500 calorie diets but if they do then they are stronger willed than I am.