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For anyone who has had a never ending battle with the bulge, weight loss diets are a godsend. Or a nightmare, depending on your perspective! Ask anyone who has ever been on a weight loss diet and you will get a mixed bag of reactions. While some will vouch for their specific weight loss diet, others will pooh pooh all weight loss diets and call them fanciful or useless. But the fact remains that if you intend to burn that fat, a weight loss diet is your best bet.

Such diets were actually introduced during the seventies, if one goes down memory lane. Though not very successful in those days, they have proved very successful in modern times–so much so, that these diets constitute a separate industry of their own! What was so special about the seventies for these diets to come into existence? Well, America had recovered from its depression days and the economy was thriving! The standard of living for most Americans went higher, and it could only go much higher from then onwards. The happy results were evident in protruding bellies! Image-conscious Americans were not happy with this development. Seeking a solution, they came up with weight loss diets. But these diets were charted out within the home premises, most of them only suggesting avoidance of particular foodstuffs. No thought was given to what type of food was to be actually consumed. Thus, these weight loss diets did not really amount to much in those times.

The seventies lacked expert dieticians who could give guidance regarding the type of foods to be consumed, what was to be avoided–in general, advice about balanced diets and healthy nutrition. It was left to the mistress of the house to keep an eye on her husband’s belly! She would constantly check his midriff for extra signs of growth and would take the proper steps to control them. Either weight-enhancing foods were slowly reduced in quantity, or totally done away with.

It was in the early eighties however that weight loss diets became a full-fledged institution. By now, the battle against the bulge had become a real enough health issue for governments and healthcare providers to sit up and take notice. The census and healthcare figures of this period reveal that nearly one out of every four Americans was clinically obese. And weigh loss diets and practitioners literally began crawling out of the woodwork to set shop. This was the time when numerous fads emerged. There were some weight loss diets that encouraged vegetarianism. Others like the Atkins weight loss diet promoted eating of meet, but disallowed starch and carbohydrates. Some other weight loss diets promoted fresh fruits and vegetables exclusively while still others eschewed everything that contributed to excess calories. This was an era when calorie counters emerged and weight loss diets became synonymous with body fat analysis and lean muscle weight.

Like most others, I have also found myself battling with a bulging belly! And just like other people, weight control diets have been a regular part of my life for quite some time. What I discovered from these experiences is that no matter how good the diet is, it all comes to nought without regular exercise. It is not advisable to starve oneself just to avoid weight gain. Along with weight, you also lose strength and vitality. An effective weight control diet along with proper and regular exercise will definitely bring drastic changes in your body, and leave behind a healthier you!