A typical weight loss fad diet is often promoted by any or all of the above and others even add to the programs with their own self-made supplements and food ala’ Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss and more.

What you need to watch out for is that some of these weight loss fad diets don’t have even the faintest medical or scientific backing.

Read on for some tips on weight loss fad diets.

Unhealthy?

Many experts that have tested and reviewed weight loss fad diet varieties often report that these diets can be unhealthy. Since they are termed -fad-, chances are, they are only good for a certain period of time and the limitations can lead people to binge eat when they’ve had enough.

Also if a person jumps from one weight loss fad diet to another it can be unhealthy the body as you may face nutrition deficiencies and general stress from the yo-yo dieting.

The Categories

There are 3 categories where a weight loss fad diet can be identified. These categories determine what kind of dieting is being promoted:

1. Certain foods are omitted from your diet
2. There is an emphasis on eating one very specific area of food
3. The benefits of certain foods and food groups are purported and exaggerated for curing particular diseases

Extreme diets

A weight loss fad diet can be dangerous to your health and overall can prove to be a highly ineffective means of losing weight especially long term.

Fad diets can leave you feeling lethargic, with vitamin/mineral deficiencies and going mad with cravings!

Claims

A huge number of weight loss fad diets cannot be supported by scientific studies or research. In other words, these diets claim to have fantastic results and scientific proof but they never follow the standard methods for proving their effectiveness and validity.

Some people from scientific and medical communities often remark that fad diets are a result of the lack of knowledge on dietary and nutritional facts paired with the desperation of wanting to lose weight.

According to them, there is a lack of evidence on weight loss due to calorie restriction. Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence supporting the claims that fad diets can help achieve and maintain sustainable weight loss. Also, they point out that these diets ignore the necessary associations between human health and dietary and nutritional patterns.

Examples of fad diets

There are thousands around but here’s a list of some of the most notorious:

* The Cabbage Soup Diet
* The Hollywood Diet
* Atkins Diet
* LA Weight Loss
* Cybergenics
* Master Cleanse

And the list goes on . . .

For a ANTI fad diet check out Red Carpet Ready by celebrity trainer Valerie Waters. Click the link for more info!

This beautiful star rose to fame whilst still in high school on MTV’s reality show Laguna Beach: The Real OC. A spin off series The Hills has been a HUGE hit and is about to air it’s fourth season. The Hills features Lauren and pals Whitney, Audrina, Lo and of course arch enemy Heidi as they go through their well unconventional lives in LA!

Lauren has never been large but decided to get her butt into gear last year and tone up for summer. Working with her trainer the star shed 6 pounds and has never looked better.

Read on to find out how Lauren Conrad lost the weight and got THAT body!

Lauren, like many of us 20-ish girls was always active when she was younger but had got out of the habit as her life got busier and busier.

Just because she’s a star on a hit reality show doesn’t mean Lauren is free of body worries. She says, ‘Like most girls, I-ve always been self-conscious of my body. When you are constantly being photographed, all your flaws get pointed out. I wanted to get in better shape so I could feel more confident’

So that’s exactly what Lauren did!

Lauren Conrad’s Diet

Lauren’s cute trainer Jarett Del Bene (who also features on The Hills) had the star commit to a 1500 calorie a day diet. Lauren had to fight her love of pasta and instead stock up on lean fish, beans and veggies.

Lauren says, ‘I have a hard time eating healthy when we travel a lot. My friends all make fun of me because when we all get back to my apartment at night, everyone wants to order pizza and I make them eat bean bowls.’

Here’s what Lauren’s eating plan looks like:

Breakfast:

1. Latte with skim milk + Wholegrain waffle with 2 teaspoons peanut butter

2. Latte with skim milk + Oatmeal with skim milk

Lunch:

1. Cobb salad (turkey bacon, egg whites, veggies, avocado and balsamic dressing)

2. Grilled Chicken salad

3. Tuna with light Feta on green salad

Dinner:

1. 4 to 6 oz Fish Fillet with salad or roast veges

2. 4 to 6 oz Chicken Breast with salad or roast veges

Snacks:

1. 1/2 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese + 10 Almonds

2. Low Fat Yoghurt + 7 Walnuts

Lauren eats around 5 to 6 small meals a day and drinks loads of water too. To counter-act her taco and pizza cravings Lauren makes a taco salad without the tortilla and instead of making sandwiches she replaces the bread with lettuce leaves.

Lauren also has one day a week where she can eat what she likes saying, ‘It-s important to cheat once a week.’ And while she might miss the pasta the star says, ‘When I work out regularly and eat healthy, I feel better.’

Lauren Conrad’s Workout

As I said earlier Lauren works out with trainer Jarett and he devised a great program for her that burned fat and toned her already slim body.

Surprisingly Lauren only works with Jarett TWICE a week and the workout involves lunges, squats, push ups, pull ups, free weight work, hitting the treadmill and some kick boxing routines.

Lauren says, ‘Jarett has me do a lot of reps with smaller weights because he-s not trying to build muscle so much as get my body toned.’

In an interview Jarett added, ‘Lauren really wanted to tone her arms and legs - she was happy with what she had, but she wanted to take it to the next level.’

Other than hitting the gym Lauren enjoys frequent 45 minute hikes at Runyon Canyon. The star says, ‘I love waking up early and
going on an hour hike. It-s the perfect start to my day.’

Lauren can also be seen jogging with pal Lo and puppy Chloe around their Hollywood Hills house.

Lauren’s loving the results of her new exercise regime saying, ‘The first place I lost weight was my little belly-

The singer, song writer, actress and producer has been in the limelight since 1982 when she was signed by Sire Records and released her debut album Madonna. From there it snowballed and now she has sold over 200 million records and starred in more than 20 films.

The mum of three is still touring and recently recorded a hit single with none other than Justin Timberlake and is showing no signs of slowing - or gaining weight for that is!

Read on to get the scoop on Madonna’s diet and how she maintains her trademark physique.

Madonna’s Diet

Madonna’s diet is just the first indication of her steel-hard discipline and commitment to looking her best. Madonna follows the Macrobiotic diet and has done for many years now.

The Macrobiotic Diet is what I consider a HARD CORE diet. The diet is high fiber, low fat and is rich in whole grains, veges, soy and of course no dairy, no junk and little to no meat.

Here’s what makes up Madonna’s diet (Macrobiotic style):

* Grains including brown rice, barley, rye etc
* Soy/Vege based soups like Miso
* Steamed and raw vegetables
* Beans and bean based products like tofu
* Small amounts of fish or seafood
* Soy products (no dairy allowed)
* Lots of chewing - 50 times per mouthful
* Natural sweeteners like maple syrup

Madonna eats organic foods like the ones mentioned above and has a strict no junk food diet. Although the starlet admits that she does enjoy the VERY occasional ale after the influence of her English hubby got the better of her.

In terms of restaurant foods Madonna tends to avoid it saying, ‘I don’t really eat food in restaurants -” you can never be sure what’s in it, can you?’

Madonna is the epitome of a healthy eater but even if you can’t stick to her strict principles around the clock even adding a few of these principles into your own lifestyle would do a world of good.

Madonna’s Exercise Regime

Madonna is an exercise fiend to say the least and the mega star is renowned for her muscular physique that defies her years!

While reports vary about her EXACT routine its understood the star practices Ashtanga Yoga 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. Madonna is also said to be a regular at a local Pilates studio where she is often joined by fellow celebs and gal pals Gwyneth Paltrow and Stella McCartney.

Cardio also has a firm place in Madonna’s life with StairMaster, cycling, weight training, karate and swimming said to be on her main list of activities. There was even a claim that the star maintained her 45 minute a day StairMaster routine until the DAY before giving birth to daughter Lourdes!

So there you have it - Madonna’s Diet and Exercise Regime! Impressive huh! I suppose dancing in a leotard in front of millions is motivation you can’t deny!

To give her credit Paris Hilton has built an empire from her Hilton platform with perfume lines, movie roles, a TV series and of course an album. The star is showing no signs of slowing down with big plans for her future.

The infamous starlet has a model worthy figure and yet doesn’t strike anyone as the exercise and diet type so we’ve looked into Paris Hilton’s weight and how she stays so thin.

Read on for the scoop

Paris Hilton revealed her weight loss secrets in her book "Confessions of an Heiress" which was released to the public in 2004. Her diet advice was somewhat unconventional by any standards but she did have some good advice when it came to eating in moderation.

The star revealed that she LOVES her junk food. McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Coca Cola and chocolate make her favourite foods list and in fact she basically endorses them in the book - this we do NOT agree with. Consuming these types of foods can lead to all sorts of health and weight problems.

But wait . . .

Paris goes on to recommend sushi and homemade meals as part of a healthy lifestyle. Saying she stocks up on vegies and fish with the sushi and avoids the naughties with homemade meals.

The heiress also tells her readers to steer clear of diet sods and other artificial sweeteners (the kinds you find in any sugar free goods) and that if you REALLY are craving a soda have a real one instead. Again NOT drinking these is your best option but try and avoid the "diet" foods that seem to good to be true - most of them are.

With regards to her weight Paris Hilton says, "I try to be sensible, but I really think each individual should do what suits them. I believe that life is too short to be worrying about diets."

Too right! Paris says in her book that moderation is the name of the game and that eating well should not be about deprivation. We really stress this with our readers here at UWLS it’s better you have a 80/20 lifestyle (80% healthy, 20% treats) than eating healthy for a week and binging for two!

In terms of an exercise routine well there isn’t one. Paris instead chooses to enjoy her busy lifestyle and the activity that comes with it. She says, ‘Enjoy life, eat carbs at night if you want. You can always dance the calories off. I-m always on the go and that burns plenty of calories. I-m really lucky that I have a naturally good figure.’

Julia Roberts is the one of the biggest superstars in Hollywood and yet has managed to maintain her reputation as the all American sweetheart her fans know and love.

The Oscar winning actress has had a string of high profile boyfriends including Kiefer Sutherland, Lyle Lovett, Benjamin Bratt before meeting and marrying cameraman husband Danny Moder.

Nowadays Julia prefers nights at home but still reigns as one of the leading actresses in Hollywood and appeared in the blockbuster film Charlie Wilson’s War that was released in 2007. Julia is also a regular feature on the Most Beautiful People, Highest Paid Actresses and the Most Influential Women lists - impressive huh!

The mum of three has a fantastic figure and even at 40 turns head like she always did. Read on to find out how Julia Robert’s achieves and most importantly maintains her weight

You’ll all know Julia from her worldwide breakthrough film Pretty Woman and consequent hits Notting Hill, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride and Erin Brockovich (and heaps more). In each of her films she’s managed to maintain a slim but natural looking appearance that leads many Mums to think HOW does she do it - so lets take a look!

Firstly Julia is the first to admit that her genes work well for her (that is her GENETICS not some miracle pair of Levis).

The 5 foot 9" actress says, ‘I have been working out, but listen, it is 97 percent genetics. Don’t let anybody tell you any crap about anything else, because that’s what it is: 97 percent genetics and 3 percent just get your ass moving. Because I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like"

I love that honesty

Other than that Julia gets her "a** moving" with pilates, yoga and light weight training. In the past Julia has also worked with trainer to the stars Kathy Kaelher - nothing like a trainer to get you into shape.

Diet-wise Julia does watch what she eats but isn’t into crazy fad diets. The actress eats stacks of organic vegetables (that she grows at her super eco-conscious home in California) and fills up on healthy salads, snacks and grilled fish.

However the star admits she’s a big meat eater and loves a good steak. The actress says, ‘Danny makes the best steaks. I’m a total meat eater and I don’t know how people do all these fabulous diets - I can’t do that.’

Julia’s favorite foods include curries, biscuits and her favourite drink is reportedly a "Scorpino" which is a mix of vodka, cream, liqueur and Italian rice.

So there you have it - nothing miraculous just the usual healthy foods and exercise! Good on you Julia, looking GREAT

Sienna has caused a stir with her smoking habit, her weight, her relationship and consequent break up with fellow star Jude Law and most recently her steamy fling with married (but now separated) oil heir Balthazar Getty.

Regardless of the press, Sienna is pretty darn hot so read on to find out how she gets her weight and that body.

The stories of Sienna’s weight and diet vary from source to source but I’ve put together what I’ve found for YOU

Sienna Miller’s Diet

Sienna isn’t one of the strict, exercise addicted celebs in fact the starlet says, ‘I don-t really exercise and I eat all the burgers I want. I-d rather be lumpy and heavy than skinny and miserable.’

The seemingly down to earth star also admits she’s by no means perfect. She says, ‘Let-s face it. My so-called fabulous shape is the result of very clever airbrushing. I have small boobs and cellulite!’

Sienna Miller has had to gain and lose weight for her movie roles. Her most recent weight loss was for her role as Edie Sedgwick in the film Factory Girl.

Sienna didn’t go nuts with crazy exercise routines or extreme diets - or so she says anyway! Sienna said, ‘The director wanted me to lose weight, but I can’t work that hard and not eat all the food that I normally eat -” and I’m a real pig!’

Instead Sienna looked to alternatives she could find for her big loves in life including wine. Sienna knew that she couldn’t keep up her wine habits so looked for a lower calorie alternative and she found vodka. Instead of her usual wine glass she enjoyed a shot of vodka at meal times.

Obviously this is by no means the best way to lose weight (or live in general) but we’re just reporting the background behind Sienna’s weight.

Sienna Miller’s Exercise

Although Sienna admits she’s a bit lazy when it comes to exercise she does manage to incorporate exercise into her everyday life by walking her dogs and generally being "a high strung person and running around a lot."

Other reports say that Sienna participates in rope yoga which is fantastic for the tummy, thighs and hips. Rope yoga is great for toning and does more than just stretch the body like other yoga styles.

Sienna is reportedly beginning a hard core training program for a new role in the upcoming G.I Joe movie. She needs to bulk up and build some serious muscle for the role and has had to work hard for it.

The teeny actress has reportedly already gained 2.5kgs and is training with a former MI6 agent (sounds very James Bond!) Her training program involves weight training and intensive boxing workouts. but has more to go so is training with boxing and weight training.

The program is said to focus on building core strength along with work on her legs, shoulders and arms to build her physique much like a real female soldier.

So there you have it…

Watch out for a lean but strong looking Sienna in the near future

Click the link for another celebrity weight loss secret you’ll definitely want to hear!

Herbal

Go for herbal! There are heaps of nutritional weight loss supplements that are pumped full of chemicals and you do NOT want that in your body. Using a herbal weight loss supplements means you can get all the weight loss benefits without any of the harsh side effects. Some popular herbal weight loss supplements are Hoodithin, Curvelle and Slimage. Read more

Firstly it can be weight loss accomplished through utilizing the combined effects of a healthy eating plan and a regular exercise regime, and the second the consumption of totally natural weight loss supplements.

The Importance of Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise

Even every product available today natural weight loss is still the most effective way to go. Why? It-s very obvious. Apart from being the most similar to your body’s natural process of eliminating weight it generally should not involve any adverse side effects. Obviously you should check everything out with your doctor but around the world healthy eating and regular exercise is the safest method used by people of all ages.

All Natural Weight Loss Supplements

However some people find it hard to achieve weight loss simply by pairing a healthy diet with more exercise and that my friends is where all natural weight loss supplements come into play. Natural weight loss supplements can help give you the extra push you need to raise the bar on your weight loss results. These supplements support your efforts by assisting to amplify the effects of healthy eating and regular exercise.

While natural weight loss supplements often claim to have all natural ingredients you should always take care when choosing a supplement. Pick a reputable brand, study the ingredients label and basically just go with your instincts. Apart from choosing a natural weight loss supplement that addresses your particular needs, ensure that you are buying only from licensed retailers and distributors in your area.

Is natural not working for you?

If you-re motivation is beginning to wane and you feel like you’ve done all you can to achieve natural weight loss it might be time to consult your doctor. While it may just be a simple matter of not using the right method to suit your body there may also be some underlying health issues to blame.

If you want to jump straight in and grab a natural weight loss supplement click the link below for more info.

In actual fact an occasional binge is not going to hurt you as much as you think. The biggest key to sustained weight loss is sustained motivation. There is nothing that kills motivation faster than a big binge session, but it should not have to.

Let-s look at Susan, who is 27 years old, and weighs 80kgs. With an office job and virtually no exercise, she would burn around 2000 calories a day. She then sticks to a diet of 1200 calories a day.

On this diet, each week she would burn around 5600 calories more than she is eating, meaning she would lose around 0.75kg a week or 3kg a month.

Now on top of Susan-s normal eating, lets say she has a terrible day every Sunday and binges on a packet of chips (245 Cal), Mars bar (275 Cal), McDonalds large Big Mac McValue meal (1160 Cal) and large bowl of ice cream (290 Cal). Remember, this is on top of what she would normally eat on a Sunday anyway, so a big binge.

All this eating on a Sunday (1970 Calories worth) would only change her weekly weight loss from 0.75kg to 0.5kg. So Susan is still losing 0.5kg a week, which is great!

So you can see that she really should not get too down on herself for a bad day, but rather try and put it behind her and get back to her healthy eating the next day.

By allowing yourself one -cheat day- a week you can help stay focused during the week and enjoy the benefits!

It should be stressed that this article is in no way advocating binge eating. There is no doubt that Susan-s binge eating is not the IDEAL situation but it is simply trying to illustrate a point that you should not lose motivation if you occasionally enjoy your other favourites.

If you absolutely have to have a certain food that you know is bad, keep it to one day a week and don-t beat yourself up about it. The most important thing is that you keep your mind focused on your end goal and maintain your motivation through to the end.

Brought to you by AlFitness

Everybody needs 6 to 8 glasses of water everyday as a MINIMUM but if you are a good girl or boy and choose to exercise you should drink even more - the general rule is about 1 litre per 1 hour of exercise.

Drinking water is the most simple way to fulfill your body’s liquid requirements. Other means include eating water based foods and drinks that contain water -” however remember water is the most natural, healthy fluid you can replenish your body with.

Read on to find out more

Drinking water is the purest way to quench your thirst, flush out your organs and get your digestive system pumping. Water is free of all the naughties - sugar, caffeine and most importantly the calories that other drinks such as Sprite, Coca Cola and even some Iced Teas.

Water is not only good for your health in general. Drinking water helps weight loss, too.

How Does Water Help Weight Loss?

It has been discovered that your brain cannot detect the difference between thirst and hunger. So if you’re feeling a bit peckish you might in fact just be thirsty. So before you run to the fridge, grab a glass of water and see how you feel.

Did you know the dehydration causes weight gain!? Yep it does. If you are not getting enough water you body retains water to protect itself. Water retention causes bloating which can add up to 4 even 5 pounds over time!

Water can maximizes fat loss. While it doesn’t necessarily burn fat it makes the whole process easier for your body.

Normally, your water intake puts your kidneys to work, as well as helping them work. So when you don-t take in sufficient water, your kidneys don-t function very well. Because your kidneys aren-t functioning very well, the job of processing your water intake is passed on to your liver.

But your liver also has other tasks to handle! Primarily, the liver is responsible for turning fat into energy -” in other words, burning fat. When it-s given the additional task of processing your water intake, it can-t concentrate in burning as much fat as it can.

When you drink enough water, your kidneys will function properly. When your kidneys function properly, they don-t need to pass processing your water intake to the liver. The liver then is free to concentrate on its fat-burning duties. You see! Drinking water helps weight loss!

Water Helps Activate Fiber: Fiber by itself, without the necessary water intake, doesn-t do much for your diet. In fact, by not taking in enough water, fiber will cause constipation by soaking up water already in your body. To make sure that you get the most out of your fiber, make sure that you take in enough water -” sometimes even more the amount of what is normally required for everyday intake.

Water Helps Flush Away Toxins and Fats: Because with enough water fiber gets to do its job properly, toxins and fats are absorbed during digestion before they get absorbed by your body. Apart from making sure that fiber sponges up toxins and fats in your body, water also works on its own to help you flush out toxins and fats.

Where you have a less build-up of toxins in your body, you will be healthier. A healthier body ultimately can work harder in processing and breaking down fats, thus helping you lose weight. Do you believe now that drinking water helps weight loss?

Can you drink too much water?

Drinking water helps weight loss but you should do it in moderation. It-s not so much as drinking too much water as drinking too fast that should be your concern. Your kidneys are efficient enough to process up to 5 gallons of water in a day. The key is to spread out your water intake throughout the day and not ingest a lot on fewer intervals.

So get your water bottles ready my dears its time to flush out those baddies and start losing weight. And don’t think its your body alone that will benefit - you’ll find changes in your skin, your eyes and even your concentration.

ENJOY!