The low carb diet plan, more commonly known as the Atkins Diet, has been popular with dieters since the 1970's. This diet offers rapid weight loss because starchy foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, peas and corn are not allowed.

Unfortunately, this weight loss plan has gotten a bad rap in recent years because it has made a number of people ill. This is mostly because people forget to use their heads when making food choices.

Here are the 3 most common pitfalls of the low carb diet plan and how you can avoid them.

1. Choose your protein wisely. Just because you are reducing your carbs, that doesn't give you free reign to overindulge in bacon, sausage, cheese and other high fat proteins. This is the single biggest mistake most people make.

The Fix: The best choices are skinless chicken breasts, seafood, and extra lean cuts of beef or pork. Bake, broil or grill for the lowest fat content. You might also include whey protein powder or low fat cottage cheese.

2. Eating too few carbohydrates for too many days in a row. This is the second biggest mistake made. Cutting carbs to less than 100g for days or weeks at a time results in fatigue, mood swings, mental fogginess and the dreaded weight loss plateau.

The Fix: For every 3 days of low carb eating, take 1 day to add a serving of healthy carbs to each meal. This helps your body refuel and will help keep you from hitting a weight loss plateau. Remember, this is a low carb diet plan, not a no carb diet.

3. Not eating the right type of fat. Closely related to the #1 pitfall of eating too many fatty meats is not eating enough of the right kind of fat. The right kind of fat with help you lose weight faster.

The Fix: Cook with olive oil or coconut oil and supplement with fish or flax oil. I recommend fish oil because the body doesn't have to convert it to a usable form. These are much healthier alternative.

A low carb diet plan can be a very effective tool for weight loss, but only if it's done right.

By: Ariel Knight
If you're serious about losing weight through diet and exercise and the low carb diet plan doesn't seem to be right for you, I suggest you check out the 10 top diet plans available.

Being permanently successful at the weight loss game involves eating right and exercising regularly with a plan that fits your lifestyle. Read outlines and opinions about the 10 top diet plans. Make an informed decision when you pick your perfect diet plan. Reach your goal weight this year!

If you go on a fad diet and it helps you lose weight fast and get results, what's wrong with that?

I'm sure you've seen many ads on the internet and in magazines promising you huge weight loss in only a few days time.

Is this type of weight loss really possible? Yes - but ... in almost every case the weight loss from a fad diet is temporary and usually due to loss of water weight. Our bodies are made up of a large percentage of water so as soon as your body rehydrates itself you'll put that quick weight loss right back on.

What are some of the reasons a fad diet is bad for you?

#1 A fad diet usually tells you to focus on a single food type and avoid all others. This means you miss out on the nutrition you really need and can get from a more balanced diet approach. Quite often these fad diets will even tell you to take vitamins and supplements to make up for all the nutritional deficiencies you experience while on that fad diet. However, your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients from the recommended supplements unless you take them with food. And many of the foods that help you absorb nutrients are banned on fad diets.

#2 Fad diets are usually so restrictive and unappetizing that, after as little as one day, you'll begin having overwhelming cravings for other foods and most likely you'll give up. This can also wreak havoc on your self esteem if you beat yourself up for not having enough willpower to stick it out with the diet.

#3 Fad diets are temporary solutions to your weight problems. Even if you do follow through to the end with a fad diet you have not made permanent, healthy changes to the way you handle food in your life. So fad dieters tend to be yo-yo dieters that go back and forth between extreme low-calorie fad diets to periods of bingeing on food groups that were missing from the fad diet. So fad dieters will inevitably end up on a roller coaster of gaining and losing the same pounds, over and over.

No matter what you see in the media about quick weight loss fad diets, realize that these diets will never work long term.

The best way to lose weight and sustain that weight loss (so you never have to diet again) is to eat a variety of healthy foods, avoid overeating, and do regular exercise. This simple formula works every time.

By: Keira Adams
Keira Adams is publisher of The Internet Spa at http://www.internet-spa.com.
Get the information you need to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit.

Somewhere in the backs of theirs minds most people know that fiber is beneficial. If you were to press the issue, they really wouldn't know why. Probably the most common benefit associated with fiber is that it allows us to be regular. However, eating a diet rich in fiber has other benefits as well. Eating a diet rich in these will satisfy you faster and longer. The consequence of this is that you will eat less and eat less often. Equally important, eating this diet regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. Complex carbohydrates that have a high fiber content burns both more evenly and slowly. This is what you require to feel your best. Also, it acts as a natural hunger suppressant. It also helps to regulate your moods.

It is funny that people are constantly thinking about their next meal, but don't really consider their daily diet. When it comes right down to it, this is why so many people are either unhealthy, overweight, or both. One of the key aspects of our daily diet is to include foods high in fiber. This diet promotes better health. This is especially true with the digestive system.

Medicine probably does not consider this, but the origin of most, if not all disease, originates with digestive problems. In the early and middle parts of the twentieth century, cleansing diets centered around high fiber foods were all the rage. The reason for this is quite simple. Those early practitioners of health and nutrition saw the corollary between it, cleansing the intestines and improved health.

High fiber diets are essential for a healthy digestive tract. Fiber keeps the digestive system working regularly. It is imperative for the continued elimination of waste effectively. Fiber also collects water as it passes through the digestive tract. This water aids in the consistency of the stools. This type of diet helps with the peristalses of the colon. This is the system responsible for eliminating waste from the body. In other words, this diets work to keep things running smoothly.

Constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating are not uncommon conditions. Others experience even harsher problems. Digestive disorders can easily deteriorate into diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome or even colon cancer. High fiber diets can both prevent these problems or even eliminate them when they exist. These problems are serious and cause discomfort and pain. Including high fiber foods, especially grains, into our diet is easy to accomplish and certainly worth the effort.

These foods are essential to improving your and health and helpful in losing weight. Foods in this are easily available. It is important to include them into your daily diet to improve you health, increase your strength and to lose weight.

By: Kathryn Soloff
Kathryn Soloff is the mother of 8 children and a natural foods cook for over 30 years. She is co-publisher of http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/h ... eight_loss where she provides additional advice, tips and hard to find information on Weight Loss