The A-Z of dieting: From the regimes that can work wonders to those than could have serious health implications
If you are trying to lose weight, it can be hard to know which diet plan is right for you.
It's always important to consult a medical professional and do your research before radically changing what you eat.
From bonkers fads to health plans celebrities swear by, the amount of advice can be overwhelming.
Here's our handy A-Z guide to dieting that could help you on your weight loss journey...
Alkaline
The alkaline diet involves cutting back on foods which produce acid when digested.
On the banned list are all meat products, wheat and other grains, refined sugar, dairy, eggs, caffeine, alcohol and processed foods.
These are replaced by alkaline foods, which largely involves eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Soy beans, tofu, nuts, seeds and legumes such as lentils are generally allowed. Strict alkaline dieters would stick to vegan meals.
Baby Food
This fad is believed to have been started by health trainer to the stars, Tracy Anderson, although she has since distanced herself from the trend.
Many believe that the diet is simply a gimmick to help cut calories and control portions.
It involves swapping balanced meals out of your day for jars of baby food, and is not recommended by professionals.
Cambridge
The Cambridge diet was developed by Dr Alan Howard at Cambridge University in the 1970s, and was launched as a commercial product in the US in 1980 followed by the UK in 1984.
It involves followers buying a range of meal-replacement products which are said to promote rapid weight loss.
Users can choose from six flexible diet plans ranging from 415 calories to 1,500 calories or more a day, depending on your weight loss goal.
Dukan
It began in France to re-educate people about how to eat healthily, and now has an army of A-list fans, including Kate Middleton and Jennifer Lopez.
The Dukan diet fad is a high-protein, low-carb eating plan that claims to help dieters lose up to 10lbs within a week.
Participants of the restrictive diet follow four phases: attack, cruising, consolidation and stabilisation, with dieters eating just protein and vegetables and avoiding high-carb foods.
80-10-10
This new trend works on the basis that 80 per cent of your calories should come from carbs, 10 per cent from protein and 10 per cent from fats.
The 80-10-10 diet is a low-fat raw vegan diet.
The food in the diet should be eaten raw as the diet follows the belief that cooking can damage the nutrients in food and releases toxins that can cause disease.
Unlike many diets it has no time limit and is sold as a long-term solution to increase longevity and help you shed the pounds.
5:2
The 5:2 diet is based on the idea of intermittent fasting, and still scoffing sweet treats like cake when you fancy.
Dieters eat normally for five days of the week, and severely restrict their calories for the other two.
The part-time aspect appeals to many people, because there is no restriction on what you eat for five days of the week.
Gluten-Free
Many people decide to ditch gluten on their quest to look less bloated.
But the trendy diets loved by Gwyneth Paltrow and Russell Crowe may increase the risk of heart disease, a study suggests.
Researchers warned people with no medical need to avoid gluten not to adopt the potentially harmful fad.
Hamptons
The Hamptons diet is popular with New Yorkers and encourages participants to undertake a low-carb regimen.
Not only are diets encouraged to stick to a Mediterranean diet, indulging in monounsaturated fats including olive oil, avocados and macadamia nut oil.
Italian
Vegetables and protein are the main components that make up the Italian diet.
And there's plenty of research to suggest that eating like you're from the Med is the key to a long life.
In Italy, one in 10 people living in Acciaroli live until they're 100-years-old.
Juice
Juice diets focus on people consuming liquid mixes of fruit and vegetables with the aim of promoting healthy, radiant skin, weight loss and clarity of mind.
The cleansing process involves the person taking in only fruit and vegetable juices for nutrition, while abstaining from other food consumption.
The detox diets can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
Many nutritionists do not recommend the diet thanks to the high sugar content found in fruit-based juices.
Kimkins
The Kimkins diet scandal is proof why you should always do your research before making changes to your health.
Those who followed this controversial plan were prevented from consuming more than 20 grams of carbs per day.
As the regime is very low in calories, essential fatty acids and other nutrients, it is not advised by medical professionals.
LighterLife
The idea of the LighterLife diet is to slash your daily calorie intake and kickstart weight loss.
It's a meal replacement concept, with dieters eating 28 LighterLife food packs per week - equating to four per day.
Despite depriving yourself in terms of calorie intake, those behind the plan claim dieters will get 100 per cent of their recommended vitamins and minerals from the food packs.
Even though the deprivation technique is controversial with some medical professionals, it certainly works - and can be effective for those who are dangerously overweight.
Medifast
Another popular meal replacement plan is Medifast.
It helps dieters consume nutrients they need without taking in too many calories.
New Atkins
The famous New Atkins diet works by turning your body into a fat-burning machine.
It limits carbohydrates (sugar) intake, meaning that the body burns fat for fuel instead.
The theory is that the diet allows for steady fueling, which means that the body can run off constant energy supplies during the day.
This results in less hunger and cravings during the weight loss period.
With its diet of red meat, butter, cream, cheese and mayonnaise, it’s one of the weight loss plans that appeals most to men.
Omega 3 rich
Instead of restricting their diets, some slimmers try to boost the amount of omega-3 oils they put in their bodies.
These can be found in certain nuts, seeds, and pastured animal foods like grass-fed beef and also in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.
The oils are believed to boost weight loss potential, as well as having other enticing health benefits.
Paleo
People on the Paleo Diet only eat foods which could have been hunted, fished or gathered in caveman days.
The diet goes back before the invention of farming, meaning that grains such as wheat, dairy, alcohol, coffee, refined sugar, potatoes and salt are all off the menu.
All processed foods are also banned, while Paleo meals tends to be low-carbohydrate and high-protein.
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Rosemary Conley
The Rosemary Conley diet encourages dieters to eat food with five per cent or less fat, not including fish, porridge oats and lean meat.
Her web-based club offers a range of videos covering everything from workout clips for all fitness levels, cooking demonstrations and psychological and medical advice.
There is advice about calorie counting and regulated portion sizes.
The diet is designed to help you lose a stone in seven weeks and encourages lifestyle changes.
South Beach
The South Beach diet is a low-GI diet, which was originally developed for heart patients in the United States.
You don't calorie count or limit your portions on the plan, and dieters are encouraged to eat three meals and two snacks-a-day.
The emphasis is on eating high-fibre foods with lots of lean protein, while avoiding unsaturated fats and starchy carbs.
The first stage of the diet is designed for rapid weight loss, promising a shed of up to 13lb in the first two weeks.
Thin For Life
Medical journalist Anne M. Fletcher is the brains behind the Thin For Life diet.
The regimen hopes to inspire a long-term solution for slimmers and encourages participants to get fit and think positive.
Fletcher encourages swapping your favourite high calorie foods for healthier alternatives to help shift some pounds.
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers works on a Smart Points system, where foods are rated on their protein, carbs, fat and fibre content.
It's essentially calorie counting made easy, and there's absolutely no limit on the amount of fruit and vegetables you can eat.
Dieters even get a weekly Smart Points safety net, meaning you can treat yourself on a night out, as well as a personalised exercise plan.
Weekly meetings and weigh-ins keep people on track.
Overall, the plan is less extreme than many other diets - but the results are still promising, with dieters able to lose up to 2lb a week.
Zone
The Zone diet is a low carb fad that encourages eating low calorie meals five times a day.
In theory, this creates the feeling of fullness while encourages overeating.
Just like other plans that restrict carbohydrate intake, there's a lack of scientific evidence that back up weight loss.
