Top Rated Diet Reviews

Bistro MD 

Bistro MD is a diet delivery system that delivers throughout the United States. It was developed by Dr. Caroline Cederquist, a board certified physician in the field of weight management with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Cederquist grew up in a family that was largely overweight. While growing up, she made the decision to change her genetic disposition by leading a healthy lifestyle. After extensive work helping patients lose weight as a bariatric expert, Dr. Cederquist built the foundation to create a program that offered the right balance of nutrients to help sustain healthy, balanced weight loss. Dr. Cederquist’s goal was to create a program that was more than simply shedding pounds on a scale. She wanted the focus of the program to be on improving your overall health, and built the program based on real science with the idea that food is medicine.One difference between BistroMD and some of the other diet delivery programs is that it does not promise fast, extreme weight loss nor does it excessively limit daily caloric intake. BistroMD was created alongside a team of Registered Dietitians to ensure all foods meet nutritional requirements. Each meal is created to help provide long term weight loss and contains a balance of lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Each of the programs featured by BistroMD offers 1,100 to 1,400 calories per day with a caloric breakdown of 40-50% lean protein, 20-25% healthy fats and 30-35% complex carbohydrates. 

Medifast 

One of the more popular diet plans on the market is Medifast. Medifast is so widely popular because it was developed by a physician to help patients lose weight prior to having surgery. Dr. William Vitale from John Hopkins University developed Medifast because of the serious risks that excessive weight can pose when patients undergo a variety of surgeries. After several patients were successful with the program and lost the weight necessary to undergo surgery, Medifast gained popularity with the general public and the plan became available to all of Dr. Vitale’s patients. Not long after Medifast became popular with Dr. Vitale’s general practice patients, other physicians around the globe implemented Medifast into their own practices. Since Medifast was first created by Dr. Vitale, it has undergone some changes, but the majority of the plan still remains the same today. One of the factors that helped Medifast continue to grow in popularity is that it has repeatedly been proven to be a safe and effective weight loss method for most individuals. While it does reduce caloric intake below the recommended 1,200 calorie daily limit, it does so in the healthiest way possible and with the approval of most physicians. The Medifast plan also teaches individuals how to eat a balanced diet after finishing the initial weight loss phase of the plan and helps keeping caloric intake at an optimal rate to keep unwanted pounds at bay. 

Dukan Diet 

Although the Dukan Diet is relatively new in the United States, it has been religiously followed by much of the population overseas for over 12 years. The French-based diet claims to have helped millions lose weight quickly and effectively. Many of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities attribute their weight loss success to the Dukan Diet as well. In some ways, the Dukan Diet is to the United Kingdom what the Atkins Diet is to the United States. Both diets are similar in that they were created by physicians and they emphasize a high protein, low carbohydrate diet, but the similarities end there. 

Created as a treatment option for obesity by famed physician Dr. Pierre Dukan, the Dukan Diet promises to help you lose weight without counting calories, measuring proportions or logging countless hours of exercise each day. It focuses on a high protein, low carbohydrate meal plan with minimal fat intake unless it is derived from fish or eggs. The diet features four phases that can last anywhere from one day to several months, depending on how much weight you want to lose and how fast you want to lose it. The main difference between the Dukan Diet and most other fad diets is that, when you have reached your goal weight, you can eat anything you want six days a week, as long as you stick to the plan one day each week. 

Dr. Pierre Dukan is a renowned clinical nutrition expert with over 40 years experience in the field. Although he specialized in neurology initially, Dr. Dukan soon became intrigued by the weight epidemic sweeping the globe. After working with thousands of obese patients in his private practice, he decided to devote his life to helping people shed unwanted weight and maintain their weight loss for a lifetime. Thus, the Dukan Diet was born . 

South Beach Diet 

The South Beach diet plan was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston with the help of Marie Almon, a dietician and nutritionist. As a cardiologist, Dr. Agatston had a long list of cardiac patients needing to shed weight and lower their cholesterol. He often suggested they eat a low fat diet but, after time, he realized that most of his patients were unable to stick with the plan. Dr. Agatston consulted with several other physicians and deemed that dieters had a difficult time following low fat diets because of the insulin spikes that low fat diets caused. When regular foods were substituted with low fat varieties, the calorie count did not change. The only difference was that the fat was being substituted by added sugar in order to replace texture and taste. The excess sugar in the low fat version of the food then caused a spike in blood sugar, leading to hunger pangs and the body craving more and more sugar. This cycle continued and eventually created an insulin resistance that led to weight gain, increased body fat and consumption of more calories than prior to starting the low fat diet. 

When Dr. Agatston initially created the South Beach diet, his goal was to prevent worsening of the heart disease in his patients, assist them in weight loss and show them how to eat the right foods. Patients were so successful losing weight on the plan that word quickly spread about the South Beach diet and it gained worldwide notoriety. 

The idea behind the South Beach Diet is that it is intended to be more of a lifestyle change than a diet. Although the South Beach diet restricts carbohydrates, it does not eliminate all of them. Dr. Agatston did not want to completely eliminate all carbohydrates because too much fat and not enough fiber could make heart disease worse. He was well aware of the success the Atkins diet achieved from its low carbohydrate foundation, but he felt there was a better and a more manageable way to help patients lose weight and still be able to enjoy a wide variety of foods. 

Diet-To-Go 

One of the diet delivery programs that has recently grown in popularity is the Diet-to-Go program. Diet-to-Go was founded in 1991 by Hilton Davis. Diet-to-Go is a meal delivery service that offers local food pickup as well. The company was founded in Virginia as a local diet delivery program and expanded to selling frozen meals through mail order in 1997. Initially, the meal plan was created under the direction of Dr. Gabe Mirkin. It was touted as a low fat diet and has since grown to offer a variety of diet programs. Diet-to-Go offers vegetarian, low carbohydrate, low fat and low sodium meals for men and women. A typical meal plan for women ranges from approximately 1,100 to 1,200 calories per day. Men’s plans range from 1,400-1,600. These caloric values fall within recommended guidelines and helps the program be backed by physicians nationwide. All of Diet-to-Go’s meals are inspected daily by the USDA and meet the guidelines of the American Heart Association, American Cancer Association and the American Diabetes Association. 

The meals with Diet-to-Go are delivered once a week instead of the typical once a month that is common with other diet delivery programs. Meals arrive in coolers with dry ice surrounding them to ensure all meals created by award winning chefs maintain their freshness. They have to be microwaved and are essentially like a frozen meal you would purchase at a grocery store, but within dietary guidelines. 

Diet-to-Go is also in partnerships with a variety of business, including but not limited to Gold’s and World Gym. Individuals that prefer to pick up their meals as opposed to having them delivered can do so at one of these locations. The food pick up options are currently only available in five cities across the United States. The cities include the greater Los Angeles area, the San Francisco Bay, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The cities that will have food pick up available are expected to grow in the near future with the growing popularity of the company. 

Nutrisystem 

One of the most popular diet programs on the market is the Nutrisystem plan. Nutrisystem has been around for over 40 years; helping millions around the globe lose weight and improve their overall health. Nutrisystem was founded in 1972 and entered public trading almost 12 years later in 1999. It started out as a center, similar to Weight Watchers where dieters would visit on a regular basis for support and information on the program. In present day, there are no longer standing Nutrisystem centers around, but that has had no effect on the company’s exponential growth. The plan is now completely administered through Nutrisystem’s interactive website and is advertised nationwide through infomercials and commercials. Countless celebrities have served as spokespeople for the company and lost weight on the program. 

Celebrities such as Marie Osmond, Belinda Carlisle, Janet Jackson and Jillian Reynolds credit the Nutrisystem plan with helping them lose between 20 and 45 pounds. The idea behind Nutrisystem is that it is a delivery meal system of pre-planned, pre-made meals that you receive at your doorstep. This takes the guess work out of what you should eat and helps you stay on course by, not only telling you what to eat, but actually providing each meal for you. Unlike with most diet plans, on the Nutrisystem plan, you will not have to worry about counting calories, points, carbohydrates or fats. You will also not have to go to weekly weigh ins, such as on the Weight Watchers plan. The meals come to you and you do the tracking online via the member’s interactive website. 

Nutrisystem is also unique in that it provides several different plans to match you with the plan that is right for you. It offers plans aimed specifically at woman’s women, men, vegetarians, seniors and diabetics. The plan can cost as low as $8 and increases from there. The actual cost of the program depends on the plan you choose and the level of the plan you opt for. Plans and plan levels are described in detail below. 

On Nutrisystem, you should expect to lose between 1-2 pounds per week. This is considered a safe and effective rate at which to lose weight and be able to maintain it. One of the more popular aspects of the Nutrisystem plan is that the entire plan and all of the meals provided with it are preservative free. All meals are also within the USDA target for daily sodium intake and the plan as a whole was created with optimal nutrition in mind. The Nutrisystem plan prides itself on offering foods that are high in protein and fiber, lower in sodium, offer zero trans fats, low saturated fats and are also low-glycemic foods to help prevent insulin spikes. Low glycemic foods also keep sugar levels stable and the metabolism working at an optimal rate throughout the day. 

Jillian Michaels Diet 

The Jillian Michaels Weight Loss Program was created by Jillian Michaels, a best-selling author, Emmy nominated television personality and one of the country’s top health and fitness experts. After appearing on “The Biggest Loser” and quickly becoming a favorite, Jillian created a brand for herself and has continued to motivate people to lose weight and get in shape through her website, books and television appearances. Jillian has been an expert in her field for over 20 years and holds numerous training certificates, as well as a Muay Thai and Akarui-Do black belt. In addition to Jillian’s Online Weight Loss Program, Jillian has also published several books and DVD series, including Slim For Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast and Lasting Weight Loss and Jillian Michaels Bodyshred. 

After being a successful trainer since the young age of 17, Jillian opened up her own sports medicine facility and eventually found her way onto the hit show, “The Biggest Loser.” While on the show, Jillian quickly earned the reputation of being the toughest, no holds barred trainer on the show. Jillian did not accept anything less than 110% from her team and put all of her time and effort into making them succeed. Jillian’s passion has always been fitness and she truly believes that anyone can change their life and their destiny through healthy eating habits and a proper fitness routine. 

After being on the show and realizing how many viewers wanted her help in realizing their fitness and weight loss goals, Jillian decided to create her own weight loss program. She wanted to create a plan that could be customized to meet anyone’s needs and be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.