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Experts weigh in on the pros and cons of each plan. By Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen for MSN Health & Fitness The key to losing weight—and keeping it off—is to find the eating plan that fits your personality and lifestyle. To help, we've rounded up expert opinions on the pros and cons of the 10 most popular diets in America. "All the popular diets can help you lose weight because they provide almost identical calorie intakes," says nutritional biochemist and author Shawn Talbott, Ph.D. "But different people may do better on different diets because of personal tastes. For instance, if you love bread, don't even think about trying Atkins … because it won't work." Here's a look at the 10 most popular diets in America: Jenny Craig Tasty, ready-made meals and snacks—"Jenny's Cuisine"—are perks of Valerie Bertinelli and Queen Latifah's favorite diet (which is similar to NutriSystem). Amy Hendel, health expert and author of Fat Families, Thin ...

By Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness Martica Heaner, MSN Fitness and Weight Loss Expert Q: I weigh myself both in the morning and again at night. In the morning I'm around 193 pounds, but in the evening, my weight sometimes hikes up to 204 pounds. I use the same scale and weigh in the nude, so I feel like my readings are accurate. My friend says that I have a water-retention problem. What can I do to treat this? A: It's normal for body weight to fluctuate widely throughout the day. It's likely that your weight in the morning, and especially after you've used the bathroom, is at its lowest since you have probably not consumed any food or water for the past 12 or so hours. How much and what kind of food and fluids you've consumed, as well as how much and how often you've evacuated, and even how much you have sweated all play a role in the pounds that register on the scale at any given point during the day. Be careful not to mistake the in...

An active body that gets adequate exercise is one that is likely to remain to remain healthy. As your body is a trust, it is a religious obligation upon you to look after it, to keep it free of disease and ailments to the best of your ability (except as Allaah wills). Below, you'll find several good reasons why you should start exercising now. Contributes to fat loss It is well proven from scientific research all over the world that physical exercise contributes to weight loss . If you burn more calories than you consume through nutrition , you'll lose weight. When you exercise , you burn more calories than when you don't. It's really simple - the more you exercise , the more weight or fat you'll lose. Prevent disease The chances of developing various diseases has been proven to decrease when exercising. These diseases include heart disease, cancer , diabetes, and the stroke. Around 4 out of 5 deaths caused by heart disease and cancer , are linked to fac...

If you're looking for weight-loss inspiration, you'll find it here. These 18 people dropped a total of 1,895 pounds—almost a ton of excess weight. And while they all had the same ultimate goals—lose weight, look better, feel better and live longer—each took a different path to success. Read through to find how they did it Sharlynn: Before "My dad had a heart attack and that scared me. I think most of all it was me being tired of being fat. I didn't want to be the fat girl. I wanted to date, be happy inside and out." Sharlynn: After "One day I was walking past a mirror, I took a double-take and started to cry. I called Kelly and said, 'Guess what?' He said, 'What?' I said, 'I'm pretty,' with tears in my eyes." Read Sharlynn's full story. David R.: Before "At my maximum, I was wearing pants with a 60-inch waist." David R.: After "The support I get from my family and from the Weight Watchers meetings has b...

With these simple tweaks, your taste buds and your scale will thank you. By Joy Bauer, PARADE Magazine Just because you're trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite foods. Even red meat, nuts, and salad dressings are OK—if you choose right. After all, if you don’t feel deprived, you're much more likely to stick to any diet. With these easy tweaks, your taste buds and your scale will thank you. Muffins Eating a bran or carrot muffin in the morning may seem like a good idea, but don't be fooled. These healthy-sounding options often are loaded with sugar, fats, and oils. Most store-bought muffins also have been super-sized to epic proportions. Raisin bran muffins at some popular chains can clock in at more than 400 calories. Swap: A whole-wheat English muffin has 130 calories and good-for-you fiber. For added protein and a touch of sweetness, add a table­spoon of peanut butter. Fruit smoothies Sure, all that fruit makes smoothies healthier than...

By Peter Jaret, EatingWell.com The 18th century boasted the Age of Enlightenment, the 19th century the Age of Imperialism. By all accounts, ours may well be remembered as the Age of … Fat. People are fat and getting fatter, experts say. More than 6 out of 10 Americans are now overweight or obese. And though we're still the plumpest people on the planet, waistlines are expanding almost everywhere in the developed world. Experts at the World Health Organization have begun to warn of an impending global epidemic of fat-related diseases, from gout and diabetes to high blood pressure and heart disease. In an unprecedented reversal in much of the world, more people suffer from overnutrition than undernutrition. The biggest reason is simple. We eat too much. Food is available almost everywhere we turn, much of it in the form of high-calorie goodies like sugary drinks and fatty snacks. Advertisements constantly urge us to eat, eat, eat. And we do. Women now eat 335 more calories a day than...

It's time to make your body healthier by removing the additives, preservatives, processed sugars, carbs, and general junk from your diet. Follow these diet shortcuts 80 percent of the time, allowing yourself to bend the rules on special occasions the other 20 percent, and you'll be golden! Clean Eating Shortcuts for Big Weight Loss Don't diet Losing weight is about portion control, not the exclusion of food groups. Divide your plate into four sections. Fill one-quarter with a healthy protein food like fish, poultry, or lean red meat; fill one-quarter with a whole grain like brown rice; and fill the other two quarters with vegetables and fruit. Add a glass of milk, and you're set. Still hungry? Serve yourself additional helpings of veggies until you're satisfied. Vegetables are naturally low in calories and high in fiber, which helps you feel full. You can also use this "handy" portion scale to size up your servings at restaurants, at home, or wherever you...