Obesity in children is reaching epidemic proportions, with 15 to 30 percent of children in America now overweight.

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According to tracking data in the major search engines, these are the top diet-related searches in Google. These results show that many Americans are still looking for a magic "fix" for their weight loss struggle, rather than accepting the fact that weight loss is done through a healthy lifestyle change that includes exercise.

#1 South Beach Diet: a version of low carb, but a little more flexible and balanced than traditional Atkins. However, not much emphasis at all on exercise, a bit weird for a cardiologist!

#2 Atkins Diet: the original low carb diet, criticized at its most extreme, but current changes are supposedly lowering the fat intake and making it more balanced overall. Not a good choice for children or growing teens due as certain nutrients will be lacking.

#3 Diet Pills: Diet pills are dangerous, even if they are herbal, and they simply do not address the issues that cause you to overeat. Beware illegal pharmacies giving prescriptions over the Internet. At best you will get a fake placebo for a lot of money, at worst you will harm your heart or have a stroke due to the stimulant effects of many of these drugs.

#4 Low Carbohydrate Diet: Atkins, South Beach , and other diets that focus on protein over carbs and generally require that you avoid sugar altogether

#5 Zone Diet: They have you balance your carbs, protein, and fat for a slightly lower carb portion, but they also allow sugar since there are many “zone friendly” candy bars masquerading as health/protein bars.

#6 Cabbage Soup Diet: Silly diet that has you stuff yourself with tomatoes one day, bananas the next, all with the cabbage soup as the base of the diet. Variations blossom regularly on this one.

#7 Six meals a day diet: You can actually pay good money to buy this diet online. It's all over the place. Let me tell you here for free: eat six small meals a day instead of 3 big meals. Balance each meal so you get a little protein and some grains. The idea is that this keeps your blood sugar more stable throughout the day so you are less likely to overeat, and your metabolism works at a steadier pace all day. It probably isn't a bad idea as long as you don't overeat at each of these meals. Its worse to overeat six times a day than three times a day wouldn't you say? This diet is often recommended for hypoglycemic folks (low blood sugar).

#8 Grapefruit Diet: Another silly little diet. Grapefruits do not have magical fat-burning properties. It's not as if the acid in the juice eats the fat. Belief in this one says a lot bout the quality of science education in our public schools.

#9 Mediterranean Diet: Olive oil, pasta, bread, fruits and vegetables, dairy and wine. Everything in moderation and this one will be fine. If you've ever lived with a family in Italy you will find they generally eat a small amount of protein, salad, fruit, and a small glass of wine at every meal. They rarely eat sweets and they don't eat butter or other high-fat foods. Olive oil is used sparingly on salads and to cook. For those who can't stand the idea of low carb, this one really isn't too bad, as long as you don't think it means a big bowl of fettuccini Alfredo with a hunk of bread, salad with a quarter cup of creamy Italian dressing, and three glasses of wine.

#10 Blood Type Diet: A little sketchy on the science, but if you are reasonable about your choices most of the plans are relatively healthy.

#11 Dash Diet: from the National Institutes of Health, this diet is recommended for lowering blood pressure (hypertension) and is very well-balanced, sane diet.

January 2005 Update

South Beach Diet is still the most searched diet plan. Shockingly, though, diet pills is now the #2 most popular diet search, with Atkins dropping to third place. The Sonoma Diet is now showing up in top search lists. Diet pills are not a viable weight management solution. Most of these pills are not tested by the FDA and they can have dire consequences, particularly during physical exertion.

Is My Teen Just Lazy?

Are overweight teens just excessively lazy? Do they give up too quickly compared to teens who do not have weight problems? The answer to both of these questions is a resounding “No!”

Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks without Dieting! Without Exercise!