New Ways to Lose Weight in 2013

New year, new diet plan. These strategies are trending now

The Skinny

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Every new year brings with it new ways to lose weight—from research-based plans to wacky eating fads—and 2013 looks to be no different. Yes, the paleo diet and gluten-free grub are still going strong, but there’s also a new crop of get-slim strategies gaining speed. (Related: Try the ancient nutritional formula for peak athletic performance, The Paleo Diet for Athletes.) Some are so nascent, they’re still being studied. Others, decades old, are experiencing a recurrence. However daring you are when it comes to dieting, here’s what you need to know about next year’s trendiest weight loss plans.

DNA Based

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health started the Human Genome Project, with the goal of identifying and sequencing all of the 20,000 to 25,000 genes in human DNA. The knowledge they acquired energized a field called nutrigenomics, which studies how nutrients affect the way our genes express themselves and how our genes influence the way nutrients are metabolized. Companies are now using this information to recommend diet plans tailored to your specific genes. In other words, they claim that by using a diet that works best for your body, you’ll finally see results.
How's it work? You order an at-home genetic testing kit from a company like Interleukin Genetics or DNAlysis, swab your cheek, and then send the tissue sample back to the company. They analyze it for markers on specific genes that research shows are most likely tied to weight and metabolism. Within a couple of weeks you’ll receive a diet prescription that will supposedly work best for your body, such as low fat, low carb, or low GI.

Pros: In 2010, Stanford University researchers put the Interleukin analysis to the test. In a small study of 133 overweight women, they found women who were genetically predisposed to benefit from a low-carbohydrate diet lost 2.5 times as much weight as those on the same diet without the predisposition. Similar results were found when they matched women with low-fat diets.
Cons: Although the field of nutrigenomics is rapidly expanding, researchers are still just scratching the surface. Furthermore, these tests analyze just a small number of the hundreds of genes involved in body composition. “Researchers have been studying the relationship between DNA and a person’s predisposition to certain diseases for some time, but applying this science to weight loss is brand new and studies are still very preliminary,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, author of The Miracle Carb Diet. “There is not enough concrete scientific evidence to prove Nutrigenomics benefit or safety.”

Fruitarianism

Devotees of this diet strive to get at least 75 percent of their calories from raw fruit. The last 25 percent is made up of other food that would fall naturally from a plant (nuts, seeds, and vegetables), coconut water, and oil. Although fruitarianism has been around for decades, it’s recently gained popularity among elite athletes, one of whom, Michael Arnstein, founded the Woodstock Fruit Festival, a weeklong event in upstate New York for die-hard Fruitarians, last year.
Pros: Many fruits are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. (Search: Healthiest Fruit) As a result, fruitarians often report easy weight loss, better overall health, and enhanced energy, vitality, and mental clarity.
Cons: Although short-term anecdotal evidence is often positive, long-term scientific proof is lacking. That may be because besides being hard to follow, fruitarianism may be harmful over time. In short, your body can’t get all the nutrients it needs from fruit. “A diet consisting of only fruit, nuts, and seeds can lead to deficiencies in protein and essential fatty acids,” says Zuckerbrot. “Deficiencies in vitamin B12, iron, calcium and vitamin D, and zinc may also develop from restricting foods such as poultry, fish, beef, eggs, and dairy.” Over time these types of deficiencies can lead to fatigue, depression, confusion, irritability, muscle atrophy, and an increased susceptibility to infections.

Miracle Berry

Native to West Africa, the Synsepalum dulcificum fruit is known to change the flavor of something bitter or tart into something sweet. When eaten in fruit or in tablet form, a glycoprotein in the fruit binds with taste buds, masking sour taste receptors and stimulating sweet ones for up to an hour. “The belief is that by consuming these foods, people will allow themselves to get the taste of sweet foods without the problems related to eating sugar,” says Zuckerbrot.
Pros: If you’re sweet on sweets
, tricking your taste buds may help you down more drab foods, such as green beans and Brussels sprouts. Plus, it appears to be safe. In the 1970s the FDA rejected a proposal to use miracle berries as a sugar substitute. As a result, it’s now classified as a food additive, says Zuckerbrot.
Cons: Buying miracle berries can be expensive. One Synsepalum dulcificum berry costs between $2 and $3. “Flavor tripping” may also make you more likely to overeat, so stay conscious of serving sizes when turning salads into a bowl of berries.

High Fiber

A high-fiber diet consists of eating 25-38 grams of fiber per day. But that doesn’t mean you have free reign to go crazy with carbs. “A fiber-rich diet allows carbohydrates, but discourages processed carbs where fiber is lost,” says Zuckerbrot. “The emphasis is on fruits, veggies, and whole grains for fiber needs, in addition to lean protein.”

Pros: The huge weight-loss benefit of fiber is that it really helps keep you full and stabilize your blood sugar, says Heather Bauer, RD, author of Bread is the Devil. “Fiber is one of the staples of [weight loss] success.” The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that men get 38 g of fiber per day and that women get 25 to 30 g of fiber per day. However, 80 percent of people are deficient, according to the USDA. “Most Americans get on average 11 g each day,” says Zuckerbrot. Following a high-fiber diet can make you more likely to hit your daily fiber goals.

Cons: Adding too much fiber too your diet too quickly can cause flatulence, bloating, and diarrhea. Instead, increase your consumption gradually, adding 10 grams every few days to let your body adjust, recommends Bauer.

Calorie Shifting

P90X claims to use “muscle confusion” to speed results. Although this is just a fancy way to say “variety,” multiple diet experts have adopted a similar strategy. The 17 Day Diet by Mike Moreno, MD, switches your diet up in cycles—one frequently fluctuates your calorie consumption, another only allows you to eat your favorite foods on weekends.  Similarly, The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss includes weekly binge days. Shred, by Ian K. Smith, MD, which will be published on December 24, 2012, also claims to use “diet confusion,” although it’s unclear how. No matter what you call it—“calorie shifting,” “zig-zag” dieting, “calorie confusion”—the idea is the same: You’re “altering the way you eat every few days or weeks to keep your metabolism guessing what is next and never settling into a state of homeostasis,” says Manuel Villacorta, RD, in a review of The 17 Day Diet for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Pros: Most healthy-weight individuals have natural variation of high-low eating days, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet. “So this type of plan may help dieters mimic healthy, normal patterns.” You’ll end up losing weight if you eat fewer overall calories each week than you used to.
Cons: “There is no science that you can ‘confuse your metabolism’ to prevent plateaus by increasing and decreasing calories and changing the foods you eat,” says Villacorta. Additionally, by not incorporating all food groups at all time, and by having frequently changing “rules,” plans such as these may be difficult to sustain long term.