Have you ever been on a Medifast diet? If you were, you might have been wearing leg warmers at the time -- this diet invention has been around since the 80s.

You won't be grocery shopping much on the Medifast diet because you're required to buy their food. Medifast diet developers say you'll lose weight fast, with a two to five pound weight loss each week on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan. You eat often on this diet, but in very small doses. The 5 & 1 followers eat five pre-packaged Medifast meals each day, followed by one Lean & Green Meal featuring a lean protein, vegetables and condiments from their approved list of options. With 70 Medifast diet selections, you're not sucking down diet shakes all day. Food choices include chili, stew, soups, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bars, puddings and a few other mini-meals. But forget that turkey panini with veggie chips for lunch.

Medifast is all about calorie restriction. Depending on which meals -- or, really, bars and shakes -- you choose, you're getting around 800 to 1,000 calories per day. Not much, especially if you're simultaneously inspired to clean the junk off your treadmill and start exercising.

"Someone who is generally going to use Medifast is considerably overweight to begin with and not engaged in any physical activity anyway. The recommendation is for the first two or three weeks on the diet, don't do any exercise at all," advised Constance Brown-Riggs, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She doesn't think Medifast can support rigorous exercise, but followers can engage in more moderate activities such as walking.

Brown-Riggs has put dozens of clients on the diet over the years with great success, noting it's a good way to jumpstart weight loss for the busy person who doesn't have time or won't take time to consider their food choices.

"It's a good way to get them started. Success breeds success, and once they're able to start losing, it's easier to transition them from Medifast to a regular eating regimen," Brown-Riggs said.

Nutritionally-speaking, meals do combine protein and carbs, so you can allegedly lose weight and retain lean muscle. They also have designed a meal plan for people with Type 2 diabetes. This diet isn't cheap, a four-week package of Medifast meals costs about $300. Comparatively, Nutrisystem costs about $350 a month, the Cookie Diet is about $240 and the high-protein Atkins diet sells a variety of a la carte bars, shakes and cuisine. The cost of the Jenny Craig diet depends on menu items ordered. Jenny Craig says their clients spend $1 more a day than the average American spends on food, but this ballpark cost remains a mystery until you start ordering.

Instead of choosing diets that require pre-packaged meals, try shopping the perimeter of the grocery store -- where the produce, lean meats and dairy are located -- and writing down all of your meals in a $5 food journal.

The Zone Diet, devised by Barry Sears, M.D., and introduced in 1995, gained popularity through celebrity dieters like Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Madonna.

Like other weight-loss plans, the Zone Diet encourages dieters to cut calories, especially those from carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. It encourages people looking to lose weight to eat lots of lean meats and other foods filled with healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber-rich vegetables and fruits. To keep their blood-sugar levels stable and fend off hunger pangs, those on the plan eat five small meals a day.

Unlike some diets, the Zone Diet doesn't force people to buy certain foods, which can help cut down on the costs that sometimes accompany these plans. There are, however, a line of Zone Diet supplements. People who choose to eat them should be warned that they can be expensive.

Sounds perfect, right? Not so fast.

The diet discourages dairy consumption, which can keep those on the Zone Diet from getting several essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, Vitamin E and calcium. Another common complaint is that the low-carb plan leaves dieters too tired to exercise. Coffee and soda intake can get tricky on the plan, too, because caffeine, which causes insulin levels to spike, is considered a no-no.

Others have a hard time understanding the 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat (40-30-30) ratio that Dr. Sears says will make your metabolism function best. These restrictions can be especially problematic when you're dining out. Dieters are also required to eat within one hour of waking and, roughly, every two to three hours after.

Additionally, Zone Diet creators claim -- despite a lack of evidence -- that those who follow the plan will decrease their risk of cancer, heart disease and other conditions while improving athletic performance.

If you have decided to lose weight, one of your best bets is a healthy, low-fat diet, paired with exercising several times a week. That's Fit has Diet and Weight Loss tips to help.

Read the full Zone Diet Review and Zone Diet Foods List from AOL Health.

Photo: Michelle May, M.D.

The trademarks of yo-yo dieting -- overeating, followed by deprivation in guilty repentance -- may seem like something a doctor would have the self-control and training to be above, but Michelle May, M.D., former yo-yo dieter and author of the new book "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat," explains that "health care professionals are people too," and that the restrictions of diets -- not the dieters -- are to blame for failed weight-loss plans.

The reason? In her book, she explains that the very basics of dieting -- the counting, planning and constant need to think and plan your eating based off of someone else's rules (often "before you're even out of bed!") is tiring. So much so, that any good aspect of the diet is essentially canceled out by the end result: "This constant effort and vigilance may wear you out and cause you to return to overeating to escape." Once Dr. May ditched diets, and adopted long-term successful strategies she describes below, the weight came off.

That's Fit: What do you think was most effective in helping you achieve a healthy weight?

Dr. Michelle May: I had to pay attention not just to what and how much I was eating, but why I was eating in the first place. I didn't have any deep, dark emotional issues, but I had certainly learned to comfort and entertain myself with food. Even when I was on a diet and following the rules about what to eat, I was still eating when I was bored, stressed or tired. When I felt too deprived of the foods I loved, I'd go off my diet. Nothing had fundamentally changed about my relationship with food so I just went back to overeating my favorites. This is what I called my eat-repent-repeat cycle.

I've since worked with thousands of people who are doing exactly the same thing, and the reason is that with yo-yo [dieting you don't] have any middle ground -- you are either on your diet or off. I kicked yo-yo dieting by changing the paradigm completely from a yo-yo to a pendulum. There is still the possibility of extremes but as you give overeating and dieting less of your energy, the pendulum settles into a smaller arc in the middle where you have the flexibility and the mindfulness to nourish your mind, body, heart and soul.

Photo: Getty Images

When asked for your weight, do you shave a few pounds off the real number? Forty-two percent of AOL Health readers surveyed said they wouldn't tell their friends the truth about their weight -- and similarly, 39 percent said they would drop up to 10 pounds off of the weight reported on their driver's licenses. Surprisingly, experts say a little dishonesty may not be a bad thing. Continue to AOL Health's "Weight-Loss (Dis)Honesty Survey Results Revealed" to find out which diet secrets to keep, and which are better off revealed.

You might be familiar with We TV's "Secret Lives of Women." The show explores everything from women who lead double lives in adult entertainment to strange addictions to phobias, and this week's episode is focusing on extreme diets.

After watching the upcoming episode, I'm not going to lie -- my eyes were opened in a big way. The episode focuses on four women. Meredith Averill, along with her husband, follows the CR Way (or the Calorie Restriction Diet). Gwen Shamblin is the founder of Weigh Down Ministries, which helps people lose weight through religion. Gabrielle Brick is a raw foodist and Janet Kalish is a freegan, which means she eats mainly what she can find by dumpster diving rather than purchasing food from a store.

Averill, a youthful looking 62-year-old, has been living the CR Way for more than 15 years. She and her husband both attribute their good health to their diet, and fully expect it to add to their longevity. Generally, calorie restrictors reduce their caloric intake by 20 to 40 percent. While she doesn't say what their specific daily calorie limit is, Averill says, "At the end of lunch, we don't eat again until the next breakfast." Instead, the couple goes for a walk. (Sounds filling, right?)

Shamblin was overweight in her younger years, and her obsession with what she could and couldn't eat led her to a startling conclusion. "Dieting was the cause for overeating in this country," she says. Her Weigh Down Workshop isn't just about praying to be skinny. Rather, the idea is to give people something bigger than themselves to turn to when facing the temptation of overeating, to "transfer from bowing down to a pan of brownies" she says, "to turning to God."

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

Portion control from a burrito -- is it possible? That's what Matthew Lisk, creator of "The Burrito Diet," says. This week on AOL Health he reveals how his new way of eating helped him lose 80 pounds.

Stuck in a weight-loss rut? Review these top 100 diet tips to kick your fitness, healthy eating and overall slim-down into high gear.

Plus, what you don't know about your diet -- it could be the reason why you feel like you have to go, all the time. Discover how what you consume on a daily basis can affect your bladder and its health in the short term and long run.

Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

There are a lot of diet plans out there -- some effective, some difficult and some diets that are down-right ridiculous. I don't think there are too many people who have weight to lose who haven't pinned their hopes on one advertised diet plan or another. So I wonder ... what diet plan(s) have you tried?


Leave us a comment about a diet you've done and what results you saw.

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What would you think if someone suggested you drink a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't chug-a-lug that foul mix if somebody paid me. But Beyonce used the lemonade diet, and she's not the first -- the lemonade diet (aka Master Cleanse) has been around since 1941.

Just like clothes go in and out of style, so do crazy diets. "Glamour" shows us seven decades of wacky diet trends:

• 1930's-1940's. Not only is this the era where the Master Cleanse first appeared, ad campaigns also touted smoking as a way to keep off unwanted pounds.
• 1950's. The 1950's paved the way for a kinder, gentler form of weight loss. What was it? Prayer. That's right. Pray yourself thin. "Pray Your Weight Away" was published in 1957 and was the first of many prayer-based weight loss theories.
  
• 1960's. We have the 60's to thank for the horrible cabbage soup diet. A more helpful trend that was born in the 60's is the weight loss support group. (Overeaters Anonymous and Weight Watchers were both formed in the decade.)
• 1970's. The quest for weight loss in a pill started in earnest in the 70's. Dexatrim and the unfortunately named Ayds appetite suppressants were all the rage.
• 1980's. After the unsuccessful quick fixes of the 70's, self-discipline came back into vogue in the 80's. Plans such as the super-restrictive Scarsdale Diet were the diets of the decade. Low-fat was a term that was sneaking into everyone's vocabulary.
  
• 1990's. Low-carb plans like the Atkin's diet were all the rage in the 90's.
• 2000's. We're still not immune to silly diet trends. How about the Morning Banana Diet or the Cookie Diet (which has actually been around in one form or another for quite a long time)?

What's the craziest diet plan you've ever tried?

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If you've been in New York recently, you've probably noticed restaurant calorie counts posted for the food. And an overwhelming majority of people are fans of the calorie counts, with many people ordering less food or going to new, more healthful eateries altogether.

Now, the UK is taking a cue from NYC, and plans to implement calorie posting in restaurants there. The United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency did a survey of 2000 adults, finding that 85 percent thought eateries should make the nutrition information on their foods available at point of sale.

No law is being passed (yet), but the agency is asking "brave" restaurants to voluntarily post calorie counts for a six-month trial run. The thing is, I can't imagine most fast food-type restaurants doing this voluntarily, especially considering how many people admitted they ordered less and went elsewhere -- restaurants are businesses, after all.

Still, wouldn't it be great if all eateries offered this information on the menu? I know it would help me out!

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I can understand doing the grocery shopping together, watching movies together and even paying the bills together. But this couple takes "in sickness and in health" to the extreme.

After years of unsuccessfully trying to lose weight. Todd and Lorie Richmond both opted for weight loss surgery. And, though I don't quite understand why, they decided to undergo their procedures on the same day.

It seems to me that it would be easier to help each other recuperate if they did their surgeries one at a time. For that matter, it seems like it would have been easier to consult with personal trainers and nutritionists and give weight loss through nutrition and exercise one more go. But, whatever their reasons, I wish them as much success as our own Karla has realized.

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Can't decide whether to go low-carb or low-fat? While you mull it over, take a peek at these 10 foods -- they can serve as staples for either diet.

• Asparagus It's low-carb and low-fat.
  
• Zucchini A low-cal, low-carb veggie.
  
• Tomatoes Eat them as is or use in sauces, soups, or sliced on salads.
• Broth & Stock Soup Use as a base for soups, stews, and sauces.
• Wine One four-ounce serving is correlated with good health.
• Game Meats Think venison and elk -- healthy substitutes for beef -- and you'll get some lean protein.
• Berries A good choice for satisfying a sweet craving. High in vitamins and antioxidants too.
• Dark Greens & Lettuces They add volume to a meal without calorie overload.
• Salmon It's fatty, but its omega-3 fatty acids make it healthy. Full of protein too.
• Chicken & Turkey Both are low-fat and excellent sources of protein. Organic is best.

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Brie Cadman over at Divine Caroline gives a humorous and right-on run-down of the 10 worst fad diets. Sure these diets, like Slim Fast, The Cereal Diet, The Subway Diet, and Dr. Siegal's® Cookie Diet™ might work -- try them and chances are, you will lose weight -- but if you're looking for weight loss that sticks around or if you want to just plain enjoy your food, these diets are, as Cadman calls them -- just plain ridiculous.

Cadman says of Slim Fast that yes, you will lose weight, "until you grow so bored and tired of eating the exact same thing for two meals a day you quit, and realize that -- wow -- there are a lot of other foods out there that cost a lot less. Say, fruits and vegetables."

About The Writing Diet, Cadman can't figure out why all writers are not size twos because according to Julia Cameron, author of the new book The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Sized, they should be. Cameron says that people overeat not out of hunger, but because of emotion. Says Cadman: "By writing daily, we tap into our emotions, and put them on the page instead of in our mouths. While I can concede that having your hands on a keyboard will prevent them from grabbing a bag of Doritos, I can't figure out how sitting on your butt is supposed to make it smaller." One of Cadman's readers disagrees, stating that the book does a pretty good job of promoting exercise too.

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Lean, low-fat protein is common ingredient in many popular diets today, including the South Beach Diet, the Sonoma Diet, and the Zone Diet. If you're new to nutrition, though, you might be wondering what kinds of foods, exactly, are diet-friendly proteins. A few examples include:

• any type of fish, excluding breaded or deep fried
• canned fish, packed in water
• chicken or turkey, unbreaded, skinless and preferably white meat
• ground beef with less than 10% fat
• pork tenderloin
• eggs
• tofu
• tempah
• beans
• deli-sliced meats
  

For more information about diet-friendly proteins, check out this article from AOL Body.

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It's quite possible to go crazy trying to lose weight. After all, it isn't easy dropping all of your favorite comfort foods to get on a diet. But, as we know, not all weight loss programs are created equally. DivineCaroline has a list of The Top Ten Most Ridiculous Diets that you may or may not have heard of before.

One the craziest is the cabbage soup diet. This plan boasts the amazing ability to help you lose ten pounds in seven days. Interested? You may want to give it some research. Some dieters have reported feeling weak along with decreased concentration. This comes as no surprise after eating only fruits, veggies and cabbage soup for a week. However, you do get to eat small portions of meat by the fifth day.

Try this one on for size: the Russian Air Force Diet. As the article suggests, by the end of this weight loss regimen you're going to feel like you're back in the USSR. Herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and ketchup are all allowed, but they stick you on the meals. For breakfast, dieters get coffee. Make it last because you don't get anything else until lunch (which is two eggs and a tomato). Dinner brings the good stuff with seven whole ounces of meat plus a salad. Does it sound crazy enough? It ought to, because Soviet Union soldiers used to feast on the same thing. Check out the rest here and reply if you know anyone who has tried these diets!

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