Be careful with these. It is generally unwise to use a high protein diet to lose weight. The protein overdose sends the kidneys into overtime. As the kidneys work to eliminate the excess protein, they also dump a lot of water out of your system. On the bathroom scale, this looks like a dramatic weight loss, but it is not a real weight loss. (What you really want to lose is fat.) If you lose too much water weight too fast you could harm your health. It is generally wise to consume extra amounts of water if eating extra protein. High protein diets are potentially harmful for people with kidney or liver insufficiency. Before trying this type of diet, be sure to consult your doctor and a registered dietitian.
The reason that high protein diets “work” is the same reason that other weight loss diets work: they are lower in calories. High protein diets substitute fish and vegetable protein for meat and dairy protein, and this reduces the amount of fat in the diet. Basically, high protein diets are weight loss gimmicks. Promoting proteins and bad-mouthing carbs are just ways to get attention. There is little research to show that this approach works or, more importantly, is safe. Use common sense. Any diet in which you eat fewer calories than you burn will result in loss of body fat, regardless of whether the diet contains primarily fat, carbohydrates, or proteins. Your grandmother could have told you this without even writing a bestseller. Eat a balanced diet and don’t eat more calories than you burn. That’s the secret of weight control.