Why there isn't a magic diet that suits everyone.

A lot of experts will offer you the ultimate way to lose weight. There isn't one. The factors governing your weight are as complex as the factors governing the weather. Everyone is unique and what will work for some won't necessarily work for all. You know the saying, one man's meat is anothers poison. It's undeniable that the number of overweight and obese people have increased considerably over recent decades but any one specific cause is hard to pin down exactly. Some of the reasons given for being overweight (with their downsides) are as follows:

Eating too much food of any type. The calorie was first 'invented' by 18th century physicists as a unit for measuring heat and energy in general but it wasn't until the early 20th century that it was popularized by Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters for the purpose of weight control. She published a list of the amounts of energy contained in different foodstuffs and drew the conclusion that if your energy intake is less than you expend you will lose weight.
From this it was deduced that the cause of overweight was solely due to the consumption of too many calories, i.e. overeating. Not necessarily true.
We know there are many people who eat notably more than average who are not overweight.  Sure, if you eat less than you need to live you'll lose weight. Downside is you will always feel hungry and you won't keep it up for life. Also, what is lost is muscle mass as much as fat. Muscle is more dense than fat so any weight loss will be greater than with the loss of just fat. Another reason why your weight isn't as important than you might think. Measuring your size would be a better yard stick.

An unbalanced diet. Aside from the total energy consumed it's also important to bear in mind the type of food we eat. Most people know at least a little about eating the right proportions of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and the value of vitamins and minerals, but the experts disagree about exactly what these proportions should be. Again, there are slim people who eat what some would call an unbalanced diet.

Lack of exercise. Exercise is good and you should take adequate exercise - but it's not a sole cause of being overweight. There are plenty of lazy people who are also slim people.  It's no good thinking that exercise is a sole means of weight correction.

Too much carbohydrate. The low carb diet is based on the idea that excess carbohydrates (carbohydrates are complex sugars) are stored as fat. The reason for this is that the body can only tolerate a certain amount of sugar and when levels get beyond a certain point insulin is called into action to neutralize it. It does this by converting the excess sugar (carbohydrate) to fat, which is then stored by the body. So, by reducing carbohydrates to a very low level you obviate the problem.
The thing with the 'low carb' diet is that it is not a low calorie diet and the missing calories are often made up by eating much higher amounts of protein. High amounts of protein tend to cause  acidity which is not a healthy thing. The point sometimes missed by advocates of this diet is that it is not carbohydrates as such that cause the problem but refined carbohydrates.
You will notice that most books on low carb diets and the similar high protein diets, recommend two stages to their regimes. The weight loss stage and the maintenance stage. During the maintenance stage you can increase carbohydrates a certain amount but they strongly recommend only unrefined carbohydrates. This confirms the point that the culprit is foodstuff made with refined flours.
Our forebears lived on mainly cereals and they didn't suffer from obesity. It's the cakes, bread, biscuits and buns etc. made with refined flour that cause the problem. Stick to whole grain starches and you won't need any special low carb regime.

Increased chemical pollution. We live in the age of chemicals. Chemicals rule. The food we eat is riddled with pollution of one sort or another at all stages of production. There are all sorts of  chemicals in our soaps, shampoos, perfumes, toothpaste's etc. which weren't there in the past. Some experts say that chemicals eaten, and absorbed through the skin, are a major reason for the current epidemic of weight problems. Again there is doubtless more than an element of truth in this. But, in itself it won't be the sole reason for the problem because some of us are more susceptible to different types of chemical pollution than others.

Too much fat. The low fat diet. Of course it's possible to eat too much fat, but it's also possible to eat to little. Fat is not necessarily fattening in itself. Fat is an essential part of your diet. Proteins and carbohydrates are just as likely to cause weight gain. Going on a low fat diet isn't essential to being slim. The biggest problem with fat is the excess of it we take in via crisps and other 'junk' foods.

Genetic makeup. Some people say it's all in the genes. True, you cannot change your genes and doubtless there is a strong genetic factor involved in body weight. But if you are naturally plump then you aren't overweight. As long as you are eating a healthy diet then you will be at an optimum size for you.

So what to make from the above causes? If you try to take all 'expert' opinions into account you will find a bewildering amount of information out there, much of it seemingly contradictory.  The trick is to bear all the above factors in mind without trying to blame any particular one on it's own unless you've a particularly good reason for doing so.
If you try to isolate one single cause you will be unlikely to find a reason. As we keep stressing, the way to slim is to focus on eating healthily and letting your weight find it's own optimum level.
It's easy to carve out a particular eating regime and call it some special name, Atkins, GI, Zone, Pyramid etc. and they are not special. People are just induced into thinking they are some kind of magic solution. Most of these diets will produce weight loss but they are not generally good to follow on a lifelong basis.

Best to start a way of eating that you will maintain for life. Your weight correction will be a bit slower, but long lasting. There is no substitute for a simple healthy diet and way of living. A healthy diet will satisfy you and help you slim without trying. Before you resort to what I would call proprietary diets try the natural way first.

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