Diets are generally considered effective if they are nutritious, safe, easy-to-follow, easy on the budget and achieve long-lasting weight loss results for an individual. Health experts will put diets that help you lose weight and battle against diabetes and heart disease on the very top of the list of effective diets.
Dieting simply means making healthier choices in the way you eat and live. What is the most effective diet? The answer lies in not just knowing which diet to follow but also in knowing yourself and what you want from a diet. Eventually, an effective diet should become a lifestyle! That’s the goal of an effective weight loss program.
Popular Diets
Several diets have worked for many people. The Weight Watchers diet, as the name suggests, focuses on counting every calorie you consume as well as weekly meetings with other weight watch members to support weight loss. This diet also allows a occasional indulgences. The Jenny Craig diet gives one-on-one counselling sessions on a regular basis along with portion-controlled and pre-packaged food.
Another diet is the Mediterranean diet which includes ample servings of vegetables, fruits, nuts and the liberal use of olive oil in food preparations. The Atkins diet, also a very popular diet, advocates cutting down on carbs. The Raw Food diet is based on the belief that food is most beneficial for the body when it is not cooked. Those on this diet eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. Other popular diets include the Slimfast diet, the Vegan diet, the Low Fat diet… and the list is endless.
Choosing an Effective Diet for You!
A few tips to help you choose a good diet:
A diet that helps you cut calories effectively: You don’t have to keep counting every calorie you consume but you do need to make sure your calorie equation at the end of day is working towards weight loss. Your body burns some calories through metabolic functions but ideally, you should not only be cutting calories but burning calories off as well through a systematic exercise regimen. Avoid high-calorie foods that provide little or no nutrition like junk food and high-sugar drinks.
An effective diet reviews your plate: A good diet will add the right kinds of food to your plate: vegetables, fruits (depending on whether you have any problems with diabetes), more protein through lean cuts of meat, and whole grains. A good diet doesn’t completely cut out any food group because even things like fats, are required by the body in small quantities, for healthy cellular functions.
You’ll also want to make your diet as interesting as possible. Some nutrition experts recommend a rainbow diet. They say your plate should display a variety of colors in food choice. The more colors on your plate, the more variety of nutrients you will receive. You should also try out new recipes with healthy ingredients. You’ll be surprised at how delicious your diet meals can be!
An effective diet is one you can stick with: A good weight loss diet is one that suits your lifestyle. This includes any exercise plan you may decide to follow. Set realistic goals, be consistent and stay focused, one day at a time. To remain excited and motivated, every diet needs a mix up of exercise routines, meal variations and even regular days for “cheating”.
With these basic tips, you can now choose a diet that best suits you and your weight loss goals. Remember, the most effective diet is one which you can ENJOY. Make it a habit to follow for the rest of your life.
Jason is a self-proclaimed fitness freak. He has made the journey from an out of shape 180-pounder to a 155-pound lean machine. The transformation was made possible by the weight loss program he started a few years ago and ever since then, he doesn’t spare any opportunity to spread the good word around for these structured weight loss plans.
He lives in New York with his wife of two years. His other interests include traveling and painting. He has painted over 50 beautiful landscapes while visiting foreign countries and he plans on opening an art gallery in New York at the end of the year to display his artwork.
