Each year, over half of all people in the United States strive to reduce weight.
Changing your diet is one of the most effective methods to reduce weight.
However, the sheer number of diet programmers available might make it tough to get started since you don’t know which one is the most appropriate, sustainable, and successful.
Some diets try to minimize your food consumption by curbing your hunger, while others recommend limiting your calorie intake and carbohydrate or fat intake. Furthermore, several have health advantages in addition to weight loss.
The 8 greatest diet programmers to help you lose weight and enhance your overall health are listed here.
- Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a nutritional approach in which you alternate between fasting and eating intervals.
The 16/8 technique, which reduces your daily calorie consumption to 8 hours a day, and the 5:2 method, which restricts your daily calorie intake to 500–600 calories twice a week, are two examples.
How it works: Intermittent fasting limits the amount of time you may eat, making it an easy approach to cut calories. If you compensate by eating too much food during authorized eating hours, this might contribute to weight loss.
Weight loss: According to a review of research, intermittent fasting causes 3–8% weight reduction over 3–24 weeks, which is a substantially higher proportion than traditional dieting.
According to the same study, this method of eating can lower waist circumference by 4–7%, which is a marker for dangerous belly fat.
Intermittent fasting has been shown in other trials to enhance metabolism by increasing fat burning while maintaining muscular mass.
Other benefits: Intermittent fasting has also been related to anti-aging effects, higher insulin sensitivity, improved brain health, decreased inflammation, and a variety of other advantages.
Cons: Intermittent fasting is generally safe for most healthy individuals. Those who are susceptible to blood sugar dips, such as those who have diabetes, are underweight, or have an eating disorder, as well as pregnant or nursing women, should see a doctor before beginning intermittent fasting.
SUMMARY: Intermittent fasting is a type of intermittent fasting that alternates between periods of fasting and eating. It has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including weight loss.
2 Plant-based diets
Plant-based diets may aid weight loss. The most common variants are vegetarianism and veganism, which prohibit animal products for health, ethical, and environmental reasons.
There are, however, more flexible plant-based diets available, such as the flexitarian diet, which is a plant-based diet that allows for the occasional consumption of animal products.
How it works: Vegetarianism comes in various forms, but the majority of them entail avoiding all meat, poultry, and fish. Some vegans forgo eggs and dairy as well.
All animal products, as well as animal-derived goods such as dairy, gelatin, honey, whey, casein, and albumin, are prohibited in the vegan diet.
Because the flexitarian diet is more of a lifestyle change than a diet, there are no hard and fast guidelines. It promotes a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, with protein and animal products allowed in moderation, making it a popular choice.
Because several of the prohibited food groups are heavy in calories, restricting them may help you lose weight.
Weight loss: Plant-based diets have been shown to help people lose weight in studies.
People who ate a plant-based diet shed 4.4 pounds (2 kg) more than those who ate animal products, according to an analysis of 12 trials with 1,151 participants.
Furthermore, vegans dropped an average of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) more than those who did not eat a plant-based diet. Plant-based diets are likely to help you lose weight because they are high in fiber, which can help you feel satisfied for longer, and low in high-calorie fat.
Other benefits: Plant-based diets have been associated to a lower risk of chronic diseases including heart disease, some malignancies, and diabetes, among other things. They also have the potential to be more ecologically friendly than meat-based diets.
Downsides: While plant-based diets are healthful, they might limit key minerals such as iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are generally present in animal products.
These nutrients can be compensated for by a flexitarian diet or appropriate supplementation.
SUMMARY: Vegetarian and vegan diets exclude meat and animal products for a variety of reasons. According to studies, they help you lose weight by lowering your calorie consumption and provide a slew of additional advantages.
- Low-carbohydrate diets
Low-carb diets are one of the most popular weight-loss regimens. The Atkins diet, ketogenic (keto) diet, and low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet are all examples.
Some types are more carb-reduced than others. For example, very-low-carb diets, such as the keto diet, limit this macronutrient to less than 10% of total calories, compared to 30% or less for other types of diets.
How it works: Low-carb diets limit carbohydrate consumption in favor of protein and fat.
Protein can help suppress your hunger, increase your metabolism, and preserve muscle mass, therefore they’re generally richer in protein than low-fat diets.
When you eat an extremely low-carb diet like keto, your body starts turning fatty acids into ketones instead of carbohydrates for energy. This procedure is known as ketosis
Weight loss: Several studies suggest that low-carb diets can help people lose weight and may be more successful than traditional low-fat diets.
Low-carb diets, for example, resulted in considerably greater weight reduction than low-fat diets, according to an analysis of 53 trials involving 68,128 individuals.
Furthermore, low-carb diets tend to be quite efficient at reducing dangerous belly fat.
Other benefits: Low-carb diets have been shown to lower risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. They may also help patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar and insulin levels.
Cons: A low-carb diet may elevate LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in certain people. Diets that are extremely low in carbohydrates might be difficult to stick to and cause stomach problems in some people. Following an extremely low-carb diet may, in rare cases, result in ketoacidosis, and a severe metabolic disease that can be deadly if left untreated.
SUMMARY: Low-carb diets limit your food consumption, encouraging your body to burn fat for energy. They can assist you in losing weight and provide several additional advantages.
- A Paleolithic diet
The paleo diet encourages you to consume the same foods that your hunter-gatherer forefathers did.
It’s predicated on the idea that current illnesses are connected to the Western diet, with supporters believing that the human body hasn’t evolved to absorb legumes, grains, and dairy.
How it works: The paleo diet promotes the consumption of entire foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, and seeds. Processed foods, carbohydrates, sugar, and dairy are all prohibited, however some less restricted variants allow for the ingestion of limited dairy items such as cheese.
Weight loss: Numerous studies have proven that the paleo diet can help you lose weight and get rid of that pesky tummy fat. For example, 14 healthy individuals who followed a paleo diet for three weeks dropped an average of 5.1 pounds (2.3 kg) and 0.6 inches off their waist circumference, a marker for belly fat (1.5 cm)
The paleo diet may also be more satisfying than popular diets like the Mediterranean diet and low-fat diets, according to research. This might be because of the high protein content.
Other benefits: include lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, all of which are risk factors for heart disease.
Cons: While the paleo diet is healthful, it excludes a variety of beneficial foods, including legumes, whole grains, and dairy.
SUMMARY: The paleo diet promotes eating entire foods in the same way that your forefathers did. It has been shown in studies to help people lose weight and lower their risk of heart disease.
- Low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets
Low-fat diets have been popular for decades, just as low-carb diets.
A low-fat diet, in general, entails limiting your fat consumption to 30% of your daily calories.
Some very- and ultra-low-fat diets attempt to keep fat intake to less than 10% of total calories.
How it works: Low-fat diets limit fat consumption because fat contains almost twice as many calories per gramme as the other two macronutrients, protein and carbohydrates.
Ultra-low-fat diets comprise less than 10% fat calories, with carbohydrates accounting for about 80% of calories and protein accounting for 10%.
The majority of ultra-low-fat diets are plant-based, with meat and animal items being limited.
Weight loss: Low-fat diets can help with weight loss since they limit calorie consumption.
Following a low-fat diet resulted in minor but significant improvements in weight and waist circumference, according to a review of 33 trials with over 73,500 individuals.
In controlled settings, low-fat diets tend to be equally successful as low-carb diets for weight reduction, while low-carb diets appear to be more effective day by day. Ultra-low-fat diets have been found to be effective, particularly in obese persons. An 8-week research of 56 individuals revealed that consuming a 7–14 percent fat diet resulted in an average weight loss of 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg)
Other benefits: Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke has been related to low-fat diets. They may also help to decrease inflammation and improve diabetic indicators.
Cons: Excessive fat restriction might lead to long-term health concerns, as fat is essential for hormone synthesis, nutrition absorption, and cell health. Furthermore, extremely low-fat diets have been related to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
SUMMARY: Low-fat diets limit your fat consumption since fat has more calories than protein and carbohydrates. Low-fat diets have been related to weight loss and a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes in studies.
- The Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is based on foods that were traditionally consumed in countries such as Italy and Greece.
Despite the fact that it was created to reduce the risk of heart disease, several studies have shown that it can also help with weight reduction.
How it works: The Mediterranean diet promotes the consumption of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, tubers, whole grains, fish, seafood, and extra virgin olive oil.
Poultry, eggs, and dairy products should be consumed in moderation. Meanwhile, red meat is scarce.
The Mediterranean diet also avoids refined grains, Tran’s fats, refined oils, processed meats, and added sugars, and other highly processed foods.
Weight loss: While a Mediterranean-style diet isn’t particularly a weight-loss diet, numerous studies suggest that it can help you lose weight.
People who coupled the Mediterranean diet with exercise or calorie restriction lost an average of 8.8 pounds (4 kg) more than those on a control diet, according to a review of 19 research.
Other benefits: The Mediterranean diet promotes the consumption of high-antioxidant foods, which may assist to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals. It has been associated to a lower risk of heart disease and mortality from an early age.
Cons: Because the Mediterranean diet is not technically a weight-loss plan, those who follow it may not lose weight unless they also reduce their calorie intake.
SUMMARY: The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, seafood, and healthy oils while avoiding refined and highly processed foods. While it isn’t a weight-loss diet, studies have shown that it can help people lose weight and improve their general health.
- WW (Weight Watchers)
WW, originally known as Weight Watchers, is one of the most well-known weight-loss programmers in the world.
While the WW diet does not prohibit any food groups, those who follow it must eat within their daily point limits in order to achieve their desired weight.
How it works: WW is a point-based system that provides a monetary value to various meals and beverages based on their calorie, fat, and fiber levels.
You must keep inside your daily point allowance to attain your target weight.
Weight loss: Numerous studies have shown that the WW programmer can aid in weight reduction.
Persons who followed a WW diet lost 2.6 percent more weight than people who received conventional counselling, according to an analysis of 45 research.
Furthermore, as compared to those who follow other diets, those who follow WW programmers have been proven to be more effective at maintaining weight reduction over time.
Other benefits: the fact that WW is flexible and simple to follow. This makes it easier for those with dietary limitations, such as food allergies, to stick to the plan.
Cons: While WW provides flexibility, depending on the membership package, it may be pricey. Its adaptability might also be a disadvantage if dieters pick bad meals.
SUMMARY: Weight Watchers, or WW, is a weight-loss programmer based on a point system. It is very adaptable and successful for long-term weight loss, according to studies.
- The DASH Diet
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is an eating regimen meant to help treat or prevent high blood pressure, often known as hypertension.
It emphasizes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats and is low in salt, red meat, added sugars, and fat.
Despite the fact that the DASH diet is not a weight-loss plan, many people claim to have lost weight while following it.
How it works: The DASH diet works by recommending precise serving sizes of certain food categories. The amount of servings you are permitted to consume is determined on your daily calorie consumption.
On the DASH diet, for example, an average individual would have 5 servings of vegetables, 5 servings of fruit, 7 servings of healthy carbohydrates such whole grains, 2 servings of low-fat dairy products, and 2 servings or less of lean meats each day.
Furthermore, you are permitted to have nuts and seeds 2–3 times each week.
Weight loss: The DASH diet has been shown in studies to help people lose weight. A review of 13 trials revealed that those who followed the DASH diet lost substantially more weight over the course of 8–24 weeks than those who followed a control diet.
Other benefits: The DASH diet has been found to lower blood pressure and numerous risk factors for heart disease. It may also aid in the treatment of recurring depressive symptoms and reduce the incidence of breast and colorectal cancer.
Cons: While the DASH diet may help you lose weight, there is conflicting data about how much salt you should eat and how high your blood pressure should be. Furthermore, too low salt consumption has been related to increased insulin resistance and a higher risk of mortality in patients with heart failure.
SUMMARY: The DASH diet is a low-salt eating plan that has been demonstrated to help people lose weight. It has also been related to further cardiac benefits and a lower risk of other chronic illnesses in studies.
Bottom Line
There are several diets that might assist you in losing weight. While all of the diets listed above have been proved to help people lose weight, the one you pick should be based on your lifestyle and dietary choices. This increases your chances of sticking to it in the long run.
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