How Do I Choose the Best Diet?
Finding The Right Diet For You: The 6 Musts!
By Glenn Mueller
eDiets Senior Writer
EDITOR'S NOTE:The following feature is excerpted from the hot new eDiets Weight Loss Solutions hardcover book. Click here
With so many different diets on the market today, it can be extremely difficult to find a healthy eating plan right for you. Some plans ask you to limit your carbohydrate intake; others ask you to reduce fat. And while some diets may let you eat small portions throughout the day, others limit you to just three meals. In spite of all their differences though, all diets do have one thing in common: They can only help you lose weight if you reduce your daily calorie intake.
Most diets work if you can commit yourself to following them, but not all healthy meal plans are created equal. The best diet for you is one you’d feel comfortable following for life. Find a plan with foods you like to eat that fits your lifestyle and “natural” way of eating. Such a plan can help you lose weight and then, with some modification, it can help you keep those extra pounds off.
Map Your Course
The dieting journey is like a road trip. When you prepare for a road trip, you get a map to plan the route to your destination of choice. Then you just stay on course until you get there. When you go on a diet, the same principle holds true. You need a plan that will show you how to limit calories and change eating behaviors. Find the right road map and follow it until you get there.
For most people, just “cutting back” on their usual diet isn’t enough. A structured program helps change bad habits. It teaches you to eat the right foods and to identify proper portions.
Go for Sustenance
Weight loss shouldn’t be about deprivation. You may be able to do it for a while, but ultimately, it will feel restrictive and unsatisfying, which will make you more likely to cheat. You don’t have to eliminate the foods you love to lose weight. So choose a plan with the kind of foods you enjoy.
It is also important to avoid diets that are very low in calories. Most women need a minimum of 1,200 calories just to cover basic metabolic functions. Men need at least 1,500 calories. Low-calorie diets may produce quick weight loss, but experts say the quicker you lose the weight, the faster you put it back on.
One Is a Lonely Number
Dieting can be tough, so why go it alone? Get a little help from your friends by enlisting a diet or workout buddy, or get expert advice from a dietitian or personal trainer. This support will help you stay on track and achieve your weight-loss goal. The members of a support network can achieve more together than any of them would be able to accomplish on their own, according to Timothy Patton, a professor of public health at Florida International University.
Stay Away From Fads
Avoid programs that are based on unscientific recommendations, like not eating fruits at the same time as proteins. You should also be wary of plans that include supplements. Although there are dozens of products out there that claim to burn fat and build muscle, they will not teach you how to eat healthfully.
Take a multivitamin every day. When you’re restricting calories to lose weight, it’s a quick and easy way to get the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Customize Your Plan
Choose a plan that fits the way you live. Don’t choose a recipe-based plan if you don’t have the time to cook. A convenience plan that includes prepackaged foods such as cereals, yogurt and frozen entrees may be a better choice. These can be balanced, nutritious foods that don’t require a lot of planning or preparation.
When you get bored with eating the same foods, you lose motivation. So choose a balanced meal plan that’s big on variety. High-fiber vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy, monounsaturated fat from olive oil and fatty fish are the key ingredients of a healthy diet that you can live with -- and lose with.
Eat on your body’s natural schedule. Eating patterns are important. Do you like to eat just three meals a day? Or do you find that you get hungry in between meals? If so, eating smaller meals throughout the day might be a better plan.
Find a program that you can stick with for life. The best program becomes a maintenance program once you reach your goal weight. Find a plan you enjoy, and make it a habit. Once you reach your goal weight, stay with a maintenance version of the program you used to get there, at least for a full year. That’s the surest way to keep the weight off. Modify your diet to add variety, and set your plan to “cruise control.” Before you know it, you’ll have a healthy new lifestyle.
Consider Your Bottom Line
When choosing a diet plan, keeping on your budget is important. Normally, the most flexible and affordable plans are recipe-based. Look for foods that are on sale or buy ingredients in bulk to save money. Prepared foods offer the ultimate in dieting convenience. They will cost you more, but for the time-challenged dieter with no time to cook, weigh and measure, the convenience is well worth the price.
If you are looking for more health tips like these, be sure to pick up a copy of eDiets Weight Loss Solutions, which is now available in hardcover. This remarkable publication from the No. 1 diet and nutrition Web site in collaboration with Time Home Entertainment is an invaluable resource for anyone trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Instead of reading through every diet book on the best-seller list, eDiets Weight Loss Solutions and Daily Progress Journal helps you take an in-depth look at many of the most popular diets on the market today, including the hot GI Diet, Bill Phillips’ Eating For Life, the New Mediterranean Diet, The Blood Type Diet, the Atkins Nutritional Approach and the eDiets.com Weight Loss Plan.
The book can also help you find a plan that addresses your specific health concerns, such as the Living With Diabetes plan, the Heart Smart plan, the Cholesterol Lowering plan or many others. And, no matter what plan you choose, the book includes a healthy selection of the most popular recipes, such as beef kabobs, herbed grilled chicken, garlic scallops, salmon couscous salad, Mediterranean seafood pasta and spinach chickpea salad.
Best of all, eDiets Weight Loss Solutions is really three books in one. The eDiets experts also provide you with all the information you need to find a workout program that is just right for your level of fitness. They even include motivation boosters to help you stay focused on the journey to better health. Whether you’ve had problems finding the right diet, getting fit or staying motivated, this book has all the Solutions you’ve been looking for!
Other great features in this book include:
The newest version of this book even includes a personal 30-day journal. Start the journey to a healthy new you by picking up a copy of eDiets Weight Loss Solutions. Read this book and then write your own success story.
We've got more great ways for you to eat healthy and lose weight. To get started, click here and fill out a free diet profile.
posted by Tanya @ 8:34 AM
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