How To Find Out If A Diet Plan Is Worth Buying?

The diet industry takes in over $40 billion every year, according to research posted by Colorado University. Among these moneymakers are legitimate diets, health care hoaxes and healthy but suboptimal eating plans. Since many diet plans can cost hundreds of dollars each month, it's important to know how to separate the good from the bad.

Step 1

Avoid diet plans that promise weight loss of over 3 to 5 lbs. per week. Health counselor Maya Paul notes that weight loss at this rate is unsustainable and can be unhealthy. At best, such diets promote weight loss at the risk of bad health. At worst, they are scams that draw customers in with outrageous claims.

Step 2

Compare the foods recommended in the diet plan to a healthy eating guide such as the USDA food pyramid, the superfoods prescription or the Harvard Food Pyramid. If they align, the diet plan is probably healthy. If the plan suggests eliminating or gorging on any specific food, it's probably illegitimate.

Step 3

Go online and search weight loss forums for people with personal experience with a particular diet plan. Although Internet forum posts tend to skew towards the negative, a lot of bad reviews is usually a bad sign. Be equally aware of overly complimentary reviews, as these may have been posted by shills on the payroll of the diet company.

Step 4

Compare the cost of the program to the value of the goods you get. For example, $200 is too expensive for a diet book, but $200 a month for a diet plan that includes shipping you meals is reasonable.

Step 5

Beware of diets that make hard-to-believe claims. No diet will allow you to lose weight while eating all the ice cream sundaes you want. No diet works best if you don't exercise at all. Like your grandmother always told you, if the diet sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Step 6

Find out if the plan has provisions for maintaining your weight once you've reached your goal. Although not necessarily a sign of an excellent program, the better programs include advice on lifelong healthy weight.