In 2008, "Business Week" magazine reported that Americans spend $40 billion each year on dieting programs and products. While dieting can help you shed a few pounds quickly, most people regain the weight by not sticking with their diet. Today's diets offer healthy and sustainable ways to keep the pounds at bay. The healthiest way to shed weight quickly is to control your calorie intake, eat healthy-sized portions and exercise regularly. Among key suggestions from popular weight-loss plans are reducing your fat intake, avoiding foods high in sugar and eating more fiber.
Low-Carb Diets
Low-carb diets like Sugar Busters, The Zone and the Atkins diet work by limiting carbohydrates and increasing protein consumption. In 2008, Rowett Research Institute published a study indicating that in the short term, low-carb, high-protein diets are effective for losing weight quickly. According to the Mayo Clinic, carbs, including bread, grains, rice and starchy vegetables and fruit, convert into sugar. If you don't burn off carbs through exercise, the sugar, which should be used as energy, is converted into fat.
A typical low-carb, high-protein diet will consist of lean meats like poultry and fish; and non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, broccoli and carrots.
Low-GI Diets
The Glycemic Index Diet and Sugar Busters helps you lose weight by encouraging you to eat foods that rank low on the glycemic index (GI). In 2006, the "Archives of Internal Medicine" published an article by Jennie Brand-Miller that found that low-GI diets can help you lose weight quickly and significantly reduce your risk for developing heart disease.
The glycemic index ranks foods in terms of their impact on blood sugar level. Controlling blood sugar levels can help you lose weight. Low-GI foods are absorbed by the body more slowly, helping you to stay fuller longer.
Some recommended foods on a low-GI diet include lentil soup, lean-meat sandwiches on pita bread, pastas, chicken and fish, light yogurt, and steel-cut oatmeal.
Portion Size
Controlling calorie intake through portion size helps prevent weight gain, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Volumetrics Eating Plan and Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss work by controlling portion size and reducing hunger by eating foods like soup and salad before a large meal.
In 2005, the American Dietetic Association published an article by Barbara J. Rolls, who happens to be the creator of the Volumetrics diet plan, indicating that low-energy-dense diets work by lowering energy intake without reducing food volume, therefore staving off hunger and feelings of deprivation.
Structured Weight Loss Plan
The diet outlined by the NIH is easy to follow. You reduce your calorie intake and exercise regularly. The American Academy of Family Physicians explains that 1 lb. of fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories. So to lose about 1 to 2 lbs. a week, you need to create a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories each day. You can do this by eating fewer calories and exercising either five days a week doing 30 minutes of moderate cardio or three days a week doing intense cardio.
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