Diet To Follow To Lose Weight

When you are dieting, what you eat and what you do each day affect how much weight you lose. Choosing a diet that is most appropriate for your needs and lifestyle is necessary for you to meet your weight-loss goals.

Significance

A diet that will help you lose and keep off weight is one that fits your lifestyle. When you choose a diet, make sure you can follow it on a long-term basis. For example, a diet that requires eating fish twice per week isn't suitable for a person who doesn't like fish.

Identification

A diet that is suitable for healthy weight loss includes low- to moderate-calorie foods. The Food and Drug Administration says that 40 calories per serving are considered low, 100 calories are considered moderate, and 400 calories are considered high. Daily exercise, preferably 60 to 90 minutes daily, should also be a component of the diet program.

Types

There are three main types of weight-loss diets: prepackaged, diets that require you to cook your own foods and fad diets. Prepackaged food diets may seem like an easy way to lose weight, but you must decide if you are willing to continue purchasing these meals long-term--even into the maintenance phase of your program. Diets that require you to choose and cook your own foods can usually be followed long term because they reflect a lifestyle change instead of a temporary fix. Fad diets are those that don't include all the food groups. Some of these diets include weight-loss supplements. The American Heart Association recommends adopting a healthy diet instead of trying to lose weight with fad diets.

Time Frame

A diet should focus on a healthy rate of weight loss. To lose weight from fat, you should drop only one to two pounds per week. When you take off more than that, you may be losing water weight or muscle weight, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Considerations

How you prepare your foods is just as important as the foods you choose. Some cooking methods add fat and calories, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cooking methods that require a lot of salt, oil or butter generally aren't healthy, regardless of the foods you are preparing. For example, steamed or fresh squash is a healthy food choice, but if it is fried or sauteed in butter, it isn't a healthy choice because of the calories added by the cooking method.