Losing weight should start with a healthy diet plan. Many fad diets out there make claims of substantial weight loss within a relatively short period of time, but many of them limit essential nutrients such as carbohydrates or fats from your diet. A healthy diet is one that includes well-balanced meals consisting primarily of nutritionally dense foods rich in vitamins and nutrients.
MyPyramid
Created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the MyPyramid Plan is a way for people to get free, personalized diet recommendations based on the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans health report. This free online tool recommends the types/quantities of food you should be consuming, as well as the total number of calories you should be targeting each day to lose weight, based upon your age, gender, height, weight and current physical activity level. The types of food groups included in this plan are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy products and limited lean meats. Sugar, salt and fats are also limited in this diet plan, making the bulk of this diet's calorie content consist of nutritionally dense foods.
Vegetarian Diet
With the vegetarian lifestyle now being endorsed as a healthy way to live by multiple health agencies, such as the American Dietetic Association and Mayo Clinic, the meatless lifestyle has become increasingly popular for people looking to lose weight. The reason vegetarian diets are effective for weight loss is because most of the meals are low in calories and rich in vitamins and nutrients. Eating meat can add a substantial amount of calories to your diet, and many of these calories come from the fat content of meat.
Though the vegetarian lifestyle is an effective weight loss tool, it's important to focus on several vitamins and nutrients that are often lacking in a vegetarian's diet, according to Mayo Clinic. These include calcium, protein, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, omega-3 fatty acids, iron and iodine. By consuming an adequate amount of soy products, enriched cereals, leafy green vegetables, tofu, limited iodized salt and legumes, vegetarians can ensure that they're getting a healthy dose of each of these vitamins and nutrients. It's a good idea to consult your doctor or nutritionist before beginning a vegetarian diet.
DASH Diet
Although the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet was first created in an effort to lower the blood pressure of those with hypertension, it has also been shown to help people lose weight and burn fat. In fact, DashDiet.org claims that many participants experience 10 to 35 lbs. of weight loss within a few months of beginning the diet. The healthy eating plan has been endorsed by several health organizations, including the American Heart Association and the USDA. Based on an average 2,000-calorie a day diet plan, the DASH meal schedule includes seven to eight grains, four to five fruits, four to five vegetables, two to three low-fat or nonfat dairy, two or fewer lean meats, four to five servings per week of nuts/seeds/legumes and limited fats/sweets. This plan includes fiber-rich foods that keep you feeling full, which helps to control overeating throughout the day.
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