Any diet will work, says the Harvard School of Public Health, as long as the dieter is eating fewer calories than he needs. A healthy weight loss diet should include a variety of foods the dieter enjoys eating from each of the food groups. Some well-balanced free nutritional diet plans include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Plan, the Calorie Control Council's Calories Count and LIVESTRONG's The Daily Plate. Consult with a physician before staring any weight loss program.
USDA MyPyramid Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Plan is a tool designed to teach people the basics of good nutrition. Its recommendations are based on the most up-to-date scientific data linking good health and nutrition. The MyPyramid Plan creates a personalized diet based on a person's weight, height, age, sex and activity level. The plan includes estimated calorie needs and serving suggestions from each food group to meet dietary needs. MyPyramid also offers information on food serving sizes, best food choices from each group and healthiest methods of preparation. It even offers a food tracking program called the MyPyramid Tracker to assess nutritional quality of the dieter's intake.
Calories Count
The Calorie Control Council is a non-profit organization whose objective is to teach the public about low-calorie foods and eating. Calories Count is its free online diet program. The website's diet assessment tool determines the number of calories a person needs to lose weight; the food calorie calculator and online food diary helps the dieter count his intake. Calories Count also offers a number of weekly calorie-controlled sample meal plans that includes a grocery list and recipes. The website also offers information on healthy eating and exercise, and a calories-burned calculator.
The Daily Plate
The Daily Plate is another free online weight loss program. It is offered by LIVESTRONG. The website offers a tool to determine a dieter's calorie needs based on weight goal, whether to maintain current weight, lose or gain weight. Once calorie needs are known, the dieter can use the online food diary and fitness tools to track calories consumed and calories burned. In addition to providing calorie information, the online food diary also calculates fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, sugar, fiber, sodium and protein intake. The interactive site features a recipe development tool and meal ideas from other dieters.
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