To lose weight you need to consume less calories than you burn daily. Since individual metabolisms vary, there is no universal diet that will work for everyone. Successful weight loss comes from eating a healthful, well-balanced diet that is low in saturated fats, with an emphasis on what works best for your body--such as a higher protein than carbohydrate ratio or a higher carbohydrate than protein ratio.
Eating Clean
Diets that promote "eating clean" claim that avoiding processed and refined foods and eating foods in their more natural state increases your metabolism and energy for rapid weight loss without hunger. Tosca Reno, author of "The Eat Clean Diet" recommends eating five to six small meals a day, keeping your portions the size of your hand. Reno recommends lean proteins such as chicken, turkey, lean beef and fish; complex carbohydrates such as brown and wild rice, steel cut oatmeal, and whole grain pasta, cereal and bread; fresh fruits and vegetables; and essential fatty acids such as olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Diet
The lower calorie, low-fat diet suggests that lowering your fat intake will decrease your daily caloric intake for healthy weight loss. To lose 1 lb. you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume. You can lose a pound a week by cutting out 500 calories a day from your diet. The American Heart Association recommends eating a low-fat diet of three basic meals a day with two snacks, consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products for weight loss.
MUFA-Rich Diets
Diets that promote eating MUFA-rich foods claim that this type of diet will help you decrease weight, especially in your abdominal area. According to an article published in 2007 in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association, a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids--MUFAs--helps prevent and reduce belly fat. This type of diet has also been shown to reduce heart disease. This diet is simple to follow by adding a small serving of a MUFA to every meal such as 1/4 cup seeds; 1/4 cup 60-percent dark chocolate; 10 olives; 10 nuts such as almonds; or 1 tbsp. olive, flaxseed or sunflower oil.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Choosing the Right Diet to Lose Weight
- "The Eat Clean Diet"; Tosca Reno; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Counting Calories: Get Back to Weight Loss Basics
- American Heart Association: Quick Weight-Loss or Fad Diets
- "Diabetes Care"; Monounsaturated Fat--Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution; Juan A. Paniagua González et al; Mar. 2007
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