Choosing the best weight-loss plan from the wide variety out there involves finding one that is safe. To lose 1 lb. of fat in a week, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume, according to FamilyDoctor.org. This is achievable by cutting 500 calories out of your normal daily caloric intake. To lose weight faster, you will need to burn additional calories by exercising daily. FamilyDoctor.org suggests a healthy and safe weight-loss goal of 2 lbs. per week. Any more than that usually means you are losing lean muscle mass and water weight.
Eat Clean Diet
Weight-loss programs that promote eating clean foods that are in their natural states and not processed or refined claim that you can eat more, stay full, keep your metabolism higher and have more energy. Tosca Reno, author of "The Eat Clean Diet," suggests eating lean proteins such as fish, lean beef, turkey, chicken and tofu, complex carbohydrates such as steel-cut oatmeal, brown and wild rice, whole grain pasta, bread and cereal and fresh fruit and vegetables for rapid weight loss. Reno also encourages eating the right amount of essential fatty acids such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds and flaxseed oil to help cravings and keep your metabolism high. On this type of diet, you will eat five to six small meals a day with no actual calorie restrictions.
Low-Calorie Diets
This type of weight-loss plan suggests eating a healthy, balanced diet with lower daily calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest eating a larger amount of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products, a moderate amount of lean beef, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and beans and very little saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sugar and sodium. This type of diet suggests eating three meals a day with two snacks, keeping your calorie content low for weight loss.
The American Heart Association recommends women between the ages of 31 and 50 that are sedentary eat 1,800 calories daily and that men between the ages of 31 and 50 who are sedentary eat 2,200 calories daily for weight maintenance. To lose weight, cut this amount by 500 calories daily.
Mediterranean-Style Diet
The Mediterranean-style diet recommends eating foods that are high in monounsaturated fatty acids for rapid weight loss. Monounsaturated fatty acids, often referred to as MUFAs, can help reduce and prevent belly fat, according to the "Journal of Diabetes Care." MUFA-rich foods such as olives, avocados, olive oil, sunflower oil, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds and dark chocolate should be eaten with every meal in a small quantity for fat-burning benefits. "Flat Belly Diet" author Liz Vaccariello recommends eating four 400-calorie meals throughout your day. Each should include one small portion of a MUFA to burn fat without a single sit-up.
References
- FamilyDoctor.org: What it Takes to Lose Weight
- "The Eat Clean Diet;"Tosca Reno; 2008
- Center for Disease Control: Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight
- American Heart Association: Know How Many Calories You Should Eat
- "Journal of Diabetes Care"; Monounsaturated Fat--Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution; Juan A. Paniagua González et al; March 2007
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