Simple and Inexpensive Diets

Simple and Inexpensive Diets
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A weight-loss diet does not need to be complicated or require you to purchase expensive food and supplements to work. In fact, you will probably have more success losing weight and keeping it off by finding a simple and inexpensive plan you can follow for the rest of your life.

MyPyramid Plan

The MyPyramid Plan is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and provides a simple guide to a healthy diet. The diet is low in fat and high in fiber and aimed at improving your weight and health. The MyPyramid Plan provides a free personalized diet based on your age, height, weight, sex and activity level. The diet includes calorie needs and serving suggestions from each food group. The plan includes tips on how to make healthy food choices and healthy methods of food preparation. The MyPyramid Plan also provides a free food diary to help you track your intake. Tracking your intake is a helpful weight-loss tool because it helps to make you more aware of what you are eating.

Calories Count

The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you are currently eating. Calories Count is a free online weight-management program that offers simple instructions and tools to help you track your calorie intake to help you get to your goal weight. Calories Count also determines your calorie needs for weight loss and provides an online food diary to help you track and count your calories. One of the pluses to following a calorie-counting diet is that you can continue to eat the foods you enjoy, but in smaller quantities, which can help save you money. Calories Count also offers free calorie-controlled sample menus, recipes and grocery lists to help make weight loss even easier.

TOPS

If you are looking for a more structured program that offers support, consider TOPS. TOPS, or Take Off Pounds Sensibly, is a nonprofit, group-based weight-management program that has been helping people lose weight since 1948, according to its website. There are fees, buts costs are minimal when compared to other group weight-loss programs. TOPS members meet weekly with their local chapters for private weigh-ins and an interactive discussion about healthy living and weight loss. TOPS uses the exchange diet to promote weight loss. On the exchange diet, you can eat a certain number of servings from each food group based on your calorie needs. TOPS also uses the plate method as a means to reduce calorie intake for weight loss. The plate method is a simple plan that uses the size of your plate as a guide for portion control.

References

Article reviewed by Pamela Goldstein Last updated on: Nov 22, 2010

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