All healthy diets follow the same basic principle. You must eat healthy foods in modest quantities and get more exercise. You will shed pounds if you cut down on your calories and burn more of them off. Many plans will limit your calorie intake and encourage you to exercise, but they might not work for you because they don't fit into your lifestyle. Help Guide, a nonprofit health and lifestyle organization, says that the best diet plan is one you can incorporate into your life permanently so you will lose weight and keep it off.
Step 1
Choose a diet plan that will not make you feel hungry between meals. You'll be more likely to slip and eat unhealthy snacks if you don't feel full from one meal to the next. Some diet plans advocate eating five or six small meals instead of three large ones. These plans may work well for you if you tend to be tempted by between-meal snacks.
Step 2
Select a plan that lets you eat a wide variety of foods. Many fad diets focus on certain foods or restrict you too heavily. For example, the Atkins diet focuses on protein and excludes carbohydrates. Help Guide says this can get boring for many people. They crave the restricted foods and eventually drop off the diet because of the limitations. Choose a diet that is more focused on portion control than dietary restrictions.
Step 3
Choose a diet plan that allows you to make mistakes. Some plans require you to start from the beginning if you make a slip. Some of the best plans often let you immediately pick up the diet again. This will let you focus on the plan instead of beating yourself up for slipping.
Step 4
Select a diet plan that uses foods you can eat for the rest of your life. Some diets utilize pre-packaged foods that you purchase from a specific vendor. You may have problems adapting when you reach your weight loss goal and have to start preparing your own foods. The best diet plans teach you habits you can maintain for the rest of your life.
Step 5
Choose a diet plan that includes a reasonable amount of exercise. The exercise should be realistic. You should be able to easily fit it into your daily routine. This is easiest if it includes things like walking and biking that don't require classes or specialized equipment.
Tips and Warnings
- You can create your own diet plan that is focused around your specific needs and lifestyle. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to help you develop a custom plan.
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