Diets can be frustrating, since it is often difficult to determine the essential aspects of dieting -- especially given conflicting dietary concepts from commercial "fad diets" that inundate the public consciousness. However, it you're looking to lose excess fat weight or simply incorporate a healthy diet into your lifestyle, a few simple basics may help you achieve your goals.
Calories
Calories are a measurement of food energy that your body uses for fuel. A healthy diet involves tipping the scale of your weekly caloric balance to consume roughly 500 to 1,000 fewer calories to achieve a healthy weight loss rate of one to two pounds per week.
Foods for Dieting
You don't have to starve while you diet -- on the contrary, you can eat more foods that are healthy choices. Foods such as whole grains, raw vegetables, lean red meat, beans, and fresh fruit are crucial to any diet. These foods are nutritious, as well as filling.
Diet Pills
Although your doctor can prescribe certain medications to help you with dieting, the rows of diet pills lining most pharmacy shelves are not magic bullets. Many commercially available diet pills contain excessive caffeine, which can make you feel lightheaded and jittery.
Fad Diets
One key way to identify a fad diet is to look for promises of rapid, extreme weight loss, reports the University of Colorado at Boulder. The claims are often wildly exaggerated and the diets may be harmful.
Dieting Goals
Be realistic when dieting -- losing more than one to two pounds a week can be unhealthy unless your doctor instructs you otherwise. Dieting goals should focus, not only on weight loss, but also on changing your eating habits over the long-term for better health.
BMI and Dieting
The Body Mass Index -- or BMI -- is a vital tool in determining how much weight you need to lose through dieting. Get a measurement of your height in inches and your weight in pounds, and see the Resources section below to calculate your BMI.
Meals
Cutting meals is not helpful for dieting, since your body needs to maintain its metabolism to keep burning calories and keep you energized throughout your day. Breakfast is especially important, since it kick-starts your metabolism. Also, keep your metabolism burning by consuming smaller portions at meals and snacking regularly on low-calorie foods.
Water
Drinking plenty of water is key to dieting, and replacing sugary soft drinks and caffeinated beverages with water will keep you hydrated and help your body flush the fat. A simple, convenient way to ensure that you're drinking enough water is to purchase a reusable water container that you can take with you wherever you go.
Exercise
Dieting is simply not enough if you want to lose weight. Exercising from sixty to ninety minutes a day on most days of the week is integral in helping your diet along, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Your Doctor
When in doubt about the diet that is right for you, talk to your personal or family physician. She will take into account any needs specific to you, and may refer you to a dietitian in order to craft a healthy, personalized dieting experience just for you.
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