With so many diet plans available, it's difficult to know which diet is most effective. Your diet choice will vary, based on the type of foods you enjoy eating and your budget. Some diet plans require picking up low calorie food from your local grocery store, while others ship prepackaged food to your house. Selecting an exercise routine is also important to burning calories and losing weight.
Glycemic Index Diets
If you don't mind scaling back on carbohydrates, the glycemic index diet is an option. With this diet, a numerical value is assigned to each food. The higher the number, the less frequently you eat the food. This diet is based on the idea that eating fewer carbohydrates controls blood sugar levels. Preventing spikes in blood sugar assists with weight loss. Examples of glycemic index diets are the Zone Diet and Nutrisystem.
Low-Fat Diet
Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram; however, fat contains 9 calories per gram. A low-fat diet focuses on limiting calorie consumption by scaling back on fat. About 20 percent of daily calories come from fat with this diet. With this diet, you also need to focus on total calorie consumption. Eating too many low-fat or fat-free foods cause weight-gain as well. The Ornish diet is one low-fat diet option.
Meal Provider Diets
Meal provider diets ship prepackaged food to your doorstep. Eating this food and following the meal plan results in lower calorie and fat consumption. These plans are convenient; therefore, the cost is high. You also need to buy perishable items, like fruits and vegetables. With these diets, you either need to learn how to replicate the meals or use the meal delivery service indefinitely to maintain weight-loss. Examples of meal provider diets include Jenny Crag and Seattle Sutton.
Exercise for Weight-Loss
No matter which diet approach you select, an exercise program is recommended for weight-loss. At a minimum, you need two hours and 30 minutes of moderate activity weekly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moderate activity includes walking at a brisk pace, low-impact aerobics or riding a bicycle on a level surface.
Boost your weight-loss by selecting vigorous activities instead. You only need one hour and 15 minutes of this type of activity weekly. Activities such as jogging, running and jumping rope count as vigorous activity. You also need at least two sessions of strength training weekly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Target the major muscle groups; the legs, arms, abdominals and back.
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