With the multitude of fad diets and weight loss pills available today, it can be challenging to find a diet that fits your needs, keeps you healthy and helps you not only achieve your goals, but sustain your success. Choosing a healthy diet means finding one that will help you attain your desired weight loss, as well as provide you with a valuable source of healthy nutrients.
Step 1
Avoid very low calorie diets that have you cut your daily calories to 800 or less. Use low-calorie diets only if they are recommended by your doctor. An extreme reduction in calories can leave you feeling fatigued and lacking essential nutrients. Although you can achieve rapid weight loss on these kinds of diets, the weight loss generally results from loss of water weight and lean muscle mass, which can be unhealthy.
Step 2
Skip the diets that have you avoid specific foods for extended periods of time, such as carbohydrates. While some foods such as sugars and alcohol should be avoided, other foods, such as carbohydrates, are necessary and provide a valuable energy source. The key to eating foods such as carbohydrates is to choose healthier varieties, such as whole grains and fresh fruits.
Step 3
Consider whether the diet plan is supported by exercise. Exercise can considerably increase the amount of calories you burn, which is a necessary part of weight loss. Also, exercise is valuable for an overall healthy life; it can reduce your risk of any number of diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Pick a diet plan that encourages you to exercise.
Step 4
Compare your potential diets with diets you have tried before. Avoid diets that include things that you have disliked in the past and things that prompted you to quit the plan. Select a diet that appeals to what you enjoy eating. According to findings reported by the Harvard School of Public Health, by choosing a diet that fits with what you like to eat, you are more likely to stick with it and lose your excess weight.
Step 5
Look for diets that focus on long-term weight loss. Diets that focus on quick weight loss can be effective in the short-term, but, generally, they lack the ability to teach you how to maintain the weight loss. As such, you will likely regain the weight. Find a diet that teaches you how to adapt your eating habits and lose weight gradually at a rate of about a pound or two per week.
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