The overweight is a ubiquitous problem nowadays. According to a survey in 2016, about 39% of adults are overweight. In the US, 99 million people are overweight. Research suggests that almost half of the American population attempt diet plans for weight loss every year (Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2018). You can manage your weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle and changing your diet. There are many dieting plans available, and everyone is confused about which is more healthy, effective, and sustainable to lose weight.
In this article, we present some best dieting plans that work effectively for your weight loss.
WEIGHT LOSS WITH A HEALTHY DIET
There are numerous healthy diets options available for you. But the question arises; can just healthy diets help you lose weight? And the answer is, it depends. Your weight gain and weight loss depend on your calories intake and burn. If you want to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take.
There is a list of healthy foods which can help you with weight loss.
Leafy vegetables
Whole eggs
Salmon
Chicken
Root vegetables
Legumes and beans
Tuna
BEST DIET PLANS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
LOW FATS DIET
Low fats dieting type is the most popular type of dieting used traditionally. A Low-fats diet is one of the most efficient dieting types, which helps significant weight loss for your body.
There are high carbs and glucose in a low-fat diet than in other diets, such as the low-carb keto diet. Plants-based food is frequently recommended in low-fat dieting types.
In low fats diet, 30% of calories are restricted. In Ultra-low-fat diets, you can only uptake less than 10% of the calories from fats. In low fats diet, you will obtain 80% calories from carbohydrates, and the other 10% calories come from proteins.
A research study was conducted on 73,500 participants. They were brought on a low-fat diet. According to 33 studies, low-fat dieting causes minimum changes in weight loss and belly fat. But the changes were seen later, and this diet has become more effective today. (Deirdre K Tobias 1, 2015)
Best low-fat food that healthy people must consider:
Whole grains (rice, bread, oats, etc.)
Low fats meet (white fish, skinless chicken, and turkey)
Sweet potatoes
Fruits
Beans and legumes
Leafy greens
Garlic
Mushrooms
Cruciferous vegetables
Skimmed milk
Cheese and yogurt
LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET
Restriction of carbohydrates intakes cause weight loss. Glucose is the primary energy source for body cells. When you consume low-carbs, your body starts burning fats instead of glucose to get energy. Low carbs high fats LCHF is the food containing very low carbs amount which helps you decrease weight automatically. You do not have to restrict calories from fats and protein in this food type. The ketogenic diet is the best example of low-crabs food. Low-carbohydrate foods are:
Fishes and shellfish
Eggs
Meat
Dairy products
Berries, apples, and strawberries
Nuts and seeds
Nuts butter
Cauliflower and broccoli.
Pork
Oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil
VERY LOW-CALORIE DIET
Very Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD) is the dieting plan that helps you lose 3-5 pounds in a week. In this dieting type, you can only consume about 800 calories maximum. During VLDC, you replace regular food with low-calorie food such as shakes, soups, protein bars, formulas, etc. Best VLCD meals include:
Easy chicken mole
Broad beans smashed with toast
Lentil soups
Sugar snap peas
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Spinach
Turnips
Strawberries.
Tuscan port steaks
Caulis rice and vegan fajita
KETOGENIC DIET
Of all other dieting types, people attempt ketogenic or keto diet help weight loss more effectively. It contains low carbs, high protein, and fats. Carbs are restricted on keto. When all glucose (the primary energy source of cells) in the body is depleted, your body starts producing ketones in the liver. Ketones are made from fats you consume from food and your body fats. Hence, your body cells use fats as a significant energy source instead of glucose. There is no calories restriction, and you can eat significant fats until you are full. The Keto diet has other health benefits, such as it prevents heart problems, diabetes, and cancer. Low-carb diets also improve blood sugar and insulin level in type 2 diabetic patients and reduce blood pressure. (T Hu 1, 2014) Foods to eat on a keto
Fish and seafood
Low-carb Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables
High fats veggies
Keto-friendly Cheese.
Nuts and seeds
Avocados
Keto-friendly protein bars
Cocoa powder and dark chocolate
Unsweetened tea and coffee
Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese
Simple yogurt
Keto-friendly plant-based milk such as coconut milk, oat milk,
Meat and poultry.
Eggs.
Nuts, seeds, and healthful oils.
Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese
ATKINS DIET
In this diet, net carbohydrates are restricted. It is the same as the keto diet, but the difference is in Atkins; your carbs intake is increased gradually.
You can lose 6-15 pounds weight in only a few weeks which means you lose 3 pounds in a week.
According to a research review of 53 studies made on 68,128 participants, a low carb diet results in more weight loss than people who choose a fats diet (Deirdre K Tobias 1, Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 2015).
Another study shows, Low carbs diet such as Atkins or keto diet is more beneficial to shedding stubborn belly fats (Barbara A Gower 1, 2014).
Atkin diet is very beneficial for overall health. It improves metabolic problems, cardiac disease, and high blood pressure.
During the Atkin diet, you should base your diet around the following food:
Meats such as lamb, bacon, chicken, pork, and beef
Seafood: fishes, trout, salmons, mackerel, and sardines
Low carbohydrates vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, and kale
Low crab eggs
DASH DIET
Beyond reducing blood pressure, the dash diet has several health benefits. According to a meta-analysis, the dash diet helps weight loss.
It is one of the best overall diets, which has no.1 rank in healthy eating. In two weeks, you can lose your weight up to 8 pounds. It is the best dieting option for people with high BP, weight, and cardiac problems.
The best Dash diet for you is
Eggs
Whole grains and legumes
Low fats dairy
Nuts
Lean meat
Yoghurt
Oats
Fruits and veggies
VEGETARIANISM
Being vegetarian is not primarily a weight loss diet; it is a healthy choice for your better lifestyle. However, the research has proved that people who eat only plant food are generally leaner than non-vegetarians. If your diet is whole plant-based, you can lose up to 2-3 pounds of weight in a week. The perfect Vegetarian diet includes
Grains, pulses, seeds, and nuts
Vegetables and fruits
Eggs
Dairy products
Cheese (vegetable rennet)
VEGANISM
Vegans-based diet is the best secret to weight loss. Vegans only eat whole-plant-based food. Vegan food has low calories and high nutrients. Vegan theory excludes meat, seafood, dairy, or eggs. Vegans shed pounds and reduce body fats even if they consume the same calories as non-vegetarians. On a vegan diet, you can lose 2-3 pounds in a week. A research review of 12 studies concluded that 1,151 people were allowed to eat food obtained from plants only; the research results showed they lost an average weight of about 4.4 pounds which is 2kg which was more weight loss than meat-eaters (10Trusted Source).
In another study, only diet-based people were examined. According to the results, they lost about 5.5 pounds (2.5kg) of weight more than vegetarians (Ru-Yi Huang 1 2 3, 2016). Plants-based diets are rich in fibers which also make you live longer. Studies revealed that vegans are less susceptible to heart problems, diabetes, or cancers. Vegans are more environmentally sensitive as compared to meat-eater (Peter Clarys 1, 2014). Foods healthy vegans must consider in their diet.
Vegetables and fruits
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains
Legumes
Nuts and nut butter
Chia seed, hemp, and flax
Seaweed and sprouts
Yeast
Fermented plants foodstuff
Calcium-rich vegan milk
INTERMITTENT FASTING
It is the type of dieting in which you are using a strategy of eating and fasting from time to time.
16/8 dieting
Various forms exist in intermitted fasting, and the most frequently used method is 16/8. This method involves eating for 8 hours and fasting for about 16 hours.
5:2 dieting
Another intermitted dieting plan is the 5:2 very famous method. In this dieting type, you can eat normal food five days a week and restrict your calories to about 500-600 for the other two days. During this type o fasting, you can lose up to 3-8% weight in just 3-24 weeks (Adrienne R Barnosky 1, 2014). You can reduce harmful belly fat by about 4-7% with intermitted fasting (Adrienne R Barnosky 1, Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention: a review of human findings, 2014). Another research confirmed that intermitted fasting helps burn body fats and preserves muscles. Intermitted fasting is excellent for metabolism improvement (Stephen D. Anton, 2017). There are several other benefits of Intermittent fasting, such as it has anti-aging properties. It improves brain health, and insulin sensitivity and has anti-inflammatory properties (Liaoliao Li 1, 2013).
THE PALEO DIET
The paleo diet involves eating the same food that your hunter-gatherer ancestors probably used to eat. According to this dieting theory, modern diseases are evolved due to the western diet.
Paleo diet theory describes that the human body is not evolved to digest dairy products, grains, and legumes.
This diet involves eating whole food.
According to the latest research, the paleo diet is very effective for shedding harmful belly weight.
14 people were made to eat a paleo diet for three weeks in research. The result shows that they lose up to 5.1 pounds (2.3 Kg). Their weight circumference was reduced significantly (M Osterdahl 1, 2008).
Studies also revealed that the paleo diet is more satisfying than other diets due to its higher protein content (Tommy Jönsson 1, 2013).
It has other health benefits such as it reduces high Blood pressure, improving heart health, and reducing triglyceride and cholesterol levels (Inge Boers 1, 2014).
The food includes in the paleo diet:
Fruits and vegetables
Lean meat
Seeds and nuts
A restrictive version of dairy products such as cheese
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
The Mediterranean diet is well known in Greece and Italy. The Mediterranean diet was explicitly designed to reduce the risk of heart attacks. But later, people started using this diet for weight loss (Katherine Esposito 1, 2010). In the Mediterranean diet, trans fats, red meat, added sugar, refined grains, and processed food are strictly prohibited. Nineteen studies were conducted on the Mediterranean diet, and the results show the average weight loss was 8.8 pounds which was greater than people who adopted a controlled diet (Katherine Esposito 1, Mediterranean diet and weight loss: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2010). Other health benefits of the Mediterranean diet involve it helping to reduce oxidative stress and combat inflammation. It reduces the risk factors of heart attacks and prevents premature death. The Mediterranean diet used by physically fit people include:
Vegetables
Fruits
Seafood
Eggs
Whole grains
Limited red meat
Nuts and seeds
Caution: Before starting your journey toward weight loss, you should talk to your doctor. They will recommend you the best dieting plan to drop pounds after checking your health history.
Conclusion
The above studies conclude that increased weight is the most common problem globally. The world’s overweight population percentage is 39%. In America, more than half population attempts dieting to shed weight. There are various dieting plans such as low-carb diet (e.g., ketogenic or Atkins diet), Low-fats diet, dash diet, vegetarian or veganism diet, paleo diet, and, the Mediterranean diet, which are scientifically proven to reduce overweight and obesity. Proper diet planning is recommended before adopting any diet type. It is good to see the doctor for further diet planning that fits best for your health for your weight loss.