Best Diet for Weight Loss
Losing weight often requires a lot of changes to one’s lifestyle. Exercising more and adhering to a healthy sleep schedule can both help regulate your weight properly. However, dietary changes are one of the main factors when it comes to shedding some weight.
In this article we will talk about some tips for losing weight as well as how to find the best diet for weight loss for you.
Types of Diets for Weight Loss
There are a wide variety of dietary changes one can make to lose weight. Some diets require you to eat more of a certain food while others require you to decrease your intake of certain foods. Before making any drastic dietary changes it may be best to consult with your doctor first.
Three Useful Diets
While there are plenty of dietary options one can choose from, we’re mainly going to focus on some of the more popular ones geared toward losing weight.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a very popular way to lose weight. If you’re on an intermittent fasting diet, you cycle through times where you’re fasting and times where you’re eating. There are different forms of intermittent fasting.
Some of them include only being able to eat during an eight-hour window and others are geared toward reducing the number of calories you consume twice a week (a couple of days during the week you may limit your consumption to 500 to 600 calories). Regardless of which method you choose, in order to lose weight, you’ll have to ensure that you are not eating too much during the time you’re supposed to eat.
According to Healthline, “In a review of studies, intermittent fasting was shown to cause 3% to 8% weight loss over three to 24 weeks, which is a significantly greater percentage than other methods."
It’s also been shown to reduce waist circumference as well by 4% to 7%. Intermittent fasting increases the amount of fat you’re able to burn while also preserving muscle. Intermittent fasting is safe for the vast majority of healthy adults. With that being said, if you have diabetes, if you’re pregnant, or if you have an eating disorder, it’s imperative to speak with your doctor before pursuing an intermittent fasting diet.
Vegetarianism and Veganism
Vegetarianism and veganism are also dietary options one may consider when trying to lose weight. These involve the removal of meat from your diet. However, vegans actually cut out all animal products from their diet (which includes milk and dairy).
Research has shown that both of these are effective strategies for weight loss. According to Healthline, “A review of 12 studies including 1,151 participants found that people on a plant-based diet lost an average of 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) more than those who included animal products."
Since these diets are rich in fiber they tend to help you stay full for a longer period of time. However, it is important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and iron when becoming a vegetarian or vegan.
Low-Carb Diets
Low-carb diets are also very popular. Low-carb diets consist of limiting your carbohydrate intake. Some of these diets include keto diets, the Atkins diet, and the low-carb, high-fat diet.
These diets are usually heavy with protein. With low-carb diets, your body burns fat as energy instead of carbohydrates. These diets result in higher rates of weight loss than diets geared toward low-fat. They are extremely effective at burning body fat.
What’s a Good Long-Term Diet Option for Weight Loss?
One of the most common diets for achieving long-term weight loss is the Atkins diet. This diet allows you to eat as much meat and fat as you’d like, however it is considered a low-carb diet so you limit your carb intake.
The increase in your intake of protein helps preserve and build muscle. As you get closer to your goal, you want to reintroduce healthy carbs back into your diet.
Losing weight over time tends to be healthier as well because it helps minimize the amount of muscle you may lose.
What’s a Good Short-Term Diet Option for Weight Loss?
Losing weight quickly can be more harmful to your health than helpful if done improperly. This is why the quickest ways to lose weight aren’t always the best.
Dietary plans where you cut back on starch and sugar are some of the most effective ways to lose weight quickly. These are the main culprits responsible for weight gain. Limiting or stopping your intake of these is imperative for losing weight.
When in doubt, consider reaching out to your doctor. They’ll be able to make sure your body is adapting well to any dietary changes.
Losing Weight
While dieting is extremely important, to achieve the weight loss you must combine it with proper sleeping patterns as well as a regular exercise routine. Working out at least three times a week with proper dieting helps with not only weight loss, but also with your overall mental and physical health.