How many diet plans are there? Millions literally! So how do you know which diet plan is the right one for you?
First you have to know what your eating habits are? Do you like meat? Are you a pasta lover? How much will power do you have? Before you start any diet plan not only should you consult with your doctor but you need to know what you like and how you eat.
I challenge you to take a week and do some research online at all the different types of diet plans available. During this week write down everything you eat, yes I said everything; including all the add on?s such as creamer, sugar, mayonnaise, mustard etc etc. Write it all down so you can see the pattern to your eating habits.
Below are a couple popular diets plus the diet I created for myself that I find much easier to follow:
Atkins
Atkins diet is a low carb diet, perfect for you if you like eating a lot of meat and won?t miss pastas. The only drawback is that many of the foods you can eat actually are high fat foods. So you need to weigh, no pun intended, the benefits along with the high fat eating solutions to see if this is the diet for you. The Sonoma Diet
(The diet contains 3 phases).
Phase 1
Lasts 10 days and aims to curb specific food cravings. Note that unlike many other diets, this phase does not restrict carbohydrates but includes whole grain cereals and breads.
Phase 2
The primary weight loss phase. A broad range of foods, including wine and many fruits.
Phase 3
Once your ideal weight has been reached, this is the life-long maintenance phase. Draw Backs: do you enjoy eating Mediterranean foods? If you do this is the perfect diet for you.
The Low Fat Diet
I personally like the low fat diet, there may be a diet plan out there for this specific type of diet but this is the way I lose weight and to be honest it?s the easiest way to lose weight. When I need to lose weight and I just don?t feel like following a specific diet plan or spending all that money on new foods that are not in my house already I choose to count fat grams. I have read that to maintain your normal weight range you need to stay at around 30 grams of fat intake a day. So when I want to lose weight I go between 20-25 fat grams a day and increase my exercise workouts by one to two days a week.
For instance if I was exercising 3 times a week I go to 4-5 times a week, alternating with aerobic and weight training.
So for every food item I want to eat I read how much fat grams are in the food item. Then I write down the food item in a journal with the fat grams written right next to the food item. Once I have reached the 20-30 grams of fat for the day I start supplementing my foods with more fruits and vegetables.
For instance if I go out with friends to eat and we are eating pizza I know that I can have one slice of pizza and only have eaten about 15 grams of fat, so for the rest of the day I need to carefully monitor my fat intake. BUT I was still able to eat my favorite food with my friends.
This type of diet does take some time to get use to but after trying so many other diets I like the simplicity of just counting my fat grams and upping my exercise routine.
Here?s to your health.
