Good Diets to Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight, it can be helpful to turn to a diet plan to help you determine what to eat. While some people are successful by replacing the junk food in their diet with healthier fare, you may need more structure. There are many different diet plans, though, and it can be almost as difficult to choose the right one as it is to lose the weight. The following types of plans are good diets to lose weight.

Calorie-Counting Diets

In order to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Most diets focus on calorie reduction in some way or another, even though you may not be directly counting calories. Weight Watchers is a well-known diet plan that focuses on calorie counting through their Points system. You can also just keep a journal that tracks the amount of calories that you eat in a day. To find the most success with a calorie-counting diet, eat foods that are filling, yet low in calories. This helps to avoid hunger, which can lead to overeating. However, you can also plan to occasionally eat higher-calorie treats by reducing calories from another meal.

Low-Carb Diets

Low-carb diets, such as the Atkins or South Beach diet plans, attract people because they are allowed to eat high-fat foods, such as red meat, butter and cream, while still losing weight. These are foods that are usually forbidden or limited on other diets. When starting a low-carb diet, you must drastically reduce the carbohydrates you eat, including some healthy foods with carbohydrates such as whole wheat breads, brown rice and fruits. As you progress through the diet, you can reintroduce these foods into your diet. In order to maintain weight loss, you should continue to follow a low-carb eating plan. The Georgia Department of Community Health notes that it doesn't seem to be easier to maintain a low-carb diet than it is to maintain any other type of diet.

Vegetarian Diets

Switching to a vegetarian diet can also help you lose weight because it typically reduces your overall calorie consumption. Some vegetarians eat fish or dairy products, while others eat an entirely plant-based diet. Note that vegetarian diets are not necessarily healthy. Chips, cookies and candy are all vegetarian and are not appropriate foods when you are trying to lose weight. To be most successful on a vegetarian diet, you should focus your efforts on eating healthy vegetarian foods, such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains.