About 95% of Americans think about managing their weight at any given time, according to a recent report from a California-based market research firm, and more than a quarter of adults consider it a personal priority. If you are considering a weight loss program to support your goals, there are a few factors to consider and tips to increase your chances of success.
The best diet programs for weight loss:
- WW (Weight Watchers): According to US News & World Report 2020 Best Diets, WW (Weight Watchers) is the best “commercial” diet plan for weight loss. Specialists in nutrition, diabetes and heart disease think the plan is the easiest way to lose weight, and they consider WW’s eating principles to be healthy and wholesome. Experts also believe that it is one of the most effective weight loss plans for short and long term results.
- Name: An app-based weight loss program, Noom, deserves praise for helping users change their behavior. However, experts are concerned that the amount of detection required by the program could be exhausting.
- Jenny Craig: This can work if you want help in the form of pre-packaged meals delivered to your home. These meals are supplemented with fruits, vegetables and dairy products (or their equivalents) so that the diet provides a good point for health. However, once you fend off their packaged meals, experts think that weight gain is a serious possibility.
- Flexible diet: According to US News, the best diet to lose weight is not a commercial program; it’s the flexible diet, based on the book by registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner. The emphasis on the flexible diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins makes it an outstanding nutritional value. And it happens to be the best weight loss, as it contains more fiber and fewer calories per bite, so you can eat filling portions while lowering your overall calorie intake.
Do you need to follow a weight loss program?
There is no best way to lose weight, but what all the weight loss plans have in common is that it has a calorie deficit, which means that you will eat fewer calories than you ate before, or that you will lose the amount of calories what you burn increases. , or a combination of the two.
Instead of concentrating on the macronutrient breakdown of a plan (for example, protein rich or low fat), it is better to consider a plan that matches your needs, as compliance is the main cause of weight loss. For example, if you eat out or travel regularly, a weight loss program, such as Jenny Craig, which emphasizes pre-packaged meals and greatly limits these activities, will not work best. Here are ten additional questions to ask yourself to narrow down the best diet plan for your needs:
- How much cooking are you willing to do, and does the required cooking suit your skill level?
- Does the diet eliminate any food groups, and if so, is it an eating pattern you can maintain? Think beyond the first few months and imagine that you will eat and eat like that for the next few years.
- Are you looking for a weight loss meal plan that guides you through breakfast, lunch and dinner or one that offers general advice?
- What are the costs involved? Consider the cost of the weight loss program itself, as well as the requirements for specific foods. A weight loss plan that emphasizes plant foods will be cheaper than one that contains meat.
- What is the time commitment outside of cooking or planning meals? Do you have to attend weekly meetings or find your food? Is the time required for you realistic?
- What type of support is built into the plan and does the support match your personal needs? For example, if all the support is text-based and you do not want to be connected to your phone, this may not be the right fit for you.
- Does the plan teach you how to change your behavior? Unless a weight loss plan addresses behavior change, it is difficult to achieve any results.
- Does the diet plan address your health problems? Say you have type 2 diabetes: will you learn the right eating strategies to manage your condition?
- Can the plan accommodate your dietary restrictions? For example, if you are a vegetarian or follow a gluten-free diet, can you find enough variety between what is on offer, or is it an added challenge?
- How does the weight loss plan address exercise and are the activity recommendations feasible for you?
In addition to these questions, it is also worth considering what (if anything) has worked for you in the past and when and why it stopped working. You may have successfully lost weight on a program, but you have changed jobs or undergone an outline that has hampered your ability to lose weight. Were there any elements you liked about the program? If so, you may want to re-enroll or find another weight loss plan that will help you get involved in the strategies again.
Maintenance is the key to long-term success
It is not surprising that it is easier to lose weight than to keep the extra pounds off. Despite the challenge, there are things you can do to improve your chances of success. Here are the factors that help.
- Follow the weight loss plan. Keeping the weight off depends on how well you stick to the program, which includes the diet plan, as well as attending group meetings (if offered), food tracking, and so on.
- Track what you eat and what you weigh. Numerous studies have linked these methods of self-monitoring to weight loss.
- Set SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. An example of such a goal is to try a new vegetable side dish twice a week.
- Develop a weight loss mindset. It involves replacing negative, self-limiting beliefs with more useful thoughts. Research suggests that self-pity increases motivation and resilience, and it can help you adhere to a healthier diet.
- Reduce the time you spend on sedentary activities, like watching TV.
- Spend about an hour a day on something physical. Step fits the bill. Not sure how to get started? Check out TODAY’s 31-day hiking plan.