There are many diet plans to lose weight. The most common problem people face today is weight loss. Nearly everyone around is trying to lose weight by one means or another. The simplest method to lose weight is by making some diet changes.
But with a large number of diet plans available and the lack of knowledge about which one to choose, most people are always unsure if a particular diet plan will be effective for them or not. Different diet plan as based on different methodologies. Some try to restrict your huger while some restrict the intake of fats or carbs.
Quality of good diet plan to lose weight
A diet plan is said to be effective and suitable if its benefits go beyond just weight loss. Here are 5 best diet plans that are not effective but will also give you great health. For your convenience, we will list the benefits and also the downside of using that particular diet plan so you can easily assess which diet plan suits and find the best diet plan for weight loss.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a diet plan that periods of eating and fasting. This is a popular diet plans to lose weight. There are various methods of Intermittent fasting including 5:2 method and 16/8 method. Where 5:2 method restricts the calorie intake of calories to 500 to 600 twice in a week, 16/8 method permits the intake of calories in 8 hours per day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours.
Working: Intermittent fasting is a very simple method to control the intake of calories as it limits eating time. This can be helpful in weight loss unless you do not eat too much during the allowed eating times.
Benefits: Apart from weight loss other benefits that can be achieved with intermittent fasting are increased sensitivity to insulin, improvement in brain health, improved metabolism and anti-aging, etc.
Disadvantages: usually intermittent fasting shows good results and is safe for healthy adults. But it should not be practiced by people who are diabetic, feeding mothers, and people with low weight.
Weight loss: Studies have shown that if intermittent fasting is followed for 3-24 weeks there can be a reduction of 3-8% in weight. This method is extremely helpful for people trying to lose belly fat.
Vegan / Vegetarian diet plan
Vegan and vegetarian diet plan are two plant-based diet plan for weight loss. Both these diet plans restrain animal meat for health and environmental reasons.
Working: Where most of the vegetarian diet plans eliminate the use of meat, some also avoid the usage of eggs and dairy products. A vegan diet plan is a step further as they avoid the use of not only animal products but also any kind of animal-derived products like dairy, whey, gelatin, etc.
Benefits: Following plan based diets is seen to reduce the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and some kinds of cancers. These diet plans are also environment-friendly too.
Disadvantages: Even though the plan based diet plans are healthy, they still lack some essential nutrients like omega-3, calcium, Vitamin D, etc. that are only found in animal products.
Weight Loss: Various studies have shown that a plant-based diet is effective for weight loss. People following vegetarian or plant-based diets are seen to lose an average of 2 kg and those following vegan diets lost 2.5 kg of weight as compared to people following animal product diet. Due to the rich fiber components in plant-based diets, these are found to be effective in weight loss.
Low-carb diets
Most of the popular diets for weight loss are low-carb diets like Keto diet, Atkins diet, and High-fat diet. Some of these diet plans reduce the use of carbs to a great extent. Keto diet restricts the use of carbs to under 10% of total calories. Low-carb diet plans to lose weight are effective and realistic. They are easy to follow and can be sustainable for life.
Working: Low-carb diet restricts the intake of carbs and promotes the intake of fats and proteins. Most of these diets have high protein content based on the fact that proteins help to feel full for a longer time and so reduces intake of extra calories. Diets like keto make use of fatty acids for the body as an energy source than carbs.
Benefits: Researches show that low-carb diets can help to reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases. Type 2 diabetes patients have also seen good results for insulin levels and blood sugar levels.
Disadvantages: Low-carb diet, in some cases, is seen to raise the LDL level which is harmful to the body. Sometimes it is difficult to follow and can cause digestive disorders. In rare cases, a low-carb diet can also result in ketoacidosis which is a dangerous metabolic condition.
Weight Loss: In many cases, a low-carb diet has been seen as helpful in weight loss as compared to a low-fat diet. A low-carb diet is more effective to burn belly fat and aids weight loss faster.
The Paleo Diet
The paleo diet suggests that we eat the same kind of food that our ancestors used to eat. The theory behind this diet plan says that modern diseases are due to our western diet. It is further said that our body is not yet evolved to process grains, dairy, and legumes.
Working: Strict paleo diets suggest eating only whole foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meat and seeds and completely avoid any kind of processed food like grains, sugar, and dairy.
Benefits: Paleo diet are seen to reduce the risk factor of some heart diseases and also helps in lowering blood pressure and harmful cholesterol.
Disadvantages: Though this is a healthy diet plan, following this, we can miss out on nutrients that are found in dairy, grains, and legumes.
Weight Loss: many studies show that a paleo diet is quite helpful in weight loss and reduces belly fat. It says following a paleo diet for 3 weeks helps in reducing waist circumference by 1.5 cm. Due to high protein content, a paleo diet is also more fulfilling than low-fat diets.
Low-fat Diet
Some low-fat diets are also very popular for a long time. These diet plans to lose weight require a total change in the normal eating habits. Most of us are dependent on carbohydrate for energy . But, carbohydrate is one of the main source of energy that is known to accumulate fat in the body .
A low-fat diet restricts the intake of fats to 30% of the total daily calorie requirement of the body. Some ultra-low-fat diets limit the fat intake to under 10% of calories.
Working: Low-fat diet is based on the fact that per gram fat provides double the number of calories as compared to proteins and carbs. In Ultra-low-fat diets, 80% of the calories come from carbs and 10% from proteins and less than 10% from fats. This kind of diet is mainly plant-based and does not consume meat and animal products.
Benefits: Low-fat diets are helpful as they reduce the risk of stroke and heart diseases and also found helpful in diabetes.
Disadvantages: Limiting fats to a very low level can be harmful as fats are required by the body in the production of hormones, absorption of many nutrients and overall cell health.
Weight Loss: Low-fat diet has shown good results for people suffering from obesity. In an 8-week study of people consuming 7-14% of fat lost an average weight of 6.5 kg. Overall, a low-fat diet, being restrictive in calories can help in weight loss under controlled conditions.
These are some of the best weight loss diet plans that we have discussed above. Based on the benefits that they can bring and the help they provide to lose weight, you can find the plan that is best suitable for you.