Picking The Perfect Diet For You

There are so many different diets out there anymore.  And it seems like every year there is a new popular one to try and follow.  How do you know if a diet is right for you? Have you tried a diet or two with no luck sticking to it? Finding the right diet for yourself can be tricky.  There are so many out there and just because there is a book about a diet doesn’t mean it’s a healthy choice for yourself.

There are a lot of things to consider when picking a diet. 

 

The first question you want to start with is what kind of diet are you looking for.  Are you looking for a weight loss diet, muscle gain, low sugar, vegetarian, or low carb diet? Once you know what kind of diet you want then you have to do the research of which one from that category. 

After you figure out what kind of diet you want to do then you need to make a budget. Figure out how much money you have to spend on the diet. Or if the diet calls for specialty foods or shakes that can be pricey sometimes. 

When picking a diet another important thing to look at is does it have you eating food that you like? You do not want to start a diet that has main foods that you don’t like, that is a sure fire way for you to give up.

Also make sure that it follows your lifestyle.  Meaning that if you only have time to eat three meals a day, don’t try and pick a diet that has you eating five or six times a day. That will just lead you frustrated and hungry. Being hungry on a diet is never a good thing, so make sure you aren’t starving yourself while on a diet.  After you see if it follows your eating habits already also check to see how much time will need to go into meal prepping. Or if there is meal prepping at all.  

The biggest part that goes into dieting is your mentality.  Meaning that when you are dieting food is the main focus. You are constantly thinking about it.  What’s the next meal, have I missed a meal, or snack, am I supposed to eat this, how many calories are in this etc.  If you aren’t prepared mentally for it, it will make it hard to stick with and stay on track. If you need it, get an accountability partner.  Someone who will encourage you and keep you on track through your diet.

Some diets will restrict certain foods, like low carb diets will have you cut out certain carbs altogether, make sure that you are ok with whatever the diet is asking you to cut out.   A very hard thing in dieting is to restrict yourself from eating something, it can heighten cravings and if you aren’t prepared to walk away from the craving it can lead to overeating. Some diets though will have you cut out certain foods but give you suggestions for replacements.  When picking a diet make sure you play to your strengths as well. Do you like a structured diet course where everything is laid out for you? Or would you rather prefer a more flexible plan?  

A successful diet will focus on water and high fibers.  The water and high fiber foods will help you stay feeling fuller longer.  There is nothing worse than being on a diet and feeling hungry.

Make sure you take into account any health conditions that you may have.  Such as diabetes, or high blood pressure. Some diets may not be suitable for you if you have these conditions. Speak with your doctor if you have any questions. 

With any diet you will want to add exercise to your daily routine as well. You can not expect success from just a food diet. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle means adding in exercise.  The key to weight loss is less calories in than calories burned in a day. Even if you aren’t doing a diet where you count calories whoever made the diet eating plan will know if you follow the exercise it asks for and eat the meals like it says you will be consuming less than you are burning in a day. 

 

Here are some popular diets:

 

The Balanced Diet Plan:  this can be a diet plan that’s goal is to change your daily eating into a healthy long lasting lifestyle.  There are no foods off limits in these plans, just shows you how to have things in moderation. It will help you get all the nutrients you need in a day and eat from all the food groups.  This is a very nutritionally balanced diet.  

 

High Protein Diet: this diet is not flexible.  It has rigid instructions that you are supposed to follow for the diet to work.  Some will have you stick to lean meats and dairy mostly. Some will add in vegetables as well to make sure you get needed nutrients.  Foods will be eliminated or cut out of your diet during this diet. Such as carbohydrates. This can be used as a weight loss technique or even a muscle building diet.  This is usually not a diet that you will follow for always. It will be utilized during a specific time but is harder to follow as a normal lifestyle.  

 

Low Carb Diet: this diet is not flexible.  It will eliminate carbs only leaving a tiny amount to be consumed on a daily basis.  These diets were very popular a few years back. They are also hard to continue as a lifestyle unless you can eliminate carbs in total.  

 

Meal Replacement Diets:  These are diets that substitute a meal with a shake or a bar.  It has not been shown to be extremely healthy to use meal replacers but lots of diets utilize this.  This can help you lose weight fast and can be used as a lifestyle change. The only problem with some of these meal replacers is that they can be rather expensive.  So cost overall may become a factor if you cannot afford to keep ordering more shakes or bars.  

 

Low Calorie Diet:  This is when you are counting calories for everything.  The diet will have you stay under a certain amount of calories daily.  This can be hard and restricting on how you manage your calories, but it usually doesn’t cut out foods.  Showing you how to be mindful of what you eat and eating things in moderation. This is not supposed to be used as a long lasting thing.  Usually used when you need to drop a few pounds quickly. 

 

Just remember gradual weight loss is healthier than sudden weight loss.  This can take time, and it can feel frustrating when you aren’t seeing results.  Make sure you stay with it. It can lead to a happier healthier life for yourself.  Eventually some diets are just training tools to get you to eat healthy and balanced on a daily habit.  Finding the right diet will help you with the yo-yo effect. Where you lose weight for a bit, lose track and end up gaining more than when you started.  You can talk with your doctor for suggestions they may have on what is the best diet for you. Don’t forget that diet and healthy living doesn’t start and stop with food, it is also about the physical exercise you choose to do daily as well.  


When picking a diet make sure you play to your strengths as well. Do you like a structured diet course where everything is laid out for you? Or would you rather prefer a more flexible plan?  

Sources:
mayoclinic.org
webmd.com


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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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