The best time to lose weight and improve your health is today.
We strive all the time to lose weight and get rid of unnecessary pounds on the scales. Such is our nature! Probably, every girl is like this: in winter we start the new year and plan to lose a couple of kilograms after the holidays, after that we select the ideal diet in order to get fit before summer, in spring we try to urgently lose weight in order to look beautiful on vacation and only the autumn period is a carefree time.
In search of the ideal diet for weight loss, we have tried many different diets, evaluated their effectiveness and impact on our health, and are ready to voice our top 5 diets that not only help us to lose extra pounds and do not injure our health, but are also delicious.
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a dietary strategy that involves specific meals and fasting. There are several types of fasting, depending on your stamina and goals. The most common type is 16/8, which involves no calorie intake for 16 hours, leaving 8 hours for food. You can also use the 5: 2 method – this is a more simplified version and involves limiting to 500 calories two days a week.
Such a diet can lead to significant weight loss if you do not overeat calories at the time allowed.
A review of several studies found that intermittent fasting caused 3–8% weight loss over 3–24 weeks, significantly higher than with other methods. The same review found that eating in this way can reduce waist circumference by 4-7%. Other studies have shown that intermittent fasting can increase fat burning while maintaining muscle mass, which improves metabolism.
In general, this type of diet is suitable for everyone, although the exceptions are people with diabetes, an eating disorder, and pregnant and lactating mothers.
Plant based diets
Plant-based diets are becoming more and more popular and they have a positive effect on our health and appearance. Plus, veganism and vegetarianism are invested in the concept of conscious consumption and ethical treatment of animals.The vegan diet goes further – it limits all animal foods, as well as dairy, gelatin, honey, whey, casein, and albumin.
There is also a Flexitarian diet, which is a plant-based diet, but the consumption of animal products in moderation is allowed.
Whichever option you choose, a plant-based diet does not harm our body. And you will be pleasantly surprised how many interesting and nutritious dishes can be prepared from fruits and vegetables without including meat and other animal products. Plant-based diets promote weight loss because they are rich in fiber, which can help you stay full longer, and are low in high-calorie fat.
Low carb diets
Low carb diets are some of the most popular weight loss diets. The diet is based on the reduction of carbohydrates in favor of protein and fat. Protein can help curb appetite, boost metabolism, and maintain muscle mass. In very low carbohydrate diets like keto, your body starts using fatty acids rather than carbohydrates for energy, converting them into ketones. This process is called ketosis and is more effective in fighting excess weight.
Research also shows that a low-carb diet can lower risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and blood pressure. They can also improve blood sugar and insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Paleo diet
Another type of diet you should pay attention to is the paleo diet. Its essence lies in the consuming food that has not undergone heat treatment, or, more simply,only fresh food. Choose organic fruits and vegetables, choose meat without antibiotics, and limit your intake of processed foods such as grains, sugar, and milk.
Numerous studies have shown that the paleo diet can help you lose weight and reduce belly fat. For example, in one 3-week study, 14 healthy adults on the paleo diet lost an average of 5 lbs.
By choosing this diet, you will not only decrease the indicator on the scales, but also improve your health, and by the way, you’ll go to the “green side”.
Mediterranean diet
Originally developed to reduce cardiovascular disease, this diet has also shown positive dynamics in terms of weight loss.
The Mediterranean diet recommends eating lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, fish, seafood, and extra virgin olive oil. Foods such as poultry, eggs and dairy products should be consumed in moderation. Meanwhile, the amount of red meat is limited. In addition, the Mediterranean diet limits the intake of refined oils, trans fats, processed meats, added sugar, and other highly processed foods.
If you decide to go on a diet, then test one of these from our top. We are sure that you will be satisfied with the result.
