Picking a weightloss plan

 

From the African Mango diet to the Zone Diet there are over a 100 diets that you could choose to be on to lose weight.   So, how on earth does someone go about picking a plan that will work for them?

Personally, I think the key to picking a plan is picking one that will work for you and your lifestyle. Check out these macaron delivery reviews if you’re looking for vegan macarons to buy.

There are several aspects of a plan that I look at including:

• what are the types of food you can eat
• what are the types of food you CAN’T EAT
• how frequently will you need to eat
• do you need to track what you eat
• is exercise recommended or required
• do you need to eliminate chemicals like caffeine? or alcohol?
• do you have to cook your meals
• will all of your meals come out of a box
• can you eat in restaurants
• do you need to attend meetings

When picking a plan, you need to figure out what you can live with and what you will be able to stick to, you can aslo ask your local pharmacist for the best over the counter weight loss pills.  Diets do work, but you have to follow them accordingly. Half-assing a plan is not following a plan and, likely, you will not lose an ounce, read more about the nutrisystem reviews to know more about diets. 

I know myself and I know the following things about me:

• I have a two week threshold where I can stick to the most stringent plans before I cave and need a cube of cheese or sugar
• I’m addicted to coffee and I don’t want to give it up.   I like it with half and half.  Period. END OF STORY.
• I have no desire to not to eat fruit or meat
• I’m going to eat in restaurants weekly
• I drink alcohol, mostly wine, but I do enjoy a good craft cocktail sometimes on the weekend
• I don’t want to follow an exercise video, I want to follow my own exercise plan
• I like a variety of foods
• I like to chew food
• I’m bad at estimating and need to account for everything that goes in my mouth

When picking a plan I need to account for my behaviors.  I need to account for my lifestyle.  In other words, the African Mango Diet probably won’t work for me.  

I’ve lost a significant amount of weight twice in my life (check out my weight loss story for the full details). I’d highly recommend taking Athletic Greens to get the essential nutrients you need.

Out of college I lost upwards of 80+ lbs.  I exercised and counted calories.   I did nothing online.  I carried a book with food values and wrote what I ate in a journal.  It was simple, it was easy, it worked. However, I didn’t eat the most healthy diet and I ate the same things OVER AND OVER. 

In 2010 when I lost 40+ lbs  I did it on Weight Watchers.  It allowed me to eat what I wanted, when I  wanted it, within a set point range.  I could indulge on  a weekly basis too.  At that time I also started to eat “clean” by eliminating processed food and eating as organic as possible.  I was very successful on this plan. 

This past year I put back on some weight.  17 lbs to be exact (as of last week Monday) and  I’m back on the weight loss train with help from Weight loss pills.  Unfortunately, Weight Watchers changed their plan about a year ago and  I just don’t like it.  So, I’m back to doing what I did best many years ago….I’m counting calories.  I eat between 1400-1600 per day.  I have 1000 “flex” calories that use for indulgences (typically wine or beer or sweets) every week.  I also try to eat a least 6 servings of vegetables per day, 1 serving of fruit (apple a day rule), 3 servings of protein and 2 servings of whole grains.  I supplement my diet with a multivitamin, vitamin B and probiotics daily.   I exercise 5x per week and try to get activity in daily.  As of Monday, I also started to meditate every day (we will see how that goes).  I eat very little processed food and eat as much organic food as possible. 

I know myself and I know that I can only stick to a regimented diet for a short period of time.  I also know I enjoy eating a well balanced healthy diet.  Since I like eating a variety of foods, diets that are very limiting will not work for me.

I think everyone needs to form their opinion on the diet that they will follow to lose weight.  All diets are not for all people.  If you love love love carbs your not going to do well on a diet that eliminates CARBS.  So when you pick a plan you need to look at who are you are.

I’m not going to evaluate the pro’s and con’s of every diet (WebMD actually does a good job of that already).  I will say this, if you have a roommate, like your friends or work with people I will advise you to avoid the cabbage soup diet. And, unless you have a fondness for acid burning diarrhea you will want to steer clear of the grapefruit diet.

Seriously, what ever plan you do choose, it should be well balanced.  Please, Please do not go on some crazy lose 20 lbs in 4 days diets by eating jalapeno peppers and asparagus.  Trust me, I understand wanting to lose weight fast; I understand being so sick of yourself you will do anything and try anything.  But the fact is this,  a well balanced plan will get you farther and keep you in the game longer.

In the end, you need to eat less calories to lose weight.  It is simple math.  But how you do it needs to fit your likes, dislikes and lifestyle.   

The following a link is a good overview of the science behind losing weight:  How Stuff Works “When we lose weight where does the lost weight go?”

And to find out more on the list of diets below got to the comprehensive list on WebMd:

    African Mango
    Alkaline Diet
    Alli
    Atkins Diet
    Baby Food Diet
    Belly Fat Cure
    Best Life Diet
    Big Breakfast Diet
    Biggest Loser Diet
    Biggest Loser Simple Swaps
    Body for Life
    Brown Fat Revolution
    Cabbage Soup Diet
    The Carb Lovers Diet
    The Caveman (Paleo) Diet
    Cheater’s Diet
    Cinch Diet
    Cookie Diet
    Detox Diets
    DHEA
    The Diet Solution
    Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet
    Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Solution
    Dukan Diet
    The Eat- Clean Diet
    Eat More, Weigh Less?
    Eat Right for Your Type
    Eat This, Not That
    Eat What You Love
    Eco Atkins Diet
    Fast Food Diet
    Fat Smash Diet
    Flat Belly Diet
    Flexitarian Diet
    5 Factor Diet
    Flavor Point Diet
    4 Day Diet
    Fruit Flush Diet
    French Women Don’t Get Fat
    Fresh Diet
    The FullBar Diet
    G Free Diet
    Gene Smart Diet
    Glycemic Index Diet
    Grapefruit Diet
    Hallelujah Diet
    HGG Diet
    High School Reunion Diet
    The Hormone Diet
    Hydroxycut
    Instinct Diet
    Jenny Craig
    The Kind Diet
    LA Weight Loss
    Lemonade Diet
    Living Low-Carb
    Macrobiotic Diet
    Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox
    Master Your Metabolism
    Mayo Clinic Diet
    Medifast Diet
    Mediterranean Diet
    Morning Banana Diet
    Naturally Thin Diet
    New Atkins for a New You
    New Beverly Hills Diet
    NutriSystem Diet
    02 Diet
    Park Avenue Diet
    Perricone Diet
    Personality Type Diet
    P.I.N.K. Method
    Pritikin Principle
    Protein Power
    Raspberry Ketones
    Raw Food Diet
    Rice Diet Solution
    The 17-Day Diet
    Shangri-La Diet
    Skinny Vegan Diet
    Slim-Fast Plan
    Sonoma Diet
    South Beach Diet
    South Beach Diet Supercharged
    The Spectrum
    Step Diet
    Sugar Busters
    Thin for Life
    This Is Why You’re Fat
    3 Day Diet
    3-Hour Diet
    UltraMetabolism Diet
    Volumetrics
    What Color is Your Diet?
    The Weigh Down
    Weight Loss Cure
    Weight Watchers
    Dr. Andrew Weil
    You – On a Diet
    The Zone

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise or weight-loss program.  The general information displayed here is not intended to substitute for or replace your healthcare professional.