Weight-loss struggles are pretty common yet these vary from person to person. Not only this, but often these weight loss struggles come with their fair share of advice from all and sundry.
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Weight Loss – What the Hype is About?
You will find magic supplements, fat cutter drinks, popular weight-loss diets, and much more! However, no matter if you are planning to shed 10 pounds or 100 pounds, the science behind weight loss remains the same.
Your genetics play a key role in determining your body weight and its composition alongside many other factors. These factors include physical activity patterns, dietary choices, lifestyle choices and the quality of sleep, etc.
What Are Some Popular Diet Plans for Weight Loss?
Whenever it comes to weight loss, hundreds of weight loss options always exist. Among all these methods, weight loss diets occupy a major place in the world of nutrition and fitness.
Here are some of the quick weight loss diet plans that get most of the consumer’s attention. Based on different principles of nutrition, these diets come as a perfect rescue for weight loss strugglers. Let us know more about some of the ruling weight loss diets in the market.
1- Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet is one of the most popular trends of modern times. Keto diet is the diet type in which fat content is highest (55-60%) with moderate protein (30-35%) and very low carbs (5-10%).
How does it work?
This diet is based on the principle that in the presence of very low carb content, your body is meant to use the stored fat to derive energy. Insufficient carbs in the body can make your body enter the state of ketosis where fat breakdown results in the formation of ketones that helps your body to derive the energy needed for everyday function.
Who shouldn’t go on a keto diet?
Every diet plan has its downside and the keto diet has its side effects as well. Generally, the keto diet is beneficial and can help the body to shed extra pounds as long as it’s downright. However, people who are diabetic with type 1, suffering from any liver ailment, got their gallbladder removed, breastfeeding or nursing mothers shouldn’t go on a keto diet.
2- Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting just as the name indicates is a fasting technique that is meant to help weight loss. This weight-loss method splits your day into two windows known as fasting and eating. This is simply based on the idea that your body utilizes stored fat to derive energy from the stored body fat after burning the food calories you consume during the eating window. Intermittent fasting has the same effects on losing weight as Ramadan fasting.
Types of intermittent fasting
There are six common ways to do intermittent fasting, including;
- 16/8 method: The most popular method of intermittent fasting that restricts you from intake of any kind of calorie-containing food during 16 hours of the day while allowing you to consume your calories during the remaining 8 hours.
- Fast diet or 5:2 diet: In this method, you eat a nutritionally sufficient diet for 5 days in a week and on other 2 days you consume 500-600 calories.
- Eat stop eat: Consume your food in a routine pattern and just don’t eat anything for the whole 24 hours. You may practice this 24 hours fast once or twice a week.
- Alternate day fast: This diet type involves going for 24 hours fast and that too on alternate days. The method restricts your calorie intake drastically so this is not a recommended method for beginners.
- Warrior diet: People who go for a warrior diet usually consume one large huge meal in a day while consuming vegetables and fruits during the rest of the day.
- Random meal skipping: In this method, you randomly skip one meal in a day as per your convenience and this is relatively an easy way, to begin with, intermittent fasting.
Who shouldn’t go for intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is relatively a safer weight loss diet however, people who are underweight, struggling with some medical condition, going through developmental stages, breastfeeding, or nursing mothers should not go for intermittent fasting.
What is the difference between Weight Loss and Fat Loss?
Weight loss generally refers to an overall weight reduction body that usually takes in three all kinds of weight namely, water weight, muscle weight, and fat weight. In contrast, fat loss refers to putting down fat weight.
Fat loss is usually a sustainable approach as it only targets accumulated fat in body regions that don’t come up very easily. Weight loss may target muscle and water weight that can take away strength or can come back respectively.
3- Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet, also known as the stone-age or caveman diet is an effective way to shed extra body weight. It makes you eat like early human ancestors that survive on a diet rich in raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, raw or lean meats.
How does it work?
The paleo diet not only limits your calorie intake but replaces your unhealthy processed food intakes with healthy raw foods. This eliminates processed foods, sugar, and carbs from your diets contributing to weight loss. Thus, this diet helps you lose extra weight by influencing your dietary choices and restricting your calorie intake.
Who shouldn’t go on a paleo diet?
The diet excludes many food groups from your diet thus this doesn’t come as a suitable option. Further, vegetarian people may find it difficult to stay on a paleo diet as it tends to eliminate legumes and grains from the diet leaving a few options to fulfil their dietary requirements.
4- Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is usually inspired by the eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean region. This diet is known to be a heart-healthy diet as well as being a diabetes-friendly diet.
The diet is based on the high consumption of olive oil, whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables, alongside moderate consumption of fish and dairy products and with a relatively low non-fish meat content. You can also consume wine and depend upon healthy fat sources such as olive oil etc.
How does it work?
This diet includes more and more healthy fruits, vegetables, and fat sources in your diet that reduce your risk of fat accumulation in the body. Further, it limits the consumption of red meat and other unhealthy food sources promoting your overall body health and helping you lose weight.
Who shouldn’t go on a Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet includes olive oil and other food sources in the diet and for this reason, people who find it difficult to keep their calories in check shouldn’t go for a Mediterranean diet. Further, due to restricted intake of red meat, following this diet over a longer period can result in iron deficiency so is not a good option to go after.
5- Low-Fat Diet
Just like low-carb diets, low-fat diets are also one popular dietary option. This popular diet option limits the dietary fats from your daily calorie intake and puts it largely on carbs. The idea behind this popular diet is that fats are high-calorie nutrients and cutting them can result in the reduction of daily calorie intake to a greater extent.
Who shouldn’t go on a low-fat diet?
The problem with a low-fat diet is that it can interfere with the normal hormone production in the body if followed over a longer period. Further, it can also hinder the absorption of nutrients in the body.
6- Atkins Diet
Atkins diet is a low-carb diet with high-fat and moderate-protein content. This is one popular weight loss diet around the globe. Carb consumption in the Atkins diet is gradually reduced and then returned to normal after achieving desired body weight. The Atkins diet has many similarities with the keto diet but the major difference is that carb consumption is gradually reduced in the Atkins diet while in the keto diet your body remains in carbs deficit.
Phases of Atkins Diet
There are 4 phases of the Atkins diet, including;
- Induction (phase 1): This is the first phase in which the body is introduced to carb deficit by keeping carb consumption less than 20 grams a day. Accompanied with a high-fat and high-protein diet, this makes the body enter the weight loss process.
- Balance (phase 2): In this second phase of the Atkins diet, you add low carb sources such as vegetables, nuts and fruits etc. to your diet to balance out the carb deficiency. Daily carb induction is maintained at 25-50 grams in a day when you are 5kg away from your desired body weight.
- Fine Tuning (phase 3): In this third phase, you gradually carb intake 50-80 grams in a day after achieving your ideal body weight. Here further weight loss stops and you practise this for one month.
- Maintenance (phase 4): In this final phase, 80-100 grams of carbs consumption is maintained and this aims for the maintenance of existing body weight.
How does it work?
This weight loss diet works by limiting your carbs intake that results in energy derivation from stored body fat. In this way, the body sheds those extra pounds leading to weight loss.
Who shouldn’t go on the Atkins diet?
As this is a low carb diet so people who are diabetic with type 1, suffering from any liver ailment, got their gallbladder removed, breastfeeding, or nursing mothers shouldn’t go for this.
7- DASH Diet
DASH or dietary approach to stop hypertension is the weight loss diet that is specifically designed for people suffering from cardiac health problems. The diet consists of dietary choices that are low in saturated fat, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, rich in whole grains, lean meats, etc.
Due to the inclusion of healthy foods this diet helps to lose weight if your body remains in a calorie deficit. Further, most of the foods in the DASH diet are rich in potassium, and other healthy nutrients with reduced sodium and processed intake. This helps to reduce the risk factor for cardiac health problems and is a safer approach.
8- Plant-Based Diet
Among all the diet options for weight, plant-based diets are another popular option. This diet limits the intake of animal products owing to ethical and environmental causes. Along with this, plant-based food sources are excessively added to the diets leading to potential weight loss.
Suggested Read: GM Diet Plan for Weight Loss
Who shouldn’t go on a plant-based diet?
This diet limits the consumption of animal-based products from your everyday diet, this can lead to iron deficiency alongside other nutrients such as calcium, vitamin B12, etc. For this reason, a plant-based diet is not a suitable option.
How to Select the Best Diet Plan for Weight Loss?
Putting your body in a calorie deficit by providing less than the required energy is the only proven way to lose weight. So, weight loss is all about balancing your calorie intake and calorie burning to keep your body in a calorie deficit. This calorie management basically, sets your ground for weight loss.
No matter which diet plan you follow, the only way you lose weight is the calorie deficit!
No matter how many quick weight loss diet plans you follow, some diets cut the carbs from your diet while several others eliminate the animal protein sources making you nutritionally deficient. So, it is not possible to call a diet better than others as all of these have their pros and cons.
Alongside diet plans and workouts, therapies like hijama can also help you. Read more about hijama benefits for weight loss.
Bottom Line!
To sum it up, weight loss is all about your overall calorie management and the balance between the calories you are eating and burning. Eating nutritionally sufficient food, drinking a lot of water, physical activity and proper sleep forms the only right weight loss strategy.
If you are struggling to choose the best diet plan for weight loss, you can book an appointment with one of our top dietitians.
