Not everyone’s body responds the same way to different diets. The key is to find a match for your body and metabolism that also works with your lifestyle. While we aren’t necessarily endorsing these diets, there are some great options for achieving your weight loss goal.
The DASH diet was designed to help people lower their high blood pressure, and it’s characterized by a mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy. This diet avoids saturated fat, sugary beverages, sweets, full-fat dairy and some oils—and to eat less salt overall.
Veganism is simply described as having a diet that is void of all animal products including meat, cheese, eggs, and dairy. Within this diet, there are different varieties that are practiced:
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Whole-food vegan diet: a wide variety of whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
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Raw-food vegan diet: based on raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or plant foods cooked at temperatures below 118°F (48°C).
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80/10/10 diet: a raw-food vegan diet that limits fat-rich plants such as nuts and avocados and relies mainly on raw fruits and soft greens instead.
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The starch solution: a low-fat, high-carb vegan diet similar to the 80/10/10 but focuses on cooked starches like potatoes, rice, and corn instead of fruit.
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Raw till 4: a low-fat vegan diet inspired by the 80/10/10 and starch solution. Raw foods are consumed until 4 p.m., with the option of a cooked plant-based meal for dinner.
Usually, when people think about a vegetarian diet, they typically assume that it doesn’t include eating meat, poultry or fish. But vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:
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Lacto-vegetarian diets: excludes meat, fish, poultry, and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter are included.
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Ovo-vegetarian diets: excludes meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products but allows eggs.
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Lacto-Ovo vegetarian diets: excludes meat, fish, and poultry but allows dairy products and eggs.
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Pescatarian diets: excludes meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs but allows fish.
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Pollotarian diets: excludes dairy and fish but allows poultry.
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Flexitarian diet: primarily a plant-based diet but includes meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and fish on occasion or in small quantities.
The Ketogenic diet, Keto, is a low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet which puts the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. When your body is in a state of ketosis, the liver produces ketones which become the main energy source for the body. It’s based around the premise that your body is designed to run more efficiently as a fat burner than a sugar burner.
Developed by cardiologist Dr. Atkins, this diet limits carbohydrates (sugar), so the body burns fat, including body fat, for fuel. The goal is that with the body steadily fueled, weight is lost even when more calories are being consumed. Steady fueling also means more constant energy levels all day long, and less hunger and cravings.
Founded by Jean Nidetch in 1963 when a group of friends in Queens, NY started meeting once a week to talk about how to lose weight. Today, Weight Watchers is an international company and the largest commercial weight loss program in the United States. The program includes regular meetings, self-help type learning sessions, group support and a points system. The dieter aims for a target weight or a body mass index (BMI) of between 20 and 25, considered the ideal range.
The diet gets its name from the eating habits of people living in Mediterranean countries and has been linked to better health and longevity. This diet is high in fruits and vegetables, as well as healthy fatty foods like fish, nuts and olive oil.
The MIND diet is a mix of DASH and the Mediterranean diet and is said to help protect the brain and prevents Alzheimer’s disease. The diet encourages you to eat from the following 10 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. Food to avoid in these five food groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, sweets and fried or fast food.
Short for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, diet is meant to help people cut down on high cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. It’s a high fiber diet targeted to keep less than 7% of your calories from saturated fat and less than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol.
This diet is focused on eating foods with the lowest amount of calories while filling you up and giving you energy. Foods that have high energy density such as nuts will have lots of calories for a little amount of food, whereas low energy density foods have fewer calories for more food such as fruits and veggies. It’s focused on getting more mileage out of what you eat.
Also known as the caveman or primal diet, it focuses on nutrient-dense whole foods. It’s based on eating a variety of quality meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds while completely eliminating grains and some starches. Long-term studies show that the Paleo diet improves all-cause mortality, a marker of overall health and longevity.
This program focuses on 30 days of eating real foods with moderate portions of meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables; some fruit; plenty of natural fats; and herbs, spices, and seasonings. It encourages you to eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re whole and unprocessed. Some big no-nos on the program are eating anything with added sugar, real or artificial, alcohol in any form, grains or dairy. The last rule does not step on the scale or take any body measurements for the 30 days.
Remember to check with your doctor before beginning a diet program. We are also here to help guide and direct you in your diet and fitness plans! Visit beechmontfitness.com/contact-us and let us know how we can help you.