We can help, first by briefly reviewing the four well-known types of diets.
Then we'll summarize the hottest news that research has learned about effective dieting, which will help you no matter which type of diet plan you end up selecting.
Our bodies are pretty amazing when it comes to adapting, and most anyone can lose weight using one of the main types of diets noted below, providing you stick with it.
Most diets traditionally fall into one of these main categories.
4 types of well-known diets:
- Calorie Counting & Low fat diets (including prepackaged plans)
- Low Carb Diets (including glycemic and slow carb)
- Specialized Diets: (Such as Alkaline diet or other health-specific diets)
- Fad diets: (Grapefruit, liquid diets)
The goal is to select a diet plan that works best with your lifestyle.
But first let's look at some of the newest research in the field of dieting and nutrition.
So what's new in dieting to help me lose body fat? Many newer diets include some or all of these newer principles:
- Eat more meals less often: 4-6 small meals per day.
Stop eating before you are full. - Portion control: This method of food regulation has largely replaced calorie counting.
There are easy ways to control your portions and make your dieting easier. - Carbohydrates: The hottest new diets combine eating low-glycemic carbohydrates such as whole grains, with carb-rotation- to fool the metabolism
- Eat a diet high in veggies and fruits: While this concept isn't new, we now know that eating these foods keep our PH more alkaline, which has been shown to be important in fighting cancer and disease, as well as helping you lose body fat
- Proteins: Focus more on nuts, soy, fish, beans, and legumes and less on meats and dairy
- Fats: Focus on mono-unsaturated fats like flax and olive oil, avocados and nuts, steering clear of trans fats and saturated fats.
Previously experts would tell us to eat low fat margarine's, whereas today the emphasis is on the natural oils. - Processed foods: Keep sugar, sugar substitutes, alcohol, processed foods and coffee to a minimum.
We have known this for some time, but we now know that they can upset insulin and PH levels, causing fat storage and eventually disease.
Leptin levels can also be upset by too many processed foods.
When working correctly, leptin helps us because it signals to our bodies that we are full - Exercise: Move at least 3 times per week, trying to incorporate something into your routine that you enjoy! The newest information in fitness tells us that combining cardio with strength training is shown to be very effective for fat loss and muscle gain.
That said, research also continues to demonstrate that moving in a way that you like, such as simply walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week is extremely beneficial to health.
This way, no matter which type of diet you select, you can reach your weight loss goals with less effort than you might have in the past, enjoying a trimmer, leaner body sooner- as well.