What Is The Best Weight Loss Diet Of All Time? (Part 1)

Many people want to lose weight, but many people failed.  A lot of weight loss methods, plans, and strategies have emerged over time. Diets disguise themselves as a detox, lifestyle change, or wellness, but still, the typically the goal is to lose weight, shed fat, and improve one’s health and appearance. If you actually Google the key phrase “diets to lose weight”, you’ll get about 28,300,000 results and most links feature 20 diets in one article alone. Here is a rounded up list of the most popular diets known today and how they work (or how they don’t work..lol).

5:2 or Intermittent Fasting- In this diet, you eat normally for five days, and fast or have a low calorie consumption for two, but not consecutive days. They say that this diet is easier to follow because you don’t have to monitor calorie intake daily, you only have restrict your diet for two days, which consists of a breakfast of 300 calories, followed by lunch of 300 calories for men, and 200 for women. There are limited evidence and study that supports this diet, so the UK National Health Service and its critics have termed it a fad diet. It is also advised to consult your GP before starting this diet since fasting is not for everybody- especially if you are pregnant, have or prone to eating disorders, or you are diabetic.

 

 

(Photo credits to The Hearty Soul)

Alkaline- This diet became popular when Victoria Beckham tweeted about it. The theory of this diet is that the body should not be acidic, so foods that produce too much acid should be avoided such as meat and dairy. Alkaline promoting foods should be eaten such as fruits, vegetables, beans, tofu, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Many food groups are off limits, which many health experts disapprove of since it does not promote a balanced and healthy approach to eating. A healthier version came out which includes all food groups making sure all nutritional needs are met.

 

(Photo credits to Atkins)

Atkins- Dr. Atkins, a cardiologist developed this diet when he limited his patients’ sugar and carbohydrates intake. His patients lost weight and kept it off for good by letting the body burn off fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. In this diet, many reported rapid weight loss, up to 15lbs in  only after 2 weeks, which can be a motivation. Although weight loss is almost guaranteed, there are side effects such as constipation (due to cutting out carbs and certain fibers), dehydration, bad breath, and nausea. There is also an increased risk for heart disease due to a diet of red meat, high fat and high salt.

 

(Photo credits to Dukan)

Dukan- This is a low carb-high protein diet, and unlike Atkins, it bans all kinds of food including vegetables on phase one. It also restricts the intake of fats. It is easy to follow if you don’t want to count calories or weigh your food. It is fairly easy to understand too, low-fat, low-carb, and high-protein, no restriction on how much protein you can eat on the first two weeks. The downside of this diet is that it isn’t nutritionally balanced, no fiber source, so constipation, dry mouth, bad breath, and insomnia are most likely to be experienced.

 

(Photo credits to IIFYM)

 IIFYM or Flexible diet- This diet promotes understanding how your metabolism works and long term compliance to see results. A lot of people find it easier to follow this weight loss diet because it really is not about WHAT you eat, but how MUCH you eat. Your get to decide on your food choices because it should be based on your preference, lifestyle, and goals. You eat when you want, you follow your own schedule. The key is to eat less energy than you burn, create a calorie deficit, but do not starve yourself. It’s not about eating clean, or even eating healthy, a calorie is a calorie, that’s it. But of course, if you are trying to lose weight to be healthy, and not just to look good, you definitely still have to choose healthy foods and move. It is advised to eat 80% of the superfoods, and 20% for your indulgences. The key is still balance, and pay attention to your macronutrients. This diet became popular because it works, and it is easy to stick to it.

 

Stay tuned for part 2 of this post and know the verdict. :)

Written by Sparkle & Sweat Shop

Blog Writer: Jan Paula Aquino

 

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