About 95% of Americans think about controlling their weight at any time, according to a recent report by a market research firm based in California, and more than a quarter of adults rate it as a top personal priority. If you are considering a weight loss program to support your goals, here are some factors to consider and tips for increasing your chances of success.
The best diet programs for weight loss:
- WW (Weight Watchers): According to the US News & World Report 2020 Best Diets, WW (Weight Watchers) is the best “commercial” diet plan for weight loss. Experts in nutrition, diabetes and heart disease think the plan is the easiest way to lose weight and consider WW’s dietary principles healthy and sound. Experts also say it is among the most effective weight loss plans for short and long term results.
- Noom: An application-based weight loss program, Noom, wins acclaim for helping users change their behavior. However, experts fear that the amount of tracking that the program requires may be exhaustive.
- Jenny Craig: This can work if you want help with prepackaged meals delivered to your home. These meals are complemented with fruits, vegetables and dairy products (or their equivalents), so that the diet receives high marks in terms of health. However, after reducing packaged meals, experts believe that regaining weight is a serious possibility.
- Flexitarian diet: Notably, the best diet to lose weight, according to US News, is not a commercial program, it is the flexitarian diet, based on the book by nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner. The emphasis of the flexitarian diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins of plant origin makes this a nutritional highlight. And these foods are among the best for weight loss, as they are richer in fiber and lower in calories per bite, so you can eat stuffed portions while lowering your overall calorie intake.
Should you follow a weight loss program?
There is no single best way to lose weight, but what all weight loss plans have in common is that they produce a calorie deficit, which means that you will eat fewer calories than you previously ate or increase the number of calories you eat. burns with exercise, or a combination of the two.
Rather than focusing on the breakdown of a plan’s macronutrients (say, high protein or low fat), it is best to consider a plan that matches your needs, since adherence is the main factor for success in losing weight. Weight. For example, if you dine out or travel frequently, a weight loss program, like Jenny Craig, which emphasizes prepackaged meals and largely limits these activities, will not be the most appropriate. Here are 10 additional questions you should ask yourself to define the best diet plan for your needs:
- How much are you willing to cook, and does the necessary cuisine meet your skill level?
- Does the diet eliminate any food groups, and if so, is that a food pattern you can maintain? Think beyond the first few months and imagine living and eating that way for years to come.
- Are you looking for a meal plan to lose weight that will guide you for breakfast, lunch and dinner or one that offers general advice?
- What is the cost involved? Consider the cost of the weight loss program itself, as well as any requirements for specific foods. For example, a weight loss plan that emphasizes plant foods will be cheaper than a meat-centered one.
- What is the time commitment outside of cooking or planning meals? Do you have to attend weekly meetings or track your food? Is the amount of time required realistic for you?
- What type of support is built into the plan, and does the support meet your personal needs? For example, if all support is text based and you don’t want to be stuck to your phone, this may not be the right fit for you.
- Does the plan teach you how to change your behaviors? Unless a weight loss plan addresses behavioral change, it will be difficult to maintain the results.
- Does the diet plan address your health problems? Let’s say you have type 2 diabetes: will you learn proper eating strategies to control your condition?
- Can the plan accommodate your dietary restrictions? If you are a vegetarian or follow a gluten-free diet, for example, can you find enough variety among what is offered, or will this be an additional challenge?
- How does the weight loss plan address exercise and can activity recommendations be made for you?
In addition to these questions, it is also worth considering what (if anything) has worked for you in the past and when and why it stopped working. You may have successfully lost weight on a program, but you changed jobs or experienced a separation that interfered with your ability to lose weight at that time. Were there elements that you liked about the program? In that case, you can sign up again or find another weight loss plan that will help you re-engage with these strategies.
Maintenance is the key to long-term success
Unsurprisingly, losing weight is easier than avoiding excess pounds. Despite the challenge, there are things you can do to increase your chances of success. Here are the factors that help.
- Follow the weight loss plan. Keeping your weight free is related to how well you stick to the program, which includes the diet plan, as well as participation in group meetings (if offered), food tracking, and so on.
- Track what you eat and what you weigh. Numerous studies have associated these self-monitoring methods with maintaining weight loss.
- Set SMART goals. SMART means specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited. An example of such an objective is to try a new vegetable dish twice a week.
- Develop a weight loss mindset. This involves replacing negative, self-limiting beliefs with more useful thoughts. Research suggests that self-compassion increases motivation and resilience and can help you stick to a healthier diet.
- Reduce the time you spend on sedentary activities, I like to watch TV.
- Spend about an hour a day doing something physical. Walking fits the project. Don’t know how to start? Check out the 31-day hiking plan for TODAY.