The Best Diet Plan May Be Closer Than You Think

By Jenny Knight


Searching for the best diet plan? Put simply the best diet plan is the one that works best for you. If you are needing to lose weight, a successful diet plan should combine healthy eating with a reduction of the foods that produce the extra fat. If you need to put on weight (yes, some people have to!) then it will probably be based around healthy but fattening ingredients, such as nuts, dairy products and olive oil. In a strange quirk of fate, these same foods can also be used in what may turn out to be the best diet plan for you.

Magazine articles and TV programs are making all of us more conscious of the consequences of unhealthy diets and not taking exercise. Excess pounds do not just look unattractive; they can have a serious impact on our health both in the short- and long-term. It is hardly surprising that companies which design weight loss programs, or which manufacture diet meals for sale in supermarkets, are making more money than ever before.

One big problem that faces potential dieters is that the so-called "experts" we are relying on to help us, often have a hidden agenda when it comes to weight-loss. Doctors and nutritionalists are flocking to release their own products or endorse the work of others. The simple truth is that no one program will work for everyone and anyone that tries to foist a weight-loss product on to the mass market is likely to be a charlatan.

You might have heard a lot in recent years about the "low carbohydrate" diet. A more extreme variation of this is the Atkins Diet. These types of programs involve cutting carbohydrates (bread, pasta and so on) out of your diet totally. I don't like this type of diet because they cannot be sustained for long. Eventually your body will kick in and stop the diet from working. It is far better in my opinion to have a balanced diet containing both carbs and protein. That is the best diet plan for almost everyone.

The most popularly sold weight-loss diets are those revolving around counting calories. The basic concept is simple: you need 1,500 to 2,500 calories a day to keep at your current weight - depending on whether you're a little old lady staying in bed all day or a guy working 14 hours a day on the farm. If you eat less than this you lose weight. If you eat more you gain weight. Simple except that you need to keep track of every calorie (not easy when a slice of cheese can be 50 calories or 500!) and you need to combine it with vigorous exercise.

The best diet plan for you would include a full range of food types, just make the portions smaller and stop eating when you are full. If you can do without fatty, sugary fast food (a typical mall burger can contain as much sugar and fat as a doughnut!) and fizzy sugar-laden sodas then you could be half way there. Make a decision to really eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, and stick to it. Drinking lots of water will help - around 8-10 glasses a day. That's about all it takes to make the best diet plan. Good luck.




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