5 Types of Weight Loss Diets – Which is the Most Effective?

Written by Susan Fox, Health Writer

There are almost as many different weight loss diets as there are people. Yet nearly three-quarters of American men and more than 60% of women remain overweight. 30 million people in America have diabetes.

There is no shortage of people pursuing a diet plan to lose weight and live a healthier life. Which plan is best?

For any diet to be useful, long-lasting lifestyle changes are a must. Once a diet is over, you don’t want to return to old habits that caused overweight.

We’ve summed up the following weight-loss diets. As you read through, think realistically and aim for your best possible health. Consider – which is the plan you can stick with long term?

1. Plant-based Diet

Plant-based diets are definitely healthy, eco-friendly, and becoming more popular every day. The emphasis is on a high intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds.

The vegan diet is limited to only plant-based foods, and since meats and animal products are eliminated, the intake of cholesterol and saturated fats are reduced. Vegan food choices are nutritionally dense and high in fiber.

Studies have shown that a vegan diet minimizes the overall risk of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. However, careful planning is crucial to assure ample intake of protein. Vitamin B-12 may be need to be added to avoid deficiency.

An Lacto-Ovo vegetarian diet allows dairy sources, such as milk, cheese, butter, and eggs – all more calorie-dense and without fiber.

2. Paleo Diet

The paleo diet focuses on eating only unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods as were available and eaten by humans in Paleolithic times. The aim is to eat food as it existed before the domestication of animals and the modernized food processing.

The paleo’s belief is that the human body is not adapted to digest modern food such as grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and more. So, what’s to eat?

A paleo plan allows poultry, fish, wild or grass-fed meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Thousands of years ago, these natural foods were mingled in with intermittent fasting simply because sometimes food was scarce.

But is this diet plan easy enough that even a caveman can do it?

It’s only logical that improved health would occur when unfavorable foods are removed from the diet, along with a sudden increase in nutrients.

The paleo diet may help with weight loss, but so far, there are no long-term clinical studies about the advantages or potential risks. The same health benefits may be achieved by eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Low-Carb Diet for Weight Loss

3. Low-Carb Diet

The low-carb diet focuses on consuming proteins, including poultry, fish, meat, and eggs. Vegetables are included, if non-starchy. Higher-carb foods are excluded or limited, such as grains, legumes, fruits, and sweets. Butter, fats, and healthy oils are okay, but, you’ll have to live without bread, pasta, and pastry.

The idea is that by skimping on carbs, weight loss is achieved by forcing the body to burn fats for energy instead.

Dr. Robert Atkins started the low-carb diet revolution in the 1960s with the claim that you can lose weight while eating as much protein and fat as you want, so long as high-carb foods are avoided.

The Atkins Diet was the original “bacon, butter, and brie diet," and who wouldn't want to believe that? Some years later, vegetables and a more balanced approach were adopted.

The Ketogenic Diet is also very low-carb, high-fat eating for weight loss, but there is a difference. On the Atkins diet, your carb intake is gradually increased. On the keto diet, the objective is to keep your carb intake very low, putting the body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “ketosis occurs when you don't have enough sugar (glucose) for energy, so your body breaks down stored fat, causing ketones to build up in your body.”

Mayo’s verdict: "...the high-fat content — and especially the high level of unhealthy saturated fat — combined with limits on nutrient-rich fruits, veggies, and grains, is a concern for long-term heart health.”

4. Low-Glycemic, High-Protein Diet (LGHP)

The low-glycemic, high-protein (LGHP) diet allows healthy carbs on the menu, giving sustained long-term nutrition during and after weight loss. Carbs are limited according to how quickly they are absorbed by the body.

The glycemic index assigns a number to carbohydrates, depending upon their ability to impact blood sugar. The higher the number in the ranking system, the greater the impact on raising blood sugar levels.

Along with a high protein diet, the idea is to limit quickly digested carbs (sugars), lowering sugar levels and leading the body to make more glucagon, which helps burn more stored fat.

According to Dr. Charles Shively, the LGHP diet is optimized metabolism. LGHP eating is shown to promote weight loss and provides many benefits to overall and long term health.

5. Liquid Diet

The liquid diet for weight loss may be limited to vegetable or fruit juices, or meal replacement shakes taken three or four times a day. Black coffee and teas without sugar are calorie-free and usually allowed. Broths may be included, and plenty of clean drinking water is recommended.

According to Web M.D., liquid diets are sure to result in weight loss, provided you reduce calorie intake. It’s helpful for those with trouble chewing food and makes portion control more convenient when using an easy-to-measure shake mix.

A liquid diet may ease digestion, reduce bowel movements, and give the colon a rest. Getting most or all of your nutrition from liquids can be a quick path to weight loss success, which in itself is motivating and may further help you stick with your diet goals.

But, to keep weight off, eating habits need to change.

Nutritional liquid diets may last for a day, a week, or more. Much depends on how much weight loss is needed and the state of your overall health.

When solid foods are added back into the diet, they should be healthy, unprocessed, and free of refined carbs. This is the ideal time to transform old eating habits into a healthier diet of your choice.

Best Diet for Weight Loss

The Almased Weight Loss Phenomenon™ may well be the best liquid and LGHP weight loss diet available today.

Almased shakes are both low glycemic, high protein (27 g), and is nutritionally dense. The formula is specially fermented to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels while stimulating fat-burning metabolism.

Natural ingredients and delicious shake recipes may be the reason for Almased’s popularity. A reduced appetite and bump up in energy levels may be why Almased is so effective for long-term weight loss.

A shake can quickly be added back into your routine should you notice any weight gain.

Almased comes to us from a small town in Germany, where it was first developed to support slow metabolism and overweight. Thirty years later, Almased is still the top market leader in Germany as it continues to grow world-wide.

The Almased Figure Plan details 4 phases of weight loss using Almased shakes as a meal replacement or snack. The program allows you to reset your taste buds, lose weight without hunger, and improve your relationship with food.

Many of Almased’s customers have written in with their real-life success stories about their weight loss experiences and improved quality of life.

Won’t any diet be effective if you eat fewer calories than your body uses?

Likely so. But ask yourself, which diet can give you a relaxed relationship with food while sustaining weight loss? And, on which diet do you feel your best? It’s a “weighty” choice that only you can answer.

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