Was one of your new year’s resolution for 2021 to lose weight? Somehow weight loss manages to always find its way on to our resolution list – year in, and year out. Most of us who make this resolution seem to meet with infrequent success.
There is a smorgasbord of weight loss diets out there – Paleo, vegan, low-carb, Dukan, ultra-low-fat, Atkins, HCG, Zone and much more. You’ve probably tried a few of these diets, and perhaps one or two diets worked out well for you. Great, if you were able to sustain the desired results but if not, did you launch into a search for the next best diet?
Let’s take a look at a brief overview of the abovementioned diets.
The Paleo Diet encourages consumption of whole foods, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Processed foods, sugar, dairy and grains are discouraged. Apparently, there are some flexible versions of the Paleo Diet that allows dairy such as cheese and butter.
The Vegan Diet eliminates the consumption of meat, dairy, eggs, animal-derived products like honey, whey and gelatin.
Low-carb diets are generous with protein and fat intake, but limiting towards carb intake. There are various forms of low-carb diets, but all involve limiting carb intake to between 20 to 150 grams per day.
The Dukan Diet is a high-protein, low-carb weight loss diet. This diet is split into two weight loss phases and two maintenance phases. In the weight loss phase, consumption of high-protein foods is encouraged and oat bran is mandatory. During the maintenance phases, non-starchy vegetables are added to the diet, followed by some carbs and fat.
Ultra-low-fat diets are mostly plant-based with a limited intake of animal-based products. With this diet, consumption of fat is restricted to less than 10% of daily calories.
The Atkins Diet is a low-carb weight loss diet. This diet involves four phases. Starting with the induction phase, dieters eat less than 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks. During the following phases, dieters gradually re-introduce healthy carbs back into their diets as they make progress towards their goal weight.
The HCG Diet (human chorionic gonadotropin) is an extreme diet meant to bring about very fast weight loss. HCG is a hormone present at high levels during early pregnancy. In the first phase of this diet, HCG supplements are consumed. During the second phase, an ultra-low-calorie diet of 500 calories per day and HCG supplements are recommended. In the third and last phase of the diet, HCG supplement intake ceases and food intake slowly increases.
The Zone Diet is a low-glycemic (GI) diet that recommends limiting intake of carbs to 35% to 45% of daily calories, while recommending limiting intake of proteins and fats to 30% each of daily calories. The concept of the Zone Diet is based on balancing each meal with 1/3 protein, 2/3 colour fruits and vegetables with a touch of fat such as olive oil, almonds or avocados.
How many times did you come across the words discouraged, eliminate and limit while reading about the eight diets in this article? Surely, there is a less complex way to achieving success in your weight loss endeavours. Perhaps the key to success lies in balancing one’s blood sugar and metabolism.
Give consideration to these 5 simple tips :
- Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, so don’t skip it. Eat a balanced breakfast of protein, fat and carbs to give you the energy you need for the day.
- Eat small meals throughout the day. You can do three meals a day with two or three healthy snacks, five or six small meals a day or eating every three to four hours.
- Exercise moderately on a regular basis. Try to include at least 3 days of resistance training into your routine.
- Eat only to the point where you no longer feel hungry. This is very different from eating until you feel full.
- Watch out for emotional eating, where you eat to alleviate your stress or to comfort yourself.
If you have already tried one or more of the diets mentioned in this article, other diets or the simple tips shared, and still haven’t yet found something that has helped you lose weight sustainably – then find out with certainty whether the food you are eating is good or not so good for your body, with CuraMaker.