Some diet plans are better than others. A few weight-loss plans promise you rapid results but only if you make drastic, unrealistic changes to your diet and exercise routines. Diets that promise rapid results can actually be dangerous to your health. It may take you a while to loss a significant amount of weight on some plans, but on the best plans, you are more likely to make permanent changes to the way you think about food and exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic and Medicine Net, the best plans teach you to properly control portions, eat healthy foods and exercise.
Mayo Clinic Diet
Developed by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, the Mayo Clinic Diet is a two-part plan that helps people lose weight by increasing the amount they exercise and reducing the amount they eat. The weight-loss plan follows a modified Food Pyramid. At the base of the pyramid are fruits and vegetables, of which a person can eat as many as they want on the plan, provided they consume at least four servings of vegetables and three of fruit daily. The pyramid allows a person to eat up to 75 calories of sweets, three to five servings of fats, three to seven servings of protein and four to eight servings of grains each day. The Mayo Clinic Food Pyramid also includes daily exercise.
The first part of the Mayo Clinic plan is designed to help a person lose up to 10 lbs. in the first two weeks. The plan encourages participants to lose those initial pounds by eliminating five bad dietary habits from their lives, such as eating too many sweets or not exercising, and by adding five positive habits, such as eating more fiber and daily exercise. After the first two weeks, the plan shows dieters how to maintain their new habits for the rest of their lives.
Weight Watchers
Although it has been much maligned by some and made fun of by others, Weight Watchers can be an effective weight-loss plan for some people. Weekly group support meetings make up the core of the plan. The plan also offers an online support group for dieters who do not have time to attend in-person meetings.
People lose weight on Weight Watchers by eating a certain number of “points” each week. The points system eliminates the need to count calories while on the diet. Another goal of Weight Watchers is to change the way people think about food and eating and to encourage people to exercise regularly. Although the plan helps many lose weight, it is not for everyone.
Jenny Craig
A weight-loss plan such as Jenny Craig helps people shed pounds by taking the guesswork out of preparing meals. If a person goes on the plan, she will get premade meals and snacks that will fulfill her daily calorie needs. As long as she sticks to eating only the meals and snacks provided by the company, she will lose weight.
Although some people may not like the idea of eating packaged, processed meals, the simple-to-prepare meals can be beneficial for some dieters who are pressed for time or unable to cook. After a person completes the plan, it is important that she continue to eat calorie- and portion-controlled meals, even if they are meals she prepares herself.
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