The first thing to consider when deciding on a diet is: Whats my goal? Am I trying to lose weight or body fat? Or am I trying to improve a specific aspect of my health or my life? A 2014 study in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine found that examining the intersection of life goals and dietary goals can have an impact on your ability to achieve and maintain diet-related changes. Once you know what your desired outcome is, its time to delve into the details.
Dr. Cheskin says to determine if youre likely to stick with a diet, its important to know yourselfthe more you can be introspective, the better. After all, a 2018 study in JAMA Network found people achieved similar weight loss results on a healthy low-fat diet and a healthy low-carbohydrate diet. So the diet thats likely to work for you is the one youre most likely to stick with.
To that end, ask yourself the following questions:
The practicality of what youre choosing is really important because there are still only 24 hours in a day, says Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian and owner of Active Eating Advice in Pittsburgh.
Its also wise to consider your dieting history, including what has worked for you and what hasntand why. There are very few people in this world who havent been through this a few times before, Bonci says.
There may be valuable lessons in your previous experiences. If you were tired and miserable on a low-carb approach in the past, you should probably look at a different one. On the other hand, if you were successful with a plan that included mini meals throughout the day, that approach might be worth trying again.
Also, think about whats realistic for your lifestyle. While a rigid, calorie-cutting plan may be appealing initially because it takes the guesswork out of what to eat, it may be hard to stick with it for an extended period of time.
If there isnt some flexibility built in, it probably wont work for you in the long term because life throws us curveballs, says Dr. Cheskin. It should be adaptable to different situations and personalities. In other words, it needs to be a plan you can live with.
Its also important to consider a particular diets safety and effectiveness. For example, is there research or science behind the diet? Or is it based on unproven assumptions? Look at statistics or clinical studies to gauge its success for other people, Dr. Cheskin advises. In general, experts say that a healthy, sustainable weight loss plan should include:
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