You may be struggling to fit into your favourite pair of jeans, or wanting to shed a few pounds to get your body ready for the beach, but what is the best way to do it? This article discusses the best and worst diets of all time.
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The worst …
There are plenty of terrible diets out there which offer a quick weight loss boost, but which fail in the long term and can be detrimental to your health. Some of the worst diets are those which cut out whole food groups, or only allow you to eat one thing. The Atkins Diet is a really good example of this. Although eating a diet which is basically all meat will cause you to lose weight, it will also make you much more likely to suffer from heart disease and strokes.
Other bad diets are those which basically require you to starve yourself. For example, the ‘maple syrup’ diet allows you to burn off a load of weight by only eating a mixture of maple syrup, lemon juice and pepper. You will lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time, but then your body will go into starvation mode and will pile the pounds back on to protect you.
The best …
The best diets are those which allow you to eat from all food groups but in a balanced and moderated way. One of the most famous of these is the Weight Watchers diet which converts all meals into points so you can easily monitor how much you’re eating and how much you should work towards.
An NHS study has shown that users find Weight Watchers to be the best diet plan because you can still enjoy your favourite treats by watching your portion sizes and being sensible with the rest of your meals. By allowing you to still eat the foods you enjoy, this diet is much easier to maintain in the long run. This means you are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off.
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The key: balance your menu
The key to successfully losing weight in a healthy way is to balance your menu and be aware of healthy portion sizes. You need to change your attitude towards food and break out of bad habits. Don’t think in terms of ‘diets’ but in changing the whole way you think about food. Replace high fat snacks for fruit, nuts and whole grains. Instead of large portions of carbohydrates, fill your plate with green vegetables and lean protein.
When you don’t have time to cook, or if you struggle with making healthy meals, you can buy fresh British dishes from companies like Forman & Field. If you want to sample some of their range, why not try one of their gift baskets full of healthy treats?
In order to successfully lose weight and to keep it off, you need to allow yourself the occasional treat and to eat all the foods that you enjoy, but in moderation. Be aware of where your bad habits lie and work to reform your whole attitude to food, instead of relying on unhealthy fad diets.
