Find Your Food Lifestyle

Losing weight without changing eating habits is nearly impossible. A diet that offers a wide range of healthy, enjoyable foods and reduces the fat and calories you eat, is requisite for weight loss.

Below are six of the most popular diets today:

Moderate-Balanced Diet: These diets follow a modified food pyramid plan, emphasizing fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. Examples: ADA, Mediterranean, Sonoma, Joy Bauer, Bob Green, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem

Low-Carbohydrate/High-Protein and Low Glycemic Index: Rich in meats, eggs, seafood and other protein-rich foods, while restricting a wide range of carbohydrates. Examples: Atkins, The South Beach Diet, The Zone

Detox or Anti-inflammatory: Focuses on eliminating caffeine, sugar and alcohol, which may lead to weight gain by triggering an inflammatory response in the body. Examples: Ultrametabolism, Dr. Weil’s diet

Low-Fat/High-Carbohydrate: Tends to restrict meats and other fatty foods, and emphasize healthy carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Examples: Dean Ornish, Volumetrics, New Pritikin Program, Raw Food

Meal Replacement or Low Calorie: Features a period of time where a liquid or bar supplement replaces one or more meals each day. Clinical trials suggest these diet cause rapid short-term weight loss, but few long-term benefits. Examples: Slimfast, Medifast, Optifast

Alkaline Diet: Advocates avoiding protein, sugar, processed foods, cereals, starches and some vegetables in an effort to balance the acid-base level of the blood and optimize nutrition. There is very little research to support this approach. Examples: The Alkaline diet, The pH Miracle.

Remember, there are hundreds of weight loss resources full of diet information. Study your options and choose wisely.