10 Popular Weight Loss Diets That Actually Work

It’s never easy to lose weight. It’s even harder when the diet you’re trying doesn’t really work.

For that reason, we’ve put together this list of diets with a proven history!

1) The Zone Diet

The Zone diet was created in the 1990’s by American Dr. Barry Sears. The major premise is to maintain a strict ratio of proteins, carbs and fats to obtain weight loss and general health benefits.

More specifically, the goal is to aim for 30% lean prtotein, 30% fats and 40% high-fiber carbs. While health guidance has changed since the mid-90’s, this diet has proven to have a dedicated following so you may want to learn more and give it a try!

2) Ketogenic Diet

While many refer to the keto diet as a ‘fad’, it’s clear that it can work in the right context.

The main tenet of the keotgenic diet is to control insulin levels, where one of the main ways of accomplishing this is limiting or eliminating carbs. Once your body has no carbs left to burn, it will instead consume ketones, putting your body into ketosis. In that state, weight loss can be accelerated.

When limiting carbs, be sure to get all your essential nutrients. The diet won’t work if you switch off bread but only eat bacon every day!

3) South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet was popularized by Dr. Arthur Agatson, a cardiologist. It’s name comes from the Florida region where he lived.

Inspired by the Atkins Diet (read more below), this diet focuses on proteins, which burn more calories during digestion than fat or carbs. It operates in stages, steadily ramping up or down different food elements.

4) Mediterranean Diet

Like it’s namesake, the Mediterranean Diet focuses on foods common to the area such as poultry, grains, dairy and of course olive oil! You certainly won’t run out of healthy options on this diet.

Not only will it help you lose weight, but another main focus is on limiting heart disease. Together, these two factors can greatly increase your health!

5) Vegan Diet

The vegan diet needs no introduction – it is quite popular already!

While very similar to vegetarians, vegans not only don’t consume meat, but nothing from that comes from the animal PERIOD. The rules are simple: do not consume anything that is a byproduct of animals. Luckily, this still loves you tons of options such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, breads and so much more.

6) Atkins Diet

Created by cardiologist Robert Atkins in the 1970’s, the Atkins diet is very well known and almost ubiquitous with the weight-loss dieting fad.

This diet will require you to follow a strict regiment meant to control your intake, but the rewards are well worth it. There’s a reaon people still swear by it almost 50 years after it’s conception!

7) Alkaline Diet

The Alkaline diet takes a bit of a different approach: the goal is to maintain your body’s pH balance in between 7.35 and 7.45 by avoiding heavily acidic foods.

On the menu are tons of fresh fruit, nuts, legumes, and vegetables, but stay away from wheat, pasta and alcohol. A bit restrictive, but once again the results are well worth the sacrifice!

8) Flexitarian Diet

Flexitarian is a different take on vegitarianism. Instead of eliminating animal byproducst completely, flexitarians will instead limit their consumption to something like 20% animal products and 80% others.

Since animals are well known to be heavy on protein, by focusing on other elements you can keep your weight down and enjoy many additional health benefits such as lower heart disease, diabetes and cancer!

9) Whole 30

The Whole 30 is a natural diet that emphasizes eating natural foods and eliminating processed foods.

It’s no secret that this is a bit difficult in today’s day and age. It feels like everything has been processed. It will be particularly difficult to eat out. With that being said, sticking to natural foods will remove a lot of the additional sugars and preservatives that contribute to gaining weight. Plus, your meals will be beautiful with tons of greens and colors! Enjoy getting back to your cooking roots!

10) Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is all about controlling WHEN you eat food, not necessarily WHAT.

By switching up your eating schedule, your body will be forced to adapt how it consumes energy. As your body changes and buildds new patterns, this is a great opportunity to lose weight. Combine the fasting with exercise and healthy eating and you can maximize the effects of intermittent fasting.

Conclusion

Clearly, there are no shortage of diets. The main takeaway is to find something that works for you. We all have different priorities, lifestyles and health requirements, which necessitates different diets. However, all of these fads have been proven to work for many people. If necessary, you can always consult with a health professional or dietician to make sure that these diets are right for you. Happy cooking!