Choosing a Diet that Works for You!

So you've decided you want to lose some weight and keep it off, and you are ready to go shopping for the right diet. You've seen the commercials featuring a guy who ate only subs and lost over 100 lbs., you've seen all the low carb/high protein Vs. food pyramid debates on CNN, you've heard about Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig. The question you are pondering is likely some version of "which diet is the best?" If you want to reach your weight loss goal, I suggest you change that question to the following: which diet is best for you? The difference may seem small, but is in fact much more important than you might think. Here's why:

The inherent flaw in the "one size fits all" approach to diets

While testimonials are appealing ("I lost fifty pounds in one week!!"), they are also highly misleading. The fact that someone can lose weight by following a certain diet means absolutely nothing to you unless you are exactly like that person in terns of your eating preferences, lifestyle, level of self-control, etc. And since each of us is, to some extent, an individual we need to work a bit harder to find a diet regimen that will work long term.

For example, when someone asks me whether Atkins works I tell him "Yes, for some, and not for others." When I tried Atkins, I lost all my normal energy, had breath from hell, and was "stopped up" for days. Needless to say, I didn't last long on that diet. However, for many it is the ideal diet. The question of whether a diet works has as much to do with the dieter's likelihood of sticking to it as it does with the diet itself. Therefore, when choosing a diet you should consider the following:

Food Types

While every diet will require some change to your eating habits, starting a diet should not be an exercise in self-denial or torture. Don't sign up for a diet that disallows you from eating everything you like, or one that forces you to eat food you loathe. In other words, if you are a vegetarian you may have some trouble feeling satisfied following the Atkins diet.

Cooking Vs. Prepared Meals

Do you cook? If not, you may want to lean toward a program that offers prepared meals such as Weight Watchers Jenny Craig or Nutri Systems. While the cost is not insignificant, the time saved and convenience may outweigh the cost for you. Also, the cost may be less than you think, and the cost varies dramatically from program to program. Shop around!

Flexibility

Think about your lifestyle. Are you away from home a lot? Are you running 100% of the time? Flexibility in areas such as food substitution, or requirements that you weigh your portions and/or keep a diary may be the factors that make a diet the right or wrong choice for you. The diet you choose should be as non-intrusive to your existing lifestyle as possible. This will dramatically increase your likelihood of sticking to it long term.

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