THE DIETS THAT WORK
- RANKED
Some are effective but too hard to maintain (and thus ineffective for many people!). I grouped the diets by "type", but added a + to the ones that I think (and/or studies suggested) were easier to sustain.
No diet works if there is not a sustainable eating pattern "afterwards"!
Group
Overeaters Anonymous (free, but it is disciplined, I've seen only big successes - 3 people) - #1 effectiveness.
WeightWatchers - Some studies rate it as the only one that works... #2 effectiveness.
Low carb
+ The Atkins Diet (and similar) - Very low carbs, highest effectiveness including improving measures of blood, easier to stay on
The South Beach Diet - Said to be a modification of Atkins
Intermittent fasting type - but not difficult
+ The 2 day a week Semi-Fast Diet - 2 non-consecutive days a week on 600 calories, normal eating all other times. Seems to be a mild enough challenge and to be sustainable. #2 ease-effectiveness
+ The 8 hour Diet - 3 to 5 days a week, though it is very doable 7 days, you pretty much eat as much as you want, being sure to eat a certain central group of foods, but you eat only during an 8 hour period (11 am to 7 pm or 8am to 4 am, etc.) #3 ease-effectiveness
Pre-proportioned
Nutrisystem - Prepreportioned, pretty hard to goof up, just buy some supplementary vegetables. Fairly easy and it works, though at times I thought the meal seemed measly.
Balanced, restricted calories
The Zone - You get 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Each is a mix of low-fat protein, like skinless chicken, turkey, or fish; carbs (mostly fruits and veggies); and a small amount of “good” fat, like olive oil, almonds, and avocado. Limit high glycemic, nonstarchy veggies, not fatty red meat or egg yolks. Limit calories: 1500/1200 men/women.
WHAT WORKS THE BEST - #1 IN EASE-EFFECTIVENESS COMBINED
Looking them all over and seeing what is in common and screening out what I think makes less sense, the best of the diets as far as what works seems to be these:
Never feel hungry - Eat enough so you never feel hungry (stop at feeling "80% full); never gorge as it is too costly
Stop high glycemic forever - Stop, forever:
1. All high sugar, high fructose corn syrup (the worst),
2. Refined products (rapidly turn to sugar and/or are denigrated in some way
3. Transfats and partially hydrogenated fats, including anything fried (no "fries"!)
4. High glycemic products (including fruit juices)
Eat the rest as you wish - Just eat as much as you want of what is left, until satiated.
1. Eat only whole foods - natural ones.
Full night's sleep. A full night's sleep is absolutely necessary or one's hormones and signals will be off, which would lower the effectiveness of the above "diet" and also make it hard to stay on it.
Just plain movement - Although not absolutely necessary for dieting per se, it is immensely helpful to do a full dose of exercise (aerobic of at least 30 minutes in a day, for at least 4 days a week - but increase it to an hour a day for losing weight or doing or do high intensity intervals to use less time - see Exercise). Goal: Increase one's steps to 10,000 per day (using a monitor, like fitbit or a step counter.
Use Fillers
1. Drink water strategically - Enhancements could be to drink a glass of water 1/2 hour before each meal.
2. Add a fiber supplement to feel more filled up
Eat the good stuff first
Eat as much as possible, first, from the foundation of the "good for you" pyramid - cut off the top "bad for you" as strictly as possible, for they add no satisfaction after you get to "normal" again.
Supplement to improve the odds, be healthier
1. Multivitamin
2. B-vitamin (100 mg or so per each B vit)
3. Omega-3 oil, 2-3 grams
4. Vitamin D3,1 g or more
5. A calcium magnesium supplement.
Intermittent modified fasting
You can add this strategy to any diet and improve the results! (8 hour diet and/or the "fast" 5:2 diet)
RAMP IT UP AS NECESSARY BY USING MORE OF THE STRATEGIES
A requirement of a good diet is that you never suffer. That was a hard and fast rule in my book "How I Lost Weight Easily And Achieved High Health The Simple Way" ($0.99 Kindle book), link to it from Books.
Using that book, if you're not losing at least a pound a week, you would simply use more of the supplements that control hunger, be a bit more pure about carbs, be religious about drinking a glass with fiber in it a 1/2 hour before eating, lengthen the non-eating time a bit and other strategies - but you never carry it to deprivation or not eating enough to feel satisfied.
