Diets and workouts are the best-known strategies for losing weight. However, there are so many types of diets and each claims to help weight loss. This weight-loss diets’ review will help you find what suits you and save you the time and money to go around different diets. 

Weight loss diets that claim to be weight loss friendly are the keto, paleo, Mediterranean, low carbs, plant-based, and raw food diet.

The above diets have foods they encourage us to eat while on the diet and restrict other foods that are purported to be unfriendly to weight loss according to a particular diet.

Will you be able to lose weight by following any of these diets? Read on to find out how these diets help weight loss, their benefits, and downsides. 

Is dieting a good way to lose weight?  

Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated, controlled, and supervised manner in order to decrease, maintain, or gain body weight. People also practice dieting to prevent diseases and live a healthy lifestyle. 

‎While dieting, some types of foods are emphasized while others are restricted depending on the type of diet.  

Dieting is a good way to lose weight and several studies have come out in support of this hypothesis. For example, in a study by Harvard Medical School, comparing a low-fat diet and a low-carb diet, it was established that both diets ended up having the same results across almost all end points studied, from weight loss to lowering blood sugar and cholesterol.

Another study published in the journal of Research in Medical Science: The Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Science indicated that; Meal replacement, low carbohydrate-low glycaemic index (GI) diet, high protein intake, and moderate fat consumption showed positive effects on weight maintenance

Dieting is a good way to lose weight as it helps you control the calories burned for weight loss. 

What are the different diets for weight loss? 

Below are some of the weight-loss diets. 

1. Plant-based diet. 

The plant-based diet is not necessarily a diet but rather a lifestyle. It consists of foods made entirely from plants. Foods here include vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, seeds, and very few or no animal products. 

The plant-based diet minimizes processed foods and majorly focuses on the whole foods which are weight loss friendly. It further goes to exclude refined foods such as added sugars, white flour, and processed oils. 

With a plant-based diet, special attention is also put on food quality emphasizing locally sourced and organic foods whenever possible. 

A plant-based diet for weight loss. 

Many studies have shown that the plant-based diet is effective in weight loss due to the following reasons; 

• The high fiber content in foods chosen for the plant-based diet is linked to weight loss. Fiber can keep you satisfied for longer hours to avoid unnecessary snacking. Soluble fiber is also a powerful appetite suppressant.
• Whole foods chosen for the plant-based diets are usually low in calories compared to the foods which are excluded from the diet such as processed foods and those that are high in added sugars.   

Since the essence of weight loss is burning more calories than you consume, such low-calorie foods make weight loss easier. 

Downward side of the plant-based diet. 

The plant-based diet has a few cons such as  

• Adapting to this new diet may take quite some time because it’s not easy to adjust to. 
• You will have to prepare most of the food by yourself in order to enjoy a true plant-based diet. 
• The plant-based diet may not help you meet all your nutrient demands especially those that are found in animal products. 

2. The ketogenic diet. 

The ketogenic diet or simply keto is a diet that restricts carbs from your diet and emphasizes high fat and adequate protein consumption. 

With the Keto diet, the body has low glucose and low insulin. The body goes into a process known as ketosis; where it burns fat stores instead of carbs for energy. The body burns fat stores to release ketones that are used as a source of energy.

The keto diet involves dropping all foods that are rich in carbohydrates such as grains, rice, sweet potatoes cereals, and many others. 

It then emphasizes meat, fish and seafood, healthy oils, eggs, low carb vegetables, some nuts and seeds, berries, low carb fruits, and other foods that are low in carbs. 

The keto diet for weight loss. 

The keto diet has been used by many people for weight loss. This is how it conducts weight loss; 

• The keto diet increases fat burning because the main source of energy on the keto diet is fats. 
• It reduces fat storage in the body since most of the fat that is consumed is turned into energy. 
• The keto diet has appetite-suppressing effects. This helps you to control hunger and food intake. 
• High protein intake by the keto diet has a lot of weight loss benefits. proteins make you feel fuller longer; which reduces food intake.

 Downwards of the keto diet. 

Many risks are associated with the keto diet and they include; 

• The keto flu which is a collection of symptoms experienced during the first days of adopting the keto diet. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pain are some of the symptoms and unwanted conditions associated with keto. 
• Faster weight regains when one stops following the keto diet. 
• Eating fewer proteins reduces muscle mass and decreased metabolism. 
• One may experience nutrient deficiency led by the restriction of foods like fruits which are rich in healthy vitamins and many other important nutrients. 

Summary: Should you choose the keto diet? That’s a question you will be able to answer after reading this article about the Ketogenic diet. 

3. The paleo diets. 

The paleo diet is one of the most popular diets that consists of whole and unprocessed food.  

It is a high protein, low carbs diet that is modeled to resemble the diet used by early humans. 

It is believed to lower the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Some people claim that the paleo diet can improve health and boost weight loss. 

While on the paleo diet, the consumption of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry is encouraged.  

Basically, foods that weren’t available to early humans are restricted from this diet. Such foods include processed foods, grains, legumes, dairy products, and artificial sweeteners. 

There are several variations of the paleo diet, each with different guidelines on the foods restricted and those permitted. 

For instance, some modified paleo diet variations are less restrictive and allow grass-fed dairy products. 

The paleo diet for weight loss. 

• The paleo diet encourages eating whole foods which are packed with nutrients. It also restricts processed foods that are usually high in calories and can contribute to weight gain. 
• The high protein consumption is related to weight loss by reducing levels of ghrelin which is the hunger causing hormone. This helps you to feel satisfied for longer and helps to prevent unnecessary snacking. 
• Whole foods involved in the paleo diet are usually high in natural fibers with its many weight loss associated abilities. 

Downward side of the paleo diet. 

Just like other diets, the paleo diet has got downsides too. These include; 

• It is so restrictive making life hard. Restricting foods also cause a nutrition deficiency whereby some important nutrients can not be got from the available foods.  for example vitamin D and calcium got from dairy products. 
• High-fat meat and saturated fat intake can increase bad cholesterol in the body which may lead to heart disease. 
• A low-calorie intake of carbs will send your body into ketosis and related side effects like the keto flu. 
• It is expensive since it recommends meats, seafood, and healthy oils which are costly foods

Summary: The paleo diet can be used for weight loss. But before fully adopting the paleo diet, you should find out What is a paleo diet? pros and cons. 

4. Low-carb diets. 

Low carb diets are among the most popular diets for weight loss and examples include the keto diet, Atkins diet, and low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet. 

There are many varieties associated with the low carbs diet. for example, some low-carb diets reduce restrict more carbs than others. For example, the keto diet restricts carb intake to under 10% of the total calories compared to others that may have up to about 30%. 

Low carb diets restrict carb intake in favor of protein and fat.  

In extremely low carb diets like keto, your body begins to burn fatty acids for energy instead of carbs a process called ketosis. 

Low-carb diets for weight loss. 

• Restricting carbs in the diet forces the body to burn fat for energy. This increases fat burning and fat storage in the body. 
• Avoiding sugar and starch stabilizes blood sugars levels and increases satiety. This reduces food intake, promoting weight loss. 
• High protein intakes help to keep the feeling of fullness longer. Proteins also increase muscle building which in turn increases metabolism. this increases the number of calories you will burn at rest. 

Downsides of the low carb diets. 

• One of the most common side effects of the low carbs diet is the keto flu which is a group of symptoms associated with the early days of getting into the low carbs diet. 
• Nutrition deficiency caused by restricting carbs. 
• Constipation may also occur to some people since fiber-rich foods are eliminated from the diet. 
• It may be hard to stick to the diets as food restricting tends to be hard to keep up to. 

5. The raw food diet. 

It is a diet that dictates all foods to be eaten completely raw or heated at very low temperatures below 40-48 C. 

On a raw foods diet, you can eat foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, and legumes. 

Foods such as cooked vegetables, grains and legumes, baked foods, roasted nuts and seeds, refined oils, refined sugars, alcohol, and processed snacks such as chips are prohibited. 

Meals can also be prepared by juicing, blending, soaking, sprouting, and dehydrating instead of cooking. 

Most people who embark on a raw food diet often do it for health reasons and weight loss to a small extent. 

The raw food diet for weight loss. 

• Raw foods usually have a low-fat content and embarking on this diet lowers body fat. 
• Most foods in this diet are low in calories, fat, and sodium which are all good for weight loss  
• The raw food diet is high in fiber which makes it more satisfying and helps to keep satisfaction much longer. 

Downsides of the raw food diet. 

• There is a high risk of deficiency associated with the raw food diet. For instance, vitamin B12 is one of the nutrients that lacks in the raw food diet. Its efficiency can lead to anemia, nervous breakdown, infertility, and poor bone health. 
• The raw food diet is boring and is difficult to keep up to. 
• The diet may weaken muscles and bones since the raw food diet is low in calcium and vitamin D which are essential nutrients for stronger bones and muscles. 

6. The Mediterranean diet. 

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest eating patterns as it is flexible with foods that are highly nutritious and plenty of health benefits. 

It focuses on including certain foods in the diet, restricting others while putting less emphasis on calorie counting. 

This is a diet based on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, tubers, whole grains, fish, seafood, and extra virgin olive oil. 

In moderation, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt while red meat is rarely eaten while on the Mediterranean diet. 

It restricts refined grains, trans fats, refined oils, processed meats, added sugars, and other processed foods. 

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss. 

• The Mediterranean diet limits processed foods and added sugars which are often high in calories. This restriction helps to consume fewer calories which helps weight loss. 
• Foods involved in this diet such as fruits and vegetables are high in fiber which helps to add bulk in the stomach as well as to keep the satisfaction effect for longer. 

The downsides of the Mediterranean diet. 

• The Mediterranean diet may not help lose weight unless when fewer calories are consumed. 
• The Mediterranean diet cuts out many processed and refined foods which may be hard to do without. 
• This diet allows a moderate amount of alcohol intake which may not be healthy for everyone. 
• It tends to be expensive than other diets like the raw foods diet. 

Can you lose weight by dieting alone?  

To start with, in order to lose weight, one has to burn more calories than he or she consumes. It is important to note that when calories aren’t burned, they will be stored as fat in the body.  

People often restrict much calorie intake so as to lose weight easily since few calories can easily be burned thus weight loss.  

However, one of the easiest ways to burn calories is by doing exercises. Diet alone cannot help you lose weight unless if the diet is extremely restrictive.

Extremely restrictive diets such as the keto claim to help weight loss without exercise.  However, these kinds of diets are often associated with many health risks. 

To sum up, dieting alone will not be able to help you lose weight. The combination of exercises and the right diet can help you lose weight easier and faster. 

 

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