There are a lot of different weight loss programs out there. It can be hard to know which one is right for you.
Ultimately, you want to find a diet plan that is sustainable in the long term. That means that it leaves room for your favorite foods.
For example, if you love having a bowl of ice cream in the evenings, it’s best to find a program that allows for this.
Look for a Diet That Fits Your Lifestyle
A weight loss programs for women diet will only be successful if it fits into your lifestyle. If it’s too restrictive, it will be hard to stick with it long-term and you are likely to return to your old habits. If you find yourself struggling to choose the right diet, consider meeting with a registered dietitian who can provide one-on-one support and customize a meal plan for you or help you follow a commercial program.
Before choosing a diet, define your goal. Do you want to lose a certain amount of weight or do you just want to improve your overall health? Once you’ve identified your goals, look at the dietary tenets of each option. A healthy diet focuses on reducing portion sizes, limiting sugary beverages and eliminating processed foods. It also promotes a variety of foods from each food group, including lean meats, fish, dairy, fruits and vegetables. The Ornish diet, for example, focuses on sustainable, long-term lifestyle changes and encourages a balance of whole grains, legumes, low-fat and nonfat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
When researching diets, look for ones that have been created by researchers, health experts and doctors. Doing your homework will prevent you from following fad diets that won’t deliver lasting results.
Look for a diet that has a maintenance phase and offers accountability, such as one-on-one coaching or an app that tracks your progress. It’s important to track your weight loss progress so that you can see the success you are making and remain motivated. The app or website should make it easy to record your daily food intake, exercise and water intake, as well as weigh-ins.
Look for a Diet That Offers Accountability
If you want to stick to your diet, it’s important to find a plan that offers accountability. Accountability helps keep you focused on your goals, and studies have shown that people who commit to someone else completing a goal are more likely to succeed!
When it comes to your diet, accountability can come in the form of regular weigh-ins, keeping a food journal, or using digital tools to track your progress. Having these tools in place will help you stay motivated throughout your weight loss journey.
At Yunique Medical, our Daily Accountability Program (DAP) provides you with a registered dietitian to support your health goals through audio/video or text communication. Your dietitian will get to know your needs and goals and will provide daily guidance that is unique to you.
Look for a Diet That Offers Support
Regardless of the type of diet you choose, it is important to find a program that offers a support system and encouragement. Some of the best programs provide you with one-on-one coaching, which can help you stay accountable and motivated to reach your goals.
In addition, look for a plan that offers a variety of healthy foods to maintain a balanced diet. Women need certain nutrients, like iron and folic acid, at different stages in life, so it is important that any plan you consider can adapt to your changing needs.
Lastly, ask about the types of exercise recommended in the plan. Make sure it incorporates strength training, which is especially important for women. This will help you build muscle and increase your metabolism, which can speed up weight loss.
Look for a Diet That Offers a Maintenance Phase
A maintenance phase is essential to the long-term success of any diet. It’s a time to normalize your metabolism and hormones after a period of intense dieting. When you eat at a deficit consistently, your body starts to view it as a stressor and responds by slowing down your metabolism and increasing hunger and hormone production (particularly testosterone and thyroid). A maintenance phase helps your body recover from this stressful situation and is a crucial component of sustainable weight loss.
If you don’t take a break from a calorie deficit, your progress will eventually come to a stop. A maintenance phase will help you re-establish an energy balance without having to reduce your daily intake as much as you did during the fat loss phase. A good rule of thumb is to have a maintenance phase that lasts about 2/3 as long as your fat loss diet did.
Conclusion
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, a maintenance phase is helpful for those who experience tracking burnout or struggle with “relapses” into old negative habits. Taking a break from the constant focus on calorie counting and tracking food can help you get refocused and give you the confidence to continue your healthy eating habits into the future.
