Slim Down Diets

Choosing the perfect eating plan to slim down may be a matter of trial and error, but the key is to pick one and stick to it. Bigger changes in eating habits can mean faster results, so decide for yourself how much of a difference you want to see and how quickly you want to see it. Becoming slimmer, thinner, and more comfortable in your own skin is just a successful diet away.

Sugar-Elimination Diet

• Marion Nestle, a New York University nutrition professor and author of "What to Eat", says that if she were advising someone to lose weight she would eliminate soda because of it's sugar content. The Wall Street Journal reports that the average American adult consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, which means they consume 330 sweet and empty calories in those 24 hours. Cutting out those means cutting out more than 2,300 calories and losing almost a pound per week. Hidden in all kinds of products, sugar can be difficult to avoid but .WebMD suggests going cold turkey to see cravings diminish. The first few days may well be the most difficult, so stock naturally sweet fruits and keep sugar out of the house.

Anti-Bloat Diet

• Diets that diminish the appearance of bloating can make anyone look slimmer, and is appropriate for those without time to lose weight who still want to look thinner. Keeping the salt at a minimum keeps water from being retained where it shows most. The World Health Organization suggests no more than two teaspoons (or 2,000 mg in canned products) a day for good health, so for a flatter stomach use that amount as an absolute maximum. If sodium is the enemy, water is the opposite: water has a role in flushing waste and excess fluid from your system to keep bloating down. High water and fiber content helps keep bloat-causing constipation at bay: Marie Claire suggests water in it's pure form, oranges and watermelon for their high water content, and oat bran and oatmeal for their system-cleansing fiber content.

Write Yourself Thin

• The way you approach weight loss can be just as important as what you actually eat. Julia Cameron, author of "The Writing Diet," says that we "overeat because something is eating us. She suggests that it is a pattern we can stop in its tracks by being more conscious about what we put in our mouths. She suggests writing in the morning to start off the day with pinpointed emotions and continued journaling. Do this instead of eating when dieters are very tired, angry, lonely, or hungry. The choice to avoiding late night eating, choosing better foods, and eating in moderation are made more definitive when everything eaten is taken account for and when food is used to satisfy hunger instead of to satisfy emotion.

Vegetarian Diet

• A Mayo Clinic nutritionist advises that although losing weight on a vegetarian diet is not guaranteed, vegetarians tend to be thinner and eat less fat and total calories. Since fruits, vegetables, beans, and soy products contain fewer calories than most meat products and byproducts, shifting toward vegetarianism can make weight loss easier. Focusing on the flavors in low-calorie and nutrient dense foods including reduced-fat peanut butter and low-fat cheese allows you to feel the satisfaction of eating well and plenty while still dropping the pounds. Be careful to avoid fried foods, full fat oils and cheeses to reap full benefits.