The Best Way to Choose a Safe Diet Program

Someone once said it is ten times harder to work 300 calories off at the gym than it is not to eat it. For the millions of Americans living with obesity, it is an adage well worth retelling. Diets have a long history of unhealthy restrictions and yo-yo weight loss and gain which makes choosing a safe diet program difficult. The key is to focus on changing your eating habits and leading a healthy lifestyle rather than dieting to lose a certain number of pounds.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pen
• Diet program literature
• Doctor's appointment

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Instructions

• 1

  Write down diets and programs in which you are interested. Gather the literature detailing the program's guidelines and restrictions.

• 2

  Cross off any diet that involves consuming one food or drink only. Many fad diets fall into this category, restricting your intake to only a specific vegetable soup or fruit juice for days. This is not a healthy or nutritionally balanced way to lose weight.

• 3

  Consider only a diet program that offers plenty of fruits, vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. Complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats like Omega-3s are vital to maintaining energy and health and skimping on them results in potentially serious health problems.

• 4

  Circle only the diets that offer food you are willing to eat for the rest of your life. Consider your ability and willingness to drink a meal substitute shake, never eat another piece of white bread or pay for a food service for years after you have lost the weight. Maintaining weight loss is about a sustainable lifestyle.

• 5

  Select a program that encourages healthy amounts of exercise along with your new dietary changes. The Mayo Clinic insists that every diet program should include physical activity recommendations to improve and maintain weight loss.

• 6

  Talk to your health practitioner. Your doctor will be able to advise you on the remaining diet programs on your list as well as explain the acceptable nutritional levels for you specifically to maintain health and shed fat. She may recommend supplements, vitamins or specific activities to assist in your efforts.