There is no shortage of fad diets which promise amazing results if you follow their plan. The ads always feature someone who claims to have dropped pounds and shed inches in a short period of time but you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true; they usually are. The reality of any weight loss plan is that it will work if you cut back on your daily consumption of calories, the question is how best to do that.
The government has done extensive research into eating healthy and has determined that the key is following the USDA Food Pyramid. Through the pyramid the USDA recommends what types of foods to eat and what quantity. The definition of a healthy diet at mypyramid.gov is the following; "emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars." The plan aims at helping you get the most nutrition out of the minimum amount of calories. You can find healthy meal plans to follow in the Etools section of our website.
To lose one pound of fat you must reduce your caloric intake by 3500, so cutting 500 calories per day will lead to a weight loss of one pound in a week. The USDA recommends that you eat 5 servings of vegetables a day, 4 servings of fruit, 6 ounces of grains and 5.5 ounces of meat, poultry, fish or beans. Following the pyramid will give your body the nutrition it needs and by eating several small meals instead of three big ones you can control the hunger.
The secret to success in sticking to this plan is to avoid saturated and trans fats, foods with added sugar and alcohol. One other recommendation to speed up your weight loss is to start on some type of exercise program. Even moderate physical activity can boost your metabolism and burn calories; just one hour of walking at a moderate pace will burn 300 calories. A healthy diet plus exercise can put you on the road to better health in a short period of time; your results may not be as dramatic as the fad diet commercials claim but you will be much more likely to sustain your weight loss over a long period of time.
