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Feature Article:
Choosing a Healthy Weight Loss Diet
Plan
Does it seem like every time you open the paper or
get online, you see yet another story or article telling
us about a new diet craze? With all the conflicting
information, how do you decide which one is the best one
for you? That is a choice that needs to be based on your
weight loss goal, your individual food tastes and your
lifestyle. Often diets fail because these factors are
not considered.
You may only desire to lose a few pounds so
that your clothes will look and fit better. You may want to
lose that rapidly and may only need to be on a diet
plan for as little as two to three weeks. If that is
the case, then the "lose weight fast" programs may be a
reasonable option for you. Many of those plans, such as meal
replacement with shakes, allow you to lose weight very quickly. However, they are not usually
a healthy long term diet plan and
are not a good option for someone needing to lose a
significant amount of
weight. Long
term use of such plans may be damaging to your health.
Your individual preference in food also needs to be
considered when choosing a diet plan. For example, if
you have a strong taste for salty, starchy foods, which
are usually carbohydrates, you would probably have
difficulty staying on the Atkins diet. A plan that allows more
carbohydrates would wok better for you. Look carefully at the foods allowed on the
diet you are considering and seriously consider if you
think you will be able to stick with it. While you are
not going to find a healthy weight loss diet plan that lets you eat
cookies or ice cream everyday, you probably won’t stick
to one that consists only of foods that you dislike.
Finally, consider your lifestyle.. If
you are tied to a desk all day at work with very little
flexibility in your routine, trying a diet plan that
requires that you eat prepared food six times a day
probably is not a good choice. Likewise, diets which
require exotic foods or unusual food combinations will
be difficult for someone who has a family of finicky
children to cook for and keep happy.
You should never decide to follow a certain diet just
because it is the latest fad, a celebrity endorses it, or it worked for someone
else you know. Stop and think about whether the
right fits your individual needs. The best healthy weight
loss diet is the one that is the best fit for you.
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