Best Diet For Losing Weight And Toning

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When you’re trying to lose weight, it can be overwhelming to decide where to start, especially when it comes to sustainable and healthy nutrition. Choosing a diet plan for weight loss that is right for you depends on lifestyle, goals, and what makes you feel good.

“A good diet for long-term weight loss is one that puts structure around food and eating but allows flexibility for preferences and likes and dislikes, is nutritionally healthy, and includes mindful eating techniques and behavior modification strategies, ” says Sonya Angelone, RD, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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Keep in mind that just because a diet can help you lose weight doesn’t mean it can help you keep it off or build healthy habits that prevents you from gaining it back. “The diet should be sustainable for long term and not be a quick fix, ” adds Keri Gans, RD, the author of The Small Change Diet.

And while the best diets have a common theme—creating a calorie deficit, or having some kind of structure around food intake—you want to make sure you're eating well, not just less. “It’s really important to still make sure that you’re getting adequate nutrition, ” says Jessica Cording, RD, the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. Consider your daily intake of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats, she adds.

A diet can have other health benefits. “Besides weight loss, people want to feel good, have more energy, and feel confident, ” says Lori Barrett, RDN, of Top Nutrition Coaching. “Maybe someone wants to avoid family genetics they have seen a parent go through like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart concerns, or they want to lower their medication amounts through food and weight loss.” Remember that healthy eating habits have a huge impact on your life and weight loss is just one piece of the puzzle.

Lose Weight And Tone

So, when deciding which diet is right for you (that can do all the above), think about your taste, lifestyle choices, cooking habits, social schedule, and how likely you are to stick to a plan. A diet is personal, and it’s important to find one that works best for you.

If you’re ready to embark on a weight loss journey, read on to see which diets are nutritionally sound while still helping you get results, according to nutritionists.

Lori Barrett, RDN, has 20 years of experience working as a dietitian at my own private practice and as a clinical dietitian at a major New York hospital.

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A big appeal of the flexitarian diet is that it’s…flexible and doesn't involve counting calories. It encourages a mostly plant-based diet while allowing you to have meat when the mood strikes. “The flexitarian diet includes all food groups, while at the same time encouraging more plant-based meals which in many instances are lower in calories, ” Gans says. “You should not feel deprived on this plan.”

How it helps you lose weight: Focusing on having more veggies, fruits, and plants in general should naturally help you consume fewer calories, Cording says. And the lower your calories intake, the more weight you'll lose. There’s also data to back this up: One review found that followers of the flexitarian diet had lower BMIs than people who ate meat more often.

A plant-forward diet may reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Because plants have essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they boost your immune system and keep your cells going. Plant-based meals are also usually high in fiber but low in sugar and fat, which can charge your metabolism and lower your blood pressure, according to a 2016 Frontiers in Nutrition study.

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The flexitarian diet has its perks, but there is limited structure. “In terms of a weight loss plan, it can be too flexible since it’s pretty vague and not necessarily telling you what kind of portions, ” says Barrett. “You can be flexitarian but still eat a ton of calories, so it might be more helpful to think of it as a way of eating versus a weight loss plan.”

Volumetrics works just as it sounds—it focuses on the volume, or quantity, of foods, while encouraging you to eat nutrient-dense foods. The idea is to make sure you get full on foods that are high in fiber and water like fruits and veggies. So, you go by satiety cues, not the number of calories in your meals. It emphasizes lower-calorie foods and healthy portion sizes, ” Angelone says. “This diet also includes regular meals and snacks, so you don’t go hungry.”

How it helps you lose weight: “Focusing on healthy foods that will fill you up should help you consume less calories that will lead to weight loss, ” Gans says. One study concluded this is definitely a good method to try: There was a clear connection between eating low-calorie, nutrient-dense diets and weight loss.

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Since fruits and vegetables are the MVPs in this eating plan, you are consuming loads of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Research shows this protects against nutritional deficiencies and gives an extra hand to your immune system, especially during cold and flu season.

While the diet emphasizes filling up on low-carb foods, the restriction of healthy fats can be a downside, says Barrett. “There are healthy fats we need for heart health and to lower disease risk, and being too strict on those can be harmful.” To get your share of heart-healthy fats, Barrett suggests adding sunflower oils, nuts, seeds, and salmon to your meals.

WW has been around for ages, and the company has gotten a lot of props for its points-based approach to foods. You get a certain number of points each day and strive to eat foods that stick within that. “It’s more of a lifestyle approach, ” Cording says. “They do a wonderful job in educating people on portion sizes and how to budget their food.”

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The program also offers in-person and virtual meetings for you to share your journey with others in the WW community. You can also sign up for live coaching.

How it helps you lose weight: The accountability is helpful for losing weight, Gans says. “For some people, keeping track of their foods with a personal points program keeps them accountable and more likely to keep up with the diet, ” she points out. Research has also backed up the diet’s effectiveness for weight loss. One study found that people were much more likely to lose 10 percent of their body weight over six months on WW than those who were not using the program.

Another benefit of WW is its holistic and realistic approach. Research demonstrates that focusing on a balanced diet can improve your mood and help minimize symptoms of depression or anxiety by emphasizing quality and quantity over restriction. Plus, since meals are point-based, you can still eat out or attend parties without having to worry. The program also offers in-person and virtual meetings for you to share your journey with others in the WW community. Plus, you can sign up for live coaching.

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Counting points may be liberating for some, but it can be tiring for others, says Barrett. “Some people get tired of tracking or scanning points and get frustrated, so WW depends on your lifestyle, ” she notes.

It's also important to be mindful of “saving points” for treats and knocking out points for more nutrient-dense foods. “You don’t want to get into a roll-over pattern, so think about what foods are fitting into your point schedule, ” says Barrett Remember: Balance is key and everything in moderation.

The keto diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs. By restricting your carb intake to less than 50 grams a day, this eating plan helps trigger ketosis, the process by which your body burns fat instead of carbs for energy. “People who lose weight on the keto diet are eliminating so many foods they were eating before and, by default, consume less calories, ” Gans explains.

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How it helps you lose weight: “This diet eliminates most carbs, which includes the foods people tend to eat too much of—bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, and pizza, ” Angelone says. “Weight comes off quickly since the muscles have to use up the stored carbohydrates which hold water in the muscles.” Part of the initial weight loss is water weight, she notes. Just keep in mind that you’ll often need to stick with keto or a low-carb diet to sustain these results, Cording says—and that’s not for everyone.

Because there is an emphasis on less carbs, research shows that your body looks to fat sources within the body as the primary store of energy. As a result, your insulin and blood glucose levels become lower, which reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and even stroke.

That being said, restricting your intake of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs can negatively impact your immune health and digestive system. “Fruits and complex carbs are needed to

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