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Introduction to weight loss diets
Is 2023 going to be the year many of us finally get around to shedding those extra kilos we packed on during the pandemic? If you’re undecided, you might as well work towards that goal. Because there's no time like the present, eh? The bad news is that, as always, weight loss requires effort, planning, and commitment. The good news is that we now have a number of weight loss diets to pick from, so we have the freedom to pick one that suits our health and lifestyle choices better.
According to experts, some of the best diets for weight loss this year include the Mediterranean Diet, the DASH Diet, the Flexitarian Diet, the MIND Diet, vegetarian and vegan diets, the paleo diet, and relatively unknown entrants like the Volumetrics diet.
What does this mean for you in the real world when you’re feeling peckish and fighting that annoying urge to succumb to junk food? If you’re the kind of person who isn’t averse to swapping out entire categories of foods in your kitchen, the ketogenic diet may be right up your alley in 2023. I mean, bullet coffee is a thing now. If you have a weakness for Mediterranean food (who doesn’t?), how about trying the Mediterranean diet for a while? If you are dealing with certain health challenges, the DASH diet could be worth checking out. Truth be told, there are plenty of great diet plans to choose from, and we’re here to simplify the ones best suited for you.
But first....
The Importance of Diet for Weight Loss and Health
A consistent, healthy diet is crucial for weight loss and overall fitness. Instead of following fad diets that ask you to subsist on a mere 1000 calories per day, gradual changes in one's eating habits can lead to long-term success. Structured eating programs or consultations with dietitians can provide valuable guidance in choosing an eating plan that fits your preferences and goals. In some cases, all it takes is to introduce a few good habits: increasing water intake, consuming more vegetables and fresh fruits, etc., can lead to improvements in health.
If you’re struggling with weight issues, you’re not alone. Data from the NFHS (National Family Health Survey) shows that 1-in-16 Indian women and 1-in-25 Indian men between the ages of 15 and 49 are obese. Another 17.6% of Indian women and 18.9% of men are overweight.
The science behind weight loss (is simple)
Weight is about calories: consuming a certain number of calories helps maintain optimal weight. Ingest more calories, and you put on weight. Reducing your caloric intake below what your body burns off in a day should help you drop those kilos. Experts agree that, on average, women require 1600 to 2400 calories daily to maintain their weight (this does not include pregnant women), and men require 2000 to 3000 calories. Reducing daily consumption by around 500 calories can help the average individual drop around half a kilo of weight per week.
Figuring out precisely how many calories you should consume daily can prove tricky. It depends on several factors like sex, age, size, and activity levels. You also need to pick a diet that you can follow seven days a week until you see the results you desire. Weight loss experts will often explain that it’s down to fighting your urges and having healthier substitutes for fattening foods close at hand. That’s where the following diets can be helpful.
Mediterranean Diet
This diet just wins it all. Great taste, healthy food, and plenty of benefits. It is high in fiber, which is good for digestion. It is rich in healthy fats and low in saturated fat. It’s a common diet in that region, so it’s relatively easier to switch to, and stick with. Yes, some items can be expensive in India, but we’ve got a ton of Mediterranean recipes on Slurrp to make at home. Avocados, olive oil, nuts, fish twice per week, greens, fruits, beans, and whole grains will have you feeling healthy and dropping weight steadily. There's plenty here for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
However, it is necessary that you limit your daily caloric intake to 1500 calories per day. Research shows that following this diet and caloric intake leads to a 5–10% drop in body weight within one year. Importantly, studies also indicate that people who consumed a Mediterranean-style diet were twice as likely to keep the weight off, and not regain it. Delicious food eaten in moderation that helps you lose weight significantly within just one year? Yes please!
DASH Diet:
This diet is growing in popularity because it helps in two ways: it lowers hypertension (high blood pressure) and also leads to weight loss. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is low in sodium and designed to help control blood pressure without medication. (If you do take such medications, please consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medication.) The DASH diet prioritizes fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat and/or nonfat dairy, and whole grains. It avoids red meat, salt, added sugars, and fat, and also cuts down on saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. A 2019 study found that overweight older adults on a DASH diet of 1800 calories daily for 12 weeks lost weight and had lower body fat. This diet is good for vegetarians, given the emphasis on fruits and veggies. The DASH diet, by design, is anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, heart-healthy, and will help you lose weight when followed consistently.
Vegan Diet
Vegans avoid all animal products. That includes milk-based foods, eggs, and even honey. Going vegan is not just a diet but a lifestyle shift. It is claimed to be an ethical, environment-friendly diet. Many others shift to this diet to lose weight. The vegan diet can be a great choice for weight loss due to its elimination of high-fat and high-calorie animal-based foods, which studies show can help lower a person's BMI. Vegan food choices also promote the consumption of fiber-rich foods, which can reduce calorie intake and lead to weight loss. But that doesn’t mean indulging in pasta, chips, rice, etc. Increasing your intake of plant-based proteins and greens is key to successful weight loss with a vegan diet.
That said, vegan diets have generated a bit of controversy recently because they can lead to nutritional deficiencies if not planned properly. Experts recommend that individuals who choose to go the vegan route ensure they get enough vitamin B-12, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and calcium. If you want to adopt a vegan diet, consult your doctor before you begin.
Flexitarian Diet
This sounds like a diet that can accommodate diverse choices. And it does. Think of a flexitarian diet as a semi-vegetarian eating plan—it is the middle path between a vegetarian diet and a vegan diet. The diet still prioritizes plant-based foods but does allow for the occasional meat dish. For instance, if you’re on a 2-month diet plan, as long as you can stay around 1500 calories per day, an infrequent chicken tikka won’t derail your flexitarian diet. Why? Because you’re filling your plate with veggies, fruits, plant proteins, and whole grains on a daily basis, you ensure you feel full through the day without piling on the calories. You do have to strictly limit sugary foods and desserts, though. This diet is flexible, not stupid.
Intermittent Fasting
Ah, the best kind of fasting. How many people haven’t already told you that they lost oodles of weight after embracing intermittent fasting? And all you could think was, "16 hours without food?!" Well, it turns out they’re onto something. Some studies have shown that intermittent fasting, in addition to helping people lose weight, may also boost the rate of metabolism in the body.
Intermittent fasting is about building discipline. You eat all your food within an 8-hour window. Some people do this daily; others do it on the weekends, combining it with a 500-calorie deficit, for example. So, you eat all your healthy meals between, say, 8am and 4pm, and consume no food until 8am the next day. During the other 16 hours, you can have unsweetened tea or coffee with a spoonful or two of milk and, of course, plenty of water. You can also have apple cider vinegar if you aren’t put off by the taste. How long you continue this depends on how much weight you want to lose, but some people do adopt it as a new lifestyle.
Keto Diet
This is one of the most popular diets today. I personally know people who have switched to this diet and lost some weight. And boy, do they love their bullet coffee with 70% dark chocolate on the side! This diet dials up the fat intake, which can seem counterintuitive at first. Think avocados, Brazil nuts, seeds, coconuts, fish, and olive oil. Eat more fat to lose weight? Well, yes. In a keto diet, one eats a high-fat, low-carb diet that puts the body in a state of ketosis. With little to no carbs to burn for energy, your body now burns fat cells to fuel itself through the day. People who get on a keto diet swear by it, and many tend to stick with it after seeing the results of the tests. That said, keto has its downsides: your body is in a crisis state when in keto. People with kidney issues and high cholesterol are advised against keto because of the high fat levels.
Paleo Diet
This is a difficult one. Following a paleo diet means eating like our human ancestors from the Paleolithic Era, which was from around 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. So, a hunter-gatherer way of eating Why? As the Mayo Clinic explains, "The diet is based on the idea that our genes are not well adjusted for modern diets that grew out of farming." That means a diet comprised of lean meat, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. So, zero processed foods and starchy foods. What’s the downside? Plenty, as it turns out. It removes all dairy, grains, legumes, and beans from your diet. Alright, we can live without beans, so that’s not really a minus. But Indians with no legumes in their food?
The difficulty with the paleo diet, despite its popularity, is the long list of foods you must avoid, making it a tough choice to sustain. Removing whole grains also deprives us of vitamins and minerals. Many studies on paleo diets lasted only a few weeks or months. But one study did find that 14 people lost 2.3 kg of weight and 0.5 inches of belly fat in just three weeks! So, the paleo diet can be a great way to lose weight in the short term if planned well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t suit vegetarians or vegans.
MIND diet
This may just be the most intriguing diet on this list. The MIND diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. Talk about innovative! MIND is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, a diet that was created to promote brain health and lower the risk of mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease. This is a low-carb diet that prioritizes leafy greens, berries, and nuts and restricts the consumption of animal and high saturated-fat foods. That reduces calorie intake, which can lead to weight loss.
Pescatarian Diet
You’ve probably heard of this one. It’s a largely vegetarian diet that allows you to add fish to it. The idea is to consume mostly plant-based foods and add some grilled seafood for the benefits it provides through omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish twice a week can help keep the heart healthy. The emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. keeps your calorie count low, which can lead to weight loss. The obvious downside of this diet is the danger of ingesting too much mercury. To avoid this, one must eat fish low in mercury—salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines—when following a pescatarian diet.
Volumetrics Diet
This diet was put together by a professor at Penn State University with one simple goal, which we all can agree is a great idea: "get full eating foods that provide the most nutrition for the least amount of calories." Can’t argue with that logic. Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutrition, divided food into four categories: least energy-dense to most energy-dense. Veggies, fruits, and broth-based soups are the least energy-dense, and guilty pleasures like cookies, chocolate, nuts, and butter are the most energy-dense. Under this diet, you plan your meals to consume as much of the low energy-dense foods as possible. Fewer calories consumed leads to weight loss.
Choosing the right diet for you is crucial. Identify your goals and preferences, then check if the diet suits you:
Do I like the recommended foods?
Are these foods within my budget?
Do I have the time for regular meal prep?
For instance, the Mediterranean, DASH, and Flexitarian diets are adaptable and have less restrictive lifestyle approaches. Veganism has shown positive results for weight loss and overall health but may need to be tweaked to overcome nutritional gaps. Pick any of these diets that catch your interest and seem aligned with your goal. Study them, consult your doctor, and make the right choice for you. Then make a plan and stick to it. We hope you accomplish your fitness and weight loss goals before 2024 comes around!
