Are You Looking for a Healthy Diet Plan?

One of the Beck Diet Solution recommendations is finding a healthy diet plan. There are several I suggest that are well-balanced, sound, and can be maintained for life.

1) Some people have chosen Weight Watchers. It's a sound and healthy diet that you can follow for the rest of your life. Many people have gone on and off it over decades; they keep going back to it because it works so well while they're following it! But I have one friend who has never strayed from it in 25 years and she continues to manage her weight successfully--even on a cruise! It's easy to use and comes with support in the form of weekly groups, meetings, or online assistance. Many packaged foods in supermarkets show you how many "Weight Watchers Points" are in a serving, so you are virtually surrounded with information to help you stay on the plan.

2) Another healthy plan to try is through the MyPlate website, at ChooseMyPlate.gov. This is a USDA site put together by professionals who use the dietary guidelines to help you plan your daily menu. For instance, if you want to follow a 1600-calorie level (they can help you figure out your ideal calorie level, too) you can print out a meal plan and make your choices ahead of time, or fill in and monitor your intake throughout the day. You can track your intake, watch videos, try recipes, and read helpful tips.  There are portion guidelines, tips for dining out, and loads of healthy eating tools.

3) My favorite diet, personally, is the DASH diet. It was actually developed by the National Institutes of Health/Department of Health and Human Services to prevent and treat high blood pressure (it stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension"),  but it's healthy for virtually anyone (with the exception of people who must limit their potassium intake--usually due to kidney disease or certain medications). The diet is full of fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products and lean meats like fish and chicken. It is quite restrictive in "empty calories" and includes just 2 servings of 'fat' daily (think, a pat of margarine) and less than one 'sweet' daily (think, jelly on your toast!), so it can be a challenge at first. The result is a diet high in potassium, fiber and minerals, and low in fat, cholesterol and sugars. It's very filling because all the foods are nutrient-dense, and is available in a range of calorie levels. Here is a simplified version with a meal plan template DASH and here is the monograph that explains the diet in more detail, if you're interested (more DASH) along with tips for healthy living including exercise ideas.

4) Any diet will work, as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn. In the short term you can lose weight with meal replacement drinks, cookie diets, packaged meals or any of thousands of diet books. But it's a good idea to find a plan you can live with for a very long time.  If you have the notion you are "going on a diet to lose weight" that means you plan to go off the diet once the weight comes off (or the going gets tough)... and then what??

If you have any questions, feel free to email me, comment below, or bring it up on our next call :)

See you on the Monday night call!
Laurie