Read & write

Food diets that work are largely common sense! See how you can succeed the first time!

With so many of us overweight, it's not surprising that probably half of all Americans are on some sort of 'managed' food diet at any given point in time.

According to the diet experts, fully 2/3 of us are overweight! This leads us to the conclusion that few of such managed food diets are successful. Why? Usually because  the dieter 'falls off the wagon' before the desired weight loss is achieved. Dieters tend to embark on another (and yet another) diet, desperate to achieve their goal.

There's no shortage of diet plans – low-calorie, low-carb, low-fat and loosely organized 'food exchange' diet programs, all of which are advertised with dozens of testimonials from successful customers.

The main problem with most of these managed food diets is that they seldom take your individual tastes into account. The popular food diets which are delivered to your door, ready to cook, provide some latitude in your meal choices and menu combinations. The down sides here are that these are fairly costly meals and that the portion sizes are pretty disappointing – even on the stingy side, you might say. This last factor may prove too tempting, inspiring you to fill up on a nice dessert!

Diet cook books are full of healthy recipes, with equally healthy ingredients, almost to the complete exclusion of of fats, salt, or tasty seasonings which might make the dish a bit more appealing.

One recent study concluded that overall, the low-carb style of food diets proved most successful in shedding those unwanted pounds. This makes sense – without excessive, simple carbs, what's left? High protein foods, produce and dairy products, with judiciously chosen whole grains to fill in your carb choices.

Food diets that work for you are based on common sense and making dietary choices you enjoy. Creating a custom program allows you to save a lot of money, eat the foods you like (within reason!) stick with your program and lose the weight, once and for all!

All you need to construct your own custom food diet is a good book on nutrition, with charts which give you the calorie and carb counts, as well as vitamin and mineral content. You can then make intelligent choices of foods that appeal to you and which meet your dietary goals.

Remember, too, that the food diets which work for you, may involve a few dietary lifestyle changes, such as substituting a non-dairy whipped topping for the real deal, or using olive oil for cooking, instead of butter. Focus on seasonings to add flavor and appeal to your menus.

Make up a month's worth of menus, tallying up the nutrients and ensuring you have a well-balanced diet that falls within the calorie limits you've set.

Consult with your doctor on establishing the right number of calories that match your general health condition. This allows you to lose the weight safely and for the long term.

Drink lots of water and incorporate a regular program of exercise into your weight loss program. Now that's a food diet that works, for you!