Best Health and Weight Loss Diets for 2018

The very best "diet" is to eat a little of all food groups, use your common sense, don't eat excessive amounts of what we all know is bad for us (e.g. fry-ups, cakes), and combine that with staying active. Also know when you are "full".

All a "diet" does is to give you a short-term plan which will fail, and make somebody a whole load of money.

The so-called "best diet" this year will be forgotten by next year, and another one will come along to make yet more money for somebody else.

For the first time in many years I am succeeding with weight loss, yet I take a lot less exercise than I did when I was younger. I am managing this time because I am using an app to record what I eat, so I can better plan my diet to make sure it is healthy but not eat more than I should each day. Our regular diet is based around fresh fruit, vegetables, some red meat, fish and dairy but I think it is the weighing amounts and daily count limits that have made the difference and an app on my tablet that counts for me is such a help.

The best diet plan is the one you find easiest to follow.

The Mediterranean and DASH plans just sound like a normal healthy diet,not something you lose weight following - unless your normal eating pattern is formidably unhealthy, in which case it might make a difference..

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The mediterranean 'diet' isn't a diet. It is an eating pattern common in mediterranean areas because that is the range of foodstuffs available to them.

The American food writer Michael Pollan summed up a healthy eating pattern as 'Eat well, not too much, most of it plants'. So much simpler, non-didactic and virtue-signalling free.

Of course a healthy eating pattern is good for your health. If it wasn't it wouldn't be described as healthy.

i agree with Monica. The less you focus on food the better. Planning and weighing food and recording everything you eat is boring in my opinion.We all know really we need to eat small quantities and move more.

Robbin4ever if you check out the 'I am a pear' thread (started by NanKate) that is currently running you will see that several of us are encouraging each other to lose (or in one case put on!) weight but we are not using any of these so-called miracle diets.
Basically we are all using common sense and will-power but we are thrilled for each other when we hear of success and encourage each other if we slip, which happens to us all!
Check out the thread - it will appear in the 'Last Day' list and we would love you to join our happy band of losers!
Anyone else of course would be more than welcome - we need all the encouragement possible!

I think weighing and measuring portions is a good idea in the short term, as it can highlight small changes that might be beneficial. The recommended size of a cereal portion, for example, was much smaller than I was having. I only weighed it for a couple of days, and can now judge (more or less) by eye. If my weight is creeping up, as it tends to very easily nowadays, I also have a few days when I write down what I’m eating, as I know my problem is I graze and snack too much.

I am curious that there seems to be an assumption that weight gain is a continuing and gradual thing that needs major changes in poor eating habits. My experience is that weight gain has been episodic after holidays, Christmas and similar and was hormonal after the menopause. That apart my weight has always stayed fairly steady.

I agree with wildswan16. Diets unless under medical guidance are there to fill company coffers. I've lost a stone since last October just by eating 'sensibly'. Prior to that I was quite poorly, lost muscle tone and put on weight. Gently does it is now my mantra! Another half stone to go and I'll be back to 'normal'.

Burn more calories than you take in is the only way to lose weight. For me it is about choices, even if it is something high calorie, I would choose fruit cake instead of chocolate, fat chips over skinny, a kit kat instead of solid chocolate to name a few.Also cutting down gradually, if you have 4 biscuits have 3 , do that for a week then 3 becomes your norm.

Yes Robbin or anyone else who fancies joining Fourormore and me on 'I am a pear' you would be very welcome.

I have lost three quarters of a stone by more or less following the NHS Diet plan online. Everyone on our thread chooses their own style of dieting and we all encourage each other.

MOnica that was my experience too - until I was about 45, when weight just seemed to creep on. It was very gradual, I hadn’t changed my diet, or anything else, but I just gradually got heavier. I’ve lost about half of the extra weight, but can’t shift the rest, and if I’m not careful most of the time now, I gain weight again.

I have read it’s to do with declining muscle mass, and a slowing of metabolism as you age. Whatever it is, it’s very irritating!

Gma29 I finally lost the post 45 weight gain on the 5.2 diet. keeping to 1,200 calories on non-diet days, Having in the past done nothing more than eat less and exercise more when needing to get rid of Christmas overeating and similar. I felt very cross about that no longer working. I was reduced to trying fad diets, none of which worked. The 5:2 did work and am really glad. I am back at my pre-menopause weight and feel so much better. It also has so many other health advantages and I have been on the 6:1 maintenance diet since.

I’ll have a look at that. I’m obviously still eating a little more than I should. Like you, the “quick fixes” that used to work, no longer do!

I advise you stomach exercises, drink a cup of green tea after a meal at least twice a day. Eat healthy food less in fat and calories. Avoid junk and unhealthy foods.

I think a good meal plan and workout every single day is one of the best ways to burn more calories along with 30 mins daily GYM with simple GYM equipments at home to get fit.

Time restricted eating (TRE) is being discussed at the moment - which appears to be the modern term for how we used to eat breakfast, lunch and a small dinner eaten not too late in the evening and no snacking inbetween meals and through the evening in front of the TV.

Yes amethyst, Michael Mosley promotes 'tre' I think, his new book the fast 800 advocates that.....I bought that book yesterday, is a cheap paper back so thought I'd give it a read.....don't think I would live on 800 calories a day for a fortnight but twice a week is doable lol....and SW for the other 5 days

My best suggestion is to implement healthy eating into your lifestyle and start working on your whole body as this way is very helpful for you will lose weight and already have toned muscles showing

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