Weight loss: Choosing a diet that’s right for you

Date Updated: 09/20/2024

You've likely seen lots of advice about weight loss. Some magazines, books and websites promise that you can lose all the weight you want for good. To do this, they may suggest that you use diets that get rid of fat or carbs. Or use superfoods or special supplements.

With so many options, how do you know which approach might work for you? Here are some suggestions for choosing a weight-loss program.

Talk with your healthcare professional about your weight-loss efforts

Before you start a weight-loss program, talk with your healthcare professional. Together, you can go over your health issues and the medicines you take that might affect your weight.

Your healthcare professional can guide you to help you choose a program that's right for you. You also can ask for advice on how to exercise safely. This is important if you have health or physical challenges, or pain with daily tasks.

Tell your healthcare professional about your past efforts to lose weight. Be open about diets that interest you. Your healthcare professional might be able to connect you with weight-loss support groups or refer you to a registered dietitian.

Think about your needs

There's no one diet or weight-loss plan for everyone. Think about your lifestyle and weight-loss goals. Pick a plan that you can tailor to your needs.

Before you start a weight-loss program, think about:

Diets you've tried. What did you like or dislike about them? Were you able to follow the diets? What worked or didn't work? How did your body and mind feel while on the diets?
What you prefer. Do you prefer to do a weight-loss program on your own? Or do you want support from a group? If you like group support, do you prefer online support or in-person meetings?
Your budget. Some weight-loss programs ask you to buy supplements or meals, visit weight-loss clinics, or attend support meetings. Does the cost fit your budget?
Other things that might affect your choices. Do you have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or allergies? Does your culture, religion or ethnicity play a role in your food choices?

Look for a safe weight-loss program that works

It's tempting to buy into promises of fast and amazing weight loss. But a slow and steady program is simpler to keep up. And it often beats fast weight loss for the long term. Many experts suggest aiming to lose 0.5 to 2 pounds (0.2 to 0.9 kilograms) a week.

Faster weight loss can be safe if it's done right. One example is a very low-calorie diet that you do under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Successful weight loss takes a long-term commitment to making healthy lifestyle changes in eating, exercise and behavior. For instance, it's important to:

Mainly eat nutritious food that's in its natural state or lightly processed.
Get more physical activity and sit less.
Keep track of what you eat and how much you move.
Set daily goals to help you stay inspired.

Be sure to pick a weight-loss plan that you can live with. Look for these features:

Varied. A varied plan includes foods from all the major food groups. It includes vegetables and fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds.

A varied plan also lets you have a treat now and then if you like. The plan should include foods you can find in your local grocery store and that you enjoy eating. But limit alcohol, sugary drinks and high-sugar sweets. The calories in those items don't provide enough nutrients.
Balanced. Your plan should include the right amount of nutrients and calories. It's risky to eat large amounts of some foods, severely cut calories or stop eating entire food groups. Safe and healthy diets don't need large amounts of vitamins or supplements.
Likeable. A plan should include foods you like and that you would enjoy eating for life. If you don't like the food on the plan, you probably won't stick to it. That's also true if the plan limits your food choices too much or if it becomes boring. This makes long-term weight loss less likely.
Active. Your weight-loss plan should include physical activity. Exercise combined with fewer calories can help give your weight loss a boost.

Exercise also is good for health in many other ways. It can help counter the loss of muscle that happens when you lose weight. And once you slim down, exercise can help you stay at a healthy weight.

What are the choices?

The table below lists some of the more common eating plans. There's overlap, but most plans can be grouped into a few major types of diets.

Studies have compared different diets and weight-loss programs. They've found that most programs lead to weight loss in the short term compared with no program. Weight-loss differences between diets are often small.

Diet type and examples	Varied	Balanced in nutrition	Doable over the long term
DASH = Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, HMR = Health Management Resources.
Balanced (DASH, Mayo Clinic, Mediterranean, WeightWatchers)	Yes. No foods are off-limits.	Yes.	Yes. Focus is on making lasting lifestyle changes.
Intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting, time-restricted feeding)	Yes. No foods are off-limits. But you don't eat for a set amount of time each day or week.	Yes.	Maybe. But the diet may be hard to stick to over time.
High protein (Dukan, Paleo)	No. Stresses lean meats, dairy.	Very restrictive plans may not provide enough of some nutrients.	Maybe. But the diet may be hard to stick to over time.
Low carb (Atkins, South Beach, keto)	No. Carbs are limited; fats or proteins or both are stressed.	Very restrictive plans may not provide enough of some nutrients.	Maybe. But the diet may be hard to stick to over time.
Low fat (Ornish)	No. Total fat is limited; most animal products are off-limits.	Yes.	Maybe. But the diet may be hard to stick to over time.
Meal replacement (Jenny Craig, HMR, Medifast, Nutrisystem, SlimFast)	No. Replacement products take the place of 1 or 2 meals a day.	Maybe. Balance is possible if you make healthy meal choices.	Maybe. Cost of products varies; some can be very expensive.
Very low calorie (Optifast)	No. Calories are very limited, often to 800 or fewer calories a day.	No.	No. Diet is meant only for short-term use under a healthcare professional's guidance.

Ask yourself these questions when looking into weight-loss plans

Before you dive into a weight-loss plan, take time to learn as much about it as you can. Just because a diet is popular or your friends are doing it doesn't mean it's right for you. Ask these questions first:

What's involved? Does the plan give you guidance that you can adapt to your life? Does it ask you to buy special meals or supplements? Does it offer online or in-person support? Does it teach you how to make positive, healthy changes in your life to help keep up your weight loss?
What's behind the diet? Is there research and science to back up the weight-loss method? If you go to a weight-loss clinic, what expertise, training, certifications and experience do the staff members have? Will the staff exchange information about your health and progress with your regular healthcare professional?
What are the risks? Could the weight-loss program harm your health? Are the recommendations safe for you, especially if you have a health condition or take medicines?
What are the results? How much weight can you expect to lose? Does the program claim that you'll lose a lot of weight quickly? Or does it claim that you can target certain areas of your body? Does it show before and after photos that seem too good to be true? Can it help you keep up your weight loss over time?

The keys to weight-loss success

Successful weight loss requires long-term changes to your eating habits and physical activity. This means you need to find a weight-loss approach you can embrace for life. You're not likely to keep off the weight you lose if you stop the diet and go back to old habits.

Diets that leave you feeling deprived or hungry can cause you to give up. And many weight-loss diets don't focus on lasting lifestyle changes. So even if you do lose weight, the pounds can quickly come back once you stop dieting.

You'll likely always have to watch your weight closely. But mixing a healthier diet with more activity is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. You'll boost your overall health too.