There are so many diets out there, but which is the best for you? From cutting out carbs to ramping up your exercise regime, the best weight loss diets cover it all. And the good news is, that it isn’t just about about counting calories and endless visits to the gym.
Today’s weight loss diets have come on in leaps and bounds. The focus has shifted from simply losing weight to making key lifestyle changes that will improve body and mind. And whatever your needs, there’s a diet plan out there to suit it. Whether your idea of food heaven is a comforting plate of carbs or a protein-heavy main, today’s flexible diet plans mean you won’t need to compromise.
And end to diet do’s and don’ts
Diets aren’t always about restrictive rules. Yes you may need to have a little less of what you fancy occasionally, but you won’t have to say goodbye to chocolate and wine altogether. The best weight loss diets focus on balance, meaning diet fatigue will become a thing of the past.
READ MORE: CELEBRITY DIET SECRETS
We’ve put together a list of the 17 of the most effective diets EVER! And you can be confident that you’ll find the right diet plan for you.
Lean in 15: Body Coach Joe Wickes has amassed a large following of fans who love his fuss-free approach to health eating and exercise!
PROS: Daily High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts can be done at home without any special equipment.
CONS: Meal prep is the name of the game here, so you will need to carve out time in your schedule to do this.
Credit: Bluebird
The Sirt diet: The diet that allows you to eat red wine AND chocolate!
PROS: You can lose a whopping 7lbs in 7 days, by eating ‘sirt-rich’ foods that mimic the effects of fasting and exercise .
CONS: You’re restricted to 1,000 kcal a day for the first three days of the plan.
Credit: Yellow Kite
Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight diet: Calling all chocoholics! Dr. Will Clower’s diet shows that you can eat chocolate several times a day and still lose weight, as chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa will help speed up your metabolic rate. There is an eight week diet plan to follow, during which time you can lose up to 20lbs.
PROS: Although you feel like your eating something sweet all the time, high cocoa content contains less sugar than other chocolate. Thus it won’t cause your blood sugar to spike. It could help you kick your sugar habit, as sugary products will begin to taste different.
CONS: You need to have plenty of self-control, as you’re suppose to consume a small amount of chocolate each time – not the whole bar!
Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight diet: Calling all chocoholics! Dr. Will Clower’s diet shows that you can eat chocolate several times a day and still lose weight, as chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa will help speed up your metabolic rate. There is an eight week diet plan to follow, during which time you can lose up to 20lbs.
PROS: Although you feel like your eating something sweet all the time, high cocoa content contains less sugar than other chocolate. Thus it won’t cause your blood sugar to spike. It could help you kick your sugar habit, as sugary products will begin to taste different.
Clean and Lean diet: This diet is a flexible 14-day meal plan, which aims to rid your body of fattening toxins and give you the figure you’ve been dreaming about. Created by Elle Macpherson’s personal trainer, James Duigan, Clean and Lean combines healthy eating with maximum impact exercises.
PROS: Health is at the centre of this diet, so you don’t need to compromise your well being for the sake of losing a few pounds. It teaches you about food, which could help you make better choices once the diet it over. The Clean and Lean cookbook is great and unlike some quick fix diets this one comes with a maintenance plan to help you keep the pounds off.
CONS: This diet wants you to give up alcohol – which is easy for some, but not so easy for others. Our culture makes it very difficult to completely avoid refined sugar and processed foods, so more thinking will be required when you’re dining out or doing the supermarket shop.
Clean and Lean diet: This diet is a flexible 14-day meal plan, which aims to rid your body of fattening toxins and give you the figure you’ve been dreaming about. Created by Elle Macpherson’s personal trainer, James Duigan, Clean and Lean combines healthy eating with maximum impact exercises.
PROS: Health is at the centre of this diet, so you don’t need to compromise your well being for the sake of losing a few pounds. It teaches you about food, which could help you make better choices once the diet it over. The Clean and Lean cookbook is great and unlike some quick fix diets this one comes with a maintenance plan to help you keep the pounds off.
CONS: This diet wants you to give up alcohol – which is easy for some, but not so easy for others. Our culture makes it very difficult to completely avoid refined sugar and processed foods, so more thinking will be required when you’re dining out or doing the supermarket shop.
5:2 diet: If you can’t face dieting for 7 days a week, the 5:2 diet may be the one for you. The diet allows ‘normal’ eating for five days a week, and ‘fasting’ days where you can only consume 500 calories for the other two days a week.
PROS: If you stick to a 2,000 calorie limit on your ‘normal’ days, you can eat whatever you like. Plus, intermittent fasting tricks your body into not storing fat, therefore helping to shift the pounds.
CONS: Restricting a whole daily food intake to 500 calories may prove tricky, and leave dieters with a lack of energy.
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The Paleo Diet: Also known as the Caveman Diet, the Paleo Diet is where you’re supposed to eat like your ancestors. This means eating a lot of animal protein, nuts and natural carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables).
PROS: If you struggle with diets that start by being very restrictive, the Paleo Diet could work for you because it does the opposite. It begins with three ‘open’ / cheat meals a week, which decrease as you progress to different levels. Eliminating things like processed food will improve your health.
CONS: This diet lacks dairy products, which is how most of us get our daily dose of calcium and vitamin D. You may also find it hard to sustain, because it lacks variety and it is supposed to be a long-term plan.
The Paleo Diet: Also known as the Caveman Diet, the Paleo Diet is where you’re supposed to eat like your ancestors. This means eating a lot of animal protein, nuts and natural carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables).
PROS: If you struggle with diets that start by being very restrictive, the Paleo Diet could work for you because it does the opposite. It begins with three ‘open’ / cheat meals a week, which decrease as you progress to different levels. Eliminating things like processed food will improve your health.
CONS: This diet lacks dairy products, which is how most of us get our daily dose of calcium and vitamin D. You may also find it hard to sustain, because it lacks variety and it is supposed to be a long-term plan.
Raw food diet: If you’re not keen on greens then we suggest walking away from this diet immediately, as it’s made up of 75% fruits and vegetables. Raw food fans believe that foods in their most natural state are the most wholesome for the body, so anything processed is off the menu. As part of this diet, food shouldn’t be cooked above 118 degrees. Instead of using an oven, followers use dehydrators to add some crunch to their meals. Beans, nuts and whole grains may also be consumed.
PROS: It works quite quickly, so expect to feel less bloated and lose weight after just three days. Not bad, eh? Supporters of this diet plan claim you’ll see significant changes after 10 days, including better skin, glossy hair and a boost in energy.
CONS: If you don’t do this diet correctly then it can lead to serious undernourishment. Socialising can be difficult as alcohol and caffeine are banned – that means waving goodbye to Friday night cocktails AND coffee dates.
Try this Raw Food Diet book from
F.A.S.T Diet: When eight members of the Dean family lost a total of 500 pounds in 12 months, Tony Dean decided to help others lose weight too. The rules are quite simple: stay within the daily calorie range you’ve been given, intake 25-40g of fibre each day and drink eight glasses of water.
F.A.S.T Diet: When eight members of the Dean family lost a total of 500 pounds in 12 months, Tony Dean decided to help others lose weight too. The rules are quite simple: stay within the daily calorie range you’ve been given, intake 25-40g of fibre each day and drink eight glasses of water.
PROS: F.A.S.T actually stands for ‘Families Always Stick Together’, which means the diet is based on the idea that people do better when they have the right support. If more than one person in your family wants to lose weight this could be the right approach.
CONS: Finding the right balance of low-calorie, high-fibre foods can be tricky to begin with. The diet is based around accountability, so you may find it difficult if you’re trying it on your own.
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Atkins: If you’re a lover of carbs, the Atkins diet may prove difficult at first. The low-carb weight loss plan is protein heavy, and encourages those on the diet to eat lots of red meat, eggs and seafood through four stages.
PROS: It’s not for the faint-hearted but what you are allowed to eat will leave you feeling full, and when stuck to, Atkins followers can see a big weight loss in a small amount of time.
CONS: Many Atkins dieters have complained of bad breath and constipation as side effects, and it can be hard taking count of every single carbohydrate intake when you bring them back into the plan.
Dukan Diet: Similar to Atkins, the Dukan diet focuses on less carbs and more protein. The four phase plan starts by banning vegetables and nearly all fat, with the following three phases bringing these gradually back into your diet.
PROS: During phase one, you should see obvious weight loss and there’s no limit to the approved foods. The plan’s fourth phase encourages you to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and there’s no dreaded calorie counting either!
CONS: Cutting out fruit and veg in the early stages can lead to vitamin deficiencies, and if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you may struggle to find an exciting mix of meals with the allowed foods.
Slimming World: Slimming World clubs have been around for 40 years and are still as popular as ever. Club members choose their Free Foods, Healthy Extras and Syns to reach their target weight with healthy eating.
PROS: The group support from the weekly meetings can be a great motivator, and you can eat as many of the ‘free’ foods as you like – diet hunger pains be gone! There are lots of meals the whole family will love too.
CONS: Making the fresh meals from scratch will take more time and effort and there are costs to join.
G.I Diet: After a diet with minimal fuss, which still allows you to eat carbs and keeps you full of energy? The G.I diet may just be for you.
PROS: The G.I (Glycaemic Index) puts foods into red, yellow, and green categories, letting you monitor which foods are best for you. You can eat as many green foods as you like, as all of these release energy slowly.
CONS: Foods that are low in GI may also be quite high in fat, and it’s also quite tricky to find out the GI of some foods.
Cambridge Diet: The Cambridge diet works with dieters organising a near-liquid diet with their very own councillor. Extremely low in calories, normal meals are swapped for packet soups, shakes and bars.
PROS: There’s a range of meal plans on offer, you’ll receive support from your Cambridge councillor and the low-calorie meal replacement should see you shed the pounds quickly.
CONS: Along with meal replacement costs, the Cambridge plan can get in the way of your social life if you like eating out, and the drastic low-calorie meals may give you some horrible side effects when your body starts to adjust.
Lighter Life: The Lighter Life diet plan works on both mind and body. It centres around meal replacement shakes, soups porridges and more, which all come in around the 500 calorie mark.
PROS: You have access to a dedicated counsellor who is on hand to get to the root cause of emotional eating patterns. .
CONS: Like some other diet plans, you will need to invest in LighterLife meal replacement products, rather rely on store-cupboard staples .
Rosemary Conley: The Rosemary Conley diet plan promotes foods with a low GI, with three stages, slowly bringing your favourite guilty pleasures (including chocolate and wine!) back into your diet.
PROS: You still have carb favourites pasta and jacket potatoes, your weigh-in session also comes with a 45-minute workout and you can save treat calories to use up for special occasions – including that cheeky glass of wine!
CONS: You’ll have to pay to attend classes and foods that are low in GI can also be quite high in sugar.
Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers members follow a ProPoints plan, where each food is given a point and dieters must stick to their target limit.
PROS: With no forbidden foods, you’ll have lots of variety instead of just boring salads to enjoy, and as most people see a 1-2lb weight loss each week, it’s one of the healthier ways to lose those extra pounds.
CONS: The weekly weigh-ins aren’t always to everyone’s taste and the cost of meetings can add up.
Alkaline diet: If you’re a huge fruit and veg fan, the Alkaline diet could be up your street. The plan focuses on the acidic levels of foods, and trying to keep the body at its natural pH balance.
PROS: This is a great diet for vegetarians and is full of good foods for the body.
CONS: By limiting acid-promoting foods such as dairy, meat, poultry and fish from your meals, dieters may soon lose interest and struggle to find exciting meals.
Calorie Restriction (CR): As the name suggests, this diet restricts your calorie intake by 20-40% lower than what’s recommended. It has caused a lot of controversy but some scientists believe that it’s the secret to prolonging life.
PROS: It will take further scientific research to prove whether this diet really will increase lifespan.
CONS: It’s a long-term lifestyle, so you need to be committed. If you don’t ensure you’re getting all the right nutrients, this diet will do you a lot more harm than good.
Calorie Restriction (CR): As the name suggests, this diet restricts your calorie intake by 20-40% lower than what’s recommended. It has caused a lot of controversy but some scientists believe that it’s the secret to prolonging life.
PROS: It will take further scientific research to prove whether this diet really will increase lifespan.
CONS: It’s a long-term lifestyle, so you need to be committed. If you don’t ensure you’re getting all the right nutrients, this diet will do you a lot more harm than good.
After more low-calorie, diet-friendly options?
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