There are literally hundreds of diet choices if you searched different diets on google. Below is a quick Comparison of Different Diets, specifically 5.
The Ketogenic Diet
The basics of the Ketogenic Diet (also called Keto) is eating high fat, moderate protein and very low carbohydrates. The plan focuses on keeping your body in a state of fat burning known as “ketosis”, where your ketones are high and your insulin is low.
The ketogenic diet eliminates processed simple carbs like white bread, white rice and sugary sodas and juices. Many snacks and foods today are labeled as Keto Friendly at local grocery stores and markets. This basically means that the food you are purchasing is very low in carbohydrates and, therefore, fits into the ketogenic diet.
While Keto has been very popular over the last few years, there are also concerns with following this diet. Eating high amounts of protein and fat can also affect your health negatively if too high. Fatty liver disease is often a side effect of people that experience negative side effects of keto. Keto also cuts out higher carbohydrates fruits and vegetables, which are vital to a healthy lifestyle.
Done properly and with caution, the Ketogenic Diet can be very beneficial for weight loss!
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting (IF) is exactly what it sounds like, fasting intermittently. More specifically, you choose a fasting window time and an eating window time. The three most popular IF times are known as 14:10, 16:8, and 18:6. The first number is hours fasting and the second number is the eating window hours.
While doing Intermittent Fasting, I choose 16:8 (not more or less effective).
During the fasting window, your insulin levels are at their lowest levels, therefore optimizing fat loss. Some even believe that exercising during a fasted state can increase fat burning, although that is debatable.
The amount of calories do not change, just the time that you consume them.
Low Carb (Different Low Carb Diets)
There are different variations of this one, but basically they all share the same idea of eating very low carb. You may have heard formal low carb diets such as Atkins, Whole 30, and Paleo.
These diets consist of lowering your carbohydrate intake significantly in order to achieve weight loss. By restricting carbohydrates you are, in turn, restricting calories, therefore, losing weight. The major drawbacks of all of these diets are that since they are so restrictive, the ability to maintain this diet style is very difficult. Many people find this so difficult that they gain most of their weight back after reintroducing carbs.
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers basis their weight loss plan on a number system. The main effectiveness of this diet is on the accountability and coaching system. They offer a community with coaching and partners to help keep you on track.
Weight watchers also offers personalized meal plans for your to follow step by step. This diet also does not restrict specific types of foods.
The downside to this diet is that you have to pay for it. If you want the coaching and workshops you have to pay for a higher tier within their program.
Macros
While Macros isn’t a specific diet plan, it is a system of calculating how much protein, fat, and carbs you should consume throughout the day.
Macros can fit into some other diets, such as Intermittent Fasting, by simply counting macros within your eating window.
An easy way to calculate macros is to take your body weight at multiply by .8 (range of .8 to 1.5). This will give you approximately how much protein you should be consuming in a day. For fats, multiply your body weight by .3. For carbs, just fill in the remaining calories with that carbohydrates. As a reference, Carbohydrates account for 4 calories per gram, proteins account for 4 calories per gram, and fat accounts for 9 calories per gram.
In Conclusion…Different Diets
What all of these different diets, and all diets for that matter have in common is the concept of Calories In, Calories Out (or CICO). Whether tracked or not, you cannot lose weight if you are eating more than you are burning. At the end of the day, you have to burn more calories than you eat.
Your body does some of this for you, known as your Resting Metabolic Rate. The other, and more important number is what you do in the kitchen, at the restaurant, or in the drive-through. That is why you need to put in the work to know how much you eat and how much you burn. This will get you SO far in your weight loss journey. Keep pushing yourself to do better!
