The Best Weight Loss Diets Of 2019

𝟭. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘁

U.S. News & World Report ranked this mostly plant-based eating approach its No. 1 overall diet in 2019, and registered dietitians such as Amy Gorin, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in New York City, stand by that choice. Gorin applauds the Mediterranean diet — which is rich in whole vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, legumes, and some red wine and dairy — because it’s a balanced way of eating. The Mediterranean diet’s focus on choosing whole, plant-based foods over those you might find in a vending machine may make you more likely to stick with it.

Beyond weight loss, there are the health benefits associated with eating like Italians, Greeks, and other people who live on the Mediterranean Sea (the diet’s namesake). This approach, Gorin says, also supports heart and brain health. For example, a review published in the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders suggested that a Mediterranean diet, especially when combined with exercise and followed for longer than six months, was associated with reduced weight gain. The review involved 16 randomized controlled trials, which represented 1,848 people following a Mediterranean diet and 1,588 people who acted as the controls.

𝟮. 𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘁

It’s difficult to call a vegetarian diet — one where you don’t eat meat — a “fad,” as there are so many reasons for going vegetarian, including environmental and ethical considerations.

Weight loss, though, is a potential benefit of opting to eat plants instead of meat, according to a review of 12 randomized, controlled trials representing about 1,150 people, published in January 2016 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Indeed, the Mayo Clinic notes that when you pay attention to portion size, a vegetarian diet can help with weight loss because the foods you’ll eat (including fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plant-based protein) contain fewer calories and fat but are more filling than foods found in a standard American diet.

Boosting your health may be another reason to adopt a vegetarian diet, and there’s science behind this choice. When carefully planned, “a vegetarian diet is a wonderful diet,” as it is rich in plant foods and low in saturated fat, says Jeanne Tiberio, RD, a tutor with Varsity Tutors based in Salem, Massachusetts. In a meta-analysis published in November 2017 in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, a vegetarian diet was associated with a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and 8 percent reduced odds of cancer.

A word of caution: If you have a personal history of eating disorders, you may want to sidestep this approach. An study published in August 2012 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics noted that some people use a vegetarian diet to legitimize food restriction to aid with weight loss. There can be many perks to going veg — but play it safe and ask yourself where your motivations lie before making this choice.

𝟯. 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶-𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘁

Whereas vegetarian eschews meat, a flexitarian diet allows you to add small amounts of animal products, like meat, poultry, or fish, for additional protein and satisfaction. If you’re a meat lover looking to burn calories in a balanced way, this flexible approach may be a good match for you. “Diets don’t have to be all-or-nothing,” says Tiberio.

Reducing, but not necessarily eliminating, how much meat you eat is generally a positive. For instance, one review of 25 studies published in December 2016 in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that semi-vegetarian diets were associated not only with weight loss, but also with health benefits such as lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The authors concluded that although it’s a popular eating approach with women, men, too, may benefit — especially because guys generally consume more meat.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗦

𝗡𝗢𝗢𝗠

If you’re looking for less of a diet and more of a structured plan to retrain your eating and lifestyle habits for good, I’d strongly encourage you to check out Noom.

Noom’s Healthy Weight program empowers participants to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through lifestyle intervention. The program helps users develop and maintain healthy eating patterns and physical activity habits, and foster the skills they need to navigate their social environment and overcome barriers. In addition, the program promotes other aspects of well-being including sleep and stress management.

For more information, check out Noom at Noom.com

𝗪𝗪 (𝗮𝗸𝗮 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦)

You know this popular weight loss plan by its previous name: Weight Watchers. But in 2018, the company rebranded to make the program more about wellness than just losing weight, per an explainer on the WW website. “This program is one of the most effective weight loss programs out there, promoting long-lasting, sustainable changes with many studies to back this up,” says Gorin, who writes a nutrition blog, called The Eat List, for WW. The newest version of WW, Gorin says, offers tangible rewards, like fitness class passes and travel shoe bags, when members reach their goals, delivering more incentive to lose. Also, “This year U.S. News ranked WW as the best diet for weight loss,” she says.

For more information, check out weightwatchers.com/us/