To look good and feel confident, most people try to lose those excess pounds off their body. There are several ways to lose weight and get fit. Usually, a combination of regular exercise and a good diet plan works well. Now, while choosing a diet plan, you must consider your height, weight, and overall health status. While some diet plans reduce the number of calories you consume, others focus on curbing your appetite. Consulting a nutritionist or doctor is important before following any diet plan.

Why do you need diet plans?
To become leaner, you need to lose more calories than you consume. So, naturally, apart from exercising every day, you need to watch what you eat. This is where diet plans play a major role. Good meal plans can also boost your energy levels, improve your overall health, and lift your mood. The right meal plans can enhance your immune system and keep infections and common ailments at bay, besides making you strong and fit.

Plant-based diet plans
Plant-based diet plans focus on whole foods that will meet your nutritional needs. The meals revolve around natural, fresh, and minimally-processed plant foods in this case. The food options include legumes, tubers, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. While calorie-dense foods such as nuts, seeds, whole grain flour, tofu, and several other options can be eaten too, moderation is required. Otherwise, these can contribute to weight gain. Vegetarianism, veganism, and flexitarian diets are the most common diets in this category.

Pros

• The environment will breathe easy
  Are you passionate about the environment? Well, this diet is sure to help your cause. Plant-based diets lay lesser stress on the environment, as they lower pollution, slow down deforestation, and reduce water consumption, among numerous other benefits.
• Weight loss benefits
  Plant-based diets such as vegetarianism focus on fresh produce. This lowers the calorie consumption dramatically. Plus, the digestion process becomes smoother as the food is fresh.
• Robust immune system
  Nature is generous in providing us with an abundance of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals. These can prevent, aid, and sometimes even reverse chronic diseases or conditions.

Cons

• Ignoring a major food group
  The biggest problem with these plant-based diet plans is that they completely ignore a major food group. Animal foods supply important nutrients to your body. They are a primary source of vitamin B12 and B6. Apart from these, animal products are certainly a richer source of the eight essential amino acids (the body cannot produce these, and they must be sourced from food).
• Insufficient protein intake
  Plant-based diets do provide options for protein, but the problem is insufficient consumption. Vegetarians and vegans may find that they do not take the necessary quantities of nutrients, leaving them with deficiencies.

Paleo diet plan
The basis of the paleo diet plan is to incorporate home-cooked and fresh foods in all meals. Avoiding processed, packaged, and convenience foods will result in a whole host of benefits. This is one of those diet plans where you can eat meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The only exceptions to the rule are dairy, legumes, and grains. Since the diet is based on the ancient hunter-gatherer style of living, it is also popularly known as the caveman diet. The idea is to adopt a simpler and easier way of cooking and eating food.

Pros

• Excellent for detoxifying
  As soon as you start eating unprocessed and simple foods, you eliminate hundreds of toxins you ingest every day. There are flavors, additives, artificial colors, and preservatives of all kinds in ready-to-eat foods that are easily available in the supermarkets.
• Weight loss and muscle growth
  Balanced diet plans combined with regular exercise are bound to lead to weight loss. However, those following the paleo diet plan are bound to see weight loss and muscle growth almost immediately. The consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and meats results in better metabolism, improved gut health, and restful sleep cycles. These can contribute to overall good health.

Cons

• Ignoring an entire food group
  Ignoring dairy and grains may not be the best thing to do when you are looking to supply your body with balanced and nutritious foods. Milk is nutrient-rich and provides you with vitamin C, D, B12, protein (one cup of milk contains 8 grams), and fat.
• A problem for vegetarians
  The paleo diet plan may become a problem for vegetarians as they do not include beans. Legumes are low in fat and high in fiber, protein, and iron. Vegetarians do not have many options when it comes to picking the healthiest of ingredients. So, removing a vital part of their usual diet can make following the paleo diet difficult.

Low-carb diet plans
By definition, a low-carb diet requires you to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates. Carbs are generally found in starchy foods, grains, fruits, dairy, processed foods, and so on. They are one of the main sources of fuel for the body, and can be categorized as simple and complex. Simple carbs such as refined sugars and flours (cakes, pasta, noodles, etc.) spike the insulin levels in the blood. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates tend to move through your system slowly. The aim of following such a diet is to control the blood sugar level while losing excess weight.

Pros

• Lifestyle disease prevention
  Low-carb diet plans are a great strategy when you are looking to manage lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Among all the foods you can eat, carbohydrates are known to raise blood glucose the most. Lowering blood glucose not only prevents the onslaught of the disease but also prevents weight gain and heart disease.
• Cholesterol reduction
  Cholesterol is an essential part of the human body. However, an increase in bad cholesterol can prove to be dangerous. Eating a diet rich in unsaturated fats (olive oil and avocados), and combining it with a low-carb diet, can help control bad cholesterol.
• Weight loss
  Low-carb diet plans are perfect for those looking to shed excess weight. This kind of diet is the easiest to follow, as you do not have to follow a special meal plan or count calories. Just make sure you opt for food that is fresh, nutritious, and wholesome.

Cons

• Ketosis
  A lack of sugar/glucose in the body can induce ketosis. Generally, when the body does not find the required sugar, it breaks down the stored fat. This leads to the build-up of ketones, which can lead to quite a few side effects. The side effects include headaches, fatigue, nausea, and bad breath, among others. So, it is important to stay watchful if you follow low-carb diet plans.
• Digestive problems
  Constipation may be a genuine problem for those following low-carb diet plans. Despite there being many fiber-rich options in vegetables and fruits, low dietary fiber is an issue that people face when they follow this kind of diet.

Mediterranean diet plan

The Mediterranean diet can be termed as the “heart-healthy” diet. The cooking methods and traditional flavors of the Mediterranean are combined with generally good eating habits to give you the perfect diet plan. It constitutes:

• A healthy composition of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains
• A good dose of fish, beans, eggs, and poultry (weekly)
• A minimal/moderate consumption of dairy
• Low consumption of red meat

Mediterranean meals also call for spending time with family, friends, staying active, and enjoying some red wine.

Pros

• Diverse and flavorful
  Generally, when it comes to diets, people assume that the food will be boring. However, Mediterranean diet plans offer colorful food cooked with complex flavors. This will keep your interest alive as you stick to healthier options.
• Complete and wholesome
  This diet does not avoid any of the food groups. While it clearly says that some of the foods should be consumed in minimal quantities, it does not reject them completely. So, you can enjoy everything while getting balanced and nutritious meals.

Cons

• Time-consuming
  The diet plan incorporates fresh foods (local, seasonal produce), and cooking them takes time. The prep work and the cooking time may double compared to that of processed or readymade foods.
• Not a great option for weight loss
  The diet plan does not restrict the consumption of any of the food groups (carbs, high-fat, or sugars). So, it may not be the best option if you are looking to lose weight.

Low-fat diet plans
A low-fat diet is best for those who would like to shed some excess weight. After all, not paying close attention to the calories that certain foods can contribute may lead to weight gain. Whether this happens quickly or over a period of time, weight gain can lead to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, etc. A low-fat diet focuses on healthy foods and rejects empty calories. So, in this diet, you will be avoiding snacks (made with hydrogenated oils), fatty baked products (croissants, biscuits, and cookies), fatty cuts of meat, and high-fat dairy products.

Pros

• Weight loss
  One of the biggest pros of following this diet is that you will certainly see a reduction in weight. Removing processed foods and high-fat foods from your meals will allow your body to seek out stored fat. Further, a switch to healthy foods will prevent serious medical conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Cons

• Inconvenience
  The drawback of following such a diet is that it is inconvenient. Ready-to-eat meals and foods are easy to put together and those who are short on time may find it cumbersome to follow low-fat diet plans.
• Expensive
  Fresh produce, healthy, and organic foods can burn a hole in your pocket. Such produce is a lot more expensive than conventional products.

Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is unlike any of the other diets that restrict the kind of foods you eat. In this case, the diet plans involve changing the eating patterns. The eating patterns are as follows:

• 16/8
  This pattern expects you to eat within an eight-hour window and fast during the 16-hour window. During the eating window, depending on your need, you can fit in two to three meals. During the fasting period, you can drink water and other zero-calorie drinks.
• 5:2
  During the week, you can eat regular meals for five days. However, for two days of the week, you must restrict the calorie intake to 500-600 calories only.
• Eat and stop pattern
  In this pattern of intermittent fasting, you must fast for a complete 24-hour window once or twice a week. So, if you have dinner on Tuesday, you will fast until dinner time on Wednesday.
• Alternate day fasts
  Alternate fasting requires you to fast every alternate day. The days that you are not fasting, you can have meals according to your convenience.

Pros

• Better immunity
  Intermittent fasting may improve the symptoms of asthma and eczema. Asthma, allergies, and eczema are all examples of autoimmune diseases. Fasting strengthens the immune system, improving its ability to fight such infections.
• Mindful eating
  Intermittent fasting teaches you about ‘mindful eating’. Focusing on the right foods during your eating window will only increase the benefits while helping you lose weight. The quantity and quality of your food make a difference too.
• Better cognitive skills
  Studies have shown that fasting can have a positive effect on cognitive skills. So, if you worry about your fading memory, it may be time to consider intermittent fasting.

Cons

• Overeating
  It is easy to succumb to eating excessively during the eating window. Compensating for the fasting time during the eating window is bound to become counterproductive.
• Wrong food choices
  If you are looking to lose weight, then you may want to watch what you eat. Choosing high-fat foods or picking unhealthy options may not lead to the calorie deficit needed.
• Problem with socializing
  Activities like sharing meals, eating out with friends, sitting together at meal times, may be compromised when you are on such a diet. Social gatherings may be awkward as you navigate through your fasting and eating windows.

To conclude, no matter which plan you follow, remember that a healthy and balanced diet is necessary to prevent malnutrition and keep you healthy even as you age. So, try and eat fresh foods that are locally sourced and nutritious.