How to Choose a Weight Loss Plan

News flash: There's no magic pill to make the pounds disappear. But there isn't a magic plan either. If you're really ready to fight the Battle of The Bulge, your arsenal needs to include plenty of determination and common sense as well as regular exercise and a healthy eating plan that will work for the long haul.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Decide how much weight you want to lose. Most dieters hope to shed about 30 pounds, but this goal could prove unrealistic and discouraging to many people.
2. Learn how to monitor not only your body weight, but your Body Mass Index (BMI), a number that shows weight adjusted for height. Find your BMI rating on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site (www.cdc.gov).
3. Discuss how much weight you really need to lose with your doctor or a registered dietitian. Map out a total plan and timeline to achieve your weight loss goals (see 16 Set Goals).
4. Glean tips from the popular diet plans. Weight Watchers advocates portion control, balanced nutrition and limited intake of starches and sugars. Members attend weekly meetings for support and tips. In the South Beach Diet's three-phased approach, you start out with major sugar and carbohydrate restrictions and gradually work complex carbs back in. Both South Beach and Atkins encourage a hefty intake of proteins and vegetables in order to trigger a slower release of sugars into the bloodstream and keep insulin levels steady. Figuring out a nutritional ratio for every meal, such as the Zone's mix of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat may not hold up in the long run, but it will train you to make educated choices.
5. Get moving. Regular exercise not only burns calories and increases your general fitness level but also speeds up your metabolism, which then burns more calories. (See 25 Design Your Workout Schedule.)
6. Make calorie-burning choices. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and skip the golf cart rental. Every little bit counts.
7. Put a positive support team in place. Studies show that having a coach, mentor or support group (such as those at Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig) is a huge help when making lifestyle changes. Or, find a friend who shares your goals. It's much easier to stay motivated when someone else is slugging it out with you.
8. Work losing weight into your budget. Some plans cost money to join, others sell ready-made meals and books. And, fresh ingredients often cost more than fast food. You also may spend money joining a gym. You'll find the benefits far exceed any monetary drawbacks.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that the key to any successful weight loss plan is to consume fewer calories than you burn, control the size of your portions, and eat a nutritionally balanced diet.
• Drink lots of water and take a daily multivitamin.
• See 499 Live to Be 100 Years Old.
• Skepticism is a healthy thing when you're considering a hot new dieting plan.
• Studies show that the people who stuck with the four popular diet plans--Dean Ornish, Weight Watchers, Atkins and the Zone--for a year lost only about 5 percent of their body weight.
• Fast, drastic weight loss can cause serious damage to your health.
• Fad diets are just that--fads. They don't stick around, because people come to the realization that they are not going to lose weight and keep it off just because they ate only meat, subsisted on grapefruit juice for 6 months or slurped cabbage soup. See FadDiet.com for a compendium of plans.