The One Diet

Whether you have 10 pounds or 100 pounds to lose, finding the one diet to help you get rid of that extra weight and keep it off may seem like an eluding goal. Here are a few tips to narrow your search.

Fad diets promise fast weight loss, and they can actually work. The problem is fad diets don't teach you how to change the habits that caused your weight gain in the first place. Instead, they help you drop unwanted weight and when the diet is done, you revert to your old ways and the pounds pile back on.

Fad diets often center around a "magic food" like the cabbage soup diet, the tuna diet, and the grapefruit diet, but there are other flags to watch for. If you want to lose and keep the weight off, don't follow a diet that:

• Promises extreme, fast weight loss
• Completely eliminates certain foods
• Requires you to eat certain foods at specific times
• Limits your calories to less than 1,000 a day (unless under a doctor's care)

There's more to fad diets, but let's not concentrate on what we shouldn't do. Most of us have had plenty of practice with that. Instead, let's see how to find that one diet that works!

If you are skeptical that there is just one diet that works, you're not alone. However, if you look a little deeper, you'll see that there is. The fact is there are many healthy diets that work, but when you look closely, you'll find they put similar eating practices into play. For instance:

1. Eat moderate portions: Weight gain occurs when we take in more calories than we burn. If you're looking for the one diet that will work for you, it will help you not only eat less to lose weight, but teach you how to eat the rest of your life. This is why so many diets say they are not diets, but a lifestyle.

2. Simplify: Diets that complicate eating become so much work that it is easy to give up. If you struggle with counting carbs and calories, don't. However, it is a good idea to keep a food journal. No counting…just accountability. When you put it down in black and white, it's easy to see how much you've really eaten and exactly what you're eating.

Also, no food should be off-limits. Instead, you need to teach yourself to limit foods that contribute to weight gain. Often, when you tell yourself you can't have something, it works in reverse and you can't stop thinking about it. Learn to incorporate these foods into your diet in small amounts.

3. Slow Down: One reason people eat too much is that they eat too fast. Slow down. Take time to chew your food and enjoy it. If you're the first one at the table to clean your plate, start to put your fork down between bites. Don't even think of the next bite until you are done with the food in your mouth. Chew well and savor the flavor!

4. Drink Water: You've heard for ages that it is important to drink water. How much water you should drink depends on your height, weight, activity level and environment. The important thing is to drink it! It not only helps you feel satisfied, it actually helps lubricate your joints and contributes to muscle tone!

5. Balance: Be sure to include foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein in your eating plan. Along with that, include healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and cold water fish.

These concepts are nothing new. They are the foundation for many successful diet plans including Dr. Oz's You on a Diet. The fact is the basics boil down to one diet whether you want to lose weight , keep it off, or live healthier. Along with eating right, exercise should be a regular part of life. The basics are clear. The trick is to put it into practice.