One of the best diets for weight loss is the whole food diet, which eliminates all processed foods. The Mediterranean diet discourages red meat consumption, but encourages vegetables and whole grains. A plant-based diet can also help you lose weight, as some meats have been linked to weight gain. The DASH diet is a low-salt diet that has been shown to help you lose weight.
The Mayo Clinic diet is a lifestyle approach to weight loss that can help you maintain a healthy weight throughout your life. While the DASH diet may help with weight loss and lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, there is conflicting evidence on salt intake and blood pressure. Because high-fiber diets can increase satiety by making you feel fuller, the Mayo Clinic diet can contribute to weight loss. Many studies indicate that low-carb diets can help you lose weight and may be more effective than conventional low-fat diets (49, 50, 5).
Some of the most popular eating plans include the Mediterranean diet, Wow (Weight Watchers), the MIND diet, the DASH diet, intermittent fasting, plant-based diets, low-carb diets, the Mayo Clinic diet and the Volumetrics diet. Another study conducted on adults with obesity for 12 weeks revealed that the DASH diet helped reduce total body weight, body fat percentage and absolute fat mass in study participants, while preserving muscle strength (1). In general, losing weight by following a healthy and nutritious diet, such as the Mayo Clinic diet), can reduce the risk of weight-related health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. For example, very low-carb diets, such as the ketogenic diet, restrict this macronutrient to less than 10% of total calories, compared to 30% or less for other types (4).
The flexitarian diet is a less strict version of a plant-based diet that allows for minimal consumption of meat and animal products). A comparative study conducted over 8 years revealed that even moderate adherence to the DASH diet was related to a lower risk of depression (1). The fast weight loss diet is a type of diet in which more than 2 pounds (1 kilogram, kg) are lost per week for several weeks. While all of the above diets have been shown to be effective for losing weight, the diet you choose will depend on your lifestyle and your dietary preferences.
The Mayo Clinic diet uses an easy-to-follow pyramid to encourage exercise and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. In addition, studies show that exercising on a low-calorie diet is more effective at promoting weight loss than just dieting (4). The Volumetrics diet was created by Pennsylvania State University nutrition professor Barbara Rolls and is intended to be a long-term lifestyle change, rather than a strict diet. However, since it's a combination of two diets that promote weight loss, the MIND diet can also help you lose weight.
For example, a review of 53 studies with 68,128 participants found that low-carb diets resulted in significantly greater weight loss than low-fat diets (5).
