Best Weight-Loss Diets 2024

While countless diets promote super-fast weight loss, most experts agree that slow and steady wins this race. Losing weight at a healthy, steady pace – about 1 to 2 pounds per week is best. Losing more than this can be dangerous. Losing weight too quickly can cause you to lose muscle and lower your metabolism. It can also set you up for nutrient deficiencies and other health issues. Scaling back portion sizes, eating on a regular schedule, swapping in more nutrient-dense food options and getting plenty of sleep and exercise are all good strategies for healthy and long-lasting weight loss.

The best weight loss meals are always those that you can prepare even when crunched for time and that you won’t get bored with. When we deprive ourselves of diverse flavors and satisfying meals, we begin to crave nutrient-deprived snacks and sweets. No matter what, it’s best to plan your meals ahead of time so that you’re not scrambling to choose something that suits your diet at the last minute, when you’re already starving and tempted by unhealthy food cravings.

The best vegetables for weight loss are the vegetables that you eat. Filling half of your plate with vegetables is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to lose weight. Vegetables like leafy greens, cabbage and zucchini are nutrient dense and -- depending how they’re prepared -- low in calories. Generally speaking, there is no such thing as a “bad” vegetable. If you’re looking for guidance, shop seasonally. For example, during fall, consider autumnal vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. And if easy meal prep and budget play a role in your meal planning, you don’t have to always buy fresh. Frozen and canned produce can be just as healthful -- just read the food labels to avoid added salt, sugars and other ingredients.

Although there are many calculators and formulas that can help you to estimate how many calories you need, they are based on imperfect science. For the average woman, a good starting place is 1,500 calories and a good starting place for men is 2,000 calories. More petite, older and sedentary people might need fewer, while athletes, younger people, larger individuals or those who work an active job may need more. Long term, no one should eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day.

Most experts advise not losing more than eight or so pounds a month. It is not uncommon to lose a bit more during the first month or so, although it should slow after a few weeks. The most sustainable weight loss is at this pace. The more weight that you have to lose, the faster it may come off at the beginning. Men also tend to lose weight more quickly than women. Remember that weight loss isn’t the whole story, though. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, how you feel and your physical fitness to gauge how effective your chosen diet is for you.

Why are our bodies so cruel to our weight-loss efforts? Survival. When we diet, our resting metabolism drops and hormone levels change, working against our weight loss efforts. Our biology is set to hold onto fat so we can survive famine. If you have a good deal of weight to lose, you will need to incrementally decrease your calorie intake as you shed pounds. You may also need to also increase your exercise intensity or duration because physical activity burns fewer calories the smaller you get. It is not uncommon for people to overestimate how many calories they burn via exercise.