What’s the Best Weight Loss Plan? Here’s the Skinny on 4 Diet Trends

Janine Brown, MD is a board-certified primary care physician practicing family medicine at Family Medicine of Clifton/Centreville — An Inova Partner. She enjoys treating people of all ages and has a special interest in women’s health and obesity care.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult. But even when you know what to do, it’s not always that simple. There’s an emotional component to eating, and sometimes you just need guidance and a plan to help get where you want to go.

The question is, which diet program works the best? More importantly, which plan will work the best for you? To help you navigate through a sea of diet plans, we’ve broken down four diet trends patients commonly ask about — and offered some tips for success.

Weight Loss Tips for Any Diet Plan

A diet plan can be a helpful stepping stone. It can provide direction, accountability and the early success you need to stay motivated.

No matter which weight loss plan you follow, you’ll increase your chance of success if you:

• Identify why you eat: Eating is about more than hunger. Are you emotionally eating or boredom eating? Do you eat by the clock instead of hunger? Awareness of your habits can help you change them.
• Pick a sustainable plan: Be honest about whether you’ll be able to stick with the plan long term. Choose a diet works with the things you enjoy, such as celebrating holidays, vacationing and eating out.
• Take time to prepare: Be intentional about how you’ll make the diet work, instead of winging it and setting yourself up to fail. Decide ahead how you’ll handle social situations.
• Be all in: Diet plans don’t work when they’re modified. If you only follow the plan halfway, don’t expect to see the full results you expected.
• See the big picture: Your diet is a critical component for weight loss, but it’s not the only one. Make sure to hydrate, move your body and get enough sleep.

Diet Trends You May Be Considering

If you’re looking for a quick and easy fix to your weight loss woes, you won’t find it in these diet plans. But if you follow the tips outlined above and take time to understand the plan before you begin, you should see some results.

Before you start a new diet, consult your primary care provider (PCP). They can help you choose the best plan for your lifestyle, medical history and goals.

Keto diet

The keto (or Ketogenic) diet teaches you to eat according to macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates). A keto diet requires your daily intake to be:

• High in fat (55% to 60%)
• Moderate in protein (30% to 35%)
• Very low in carbohydrates (5% to 10%)

When your body gets fewer carbohydrates, it needs an alternate source of energy. Your body enters a state of ketogenesis, during which it breaks down (metabolizes) fats to use for energy instead.

Why it might work for you

The keto diet usually involves eating healthier foods (veggies and protein), so you’ll get the nutrients you need. Over time, keto can help you kick sugar or processed food habits.

It’s common to experience quick weight loss with keto. Most people lose water weight first and then fat, but retain their lean muscle.

What to consider

Ketogenic diets restrict many foods, so they can be hard to maintain. Transitioning back to a standard diet needs to be controlled and done slowly to maintain weight loss.

People with Type 1 diabetes may need to have their medication adjusted to accommodate the change in eating habits. Experts do not recommend the keto diet for patients with conditions including:

• Disorders of fat metabolism
• Liver failure
• Pancreatitis

Intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating

Intermittent fasting (IF) and time-restricted eating (TRE) work by having you delay eating.

• Intermittent fasting includes longer fasting times that change from day to day.
• Time-restricted eating typically includes a consistent eating window each day.

IF and TRE can help you lose weight in two ways:

1. Calorie restriction that can naturally come with eating less meals
2. Burning fat for energy (ketogenesis)
3. Lowering insulin levels

Why it might work for you

IF and TRE don’t cost anything — you may even save money on groceries. You can adapt your eating window to accommodate any schedule.

What to consider

You’ll need to consume all the calories and nutrient-dense food your body needs during your eating window. Since these eating plans can interrupt your body’s insulin levels, people with Type 1 diabetes should consult their doctor.

Noom

Noom takes a personalized approach to weight loss. Your plan considers your:

• Current weight and fitness
• Eating habits
• Weight loss goals

The program ultimately relies on calorie restriction. But it also includes:

• Accountability in the form of a food log
• Coaching offered weekly or more often 
• Education about which foods are healthy, good in moderation, or best avoided
• Self-guided lessons that discuss the psychology of eating, promote introspection and provide tools for success

Why it might work for you

This plan tackles the emotional aspects of eating as well as what you’re eating. Since there are no real restrictions (other than calories), this plan is easy to maintain. The accountability and coaching can be a bonus for people who don’t want to go it alone.

What to consider

Noom costs $70 per month (less if you pay for multiple months up front). If you don’t read the daily lessons or engage with the coach, you’re just paying for calorie restriction.

Weight loss programs that provide food and supplements

Some weight loss programs, such as Optavia and Ideal Protein, offer guidance for healthy eating. But they provide prepackaged food and supplements to help you with the initial weight loss.

These programs are typically phased. Most weight loss takes place in the first phase as you restrict calories by eating one or two healthy meals plus prepackaged snacks and supplements. The program then guides you through a transition stage and maintenance.

Why it might work for you

Programs like these make prep and planning easy — at least during the meal replacement phase. These programs also serve as a steppingstone for healthy eating habits.

What to consider

Many weight loss programs offer prepackaged food. But they may approach weight loss differently, so you’ll need to find what works for you. For example:

• Ideal Protein is similar to keto but focuses on higher protein and lower fat
• Optavia is a low-calorie, reduced-carb program

These programs heavily restrict calories in the beginning and depend on highly processed food. Once you transition to healthy eating, you’ll need to commit to meal prep, which may not be ideal for people who enjoy the convenience of packaged food.

These Inova Primary Care locations are authorized Ideal Protein Weight Loss clinics:

• Prince William Family Medicine Services
• Broadlands Family Practice Services
• Inova Primary Care – Gainsville
• Inova Family Medicine of Clifton/Centreville

Schedule an Appointment
Inova PCPs offer appointments in the office and virtually. To set up a time to talk with your doctor about weight loss and nutrition, schedule an appointment through your MyChart patient portal, or call your doctor’s office directly.