Best Diets for Weight Loss in 2024

What is a topic you hear over and over again in January?  Everyone is talking about people going on diets to lose weight.  You hear a guy at the gym saying his doctor wants him to lose 60 pounds.  You hear a woman at the gym saying her daughter is going on the Whole30 diet to lose weight.  U.S. News & World Report notes the Whole30 program restricts food groups, can lead to short-term weight loss but watch out for the rebound when participants may start indulging in all the foods they had to give up.  Result?  They may regain the lost weight and even more.  Fad diets don’t work to help you change your lifestyle but usually offer some quick solutions that aren’t viable for the long term.  You may lose some weight but when you go “off” the fad diet, the weight can pile back on. 

Anyone can go on a diet and lose some weight.  What most people want is to lose weight and keep it off.  This requires more than a diet, but lifestyle changes like more exercise and healthier food habits.    

What diets were ranked as the WORST diets to go on? Why?  US News & World Report considered these diets as too restrictive, relying too much on processed foods, supplements, and possible nutritional deficiencies. 

•   Raw food diet
•  Herblife Nutrition
•  Dukan Diet
•  SlimFast
•  Atkins

Why does US News & World Report rank a weight-loss diet a winner?  

•   Best diets to lose weight
•   Best diets to keep weight off
•   Easy to follow
•   Safe

What are the Best Weight-Loss Diets for 2024 according to the US News & World Report?    

Number 1: 

Weight Watchers  (WW) (It was also number 1 for weight loss in 2022 and 2023).  WW is a program focused not just on weight loss but lasting weight loss through behavior changes, exercise, good nutrition, and social support. 

Their website notes their program is different because they “help you lose weight and build healthy habits, one step at a time”.  Added to the program in 2021, were more points for foods with added sugar and/or saturated fats while foods with fiber and/or unsaturated fats have less points.  New for 2022/2023 is a more simplified version of tracking points.  Except for diabetics, everyone is now on the same plan and the zero points list is the same for everyone. 

a.     Pros:  WW not only focuses on long-term weight loss; it also focuses on healthier living.  In 2021, WW introduced a new points system, called the PersonalPoints Program.  My relative likes the new ZeroPoint Foods list that is now the same for everyone (except diabetics).  Some ZeroPoint foods includes scrambled eggs, nonfat yogurt, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and legumes.  My relative likes all the ZeroPoint fruits and vegetables but is disappointed that the list no longer includes avocados. One can still enjoy avocados but now with points.  Another big pro is WW has all the food groups and you can still enjoy a dessert as no foods are “off limits”.    

o   PersonalPoints:  In WW, you count points, not calories.  WW uses its famous PersonalPoints system in which all the food and beverages you eat have points.  You can track these points on the WW app on your phone.  The WW app provides meal planning tools, has the food tracker for your points, has an activity dashboard to encourage you to move more, and has some coaching to keep you motivated. Unlike many diets, WW doesn’t just focus on cutting calories.  It also helps you choose healthier foods, foods with less saturated fat, less added sugar and more protein and foods with fiber. 

o   NEW:  WW used to let you add points for drinking more water and but now points are only added for activity and exercise.  

o   No Food is off-limits – unlike many weight-loss programs, WW doesn’t ban any foods.  Their website says, “Everything is on the menu.”  And they offer ZeroPoint foods that you can eat without worrying about tracking or measuring.  And you can have dessert as long as you save some points for the dessert. 

o   Support – you can get support from in-person meetings, from virtual workshops, by working with a personal coach or go it alone and rely on their digital tools.     

o   Healthier eating – in addition to promoting fruits and vegetables by giving many zero points, WW teaches you healthier eating habits.  Learning to eat healthier can lead to lifelong weight loss and not those lose weight quickly and gain it back diets. 

o   Move More – WW emphasizes being active but at your own pace. You not only count points for food, you also count points for exercise.  But not just points for going to the gym, cleaning your house adds points, mowing the lawn, walking the dog.  Basically, get moving points. WW has their own fitness tracker to track your exercise points.  And you can sync your fitness device like a watch to their activity tracker. So many weight loss programs focus only on giving up foods and not on adding exercise to your day. 

b.   Cons:  Some people don’t like all the counting of points but may find the WW PersonalPoints program easier to follow.  A student in my class said their mother was happy counting the points but their dad said he just wanted to eat when out in a restaurant and didn’t want to figure out the points for every food on his plate.  But WW offers a mobile app that has the points for over 285,000 foods and a “Menu Master” to guide you on how to eat healthy when eating out. My relative finds the WW app easy to use and likes “adding points” by exercising.  She can hold her phone to a food label and WW counts the points per serving of that food item.  However, when cooking and making a food with multiple ingredients, one has to enter all the items so a little more time consuming.  That is why my relative called me to ask if she needed to count the olive oil, she was seasoning the baked chicken with.  Yes, she had to include the olive oil in her points.   

Some people also like the face-to-face meetings and weigh-ins while others like my relative prefer the digital approach. 

Does it work?  Yes, according to the relative that is on it. Her goal was to lose the 7 pounds she gained over the holidays.  After 3.5 weeks of WW, she has lost 4 pounds.  However, her friend quit WW as they found working the App too hard to do.  A study tracked 740 people on different weight loss diets.  All did lose weight but those on the WW program lost the most.  

Number 2: 

Mediterranean Diet (Also ranked number 1 as a Best Diet for Overall Health.  See:  Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024)  This diet is not really a “weight loss” diet but a way to eat well for overall health.  As noted in last week’s blog, this diet promotes heat health, is diabetes-friendly, and promotes good bone and joint health. 

This diet is based on the traditional eating patterns of people in the Mediterranean region. It emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil while limiting red meat, processed foods, and sweets^..

As noted in last week’s blog, foods to enjoy on the Mediterranean Diet include:

•  Choose low-fat dairy – 2%, 1% or non-fat milk.  Choose low-fat yogurt.  Buy cheese that is made with low fat or skim milk like mozzarella cheese.  Real dairy is so important to your health.  Focus on eating real dairy foods at every meal. You don’t want to cut back on dairy foods on the Mediterranean Diet as you need the calcium and vitamin D real dairy foods provide.
• Whole grains – as noted in a previous blog (Add some whole grains to your day), so many Americans have few or no whole grains in their day.  Find a way to add whole grains to your daily food intake and to your kid’s diet.  Starting the day with oatmeal or Cheerios is a good way to add whole grains to your day.
• Fruit and Vegetables – 5 A Day is a start.  More than 5 A Day is even healthier. As noted in previous blogs, bring a vegetable or piece of fruit with you for lunch every day.  Simple changes can be oh so good for your health.
• Nuts – add a handful of nuts a day
• Seafood and fish – aim for 2x a week
• Olive oil – buy some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and use it in cooking.  (See Which cooking oils are healthy?  Which oils are not so healthy?)   Olive oil is a heart healthy oil.

Foods to cut back on when on a Mediterranean diet: red meat, foods with added sugar and foods high in saturated fat.  But you don’t want to cut back too much on red meat as red meat is a great source of iron. 

Number 3

Volumetrics Diet  This diet was ranked high in 2022.  The diet focuses on eating foods that are nutrient dense but low in calories.  These foods include “fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy”.  The fruits, vegetables and whole grains are foods that will fill you up as they have more fiber and a higher water content. 

A nutrition professor from Penn State University, Barbara Rolls, is behind this diet.  She divides foods into 4 groups – not the basic four, but new groups based on energy density (or calorie density).  “Free” fruits and nonstarchy vegetables are number one or category one.  Then comes category 2 emphasizing whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins.  In category 3, you can enjoy small portions of desserts, cheese, higher-fat meats, bread.  Most junk food ends up in the 4^th category – the chips, candy, cookies and nuts.  It is interesting that nuts are put in the 4^th category as nuts are a healthy food choice.  Cost is a pro as there are no expensive foods to buy.  You do need to buy a book to give you guidance on what to eat and cook on this diet. US News and World Report recommends “The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet” book that provides information on the energy density food groups. 

Cons:  You have to keep track of what food is in what category.  If you choose a higher calorie food, you might be able to eat only a portion of it to fit into your daily allotment.  Thus, if you eat a large bowl of soup, you can then only eat 1/6^th of a cheeseburger. (WebMD).  Exercise is not a major focus although the diet encourages walking.  You add 150 steps a day with your first goal of 1,000 steps a day and then increasing your daily steps to 10,000 a day.  WebMD notes that on this diet, “you won’t lose weight in a hurry.”  You can read a lot more about this diet at the Best Weight-Loss Diets website. My con – if one has to buy a book to learn how to follow a diet, it is too complicated for me. But the book has recipes for those who like to cook and need guidance on following this diet plan.

What diets are also ranked?

•      Number 4:  The Mayo Clinic Diet
•      Number 5:  The DASH Diet
•      Number 6:  The Flexitarian Diet

Conclusion:

Do you notice a pattern in these weight-loss diets?  None of them say to cut out “bread” or cut out carbs.  Yes, cut out sugary carbs but not healthy carbs like whole grain bread, whole grain cereal.  How many times have you heard someone say I am on a diet so I am cutting out bread?  The above weight-loss diets emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Not one says to cut out bread. The Mayo Clinic diet emphasizes healthy carbs from fruit, legumes, vegetables, whole-wheat flour (e.g. whole grain bread, whole grain crackers, whole grain cereals), and wheat bran. 

The best weight loss diet is the one that works for you.  One you can follow and stay on.  One that not only results in weight loss but lifestyle changes that help you keep off any weight you do lose.  WW (Weight Watchers) teaches you how to eat healthy and encourages more exercise.  No wonder it is a number one diet year after year.  WebMD has good advice to follow: to prevent disease and stay active for life, you do need to exercise.  So be sure to add this into your new lifestyle!  

Sources: notes , WORST diets , winner , Best Weight-Loss Diets , Weight Watchers , WW ,  website ,  foods , 2022/2023 , PersonalPoints , ZeroPoint Foods , ZeroPoint , PersonalPoints , WW app , add points , website , ZeroPoint , Mediterranean Diet , Overall Health , Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 , It emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil while limiting red meat, processed foods, and sweets , mozzarella cheese , dairy foods , Add some whole grains to your day , Add some whole grains to your day , Which cooking oils are healthy?  Which oils are not so healthy? , foods , The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet , WebMD , you won’t lose weight in a hurry , Best Weight-Loss Diets , Mayo Clinic diet , healthy carbs , advice  Image Sources: weight loss , ww points plan , fad diets