5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Diet Plan

Open any magazine or watch an hour of television, and you're bound to see or read at least one diet ad or diet commercial. With so many diet plans available, how do you know which diet is right for you? Before you launch into a new diet, here are 5 questions to ask about any intended diet plan.

1. Is the diet livable? What's the chance of living on the diet, long after the weight comes off? Is it livable a year from now or five years from now? If you can't see the diet meshing into your lifestyle, the diet plan is probably not right for you.

2. Is the diet food-group restrictive? In other words, does the diet exclude certain food groups? Are carbohydrates or fats severely restricted on the diet? Does the diet restrict all foods except for a chosen few? If this is the case, it's time to look elsewhere for a diet plan to follow. You need each food group represented, and having a variety of food ensures better nutrition--not to mention dining pleasure.

3. Does the diet make incredible claims? Are you guaranteed to lose 5 pounds a week or 30 pounds in a month on the diet plan? If a diet plan promotes quick weight loss--anything more than 10-12 pounds per month--you might want to show some caution. With the exception of the first week, when you can lose over 5 pounds, it's more likely you'll lose 2-3 pounds per week on a balanced diet.

4. Does the diet offer support and strategies? Is there a support group to encourage you and a coach to teach you success strategies? What happens if you blow it? And when you come off the diet, will you have learned how to gauge portion sizes and maintain weight? Why work so hard at losing the weight, if you don't learn how to maintain weight once you hit your goal?

5. What are the originator's nutrition credentials? Diet plans usually sport at least one physician's name. But that doesn't mean the diet is sound. Did you know that nutrition courses are not necessarily part of a physician's training? Before you begin a new diet plan, do your homework. Make sure that the expert you listen to is an expert in nutrition--not just a physician. Furthermore, just because a nutrition book gets published, doesn't mean it contains absolute truth.

Before you bite (no pun intended) into a new diet plan, get the answers to these 5 questions:

-Is the diet livable?
-Is the diet food-group restrictive?
-Does the diet make incredible claims?
-Does the diet offer support and strategies?
-What are the originator's nutrition credentials?

If you're satisfied with the answers you get to these 5 questions, the diet plan may be the right one for you.