Counting calories is one way to effectively lose weight.
Calories are a measure of energy, and humans burn a certain amount of energy each day. A person who burns more calories a day then he takes in is more likely to lose weight and develop a healthy lifestyle. However, not all low-calorie diets are the same; doctors consider some to be less healthy then others. Always discuss your diet with your physician before you start it.
Medical Low-Calorie Programs
Governmental health agencies state that weight-loss facilities should promote reduced caloric intake, exercise and a behavioral modification program for their patients. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Human Nutrition offers such a program for patients who need very low-calorie (800 or less), modified low-calorie (500 to 1000) or low-calorie (1000 to 1500) diets.
Commercial Weight-Loss Programs
Many diet programs allow participants to lose weight due to low calorie intake, but few provide help with the behavioral changes needed to maintain weight loss. Jenny Craig, Diet Center, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem and Overeaters Anonymous are all low-calorie diet programs that promote exercise and offer individual or group counseling to help dieters maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Fad Diets
Fad diets are designed for people who want to lose weight fast with minimal expenditure of energy or change. Atkins, Zone, Cabbage Soup Diet, Slim-Fast, South Beach and the Pritikin Diet are all fad diets. They work on the premise of less calories in plus more calories out equals weight loss.
Tags: lose weight, diet programs, healthy lifestyle, low-calorie 1000, more calories
