Weight Loss and Diets - What Diet Plan is Best? - Part 2

There are really only three basic types of diets: The Low Fat Diet, The Low Carb Diet and something in between the two - something we'll call a T'ween Diet. But how does a person go about finding which of these three diets is the best for them? Surely we don't have to buy one of each and learn by the process of elimination.

Put away your wallet; you can find the answer without having to buy anything but the food you're going to eat. Most of us have a mixed ancestry and don't really know what type foods best satisfy our bodies. While some of us respond better with a diet higher in carbohydrates, others of us are more satisfied with a protein rich diet.

This is important if a person needing more protein were to go on a low-fat diet, high in carbohydrates, they would probably be hungry - constantly - or would become hungry more quickly after eating. Conversely, if you are a person who requires more carbohydrates to feel satisfied and you go on a low carb diet, you will feel weighed down by your diet and most likely become constipated.

In either scenario, the likelihood of your staying committed to any diet plan if you are constantly hungry, bloated or constipated is extremely low. You are virtually destined to fail. It's imperative you choose a diet plan right for your body type.

It only takes a few days to find out whether your body needs more carbohydrates or more protein. Tomorrow for lunch eat a nice healthy meal, with equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates. No simple carbohydrates (ie, no cookies, crackers, white bread, potatoes or sugar), if you have bread, it must be whole wheat and no sodas or fruit juices of any kind. And last but not least, don't over eat.

Then about an hour after lunch, write down what you ate, and how you feel.

Do you feel great, or are you hungry, sleepy, tired, bloated, grumpy or do you have a stuffy nose. Do the same thing two hours after lunch and then again three hours after lunch. If you messed up and ate too much (be honest) any results you get today will probably be incorrect, so you'll need to start again tomorrow. Just eat until you're satisfied (not full - satisfied).

If you find you are sleepy, tired or hungry at any of the intervals (and you didn't over eat) then tomorrow, try having more protein foods and fewer carbohydrates.

If you found you were bloated, weighed down or grumpy, try for a few more carbohydrates and less protein. And if you had a stuffy nose, you might want to omit dairy products if you had any, or wheat.

Continue with this way until you feel good after lunch. Your goal is to feel satisfied, energetic and well able to coop with your afternoon. If you feel sluggish, bloated, hungry, tired or out of sorts after lunch you may resort to extra caffeine, snacks or you may just suffer through, making mistakes you could have avoided if you'd felt better.

So what does this tell us? If you need more carbohydrates in your diet, you will probably do best on a low fat diet. This type diet will give you the carbohydrates your body craves. If you need more protein you should look at a low-carb diet. This will help balance your blood sugar and keep you from feeling hungry all the time.

And if you're somewhere in the middle, you might want to look at diets that are reduced fat with fewer but more complex carbohydrates. These would be diets like the Mediterranean Diet, the G.I. Diet (Glycemic Index Diet), the Idiot Proof Diet and the Zone Diet.