10 Diet Strategies—Which One Will Work for You?

We analyze 10 popular eating strategies, including everything you're likely to get from Beachbody and many you've seen on Oprah.

If you're reading this newsletter, chances are you saw a Beachbody infomercial, decided it was time for change, and ordered the workout program that you expected would change your life. When the package arrived at your door, you tore it open and started poring over the material, only to realize, "Great Caesar's ghost! Not only do I have to sweat my tootsies off for six to twelve weeks, but I actually have to start eating right to make all this happen!"

Eating right to lose weight, in essence, is a simple proposition. All you need is a healthy balance of protein, carbs, and fat at a slight calorie deficit. However, choosing the best way to do this can be flat-out mind bursting. So, after you've stuffed those pieces of brain back into your skull, let's do a quick rundown of some Beachbody diets and diet aids, as well as a few others you've probably heard of. Hopefully, you'll find something that works for you.

Before we start, keep in mind that no particular eating plan needs to be done with any particular exercise plan here. The 6-Day Express^™ works with Yoga Booty Ballet^™ as much as it works with Slim in 6^®. The only exception is P90X^®. If you're doing that program, you should try to follow the P90X Nutrition Plan. However, if you're active and want to eat the P90X way outside the program, go for it. The bottom line is that these are all ways to achieve healthy eating, arranged in a variety of ways. Well, except number 10.

1. The Team Beachbody® Club Personalized Meal Plans
   
   What it is: Beachbody's diet and nutrition support site designed to maximize the results of your program. You'll find a stack of advice tailored towards the program/trainer of your choice. You'll also find many customizable diet plans to choose from and many other features designed to make your fitness transition go as smoothly as possible.
   
   What it does: In the Diet & Support center you can choose from many different meal plans to support your current state of fitness and your chosen exercise program, including non-Beachbody programs. The recommended plans are loaded with healthy, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients that are simple to prepare and come with shopping lists. You may then choose to customize them with real-world options, from gourmet restaurants to fast food. The site is also filled with personalized information from the Beachbody trainers to ensure you get the most out of your program, including program Jump Starts, Maximizers, calculators, VIP chats, and a personalized fitness tracker that follows your progress.
   
   What it doesn't do: Choose your program for you. If you're not doing a Beachbody program, you'll probably be a bit lost until your figure out how to navigate the site. There's a lot to look at and it could be overwhelming. Suggestion: Head to a trainer corner as if you were doing one of their programs. If you're only interested in the eating part, go straight to the Basic Meal Plan.
   
   Note: Team Beachbody® Club is still evolving and new features are being added constantly. The goal is for it to be able to meet any fitness or nutritional need you may have. You can keep up with new features, as well as ask questions in the Team Beachbody® Message Boards forum.
   
   
2. Michi's Ladder and the Beachbody's Step-by-Step Nutrition Guide
   
   What it is: The chart on the back of the little brochure that came with Power 90^® or Slim in 6 that you probably ignored because you thought it was selling something. It's actually a list of good and bad foods, as well as instructions on how to eat them.
   
   What it does: Educate. Like an ultra-basic intro on nutrition. Used with the Beachbody Message Boards' Nutrition Forum, this is a great place to learn about healthy eating.
   
   What it doesn't do: It's not an eating plan, more like a starter course or quick-reference sheet. As helpful as Michi's Ladder is, it's only one piece of the puzzle. Coupled with a diet plan, or the Beachbody Diet & Support center, most of your long-term questions can be addressed.
   
   
3. The 6-Day Express Diet Plan
   
   What it is: A short-term diet that offers basic nutrition for six days. You can do one of three plans: Get in the Zone (the balanced plan); the High-Protein Express; or the "Photo Shoot" plan, which is a borderline fast or "bodybuilder" diet.
   
   Note: The Dancer's 7-Day Diet from Yoga Booty Ballet, the Fast Track: 2-Week Slim Down from Kathy Smith's Project: YOU^™, and the Turbo Jam™ Turbo Slim diet program are variations on the 6-Day Express, so this applies to them, too. And Kathy Smith's Fat-Burning Food Plan takes these ideas and expands them into a long-term nutrition plan.
   
   What it does: It's a great way to start a program or cleanse your system without having to sacrifice exercise as you would with a fast. Also, its simple format breaks healthy eating down to ultimate simplicity.
   
   What it doesn't do: If you want to follow the plan much longer than a week, you'll need to increase the calories, which will require some math. Also, its lack of variety would likely get tiresome after a while.
   
   
4. The 6-Week Transition Diet
   
   What it is: A "halfway house" diet from the Beachbody newsletters. If you've been eating poorly all your life, suddenly switching to lean proteins, fruits, and veggies can be pretty intimidating. This plan eases you into it.
   
   Note: The Yoga Booty Ballet diet included in the program's guidebook is a variation on this theme, with a bit more detailed instruction.
   
   What it does: If you're a real slave to your cravings, this is a good place to start. It's an easy way to improve your eating habits steadily over time.
   
   What it doesn't do: It tells you the how, but there's not much detail. No meal plans or lists of food. It's a transitioning program, not a lifestyle diet. You might want to use it in conjunction with Michi's Ladder and/or the meal plans featured on Team Beachbody.com.
   
   
5. The P90X Nutrition Plan (Read about the Nutrition Plan in the "More Details" popup window.)
   
   What it is: A comprehensive eating plan that comes with P90X. You can choose to follow the detailed meal plan with everything spelled out for you, or use the tools it provides to design your own plan.
   
   What it does: This is a serious nutrition plan for athletes and folks who want to get ripped. If you're looking to work out hard and get optimum performance, this is the one.
   
   What it doesn't do: If you're new to fitness, you'll probably want to hold off. It would be like asking a student driver to get behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler—a bit intimidating. Your body and mind might not be ready.
   
   
6. The Formula by Gene and Joyce Daoust
   
   What it is: Like its famous predecessor, Enter the Zone, by Barry Sears, it's a diet book that has a lot to teach about nutrition. Unlike The Zone, this book is simple and easy to follow.
   
   What it does: This is a really great 40-30-30 diet. In other words, it is a diet plan configured into 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat—a nutritional strategy that's been quite useful for people trying to lose weight. If you get through the entire book, you'll know a lot more about nutrition.
   
   What it doesn't do: It's still a book, and requires a time investment. Some of the recipes can be complex. Also, if you're looking for another kind of diet, like high-protein or athletic, you're out of luck.
   
   
7. The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston
   
   What it is: A rather long book, but a much saner low-carb eating plan than some alternatives.
   
   What it does: The diet starts you out low-carb and then eases "good carbs" back into your diet. Good for Atkins people trying to work towards a sensible diet.
   
   What it doesn't do: Much like the Formula diet, there's not a lot of latitude here. You pretty much have to do what you're told to do. It's a phase, not a lifestyle.
   
   
8. The Mediterranean Diet
   
   What it is: A "new" diet that consists of eating similarly to the way some countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea used to eat. Though the diets and eating habits of the sixteen countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea vary greatly, they share a few common traits you've seen in movies and/or history books. Mainly, it's eating a lot of fresh foods and, yes, it includes wine.
   
   What it does: Provides you with a guideline for sensible nutrition. It recommends getting most of your calories from natural sources like fruits and vegetables, using breads and cereals for energy, and olive oil for fats.
   
   What it doesn't do: Account for the modern world. It's simple and easy from a time long before McDonald's and 7-Eleven existed. Sure, if you eat this way things will get better, but can you?
   
   
9. The Glycemic Index (GI) Diet
   
   What it is: A diet designed to keep your blood sugar stable. According to its authors (there are many books on the market), this is the key to managing your weight and your mood.
   
   What it does: Originally designed for diabetics, the American diet has become so out of whack, most everyone very overweight is a borderline diabetic now. This diet helps you understand how foods break down into sugars in your blood stream.
   
   What it doesn't do: Fully educate. The glycemic index is only one aspect of nutrition. The rest of the diet is filled with—you guessed it—sensible eating featuring many natural foods from all food groups. And if you ate like this in the first place, you wouldn't need to worry about the glycemic index.
   
   
10. The Atkins Diet
    
    What it is: A once ultra-popular diet developed by Dr. Robert Atkins that allowed mass consumption of butter and other fatty no-nos, along with massive amounts of protein.
    
    What it does: It can be very effective in the early stages for out-of-shape obese people who have trouble cutting calories.
    
    What it doesn't do: Account for activity and athletics. As your body changes, so should your diet. Atkins is really a solution for only a small percentage of the population—perhaps the reason Atkins Nutritionals went bankrupt soon after trying to conquer the entire nutrition market.

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Try a fresh perspective for your new diet strategies by leaning on success solutions from Beachbody customers—some of whom were Success Stories invited to go to Hawaii or Hollywood to film Beachbody television shows. They fought the battle of the bulge—and won! Others are folks just like you, still struggling day by day to keep their diet and fitness goals on track. Take it from the people who know exactly what you're going through—your peers!

Dawn M., Hawaii 2005

• Associate with winners. I consider a lot of the people I've met on the Message Boards as the other players who WON'T let me out of the game. If you associate with people who have skills, knowledge, or characteristics you desire, your chance of success is far greater than if you forged ahead alone. No one, except yourself, can MAKE you stop watching from the sidelines and get in the game—but having a cheering section and mentors sure does help. No more sidelines for me.

Brice W., Hollywood 2003

• Stretch. Finishing up each and every routine with stretching really cooled me down and created since of relaxation and peace that was refreshing.
  
  
• Mix and match. I started incorporating elements of Slim in 6, Slim Series, Power Half Hour, and Power 90 into a new routine I call "6 weeks to madness." I believe the proper application of the Beachbody.com videos can help a person accomplish anything they would want to accomplish from a fitness point of view. I have the best cardio and sculpt routines at my fingertips.

Amanda W., Hollywood 2003

• Go for low-impact cardio. I tore my ACL (anterior crucial ligament) in my knee while playing college volleyball. I could not do any hard-impact exercise like running or jumping because it was so hard on my knee. I really didn't think I could get a good cardio workout anymore . . . I watched my sister literally shrink in 6 weeks by using Slim in 6. She looked great so I asked her about it. She told me it was low impact but very high cardio! Just what I needed! I currently weigh 130 and am 5'8" tall. I am able to incorporate Slim in 6 into my schedule about 2 times a week and have maintained my weight loss and muscle tone for six months.

Stephanie S., June 2005

• Pick a reward. I started Power 90 wanting to be thin again and to wear a certain dress . . . now on my second round of Power 90, all I think about is sculpting my muscles and being in great shape AND getting into that certain dress . . . which, by the way, I can fit into finally!

Tammy F. Hawaii 2004, Team Beachbody Member

To avoid late-night cravings:

• After dinner, clean the kitchen completely. Do all the dishes, put them away, wipe down the counters, etc. Do this with the mental image of "closing the kitchen" for the night. You might even put a little sign taped to the fridge and pantry that says "Kitchen Closed 'til Morning."
  
  
• Brush your teeth after dinner. You are less likely to eat again.
  
  
• Make a nighttime ritual for yourself. Distract yourself from eating by taking up a quiet activity. Cross-stitch. Knit. Paint. Read a magazine. Paint your toenails. You might even make that "craving time" over into a "treat time" for yourself by sitting down in a quiet place with a nice cup of hot tea and a good book! How relaxing is that?
  
  
• Avoid TV, if possible. Advertisers are notorious for bombarding us with food signals at night! Notice that is when you see all the commercials for fast food and pizza delivery? And suddenly you feel hungry? Again, if you have fueled properly for the entire day, it is just your brain playing tricks.

Slimnsas/Karen Henson, Beachbody Message Boards

• Treat yourself special once a week. If you have eaten correctly and Pushed Play everyday you deserve a guilt-free reward. Some have a sweet treat; some will do movie and popcorn. One lady on here actually would treat herself to a spa treatment once a month, and then do a sweet treat the other weeks. This helps in several different ways. One, if you see something you just have to have, it is a lot easier to say "you'll have it on Sunday" (I always had mine on my off day, Sunday) rather than just say "you can't have it." Also on Wednesday, if you don't feel like Pushing Play, you know you don't get your treat if you don't, so it actually helps you with motivation, too.
  
  
• Make the time. Remember, you are worth it! When I first started, I let my family know I wouldn't be answering the phones, or be available at all during the time I was exercising. They soon learned I meant it and left me alone.

bfloboy2, Beachbody Message Boards

• Do more reps. For push ups, after you've done all you can on your toes, drop to your knees and get more reps.

Sunshine85226, Beachbody Message Boards

• I eat AFTER workouts on cardio days because I'm looking to burn fat (it burns the fat faster when there's no food to get at first).

laura52, Beachbody Message Boards

• Keeping a food journal and writing down how you feel before and after you eat it and how it affects your body will give you more answers than shoving pills into you to change your metabolism!

ErosP90, Beachbody Message Boards

• Pearls of Wisdom. There's a plaque up on my wall right behind my computer that reads "Risk— New heights are achieved once you have courage to leave the ground." How many of us look at someone we admire who has achieved something that we ourselves would like to do, yet we're too afraid to risk a change in order to achieve that very same goal?

chevyval, Beachbody Message Boards

• One change at a time. For the next 30 days my plan is to work on logging my food intake. I felt I would do better concentrating on getting used to and sticking with the workouts and then begin working on my diet. I feel as though it's a good plan. Too much at once will set me up for failure. I'm a "lifer," so I have lots of time.

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