Top 10 Most Popular Diets of 2013

Diets aren’t exactly anyone’s favorite. It’s a word that makes you cringe. It insinuates you’re in need of some work and it insinuates that food and dining will no longer be fun. Diets, however, are overrated if you simply take the time to make positive and healthy lifestyle choices that allow you to get into the best, healthiest shape possible without denying yourself of anything delicious. In 2013, people didn’t realize that healthy lifestyle changes were possible, so they decided to diet. Read on to find out which 10 diets were the most popular last year.

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Ornish Diet

This one consists of eating a basically vegetarian diet filled with a focus on plants. While this sounds healthy – and it is – it’s not the kind of diet that’s successful without making other changes as well. Dr. Ornish – the creator of this diet – recommends using it only if you are willing to add to the diet fitness routines, stress management and lifestyle management techniques. Otherwise, he doesn’t believe it will work for you.

The Biggest Loser

No, you don’t need to appear on reality television to make this diet work. You can do it in six weeks by following the diet plan that incorporates healthy eating with exercise. It involves counting calories with religion. And while you can indulge in things you love, you have to focus on eating fruits, vegetables and healthy items that will help give you energy. It’s the closest to a healthy lifestyle change on the list.

Jenny Craig

She’s been around for a long time and she’s still popular. Perhaps it’s Jenny’s bevy of famous faces touting this diet on commercials that makes it so popular. Whatever it is, it’s said to allow you to lose up to two pounds each week eating prepackaged and delivered straight to you meals that look appetizing but probably taste like prepackaged, frozen meals (anyone? Is this true or are they delish? I’d love to know!).

Volumetrics Diet

This one is a diet that allows you to eat the same amount of food you already do, but without the unhealthy stuff. For example, instead of eating a bag of chips, it helps you determine how many carrots or other healthy items you can eat for the same amount of calories. It’s supposed to be healthy, with a big focus on soups as main courses.

Flexitarian Diet

What this diet consists of is living a mostly vegetarian lifestyle with a few days here and there in which you can eat meat and other things you love. It’s a low-calorie diet that makes it nearly impossible for you to eat out since you are restricted to how many calories you can consume at each meal.

Weight Watchers

Like any good game, this diet tallies points. Essentially, you can eat whatever you want to eat but you have to check the points and see how many of them fall below your point allotment each day. It’s a great way to diet if you can balance out your meals based on the points – or you’ll end up starving all day after eating all your points for breakfast.

The Mediterranean Diet

This is essentially a healthy lifestyle choice that’s a good option for just about anyone. This one allows you to eat healthy meals as often as you want without restrictions, provided you focus on eating things that consist of healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts, proteins and other healthy options.

Mayo Clinic Diet

This one is a bit complex. Essentially, you are going to lose a significant amount of weight in two weeks. However, it requires plenty of dedication and attention to detail. It starts with a week of eating all the healthy fruits and vegetables you want followed by a week of learning to eat within a calorie range that works for you.

TLC Diet

Goodbye Fat! No, really. If you do this popular diet from 2013, you’ll need to say goodbye to all the fats in your diet. From saturated to whatever else you can think of, you’re not going to be consuming anything that has even the smallest amount of fat in it.

DASH Diet

Get ready to take this diet into your life and make it your own. It requires you to say goodbye to salt, high calories and high fat while encouraging you to eat everything else in between. It’s a good option for people who have the discipline to do this without becoming frustrated, cheating and giving up.