Despite all our efforts to eat less, we continue as a nation to gain weight. What’s wrong? Part of the problem is that many fad diets are too extreme to stay with for very long. But clearly another reason is that many of us need to rethink how we eat and learn to choose nutrient-rich, less fattening foods. Here are 2 plans to consider.

Two Sensible Plans

If that sounds too boring or overwhelming, don’t despair. Thanks to some experts, at least two recent weight-loss plans are balanced nutritionally and achievable—plus you don’t have to buy a lot of special foods or even feel deprived.

Not surprisingly given their success rates, these two diets are similar in certain ways. Both ask you to eat a healthy breakfast. Both encourage you to drink plenty of water, which helps you feel full and stay hydrated. They both include enough healthy fats and snacks to prevent hunger. Finally, both call for minimally processed, easy-to-prepare, fiber-rich foods. After that the emphasis changes a bit, so take a look at the following plans and decide which you think best fits your goals, lifestyle, and needs.

The South Beach Diet

Created by cardiac doctor Arthur Agatston, MD, this two-phase plan (with a maintenance program) aims to reduce your cravings for empty-carbohydrate, high-glycemic index, highly processed foods, recognizing that it may take you a few days to wean yourself from donuts and soft drinks. In the first couple of weeks (Phase 1), you’ll even avoid fruits and their juices, since they can spike your blood sugar levels, only to leave you feeling weak later. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up dessert! Several savory recipes have been created by local chefs at South Beach, Florida, restaurants.

The Reverse Diet

Created by a nutritionist and a woman who struggled with a weight problem for years, this plan literally reverses how we eat, serving fuller, dinner-like meals in the morning and lighter, breakfast-like fare at night. The logic here is that we need to eat food that will propel us through the day. Since breakfast is the most important meal, it should be the largest. Consuming a heavy meal late in the day doesn’t give our bodies enough time to burn off calories. This diet also offers a number of motivational tools to achieve useful goals—from helping you to identify triggers that make you want to eat more to making you feel comfortable with who you are. Thanks to this kind of support and tips for preparing meals ahead of time, this diet allows a bit more flexibility.

Maintaining Weight loss

What’s great about each of these diets is that they allow you to gradually resume eating your favorite foods with transition or bridge plans. Here are some comments from successful dieters.

• South Beach: “The first two weeks, the strict phase, were somewhat difficult, because you are so limited. . . . But it was an easy diet, too, because you didn’t have to eat certain foods at each meal. . . . I lost about 10 pounds on the diet, but now that I started working with a personal trainer, I’ve actually put back about five of those pounds in muscle. . . . There are days when I still want to stop at Krispy Kreme. But now I say, Oh, no, no—I’m not going to do that again.”
• The Reverse Diet: “When I began the Reverse Diet, one of the first things I noticed was how quickly the weight was coming off. . . . With all the yo-yo dieting I had done, I had never seemed to really lose weight or get healthier. I believe I can do the Reverse Diet for the rest of my life. I can eat normal foods that I actually like, and it’s