Experts Reveal the Best Diet To Lose Weight and Keep It Off + Trendy Diets To Skip

If you’ve noticed the number on the scale creeping upwards or your clothes getting snug, you likely already know that weight gain is common as we age. A review of research published in the Journal of Midlife Health found that women gain an average of just over a pound every year during perimenopause and menopause. And thanks to changing metabolism and hormones, you may find that shedding those extra pounds is a lot harder than it used to be. So what’s the best diet to lose weight and keep it off, especially as we age? Here’s what you need to know before you start your weight loss journey.

What to look for in a weight loss diet

When you’re trying to lose weight, you want to see results ASAP. But healthy weight loss requires slow and steady effort for lasting results.

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“A realistic and sustainable weight loss goal is typically between 0.5 to 2 pounds per week,” says Marika Holte, MD, an internal medicine physician, weight management expert and medical director with the virtual health platform PlushCare.

So it’s important to steer clear of any weight loss plan that promises rapid results in a short period of time. Instead, look for a healthy eating plan you can maintain for the long haul. “Sustainable eating habits support gradual, lasting weight loss while preserving muscle mass and maintaining a higher metabolic rate,” Dr. Holte says.  

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The best diet to lose weight 

When it comes to long-term weight loss, the best way to drop unwanted pounds (and keep them off) is to be consistent about calorie reduction. “The best eating plan for weight loss in women over 50 is one that is calorie-controlled and emphasizes whole foods,” Dr. Holte says. 

When you’re trying to lose weight, your goal is to consume fewer calories than you burn in a day. To lose one pound per week, you’ll need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. This can be achieved by consuming fewer calories, adding exercise or a mix of diet and exercise.

If counting calories sounds a bit tedious, you can use an online calculator or a calorie-tracking app to estimate your daily calorie needs, set your weight loss goals and track your intake each day. (Check out our round-up of the best weight-loss apps here.)

How to get started with a lower-calorie diet

The key to reducing calories without feeling deprived is to choose nutrient-rich foods that promote satiety. Dr. Holte recommends these tips as part of a healthy diet:

• Watch your portion sizes. “As we age, our calorie needs naturally decrease,” Dr. Holte says. So it’s important to pay attention to serving sizes printed on nutritional labels and eat slowly so you can be aware of hunger and fullness cues.
• Limit highly-processed foods, refined sugars and alcohol. These are all calorie dense, Dr. Holte says, which makes it easy to consume more calories than you need. Instead, aim to get your calories from whole foods like fruits, veggies and lean meats.
• Increase your protein intake. “Maintaining muscle mass plays a vital role in regulating glucose and countering the natural muscle decline that can occur with menopause,” Dr. Holte says. To help maintain muscle mass, a study in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging suggests that women should increase their protein intake during menopause to around 1.1 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. (An easy way to estimate this: Divide your weight in pounds by two, then aim for that many grams of protein each day.)
• Include plenty of fiber. Dietary fiber helps to regulate blood sugar levels and keep you feeling fuller for longer. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, more than 90 percent of women don’t hit their daily fiber goals (22 grams per day for women over 50).

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4 healthy diets that support weight loss

While calorie reduction is an effective strategy for weight loss, it’s not the only approach to healthy eating. Here are four diets designed to improve your overall health that may also help with weight management.

1. Mediterranean diet

 The Mediterranean diet was originally developed to improve heart health and longevity. “While not specifically designed for weight loss, the Mediterranean diet provides a strong nutritional foundation,” Dr. Holte says. “It’s rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, unsaturated healthy fats, plant-based proteins and fish. The variety of satisfying, flavorful foods makes the diet easy to maintain over the long term.”

The anti-inflammatory foods included in this diet can also help manage conditions like arthritis, Dr. Holte adds, and the emphasis on whole grains instead of refined carbs may help to improve insulin resistance.

 And research suggests the Mediterranean diet can be effective for weight loss when combined with calorie reduction. A study published in Nutrients found that menopausal women who followed this diet—consuming around 1,450 calories per day—reduced their BMI by almost a full point and lost an average of around eight pounds in two months.

2. DASH diet

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, better known as the DASH diet, was developed to help manage blood pressure. “It emphasizes low-sodium, high-potassium and high-fiber foods such as vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins,” Dr. Holte says. “While not specifically designed for weight loss, the DASH diet supports overall heart health and can contribute to weight management when paired with portion control and a reduced calorie intake.”

3. MIND diet

Designed to protect your brain health as you age, the MIND diet combines aspects of the Mediterranean and DASH diets. “Its biggest benefit is that it is primarily plant-based, with lower saturated and animal fats, which can help improve cholesterol levels in women as they age,” Dr. Holte says.

4. Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is the practice of alternating between periods of eating and fasting. According to a study published in Nature Aging, this can boost longevity and lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Intermittent fasting can also be “an effective strategy for lowering calorie intake without the need to track every meal, as long as a person avoids overeating during the eating window,” Dr. Holte says. “Timed eating offers a simple structure that some find easier to follow than traditional calorie counting.” 

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But it’s not for everyone. If you can’t do mornings without coffee or you’re usually hangry by 10 a.m., you may find it too hard to sustain. If you’re interested in fasting for weight loss, check out our how-to guide for what’s known as 4:3 intermittent fasting. 

Weight loss diets to skip

Some diets promise dramatic weight loss in a short amount of time. But there’s no secret fat-blasting formula behind these diets—you’re just slashing calories by limiting what you’re “allowed” to eat. And that can backfire in the long run. Common fad diets include:

• Single-food diets. Diets like the “cabbage soup diet” or “grapefruit diet” restrict calorie intake by replacing one or more meals each day with a specific food, sometimes eliminating entire food groups.
• Detox diets. These promise to kick-start results by “flushing” or “cleansing” toxins from the body to improve energy and digestion so you lose weight quickly.
• Miracle-food diets. These diets claim that adding a certain food to your diet, like green tea or apple cider vinegar, can curb your appetite or melt fat.

“Fad diets, particularly crash diets, are generally not effective for sustainable weight loss,” Dr. Holte says. “Quick-fix diets often rely on extreme calorie restriction, which leads to the loss of both fat and muscle mass. As muscle mass decreases, so do daily calorie needs.” As soon as you go back to your normal eating habits, you’ll likely regain the weight you lost and then some.