Keep the Weight Off Diet

Most dieting plans give you lots of guidelines on how to lose weight but then leave you on your own once you’ve dropped the pounds—which is unfortunate since maintaining your new size is often more difficult than getting there in the first place. That’s why we were pretty psyched when we heard about The Two-Day Diet, which is designed to be an easy and doable diet plan that helps you lose weight and keep it off.

MORE: This Man Dropped 130 Pounds in One Year—And His Family’s Reaction Will Make You Cry 

The plan was developed by Michelle Harvie, Ph.D., a research dietician, and Tony Howell, a breast cancer research director, both of whom work together at the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre in South Manchester, England. They instruct you to first lose the weight by dieting for two days a week and eating normally (but watching your portion sizes) the other five days. But what makes the plan effective isn’t so much what you do to slim down originally—it’s what you do to maintain your new physique. Once you’ve dropped the weight, you switch it up so that you only diet for one day a week, not two—and that, say Harvie and Howell, is enough to keep the weight off for the long term.

Interestingly, people tend to choose Tuesdays or Wednesdays as their specific dieting days because that means they still have the weekends to enjoy happy hours, housewarming parties, and the like. Then they can use Mondays to recover and get into a good frame of mind for their more strict Tuesdays or Wednesdays. But of course, it's up to you which day works best for your lifestyle.

MORE: 4 Habits That’ll Make You Gain Back Any Weight You Lose 

Another key part of the plan? Incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise into your day to truly reap the benefits of the two-day diet, say the researchers. But this doesn’t mean you have to sweat it out at the gym every day—even light walking counts. As long as you do something to get your heart rate up.

MORE: One Reason You May Be Overeating 

1. Prev:The Best Lunch for Weight Loss
2. Next:How to Avoid Dieting Peer Pressure