It’s a new year and a lot of us find ourselves a bit heavier after all the holiday indulging. Statistically, the number one resolution made every year is to get in shape and be healthier, which for a lot of people, means also losing weight. But by the end of January, most of those vows have been ditched.

I have seen tons of diet plans floating around promising to help you lose 30 pounds in one month, giving you a flat stomach without any exercise whatsoever, or guaranteeing if you just pop this one pill, the pounds will just melt off. A lot of the diets can be hard to follow, expensive, very restrictive, or simply not practical when you have a family to feed. And seriously, who wants to eat nothing but cabbage soup or grapefruits for a month?

IF A DIET SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE…IT PROBABLY IS.

After a few weeks (or days) on an unrealistic diet, most people will get frustrated and give up. When choosing a diet plan, whether it be for weight loss, medical reasons, or simply to get more healthy foods in your diet, look for plans flexible enough to fit into your real life and that encourages healthier eating by focusing on balance, variety and moderation.

U.S. News & World Report recently came out with an article that evaluated and ranked the 38 best overall diets with input from a panel of health experts. To be top-rated, the diet had to be relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe and effective for weight loss and preventing diabetes and heart disease.

For the 6th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked the DASH diet as the number one diet plan, which focuses on fruits and vegetables, low-fat or non dairy foods, lean meats, fish and poultry, nuts, seeds and legumes, and grains. It was originally designed to lower blood pressure but the DASH diet is also very effective for weight loss, lowering cholesterol, and managing or preventing diabetes.

Here’s a look at the list they came up with, which gives you the opportunity to research what would work best for your lifestyle and health needs before buying a particular cookbook, health plan, or diet pill. Once you find a plan that sounds good for you, you can further research it in detail and then decide to buy…which will save you money and perhaps help you keep those healthier resolutions.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/the-38-best-diets-overall/ss-AAgnZrP?ocid=iehp#image=1

And if you’re thinking about a diet plan that sounds like it might be too good to be true, here’s a great article from WebMD, listing some of the worst diets out there.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/worst-diets-ever-diets-that-dont-work?page=1