10 Diet Plans You Can Actually Follow

How many times have you started a diet, struggled to follow the guidelines, and finally given up?

It's OK, you don't have to tell us. But if your dieting efforts to eat healthy and lose weight sound anything like this, you're not alone.

An estimated 65 percent of people who diet to lose weight, typically gain back any weight lost within three years, according to the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California – Berkeley.

That can be incredibly frustrating. And if you weigh in as overweight or obese, that puts you at risk for a long list of health problems. So why are diets so hard to follow?

The biggest problem: Most are highly restrictive. If any of those restrictions include some of your favorite foods, it's going to be tough to stay away. What can you do about it? Your best bet. Follow advice from best-selling nutrition author Michael Pollan: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

That's a good start. But what does this kind of eating plan look like? The U.S. News and World Report took care of that by ranking a long list of popular diets based on how easy they are to follow.

Sorry, but you won't find the Twinkie Diet or Junk Food Diet on this list. These top 10 diets are based on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with other healthy options, that won't feel overly restrictive. Here are 10 diet plans that work:

The Fertility Diet
Mediterranean Diet
MIND Diet
Weight Watchers Diet
DASH Diet
Flexitarian Diet
Jenny Craig Diet
Volumetrics Diet
Mayo Clinic Diet
TLC Diet

In total, U.S. New and World Report reviewed 38 popular diets. But as the list progresses, the diets move into highly restrictive territory like the Whole Foods Diet where grains, dairy, sugar, beans, and alcohol are off limits. That's going to be tough to sustain for most people.

If you're looking for an easy and healthy way to eat and lose weight, check out our Portion Control menu. We've even partnered with Weight Watchers to give you the PointsPlus value for each meal.