Here's the skinny on 7 popular diets

New year, new you. Right? You probably have the best intentions, but sometimes diet plans can be confusing. You see people post before and after pictures of their awesome new diet on social media, and you have no idea how it actually works or even how to pronounce it. And just because it works for your friends doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. Here are several popular diet strategies — none of which require out-of-pocket costs except for the food you buy. Take a look at them, talk it over with your doctor and see if one might be right for you. There are many others out there too, so don’t get discouraged if none of these look quite right. Regardless of whether or not you are on a plan, make sure you eat a balanced diet and pair it with a healthy amount of exercise. New year, new you!

1. Ketogenic: Where are all the meat lovers out there? The keto diet is focused on low-carb, high-fat foods. The reduction in carbs puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. At that point, the body is really efficient at burning fat for energy.

Jeremiah Krieger said the keto diet has helped him stay disciplined. Some benefits he’s found is that it helps keep blood sugar levels constant, gives clarity of thought, produces more energy and helps manage blood pressure, weight and stress. The only downside is giving up some of the foods that he really enjoys.

Foods to drastically reduce or eliminate completely include sugary foods, grains, starches, fruit, beans, root vegetables, some condiments, unhealthy fats and alcohol.

Meals should be centered around meat, fatty fish, eggs, butter/cream, cheese, nuts/seeds, healthy oils, avocados and low-carb veggies.

2. Paleo: This diet is supposed to resemble what our human hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago. This means eating whole foods — foods that have remained close to what they would be like in nature (unprocessed, unrefined).

Paleolithic humans had to survive on whatever was available to them at any given time. Some ate low-carb diets high in animal foods while others had a high-carb diet with lots of plants. Therefore, the paleo diet is not written in stone and can be modified to fit your own needs.

Foods to focus on include meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and healthy fats and oils.

Foods to avoid are processed foods, sugar, pop, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats. Just remember, stay away from processed foods — foods that typically come in a box or bag and contain more than one item on the ingredient list.

3. Vegan: Vegans, just like vegetarians, don’t eat meat. But they also take it one step further. They don’t consume dairy, eggs, fish, honey or any other products of animal origin.

This includes albumin, casein, carmine, gelatin, pepsin, shellac, isinglass and whey. Foods containing these ingredients include some types of beer, wine, marshmallows, breakfast cereals, gummy candies and chewing gum.

Vegans eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies and whole grains. Meat-based entrees can be swapped for meals containing beans, lentils, tofu, seitan, tempeh, nuts and seeds. There’s also a growing selection of plant milks, vegan cheese and more — just make sure they aren’t highly processed with additives and artificial ingredients.

People choose the vegan diet for a variety of reasons, including health, ethical and environmental concerns.

Bert Medina said that after being on this diet for a couple of years, he’s noticed that he feels so much better when he doesn’t put all the junk into his body. He is happy with the success he’s had, and it’s helped with weight loss. However, he has moments of frustration because of the food that the diet restricts.

4. Mediterranean: Because researchers found that several decades ago people in countries around the Mediterranean Sea (Italy, Greece, etc.) were much healthier than Americans, a meal plan has been based off their diet. This way of eating is generally rich in healthy plant foods and lower in animal foods, with a focus on fish and seafood.

You will get to enjoy healthy, unprocessed foods like veggies, fruits, nuts/seeds, legumes, tubers, whole grains, fish/seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, herbs/spices and healthy fats.

Stay away from added sugar, refined grains, trans fats, refined oils and processed meat.

And just like the Mediterraneans would, eat your meals with friends and family and enjoy life!

5. Intermittent fasting: This diet is more about WHEN you eat than WHAT you eat. It cycles the body between periods of fasting and periods of eating.

While there are many different intermittent fasting methods, a popular one is the 16/8 method. People restrict their daily eating window to eight hours of the day and are fasting the remaining 16 hours.

Rick Chandler said that he follows this method and eats between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., but it can really be adjusted to fit any schedule.

The diet helps people eat fewer calories overall — but the trick is to not overcompensate by eating more during the daily eating period.

Try approaching this diet gradually by shortening your eating window a little bit each day. Make sure to drink unsweetened liquids (water, tea, coffee) during the periods of fasting.

6. Anti-inflammatory: While inflammation is a protective mechanism that helps the body fight against infection, illness and injury, long-term or chronic inflammation can lead to various diseases.

Those interested in this diet should try to reduce inflammation, eat fewer inflammatory foods and eat more anti-inflammatory foods.

Foods to eat include veggies, fruits, high-fat fruits, healthy fats, fatty fish, nuts, peppers, dark chocolate, spices, green tea and red wine.

Avoid or minimize sugary foods/beverages, processed meat, excessive alcohol and foods high in refined carbs and unhealthy fats.

Kim Zion said she has kept weight off by making this diet a lifestyle. While there are some food restrictions, she never feels like she starves. She recommends reading “Empowering Your Health” by Dr. Asa Andrew.

7. Counting calories: This diet method is simple in theory but isn’t always easy to execute. The idea is that for a person to lose weight, they must eat fewer calories than they burn.

Calories – a measure of energy – are used for essential functions such as breathing, thinking, walking, talking and eating. Excess calories are stored as fat, and if you consistently eat more calories than you burn, it can lead to weight gain.

The amount of calories your body needs in a single day depends on gender, age, weight and activity level. Talk to your doctor or check with an online calorie calculator to see what your ideal calorie intake should be.

There are many free calorie counting apps and online tools to make the process easier. For this diet method to work, make sure you’re diligent in logging your foods every day. Be precise by reading food labels and using measuring cups, scales, etc. so that you know how many servings you’re actually eating.

Julie Wiebke said she has found success using a similar method — the point system. She started out with a subscription to the Weight Watchers app and then moved to a free app called iTrackBites.

She logged her food faithfully and liked that there were no food restrictions — she could splurge on something as long as she made up for it with some low-point foods.