A healthy diet and regular exercise can be the standard advice when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, but there are many different ways to approach both.

With new research on exercise and weight loss comes out every day, it pays to stay on top of the headlines. But do not worry: You do not have to go digging through the archives of Google News. We have compiled the top 10 exercise and weight loss trends since 2011. How many have you tried?

The Paleo Diet

Neanderthals never looked as contemporary variations on primitive diets and exercise plans have been universally recognized. The Paleo diet, a diet heavy on meat and vegetables and devoid of grain, combined with a focus on lifting heavy things and run from predators is the newest old trend.

Alternative Therapy

Hypnosis, acupuncture, meditation and herbal remedies used to be considered as a placebo at best and at worst, a fishing rod, especially when it comes to high-stakes field of weight loss. But the new study on the power of the mind and the effectiveness of mind-body connection have brought these procedures, fringe and into the mainstream.

CrossFit

While CrossFit has been around for several years, based on the elements of training with Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and martial arts men have seen a huge boom in popularity this year, thanks to celebrities like Bob Harper and the advent of CrossFit-specific gyms and trainers.

Cleanse Diet

Where Hollywood leads, the country is, right? Asterisks first started using clean to get a perfectly flat ABS for the cover of magazines and the red carpet, but the trend was leaked to any woman who wants to look a little less bloated. Popular cleaned as Shakeology, Blueprint clean, and even the Master Cleanse steel tables Coffee Talk.

Vitamin D

If vitamin E took the fall, the new super-app stepped in to save the day … and your skin, mental health, and even your waistline. Are you out of your little sunbathing or Little Pill, the importance of getting enough vitamin D was one of the biggest stories of the year.

Sugar

Sweet things are almost connected to weight loss, but after research showed that artificial sweeteners can actually make you gain weight, and high fructose corn syrup has become frakenfood, plain old sugar beet or sugar cane is now back in vogue. Other natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and even plant stevia has also been found that some health benefits when used in moderate amounts.

HCG Diet

Making headlines for the impressive success stories and equally impressive research, this diet is based on the controversial use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a skeletal followers eat 600 calories a day diet using HCG drops or injections to stifle hunger. Dangerous fad diet or miracle? It all depends on who you talk to.

Intermittent fasting

First we were told there are three square meals a day, no snacking. Then there is the 6:55 “mini-meals” every 3-4 hours, it is better to maintain our metabolism going strong all day long. Now, it seems that the “starvation mode” does not come as fast as we thought, and abstaining from food entirely for periods usually between 18-36 hours is considered one of the best things you can do for your health. Takeaway: Do your homework and talk to nutrition expert before trying any extreme diet methods in the New Year. The best plan for you is the one that fits your lifestyle and schedule.

Preventive health care

We can not all be on board preventive health train yet, but thanks to the numerous debates about health care reform, almost all recognize how important it is to take care of yourself and stop health problems before they start. For example, more and more employers that offer discounts on gym memberships and rewards for positive health choices, such as weight loss or lowering cholesterol. Expect to see even more incentives in 2012!

Boot Camp Workouts

Jillian Michaels may have caused the popularity of having someone get in your face as a sergeant, but coaches across the country have jumped on board with a group fitness classes based on a short and intense workout. Push-ups, sit-ups, and other traditional military operations are only the tip of the iceberg.