It’s That Time Of Year – Time To Start The Diet Again!

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Weigh-Ins

* On May 25, 2005 .. I joined Weight Watchers and officially weighed in at 291 lbs.

* On January 1, 2006 .. I had stopped watching or counting points and weighed in at 263 lbs.

* On January 1, 2007 .. I weighed myself back at 283 lbs.

* Yesterday – January 1, 2008 .. I weighed myself and I was 287.5 lbs.

I must say, I don’t feel obese, being a 6’1″ person .. but I mostly sit at my desk working and do feel sedentary at times. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m losing feeling in my toes from the lack of circulation. My wife is cold blooded and hates the heat .. (could be thyroid related) and I’m always cold and using a Space Heater in my office here on the 2nd floor to up the heat a few extra degrees. Is that because of lack of circulation? Last Summer I was at the cottage, and swimming, running, biking, walking the dogs .. but, had trouble fitting in a Kayak that I had purchased – that is, sitting in a position with my feet together inside the kayak and my back straight. When summer was over, we still went until just about Canadian Thanksgiving time, on Weekends .. but that exercise was enough for me and I never even walked the dogs during the week. I have to also say, that these past six months has been quite stressful for me – workwise.

In November, my father-in-law was in a serious car accident, and now has brain damage, loss of sight and requires 24/7 personal care. I have been taking care of his business, or rather – trying to liquidate and end the business .. and eating out at restaurants. Maybe it’s because I’m out and about, and doing lots of lifting, and running around – but, I actually lost weight in November and December (before Xmas celebrations that is). But, ever since – I’ve been taking Tums at night (yummy Calcium!) But, only after eating burgers, pizza and fries! That can’t be good.

My Body Is Trying To Tell Me Something

Well .. my brain and stomach told me to immediately finish off the remaining Rice Krispy Marshmallow Treats that I made last week (3 points each for about 2″x2″ bar, 34g each) .. and give it a go with the open boxes of chocolate (and 1/2 an Easter Bunny) .. But – now that it’s gone now… My brain is telling me it’s time again – time to officially lose weight and get healthy.

OKAY! I GET IT! Enough is Enough!

The diet starts today – January 2, 2007 … I’m back watching what I eat, counting points like I used to with Weight Watchers, minding my portion control and .. eaaaaazzzy on the chocolates, Double Mozza Burgers, Pizza and All-You-Can-Eat buffets!

So – the good news is .. I will be back now posting on the HART’s Getting In Shape category here at Battling Obesity … three times is the charm! You guys *want* to see what I’m eating, now – don’t you? 😀

How about you? Are you blogging about your weight loss in 2008? Leave your link in the comments – and I’ll start a “Friends” page about this! Interested in joining me? We can also try to do some meme’s, cross linking, share recipes, pictures, etc etc etc … or – let me know privately off-line via obesity.BattlingForHealth.com/contact/

HART

Nutrition 101

In order to optimize your health a good diet is essential. But, with all the fad diets around it can be difficult to know what is ‘good’. Nutrition science to the rescue! Though some things are still controversial, numerous studies reinforce the following basic information.

A healthy diet requires not just items from the four basic food groups, but in the proper proportion. The average person will need about 2000-2500 calories (sometimes more for larger men, less for women and those looking for rapid weight loss). About 50% of those calories should come in the form of carbohydrates, with 30% from fats (yes, fat is good!) and 20% from protein.

Carbohydrates are the main source of compounds needed for energy. Simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose, are rapidly broken down in the intestine and absorbed. Some processing starts the minute they hit your tongue. Complex carbohydrates – starches, such as those found in potatoes – take longer, but are also healthy in moderation.

Fats are chemically similar to carbohydrates, and contain fatty acids essential to health. Proteins are lysed (split) to make amino acids, that are then recombined to form proteins used in muscles and other structures.

Meat is a valid and healthy source of protein for almost everyone. About 3 ounces per meal is about right for the average sized person. A cup of pasta is a good source of carbohydrates. Two cups of leafy green vegetables supply fiber, minerals and vitamins.

A balanced meal can be made up of a serving of meat or other protein source, starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, corn or potatoes, and fruit. Easy on the butter or margarine, go light on cheese, sauces and anything high in sugar or fat.

Though you could get the basics from a variety of sources, when considering weight control in addition to getting the proper balance, it’s important to know which sources are high in what.

Fat contains nine calories per gram, which is double than other energy sources. Thus, you need to keep those foods high in fat down to modest levels. That also helps control cholesterol levels.

All sources of carbohydrates have four calories per gram. But healthy sources also contain needed minerals, vitamins and fiber. Some examples are fruits (apples, pears, peaches), nuts (walnuts are lower in fat than peanuts or cashews, for example) and grains (for fiber and minerals).

Why is candy bad, unless consumed in very modest portions? Because they are designed to be high in fat, high in sugar with much lower amounts of helpful nutrients. Neither fat nor sugar are harmful in moderation. Indeed, they’re essential to good health. But when consumed in a form that contains an excessive proportion, they provide enormous calories and fewer other nutrients.

A single Snickers candy bar, for example, contains 63g, with 53g of sugar, but only 2g of fiber. A cup of broccoli, by contrast, has only 6g total, of which 2.5g are fiber, 1.5g are sugars. A cup of sweet corn has 31g total, 21g are starch (complex carbohydrates), 3g of fiber.

Making a list of items you consume will show you the relative amounts of helpful nutrients – and how many calories each contains. Putting a little arithmetic into your diet plan will help you reduce the number you obsess over – your weight.

Put Fiber In Your Diet

Despite the hype that too often accompanies the praise, fiber is a very healthy addition to a good diet. It’s no miracle cure, but a substantial amount of insoluble fiber does help move material through the colon faster. It has a cleansing effect on the digestive system.

By improving the solidity and bulk of solid waste it also helps to keep those who are aging more regular, less constipated. The result, supported by many studies, is (among other benefits) a reduction in the odds of colon cancer.

Insoluble fiber, so-called because it doesn’t dissolve readily in water, can be found in nuts, wheat bran, whole grains and many vegetables. But there’s another kind called, not surprisingly, soluble fiber. As the name suggests it does dissolve readily in water. It, too, has benefits.

Soluble fiber is found in citrus fruit like oranges and lemons, apples, beans, oats and barley grain. Among its other virtues, studies strongly suggest that some soluble fibers (beta glucan) can help reduce cholesterol.

But, as with every other aspect of diet, it’s best to have everything in the proper proportion. What is that, in the case of fiber? The recommended consumption for the average adult over 50 years of age is 21g for women and 30g for men. For those under 50 the amounts are 25g for women, 38g for men.

Of course, that’s only an average (for men about 170lbs, women around 120lbs). You’ll want to consult tables to find out the needed amounts for your weight. There are those rare individuals who are sensitive to certain foods and they will need to seek out sources of fiber that suit their particular circumstances.

But, as a rough starting point, there are several common foods that will be right for most.

A cup of raisin bran cereal has 7g of fiber, and is usually manufactured with helpful vitamins as well. A cup of oatmeal is a good source, even though it only contains 4g. A half-cup of cooked black beans contains about 7.5g. A half-cup of tomato paste has nearly 6g, while a half-cup of cooked Lima beans has nearly 7g.

Bran muffins have been touted as a good source of fiber, and that’s true, they are. But many also are high in fat and sugar, so exercise moderation and seek out a low-fat type. A couple dozen peanuts can also be a good source of fiber, but here again they are high in fat. Control the urge to get large amounts of fiber from them. You don’t want to pile on the calories when getting needed nutrients.

Many fruits are a good source of fiber, including raspberries (1/2 cup contains 5.5g), blackberries (1/2 cup has 3.8g) and apples (3.3g per apple). Even pumpkin is a good source (3.5g in 1/2 cup), but this too can be a source high in fat and sugar, if it’s in the form of pumpkin pie.

A slice of bread has 2g, so the average sandwich will supply 4g. But be sure to get whole grain bread, not the ultra-processed white.

Put both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet and be good to yourself.

Atkins Criticism

By Lisa Sequera

The Atkins diet is very popular, but it also comes with a lot of criticism. Health experts, doctors and diet specialists come from all different opinions when it comes to the Atkins diet and other low carb diets. Some believe that it is dangerous, some say that it is a healthy method to lose weight and others say that it works on a short-term basis.

However, there are also thousands of individuals who have found success with the Atkins diet. They can speak from personal experience and know that the diet works and it is an effective means of keeping weight off. There are thousands of testimonials that tout the benefits of the low carb way of living.

There are many typical criticisms of the Atkins diet. One of the first is that the diet it too high in fat. The butter, oil and fatty meats that are used in the Atkins diet are a far cry from the low-fat diet fad that recently swept the nation. For many people, the low fat mindset has prevailed and they cannot fathom eating real butter or cream with their meals. It seems like too much fat at first glance. However, those that pay close attention to Dr. Atkins guidelines and follow the program closely know that the diet focuses on good fats. Extra virgin olive oil and other helpful fats are emphasized. The proper use of these oils is important to brain function and mood management.

Another popular Atkins criticism is that it focuses too much on food and not enough on exercise. This is an unfair claim because the Atkins books clearly spell out a need for exercise. There is a lot of attention paid to food choices because they are an integral part of the program, and they are different foods than what people are normally used to eating. However, this does not mean that exercise is not an integral part of the Atkins program. Aerobic and anaerobic exercise regimens are encouraged, and both will greatly increase your weight loss efforts.

Many Atkins critics feel that the diet is hard too keep up in the long term. Critics in this category will admit that Atkins is effective in short-term weight loss efforts, but point out that the lifestyle is hard to maintain over time. However, people who have had long term success with Atkins claim it is one of the easiest diets to follow for significant periods of time. The Atkins plan has rich food that is forbidden on other programs, and it has appetite-suppressing effects. When you combine this with the quick weight loss, a motivating factor for many people, Atkins is easy to stick to long term.

The side effects of Atkins, like constipation and bad breath, have also been a topic that Atkins critics are quick to point out. However, these side effects are not as common as critics make them out to be. If they do occur, the side effects normal only last through the first phase of the diet. Additionally, drinking additional water will normally take care of both problems rather quickly.

There are pros and cons to many diets. If you don’t particularly enjoy preparing and eating meat, then Atkins is probably not for you. But if you are considering Atkins, make sure to look beyond the common criticisms for the truth about the diet.

For more related articles, visit www.funhowtobooks.com/articles

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Atkins Diet Basics

By Lisa Sequera

The Atkins diet is not a new phenomenon. The diet first appeared in the late 1970s and has grown popularity in recent years in response to the low-fat diet craze. As dieters had trouble with low-fat plans, they searched for a new solution and Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution book found a new audience.

A lot of people have jumped on the Atkins bandwagon and there has been a lot of hype as a result. But what are the basic principles of the Atkins diet?

The Atkins diet is based on a theory of why we get fat. According to Dr. Atkins, the over-consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars leads to weight gain. The way your body processes the carbohydrates you eat have more to do with your waistline than the amount of fat or calories that you consume. In his book, Atkins outlines a phenomenon called “insulin resistance.” He theorizes that many overweight people have cells that do not work correctly.

When you eat excess carbohydrates and sugar, your body notices that sugar levels are elevated. Insulin is released from the pancreas in order to store sugar as glycogen in the liver and muscle cells for extra energy later on. However, your body can only store so much glycogen at once. As soon as your body reaches its limit for glycogen storage, the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat. This happens to everyone who eats too many carbohydrates.

However, insulin resistant individuals have an even harder time of using and storing excess carbohydrates. The more insulin that your body is exposed to, the more resistant it becomes. Overtime, the pancreas releases more insulin and cells become insulin resistant. The cells are trying to protect themselves from the toxic effects of high insulin. They create less glycogen and more fat.

As a result, insulin resistant individuals gain extra weight. The carbohydrates get converted into fat instead of energy. Other side effects include fatigue, brain “fog” (the inability to focus, poor memory, loss of creativity), low blood sugar (which can leads to hypoglycemia), intestinal bloating, sleepiness, depression and increased blood sugar. There is much more than weight at stake when you are insulin resistant.

The remedy for people who are insulin resistant is a diet restricted in carbohydrates. The crux of the Atkins diet is a limitation of carbohydrates in all of its forms. The foods restricted on the Atkins plan include simple sugars (like cookies, sodas and sweets) and complex carbohydrates (like bread, rice and grains). Even carbohydrates that are considered healthy, such as oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat bread, are restricted on the program.

The diet has you restrict your carbohydrate intake to less than 40 grams a day. This will put your body in a state of ketosis. While in ketosis, your body will burn fat as fuel. According to Dr. Atkins’ research, the ketosis state will also affect insulin production and it will prevent more fat from being formed. Your body will begin using your stored fat as an efficient form of fuel, and you’ll lose weight.

Another benefit of the Atkins plan is that ketosis will end your cravings for carbohydrates. If you’ve been living on a carb-heavy diet, you may have found that you simply cannot get enough carbohydrates. With carbohydrate restriction and ketosis comes a reduction in carbohydrate cravings. People who have been on the Atkins diet for some time report that they do not crave carbohydrates as they once did.

Although the initial phases of the Atkins diet are rather strict, the program teaches you to restore balance to your diet in the long run. People who use the diet slowly reintroduce minimal amounts of carbohydrate into their eating until they find a comfortable balance between their health and carbohydrate use.

The basic principles of the Atkins diet have been adapted to many other low-carb diet plans. However, Atkins popularity still remains strong as one of the most effective low-carbohydrate solutions for those who are insulin resistant.

For more related articles, visit www.funhowtobooks.com/articles

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5 Easy Diet Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

By Paul Kayne

Many people feel that to lose weight you have to go on a big diet and change everything that you eat. But there are many simple things that you can do to help lose weight. Here are 5 pain free things that you can do to help shed some pounds.

1) Eat from a smaller plate

Research has shown that people have an internal concept of what a serving is. A smaller plate can help reduce that serving size. You can eat all of the regular foods, just eat from a smaller plate as it helps limit your portions. But watch out! There is a gotcha here. If you chose a plate that is too small, it may appear to your subconscious as half of a normal serving, making you crave a second plate!

2) Switch to whole grains

This doesn’t involve changing the food you eat, just mixing it up a bit. Whole grain baked goods are more filling and will increase your dietary intake of fiber. Take this change slowly, don’t go out and buy all new rice, pasta, and bread all at once. Because you may find that you’ll need to make some compromises for flavor, or because the family doesn’t like some of the changes. Just replace things as you need them.

3) Rediscover Soup

Soup is an excellent low calorie meal. Having soup a few more times a week can make a large difference to your caloric balance and is relatively pain free. But there are a couple of things to watch out for. There are some wickedly high calorie soups out there, watch those nutrition labels! A good cream of your favorite vegetable can have as many calories as a burger. Soup is good on occasion, but not all the time. Don’t get carried away with it.

4) Switch to diet / light / skim

These are simple changes that may be difficult to make initially, but give it a week, and you won’t even notice. Drinks are a significant source of calories that don’t contribute to our feelings of fullness. I’ll eat the same amount of food if I have eggnog or skim milk, but the eggnog adds a significant number of calories. Instead of a cup of chocolate milk, you can eat 1 cup of spaghetti and still consume fewer calories.

5) Eat Breakfast

Don’t follow the sumo wrestler habit of skipping breakfast to gain weight. A healthy nutritious breakfast will prevent your metabolism from slowing down (ever feel cold when you skip breakfast in the morning?). Wake up a little earlier or prepare the night before to make sure you get in a good breakfast.

Long term weight loss requires long term changes. Simple changes like these can be easy to implement and painless to maintain. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Paul Kayne is a writer on issues related to weight loss, health and fitness. You can find more articles by him at weightlosspath.com.

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Which Feels Better A Manicure Or A Fabulous Fit Body – You Decide

By Kim Jamieson

I was at the salon recently and made this observation. I am astonished that people take better care of their nails, than they do their bodies. What is wrong with American people? They are not concerned with their health and wellness, but seem very concerned about chipped and polished nails. Why do they take care of their nails and go weekly to the salon for their manicures and pedicures, but would never set foot in the gym, or do any physical exercise to improve their health and well being. Do they think that people look at their nails, before they notice their fat, unfit, unhealthy bodies? They are wrong. People are very critical of each other, and notice everything about each other. I think it is about time that we put the same amount of time and energy into our bodies each week, as we do our manicures and pedicures.

To do this we first need to change our mind set. Trust me, if you feel good with a manicure and pedicure, imagine how GREAT you will feel when your body looks fit, healthy, and you feel trim and self confident. I do not want to forget to mention how your life will change and you will start to soar in every aspect of your life.

So let me lay the foundation:

-You must change your mindset. You must work for it and not wish for it. It is not a pill or magic fat melting potion. You need to do some form of exercise each day, even if it is a quick brisk walk.

-You must eat properly. If you eat junk you look like junk, and feel like junk. This is what I recommend. -Each day you’re going to rely on the right carbs, protein, fat, and this will enable you to live happily without the bad carbs, processed sugar and bad fat. As a result you are going to get healthy and loose weight.

-You will eat normal size portions of meat, chicken, fish, turkey (remember most peoples portions are too large). A normal sized portion is the size of the palm of your hand. -You’ll have plenty of vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts. -Salads. -No bread for two weeks while you rid yourself of your sugar addiction.

-You will be eating low glycemic index foods for two weeks

-Sample Daily Menu: Breakfast: 2 eggs (protein) 1 small V8 Snack: 1 skim Mozzarella stick Lunch: Sliced Chicken Breast on a bed of mixed greens W/olive oil dressing Snack: 8-12 Almonds Dinner: Grilled Salmon with fresh grilled Asparagus Dessert: Ricotta Cheese with Cinnamon and sugar substitute

-You must hydrate. For some people it is difficult to drink water but this is a must do. Your body is at least 60-70% water, it is your source of life. Water will increase your metabolism, as much as 3%. It will also move nutrients throughout your body and to your tissues. Water flushes out toxins, and pollutants, and keeps your skin soft, hydrated. It is very easy to tell if you are drinking enough water and that your body is hydrated. If your urine looks like beer, than you need to drink more water. It should be crystal clear. -You must be consistent, and never give up. This is difficult but you can do it!

Let’s stop taking better care of our nails than our bodies. With a little work, determination and the right mind set you will achieve great health and wellness. Let your body shine brighter than your nails.

Kimberly Jamieson www.healthypainfreeliving.com has achieved success in living and maintaining a healthy fit lifestyle and has helped thousands achieve this success by using her fitness, diet, lifestyle and motivation tips. She is committed to helping others achieve ultimate health and wellness.

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Best South Beach Diet Plans

By Reggie Dunn

In dieting, there is no such thing as perfection. No one is going to always eat the right thing. There will be times when allow yourself an indulgence or two. Actually, not being perfect is part of the South Beach Diet. It’s expected that there are times when you will fall off the wagon. But, there are ways to make the best out of the South Beach Diet plan. Here are some tips or hints that will make following the plan second nature:

1. Eat till satisfied (but not stuffed) – There is a reason why you’re not expected to weigh and measure everything you eat. First, it’s cumbersome, especially in social situations such as restaurants or at a friend’s house. Second, you should be satisfied. So, you should eat until your hunger is satisfied but not stuffed.

2. Use the right carbs for satisfaction – This is especially true during Phase 1. By using the lowest glycemic index carbs, you prevent carb cravings while regulating your blood sugar.

3. Take advantage of snacks – The plan is designed to allow you two snacks a day. The reason is simple – not eating for long periods of time leads to dips in your blood sugar which causes carb cravings. Having small snacks between meals keeps your blood sugar level. So, pack snacks and enjoy.

4. Remember to include sugar stoppers – Although fiber is great in getting in the way of carbs, it is not the only thing that does the trick. Fats and proteins slow the speed with which your body absorbs carbs. For example, a little olive oil or cheese with your bread is actually better than having it plain. So, if you are going to eat something with a lot of carbs, make to sure to pair it with protein or fat.

5. Plan for dessert – Yes, you heard that right. Between dinner and bedtime is a dangerous time for people on a diet. All of your good intentions are challenged. It could be your routine to have something or you need something sweet after a savory dinner. So, leave a little room for dessert.

6. Jump back on – Everyone falls off the wagon. It may be the holiday season, a stressful week at work or a special occasion. It’s ok to indulge once in a while. Just remember, jump back on the wagon. If you have gained weight, go on Phase 1 and then 2 until you have lost it.

These simple strategies can help you make the best of the South Beach Diet plan without having to be perfect. Remember – this diet is supposed to work with your life.

Reggie Dunn is a long time diet enthusiast and follower of the South Beach Diet.
You can find more information on the South Beach Diet at www.online-diet-reviews.info/south-beach-diet.html

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Dieting Without Sacrifice

By Michael Graham

So many people view dieting as some sort of cosmic punishment for not having the perfect body. They believe that enjoying food is somehow bad for them, which couldn’t be further from the truth. If you want to be completely honest with yourself, when it comes to dieting, it isn’t about giving up food or flavor; it’s about discovering new foods and flavors. At least that is what it is for those who truly love food as well as adventure.

There are many spices out there that can make even the blandest of foods a little exciting. Fish and chicken are popular diet foods because they are lean meats. However, adding a little blackening seasoning is a great way to put a little punch in your meal that will make it taste great without packing on the calories of dressing marinades or soaking in butter before broiling. You do not have to stop there. Italian seasoning can also add a little flavor to your kitchen without adding the extra calories that you are working so hard to avoid.

There are all kinds of seasonings that will work well in this instance. Many great seasonings for chicken also make great additions to chicken that will be included in salads for healthier lunches or salad wraps. Grains are good for you when you concentrate on whole grains. They are quite often the primary source of fiber in a diet and you need fiber almost as much as you need water. At any rate, simple things that spice up the same old lunch can have a huge impact on your enjoyment of food.

You can even enjoy the occasional treat when dieting as long as you do so sparingly. The key when dieting is to learn about proper portions and moderate indulgence. You can find all kinds of low sugar or low carb desserts on the market that you can enjoy sparingly. You can even find sugar free or low calorie candy in some cases though you should keep in mind that calories, particularly when it comes to candy you eat unconsciously add up quickly and you must pay close attention to those things you put into your mouth.

My point in all this though is that you do not have to sacrifice flavor in order to diet. You can live without butter; there are many substitutions on the market that are quite remarkable. But seasonings are a great way to add a lot of flavor for a tiny bit of effort on your part. Desserts are also great and you can find many dips and sauces that can be made with fat free or low fat mayonnaise or sour cream in order to cut a few more calories during your dieting process.

These dips and sauces can often make a great substitution, when paired with vegetables, for those chips and dips we love so much and often miss when dieting. Cucumbers, green, red, and yellow peppers, broccoli, and carrot sticks all have a nice little crunch to them that when combined with a good low fat dip can help cure the crave beast for greasy chips that often rears its head when dieting.

If you watch your calories carefully during meals you should be delighted to know that there are many little snack treats that are prepackaged in 100 calorie packs for your enjoyment. This means that you can indulge on occasion in those treats that you love most without sacrificing all your dieting efforts in the process. These snack packs have become one of the best marketing ploys since the invention of diet colas. We all want the benefits of losing weight and will readily admit that if it were a simple process we’d all be thin. However, having something like these hundred calorie snack packs to carry you through the worst of your cravings can mean the difference between dieting success and failure. They are definitely the difference in the old way of dieting and the new way of dieting without sacrificing flavor.

Dieting Without Sacrifice

Everything About Obesity has the complete guide to obesity and overweight which pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases. For all issues relating to obesity and overweight go to Everthing About Obesity

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Liquid Fad Diets…Why Drinking Your Way to Slimness Isn’t The Best Thing To Do!

By Mishaun Taylor

So many people in our country are overweight that the problem has been described as an epidemic. Our modern way of living– spending lots of time driving and sitting in front of computers– coupled with the abundance of highly caloric, cheap food, has produced a nation of fatties. The problem shows no sign of abating, and individuals, rather than facing the fact that they need to discipline themselves to eat healthily and exercise, are choosing fad diets to combat the problem. A popular approach has been the liquid diet, in which dieters limit themselves to wacky concoctions such as maple syrup, cayenne, and lemon juice to “burn” fat. Other dieters waste money and compromise their health buying liquid meal replacements in an effort to drop the pounds. Let’s examine why these measures are futile.

Weight loss does occur on a liquid diet. The dieter, desperate to believe that she’s finally found the secret to losing weight, attributes her weight loss to some magical combination of ingredients. Or she believes the marketing propaganda distributed by the manufacturer of the liquid diet, which says that the product promotes weight loss because it affects hormones or metabolism, or some other nonsense. The fact is, she loses weight because she has restricted calories. When she begins the liquid diet, she’s gung-ho and has made a promise to herself that this time, she really will lose weight. So she faithfully follows the guidelines to the diet, forgoing all real food in favor of the meal replacement. Since she’s probably consuming about half the calories she needs to be healthy, she does lose some fat and water weight.

Unfortunately for her, there’s much more involved in sustained weight loss than downing chalky, pre-packaged shakes for a week or so. The liquid diets don’t provide the nutrients her body needs for long-term health and stamina. Soon she’ll feel weak and light-headed because she’s simply not taking in enough calories, nor is she ingesting the complex mix of nutrients that we all need to be healthy.

Our dieter hasn’t learned anything she needs to know to be healthy and fit and to maintain an optimum weight throughout her life. She hasn’t learned how to choose a moderate, well balanced menu that includes lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and plenty of produce. She hasn’t learned to recognize and satiate hunger with reasonably sized portions of nutritious foods. She hasn’t learned that she can occasionally indulge in treats because they taste good and are satisfying. Instead she’s taking the all-or-nothing approach which simply is not how our bodies were designed to function.

The dieter who loses weight on a liquid diet will soon miss the satisfying crunch of raw vegetables, the delightfully creamy texture of real cheese, the smoky smell of a hamburger right off the grill, and the chewiness of freshly baked bread. It won’t be long before the liquid diet will be abandoned. Sadly, since the dieter is now desperate for taste and texture, and her body is craving fiber and nutrients, she will begin to eat with a vengeance, and stuff herself with far more calories than she needs. The weight will immediately pile back on, and the dieter will be back where she started, feeling even worse about herself and her lack of willpower.

Liquid diets, like any fad diet promising quick results, do not work. They deprive the body of nutrients it needs, they foster unhealthy and unrealistic attitudes about food, and they ultimately make the problem worse. Anyone seeking to lose weight should recognize that it will take a life long commitment to healthy eating and exercising.

Fad diets are out! Learn proven and effective ways to lose weight and keep it off without deprivation or drugs. Visit fad-diet.net today and get rid of those unwanted pounds forever!

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Age Dieting – Choose The Best Diet For Your Age Range

By Yulia Berry

You probably know that it is much harder to lose weight when you are 30 than when you are 20. And if you are over 40, it is even more difficult. Every year your metabolism slows down. That is why the older you are, the more attention you should pay to healthy dieting and maintaining a healthy life style.

You are 20 – 30 years old.

It is not common to have a serious problem with weight in this age range. You can lose 3-5 pounds without trying too hard. The best way to lose extra pounds is a fruit diet. Fruits are rich in vitamin C, which will help you to stay physically active. Pectin, fruit acids and potassium burn calories and improve your metabolism and digestion.

Here is an example of an apple diet:
Breakfast: grate 1 apple; add 1 low fat yogurt and 1 table spoon of oatmeal.
Brunch: 1 apple.
Lunch: slice 2 apples and add spinach. For sauce mix 1 low fat yogurt, 1 tea spoon of olive oil, 1 tea spoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tea spoon of water.
Snack: 1 apple and 3 walnuts.
Dinner: slice 1 apple, squeeze lemon juice on it and eat it with 5 oz of cheese.

You are 30 – 40 years old.

When you turn 30 years old, your metabolism slows down. You should lower calories in your dieting even if you are physically active. Do not try to lose weight fast. It will make you look a few years older because your skin will become loose and wrinkled. The older you become, the slower you should lose weight. Your goal at this age is to lose no more than 4-5 pounds a month. An ideal diet for you consists of vegetables because you will not have ‘hunger attacks’ and swaying in your weight. Also, you should add regular exercise, massage and skin care that improves skin elasticity.

Do not plan exercises on your dieting day.

Here is an example of a vegetable diet:
Breakfast: mix oatmeal and corn flakes; add low fat milk and 1 grated carrot.
Brunch: 1 cucumber.
Lunch: 2 boiled potatoes (with the skin still on them) with a lot of vegetable salad (you can use any vegetables)
Snack: 1 red sweet paprika.
Dinner: vegetable salad and 1 piece of rye bread.

You are 40 – 50 years old.

Almost every woman over 40 has weight problems. Your muscular mass decreases and fat increases because of hormonal changes. You should eat most of your food in the first half of the day and have very light and early dinners. You should get no more fat than 30% of your daily ration. Choose vegetable oils. Eat fish and sea food regularly.

In this age range your body starts retaining fluid. An ideal diet for you is a rice diet because it will help you to maintain a healthy fluid level in your body.

Here is an example of a rice diet:

Boil 8 oz of rice and divide it into 3 portions. 2 of them will be combined with additional protein components.
Breakfast: boiled rice with 1 low fat yogurt and 1 tea spoon of honey.
Lunch: boiled rice and 5 oz of fish or chicken.
Dinner: rice with steamed vegetables and 1 tea spoon of vegetable oil. Do not add salt because it will lead to retaining fluid in your body. You can add soy because it will help with ‘hunger attacks’.
For snack you can eat a fruit or 3 oz of low fat cottage cheese.

You are 50 – 60 years old.

If you are over 50, you need less energy (about 30%) than somebody who is 20 years old. Eat 4-5 small portions a day. Do not over eat because it is harmful to your health. Limit your daily ration of salt to ¼ tea spoon a day. Sometimes you can fast, but do not do it often because in this age range your body loses its strength to fight illnesses.

The most effective substances ‘killing’ fat are enzymes. Pineapple and papaya are very rich in enzymes and vitamin C.

Here is an example of a diet for you:
Eat during the day about 4 -5 pounds of pineapple and papaya (or choose just one), including the pulp and juice. Divide these 4-5 pounds into 3 portions: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Do not eat anything else this day. If this diet is too strict for you, try this one:
Breakfast: 1 slice of pineapple and 3 oz of low fat cottage cheese.
Lunch: a half of pineapple and 3 oz of boiled chicken or fish or low fat meat.
Dinner: 1 slice of pineapple and 1 piece of rye bread with 1 piece of low fat cheese.

Also, powerful ‘fat-killers’ are kiwis, apple cider vinegar and artichokes (and the water left from boiling artichokes)

You are over 60 years old.

Your muscular mass in this age range is about 15% of your body. That is why if you want to lose weight, you should do it very slowly because fast diets decrease the amount of protein in your muscular mass.

The main rule is to eat no more than 40 g of fat a day.

Here are some examples:
Breakfast: 1 slice of bread with 1 tea spoon of low fat yogurt.
Lunch: instead of 1.5 oz of ground meat choose 1.5 oz of red beans. You will get an optical illusion of meat, but 7g less fat. If you can’t live without meat, eat low fat beef instead of pork chop. You will get 13 g less fat.
Snack: instead of cake, choose a piece of fruit pie (minus 13 g of fat).
Dinner: instead of salami choose a piece of ham (minus 10 g of fat). With a piece of 30% fat cheese you get 10 g less fat compare to 60% fat cheese.

Drink no less than 2 L of water. It will support your digestion and metabolism.

Yulia Berry is a professional makeup artist. It has been her passion to collect the most interesting natural home remedies, healthy diet plans, and beauty and makeup tips from different countries. She spent a few years researching alternative cures and healthy dieting. The result is her website Great Home Remedies. Sign up for her free newsletter with the exclusive remedy of the week!

www.greathomeremedies.com/

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Weight Watchers Point Plan & Calculator – The Pros & Cons of the Weight Watchers Point System

By Tobius Whitman

Weight Watchers Points Program is commercially successful, however with such weight loss tools it is important for participants to get a good idea of the program and how it works. This article provides a brief point view of the Pros & Cons of the Weight Watchers Point System that allows anyone to obtain an overview about how the program works and the benefits it can off. Hopefully this will help you make the decision whether or not Weight Watchers Point System is for you.

Weight Watchers Point System

The Pros:

– Weight Watchers Programs balance a nutritional diet, with counselling and exercise, which are the keys to both healthy weight loss and healthy living.

– The programs nutritional values never leaves dieters feeling hungry or lethargic, it maintains the body’s metabolism rate and avoids creating fat stores within the body (starvation leads to fat stores).

– A very nutritional diet program with recipes and meals being provided to members that are directly related to the Weight Watchers Point System. Dieters are able to keep these materials themselves.

– One of the few major programs to offer face-to-face support.

– It is also a flexible program that can be conducted online through help forums for meetings, or not attending meetings all together and simply using the program tools such as the Weight Watchers Online Point Calculator.

– The Points program doesn’t just provide dieters with a solid diet program, but also avoids pill pushing and starvation techniques, and educates the dieter on potion control and the nutritional value certain foods have.

– The Weight Watchers Point System takes the worry out of weight loss as dieters have a freedom of choice within their diet as no foods are “off-limit” and its flexibility enures everyday use no matter what type of schedule the member has.

– An incredible number of positive testimonials and commercial success that is based just as much on results as successful marketing.

Weight Watchers Point System

The Cons:

– The Weight Watchers Point System heavily relies on gimmicks to sell the product. Whether it is the Weight Watchers Points, Weight Watchers Point Chart, and Weight Watchers Point Calculator etc. These devices are aggressively marketed to prospective dieters in attempt to make the process appear easy.

– Advertising also convinces overweight people that they can lose weight without sacrificing the foods they love. The truth however is that through the Weight Watchers Point System, and Weight Watchers Point Calculator, dieters are only able to eat tiny portions of the unhealthy food to fit within the point schedule.

– From various studies, on average only 5% of dieters maintain weight loss beyond five years from starting the program and in these cases it has usually been achieved via long-term therapy that can be expensive.

– The use of therapy and meeting attendance within the Weight Watchers Program can potentially prevent development of self-discipline and reliance.

– There have been a number of testimonials reporting the meetings within the Weight Watchers Program as annoying and expensive, and that a competitive nature is fostered.

– Dieters have also reported becoming obsessed with food within he program due to the extensive focus on managing points within the Weight Watchers Point System.

In concluding it is clear that the Weight Watchers Points plans offer both positives and negatives for the dieter. Understanding these aspects, as well as conducting an honest self-analysis of yourself is critical to identifying whether or the plan is for you. Most of the negative aspects of the Weight Watchers Points System can be mitigated through the use of tools and support such as the Weight Watchers Point Calculator, and Weight Watchers Point Chart etc. However the conclusion drawn by Dr. Stanley Heshka, author of the Weight Watchers Program study within the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is a must to consider for any prospective Weight Watch Dieters:

“…while Weight Watchers and similar programs may work for some people, they clearly don’t work for everyone. Programs have the best chances of working if they feel natural to the people following them, otherwise the weight loss is too difficult to maintain. It works as long as you stay with it.”

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003;289:1792-1798,1833-1836.

Tobius Whitman is an expert in the feild of Health & Nutrition with a special focus on Weight Loss. He has an extensive knowledge and experience with the Weight Watcher Program, particularly the Weight Watcher Point Calculator and as a result has produced several detailed reviews regarding the products Weight Watchers offer.

For more details refer to his site at www.weightwatcherspointcalculator.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tobius_Whitman

The Secret to a Healthy Weight

By Wil Dieck

According to a recent article in Remedy Magazine, being a little overweight is not okay. After a ten-year study of more than 527,000 Americans between the ages of 50 and 71 scientists from the National Cancer Institute concluded that that overweight people (defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29) at age 50 can increase a person’s mortality rate by 20 to 40 percent. An obese person (defined as having a BMI over 30 percent) boosted that risk between 200 and 300 percent!

The article went on to cite another study from Korea that looked at 1.2 million people between the ages of 30 and 91. In a twelve-year period overweight non-smokers were between 10 to 50 percent more likely to die from heart disease or cancer than normal weight non-smokers.

What these and other studies show is that when you are overweight you increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. Achieving your desired weight through a healthy life style reduces your risk.

So how do you achieve your healthy weight? The answer, as we all know is to eat less calories than you burn, but this answer is much too simplistic. It’s too simplistic because dieting doesn’t work. Diets tell us to eliminate foods from what we eat regularly, for example fats. The problem with low fat diets is that our bodies require fat. Fat stores fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat also helps the body produce testosterone, which is the hormone that contributes to muscle growth and the burning of body fat. In fact studies have shown that men with higher levels of testosterone were 75 percent less likely to be obese than men with lower levels. This is primarily due to the body’s tendency to store fat when it has low levels of testosterone.

Some diets tell us to eliminate animal protein. While eating fatty cuts of red meat definitely is not good for you, eating lean cuts of animal protein actually helps your body burn more calories than eating protein from soy products.

Other diets tell us to restrict carbohydrates. There while there are many studies that have shown lowering our carbohydrate intake can help us control our weight, eliminating them is absolutely suicidal. Carbohydrates are essential to good health. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans help protect us against cancer and other diseases. So, as you can see, dieting doesn’t work.

Dieting in general doesn’t work because it revolves around restricting what we eat. Weight management is a long-term project. Most people who lose weight quickly by crash dieting or by some other extreme measure usually gain back all or more – of the pounds they lost. Why? Because in order to permanently lose weight and keep it off a person has to change their eating and exercise habits. You see, the best weight management strategies are those that you can maintain for a lifetime. So a better question is how can you change your habits?

We have all tried to lose weight through willpower, cutting down on the calories and/or increasing the exercise. Some of us lose weight by eating almost nothing while working out like crazy. Others lose weight using “crash” diets. The problem is these methods never work and can also be dangerous.

Now why doesn’t this work? It’s because our subconscious image overcomes our conscious goals. Since our subconscious sees us as an overweight person as we begin to “lose weight” our subconscious starts the process of bringing us back to our “correct” image, undermining our conscious efforts.

To really change we first have to change our mindset about “losing weight.” Nobody likes to think of themselves as a loser. To gain a healthy weight you need to stop trying to lose weight and focus on a goal that is positive rather than negative. That goal is to be healthier, look better, and have more self esteem and confidence. In other words you want to have a better image of yourself.

How can you create this better image? A great method is through visualization, reprogramming your mind’s image of your body. One of the best ways to use visualization is through hypnosis, either self-hypnosis, or using a professional hypnotist.

How does hypnosis help? In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 109 people were divided into two groups for a nine-week study. The first group was offered changes in their diet and more exercises without the addition of hypnosis. The second group was given the same diet and exercise program and also given hypnosis for reinforcement. After nine weeks both groups lost weight. But an interesting phenomenon happened between the eight month and two year follow ups. The group that didn’t have the aid of hypnosis did not lose any more weight, and in most cases actually gained most of their original weight back. The hypnosis group continued to lose weight during both intervals and many actually met their long-term weight goals.

As mentioned before your body image is controlled by your subconscious. The key to helping you become healthier is to align your subconscious image with your conscious goals. That is how hypnosis can help because it goes directly to the subconscious and modifies it, aligning it with your positive conscious goals and making them possible.

Hypnosis teaches your subconscious the skills you need to help you control your appetite, while substituting your old diet for healthier foods and drinking water. It also motivates you to exercise. By visualizing your ideal body image you can anchor your eating and exercise habits toward achieving your imaged goal.

So that’s the secret. It isn’t magic, only good healthy habits adapted for a long healthy lifetime. Healthy eating habits coupled with a moderate exercise program anchored in your subconscious. So why not try hypnosis to change to a new, better image of yourself? It works!

Bio

Wil Dieck is a professional hypnotist practicing in San Diego, California.

For more information about Wil and his practice please go to www.e-hypnosisworks.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wil_Dieck

I’d Die For a Hot Fudge Sundae – Evolution and Emotional Eating

By Larina Kase

“I’d Die For a Hot-Fudge Sundae” Evolution and Emotional Eating By Dr. Larina Kase

I crave sugary foods when I am stressed. I like salty foods when I am tired or when I am bored. I eat comfort foods like pasta when I am down. Are you like me? Do you eat based on how you feel?

Many people eat in response to particular emotions. It is human nature really. Think about it, this type of eating behavior has survived throughout evolution for a reason.

Eating used to be associated with survival. Only the fittest (i.e., strongest, most nourished) survive. So over time we have developed a connection between eating and our very survival. Eating has become a protective mechanism.

Now we live in a time of abundance when many of us are surrounded by food options every day, many of which are fast food or unhealthy food. The threat of starvation for most of us is slim. Our associations with food and eating, however, remain similar. Like many other evolutionary based associations (think of fears of snakes, spiders, and heights), the connections remain, even though there are certainly more dangerous things in our environments these days.

While the connection between food and survival remains, the difference is that we become more discriminating about food. We feel like we need certain foods at certain times.

Upsetting emotions like depression, anxiety or fear, stress, and boredom can trigger the desire to “save” ourselves from threat by eating. Back in time, the threat was starving to death, and now the emotions themselves embody the perception of threat.

With depression, the threat is a dismal or hopeless future. With anxiety and fear, the threat is imminent danger of harm or humiliation. With stress, the threat is being overwhelmed and not being able to function effectively. Finally, with boredom, the threat is the absence of anything fulfilling or enjoyable.

So, we want to help ourselves survive the threat. We do so by craving and eating certain foods.

“I would die for a double fudge brownie”

“I need some French fries right now.”

“I cannot go on without some chocolate.”

Ever said any of these things? Even though you may have said them in jest, there is likely to have been a grain of seriousness in them. Your brain has perceived some sort of threat in your life and has responded by saying “eat now”.

Ironically, the food you would “die for” is likely to actually make you die sooner. We rarely crave carrot sticks- instead we crave a piece of aptly named “death by chocolate” cake.

Why do we crave certain foods along with certain emotions?

There are primarily two reasons: First, these foods are typically inherently rewarding or enjoyable in the short term. This is obvious, right? They taste good.

Second, we learn to associate cravings with emotions over time. We learn based on the responses our behaviors get. For instance, if I feel stressed and crave some cookies and I eat the cookies and then feel better (at least initially), what have I learned? To associate relieving stress with eating cookies.

So what do you do next time you think, “I would kill for a piece of pizza”? Consider whether there is something else threatening to you, such as a negative emotion. Then figure out what you typically crave along with that emotion.

Then do not eat that food that you are craving so you do not further your association of relieving the negative emotion with eating the particular food. Instead try something more helpful, like going for a walk to create a new association. Pretty soon you’ll be saying “I live for a great walk” rather than, “I would die for a cheeseburger.”

Dr. Larina Kase is the President STRENGTH Weight Loss & Wellness. She has helped dozens of clients overcome emotional eating and keep weight off for the long term. Her work in these areas has been featured on The Jane Pauley Show and in SELF and Shape. Get more resources and an e-course revealing her STRENGTH formula at: www.strengthweightloss.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larina_Kase

Avoiding Dangerous Weight Loss Practices

By Rebecca Crystler

When it comes to weight loss, we all want it to be as quick and painless as possible. This desire for an instant solution can lead to an individual making unwise choices. Some of these unwise choices can be resorting to a restrictive diet, not staying well hydrated, and using diet pills.

Restrictive Diets

When we try to lose weight, the first thing many of us try is to drastically reduce the amount of calories we are consuming. We may even follow a diet that tells us to eliminate certain types of food entirely. This is a mistake.

In order to achieve healthy, permanent weight loss, we need to enjoy foods from all food groups. If we suddenly go on a very restrictive diet, our body’s metabolism will actually slow down in response to the (imaginary) threat of starvation. What we want to do is to follow a simple formula for healthy weight loss: Eat less, exercise more, and do it forever.

Dehydration

Did you know that drinking more water will actually help you lose weight? It’s true! Here’s how it works: One of the main functions a liver performs is to convert the body’s stored fat to energy. Another one of the liver’s jobs is to take over from the kidneys. The kidneys need to have a lot of water in order to function properly. If the kidneys don’t have enough water and the liver has to take over, then the liver’s productivity is greatly lessened. The liver simply can’t metabolize fat as well. When this takes place, your body will store up more fat.

Do make a point of increasing your water consumption. Eight glasses a day is only about two quarts of fluid. Some people prefer to drink their water cold, since the stomach is able to absorb cold water more quickly. If you find that drinking warm water works best for you, then by all means drink it warm. You may also find that when you drink more water, your appetite decreases, too!

Diet Pills

A number of people have turned to appetite-suppressant pills to aid in weight loss. This may seem like an attractive option, but using these products can lead to some dire health issues. Phenylpropanolamine (PPA), an ingredient in both appetite suppressants and cold remedies, has been found to be responsible for over 200 cases of stroke each year.

In addition to the increased risk of sustaining a stroke, consumers of diet pills also can experience such side effects as irritability, insomnia, fatigue, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, and seizures.

In addition to the health risks associated with their use, diet pills are not a permanent solution to the issue of losing weight. Often, a person who chooses to use these types of products will end up gaining back all the weight he or she has lost.

It’s not quick or easy, but it is possible to reach your goal of losing weight in a safe manner. Make gradual changes to your lifestyle and keep in mind that these should be considered permanent. Avoid a restrictive diet, keep yourself well hydrated, and don’t resort to diet pills. Your health is too important to risk.

Rebecca Crystler is an experienced weight loss expert who has helped literally hundreds of overweight people get back into shape. If you want to learn much more about how to avoid dangerous methods to lose weight and learn more about what actually works, be sure to visit Rebecca’s site Definitive Weight Loss for a whole lot of useful information on losing weight.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Crystler

Diet Meal Delivery Vs Traditional Diets – 3 Signs Diet Delivery Will Help You Lose Weight

By Vienna Miller

Diet meal delivery is one of the fastest growing trends in the dieting industry today. Diet Delivery services prepare meals for you according to your preferences and then deliver them to your door. Many people find it’s much easier to lose weight using a diet delivery service versus going on a traditional diet. And studies are proving this:

In a recent study done by Brown University, people trying to lose weight by eating prepared meals lost an average of 31% more weight than those who made their own meals.

So is diet delivery the right choice for you? Here are 3 signs that diet meal delivery may help you lose weight faster and easier than a traditional diet:

1) You’ve Had Trouble Losing Weight in the Past With Traditional Diets

Many people would love to lose weight with a diet like the Zone or Atkins but they just can’t seem to do it. Lack of time, too much trouble buying and preparing the food – whatever the reason, it can simply be too much work – especially for those with crazy schedules.

Plus some diets can be extremely complex (10 years ago, who had ever heard of the glycemic index?). So preparing the proper food or even planning your meals can take time and effort that you would rather spend elsewhere.

If you’ve found that you’ve had trouble losing weight in the past with a traditional do-it-yourself diet, then weight loss meal delivery might be perfect for you.

Everything’s done for you. The meals are often dietitian approved and chef-prepared so they taste amazing. All you do is heat for and eat – and of course lose weight.

2) You’re Always On The Go & Don’t Have Time To Watch What You Eat

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t have time to take a break much less prepare a meal, diet meal delivery is a convenient option. It saves you time and helps you stay slim, healthy and on top of your game.

Life is hectic and getting busier. While we may get a lot done when we’re always on the go, the downside is we tend to grab what’s most available: fast food and junk. This kind of food piles on the pounds, damages our health and can actually slow you down, making you feel heavy and depressed.

Diet meal delivery can be a convenient way to lose weight, radically take care of yourself by eathing healthy food and save time into the bargain. You can maintain your on-the-go lifestyle while keeping the kind of body (and health) you want.

3) You Often Break Your Diet Because You Feel Deprived

Deprivation is the diet-killer. There’s nothing worse than being on a diet when your friend or significant other decides to dive into a hot fudge brownie sundae right in front of you. That sense of deprivation rears its ugly head and the next thing you know – to heck with the diet – you’re face down in a tub of Ben and Jerry’s.

The worst thing about dieting is feeling that nagging sense of deprivation. Cardboard-tasting food will only cut it for so long, even for the most disciplined person.

If you often break your diet because you feel deprived – or if you’ve given up dieting because of it, consider diet meal delivery.

For around $25 a day (sometimes less), you can get chef-prepared gourmet meals delivered to your door. This kind of luxury service is guaranteed to make you feel pampered, special and stave off those feelings of deprivation. It can actually speed you towards your goal.

If you fall into 1 or even all 3 of the above categories, diet food delivery might help you lose weight faster and easier than a traditional diet.

Why else does diet delivery work well for so many people? Here are some quick facts:

1) Everything is done for you: You don’t have to count calories, carbs, fat grams, portion sizes – nothing.

With all the work done by dietitians and weight loss experts, you can rest assured that you WILL lose weight. In fact most diet delivery clients lose 2-4 pounds a week.

2) Meals are delicious and varied: Many times people give up on their diets because they food is so repetitive and boring.

Most weight loss meal delivery services change their menus frequently or even allow you to select from a variety of options. So you don’t get bored while you lose the weight.

3) Delivered meals give you a proper sense of portion size. One of the great things about a diet delivery service is that it re-teaches you the correct amount of food you need to lose weight.

With fast food and restaurant portion sizes out of control, it’s hard to know how much to eat anymore.

Diet delivery services can get you back on track and teach you about proper portion size so even when you’re eating on your own you can maintain your weight loss.

Bottom Line?

Weight loss meal delivery aims to make weight loss easy, convenient and simple. In this super-fast world we’re expected to work hard, take care of the kids, pay the bills, clean the house, entertain guests and more – all while looking slim doing it.

A diet delivery service can give you the edge. It can help you lose weight, stay healthy, maintain your figure and your sanity.

Vienna Miller writes for Diet Meal Delivery – a website offering in-depth reviews and ratings of Diet Delivery services.

For more information including which services offer free meals and deliver to your area, visit www.DietDeliveryReviews.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vienna_Miller

Starting a New Diet – What You Need To Know

By Brodie Heinrichsen

The majority of weight loss programs include substantial information about nutrition, food, and meal plans; however they usually fail to address important aspects of the regular person’s life style. If you don’t address these issues before starting a diet program even the very best weight loss plan will undoubtedly fail. There are questions everyone should ask them selves before they start any kind of weight loss program so they may succeed.

1. Can you accept what you cannot change?

People can be cruel; we find this out growing up as kids and even when we become adults. Even our families can hurt our feelings whether they intend to or not. One thing is for sure, no matter how or what you do to yourself you cannot change the way other people will react. “Oh you’re in another diet plan; let’s see how long this one lasts”. Expect to hear people say this; especially if this isn’t the first time you started a diet. What you can control is how you respond in side yourself and on the outside. The way you respond will determine your mind set.

2. What are your current eating habits?

Do you eat while your driving, or at your work desk? You need to determine how your current eating habits will factor in with the new food choices you will have.

3. Are you prepared to change your home environment?

You need to factor in how your home life will fit in with your new chosen life style. Are you home chaotic, messy, or even noisy? Do you barley have time to sit down and have one of your new gourmet meals? There will be a lot of planning and rearranging. How will you change this?

4. Are you prepared to eat differently than your friends and family at social functions?

Often times when people get together socially it involves eating. The problem with this for you is that maybe your friends or family don’t eat the kinds of foods that your new lifestyle requires you to eat. This can be a huge problem because the temptations of the high in fat, high in carbohydrate foods that you have eliminated from your life are now sitting in front of you screaming at you to just have one bite. How will you address this problem?

5. Will you be able to monitor yourself objectively?

It happens to often that when people reach the ideal weight they think they can go back to their old eating habits. There is a huge warning sign that you should watch for. When your waist line on your pants get tighter will you just ignore it and continue destroying all the hard work you had accomplished? Or will you be able to be objective?

6. How the lifestyle of your family and friends can affect you losing weight?

If you live in a world where everyone around you is overweight, lazy, or just a coach potato stuffing their faces how will you be able to overcome this obstacle? Will you be influenced by them to fall into their bad habits or will their appearance motivate you?

7. Can I still eat out?

What kind of restaurants do you normally go too? Do you attend places where you can order something that fits your new lifestyle or do you go out for the quickie fast food binge? If the portions of your meal are too big will you be able to leave the extra food on the plate?

8. Is your kitchen prepared?

Take a look around your kitchen; if you’ve decided to take on a diet that involves you cooking the food do you have the right equipment? Where will you store what you need? What I mean is will you put the items where it will become a hassle to reach them or will you keep them where they are easily acquired? Do you have enough freezer or fridge space to store the supplies of food? What will you do to overcome this?

9. Are you being honest with yourself?

You try a new diet that you found on the web; this diet requires you to eat tons of fruit and vegetables. However, you know you can’t stand fruit and have never liked the taste of vegetables. Who do you think will win at the end of the day? Probably the you that doesn’t like fruit and vegetables. What is it that you do not like about fruit and vegetables? The color, the taste, the texture, and the time it takes to cook them? If you are planning to start a diet that involves something that you normally don’t like you really need to sit back and address this. If you aren’t being honest with your self then you will never succeed.

Now that you’ve sat back and taken the time to go over all these questions with yourself and decided whether or not you can accomplish them then you will know if you are prepared to put the work in that it takes to start, stick with and finish a weight loss program. If you cannot come up with a solution to these questions, then you probably aren’t ready.

If you have decided it is now time to move on with your life and take the next step in weight loss freedom. Then click the following link to view the best weight loss and exercise programs on the net. www.flexyourhealth.com/index.html

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brodie_Heinrichsen

A Rapid Weight Loss Diet – Is It Good For You?

By Ray Darken

The so called rapid weight loss diet is one of the closest things to a crash diet. One description of a rapid weight loss diet is this – A crash diet is a diet which is extreme in its deprivations – typically severely restricting calorie intake. Meant to achieve rapid weight loss, a crash diet differs from outright starvation only slightly. Crash diets are typically unhealthy and are rarely – if ever – recommended by doctors or dietitians. Crash diets may lead to malnutrition.

When someone discontinues a crash diet, the “rebound-effect” is often experienced. This causes a person to eat far more than normal, causing them to regain both the weight that was recently lost due to the diet as well as additional weight. This is caused by an evolutionary trait of the human race that historically only took effect in times of famine: after a famine ended, people’s bodies naturally craved to regain both the weight that was lost, plus additional weight as well, in order to protect themselves in case of another famine.

I think it’s apparant that this type of diet is not in most peoples best interest. Let’s take it a little further. It has been observed that some crash dieting or rapid weight loss can lead to Anorexia. This is defined by a loss of appetite or lack of desire to eat.

When people experience appetite loss, decreased energy consumption will subsequently lead to weight loss. When inadequate calories are consumed, the body may become weaker and less able to tolerate many chalenges. As body weight decreases, cachexia sets in, and a general failure to thrive may make it more difficult to fight off illness and infection. A poor response to cancer treatments, reduced quality of life, and death may result from substantial weight loss. The spiraling effect of a patient’s reluctance to eat is a source of frequent anxiety for caregivers. Weight loss due to anorexia may be temporary or may continue at a life-threatening pace if the patient continues to consume inadequate energy to sustain body weight.

The most commonly known form of anorexia is satiation following the consumption of food. This can happen in all normal humans and is known as postprandial anorexia. It’s important and healthy as it prevents overeating and of course obesity. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. Anorexia nervosa is a complex disease, involving psychological and sociological components.

Needless to say, it is important to ensure that if you decide to take on a diet, make sure it is healthy and can supply the nutrients people need to carry on life in a healthy and vigorous manner. One of the most highly praised diets existing to day is the Mediterranean diet mostly due to its history and the formal research that has been undertaken. It is well worth your while to look into this particlular diet further if you have the slightest doubt about undertaking a rapid weight loss diet.

Author Ray Darken – Ray often writes for and works with The Mediterranean Diet. If this link is not working you can paste this one into your browser safe-and-easy-weightloss.com or if you’d like more news and broader access to diet and nutrition information try Diet Reviews & Tips. if this link isn’t working, you can paste this one into your browser diet-reviews-and-tips.com

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7-Day Weight Loss Guide

By Craig Ballantyne

At the start of each week you should hit the grocery store and to prepare your weight loss meals for the next 7 days. See our grocery list at the bottom of this email. Print it out and take it with you.

And now here are your guidelines for the next 7 days.

Monday
Start the week with a strength and interval workout. It never hurts to have a trainer check your form, and make sure that you are pushing yourself hard enough. Alternatively, a workout partner can make all the difference in helping you bust through a plateau. The quote most often heard in the gym, “I’d never work this hard on my own.” Is this true for you?

Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun, recreational activity. In addition, check your diet for excess calories. By now, you should have developed many healthy eating habits…however, sometimes things start slipping. So give yourself a little review. It’s never too late to start eating properly.

Wednesday
Do another strength and interval workout. Get your workout done in only 45 minutes.

Add 5% more weight to your main exercise, and reduce the number of reps per set by 1. Keep perfect form of course, but increase the intensity. You might even find that you can do all of the reps with this new, increased weight. That will lead to more Turbulence, and more calories burned. If you want to increase your interval intensity instead, do the same – increase your speed or resistance by 5% on the treadmill or bike.

Thursday
Do at least 30 minutes of activity. Try something new. If you haven’t done any bodyweight circuits yet, give those a try.

Friday
Finish the week with one more strength and interval workout.

Try to eat 8 small meals today which should give you even better results than eating 6 small meals. The 8 small meals/snacks: Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, pre-workout, post-workout, dinner, and evening snack.

Saturday
Enjoy 30 minutes of activity. Check in with your social support group and trade fat loss secrets.

Sunday
Start the day nice and early with 30 minutes of activity. Plan, shop, and prepare. Make it your goal to purchase the most healthy grocery order of your entire life. You get extra bonus points if the clerk says, “Wow, what a healthy order”.

Here are some of the items on my list:

Fruits

· Apples

· Oranges

· Blueberries

· Peaches

· Grapefruit

· Raspberries

Vegetables

· Peppers (red, yellow, green, & orange),

· Spinach

· Asparagus

· Broccoli

· Snow Peas

· Mushrooms

· Frozen mixed vegetables

· Tomato sauce

Protein Sources

· Chicken breasts

· Turkey breasts

· Salmon fillets

· Lean beef

· Skim milk & low-fat, low-sugar yogurt

· whey protein

Carbohydrates

· Oat bread

· Oatmeal (no sugar added)

· Whole-wheat pasta

Other

· Green tea

· Unsalted, not roasted, Almonds

Nutrition has a huge impact on your success,

CB

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training for Fat Loss have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Turbulence Training for Fat Loss workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig’s bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

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