Healthy Diets

What causes Obesity?

2011-08-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hardly anyone seriously believes that the real cause of the obesity is just the lack of willpower or the laziness that prevents a person to do sports. Although the causes of obesity are still not sufficiently studied, since the mid-1980s. it is considered a chronic disease, which is based on several factors.

Inheritance
Studies have shown that obesity is inherited. If one or both parents are obese, the likelihood of obesity in children increases significantly, especially because genes determine the body constitution and, to some extent - the weight. However, a predisposition to obesity does not mean that destiny of man sealed. The nature is debatable, if diet and exercise regularly. In some cases, with the aid of drugs or surgery.

Caloric food
Hot dogs, Big Macs, French fries, macaroni and cheese, potato chips, ice cream - all the popular meals are inexpensive, available and tasty. Not surprisingly, they have contributed to the spread of the epidemic overweight in many countries.

Lifestyle
The risk of obesity increases, if you sit a lot at your desk or on the couch. Similarly, the risk is higher if the fats make up more than 30% of your daily diet. Researchers found that people who dedicate 20-30 minutes for daily physical activity, are less prone to obesity. Best results are obtained by a combination of an active lifestyle and low calorie diet.

The metabolism
More specifically, the metabolic rate, or the rate at which your body uses the incoming food. With a low metabolic rate, the probability that the excess calories are stored as body fat increases. In this case, to fight obesity will have to exert more effort. However, these efforts ultimately may enhance your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than the fat tissue, even when resting. Therefore, if reducing the consumption of fats and by using weight training to build up muscles, burning calories can be more intense.

Psychological aspects
There are people who tend to overeat (to have some kind of food "binges") in a stress condition or depression. Studies show that over 30% of obese people fall into this category. Therapists suggest that nutritional "binges" really can temporarily remove the stress caused by negative emotions. But then, after eating too much, comes the feelings of guilt, shame, disgust and begins depression.

Weight Loss - Easy Tips

2010-12-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

Obesity and overweight are the most commonly found complaints of people. Weight Loss programs, crash diets and other methods are available on the internet. Many of these are useless and once done the rebound effect is chronic. Realistic, good and sensible strategies need to be followed for healthy loss of weight. To begin on a weight loss program first find the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) in order to determine the total number of calories to be lost. The formula for calculating BMR is BMR [kcal] = Body Weight [lb] x 15 + (moderate activity [mins/day] x 3.5). Once the BMR is calculated the target weight can be obtained as BMR - 500 calories.

The second thing to do is eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. These contain fibres and anti oxidants and fill up the stomach faster with lower calories. The third thing that is essential for weight loss is exercise. Exercise is imperative for long term weight loss. A minimum of 5 sessions a week for at least 30 minutes is required. There are lots of power workouts prescribed for working people. These are simple and can be done in less time but yet yield good results.

The fourth tip is to rope in a friend. Research has proved that if there is a partner helping out and following the program, then people stick to the regime and also lose weight faster. The fifth tip is to reduce the size of the meal portion. Eating smaller meal portions slowly combined with a lot of fluids can do the trick for easy weight loss. The sixth rule is to never skip any meal. The trick is to eat smaller but more frequent meals during the day. Instead of eating three big meals, 5-6 smaller meals can help in losing weight.

The seventh tip is to eat as much fresh food as possible. Packaged foods and fast foods generally contain a higher sodium and fat content than fresh foods. Hence it is advisable to avoid them. The eighth rule is to not abstain too much. If a person completely abstains from chocolates and sweets, his craving for the same will increase ten-fold. Hence a little bit of indulgence is required but the quantity and frequency should be monitored strictly.

The ninth rule is to abstain from sugary drinks and aerated ones. Juice, coffee, soda or tea all add up in sugar and cream content. Hence these drinks can be replaced by a glass of water. At least 8 glasses of water need to be consumed in a day. The tenth and final tip is to maintain a diet diary and to consult a dietitian. It helps in identifying diet patterns and modifying the same.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_F_Myers

Healthy Weight Loss and Eating Out - How Can I Combine Them?

2010-08-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

So you're on a healthy weight loss diet. That's good but what about your social life? How can you go out with your friends to your favorite restaurants and fast food places if you are on a diet?

There's no need to stop eating out with your friends if you are on a weight loss regimen. Eating out can be healthy as long as you either choose healthy food items or control the portions of what you eat.

If you know where you will be going beforehand, check the restaurant's online menu. They probably have healthy food such as salads, soups, lean meat or vegetable dishes. Look for food that is steamed, boiled, baked, broiled, grilled, broiled or poached. Stay away from fried food or fatty food that is smothered in cream, cheese, butter or gravies and sauces.

Drink water with your meal and not soda. A large glass of soda can contain as much as 450 calories and that would take a big bite out of your daily calorie limit.

Extras can add many unwanted calories. Bread with butter, side servings of French fries, creamy toppings and other superfluous food elements can be ignored.

In many places you can order off-menu or in other words request special dishes that are healthier than their regular menu dishes. When ordering your meal, don't be scared to ask if the dish can be slightly altered. For example, you ask for the chicken to be served skinless or the sauce to be served in a separate pot. Some restaurants also offer diet-friendly versions of their dishes if you ask for it.

There's also no need to order many courses. You might be satisfied with just the main course or perhaps the soup and salad only.

Now about some fishes that are popular. Fried chicken is generally better to avoid than order. This is true for most food that is fried. Surprisingly, steak can be fine if it is lean grilled meat. A delicious lean steak and salad, without any fattening side dishes such as chips or fries can be as little as 500 calories.

However, the dieter who is concerned with a healthy weight loss plan must take care to eat only small portions. Even a lean grilled steak can bee too much if it's a huge piece as big as a baby's head.

Pasta is not bad provided it does not come with creamy sauces. Go for tomato sauces with your pasta.

Vegetables are a good choice but they often come with fattening sauces or dressings. Chose balsamic vinegar rather than salad dressing.

Desserts can be your Waterloo if you cannot resist those sweet cakes and pies. Try to go for fruit salads or sorbets. If you cannot help but yield to temptation, go ahead and eat some of those sweet desserts but at least don't eat a large portion.

It cannot be emphasized too much that portion control is important. Learn what a proper portion size is and stick to it.

A good tip is to eat properly during the day before you go out for dinner. If you starve yourself to "save up" calories, you might arrive at the restaurant too famished too care about your diet.

Regarding binge eating, stay away from buffets entirely! Those are far too tempting because they have such a wide array of dishes to choose from. Even the strongest-willed person who has stuck to their weight loss plan can get overwhelmed by a good buffet. Since buffets are also expensive, there is the additional enticement of eating more to get the most out of your money.

Lastly, look around and explore more restaurant options. Remember that a healthy weight loss plan is forever, so change your dining habits so that you patronize good restaurants that offer healthy food.

Healthy Eating Tips For a Healthier Lifestyle

2009-11-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Everyone is talking about eating right and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are shows dedicated to watching your weight and exercising. While these shows are extremely helpful with providing the healthy eating tips you need in order to live a healthier lifestyle, not all of them are living in reality. When you are working 50 to 60 hours a week, and trying to run a household, most of the tips just do not seem like they would fit into your daily schedule. Most of the tips they provide just seem like overkill. They feel more like additional work than effective tips.
The mistake that most people make is they try to introduce all of these healthy eating tips at the same time. When you are trying to make a lifestyle change, you need to take it one step at a time. This will ultimately increase your rate of success. When it comes to healthy eating tips, some will be easier to follow than others. Any healthy lifestyle tips that involve making drastic changes should be incorporated slowly over a certain amount of time. This will allow you to make both the mental and physical change slowly.

The most valuable tip is that anything in excessive is not good of the body. If you make extreme changes, like eating drastically less, you body will react negatively.
It is not always about counting the calories as much as it is about counting the nutritional value.
Make sure that each meal you eat contains a variety of different food types. You want to make sure that your meal includes protein rich food, fruits and vegetables, and some carbohydrates.
You need to eat every three to four hours. Eating smaller meals, more frequent meals is better than eating one large meal a day.
Make sure you adequately drink enough water throughout the day. You need to make sure that your body stays hydrated.
You want to eat fewer calories that are higher in fiber than meals that are just high in calories.

The most important fact that you need to keep in mind is that the body needs more than exercise in order to become healthier. Good eating habits are also a necessity. Once you incorporate a few of these tips you will feel better than you have in years.

Jamie West has been writing about nutrition for over a year. Please check out her new site reviewing products. The latest product review is based on the wood coat tree.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_West

The Power Of Protein To Lose Weight And Not Feel Hungry

2009-10-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

The extensive popularity of high-protein diets is due in huge part to their ability to help deal with hunger. When protein is absorbed, it sends a sign to the brain to decrease your appetite. Another benefit of protein is that it raises your resting metabolism by maintaining muscle mass. As we age, muscle mass decreases without exercise, so staying fit is a key to burning fat by keeping your metabolism high. Protein also leads to a much less rapid rise and fall of blood sugar and insulin, so you avoid the "sugar highs and lows" after eating sweets Without adequate protein.

A number of foods, however, provide a healthier resource for protein than others.You can find healthy sources of protein without high levels of saturated fat. For example,soybeans, nuts and whole grains provide protein without much saturated fat and offer plenty of healthful fiber and micro nutrients as well. If you’re looking for yet another great way to acquire healthy protein, vegetable sources of protein found in protein shakes, are high quality and have lower calorie levels with practically no added fat.

Now that you’ve increased your knowledge of protein, you can effectively enhance your diet and allow good health to take shape.Here are a few suggestions of easy snacks you can add to your day. Have some boiled eggs on hand. They are a protein snack with fewer calories. You can consume them alone or pop on top of a healthycrisp. Tuna in tins, is a excellent source of great protein, low fat and calories. If you don't like tuna theirare many choices, smoked salmon, smoked oysters, sardines and the list goes on. If you are not into seafood, make certain you retain on hand a quantity of chicken or turkey to nibble on. Cottage cheese, low fatcheese is an alternative, again you can place all these on a crisp. A different helpful snack tip, especially for the winter months, have a cuppa soup and add a spoon of powdered protein. You can purchase good, non flavoured, powdered protein from several wellbeing outlets.

It makes the soup thicker and fills you up at the same time.As mentioned above, protein helps normalise the desire for food. This category includes cravings so if you would like to hugely reduce cravings, you need to heighten your protein intake. This will consequentially place your body in balance leading to a gradual removal of craving. Ultimately the goal being, to remain in complete control of not merely losing your weight but additionally keeping it off.Maintaing a healthy weight is not a enormous task when your body is balanced. It is in fact natural to be able to eat everything in balance. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it but initially you must have your body well nourished and balanced. When your body is nourished and balanced only then will you find how easy it is to have chocolate, cake and other goodies, naturally enjoy these in small amounts and understand, everything in moderation.

Your task now, armed with this information is to visit your supermarket and find more protein meals and snacksto fill your kitchen with. Note, ahead of you leaving home for the supermarket, make sure you do eat a protein snack. Add to this snack a large tumbler of water. It is well recognized at present, often times when you feel hungry, you are in fact simply thirsty. By no means leave home for the supermarket on an empty stomach. An unfilled stomach will lead to making poor choices and buying items you should not. It will additionally lead to perhaps having a not needed snack while you are out.

How To Cheat the Hunger? 20 simple but effective ways

2009-08-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

People say: hunger is not a lady. But if it does not fly away, we are well able to help it. For this to your attention the 20 easiest ways.

1. Drink, drink and more drink
Cheat your stomach with fluid. Drink a glass of mineral water with a slice of lemon, tomato juice or a cup of green tea. The liquid will fill your empty stomach and blunt the feeling of hunger.

2. Eat in silence
Recent studies have proven that when we eat with music, or when watching TV, we are keen and eat more. In addition, we hardly resist the temptation to eat something sweet or fatty.

3. Take a hot bath
It reduces the appetite, relaxes. Increased sweating at the same time helps to get rid of the excess body's excess liquids.

4. Do sports
If you feel that hunger has become unendurable, make a small charge. Exercising distracts you from intrusive thoughts to get to the refrigerator, and burn a few extra calories. In addition, immediately after exercise the appetite is reduced. But do not overdose with the sports, because perhaps then it would be hard to fall asleep.

5. Pay attention to color
It has long been proved that the blue color helps to reduce the appetite. And red, orange and yellow, on the contrary, wakes it up. Therefore, on the special dinner, we recommend that you always wear a blue dress. It is useful to bring home a blue tablecloth and cobalt blue set!

6. Inhale
Aromatherapy can help to temper the appetite. As soon as you feel an urge to unscheduled reception of food, smell a grapefruit rind, light aromatic candles or hold to nose a bottle with any aromatic oil or perfume. Particularly effective are the floral and fruit aromas. Hunger and olfactory centers are close by, so smells help to "hide"the feeling of hunger for a little time.

7. Remind yourself the childhood
Buy a set of children dishes. Eating a lot with a little spoon from small dishes just does not work. So you gradually accustom yourselves to small children portions.The main - not to run for the second portion!

8.Pamper yourselves
Immediately after dinner pamper yourself with a light dessert, such as fruits, lean yogurt, a small piece of dark chocolate. This will lift your mood, and the aftertaste appeared after it helps in dealing with your appetite.

9. Listen to yourself
Listen to the signals of your body: eat when experiencing feelings of hunger and stop as soon as it dissapears. If there is no feelings of hunger, do not go to dinner for company or because it's dinner time.

10. Do not eat additives
During the last meal ever, do not add to a dish of spices and spices, as they increase the appetite, heighten the sense of hunger, even after you ate.

11. Enjoy eating
There is no need to punish yourself, starve and eat the unpalatable food. Leave in your diet a little bit of sweets and fried fatty meat if you like it. Just tell yourself that you have so very little and only once a week. Find tasty recipes and good food - all kinds of seafood and salads with olive oil. Enjoy their cooking.

12. Out of sight
Never hold in a conspicuous place the high-calorie products. It would be better if on the most accessible places you put fruit or vegetables, in fact, if you do not resist them, it would not be so terrible.

13. Have more walk
According to Scottish researchers, walking in the fresh air before a meal reduces the feeling of hunger. The reason is in the saturation with oxygen. If you can not walk, do a few deep breaths and exhale.

14. Sleep enough
U.S. scientists for 15 years, watched the 68 000 patients and found that those who sleep 5-6 hours a day, are more prone to obesity than those who sleep 7-8 hours. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, go to bed early and avoid too heavy dinners. The active phase of digestion prevents the quiet sleep.

15. Think of the steps
Buy a device measuring the number of steps per day (they are built into some models of phones and watches) and write down how many steps you have done for the day. Your goal - to reach a level of 10 000 steps a day, unless, of course, you are not doing active sports.

16.Have a walk before going to bed
This distract you from serious thinking about food. However, fresh air can enhance the appetite. Therefore, choose the time to walk so that after it you could just go to bed.

17. Chew, but not food
Chew some gum. Better if it is without sugar and fruit. The chewing reflex and sweetness in the mouth will cheat your appetite.

18. Smell apple, banana or mint
American dietitians conducted a study on the relationship of aromas and appetite, and found that those who sniff before eating apples, bananas or mint, ultimately eat less and, consequently, it is easier to droppthe excess weight. In testing took part 3000 people.

19. Clean the teeth
Dinner is finished? Immediately go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. Then you do not want to once again have a bite before going to bed. It should work conditioned: after cleaning the teeth, we do not eat.

20. Visualizes
Clearly provide a beautiful and slender, very charming and attractive. Will this woman load up at night? If you have imagination «tight» look in a glossy magazine. The real images of slim beauties certainly will take your appetite.

The Overweight Advantages!

2008-12-24T04:05:00.001-08:00

It turns out that women with more lush forms have some advantages over the models.

As showed the supervision of scientists from Denmark,who engaged in their studies 3000 volunteers of both sexes, if a woman has the buttocks over 100 cm, the risk of death from heart attacks is reduced by as much as 87% compared with the "thin" representatives of weaker sex. And the threat of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease among larger women is reduced by 86% and 46% respectively.

The reason is that unlike the fat in the abdomen, in the buttocks' fat there is substance adiponectin , which prevents arteries to swell and block. As a result, women are full of more favorable outlook for the birth of children and housework - a note to those who plans to marry.

Among men in the buttocks area were not seen anything similar, so their hearts on this factor is independent.

The Stress Can Help You Loose Weight, The Depression - NO!

2008-07-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

When a person is experiencing stress (for example, when going to the dentist, parachute jumping, etc.), which does not get to depression, burns huge amounts of energy. Slimming is happening extremely quickly - sometimes even more than a kilo a day. Consequently, the stress - beefing our noble cause of getting rid of extra weight - instantly raises our metabolism and makes us "to push out" the excess fluid from the body, allowing to make new records, not making a big effort for this.

The "beneficial" stress can be attributed to two categories: "for the soul"and "for the body". "For soul" stresses are: parachute jumps, visiting attractions such as "toboggans" or even… the same trip to the dentist. "For body" - a sauna, contrast shower, a sharp increase in one-time physical activity (hike, general cleaning, the first training). Particularly such stress is useful when the weight loss is "stopped" and it remains the same. In order to move it from the dead end, the regime usually is tighten, but this way is a deadlock. How much will you resist the spartan way of life in our world temptations? All life? It is very doubtful. Therefore, the strict restrictive measures is best to leave for the last trump in the struggle over weight, preferring them a good shake up for all the systems with manageable stress.

But the depression leads to a diametrically opposite effect - the body metabolism decreases, which corresponds to the sleeping state of the body. Accordingly, the part of food energy, which should go to "actual needs", will be unused and, respectively, suspended in fat depot. Recall your past attempts to loose weight: wanna eat - and shouldn't, want to relax - have to train to the seventh sweat. And the permanent thought: so will be every day - today, tomorrow, forever… The weight loss slows down… Life is getting grim, and turns into a torture - we live from meal to meal, from rest to rest with the constant knowledge that after a short time of enjoying, it will be sad and hard again…

When we are depressed, we thus interrupt the slimming process which in most cases makes it worse (the depression). The result is a vicious circle, which almost always follows the breakdown, rollback, a return to the starting point. To prevent such a development of situation, one should:

1. Do not mock over yourselves. The sharp limitation of food and maximum load is unacceptable.
2. In the process of slimming, the depression should be avoided with all necessary forces and means! If you feel that because of the circumstances immersed in this swamp - shake, diverting any means, do something pleasant. After all, drink some tranquilizing drinks, antidepressant (calming often inhibits metabolism, but this is still less evil than depression).

Better start slimming in the quiet period of life when there aren't any negative emotions on the horizon. Remember that your depression is the same enemy as overeating and lack of movement!

Walking and Milk Will Help You Loose Weight

2008-03-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

Dieticians from the American University of Colorado offered to all those who wish to get rid of the extra weight, a new, very effective and not particularly difficult way to implement your dream. It does not require either starving or exhausting long-time exercises. Forget about the extra kilos with the help of milk, dairy products and daily walking.

The American dieticians made an experiment, which involved 199 volunteer people from both sexes and various ages. All of these people had pretty much extra weight. Dieticians offered them the following programme: each day during the four months the volunteers were devoting at least one hour of walking, counting at the same time ten thousand or more steps.

The temperature and duration of walks they chose by themselves, the most important for researchers was precisely the number of steps. In addition, some volunteers were required to change their diet, adding the skimmed milk and dairy products like yogurt, cheese, etc. Thus, the body of volunteers received more than the usual amount of calcium.

Combined with a regular walking, such a quantity of calcium consumption had a very pleasant effect for volunteers - in four months they got rid of a part of the excess weight: an average of six unnecessary kilos disappeared. Dieticians said that the thing is in the rapid combustion of fats, which occur in the body because it is a regular walking and consumption of milk and dairy products.

The milk, beside calcium, also contains a lot of other useful substances, without which is impossible the normal development of the organism, moreover - their combination in milk is optimal. Dieticians recommend to drink daily two to three cups of skim milk or a cup of usual milk to keep the organism in shape.

The Lemon Helps To Lose Weight And Stay Slim

2008-02-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

Because of the badly working digestive system, the organism is not able to absorb all the necessary nutrients for fat burning. So, toxins accumulate in the body, cause fatigue and slow down the metabolism. Also, a lack of nutrients in organism make us feel a sense of constant hunger, and here we very often have snacks, biscuits and other "easy" meals.

The main property of lemon is the lead-out of toxins from the body, and the normalization of metabolism. Citric acid interact with enzymes and other acids, stimulating digestion and the provision of gastric liquids. With its high acidity (7 - 8% in fruit), even a small piece of lemon can positively influence the process of food digestin, and reduce the risks of raising the sugar level in the blood.

Another lemon miracle is the pectin. This substance is contained in the lemon's exterior layer. When reaching the stomach, pectin turns into a creamy gel and cover the stomach walls. According to earlier studies, the use of pectin in food can dampen the sense of hunger about 4 hours.

The Lemon juice contains a big amount of vitamin C. This vitamin contributes to the mobilization of protective body, combats coldness, improves the metabolism and as a consequence - the weight loss.

The advantage a lemon diet is that it is not necessarily to starve or give up favorite meals. All you have to do for loosing weight - include several spoons of lemon juice and pulp in the daily diet. And of course the situation will improve with exercise and healthy eating.

It is also advised to consume more water, at least 6-8 cups a day. The morning is better to start with a mix of warm water with the addition of lemon juice.

But drinking coffee and tea should be avoided, as well as carbonated drinks and unnatural juices. The base should be on the diet with fruits and vegetables - about five servings per day. In soups and salads add a little dried lemon peel, and the fish and meat can be flavored with lemon juice.

Avoid products with high sugar content: bread, rice and potatoes. If consumed large quantities of such products, coupled with fruits - this may badly affect the level of sugar in blood. Fat saturated products are also not desirable. Remember that they are contained in large quantities in red meat, cakes and pies. And do not forget that unsaturated fats are necessary for weight loss. They delay the influx of carbohydrates in the blood, and thereby contribute to keeping the low body insulin and sugar.

Eating should be slowly, carefully chewing the food. The process of chewing relaxes the muscle below abdomen and transmits a nerve signal activating the digestive processes. Eat at the scheduled time and not rush the process to bring a sense of saturation, which may be delayed. It is rational to wait 20 minutes to make sure of feeling saturation.

Lose Weight With Water - It's Easy!

2008-01-25T00:38:00.000-08:00

American dieticians recommend using the "water" diet to get rid of unnecessary weight, which is becoming increasingly popular. With a shortage of liquid, the organism begins to feel stressed and sends signals to the brain similar to the signals of hunger. As a result, we are beginning to eat, while the need to drink! The unnecessary at this point nutrients are postponed in the form of fat in the most hidden parts of our body, and over time these parts cease to be so hidden.

The sadness of losing the slender figure, we are trying to compensate with some milk chocolates or harassing ourselves with fitness classes. But getting back to the well-shaped figure is as well possible by having a balanced water consumption. By drinking every day about 2 -2.5 liters of water (in addition to juices, tea and coffee), we can suppress the feeling of hunger and reduce the number of food we intake (of course, constraining the consumption of fatty products).

And it water you have to drink, because even the tea and coffee contain active substances that alter the chemical composition of the body. Carbonated beverages are "saturated" with harmful chemicals, causing additional dehydration.

The clean water in the diet plays a crucial role. Tap water contains an abundance of active chlorine and other impurities, acquired in passing through the water supply tubes. The helpful habit of drinking purified water will be gratefully received by your body.

It is recommended to use a specially developed filter or nozzle on the crane which give you the opportunity to quietly drink safe water in all respects.

Moreover, If having a balanced consumption of water, the skin will always be sufficiently saturated with moisture from the inside, and therefore, protected from the effects of frost and sun, drying and peeling. That is with one shot kill two rabbits at once - losing excess fat and skin regain freshness!

So filter, drink, slenderize!

How To Maintain the Weight in Winter

2008-01-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

A beautiful slender figure is a pride for a woman. But girls often recall about this a month before they have to wear bathing suits. In order not to have to figure out in the last moment a way to loose the gained fat over the winter, we just need to not stock it. But what to do if in cold weather we want to eat particular often, and especially a lot?

First of all, establish the purpose to remain slender. Keep in mind the image of yourself in the best form. Whenever you want to ravage your refrigerator, recall that image - and even if it wont stop you, then at least will make you eat less.

Write in a notebook or diary what, when and why you ate something. It happens so that a person does not want to eat because of hunger, but because of stress. With this diary, in a little while you will be able to see some patterns. Rather than eating, find an interesting occupation, for example, chat with friends or take a relaxing bath.

Eat more soup. The liquid itself quickly fills the stomach and prevents overeating.
Do not hesitate to go for a walk at lunch, don't be lazy to move. When you walk away not only burn calories, but also in the daytime receive the necessary light, which contributes to serotonin (it makes us feel happier). In order not to fall in winter depression, experts recommend to consume more foods that are high in carbohydrates.

Coffee, hot chocolate and cappuccino - are of course, good warming drinks, but also rich in calories. The leader is chocolate, then cappuccino, and then coffee. Replace these beverages with tea - green or fruit. The invigorating effect, by the way, is identical.

Sports and dance activities do not have to be left in Winter. Move, dance at home or in the gym -it's the surest way to burn calories. Do not hurry to switch on the heater when the house becomes cold - better warm yourself by making a few exercises.

Sleep enough. Experts tell that the lack of sleep affects the appetite - we want to eat more.

Dr. Atkins' Diet

2007-12-21T00:28:00.000-08:00

The basis of this diet - almost totally avoidance of carbohydrates. It is their surplus, according to Atkins, raises the level of insulin in the blood and causes a feeling of hunger.

Robert Atkins, still the most odious figure in the diets world. He began to propagate his scheme for reducing and controlling weight more than 30 years ago, but it still raises many disputes about its benefits and harms.

Respecting a diet and the elimination of carbohydrates from the body leads to the generation of ketone bodies - chemicals that accelerate the burning of fat in the body.

The Plan: in the first phase of the diet (14 days) the body adjusts to the fat burning scheme; in the second phase occurs the decline in weight to the desired (with the recommended control of the ketone bodies number in the urine through special strip-tests); in the third phase - the result maintenance.
Advantages: getting rid of "sweet" dependency, there is no restriction on the total amount of food and its caloric value.
Difficulties: you need to have good health, not to have chronic diseases, especially diabetes; in the active phase of the diet is not recommended to take drugs. The diet can not be applied when pregnant, lactation period, elevated cholesterol level. There should be an accurate counting of the carbohydrates. To maintain the result, it is recommended to follow the diet all your life.

The first phase: The consumption of carbohydrates - not more than 20 grams a day. Eating is permitted only when hungry, stop as soon as saturation will occur.
Unrestricted: meat, fish, poultry, cheeses, seafood, eggs, vegetables and fresh herbs, mushrooms; vegetable oil: natural, better- untreated cold juices, animal fats: butter subsistence oil, fish fat.
Beverages: water - simple and mineral, tea without sugar (preferably green or herbaceous), various drinks with no carbohydrates.
In small quantities, counting the number of carbohydrates contained in these products, you can eat: tomatoes, cabbage, eggplants, green peas, onions, spinach, asparagus, sour cream.
Strictly forbidden: sugar and sweets, bread and other flour products, fruits, amylaceous vegetables, margarine and light butter, cooking fats and alcohol.

Second phase: You can gradually increase the consumption of carbohydrates to empirically find their individual level. Weight should decline gradually, and symptoms of hypoglycemia - weakness, somnolence, the constant feeling of hunger- disappear. When you will reach the desired weight, the number of carbohydrates in the diet needs to be a little increased, it would help to stabilize the weight.

Third phase: Result maintenance.

Less Sleeping Leads To Extra Weight

2007-12-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

The Columbia University and the Hospital of St. Luke-Roosevelt scientists published the results of the study, according to which there is a link between sleep duration and obesity.

Contrary to the public opinion, doctors have found that people who sleep less, are more exposed to the risk of gaining extra weight. Scientists watched a long time after a group of 18,000 patients and found: for those who sleep at night less than 4 hours, the risk of obesity is higher by 74% than for those who sleeps 7-9 hours. For those who sleep 5 hours - the risk of extra kilograms rises by 50% and for 6 hours sleepers - by 23%.

Most doctors give a simple explanation to this paradox: if people do not sleep at night, they eat, and there is usually little moving. Here is the general portrait of this less sleeping patients: a young man, sitting all night in front of the TV or the computer, with a few handy bottles of beer ( "cola", coffee, etc.), some snacks and a lot of sandwiches. Doctors recommend to abstain from eating after 6-7 PM, go early to bed and early in the morning to get up, nor to avoid moderate physical exercises throughout the day.

The blood hormones study revealed the fact that a small length of sleep caused a significant increase in leptina (the hormone responsible for feelings of satiety and reducing hunger), and, on the contrary, even more significantly reducing grelina (hormone which reinforces the sense of hunger). This makes the little sleeping people at night to feel hunger and insatiable desire to eat something rich in carbohydrates (pies, cakes, cookies, etc.), with all its attendant consequences.

Thus, the increase in duration of sleep can be seen as a means to combat obesity, not forgetting, of course, the leading role of regular physical exercises, and proper healthy nutrition.

The Meals To Help Loosing Weight

2007-11-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

This is really true - some products not only make you add additional pounds, but there are meals that help to burn extra fat.

Grapefruit. Some studies show that regular use of half of grapefruit or 150 gr. its juice after every meal, can reduce weight by an average of 2 kg (4.4 lb) in 2 weeks. It is believed that this is happening for one simple reason. Grapefruit reduces insulin, which in turn reduces your appetite. Naturally, the less you want to eat, the less calories you have, and the already accumulated calories are spent, which results in weight loss. If you do not like grapefruit, you can have its juice mixed with orange and lemon juice, which will further strengthen your immunity and clear the body of chemical waste.

Green tea. This plant not only prevents cancer cells, helps to prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, but also has beneficial effects on metabolic processes in the body. So how many calories you can burn through the green tea. It is believed that by drinking 5 cups of green tea a day, you lose 70-80 calories. Not bad, huh?

Acute food. Do you like acute food? Then we have good news for you. Acute spices help burn fats, as well as make your body sweat, increasing your heart beat, which in turn speeds up the metabolism. There is one "but" - if you love very acute chips or acute fried food -it is unlikely to help you losing a couple of kilos.

Water. If you are not consuming enough liquid in the form of clean water, you will find it difficult to loose weight. The lack of fluids in the body slows down the process of metabolism, this could lead to a decline of glucose in blood, the weakness and dizziness.

Cinnamon. Studies showed that 1/4 of a tea spoon of cinnamon, eaten along with food, helps to absorb sugar more efficiently and reduce blood sugar. This is a significant moment, as high blood sugar leads to the formation of more and more fat deposits. Cinnamon also can be used instead of sugar, because it has natural sweet taste.

Protein foods. Proteins are the basis for the education of muscle mass, but, as we know, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn - even if just relaxing. Moreover, for the digestion of proteins are spent more calories than for the digestion of fats and carbohydrates. Thus, protein foods also help you burn fat. The best sources of protein are:chicken breast, fish, egg proteins, turkey.

Preparing For A Diet

2007-11-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

The most common mistake people who want to lose weight do, it is to begin a diet "straight tomorrow morning."

For some reason it is believed that a diet does not require a preliminary preparation, perhaps, except purchases of the products. And this is a big mistake. For the diet we must carefully prepare as for any cause in which you want to succeed.

So, how do we prepare for a diet?

- First, it is necessary to know your own health. For women, very important factors are the menstruation and pregnancy, in either of the cases shouldn't begin a diet. It is not recommended to start a diet at a time when your health may be affected by climatic conditions of residence, for example, in khamsin.

- Secondly, you need to consider how the diet will affect your everyday duties. Would sitting on a diet, for instance, influence the quality of your work, or affect your active participation in family and domestic activities?

- Third, be sure to ask yourself before starting a diet - will I manage? You need to imagine well the expected difficulties - for example, the constant feeling of hunger, the impossibility even to touch the favorite dishes for a long time, maybe the mockery or pity of the relatives ... - and answer honestly: am I capable of such sacrifices? Is it necessary to me? Slyness in this case may lead to the failure of the entire plan.

- Fourth, the diet in no circumstances has to be started suddenly. The principle "to stuff oneself today, and tomorrow will start starving" never justified itself! You must "engage" in the diet little by little. About a week before beginning the diet, exclude from your ration the sweet and fatty products; discontinue late dining, reduce the number of consumes food, etc., etc., depending on what is needed in a particular case.

10 Main Rules Of Weight Loss

2007-10-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

If you want to lose weight, or just always to stay in good shape, follow 10 simple but very important rules.

1. Make your diet multicolored.
Fruits and vegetables are an indispensable source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They contain few calories, give a sense of satiety and can be combined with any dishes.

2. Eat regularly.
When you eat regularly, your body's metabolism is evenly, and the calories are spent throughout the day. If the break between meals is big, the body tries to spend less energy, i.e. burns fewer calories. The breakfast is compulsory. Eat at least three times a day, from time to time have a bite of easy healthy food.

3. Give time to the stomach.
Since childhood, we were forbidden to have little snacks before lunch, so as not to spoil the appetite. In fact, these snacks can prevent overeating. Feeling satiated comes only after 10-15 minutes, so often we eat more than it is necessary. When eating at home, please give attention to the size of the portions. In restaurants usually give large portions, so try to eat only a part of what is given. And, of course, do not be afraid to have some snacks before lunch!

4. Pick fresh food.
In order for the produces to be kept longer, they add all kinds of preserving agents. This often leads to lower the content of useful substances and vitamins in food. Try to have fewer semi-prepared foods and fast-foods, these are always rich in calories, fat and salt.

5. Keep moving.
The human body is not suited to the endless seating for the desktop. To stay healthy, you need to move every day. The loads strengthen all muscles, including the heart, improve sleep and mood. No matter, are you training in the sports center, or just walk around the house, most important is that you keep moving.

6. Allow yourself to enjoy the pleasure.
Many delicious things are harmful, but without them it can be very difficult. If you repeatedly refuse to pleasure yourself, you can falter and eat too many taboo sweets. Enjoy sometimes by eating a little of favorite food, but try to keep moderation. For example, you can eat a very small piece of cake in a normal day or a normal piece in honor of the holiday.

7. Read the labels.
If you do not even know the names of ingredients listed on the packaging of the product, it is better not to risk it and leave the product on the shelf at the supermarket. The same applies to products with endlessly long list of ingredients on the label. Also, please note whether the listed on the label calorie and fat content refers to one portion or to an entire package.

8. Eat intact cereals.
White bread and flour do not have any value to the health, while intact cereals are rich in fiber and useful substances. Bread and pasta from whole grains help to avoid sharply disorders of the glucose levels in the blood, prolongs the feeling of being satiated.

9. Choose the "right" fats.
Fats are not always harmful. The saturated fats actually leads to extra weight and cardiovascular diseases, but unsaturated fats are useful for the organism. For example, you can use olive oil for filling salads and cooking meals.

10. Beware of "liquid" calories.
A conventional glass of lemonade can contain about 10 tea spoons of sugar! The extra calories taken daily with a drink, do not give a sense of satiety, but certainly adds unwanted fats. The advertisements so skilfully present some drinks, we believe it is useful and not draw attention to the extra sugar they contain..

Drinking Green Tea Benefits

2007-10-07T03:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sure You already know that the green tea drinking has a lot of benefits for our health: it prevents the bad breath and the tooth decay; it helps to the health of the gum; it reduces the UV rays damage to our skin and this makes us look young; it helps us losing weight.

These are very important points, as if you see a person with black teeth, wrinkles and overweighted, I'm sure you do not admire him/her.

It was found that the green tea has wonderful effects on our beauty.
Here is what the researches on it found:

- Green tea contains catechins, which keep the acids under control and prevent the reproducing of bacteria. The main reasons of the periodontal disease - bleeding gums - are the bacteria and acids in our mouth. Conclusion: Green tea helps our gums staying healthy and pink, keeping our teeth in.

- The Vitamin C from the green tea helps our gum to cure.

- Catechins also reactivate the activity of the dying cells - this helps to smooth out the wrinkles.

- Green tea has anti-oxidants that diminishes the UV light harm to our skin. This is how it helps us slowing down the process of aging - we look younger.

- About 2/3 of "modern" people are concerned about their weight, and the green tea with its catechins helps to decrease the body fat and to "hurry" the fat oxidation. Researches found that the caffeine and the thiamine from the green tea help our body to maintain from producing more body fat.

OK, don't expect that if you all day are having Popsicles that drinking a cup of green tea will protect you from all the cavity problems. As well as staying on meals like donuts and pork products, and then after a cup of green tea to expect not to become fatter.

Of course you have heard this before: take care to eat right, exercise all time, brush and floss your teeth; but maybe you want to make an improvement to all of these.

It is recommended to drink green tea every day - make it your relax time, your "refreshing" time. Help yourself staying healthy and young!

The Obesity Virus

2007-09-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

Scientists The University of Louisiana have found that obesity can be caused by a virus.

Even if a man is following a correct diet, many persons are missing the fact that every body is unique, and what's good for one may cause harm to another .

Scientists made an assumption that there is a virus that can affect human metabolism.

After some laboratory experiments it was showed that the infection with human adenovirus-36 (AD-36) - long time known as a cause of eye and respiratory infections in humans - causes adult stem cells obtained from fat fat tissue to transform into fat cells. the other stem cells (not exposed to the virus) remained unchanged.
The study also reported the identification of a specific gene that seems to be implied in the obesity effect.

Are They going to find a vaccine for obesity?

How to Lose Belly Fat

2007-09-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret that the best way to lose fat is eating right and exercising regularly. Actually the fastest way for getting rid of belly fat is to combine the weight lifting, healthy eating (good diet) and weight loss pills.

Belly fat is an unused energy, so all we have to do is to burn it. Most of us are conscious that the extra belly fat is quite ugly, we don't like it, but we also don't like to get rid of it. It's not so difficult, we just need to take some action, of course if you belly is not a huge one - then it's gonna be a longer road for transforming that fat into muscles.

From all exercises aiming the weight loss, the ones for belly fat loss can be the most difficult. Practice exercises at least 30 minutes a day, jump rope for about 2-3 minutes, then squat thrust into a push up (Slowly squat down with your head forward and bring your hands to the floor just outside of your feet, hands pointing forward too. Then in one movement, push your legs back and out behind you - into a pushup position. Perform one strict pushup and then jump back into your squat position and then stand back up.), do it for a few minutes also, then repeat with the rope jumping. Use your imagination. Keep saying that you are losing fat.

Overweighted persons usually carry too much fat around their belly, and even if not overweighted, there can still be too much fat rounding the stomach - that makes the organs work harder.

Make sure to watch what you are eating! Decrease, or even stop alcohol consumption, try not to eat late night snacks and forget about junk food.

Work with weights about 2 times per week, don't forget to exercise and repeat for yourself that all this is gonna make you slimmer.

The abdominal area would be the winner in the course for the most desired place to lose fat. :)

An important thing to do is to eat frequently, but in small portions rather than two times and a lot! Establish your goal and go for it!

Nutrition Guidelines For Weight Loss

2007-08-28T12:15:00.001-07:00

We are what we eat! As you probably know, the nutrition has a very big role in preventing many diseases and keeping us strong. The main factors are: variety, moderation and balance.

Variety stands for eating a wide range of meals from all of the 5 main groups of food.
Moderations stands for not consuming too much of a certain food.
Balance is the equity established when following the moderation and variety, ensuring that the consumed calories do not exceed the burned calories.

The main groups of food are:
- Bread, cereals and rice;
- Vegetables;
- Fruits;
- Dairy-produce (milk, cheese, yogurt);
- Meat, fish, poultry, dry beans, nuts and eggs.

The fats, oils and sweets form a group very reach in calories and fat.
Better to eat them in moderation as they have more calories rather than nutritionally needed substances. However, there are exceptions too, for example the vegetable oils from sunflower, safflower, cottonseeds and corn have a good amount of Vitamin E. The soybean, olive and canola oils have the K Vitamin.
The diary produce- milk, cheese, yogurt- are a good source of Calcium, Protein and B12 Vitamin. When eating them, be aware of their fat percentage in order to have the cholesterol and fat under control.
Meat, fish, poultry, dry beans, nuts and eggs- these are a rich source of Protein, Iron, Zinc and more from the Vitamins B. Take off the fat from meat when cooking to minimize its intake.
Vegetables give us vitamins and minerals, also are a good source of fiber. Have some green , yellow and orange vegetables or starch, like potatoes.
Fruits have more vitamins, but especially are rich in Vitamin C. They do not have many calories and are very low on fat. It's always good to eat some fresh fruit.
Bread, pasta, cereals and rice provide us with LY6 fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

In conclusion - eat diverse meals for a healthy weight, follow a low fat diet, but rich in vegetables and fruits; consume sugar, salt and alcoholics in moderation.

Lose Weight the Vegetarian Way

2007-08-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

By Scott Meyers
Do you need to lose weight? Even if you are only slightly overweight, and need to find a way to lose a couple of pounds, you may be frustrated with the options you have tried so far. Diet pills are designed for those who are severely overweight, and the side effects may not be worth the results. Other diets such as the low carbohydrate diet or the low fat diet may not help much either. It can be very difficult to eliminate fats or carbohydrates because they are found in so many kinds of food.

Perhaps a better way to lose those pounds is the vegetarian diet. It is not designed to promote weight loss, but if you use it correctly, it could be the answer to a thinner, healthier you.

Protein: The Hidden Fat

While consuming fat can certainly add the pounds, there are other sources of weight gain as well. Surprisingly, protein is one of them. If you are eating too much protein for your body to convert into muscle, your body will turn that protein into fat.

The main source for protein in most people's diets is meat. By converting to a vegetarian diet, you will be eliminating a major source of protein and therefore fat from your diet. It is not wise to cut out protein from your diet entirely: if you don't provide your system with any protein at all, your metabolism will slow and you will find yourself storing more fat.

A better idea is to change your protein source. Beans in combination with whole grains provide an excellent source of protein. As long as you keep your portions small you will be offering your body just the right materials without eating too much of a good thing. By eliminating meat, you will also be getting rid of a major fat source. Beans do not contain fat, but are instead a purer source for protein.

Adding Up the Good Stuff

On a vegetarian diet, you will be encouraged to eat more plant foods instead of meat. Fruits, vegetables and nuts all are great things to eat to boost your metabolism and to increase your weight loss capabilities. The sugars in fruits are more complex than processed sugars and are less likely to be stored as fat.

Vegetables are great sources for vitamins that your body needs to work efficiently. Plant foods are also good sources of fiber which aids in healthy digestion. All of these factors add up to give you the weight loss results that you are seeking.

A vegetarian diet is not about eating less. It's about eating right. By giving your body a break from the meats that you normally eat, you will be increasing your chances for weight loss. Eliminating meat means a reduction in protein intake as well as fat intake. In combination with eating a healthy vegetarian diet, you should also reduce your intake of other sugary and fatty foods. Replace vending machine snacks with fruits, vegetables and pretzels. By making good choices on a vegetarian diet, you will finally have the healthy body that want to have.

Source http://ar.ticul.us

Dieting And Will Power- Strange Bed Fellow?

2007-08-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

By Mark Kimathi

It is never clear to many whether they need will power to diet or not. Depending on your source of information, you will probably be either way. But for many, the lack of will power in a dieting endeavor could be the reason they are never able to lose weight. Yet the question remains is dieting and will power unrelated?

You likely have come across information like you cannot depend on will power to lose weight. The question to retort back would then be what then should you depend on?

Will power is the ability to control ones action, emotions and impulses. The famous American motivational speaker Phil McGraw refers to being overweight as "loss of control" And this rings true because you grow fat to the extent that you lose control of your food choices, food portions and similar calorie related decisions.

To tell you the truth, there is probably no thing as powerful as the backing of will-power to lose weight. And this will power exists in everyone. And like all other major achievements in life it is a central requirement in losing weight.

And just to prove this point in case of weight loss surgery where the individual doesn't comply or is not willing to take up the after weight loss surgery lifestyle; they will still regain the dramatic weight loss achieved by the surgery. This is inspite of the fact that their stomach is 5% its original size and the intestines are re-routed to reduce calorie intake.

Indeed the concept that permanent weight loss is a change of lifestyle is exactly about will power. Changing lifestyle means changing your everyday decisions to agree with the desire to have a healthy weight.

The real problem with will power is not that it does not exist in the individual, rather is that there is no good reason to use it. Will power when deployed is a major resource in the human arsenal of performance. But it needs a reason to get activated.

Take the case of the Governor of Arkansas who lost 100 pounds and has literally ripped muscles all without surgery. He had tried several other diets before becoming successful. But a realization that he was following on the path of a parent who had suffered greatly due to diabetes caused by obesity scared him skinny.

To deploy will power you need motivation and to get motives you need desires - strong desires like the desire not to die young.

You need to want to lose weight. You need to have a good reason deep down within you of why you need to lose weight. This desire will kick in the will power you need to make the lifestyle change. From there you can depend on plain old discipline and routine to reinforce your dietary and lifestyle habits for a permanent weight loss. Indeed dieting and will power are not strange bedfellow they are just a distance apart in the continuum of permanent weight loss.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

The Alli Diet Orlistat Pill – The Facts Behind The Hype

2007-07-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

The alli diet Orlistat pill is the only over-the-counter, FDA approved weight-loss aid for overweight adults. Unlike other weight-loss aids and diet pills, alli Orlistat won't make you jittery, restless or irritable.

The alli diet Orlistat pill works directly in the digestive tract by adhering to some of the natural enzymes. This prevents those enzymes from breaking down about twenty-five percent of the fat you consume. Any undigested fat that you eat is then passed out of the body instead of being turned into fat.

The alli diet Orlistat pill, in combination with a low-fat and calorie diet plan can help you lose fifty percent more weight than by dieting alone. This means that instead of losing ten pounds by just dieting alone, you could lose fifteen pounds by taking alli Orlistat.

Alli Orlistat does have some potential side effects. If you take the alli Orlistat weight-loss aid and eat more than 30 percent fat calories, you might experience side effects such as more frequent bowl movements and gas with an oily discharge.

This is why anyone taking alli Orlistat should consider following a low-fat and calorie diet plan. Following a low-fat diet doesn’t mean you’ll feel deprived. When you limit the amount of fat in your diet, you have more room for protein and carb calories. Why? Because fat contains more than twice the number of calories as the same amount of protein and carbs. One gram of fat contains 9 calories compared with just 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs.

In real life, there are no miracle pills. Taking the alli diet Orlistat pill alone won't give you positive results unless you stick to a balanced, low-fat diet and regular exercise program.

But by committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle change, you can finally lose that weight and keep it off for good!

By: Caroline Kent

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

South Beach Diet Information and Recipes

2007-07-20T02:37:00.000-07:00

It is a widely held belief that the key to weight loss is finding the right diet information which means the proper diet to suit their needs. While this is correct in a sense, it is misleading as well. The key to successful dieting is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet plan without having to actually diet. The South Beach diet was proposed by Dr. Arthur Agatston in the mid nineteen nineties as a healthy alternative to the many diet fads in existence at the time. The South Beach diet is not the proverbial diet plan. This diet is actually a sensible and healthy diet plan designed to teach the person using it to eat healthy foods and to learn how to eat properly.

There are many recipes available within the South Beach Diet to aid in healthy weight loss. Unlike traditional the typical diet information we get, the idea of actual dieting by starvation or counting calories or other fads or trends that ignore the primary health concerns of the dieter are not used with the South Beach Diet. The diet includes healthy meal planning and means for controlling the intake of foods including carbohydrates and calories by the dieter so that while they are not actually dieting in the more traditional sense of the word trying to lose weight. The concept is that people will eat healthier foods and in that way do not have the problems with diet failure or the prospect of constantly losing and gaining weight which is not healthy.

The recipes for the South Beach diet include healthy alternatives without being boring. Your diet information sources should include recipes for snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner all focusing on the health needs of the person seeking the diet weight loss. The South Beach diet is one of the most effective tools for weight loss and the rich diet information recipes will allow the person trying to lose weight the ability to eat all they want and stay healthy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Boyd_Adams

Why Following A Diabetes Diet Is Crucial

2007-07-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

Insulin is a very important hormone which converts starchy foods and sugar into glucose, the type of sugar which is required for energy so that your body can function normally. The body stops to produce or use the insulin in the body when you have diabetes, so if you are a diabetic, a careful and strict diet has to be followed. Diabetes is a lifelong problem which has to be dealt with. It is not curable. You have to follow a routine of proper medications and a planned diabetes diet to keep the disease under control and to maintain your health.

Know About Diabetes

It is important that you know thoroughly about the disease and also about the condition of your body. Each one of us has a unique body and although there are many other people with the same disease, it is not necessarily so that what works for them, will also work for you. So you have to consult a doctor to learn about the type of diabetes you have and the issues that may occur when treating yourself for diabetes. It is very important that you follow the correct diabetes diet for you.

Get your blood sugar level tested from time to time, irrespective of what type of diabetes you have. Purchase a pocket size apparatus to check the sugar level in your blood which you can use yourself when and where you want. Start learning how to use the device when you start to follow your diabetes diet. This will allow you to check your sugar level after every meal you eat.

All foods rich in starch or carbohydrates have to be avoided, as these foods are hard to convert into energy if you do not have the required amounts of insulin in your body. You should increase the intake of vegetables and fruits and avoid foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. But there are also certain fruits which you have to avoid, as they can increase the blood sugar level.

It is not true that you have to stop eating a particular food altogether when you have diabetes. You just have to be careful to eat the right quantity.

Make Exercise a Part of Your Routine

The real cause of diabetes still remains unknown, but it is generally accepted that people who are overweight are more likely to suffer from diabetes. Hence, it is necessary that you be careful about what you eat and that you make exercise a part of your lifestyle. Those who are overweight have to be cautious and should try to lose weight. Following a proper diabetes diet is very important, not only for controlling your sugar levels, but also to keep the body fit.

Diabetes is an incurable disease, but if proper care is taken and provided you follow a diabetes diet, there is no reason why you cannot lead a normal and full life.

Article Source: http://www.articlestoreprint.com

Living With Your Diet

2007-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry. Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat.

Can you exist on salad, topped with Flax seed oil dressing, for the rest of your life?

People believe that they must pay penance for their eating sins. Dietary and exercise torture seems to be good for the conscience and the prescription of the day. How else can we explain “off the wall” diets and “extreme” exercise programs?

Whatever happened to eating in moderation and using common sense? Even if you are eating a “diet cookie,” you can’t have all you want.

If you travel, or eat in restaurants frequently, you have to eat in moderation, space your meals out, carry healthy snacks, or visit the salad bar at your local supermarket. There are plenty of good choices, and it won’t cost you an “arm and a leg.”

When you eat, you shouldn’t feel stuffed after a meal. This slows down your digestive system, similar to the principle of a “log jam,” and you may not eat for six hours or more, depending upon the amount of food consumed. This is a time when your body is crying to go for a walk.

You should feel comfortably full every time you leave the table, and you should eat five or six times a day; three moderately-sized meals and at least two healthy snacks.

Sorry to say, diet cookies are rarely healthy. If they were of nutritional value, I would live on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Diet.

Now back to reality, if you love dessert, you can’t give it up for life.
Depending on the state your health, you may have to seriously cut back.
Therefore, consult with your family doctor, get a diet that makes sense, and please walk, swim, or exercise regularly.

By: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Are Diet Pills Really The Right Answer To Weight Loss?

2007-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Diet pills have hit the USA and the world by storm. Everyone loves them, but who really knows if they are safe and how effective they are?

You are in luck, I have tested just about every diet pill on the market and I can tell you with confidence if you know where to look you will be okay.

The ephedra-based diet pills were banned in the USA for a reason, they were not safe for the general public. A diet pill must have herbal ingredients and be safe for you to consume. If your diet pill has any chemically depedent ingredients, then it is probably not the safest pill to consume.

But, you ask do these herbal diet pills REALLY work?

Well, yes some do, and some do not.

Always look for the pills that have gone through clinical studies.

There are many informative weight loss sites that you can visit that have many users who have tested out the pill you are about to buy. User reviews in my opinion is the absolute best way to make a confident decision when purchasing a diet pill.

It is very important to know this when making your decision, there are a lot of diet pills out there that are no more then a couple ingredients mixed together to do NOTHING for you but psyche yourself into thinking you are doing something good.

As always, consult with your doctor before you decide to put anything in your body. This is your health.

Good luck on your quest to lose weight!

By Sean Morganse

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Morganse

Hoodia Gordonii Diet - All You Need To Know About The Hoodia Cactus Plant & Diet

2007-07-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Hoodia Gordonii cactus extract has been widely publicized on the Today Show, 60 Minutes and other broadcast television programs. This article will explain the history of the Hoodia Gordonni plant, how the Hoodia weight loss diet works and where to find the most potent cactus plant products that really work.

The powerful properties of the cactus plant have been known by the bushmen of the Kalahari desert for centuries. In the 1990s the Council For Scientific And Industrial Research conducted a detailed research study on the many native plants and bush foods eaten regularly by the "Sans Bushmen".

What the CSIR soon found out was that the Hoodia cactus plant is not only not poisonous but it also contains some incredibly powerful properties to suppress the appetite and suppress the appetite. This study was found as a result of watching how animals reacted when eating the Hoodia cactus plant.

As a result of the substantial claims of rapid weight loss many Hoodia Gordonii diet products have ascended the marketplace to become one of the fastest selling and fasting growing weight loss products in an marketplace where billions is spent every year on weight loss products.

Before deciding on a Hoodia product to aid with your weight loss it is vital to understandmore about the Hoodia cactus plant. Once the CSIR had been able to isolate the active ingredients in the Hoodia cactus plant that was responsible for appetite suppressing and increasing the body's ability to burn fat they called it p57. The CSIR then sold the rights to P57 to an English pharmaceutical organisation called Phytopharm.

It is somewhat surprising that there are such a number of Hoodia diet on the market when Phytopharm holds the licence to P57. While Phytopharm ultimately holds the licence to P57 there are other patent laws that come into play. Only the Phytopharm chemical company has the legal ability to extract the potent P57 molecule located in Hoodia Gordonii and use it in any and all of their Hoodia cactus plant product lines.

That being said the whole Hoodia Gordonii plant can never be patented. As a result of this other companies have the legal right to produce their own Hoodia weight loss supplements and products legally without holding the rights to P57.

With such a range of products now available from the Hoodia plant it is absolutely pivotal that consumers don't fall for cheap, ineffective imitations and that they ensure that they only buy PURE South African cactus Hoodia Gordonii products for the fastest weight loss.

By: Karin Manning

Article Source: http://www.articlestoreprint.com

How Water Can Help You Lose Weight Naturally

2007-07-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

It may be surprising but water makes up 2/3 of your body mass. You need water to maintain an optimum level of hydration, flush away harmful toxins, cleanse the body, cool off, help joints work and to aid food digestion. You need 2 liters of water daily for all these bodily functions.

Wow, isn't that a whole mouthful? But wait, water is also important in helping you lose weight.

Yes, drinking sufficient water can actually help you lose weight. On the contrary, not drinking enough water can make you put on weight, besides putting your health at risk.

But how does water help you lose weight? Here's how and why:-

1. Your body's metabolism depends on water to continue functioning properly. Not having enought water will significantly slow down the process of breaking food down and converting it into energy. This will lead to unnecessary weight gain for you.

So, if you are dieting and you seem to have hit the dreaded plateau, then you are probably not drinking enough water. Drink more water to correct the situaion.

2. Your body's process of digestion and elimination of residues is also dependent on water. Not drinking enough water? Get ready for an uncomfortable case of constipation and a host of other problems in the intestines.

Poor digestion leads the body to seek out more food since the body "thinks" that it is not eating enough. This is usually the first sign of trouble for you.. A dehydrated or water-deprived body feels hungry, thus tempting you to eat more food than you should.

3. Water also acts as a good food filler or substitute. A big cup or glass of water before a meal can fill your belly and reduce your hunger pangs. That's why dietitians and weight loss experts advise us to drink lots of water to fill up our tummy first. Now you know why!

You should drink water gradually and steady throughout the day. Never drink a larger gulp all at once because your body can only absorb so much at one time. It will discard the rest as waste so that that's bad for you.

You can also take fruit juices, weak tea and coffee instead of plain water for hydration purposes.

And for the ladies, drinking a lot of water will not make you retain it. Dehydration forces your body to hang on to what it has, not abundance of water.

If you need help losing weight, besides drinking lots of water, it may be a good idea to also look for some weight loss supplements.

By: Gary Toh

Article Source: http://www.articlestoreprint.com/

Fast And Simple Ways To Drop One Dress Size In A Week

2007-07-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Weight loss is one of the most important ideas in American society today. People are constantly searching for a way to lose weight very quickly. Whether you want to fit into that dress for your date on Saturday night, or you just want to look good for your upcoming class reunion, there are a number of ways that you can lose weight rather quickly.

One good way to drop that dress size by next week is to add some water to your diet. This is a fairly good tip for any dieters, but losing weight fast means you should drink more water than you ever thought you could handle. The body retains four to six pounds of water on any given day. The body is, essentially, hoarding the water for some future use.

Should you ever become incapacitated and not give your body the water it needs to survive, your body would have some reserves to live on. If, however, you give your body the water it needs on a regular basis, you will lose your water weight quite quickly. This will give you at least four pounds less on the scale when you get up to put your new dress on.

Another good way to lose that dress size by next Saturday night is to be sure to take in enough protein. Your body needs protein so it does not feel like it is starving. If your body feels like it is starving, it will begin hoarding pounds. All of these pounds will be converted into fat, no matter what you are eating. As a result, if you allow your body enough protein, you will not have that problem.

You should consume protein every three hours. You should certainly try to get several ounces of protein before you go to sleep each night. There are several ways you can get the protein you need. Meat is an excellent source of protein. You should try to only purchase and eat lean cuts of meat. Poultry works well too. Beans and legumes are another great source of protein to add to your diet. Eggs are also a good source of protein.

The chances of you getting sick of the traditional protein sources, though, are quite good during your week of intensive weight loss. As a result, it might be necessary to visit a nutritional supplement store or the supplement aisle of your local mega mart. A protein supplement of any kind, whether it be in bar, pill, or powder form, will help you out.

Another important quick weight loss tip is to eat lots of smaller meals during the day. If your normal day is structured around three meals each day, you should try to refocus it around five to six much smaller meals during the day. This will help you to take in fewer calories during the course of the day. Moreover, taking in fewer calories at any given time will help to stimulate your metabolism and help you burn off the calories you actually consume.

Be sure to exercise for at least thirty minutes each day. If you want to lose weight quickly, you should increase your time to a minimum of two hours each day. The only real way to lose weight is to burn the calories you take in. As a result, two hours of hard exercise each day should help to nullify the calories you have consumed during the course of the day.

One final way to lose weight quickly is to cut your carbs as much as possible. Carbohydrates are empty calories. You have to consume far more calories in carbohydrates than you do in other sources of nutrition like proteins to help your body feel full. As a result, you simply cannot process the calories you take in when your diet is based around carbohydrates. Change your diet to a protein base, and you will lose weight rather quickly.

You should be cautious with each of these methods listed here. It is important to remember that long lasting weight loss can only be achieved through hard work and true changes to your diet and lifestyle. The chances are quite good that if you lose a dress size within a single week, you will regain your weight within three weeks. As a result, if you truly want to keep the weight off, you have some serious changes to make in your life.

Article Source: http://www.articlestoreprint.com

Practical Tips For Healthy Weight Loss

2007-07-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ever wish there was an easy-to-follow practical primer to tell you all the things you should and shouldn't do to help you lose weight? I'm not talking about food choices here - there are 'tons' of eating plans available. I'm referring to a simple list that you can follow in your everyday life to make it easier to stick to your diet. Here are a few tips that I've found works wonders to help avoid temptation and keep me on track.

Shopping Tips

1. Shop the outside grocery aisles.

Supermarkets are designed with the four basic food groups around the perimeter of the store. If you stick to the outside aisles, you'll find produce, bakery, dairy and meat - exactly what you should be buying. Avoid going up and down the aisles where processed 'convenience' foods lurk to tempt you from your good intentions.

2. Never ever shop hungry.

It's an old tip, but it works every time. When you're hungry, everything looks good - especially quick, empty calories. Make it a point to shop on a full stomach and you'll find yourself saving both money and calories.

3. Buy fresh, whole and organic whenever you can. Processing depletes vital nutrients and adds calories. If you have a choice, buy fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grain products. Skip the highly processed snack foods(twinkies and chips etc.)and 'convenience' dinners.

Setting Goals

1. Break your goals down if you have to. The thought of losing 100 pounds can be daunting. Instead, make it your goal to lose 10 pounds this month, or to get through the week without cheating on your diet. "Inch by inch life's a cinch; yard by yard it's hard."

2. Set reasonable, attainable goals for yourself. Remember that a healthy, sustainable weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week. Setting the goal to lose 30 pounds by next month is setting yourself up for failure. Don't be taken in by the infomercials and false advertisements! Everyone is different! Being content with your progress will help you attain your goals. Discontentment leads to eating binges. Remember, you didn't gain the weight overnight nor will you lose it overnight.

3. Reward yourself! There's nothing more motivating than promising yourself a special treat when you reach a goal - but don't keep rewards just for big milestones. Make a list of positive reinforcers that you can dip into whenever you avoid temptation or need a little boost. I always make Saturday by treat day. I stick to my diet goals all week then on Saturday I reward myself with a treat. Plus, it just makes it easier to get through the week knowing that on Saturday I can have that banana split.

Measuring and Weighing

1. Measure your progress by dress size or pants size instead of pounds. Use a tape measure instead of the bathroom scales. Why? One of the by-products of eating healthy and exercising daily is converting fat to muscle. Muscle is denser, and weighs more than fat - but you're still getting smaller, and your clothing will tell you the truth.

2. Measure your day in steps - steps walked, that is. Counting the steps you walk each day and aiming to increase them to 10,000 steps daily is a great way to add exercise to your diet. By walking 10,000 steps a day, you can burn as many calories as you do when you do any of the following:

- Swim for 90 minutes
- Ride a bike for 70 minutes
- Play 10 holes of golf (without the cart)
- Walk 50 blocks
- Play soccer for 90 minutes
- Work for two hours in your garden

How do you fit in 10,000 steps? You can count every step you take during the day - clip on a pedometer first thing in the morning and take it off last thing at night. (Hint: Invest in a pedometer!)

3. Measure your food for the first month. Our concept of portion size has been greatly distorted by restaurants, magazine ads and our own eating habits. Invest a month in learning what a real portion looks like - weigh or measure everything. Stay away from buffets until you have reached your goals or for a special treat.

Attitude

1. Treat yourself well! Losing weight is something you're doing because you love yourself. Remember to reinforce yourself regularly for your hard work. You can do it! "If one man (or woman) can do it, another can!" (Anthony Hopkins in "The Edge")

2. Focus on your health, not your weight. Eat healthy, exercise sensibly, and focus on how you will feel when you reach your goal. See yourself the way you want to be, but be realistic.

3. If you slip, forgive yourself and start again. After all, just one banana split never made anyone fat. Every day is a new day, and every day brings you closer to the new you.

By: Bob Janeway

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

A Weight Loss Plan For Success

2007-06-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

The formula for losing weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. But, it's not really all that simple, is it?

Long-term weight loss isn't impossible, but you do have to be committed. Having a weight loss plan for your success is a good start. Here are ten items that should go into your weight loss plan.

1. Eat breakfast. This keeps you from getting too hungry later and then losing control over what you choose to eat later in the day.

2. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and snacks and limit high-fat, high-salt snacks such as potato chips and cookies.

3. Fill up on Fiber. Eat foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The fibers in these foods will fill you up leaving less room for unhealthy choices.

4. Don't fall into bad habits on weekends. Many people will follow a strict diet on weekends only to fall back into eating more (unhealthy) on the weekends as a reward for "being good" all week. Unfortunately, this can cause you to regain tahe weight you may have lost during the week.

5. Watch portion sizes. Your perception of what a serving size should be and a "true" serving size can differ dramatically. Measuare your portions accurately, especially when you first start your healthy eating regime.

6. Set lifestyle goals - not weight loss goals. Commitment to eating healthy foods does lead to healthy weight loss -- gradually. Looking at your weight daily can cause discouragement and will make many people give up and go back to unhealthy food choices.

7. Take healthy snacks with you when you take road trips. Grab healthy granola bars, bananas, apples and other fruit to prevent the tempation of stopping for a cancy bar or milk shake.

8. Don't deny yourself the foods you love. If you absolutely love chocolate, go ahead and have a small pice - half of a candy bar insteaad of a whole one! And avoid eating your "splurges" every day. Save them for when you really need them!

9. Start moving. Exercise is the key to long term weight loss. You've heard the saying, "Move it or lose it." Too true!

10. Keep a journal. Writing down what you eat, when and how much you exercise and your moods will keep you on track and motivated to continue the course.

Weight loss is achieved by both diet and exercise. It is also achieved by persistence. If you "fall off the wagon" one day, pick yourself up and continue your healthy lifestyle the next. Don't give up!

By: Jude Wright

Article Source: http://www.articles411.com/

The Basics For Raw Food Recipes

2007-06-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

In this day and age, everybody wants to improve their looks with a thinner waist line. For that, people may need some directions for finding healthy solutions to lose weight. The best choice someone can make in order to lose weight and gain health, energy and vitality is switching to a raw food diet.

People discover each day the benefits of raw food recipes. When switching to a raw food diet you will see improvements to your daily behavior like improved sleep, some anti-aging benefits, increased vitality and health. Owing to such advantages, the popularity of raw food diets is bound to increase, because we all want to improve the way we look and the way we feel about ourselves, don’t we?

In the beginning people didn’t cook their food and they consumed it raw. Eating like this helped them keep very healthy. Our bodies are built so that we can consume raw foods. The only thing we need to do is to rediscover the way we were in the beginning and enjoy all that nature has to give us. Consuming raw foods helps our bodies because they contain enzymes that help digestion. These enzymes are destroyed if the fruits and vegetables are cooked. Our body digests the foods through its own enzymes, but the enzymes in our body also give us energy. Therefore, when we use the enzymes in our bodies for digestion and not the ones in fruits and vegetables, it means that our energy levels and vitality are decreased.

Basic guidelines for planning your healthy raw food recipes recommend that you should include in your diet mostly fruit and vegetables, which are our most biologically conducive meals. Something that can help you in planning your raw food recipes is the categories in which fruits and vegetables are divided.

Fruits can be divided in sweet fruits (tropical fruits, persimmons, sweet grapes), acid fruits (lemons, citrus), sub-acid fruits (apples, pears, tart grapes) and fatty fruits (avocadoes, durian). Melons constitute a separate category of fruits. Some of the vegetable categories are non-starchy greens (spinach, cabbage), fruit vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes) and root vegetables (carrots, celeriac). Another category of vegetables includes lettuce and celery. The vegetables named here can be found as items on a list of raw low carbohydrate foods. All these fruits and vegetables are the common components of raw food recipes.

Now that the categories have been established, here are some rules of combining them in order for you to avoid fermentation in the intestines, indigestion, water retention and toxicity. Sweet fruits are to be eaten with other varieties of sweet fruits only or with sub-acid fruits. Don’t eat acid fruit with anything other than celery and lettuce. Avocadoes and olives should be eaten with non-starchy vegetables. Melons should be eaten alone or not eaten at all. These are combinations that you should try. But there are a few combinations that you should try to avoid like starch and acid (tomato and potato), protein and protein (avocadoes and nuts), sweets and starch (maple syrup and rice). Think about these combinations when you are developing your own raw food recipes.

Raw food diets are not all about fruits and vegetables. Organic foods can also be included in the diet. Organic cheese is very nutritious and can be included in raw food diets because it does not involve a cooking process that destroys enzymes. You should make sure that the organic cheese you buy is organic, and not a scam. The process that is followed by farmers to obtain organic cheese consists of letting nature take its natural course, from harvesting the milk from the cows and letting it coagulate with no help from additional catalytic agents. Incredible products made from raw ingredients and that may include organic cheese can be found here, on rawbakery.com.

By: Ckint Jhonson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Dietary Therapy: High Fiber Diets

2007-06-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Can high-fiber diets really do all they claim to do? Studies have looked at the relationship between high-fiber diets and many diseases, including colon cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Proven benefits of a high-fiber diet include prevention and treatment of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis. In addition, certain types of fiber help decrease blood cholesterol levels.

Dietary fiber comes from the portion of plants that is not digested by enzymes in the intestinal tract. Part of it, however, may be metabolized by bacteria in the lower gut. Different types of plants have varying amounts and kinds of fiber, including pectin, gum, mucilage, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

Pectin and gum are water-soluble fibers found inside plant cells. They slow the passage of food through the intestines but do nothing to increase fecal bulk. Beans, oat bran, fruit and vegetables contain soluble fiber.

In contrast, fibers in cell walls are water insoluble. These include cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Such fibers increase fecal bulk and speed up the passage of food through the digestive tract.

Wheat bran and whole grains contain the most insoluble fiber, but vegetables and beans also are good sources.Sometimes there is confusion as to the difference between crude fiber and dietary fiber. Both are determined by a laboratory analysis, but crude fiber is only one-seventh to one-half of total dietary fiber.

Insoluble fiber binds water, making stools softer and bulkier. Therefore, fiber, especially that found in whole grain products, is helpful in the treatment and prevention of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

Diverticula are pouches of the intestinal wall that can become inflamed and painful.It is now known that a high-fiber diet gives better results once the inflammation has subsided.

Some types of fiber, however, appear to have a greater effect than others. The fiber found in rolled oats is more effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels than the fiber found in wheat. Pectin has a similar effect in that it, too, can lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

High-fiber diets may be useful for people who wish to lose weight. Fiber itself has no calories, yet provides a “full” feeling because of its water-absorbing ability. For example, an apple is more filling than a half cup of apple juice that contains about the same calories.

Foods high in fiber often require more chewing, so a person is unable to eat a large number of calories in a short amount of time. Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Meat, milk and eggs do not contain fiber.

The form of food may or may not affect its fiber content. Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. Other types of processing, though, may reduce fiber content. Drying and crushing, for example, destroy the water-holding qualities of fiber.

The removal of seeds, peels or hulls also reduces fiber content. Whole tomatoes have more fiber than peeled tomatoes, which have more than tomato juice. Likewise, whole wheat bread contains more fiber than white bread.

Fiber supplements are sold in a variety of forms from bran tablets to purified cellulose. Many laxatives sold as stool softeners actually are fiber supplements. Fiber’s role in the diet is still being investigated.

It appears that the various types of fiber have different roles in the body. For these reasons, avoid fiber supplements. Instead, eat a variety of fiber-rich foods.

This is the best way to receive the maximum benefits from each type of fiber present in foods, and obtain necessary nutrients.

By: Davin Michaels

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Which Diet Plan Is Best? Study's Surprising Results

2007-06-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

The question that hangs in the air for those who are anticipating the start of a new diet lies in exactly which diet might happen to be right for them and which diet holds the key to helping them lose the most weight.

Certainly, there are numerous diets available and it seems like every few months a new diet or eating plan has emerged to become the new successful diet rage. Is it possible that all the popular diets can help you lose weight or are there certain diets that can help you lose more weight than others?

This is the question that a group of researchers set out to answer recently. Over a period of two months, 160 individuals were monitored closely as they followed a supervised program. The varying factor among all 160 program participants was that they were allowed to choose whichever diet suited their fancy. Researchers waited and watched in anticipation to learn which diet or diets would prove to be most successful.

What they learned at the conclusion of the study proved to be quite interesting. The data they collected not only helped them to learn more about which diet programs tend to be more successful in terms of total weight loss but also which diet programs more individuals were more likely to stick with for long term weight loss and maintenance.

While the study participants were allowed to choose their favorite diet plan, most participants opted for one of the following: Atkins, Weight Loss, Ornish and the Zone. Even though initial data was conducted after just two months, researchers continued to study the remaining participants. They discovered that after a period of time more than half of those participants who opted for diet plans that focused on low carbs and high fat, such as the Atkins plan, dropped out. Additionally, approximately the same percentage of individuals who chose the Ornish plan, which focuses on low fat and high carb vegetarian foods, also quit their diets. Weight Watchers participants fared moderately better, with about two-thirds of that groups' participants sticking with it. The Zone participants showed similar results.

So, which diet plans performed best overall in terms of total weight loss? Surprisingly, they all performed about the same. Those individuals participating in the Ornish plan who were able to stick with their diet for the entire year achieved a weight loss rate of about 6%; the highest of all groups. Atkins came in at about 4%, with Weight Watchers and the Zone performing at an average of 5% weight loss. Health risk factors related to obesity were an entirely different matter; however. In terms of heart disease risk, Weight Watchers participants decreased their risk by 15%, while other diet plans hovered in the 12% range. The Ornish diet plan participants, who showed a higher overall weight loss, showed a lower decrease in risk of heart disease, at just 7%.

Overall; however, researchers concluded that in the end, there is no one magic diet. If you're planning to resolve to lose weight in the New Year, your best strategy is still the same regardless of which diet plan you ultimately choose. Eat sensibly, cut back on portions, drink plenty of water, participate in a moderate exercise routine and find a diet buddy to support you in your weight loss goals.

The Author: Joey Dweck

Article Source: www.articles-hub.com

Low Calories Diets – The Healthiest Way To Your Ideal Weight

2007-06-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Having the ideal diet means not exceeding the appropriate weight for your height and build. How important is it to have the ideal weight? You cannot even begin to imagine that. Let’s just say that a lot of health hazards are related to obesity, and this condition is unfortunately way too frequent all over the world. Bad eating habits and complete lack of physical exercises are just two of the factors that lead to being overweight. This in its turn can lead to serious medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, and so on.

The good news is that you have to be seriously over your ideal weight before you can begin worrying about health issues. Even so, as long as your are not obsessed about it, there is nothing wrong in try to lose weight in order to look good.

You’ll probably ask yourselves what is your ideal weight. This is a rather complex subject, and what you should think of first and foremost is the ratio of fat to muscle. No body weight calculator can take into account the amount of body fat you are carrying. It’s up to you to determine whether you are pleased with your body, in terms of how strong and toned or how flabby you are. Due to the fact that muscle weighs more per square inch than fat does, you may find yourself at the higher end of the ideal weight range, which is provided by a height and weight chart. The point is that two persons with the same height and weight can look completely different, meaning that if one of them is muscular, he or she will look rather slim, whereas the other can look quite plump.

Even if you have the ideal body weight, you may still need to tone up, because an inappropriate fat-muscle ratio may eventually lead to some health problems. What most health professionals recommend in order to get the ideal weight is to become more active and have healthy eating principles. In other words, weight loss does not require a punishing exercise routine or going on a strict diet. All it takes is that you follow some low calories diets and exercise regularly.

Healthy and successful weight loss can definitely be attained through good habits and moderation. Weight fluctuations are extremely dangerous to your health, and submitting your body to repeated strict diets will eventually prove damaging to your physical and mental well-being. Health professionals recommend that you resort to low calories diets and turn calorie counting into a lifetime habit.

No fitness apparels, wonder belts, magic pills or diets will get you to your ideal weight if you keep eating irregularly and unhealthy. Many people prefer hamburgers, chips, pizzas or snacks with many calories to a healthy vegetable and fruit meal, because the former don’t require any effort to prepare and are readily available. Those who argue that they simply cannot live without their daily snacks and sweets should know that in much a similar way as quitting smoking, getting used to eating low-fat food is just a matter of time. Low calories diets are very helpful because they allow you to eat tasty food in a moderate way. You don’t have to starve in order to look good. All it takes is that you pay a little more attention to number of calories for your meals.

Remember that there is no better way to lose weight and get your ideal weight that combining low calories diets with regular exercise, and making a habit out of being active and eating healthy.

By: Groshan Fabiola

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Atkins Diet

2007-06-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

The world today loves the idea of slim looking people. We see these people in magazines, on the television, and on beauty contests. In short we see them all over following various diets to help them achieve this look. One such diet that promotes this way of living is the Atkins diet. With the Atkins diet the way many people dieted changed forever.

In the Atkins diet you are introduced to a new way of living. With this method you will be re-educated about the types of low carbohydrate foods that you can eat. You will have to follow certain spartan rules in order for the Atkins diet to work for you.

There are Four stages of the diet that are necessary for any one who is on the Atkins diet to follow. These stages are the induction which is stage 1, in progress(p) weight loss

is level 2, pre-maintenance is the 3rd phase and stage Four is maintenance. In addition to following the diverse dietary rules of these various stages the Atkins diet also recommends that steady exercising and nutritional supplements are used as part of this low carbohydrate diet.

During the induction point of the Atkins diet it is possible to ache up to Fifteen pounds. This is achieved by restricting your sugar intake to 20 grams a day. You can have low carbohydrate vegetables in your diet like lettuce, broccoli and tomatoes, Yet you can’t eat yoghurt, fruit and any starchy vegetables like potatoes on an Atkins diet. You are not allowed to have any drinks like alcohol or anything that might be caffein based.

Supposedly during the induction phase of the Atkins diet you stabilize your blood sugar, and curb various wellness symptoms that originate from unstable blood sugar, like fatigue. In this stage you break diverse food addictions and you also ensure your cravings for differe

National Trust foods. You will also find there to be a significant weight loss during this period.

When you enter the Third and 4th stages of the Atkins diet you will have reached your ideal weight. It will be at this time that you get to increase your carbohydrate intake up to 60 grams per day. From this point on if you wishing to keep your weight at this level then you must stick to your Atkins diet for the rest of your life.

A word of cautiousness should be given. There are many medical facts that state that followers the Atkins diet will cause wellness problems for those on the diet. The reasons are many but the main ones are that our bodies need about 300 grams of carbohydrates for wellness and mentality activity to function properly.

However, so far the dieting seems to be working for many people on many different levels, so if you take things one step at a time, you should be able to find that with the Atkins diet you’ve found asure-fire winning way to permanent weight loss. And what could be better than that?

Article Source: http://www.articles411.com/

Weight Loss Motivation Guidelines (Part 2)

2007-06-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

A Better Way of Thinking

Now let me show you some better alternatives. Please compare them with the above example.

Example 1

"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. But I'm not going to make excuses. I've wasted enough time making excuses to myself. From now on, no matter what happens, I'm going to be honest with myself. So what do I want? I want to lose weight and get myself into shape. Why? Because I really want that beach holiday (or other very selfish goal) which I promised myself. I want it so bad I can touch it! Okay, so I need to learn how to eat properly - big deal! I can easily do this if I put my mind to it. Heck! Eating good food isn't difficult. What's difficult is seeing myself being overweight for the rest of my life. I want something better. Something a lot better than a fistful of nachos or a dollop of fatty dessert."

Example 2

"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. So let me remind myself why I'm dieting. All my life I've been eating to please other people. My mom said "eat this", so I ate it. My school friends said "have some of this", so I had lots. My work colleagues now say "have a slice of this", so I have two! And my kids say "you must try this", so I try it. And every time I make an effort to lose weight, everyone says "forget about your diet, eat some of this" so I do. Well that's enough! No more eating to please other people. Today I'm going to start eating to please me. And what pleases me is the idea of wearing a size (?) dress to my daughter's wedding (or other very selfish goal). I realise I need to eat properly, but this is a ridiculously tiny price to pay for achieving my goal. Heck! Eating good food isn't difficult. What's difficult is carrying my excess weight around all day. I want something better. Something a lot better than a 4-cheese pizza or a box of cookies."

Example 3

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. Never mind, I'm sure this is quite normal. I can't expect to change my regular eating habits without a few hiccups along the way. Besides, I'm looking for more than the few minutes of pleasure I get from filling my stomach with junk. I want a lifetime of pleasure - real pleasure from looking good and being taken seriously and who knows, maybe finding a great partner. I know other people see me as a fat person - goodness, at times I do too! - but this is exactly WHY I want to change. I'm tired of being fat. Real tired. And if this means learning how to eat good food, then let's do it! And when it gets tough I'm going to login to Anne Collins forum and get help. All I know is, I want to make it happen!"

Example 4

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. This morning I watched my colleagues eat a whole birthday cake - it looked delicious - and I sat there feeling miserable and deprived. Then I went for lunch with a friend and chose a tuna salad while she ate half a pizza followed by two slices of cheesecake. It was torture! But then I started thinking to myself "what's more important - a few slices of cheesecake, or a really lean shape?" And I decided that looking good was what I really wanted. I know that it's not going to happen overnight, but if I can persevere and learn good eating habits along the way, I know I'm gonna make it..."

Example 5

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. But at least it's not a race. So who cares if I have a few wobbly moments, as long as I get where I want to go. At 26 I'm in the prime of my life, and I want to make the most of it. I'm tired of my slim friends getting all the best guys. I want to turn a few heads myself. I want the attention and I want to be taken seriously, and if I have to spend 12 months dieting - heck! I'm gonna do it. Last week I saw a friend of mine in hospital who lost a leg in a car crash. The doctors say it's going to take her 12 months to relearn how to walk. Now that is tough. By comparison, my journey is easy. And as long as I keep reminding myself of this, I'll be fine."

Points To Remember

1. A diet is a journey from A to B.

2. Feeling bored is a sign we are losing our direction.

3. When we lose direction we need to regain it, fast!

4. The way to regain direction is to remind yourself why you are dieting.

5. You are dieting because you want something better than a plate of fattening food.

Getting Help To Lose Weight

Changing our eating habits is much easier when we get support from other people. So make sure your online weight management plan includes membership of a forum. Because only people can offer you the sort of encouragement you need to achieve your personal weight loss goals.

By: Anne Collins

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Weight Loss Motivation Guidelines (Part 1)

2007-06-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

By: Anne Collins

Introduction

If there is one thing that all dietitians and obesity experts agree on, it is that personal motivation is the foundation of all weight loss success. No matter how healthy the diet-plan, or what combination of calories and nutrition it contains, it won't help anyone lose weight unless they follow it for long enough. Their willingness to do so depends entirely on how motivated they are to change their eating and exercise habits in order to achieve their weight loss goals.

Motivation Advice Hard To Find

The Internet offers a bewildering array of diets and weight loss eating plans, but advice on motivation when dieting is in extremely short supply. Given the strong link between diet-compliance and motivation, this lack of motivational help is surprising to say the least. It may stem from the fact that many diets are created by people who lack hands-on experience of helping people to manage their weight. Perhaps they see weight loss as a biological rather than a human process. If so, I think it's a mistake.

Motivating Yourself To Lose Weight

I tell all my clients that starting a weight loss diet is like starting a journey. And like any journey it requires preparation. We need to look ahead and plan how to overcome problems that occur along the way. By doing this we take control of the process and greatly increase our chances of success.

Unfortunately, many dieters don't plan ahead. Instead, they take things as they come, and rely upon two things: their initial enthusiasm, and (when this wears off) their willpower. But enthusiasm and willpower aren't enough to overcome the temptations and difficulties which we face when we try to change our eating habits and lifestyle.

Stop for a moment and imagine taking your family on a camping trip. Do you rely on your enthusiasm and willpower for food and shelter? Of course not. In all probability you spend hours beforehand carefully packing and preparing for every eventuality, and the whole trip is carefully planned out in advance.

Yet when you start a diet-journey, many of you set off without any kind of planning or preparation. It's as if you are convinced that everything will go smoothly. But let's face it, what diet ever runs smoothly? Answer: none! So what happens when we encounter a big problem? Answer: we wobble, and often quit.

We Need To Plan New Thinking Habits

Planning a diet-journey doesn't involve packing equipment, it involves packing "new thoughts". We need to rehearse and adopt new ways of thinking in order to overcome problems during our journey. This isn't psycho-babble - this is plain common sense. After all, successful dieting is largely a matter of motivation and attitude. It's about what goes on between our ears!

The Most Common Dieting Problem

The most common problem we face when dieting is boredom. This typically occurs when our initial enthusiasm for losing weight wears off, and we become tired of watching what we eat. We become dispirited, and slightly depressed at the idea of having to maintain our "sensible eating habits" while everyone else seems to be having a good time.

Losing Direction Leads To Boredom

We get bored when we lose our sense of direction. So to overcome it, we need to reestablish exactly where we are going. Remember, dieting is not an aimless process, it's a journey from A to B. Here's how we think when we lose direction:

"I'm really bored with dieting, it's such a pain. I don't have any freedom any more. I can't eat this, I can't eat that... I'm fed up. I can't share food with the girls at work, I can't eat at my favorite restaurants, I have to keep saying No to food when I visit friends, I have to watch my family eating in front of me, I don't have time to exercise properly, I'm never going to lose weight and I'm feeling really miserable. Heck! Life is too short for this..."

This kind of thinking is totally demotivating. It focuses exclusively on the negative aspects of dieting and signals complete aimlessness. No weight loss goal is achievable when we think like this.

A Better Way of Thinking- continued in the next post

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Why Do We Cheat On Our Diets?

2007-06-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

If only we could solve this question, the world (for many) would be a better place! Well, the reality is that there are real answers to this question that will apply to many people. It will take a good dose of reality and a brave heart to stop denying what really happens. Read on to discover some answers that may change your life forever and give you the impetus to lose weight and keep it off!

Justification?

Being overweight can be used as an excuse for being unhappy, especially when you do not do anything to help yourself. Subconsciously, over-eating is a comfort for many people and this then allows them to hide behind their weight problem and helps them to justify rejection and avoid being hurt. They can then shift the blame of rejection on their weight-problem, without addressing other aspects of their fears. Sometimes it seems easier to hide behind your “weight problem”, than address other matters where you may have a greater fear of failure.

Eating Without Thinking?

If you are concentrating on another activity while you are eating you are more likely to overeat because you are not fully aware of how full you are feeling. This factor can be difficult to change because it is not a conscious action. Try to only eat when you don’t have a lot of other distractions. Sit down, eat slowly and enjoy the food you are eating, and remember that it is not always necessary to go back for seconds. It takes 20 minutes for food to reach your stomach and for your brain to register that you are full.

Cravings?

The famous “Pavlov’s dogs” were conditioned to eat at the sound of a bell, and we human are much the same when it comes to habitual cravings. If you wonder why you always feel like a chocolate when you sit down to watch a movie, or you have to have a box of popcorn….think again. You are not necessarily craving these foods because you are hungry, but rather consider force of habit. During the time when you have a craving, try to ask yourself whether you are really hungry or not. If you are hungry, reach for a low fat snack rather than a chocolate bar or bag of crisps.

Indulging?

Eating or thinking about food can be a distraction from your troubles and you may therefore be unnecessarily over-eating. Emotions and hormones can trigger certain cravings, for example, if you are feeling low, chocolate and carbohydrates assist the production of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin helps you feel happier. This is why we might crave sweet or starchy foods during times of sadness or stress.

If you identify with any of the above factors, you could be on your way towards discovering what is triggering you to overeat.

By: Kim Beardsmore

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/

One Day Miracle Diet

2007-06-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

One Day Miracle Diet – as dieticians put it – is a suitable diet program for gourmet buffs. This cholesterol lowering diet plan is quite simple – you diet for a day and eat full the next day and continue this routine until you feel that you have lost enough weight. It is also called the 24 hour Hollywood Miracle Diet.

During the dieting day, refrain from eating any other food than vanilla (every two hours) or chocolate diet wafers and raw fruits. Also, make it a point to drink lots of water (ideally 8 glasses of water or above). It is also advisable to follow a light exercise routine for better results. Walking short distances will serve the purpose.

The biggest advantage with one day cholesterol lowering diet programs is that the person undergoing dieting will not suffer any muscle loss. This is partially because of the high protein and low calorie content of the wafers, and partially due to the fact that the dieting person actually in fact is not completely severed from his/her eating habits. He/she can have any food he/she wants the every next day.

On the other hand, the disadvantage with the cholesterol lowering diet program is that it does not contribute towards improving one’s eating habits. That is, as it does not suggest an improved diet, the chances of the person regaining the weight due to normal eating after stopping the diet program are high. Also, nutritional deficiency can happen sometimes depending on the physical aspects of the person concerned.

To conclude, cholesterol lowering diet programs of this sort can bring about quick results. Further, as the person is not restricted from his normal diet for more than 24 hours, people will be more inclined to try out this diet program. But the con is that perhaps people may resort to eating more after the one-day deprival. Hence one’s control over his/her eating impulse is critical for ensuring complete success.

Tail Piece – some dieticians tout this cholesterol lowering diet program to be more effective than the traditional tuna and egg diet.

By: Oliver Turner

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Liquid Diets

2007-06-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

A typical meal replacement plan or liquid diet involves substituting a number of meals and snacks with a nutritionally balanced shake made from sugar, skimmed milk powder, fiber, vitamins, minerals and sweetener. Some plans offer candy-like bars as an alternative.

WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK:

Typically, you replace two meals and one snack per day with one shake. Each shake contains about 200 calories. Your third meal is a nutrient-rich meal of about 600 calories. Thus your total daily intake adds up to about 1200 calories.

ADVANTAGES:

The diet is nutritionally balanced and very convenient. All you have to do is open a can, grab a glass, and add milk. In addition to being very sweet, these shakes/bars are good news for anyone with a sweet tooth.

The liquid diet benefits certain types of procedures, both pre- and post-op. In pre-operative cases, a clear liquid diet flushes the bowels while decreasing strain on the digestive system. Before beginning this type of liquid diet, a physician will provide a detailed fact sheet on how to proceed and for how long.

Liquid diets are also used following bariatric surgeries. Those who undergo bariatric surgery may be required to follow a fluid-only diet for up to ten days following the procedure.

Occasionally, extreme cases of obesity are treated with liquid diets. It is successful initially, but must be monitored by a physician for any negative side effects. It is not recommended for long-term weight loss.

DRAWBACKS:

Due to the low calorie content, too little fiber, and lack of important nutrition found in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, these liquid diets are unsafe unless medically prescribed and supervised. They should also only be used for short periods of time.

Studies have shown that weight loss achieved while following a low calorie liquid diet plan is rarely sustained. Dieters can expect to regain as much as 75% of weight lost, within 3 years.

The biggest drawback concerns the issue of eating habits. Meal-replacement diets can help you to lose weight in the short term but they cannot help you to acquire the sort of sensible eating habits that are essential for long-term weight loss.

In addition, liquid diets that are not medically supervised may not supply the body with enough nutrients to function properly and are associated with problems including sensitivity to cold, brittle nails, diarrhea or constipation, and heart problems. Weight loss by means of liquid diets can also cause gallbladder problems.

VERDICT:

This is a reasonably good (and healthy) SHORT-TERM option for disciplined dieters who are under medical supervision. However, make sure your daily solid meal is healthy and your snacks include plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Any fad diet that uses short-term weight loss methods is not recommended for permanent weight control. Remember, permanent fat loss is achieved by following a sensible, nutritious eating plan that includes regular aerobic exercise and behavior modifications.

CHOOSE A HEALTHY WAY TO EAT:

Beware of Any Diet That...

*Provides fewer than 1000 calories per day.

*Boasts unusually fast weight loss.

*Uses the words "miracle" or "fat-burning" to describe itself!

*Has an unbalanced eating plan: i.e. which omits any of the major food groups.

*Has unrestricted amounts of high fat food, like red meat, full fat dairy products or oils.

*Requires you to take expensive supplements.

*Fails to recommend long term changes in your eating habits.

Americans spend billions of dollars a year on diet products. A large percentage of those who purchase them, purchase fraudulent or completely useless products. Do not be one of them!

By: Chris Chenoweth

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Do Fad Diets Work?

2007-06-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Fad diets are weight loss plans that promise amazingly fast results. They do not offer any sort of long-term plan for success and they are usually very unhealthy, sometimes actually dangerous, for your body.

Some of the more popular fad diets are listed below:

LIQUID DIETS: You drink a nutrient-rich liquid twice a day in place of your regular meals and eat a well-balanced meal as the third meal of the day.

LOW FAT HIGH CARB DIET: This diet severely limits the fat in your diet and encourages the intake of carbohydrates.

DIET PILLS AND SUPPLEMENTS: Diet pills and/or supplements are supposed to decrease your appetite, resulting in weight loss.

FOOD RESTRICTIVE DIETS: There are many of these types of diets that require you to severely restrict your calorie intake.

Unfortunately, the claims of fad diets prey on people who are usually so desperate to lose weight, they will try anything. Most people would rather try a quick fix instead of making the effort to lose weight with healthy long-term changes to their diet and lifestyle.

The companies who promote fad diets know this and use it to their advantage. When they promise weight loss that is quick and easy, they know people will be anxious to try it out.

Some fad diets do work for a short time if you faithfully follow the directions. The reason they work is when you stop eating certain foods, you are getting less calories, which naturally results in weight loss.

The downside to this is you are probably losing water and lean muscle, not fat. Additionally, most people cannot stick to food deprivation or eating the same foods for a very long time.

Once you go off of the fad diet, the result is gaining your weight back. This puts you back to where you were before, feeling frustrated, angry, and discouraged.

FAD DIET CLAIMS

If a diet product makes any of the following claims, stay away from them:

*Lose weight very quickly. Common sense should tell you since it took time for you to gain the weight, it will take time to lose it. (You DO NOT want to lose muscle tissue or water!)

*Severely limits your food choices. Anything that discourages balanced nutrition is not healthy.

*Requires you to spend money on pre-packaged meals. The expense for this requires you to continue purchasing these so-called NUTRITIONALLY BALANCED MEALS. Beware!

*Offers testimonials from people who have lost weight or from doctors who are promoting the product. Remember, these people are probably being paid to advertise the product.

The bottom line is, if a diet plan or product sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do not fall for it.

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

If you want to lose weight, develop a healthy diet and exercise program for yourself. If you need help, talk to your doctor.

Use the following tips:

*Never skip meals and start everyday with a healthy breakfast.

* Eat foods from all of the food groups every day, emphasizing vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

*Limit your daily intake of sugar and starches. High sugar foods and foods that are high in white starch have little or no nutritional value for your body.

*Drink water, lots and lots of water. Water flushes toxins out of your body and speeds up your metabolism.

*Participate in daily physical activity, at least 30 minutes a day. Aerobic exercises like walking, bicycling, jogging, and skating are the best. Try to incorporate movement into your daily schedule. Take the steps instead of the elevator, park your car at the farthest point in the parking lot, mow the yard, etc.

Fad diets are not the answer to weight loss. Only a balanced, nutritious diet and regular physical activity can put you on the road to a healthy weight and a healthy body. Make the changes and you will feel better, look better, and live longer.

By: Chris Chenoweth

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The Green Tea Diet Can Provide Vital Health Benefits

2007-06-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

It appears that a green tea diet has some of the same properties that golden elixirs, fountains of youth and magic potions all have. If there is a risk for Alzheimer's in your family, then a green tea diet may delay the onset of this disease.

This has been the conclusion of a recent study that was done in Britain. It discovered that a green tea diet will inhibit the 3 chemical culprits that are associated with breaking down chemical messengers and forming plaques and protein deposits in your brain.

Who Could Benefit From a Green Tea Diet

During the flu season you should incorporate a green tea diet into your daily routine because it will help you to fight off the flu. This is because the substance in green tea that is known as L-theanine is able to increase your virus-battling cells by 10 times. This will also work if you gargle with green tea.

Another great benefit of the green tea diet is that it will increase your metabolism and oxidize any fat that you may have, without raising your heart rate. This has been proven in a recent scientific paper by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The reason why your heart rate is so important here is because an increased heart rate can lead to adverse cardiac effects.

However, there are only 2 ways in which you can actually get rid of fat: by dieting or by exercising. If you are unable to diet, then the green tea diet may be just what you have been looking for as it will allow you to expend energy without a lot of exercise. Combine that with the fact that it is all natural and you have got yourself a winner.

The Concluding Facts About a Green Tea Diet

If you love the idea of a green tea diet but simply cannot stand the taste of tea then you should know that there are green tea pills that you can take as a dietary supplement. These usually come in 500 mg. capsules that you should take 2 or 3 times a day. There is no bitter aftertaste with these capsules either.

So, regardless of how you take green tea, the benefits of a green tea diet simply cannot be ignored. Of course, it is possible to ignore these facts but why would you want to?

By: Ann Marier

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Try This Healthy Eating Diet Plan

2007-06-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

How many times have you decided the time had come to loose a few pounds but everything you tried left you frustrated and feeling deprived. Have you ever considered a healthy eating diet plan?

If you aren’t familiar with a health eating diet plan you might be surprised at just how simple the concept is and you’ll be wondering why more aren’t using it to lose those extra pounds.

The healthy eating diet plan starts by recognizing that weight will only be lost when the number of calories burned exceeds the number of calories eaten. It also recognizes that if you drop your calorie intake too quickly your body will go into what’s called starvation mode storing fat for that rainy day.

The healthy eating diet plan goes one further stating that you can eat anything you want as long as you don’t exceed your calorie count for the day and in fact you need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories but no more. While at the same time increasing your calorie burn by 500 calories. That means you are going to have a 1000 calorie difference which is going to be noticeable on the diet scale.

The healthy eating diet plan also looks at the type of foods you are eating. Of course although it says you can eat anything you want it expect that you will not fill your diet with foods high in saturated fats but rather will mix your meals up with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables but it gives you the flexibility to mix it up how you like it without being restricted to certain foods.

So what would a healthy eating diet plan look like? Well it might look something like this:

Breakfast

• 1 cup Cheerios
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
• 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk
• 1/2 whole-grain English muffin, toasted, topped with 1 teaspoon light margarine
• Coffee if desired

Mid-morning snack
• 4 pieces dried apricot
• 1 cup tea with lemon

Lunch
• Sandwich: one 6-inch whole-wheat pita, spread with 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise and stuffed with 2 ounces deli-style roast beef, 1-ounce slice of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, 3 tomato slices and lettuce
• 4 baby carrots
• 1 banana,

Afternoon snack
• 5 ounces fat-free yogurt
• 3 vanilla wafers

Dinner
• 3 ounces grilled or broiled salmon brushed with 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed before cooking
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 3/4 cup sliced asparagus spears steamed
• Salad: 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves topped with 1 tangerine, peeled and sectioned; 1 tablespoon chopped almonds; drizzled with 1 tablespoon sesame seed vinaigrette salad dressing
• Water or other no-cal beverage

Of course this is just an example of a healthy eating diet plan for a day. There are so many options that you will never be bored and remember you can eat which ever foods you want as long as you don’t exceed your daily calorie intake. So if you love fish eat as much as you want or perhaps you hate asparagus but love baby carrots then don’t eat asparagus but do eat all the baby carrots you want.

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Healthy Diet Plans-Finding The Right Diet To Help You Achieve Your Health Goals

2007-06-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Many, many people today suffer from poor health. Often times, you hear that they must be the victims of either poor genetics or just bad luck. You might be surprised to learn that the vast majority of health problems and diseases in our world today are simply a result of a lack of healthy diet plans. They are not subject to chance as many would have you believe.

You can actually improve your health dramatically by simply making a few changes in the way you eat. Here are some tips to help you when first embarking on a diet plan.

First of all, healthy diet plans must consist of each of these essential elements:

Calories. A person needs a sufficient amount of calories to maintain their metabolic needs. However, if it results in greater than 12% body fat, you are most likely eating too many calories.

Sufficient quantities of fat: this can include monounsaturated fast, polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat. One of the big myths out there is that all fat is bad, and that is why there are so many low fat diets. Actually, your body needs a certain amount of fat in order to function properly; if you deprive yourself of this, you will experience worse health.

-Avoid trans-fat.
-Enough amino acids (complete protein).
-A sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals.

All healthy diet plans must be well balanced and provide you with all these essential elements. Without them, you cannot hope to maintain good health.

That is why low carb and low calorie or fat diets or so dangerous, because they often times only allow you to eat certain types of foods. You don’t get all the essential elements that your body needs, and you actually end up with worse health than before the diet.

Also, try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and avoid meat and dairy products whenever possible. The reason that raw foods such as fruits and vegetables are so good for you is that they are very rich in enzymes, the life-blood of the body.

When your body doesn’t receive enzymes naturally through its’ food, it must manufacture them itself. This is why you often feel exhausted after consuming a cooked meal; the food contained no enzymes, and your body got worn down attempting to reproduce them itself.

These are a few tips to get you started on a lifetime of health and vitality. Of course, it’s not possible to change a lifetime of poor health and eating habits overnight; however, you need to start somewhere. Follow these healthy diet plans, and you will soon begin feeling much healthier and energetic throughout the day.

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Why A Low Carb Diet Is A Different Weight Loss Experience

2007-06-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

If you are no stranger to the diet world, you are probably wondering what the difference is between the low calorie diets and the low carb diets. Scientists doing high protein low carb diet research have found that there is a dramatic difference in the way our bodies respond to the two basic types of dieting.

The low carbohydrate diets have one obvious difference - they are much lower in starches and sugars. But that is not the important difference in this case. It's how our metabolism and bodily functions react to the change in food intake.

It's a "Need" Versus "Want" Dilemma

In the more traditional approach to weight loss programs, the main emphasis is placed on the amount of food ingested and the number of calories consumed. A major difference with the low carb diets is the focus tends to be not on how much you eat, but rather how much you want to eat. BIG difference here. It's a matter of limiting the supply of food to the body versus altering the body's demand for food.

Our bodies require certain levels of calories just to function properly. Determining exactly what that number is can be next to impossible to compute. Our requirements fluctuate daily depending on our levels of activity, and can vary up to 25% from person to person. So, is it better to push calories into your system without knowing what is really required, or letting your body tell you what it needs?

The Problem with the Typical Reduced Calorie Diet

A major issue with your host of low calorie diets is that it isn't natural. They generally advocate starving your system by eating less, therefore consuming fewer calories. This may work for a short while, but your body will fight back. Common reactions include:
* Difficulty concentrating
* Experiencing food cravings
* Fatigue
* Sense of constant hunger
* Irritability
* Depression
Of course, there are some individuals who can power through these reactions through sheer will power, but the odds state that most will lose this battle with their body's biology.

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

Now that you know why the simple reduced calorie diets generally fail, let's look at an alternative - the low carbohydrate diet. If you can make your body require less food, while burning body fat for energy, you will lose weight. The fact is that individuals on a low carb diet lower their calorie intake by default, a natural added benefit.

The result will be that your body will seem satisfied even with the reduced food intake. This is key! You will begin to work with your body instead of fighting its natural tendencies for storing more and more fuel. High protein low carb diet research indicates that individuals who respond well to this diet don't experience the feeling that their bodies are constantly craving more food. So, as the saying goes; "Go with the current rather than trying to fight it" - it's a much easier and rewarding way to get where you're heading!

By: Bill Wilson

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss And Diets

2007-06-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

If you’re on a diet, or considering going on one, you’re in luck. We’ve put together ten of the most frequently asked questions about diets and weight loss and compiled them here. Enjoy!

1. How much should I weigh?
Your doctor can answer that question most accurately. More important than how much you weigh is your body/mass index, which measures your height against your weight.

2. What's the best diet for losing weight?
Any diet that provides all the nutrition that you need for health, and in addition, provides fewer calories than your body burns regularly.

3. How can I keep off the weight that I lose?
If you lose weight gradually and re-educate both yourself and your body about food, you'll have a good start. The secret to keeping weight off is to balance your energy needs with your food intake. Eat enough calories to supply your body's energy needs, but not so many that your body stores the excess as fat.

4. What's the story with obesity and diabetes?
Obesity increases the risks of a number of chronic health conditions, and diabetes is one of them. People who are more than ten percent overweight increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes substantially.

5. How do I decrease my intake of sugar?
Obviously, you can decrease your intake of sugar by cutting out sweets and refined snacks, but you should also watch out for 'hidden' sugars. Check ingredients. High fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both simple sugars that add lots of calories and little nutrition.

6. How often should I weigh myself?
Most diet experts recommend that you weigh yourself no more than once a week. Some go so far as to tell you to throw out the scale entirely! A more accurate measure of your loss is your clothing size. If your clothing is feeling looser, you're doing great.

7. Do I really have to exercise?
You don't HAVE to, but it will be a lot harder to lose weight if you don't. A half hour of moderate exercise daily is the minimum activity level for healthy weight loss. You can get it walking, running, cleaning your house - anything active burns calories.

8. What's a calorie?
A calorie is a measure of energy. Foods are rated with calories based on the amount of energy they provide to the body when consumed.

9. Can I lose weight without changing my diet?
Weight loss results when you burn more calories than you consume. If you only need to lose a small amount of weight and your diet is generally healthy, you can lose weight by increasing your activity level to burn more calories. If your diet is poor, or if you're more than a few pounds overweight, you really need to learn a new, more healthy way or eating, or you'll put the weight back on when you go back to 'normal' eating.

10. Should I eat fish on my diet?
Unless it's expressly forbidden by your diet, absolutely. Fish is high protein, low saturated fat, and high in omega 3 fatty acids. Some doctors recommend eating as much as 10 servings of fish per week.

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Article Source: www.iSnare.com