Diets to Lose Weight – Diets For Losing Weight and Keeping it Off Fast

March 9, 2010 No comments »

You would be surprised to know that there are a large number of diets to lose weight on the internet. Half of them are fad diets. Many people go on crash diets for weight loss, but they are definitely very disillusioned when they do not find the diets they are giving them the expected results. That is the reason why, it is extremely essential to know whether the diets for weight loss are capable of giving you long-term results or are they going to have a detrimental effect on your body.

Do you want to lose weight, because you want to be as fashionable and slim as a model? Or is it because peer pressure is forcing you to be anorexic, because a fat person is not considered to be attractive? Many people have low self-esteem, because they consider themselves to be fat, and thus automatically ugly. This sort of mental state is getting to be more and more prevalent among teenagers, especially when they see their idols in a thin, bulimic and anorexic state. Not only do they know that a human body needs to find diets to lose weight but only when it is a health concern.

Starvation of the body is definitely going to have a detrimental effect on the body. Nevertheless, people are looking for ways and means in which they can lose weight effectively. That is the reason why, you can see so many diets to lose weight, especially the diets which are touted by celebrities. One needs to be very careful about these diets, because the best diets for weight loss are definitely not going to be on a long-term basis. Your body cannot afford to starve for more than 48 hours, because then it is going to go into emergency mode and will start assimilating the body tissue to keep the body alive. So any sort of diet, which is going to starve your body is definitely not want to be recommended by any sensible dietitian.

So, what is the best way to lose weight? Many people think that starving themselves by missing meals is going to help them lose weight. And then they are extremely surprised because there is no weight loss. The reason is because the body needs occasional grazing, and that means you need to have five meals in a day. The best diets to lose weight are definitely going to have you eating dietary foods from every food group which includes proteins, carbohydrates, high fibers fats, vegetables, fruit, and fresh fruit juices. You are going to be taking breakfast, brunch (fresh fruit juice), lunch: proteins, (lean meat) carbohydrates (brown rice and potatoes), high fibers: fresh fruit and vegetables (organically grown if you can manage it), and low fat.

The best diets to lose weight and keep it off are ones that are definitely not going to deprive you of any of the necessary food groups, which are used to keep its bio-physiological processes functioning properly. So make sure that you do not go on a starvation long-term diet.

Author: Jessica Hannermein
Source: ezinearticles.com

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Break Bad Diet Habits

March 8, 2010 No comments »

Often people intend to make changes to improve their health, but sometimes we may struggle to make the change happen. Changing behaviour may not always be easy but understanding the process of change may help get you through it.
The long-term success of change may depend on your readiness for change. The process of behaviour change can be separated in 5 distinct stages or 7 different elements.

Take a moment to assess your own readiness for change. Read the Stages of Change below and identify which stage relates to your current situation.

Stages of Change (Prochaska, 1997):
1. Pre-contemplation is the stage in which people are not intending to take action in the foreseeable future. People may be in this stage because they are unaware of the consequences of their behaviour or because they were unsuccessful at previous attempts to change and feel they are unable to change.

2. Contemplation is the stage in which people are intending to change in the foreseeable future. People in this stage aware of the consequences of change, and can identify the benefits and costs of change. This can leave contemplators stuck in this stage for longer periods of time. They may not to be quite ready to make a change.

3. Preparation is the stage in which people are intending to take action in the intermediate future, usually in the next month. They have typically taken some significant action in the past year and also have a plan of action, such as talking to a health professional.

4. Action is the stage in which people have made specific evident modification in their behaviour within the past 6 months. The behaviour change is generally sufficient enough to reduce risk of disease.

5. a) Maintenance is the stage in which people are working to prevent relapse, but they do not apply change processes as frequently as those in action. They are increasingly more confident that they can continue their changes. OR

b) Relapse is a form of regression to an earlier stage once some action steps have taken place. OR

c) Termination is when people have virtually no temptation and complete self efficacy.

What Stage of Change are you in?

Did you know that… 61% of Australian adults aged over 18 are OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE! That’s about 9.1 million people!
AND 25% of our Australian children aged 5 – 17 years are OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE! (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009)
These are alarming statistics!

There are serious metabolic consequences of carrying excess fat in the body, particularly around the abdominal area, that cause debilitating health problems. These include: hypertension, high cholesterol, high blood fats, low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea, fatty liver, coronary heart disease, fluid retention, infertility in women, and some cancers. Not to mention social consequences And a Poorer Quality Of Life.

Are you at risk of chronic disease?
Measuring your Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference are simple checks that can tell how much body fat you have and where it is located on your body. Remember, excessive body fat has been associated with a greater risk of developing serious health conditions and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and some cancers.

How do you measure up?
Waist circumference tells us where the body fat is located on the body. Excessive body fat concentrated around the abdominal area has been associated with greater risk of developing serious health conditions and chronic diseases. Get a measuring tape and measure up for waist circumference and check your risk.

You are at slightly increased risk if your waist circumference is:
Women – Greater than 80 centimetres
Men – Greater than 94 centimetres

You are at greatly increased risk if your waist circumference is:
Women – Greater than 88 centimetres
Men – Greater than 104 centimetres

If your waist circumference is greater than the ranges above seek the advice of an Accredited Practising Dietitian to help you decrease your risk of developing poor health. Screening for risk factors is important to help you prevent health problems. Identifying the problem and increasing awareness is the first step.
The next step is to take action and improve your health.

What is your Body Mass Index?
Overweight and obesity are measured using the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is based on a person’s weight and height, and serves as a guide to check for a person’s risk of disease. The BMI should be used as a guide as some people won’t fit into the BMI categories such as muscular people, some ethnic groups, infants, children and adolescents. Calculate your BMI using the formula below and check where your BMI sits using the reference.

BMI = weight (kg) / height (in meters squared)

* BMI 18.5 or less = Underweight: People in this range may not be meeting their nutritional requirements and be at risk of malnutrition. Maintaining a healthy weight is important to support normal body functioning. Consult an Accredited Practising Dietitian to check your diet and nutrition needs, and help you maintain a healthier weight.

* BMI 18.5 – 25 = Healthy weight: People in this range have been found to have less health problems and chronic diseases, so you are off to a good start with your health. The quality of your diet can also affect your health. One of the greatest impacts you can have on your health is to improve the quality of your diet. You can get your diet assessed by an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

* BMI 25 – 30 = Overweight: People in this range have been found to have a significantly increase risk of developing health problems and chronic diseases. Reducing your weight by just a few kilograms can significantly reduce your risk of developing such health problems. An Accredited Practising Dietitian can help you find ways to reduce your weight and keep it off.

* BMI 30 and above = Obese: People in this range have been found to have a greatly increased risk of developing health problems and chronic diseases. Reducing your weight by just a few kilograms can significantly reduce your risk of developing such health problems. An Accredited Practising Dietitian can help you find set realistic and achievable weight loss goals, and support you to maintain a healthier weight for life.

Achieving Behaviour Change:
Commonly people set vague goals which they continue to fail to achieve. How many times have you heard someone or even yourself say ‘I will start dieting at the start of the week’ and never actually do?

The key to achieving the goals you aspire to achieve is to set clear and specific SMART goals!

What is a SMART goal?
Specific
Measurable
Action-focused
Realistic
Time-based

Example of a SMART goal: I will reduce my waist circumference by 8cm over the next 6 months, starting NOW. I will take action and reduce my dinner portion by using a smaller plate. I will take action and go for a walk tonight after dinner and will aim to do this twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Planning is an essential part of SMART goal setting and the place to begin. Write-up the activities you need to carry out to achieve your SMART goal. Get your self a diary or calendar and schedule in your exercise and meal planning. Create an environment that enables you to achieve your health goals more simply.

Set up your support network – Seek the advice of your Accredited Practising Dietitian or health professional for specific nutritional advice on how to lose weight safely and keep it off!

Author: Phillip Elder
Source: articlerich.com

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Best Diet Books Information

March 7, 2010 No comments »

So it may be your new year’s resolution that brought you here. Or maybe you’re just tired of living an unhealthy life. Maybe you just want to look better and have more energy. If you have been looking for the best diet books out there, you probably became overwhelmed. Between all the books on fad diets (that we all know don’t really work long term) and all the misleading information out there. You may not know where to turn. In this article you will find three of the best diet books out there. These books are critically acclaimed, and the methods have been proven to work when used properly.

The first book that you should read if you are serious about your diet is “The Fat Burning Diet.” This book is an excellent resource that teaches people how to take a healthy approach to the low carbohydrate diet. This is one of the best diet books available as it emphasizes some of the following points:

- How to revamp your slow metabolism and turn it into a fat burning machine.
- How important protein is for concentration and a good memory
- Gives information on supplements, that will give you the energy and focus needed to get through your day.
- Teaches you what carbohydrates will drain you of energy and focus
- Which carbohydrates are healthier for you than others

The second must read in this series of best diet books that will help you lose weight and keep it off, is the well written, and simple to follow “Every Other Day Diet” This is a great diet plan that gives you the flexibility to eat the foods that you love every other day. This plan sets you up for success with “feed days” and “burn days”.” Feed days” are days when you can eat the foods you love and enjoy. “Burn days” are days when you reduce your caloric intake and eat foods that are higher in fiber. This diet is good for those of you that still want to eat the foods that you love and don’t need or want the rigid structure of other diet plans. The diversity of this diet plan is what makes this plan so universal, palatable, and successful for the average person. This is also why it is one of the best diet books you will find out there in the sea of dieting misinformation.

The last must have dieting book is “Strip The Fat” and begins with underlining why most diets don’t work, and gives you insight into how people that lose the weight and keep it off, do it. The book is relatively short (only 95 pages) But the advice and information in these pages prove to be enlightening, and critical to the individual that is serious about changing their dieting habits and losing the weight for good. This book is one of the best diet books you will find because it gives people a comprehensive look at weight loss and exercise. Few dieting books capture weight loss solutions from so many relevant, necessary angles. So if you are serious about your weight loss goals add “Strip the Fat” to your library today.

The three books outlined in this article are the best diet books for weight loss information. The only thing better than the books themselves would be using all the information in conjunction with the books. Stop yo-yo dieting and get to the root of your dieting failures. Purchase the best diet books on the market and finally end your dieting cycle from the inside out.

Author: Genos Jong
Source: ezinearticles.com

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FBF Diet Plan

March 6, 2010 No comments »

Many people are looking for fast, easy ways to become fit and healthy and may have come across the FBF Diet Plan in their searching through the web. It is generally believed, though, that these types of weight loss plans, that supposedly help you lose weight quickly are scams. They raise hopes, yet don’t deliver on their promises and then the unsuspecting dieter is on to some other weight loss program.

This plan, also called Fat Burning Furnace, however, is different from many of the programs widely available today that offer a quick fix. It focuses on short cardio bursts to boost metabolism. Combined with a diet filled with foods that also help sustain the raised metabolism, this plan helps people lose weight faster. By concentrating on the types of foods, rather than on number of calories, this system encourages a steady, consistent form of weight loss.

The weight loss achieved on the FBF weight loss system is the kind that can be maintained for a lifetime, rather than the type of rapid loss that often results in regaining the pounds and then some. It doesn’t endorse strict dietary changes or unusual ingredients. What it does do is provide alternatives to the user’s favorite foods by replacing the feeling of being deprived with a more satisfying option. Even if you are a vegetarian, this plan can work for you. It’s filled with a wide array of choices that allow you to experiment with new flavors and options.

There is no reason to feel hungry or to miss your favorite foods while participating in this diet. The FBF diet plan has two versions for its users to choose from. Included with both is a step by step workout routine that encourages fat loss as well as diet choices. One plan comes with three months of coaching. The other includes nine months of coaching as well as the Ultimate Success Toolkit. The coaching emails provide a constant stream of encouragement and motivation designed to help you attain the weight and shape you want. The Toolkit provides the means to monitor your progress.

The tools help you achieve the milestones and goals you have set for yourself. Most of us realize that exercise is a necessary part of any lasting weight loss. With the FBF diet plan, you don’t need to spend hours at the gym to gain the physique you want. All you need is fifteen minutes a day, three days a week. The intensity is higher than most plans, boosting metabolism and helping burn fat faster. For this reason, the bursts are also shorter. Resting between workouts allows your muscles to recover, making you feel stronger and energized. The combination of proper nutrition and exercise helps you lose the weight and keep it off.

Author: Alan LeStourgeon
Source: ezinearticles.com

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Mediterranean Diet Plan

March 5, 2010 No comments »

Healthy living is a treasured wealth that does not come on its own. It has to be planned. Food plays a vital role in providing essential nutrients for growth and development of the body. While some foods are considered healthy and are required in large quantities, others may be exempt from a daily diet. This is how a Mediterranean diet plan works.
The Mediterranean diet is considered to be the most suitable form of healthy diet. Researchers have proved that the secret of healthy living of people in the Mediterranean region can be attributed to their balanced diet and active life style. Studies have also shown that this diet not only lowers chronic heart diseases but also improves life expectancy.
The Mediterranean diet is considered to be the most suitable form of healthy dieting. Researchers have proved that the secret of healthy living of people in the Mediterranean region can be attributed to their balanced diet and active life style. Studies have also shown that this diet not only lowers chronic heart diseases but also improves life expectancy.
The Mediterranean diet is a health plan that helps to maintain optimal weight per the height of an individual and reduce the possibilities of heart diseases, diabetes and gallstones.
Today’s lifestyles show that most people prefer to eat foods that are processed, canned or tinned containing saturated fats and sugar. Lifestyles also show that most people do not take time out to exercise. As a result, many people are obese and unhealthy with an increased chance for heart diseases, diabetes and cancers.
The Mediterranean diet plan does not eliminate the types of food one consumes. The diet recommends wise food choices. For instance, one should eat fresh fruit and vegetables in place of tinned and frozen products.
The diet plan is founded on the Mediterranean diet pyramid. According to it, food products to be included in a daily diet are cereals, grains, bread, vegetables, legumes, beans, fruit and nuts. These products are nutritious and a rich source of carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, minerals and proteins. The suggested low to moderate intake of milk, yogurt and cheese eliminates an excessive intake of saturated fats. Animal meat like chicken and eggs are to be eaten on a weekly basis and red meat, a few times a month. Fish is identified as a better option, as it is high in nutritional value. Good fat is provided by olive oil, known to control blood cholesterol level and maintaining a healthy heart. All these suggested in the Mediterranean diet plan matches with a standard diet guideline. The food intake is balanced by an active physical life. This is not to say that people in the Mediterranean region did not find time to rest. In fact, they utilized the time after every meal to relax and socialize, unconsciously giving time for proper digestion and good health.
Mediterranean Diets provides detailed information about Mediterranean diets, Mediterranean diet benefits, Mediterranean diet cook books and more. Mediterranean Diets is affiliated with Mangosteen Fruit.

Author: Kevin Stith
Source: articleage.com

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Atkins Diet Plan — Are Low Carb Diets Doomed?

March 4, 2010 No comments »

According to Veronica Atkins, the added of Dr. Robert Atkins, the could could could cause of his afterlife was from falling on a glace sidewalk with consecutive irreversible academician accident (from a CNN interview, February, 2004). Many critics of the Atkins Diet Plan affirmation the abatement was due to a affection attack. This has not been absolute to date.
He was 72 years old.
With all due account to Veronica Atkins, I would like to accept Dr. Atkins did in actuality ache a baleful affection attack. This is in adjustment to acknowledgment the afterward questions…Is it appropriate to use his afterlife as affirmation adjoin the assurance of the Atkins Diet Plan and added low Carb diets?
Does the contempo defalcation of the Atkins Corporation accommodate affirmation for the disability of low Carb diets?
Many critics of low Carb diets say yes to both questions, but are they right?
The Atkins Diet Plan & Cardiovascular Risk
Medically speaking, it is incorrect to accessory Dr. Atkins’ baleful affection advance to the use of his low Carb diet. There are two affidavit for advancing to this conclusion.The added accident for cardiovascular contest associated with Atkins Diet Plan are not from akin carbohydrates. Instead, the college accident of cardiovascular contest comes from replacing carbohydrates with foods top in saturated fats.
Dr. Atkins died at the age of 72. Above the age of 72, the accident for a cardiovascular accident is the aforementioned for everyone. Granted, he was diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy (diseased affection muscle) if he was 69 and he suffered a affection advance in aboriginal 2004.
However, both contest occurred able-bodied aloft the age of 55…the cut off acclimated for men to accredit an added accident for cardiovascular contest to their aboriginal amount relatives. He was at an age which allows for the exclusion of any cogent cardiovascular accident casual to his children.
From an epidemiology appearance point, accident behaviors like smoker or bistro a top fat diet are no best advised as primary contributors in Dr. Atkins’ death.
Yes, bistro a top fat diet may accept played a role, but this is alone speculation. Because Dr. Atkins was 72 at the time of his death, no accident for agnate contest is anesthetized assimilate his aboriginal amount ancestors and the accident for cardiovascular contest is the aforementioned for anybody at that age.
With all due respect, he died of old age. To accusation the Atkins Diet Plan and low Carb diets in accepted is medically irresponsible. At 72 years old, there are several factors to accede if faced with a baleful affection attack, including the crumbling action itself.
Veronica Atkins was quoted by CNN…
“My husbands bloom at the time of his afterlife is a sad and confusing sideshow, demography time abroad from an able agitation of the accepted science.”
For a added abundant altercation on cardiovascular accident and age, amuse visit…
www.medscape.com
Low Carb Defalcation — Affirmation for its Ineffectiveness?
The alone actual way to admeasurement a diet’s capability (or abridgement there of) is to abstraction the affirmation provided by analytic trials. Recently, a few acceptable studies accept appear on the capability of the Atkins Diet Plan and added low Carb diets.

In short, low Carb diets, abstinent at one year, are safe and able in allowance dieters lose weight.
Like all diet types, the affirmation for continued appellation capability (2 to 5 years) is dispersed and inconsistent.
Cardiovascular accident increases for some dieters on low Carb diets, not because of the carbohydrate restriction, but because of the burning of foods top in fat. Also, afraid with the low Carb diet appears to be boxy for a lot of dieters above one year.
And lastly, low Carb diets that advance continued stages of assessable ketosis may could could could cause accelerated weight accident that is too extreme. This is a abundant way to agreement weight achieve in the abreast future.
Conclusion
Atkins death, from whatever the cause, can not be associated with his diet because he was 72 years old at the time of his death. Even if Dr. Atkins’ afterlife could be associated with his diet, no correlations could be fabricated to agnate low Carb diets, too abundant aberration exists amid them.
Bankruptcy does not accord in a accurate altercation of a diet’s effectiveness.
To Healthy Living!
Michael A. Smith, MD
Chief Medical Consultant

Diet Basics Web Site
Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a agreeable affluent weight accident website committed to all dieters. Amuse appointment his website at…
The Weight Accident Professional

Author: Michael Smith, MD
Source: articleage.com

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The Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of a Heart Attack

March 3, 2010 No comments »

An analysis conducted on a sample of 40,000 Spanish adults and ten years has led some scientists to conclude that compliance with the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart attack or other heart disease.
The components of the Mediterranean diet differs from region to region, but in general, the diet includes high consumption of olive oil, plant foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts.

The fish preferred the meat, but only for low consumption of red meat. Alcohol, especially red wine and dairy products should be consumed in moderation.

For years, accumulating on the protective properties of Mediterranean diet in relation to heart disease, highlight the American Journal of Epidemiology that Zeneviev Baklant and colleagues at the Institute of Oncology in Barcelona.

Different scale surveys have shown that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of death in people who have suffered a heart attack, stroke risk and increases the likelihood of survival of people who have chronic heart disease, the researchers note.

However, Dr. Baklant and colleagues express concern because previous studies were limited power and limited conclusions.

For further investigation, using data collected between 1992-2004 on a sample of 41,078 healthy men and women from five Spanish centers, which are involved in research into Cancer and Nutrition with the participation of ten countries.

The volunteers, whose average age at initiation were 49 years provided information on the quality and quantity of food consumed.

The researchers measured the physical dimensions and took a medical history and information about whether smoking or being trained. A subject was rated on a scale of 18 points for how closely the model of the Mediterranean diet is a diet: the higher was the score of both was closest to the Mediterranean diet.

During the follow-up afterwards, after 10.4 years on average, 609 of the volunteers suffered a heart attack or had unstable angina. Nine of them died.

When the researchers compared the incidents of the scores of volunteers who met the Mediterranean diet, they looked for possible correlations and found that the higher the score was the lower the risk for heart disease.

In particular, the high compliance compared to the low compliance of the Mediterranean diet is associated with 40% reduced risk of heart attack for the first time, the scientists wrote.

Heart disease is one of the biggest causes of death worldwide and accounts for approximately 30% of all deaths, or 17 million deaths annually, the researchers pointed out. Almost half of these deaths due to heart disease.

It is believed that 80% of heart attacks and other related diseases can be prevented by changes in habits such as eating. And the study points out that no drastic changes in diet are needed.

Author: Angela Rigby
Source: ezinearticles.com

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HCG Diet – Weight Loss Cure – The Gutsy Diet For Those Who Want to Lose Fast, Once and For All

March 2, 2010 No comments »

Are you wondering about the HCG Diet? (Also called the Weight Loss Cure.) If you want to lose a lot of weight really fast and be healthy doing it, it may work for you. If you have a quick goal, like an important event coming up or if you are tired of diets where you lose so little and you get discouraged before you see good results or if you want to be sure of a great weight loss, IT WILL WORK! I’ll say it again, it really does work!

But it is a diet that takes guts and determination. It is not for the faint at heart. You can’t do it half-heartedly, especially if you are easily tempted to cheat. It is a very strict diet. It’s hard to maintain even if it is only for 3 weeks.

It is like running a race. You start with your feet at the start line. You start jogging. You follow the track laid out, but this is one race, you can’t take a time out for a special occasion. You can’t leave the race for a birthday party. Because if you do, you may have to start at the beginning again. If you get to several weeks into the run and then decide to take a break, cheat a little, you will be backing up a few days to a week, not just one meal or one day.

If you want to succeed and really have the wonderful success that is possible, you have to put blinders on to any deviations. It is tough. Things come up. It is life. If you get a cold or the flu, you have to be easy on yourself and interrupt the race. But if someone offers you a free fabulous meal at your favorite restaurant, you have to give it serious thought. It is really easy to mess up. There are things you can do, but it is tough. If you want to keep running your race, you need to consider your options.

Consider that once you are on the diet, that if you go off, for whatever reason, you still have hCG in your system.

Once you start, you can’t quit easily. You can’t take a day off. Once you take the hCG hormone that helps you lose so fast, you have to follow through or you can also put weight back on really fast.

The diet is successful because you eat very low fat. In the US, most people can not lose eating beef, especially women, so beef is off the list. Some clinics allow it and some include protein shakes, but if you want to lose really fast, it is better to avoid those things.

Author: Janet Sweeney
Source: ezinearticles.com

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Why Bother With a Detox Diet Or Body Cleansing?

March 1, 2010 No comments »

Why indeed, so lets explore this and understand whether there really is any point embarking on a Detox Diet, Body Cleansing, Detoxification or whatever you choose to call it.

First, what is the dictionary definition of Detox? Well the Oxford English dictionary defines it as the removal of toxic substances or qualities.

Wikipedia defines it as a treatment in alternative medicine which proponents claim rid the body of accumulated harmful substances that exert a negative effect on individual health.

So what do the experts, say, not the companies who try and persuade us to purchase detox products or go on detox holidays but the scientists.

Well, the Voice of Young Science Network reported that there is no evidence that products widely promoted to assist the body detox, actually work.

There is a world of difference between a Detox, i.e. products that you consume, and detox products for the body. For example a ‘detox face wash’. Well all this was found to accomplish was to remove make-up, skin oils and dirt, i.e. the same as any face wash.

What is a Detox Diet? A Detox would generally last from five days to two weeks and involve drinking two to three litres of liquid a day, generally water. You would be asked to remove from your diet, caffeine, red meat, alcohol, tobacco, sugar and salt. You would eat lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, rice and grains and possibly juice. If you want to get away for your detox program, you may also expect some pampering, a massage with aromatherapy oils, but maybe also a colonic irrigation.

Detox diets come in a myriad of terms, for example, lemon detox diet, three day detox diet, simple detox diet, apple detox diet, liquid detox diet, marthas vineyard detox diet and even the beyonce detox diet.

Will the diet work, well it should simply because you are eating healthily, and, depending how it compared to what you eat prior to your detox, you may lose weight as you could be eating a lot less calories than you use to.

So, back to the scientists. Well, in all the research we’ve read, the general opinion is it is unnecessary. Your body is so sophisticated it is designed to clear itself. Urine and stools are how the body removes toxic substances.

So if there is no evidence of a Detox being beneficial, why bother. Well, I’d argue, there may be three reasons:

1. A lot of us lead fast unhealthy lifestyles. A Detox will force you to eat healthily at least for a short period. So depending on what your normal diet is, it may be no surprise that you lose weight and feel great at the end of it

2. For the more expensive programs, it’s an excuse to go away and be pampered and potentially return glowing

3. If it encourages you to change your diet for good and eat and drink healthily, then that’s a good thing

So if you have had a Detox or are thinking of embarking on one, let us know. Please also remember, if you are on any medication or receiving medical treatment, consult your doctor first.

Author: Lana Soko
Source: ezinearticles.com

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Low-Calorie Diet Plan For Losing Weight Fast

February 28, 2010 No comments »

Before diets like Atkins and other low carb diets came to the market, the popular way to lose weight was a low-calorie diet plan. These diets are still popular, but it is best to follow such diets under the supervision of a doctor, especially the very low-calorie plans.

The concept behind this type of plan is very simple. Your body requires calories to do all the basic functions and day to day activities. If you cut down on calories then your body will utilize the stored fat for generating energy and you will hence shed some pounds.

The good thing about the low calorie diet plan is you can eat anything as long as you don’t exceed the daily calorie limit.

However switching to very low calories, typically less than 800-1000 calories is tricky. With very low calories your body may start utilizing lean muscles instead of fat for generating energy. And when you stop this type of diet you will gain a lot of weight fast enough. This happens because your body recognizes this as an end of famine and starts to store all that you eat as fat for later use.

If you want to follow a diet that is based on limiting calories then first thing is to decide on the minimum calories that you require for day to day functioning. For women leading a sedentary lifestyle this may be 1800-2000 calories and for men it would be 2000-2400 calories. However if you are more active then you may require an additional 500 calories per day.

The second step would be to keep a track of caloric intake. You will have to read the labels on food items and maintain a dairy to keep track of what you eat. This is critical if you are serious about a low calorie diet plan. There is no point in guessing and following this diet. You will have to know the exact amount of calories that you are consuming.

When you cut down on calories you are bound to feel hungry. This is because the portion sizes will be much smaller and your stomach may not fill up. You may have to live with hunger pangs until your stomach gets used to the new regimen. If you feel extremely hungry then eat some fruits.

Make sure you include all the food groups – proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Keep down the level of fats consumed. Include lots of fruits and vegetables that have high fiber content. This will help in giving you the feeling of fullness.

Even when following a low calorie diet plan it is important that you make sure your diet is healthy and includes all the nutrients. Moderate exercises can further help you to speed up the weight loss.

Author: Maria Johnson
Source: ezinearticles.com

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