P.O.R.N. Diets

I am coining this term as I feel some of the diets out there are so radical they need to be discussed in one place.

We here from our favorite celebrities daily and some of us live for this. We follow them on Twitter, talk about them on Bebo and MySpace or e mail each other about them especially when a new diet is talked about.

There have been some over the top radical diets in the past like the 'Air diet', not a very popular one for obvious reasons unlike the 'Chocolate' diet. Then there is the more main stream 'Atkins' diet or 'The Dash Diet' or even 'The South Beach Diet'. All have there plus and minus points and their advocates and nay sayers as well.

The trick when it comes to diets if there is a trick in selecting one would be to thoroughly research the topic. The mere fact that there literally are thousands of diets commercially available shown on television, billboards or even your local Chemist shop.

Here will be many, many articles pertaining to the topic of P.O.R.N. Diets circulating our media and your opinion on them is most welcome. Maybe you have been on one and would like to praise it or maybe warn others away from it. Whatever you may like to share, diet related, please do.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Is the Birmingham Cardiac 3 Day Diet Dangerous?

By Jessica A. Andersen

The birmingham cardiac 3 day diet supposedly was invented in the Birmingham, Alabama Hospital cardiac unit as a tool to assist patients with fast weight loss prior to surgery.

This diet has been widely criticized and proclaimed a fad diet good for only short-term weight loss. The diet promises that you will lose up to 10 pounds or three days. The diet has many names and is often called one of the following:

The Baptist Hospital three-day diet, American Heart Association three-day diet, bubba's three-day diet, Florida three-day diet, three-day cardiac death, three-day army die, Hospital three-day diet, and a three day heart diet.

The diet's claim that you will lose 10 pounds might be true. But in reality the way. Losing is most likely water weight is definitely not dense body fat.

The Birmingham, Alabama cardiac three day diet makes all sorts of claims including: rapid weight loss, cleansing, decreased cholesterol, and increased energy.

How does it work? You must follow the plan exactly for three-day intervals every week to see results. During the other four days of the week you may eat normally. If you want to lose another 10 pounds, just follow the diet for another three days.

what can you eat? this diet requires you to follow it explicitly.if you eat foods other than those prescribed by the diet, to be considered overeating and you probably won't lose weight. Birmingham cardiac three-day diet also emphasizes that under eating should be avoided in all circumstances. The diet requires you to eat the recommended portions even if you aren't hungry

Day one

Breakfast

* 1/2 Grapefuit or Juice * 1 Slice of Toast * 1 tbsp. Peanut Butter * Black Coffee or Tea

Lunch

* 1/2 cup Tuna * 1 Slice Toast * Black Coffee or Tea

Dinner

* 2 Slices (3 oz.) of any Meat * 1 cup String Beans * 1 cup Carrots or Beets * 1 small Apple * 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream

Day Two

Breakfast

* 1 hard-boiled Egg * 1 Slice of Toast * 1/2 Banana * Black Coffee or Tea

Lunch

* 1 cup Cottage Cheese

Or

* 1/2 cup Tuna * 5 Saltine Crackers

Dinner

* 2 Wieners * 1 cup Cabbage or Broccoli * 1/2 cup Carrots

Or

* Turnip Greens * 1/2 Banana * 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream

Day Three

Breakfast

* 1 hard-boiled Egg * 1 Slice Toast * Black Coffee or Tea

Lunch

* 1 Slice Cheddar Cheese * 5 Saltine Crackers * 1 small Apple * Black Coffee or Tea

Dinner

* 1 cup Tuna * 1 cup Carrots or Beets * 1 cup Green Beans

Or

* Cauliflower * 1 cup Cantaloupe

Or

* 1 small Apple * 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream

The diet's rules are simple and easy to follow. As the proponents claim that this diet works because it initiates a special chemical breakdown. And if substitutions are made a special chemical breakdown doesn't occur and you won't lose weight. In addition to the diet menu above you're allowed to consume:

* Diet soda or tea sweetened with an artificial sweetener * Salt and pepper (no other seasoning) * Stick to this diet for 3 consecutive days each week. * After 3 days eat usual food, but be sure not to over eat. * After 4 days of normal eating, start all over again,

About the Author:

My Experience with the Atkins Diet (part 2).

By Owen Jones.

Some people try make your life miserable, if you let them. Everyone could see that I looked better and felt happier, but some people just have to try to spoil it. I was told: many people have died of kidney or liver failure after being on Atkins I read it in the paper; you will have a heart attack, it's not natural; your cholesterol will shoot up and you will need your legs amputated or you will have a stroke; it will affect your eyesight. All sorts of drivel. So, I went to my doctor, who admitted that he knew nothing about the Atkins diet, but also added that he had heard nothing bad about it either. He sent me for a series of tests, but the results all proved satisfactory. He was very happy that I'd lost 18 lbs and so was I. Six weeks later, I went for another cholesterol check, because of the high fat levels in the diet and, although my cholesterol level was up very slightly, the doctor said there was absolutely no cause for concern.

The book warns that you might suffer from bad breath (halitosis). I don't know whether I did or not - no-one mentioned it, but I started brushing my teeth four or five times a day just in case. I guess that's another benefit of Atkins: increased awareness of oral hygiene. It also warns of constipation. I didn't get that either, although I didn't give up black coffee, which has always had a laxative effect on me. But how can you become constipated if you're allowed to eat well over 1lb of greens a day? I wasn't eating that well before the diet! So my two main concerns were unfounded.

After a couple of weeks I was getting bored not going out so much. Not with the diet, but because I'm single and am used to going to the pub (and drinking beer). So, I decided to treat this scientifically. One day, after work, I had three pints of Guinness and felt merry. Before the diet, I would have drunk five or six pints to feel the same. To my delight, the next morning the ketone stick told me that I was still 'on the diet'. Over the following weeks, I really enjoyed finding out what would 'work' and what would not. I discovered that cider had to be avoided at all costs; some beers and some lagers were all right; red and white wine were OK. Consuming alcohol does not knock you off the diet, but it slows down your rate of progress. However, even slow progress is progress, I say. Better than giving up the diet or giving up going out.

Don't listen to people who say 'go on, just try a little bit'. They don't understand or don't want to understand how much they are setting you back. A body can hold two days worth of carbohydrates: one square of chocolate, one slice of bread, a bowl of cornflakes or one sugar in your coffee will cost you TWO days to clear out of your system. Just don't let them do it to you. This is not a diet for stopping and starting whenever you you like. In fact I think that it probably could be dangerous to allow your ketone and other levels to fluctuate wildly. There are also high fat levels in the content of the Atkins diet, which is not dangerous if you stick to it, because you body consumes fat and cholesterol in the absence of carbohydrates.

The story ends so far, with me having got down to under 16 stone and keeping it there, until very recently when I moved to the Far East to live. Once I get used to the food and my own house and own kitchen, I will go down to 15 stone, I know I will " with very little effort.

Anyway, thanks to you, Mr. Blackwell, wherever you are these days, you changed my life and my understanding of food with that book and thank you, Mr. Atkins too.

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Monday, March 30, 2009

The best diet for successful weight loss

By Lyle Neander

Is there a best diet for losing weight? This is question on the lips (and the hips) of a whole nation and the magazines, the popular press and television bombard us with new or rehashed diets almost every day of the week. We can be forgiven for being a little confused. So what is the key to losing weight and what is the best diet to achieve this. All successful weight loss diets and programs share common features that we can identify and find the one most suitable for us.

Most diets can be categorized into several categories. The past fifteen to twenty years have seen the rise and fall of low fat diets. This diet was popularized by Nathan Pritikin who used it to overcome his heart disease issues. It was successful because it reduced the intake of all fats to an extreme level and this forced the body to cannibalize the existing fat in the body for energy. Eventually this extended to the arteries and cardiovascular system and the arthrosclerosis in the arteries disappeared as the body ate up all the cholesterol. It was hugely popular and let to the argument that reducing the fat in our diets must the key to weight loss. They forgot that weight loss was a side effect of Pritikins diet, not the reason for it.

Now a gram of fat contains 10 calories of energy, a gram of protein contains 4 calories and a gram of carbohydrate also contains 4 calories. Therefore if we reduce our fat intake we are sure to lose weight because we can see that fat is energy dense. When we study philosophy we find something called a a syllogism. So, the argrument goes, a cat has four legs and a dog has four legs. Therefore a cat is a dog! Dieticians used the same logic with fats, proteins and carbohydrates and it was equally false. Unfortunately it became so entrenched that no one dared to challenge the presupposition and educated dieticians and nutritionists have been plugging this line for many years. For dieting the whole concept is fatally flawed.

Another category of diet is the famous food-combining diets so often favored by Hollywood stars (who can afford the luxury of finding the right foods and combining them to lose weight). The argument is that the different foods act in concert to produce unusual weight loss because they enhance each others effects. It is really questionable and no true dietician advocates them. They fall into the fad diet category. Remember many of the Hollywood stars are stars because they are tough determined people who worked hard to get where they are today. Their determination makes us for the inefficiency of these diets and their success shouldn't automatically be taken as a guide.

The Pritikin Diet was a super low fat diet designed by Nathan Pritikin when he was diagnosed with cancer. The diet removed all saturated fats and most unsaturated fats from the diet and restricted the eater to a very limited diet of sprouts, greens, nuts in small quantities and essentially reduced eating to a necessary evil with little enjoyment. Certainly Pritikin advocates healed themselves of advanced heart disease in the process but the dropout rate was enormous. This is a type of super restrictive diet that just doesn't work in the long term for the vast majority of people (normal people like you and I).

I mentioned the Pritikin Diet previously that was a super low fat diet designed by Nathan Pritikin. It was undoubtedly successful for some but it restricted the eater to a very limited diet of sprouts, greens, nuts in small quantities. It essentially reduced eating to a necessary evil with little enjoyment. The other end of the scale is the low carbohydrate diet proposed by Dr Robert Atkins and this comes with some excellent science attached.

Finally we come to the popular low carbohydrate diets popularized by the Atkins Diet. Dr Robert Atkins worked on existing research of doctors who had studied the insulin response of the body to carbohydrate intake. Through the research he discovered that when we digest carbohydrates our blood sugar levels rise. The more quickly we digest carbohydrates, the quicker the rise in blood sugar. The body reacts to this rise in blood sugar by releasing insulin which binds with the blood sugar and converts it into glycogen to be stored in the liver. If the liver's glycogen store is full the body stores it as adipose tissue, more commonly known as fat. High blood sugar is bad for the body so maintaining a steady blood sugar is vital for good health. Unfortunately when we eat highly processed carbohydrates such as sugar, our blood sugar levels spike and we overproduce insulin to correct the problem. Our blood sugar levels plummet and we are immediately hungry again. So we eat again and so the cycle perpetuates itself.

Atkins realized from the research that severely restricting carbohydrate intake would lead to the body going to its own store of energy, its stored fat reserves. So the Atkins Diet was born. Atkins also realized from research that high sugar levels in the bloodstream contributed to heart disease far more than fats in the diet. This was demonstrated in research many years before the fad that led to the low fat diet which was based on a flawed premise. For many people the Atkins Diet was a savior and they have taken on the diet as a long term lifestyle.

The Atkins diet is very effective from personal experience, but many dieters found the first month just too hard. The Atkins Diet is quite strict to begin with and for these people an alternative was needed to help them lose the weight without the strict self discipline the Atkins Diet required. They needed a diet that worked in the real world without the time and effort the Atkins Diet needed. The best diet should include food, exercise and a meal planner to help make life easier. It should not need us to carefully count every gram of carbohydrate and protein and fat that passes our lips. You see food, selected correctly can be our greatest ally in losing weight. Some foods rich is proteins take more energy to burn than they yield. Also proteins help build muscle which is essential for weight loss. A good weight loss program will educate as to which foods to avoid and which to include, correct portion size and eating habits.

Combined with this we need an exercise program that gets us moving and the fat burning off. Exercise is the cornerstone of any effective and successful diet. Combined with sensible eating and good advice it can put us on the road to success. The best diet programs also include a meal planner which gives you meal suggestions and prepares a shopping list for the week's food. That way you don't spend the day worrying about what you are going to eat that day. Obsessing about food is the poor preparation for losing weight!

Consider the weight loss programs that include a good balance of foods, from the different food groups and not unbalanced on their avoidance of any one group. Make sure it includes a good exercise program that will work for you and a meal planner is a must. Successful weight loss is a matter of find the best diet, committing to it and never quitting. Quitters never win, not do they get thin. Good luck doesnt exist, just sound research, commitment and dedication. The more committed you become, I bet the luckier you become.

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Another Fad Diet Called The Subway Diet

By Ron C George

Ask anyone about the Subway Diet and they'll tell you about Jared who dropped 245 pounds in a single year just by eating Subway. If you ever wanted to know how this whole thing got started, keep reading.

Jared Fogle worked his way through college by working at an adult book store. He sat for long hours in a class room, then went to work and sat long hours behind the counter at the video store while eating snacks, and as a result ended up weighing 425 pounds. Needless to say his weight and health situation had become dangerous to his health. Jared desperately needed to find a way to lose weight.

None of the diets he tried worked he couldn't stick to them. One day he noticed a Subway sandwich store about a mile and a half from his apartment. Without knowing it he was inventing the Subway diet. He immediately stopped eating breakfast while walking the 1 miles to Subway for lunch and dinner a sandwich, baked chips and a diet soda. His caloric intake plummeted from about 10,000 calories each day to only 900, with 6 miles of walking added for good measure. The result of Jared's personal Subway diet was a loss of 245 pounds in only a year.

How did this Subway diet become a national ad campaign for the Subway chain? One day Jared bumped into a buddy who was a reporter for the school paper. He didn't recognize Jared at first, and when he heard the weight loss story decided to write an article about it. Someone at Men's Health magazine read about Jared and decided to include his diet in a feature about crazy diets that work.

When a Chicago Subway owner read the story he contacted his advertising agency about making it into an ad. When the Chicago guys tried to get funding from the national advertising agency for a campaign, they were told it would bomb, so they funded it themselves for a local run in Chicago.

Soon the Subway diet was a success. It was a natural for Chicago based Oprah to feature Jared and his Subway diet on her popular national show. Subway's national ad people contacted the Chicago ad people about airing the ad nationally.

The Subway diet has worked for a lot of people. But keep in mind that Jared's extreme program of calorie cutting and extreme weight loss are, in general, potentially dangerous. His plan of cutting calories and adding exercise are well known facts that lead to weight loss and a healthy life style.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

How Important Are Calories To Weight Loss Programs?

By Shana Leslie

I bet your thinking, oh no, here we go again another diet where I have to count calories. I hate counting calories, just about as much as I hate weighing all my food portions.

Reducing calorie consumption is key to losing weight and the quickest way to do that is to become more aware of the calorie counts in the foods that you choose to eat each day. Counting calories and weighing food is really not a lot of fun, neither is being overweight.

It's all about reducing the amount of calories you eat and you can do this by educating yourself on the different food groups and their calorie counts. For instance I bet you didn't know that fruits even have varying calorie counts.

Educating yourself on the different food groups and getting to know the calories that are in each food group, will help you to keep within your daily calorie limit in order to lose weight.

Losing weight is all about calories...even fruits and vegetables in the lower calorie food group have different calorie values. Did you know that a medium banana is approximately 105 calories, a medium apple is approximately 71 calories and a medium orange is approximately 61 calories? I know your thinking, big deal.

Being aware of calories, is a big deal, if you want to lose weight you have to take in less calories than what you normally do. I know for myself I would rather have a banana split than a flavored yogurt for dessert, but just look at the difference in calories. I could have had 2 nutritious meals for the same amount of calories I ate in the banana split.

I understand what you are going through, not long ago I would choose spaghetti and meatballs over a balanced meal of meat, vegetables potato and salad. Now I prefer the balanced meals and rewarding myself. Being 30 pounds lighter has really inspired me to succeed in reaching my goal weight.

Calories play a major role in weight loss and once you learn to be more aware of the nutritious value in what you are eating, the pounds will start falling off for you as well.

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

The right weight loss supplements

By Jessie Caldhurst

Before ever buying a weight loss supplement you should always do a bit of research first. There is currently over 400 different types of supplements a person can get online.

There is so much hype that it is almost impossible to tell which products are just hype and which products deliver real results.

The right combination of ingredients can really make a supplement worth while and here is a list of some of the best ingredients used in today's supplements.

1. Hoodia - which will help you curb appetite cravings Hoodia is the best natural appetite suppressant found and used in supplements.

2. Fucoxanthin-rich brown seaweed has recently been studied for its promise as a fat burner, especially within the fat cells surrounding internal organs.

3. Green Tea - What accounts for the health benefits of green tea extract? Over 1,800 scientific studies have found that the active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants.

4. Pomegranate - known as one of the worlds super fruits, carries a large number of antioxidants.Pomegranate has no sugar, calories or additives.

These fours ingredients have a well established track record for helping with weight loss. Before ordering any supplements online please consider the following.

Here are a few little tips to help you do your research on what dietary supplements you would like to try.

Some natural supplements may pose serious side effects. Check and see if there is any bad press for the product. Note - not all bad press is bad press either - if there is a recommendation of another product to use after you read a bad press article - chances are you are just being steered to buy someone else's product.

Get all the contact information for the company before ordering any supplement. Usually found in the term and agreement sections of the website.

Is your investment covered by any sort of money back guarantee?

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Friday, March 27, 2009

How to Incorporate a Diet Meal Plan with Wu Yi Tea Part II

By Caitlin Ryan

If you are ready to feel fantastic and look amazing, I have a wu yi oolong weight loss menu that tastes fantastic. The key to eating healthfully is to be creative in the kitchen. I have some great ideas to get you started!

Okay, let us go over a basic meal plan using wu yi tea, lean proteins, whole grains, veggies, fruit and nonfat dairy. You will lose weight on a very satisfying meal plan that is healthy and delicious, AND you will be able to follow this way of eating for life to maintain your weight.

Ideas for breakfast: one poached egg on a piece of wholegrain toast (no spread) with diced tomatoes, herbs and/or pepper sauce OR cup whole grain cereal with strawberries, bananas and " cup nonfat milk. Eat either breakfast choice alongside a mug of wu yi tea with fresh lemon juice.

The idea is to use either lean protein or a whole grain for the base of your breakfast and add veggies or fruit. Can you think of another way of achieving this? How about a piece of whole grain toast with a bit of Dijon mustard, two slices of deli chicken or turkey and some marinated mushroom leftovers from the night before? Veggies, fruits and whole grains contain fiber, which is an excellent way to start your day and lose weight!

You will not go hungry while following this wu yi diet plan because you will have a snack about two hours after breakfast and another two hours after lunch. Always include a lean protein with fruit or veggies. One of my favorites is a small, nonfat yogurt with a teaspoon of flaxseed mixed in the yogurt.

You can have a handful of almonds with a bowl of fresh berries. A bowl of fresh strawberries with a dab of nonfat vanilla yogurt is fantastic. Remember to drink your wu yi (oolong) tea throughout the day either hot or iced.

For lunch, use a handful of pre-washed baby lettuces or spring greens and add some lean protein and lots of veggies for flavor. Lean protein choices include fish, turkey, chicken or even garbanzo beans. You need about two ounces (a bit smaller than a deck of cards).

What is key in weight loss? Planning! Cook a piece of lean protein the night before to use with your salad the next day. You can simply prepare an extra piece at dinner time! You can prep veggies the night before as well!

How will you flavor your salad? Not with creamy dressings! These add LOADS of calories and you will not lose weight. Try lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Pepper sauce is another interesting choice. Have refreshing glass of iced wu yi tea with an herbal berry tea added.

Your evening meal should be lean protein (your choice), side veggies with salad, and a small serving of whole grain such as couscous or brown rice. Quinoa is another lovely side dish. Try marinating your lean protein choice with a bit of olive oil mixed with herbs, garlic, onion, lemon juice and vinegar.

Am I forgetting anything? Oh yes! Dessert! Whether you are a salty or sweet (or both) type person, you should allow your taste buds a little treat now and again to stave off that binge monster.

If you enjoy sweet treats (like me), try my favorite: a mug of herbal vanilla and wu yi tea with a dark chocolate square (70% cacao). Maybe a bowl of berries with sugar-free whipped topping is your style. If you love salty snacks, skip the greasy chips and have some popcorn with pepper flakes!

Enjoying healthy food is very important if you want to lose weight. Drinking wu yi oolong tea is a very flavorful experience and your meals should complement this lovely tea.

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Equate Diet Pills- the Best Diet Pills

By Rita

Do you actually want to shed great weight off yourself? Are u being addressed an overweight or obese in the terminology of medical community? Are prescription medicine slimming pills the resolution for your situation? In the following article we will try and find out the response of these questions and also some facts about prescription diet pills. There a several prescriptions that doctor prescribes on an every day basis. Some of them are stimulants that rev up your metabolism while some works as appetite suppressants. There are some prescription slimming pills that work as both. diet pills are very captivating stuff if one requires to melt off, especially if one had tried several other predictable and conventional slimming ways to fall back that extra weight from your body but didn't bring in any success. There are hundreds of slimming pills brands and slimming products accessible in the market today.

Prescription only diet pills are the diet drugs. This medicine regularized by the Food and Drug Administration agency (FDA). FDA also supervises very closely their side events. They may be advertised and prescribed for weight loss under reliable consideration and in particular pill-dosages. Numerous better-known and noted brand names hail in this category of diet pills, which includes makes like Meridia (Sibutramine), Xenical (Orlistat), Adipex, Bontril, Didrex, Phentermine and Tenuate. Prescription just diet pills are fashioned and developed principally for those enduring from difficult obesity i.e., with a BMI [Body Mass Index] of more than 35. Diet and weight loss drugs are not a decorative answer to weight loss, neither are they contrived to substitute formal diet and weight loss programs. It should be identified that those overweight and obese individuals who break down to lose weight on orthodox diet plans should not swap to these diet pills as a simple reply to their weight troubles leaving behind all different latest methods. Instead they should take on with their weight loss diet and work on amending their motivation to lose weight and physical exertion with using these prescription diet pills.

A fat burner does two things. It works on the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that helps to regulate appetite. It also makes the outlet of certain brain chemicals that trigger the body's "fight or flight" mechanics, developing it to take action. In result, the body fires extra calories to be able to react to a bodily or emotional attempt. To rest ready for the assault that ne'er comes up, the body holds burning down calories even when it is at rest. Until 2004, fat burners usually contained ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin as their active ingredients. After the FDA prohibited the practice of ephedrine in diet pills, some producers started practicing herbal ephedra or Ma huang.

As much as possible choose bright diet pills.A lot of natural diet pills are available in the marketplace. These are more than preferred because they do not have as much side effects as those diet tablets that are synthesized chemically.Suspect the authenticity of a certain diet pill if it is sold way cheaper than its usual price. Fraud pills abound just like commandeered CD's. Buying from respected vendors current and offline give lessen the chances of having a bogus one.

Most diet pill companies are active in smart explores in trying to discover or invent one genuine result to the troubles of overweight and obesity. They have worked intensively on amphetamine-type diet pills, now they are searching on diet pills that work in the brain to suppress appetite, or in the intestines to inhibit the amount of fat and calories metabolized. So the day is not very far when this earth will be free of over weightedness.

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What You Must Know Before Trying the Sonoma Diet! Click Here!!

By Jessica A. Andersen

The Sonoma diet follows along the same lines as the South Beach diet plan. Choosing the right foods makes the difference to the weight loss challenge. The difference with the Sonoma diet is that it brings into play a total eating experience. Enjoyment is not derived from just eating the meal but choosing and preparing the food as well.

This diet instructs you to appreciate many different kinds of food. You learn to combine food in novel ways which keeps your eating experience from getting too boring. This idea is stolen directly from the Mediterranean diet plan. Here are the do not encourage eating the same boring food day after day. You will have a variety of foods to choose from and learn to enjoy them.

The diet plan is divided into sections which are sometimes called waves. In the first wave your diet is restricted. First wave is about 10 days or are approximately 2 weeks. This is when the body learns to eat food all over again. Here you will perjure body of high-fat, high calorie, and high sugar foods. Your body has to learn this again because we live in a society dominated by fast food and prepackaged meals in order to cut down on cooking. You will lose weight quickly during this wave.

Most of it is water due to the change in diet but some is actual weight loss as well. Dieters learn about the components of food and why certain ones make people gain weight. To maintain the loss, dieters have to move to the next "wave" of the plan.

This second wave is the longest days in the Sonoma diet plan. You will remain in this phase until you reach her weight-loss goal, similar to the South Beach diet. In the second phase there aren't any restrictions save for high calorie and high-fat foods are excluded.

When most people sit down for a meal they grab the largest plate they can find from their cupboards. Then they fill that plate until its overloaded. By doing so, they end up overeating and gaining weight. The Sonoma diet suggests that you simply start with a smaller plate. Then fill the plate with food in specific proportions. Doing this allows you to trick your mind into believing that you have more than enough food because your plate is full, thereby, avoiding overheating and gaining weight.

The final wave of the Sonoma diet is called the maintenance phase. Here you will learn how to keep the weight off and continue to appreciate and enjoy all the foods that you've grown to love during the other phases of the diet. Our website offers support as does the Sonoma diet website. There are dieting tools like many planners, recipes, and lists of healthy foods that you can eat well while on the diet.

Exercise is not a big deal on this eating plan. Exercise is important but the Sonoma diet plan emphasizes changes in food consumption as the basis for weight loss. Adding an exercise routine to the new eating habits can only increase weight loss and overall health.

When you visit my site today, which is linked below, you will get great information diets, exercise, and nutrition. Make sure you sign up for my free newsletter, when you do you will receive a free gift just for visiting my site. Click on the links below now!

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Is It Safe to Take Diet Pills?

By Kim Archer

One of the latest methods of promoting weight loss, diet pills were originally designed to suppress the appetite so as to keep eating itself under control. Newer diet pills work by helping the body to burn fat or carbohydrates. The companies who make these pills always make claims as to their efficacy and safety, but how can one be sure that they live up to the promises made by their manufacturers? In short: are diet pills safe to take?

Most weight loss pills, as we have said above, always come with claims by the manufacturer that they are perfectly safe, but there are still doubts remaining as to what kind of lasting effects these products may have upon our health.

Diet pills which work by suppressing the appetite tend to be merely caffeine, albeit in large doses. Caffeine naturally has appetite suppressant properties, but of course also has well known side effects such as nervousness, shakiness and difficulty sleeping. Large doses of caffeine over time may also negatively impact blood sugar levels.

Some diet pill manufacturers have opted to use synthetic stimulants so that they can claim that their product does not include caffeine. But in many cases, the synthetic chemicals used as a replacement for caffeine can be even more detrimental to one's health than caffeine. The chemical ephedra, for example, was found to trigger heart attacks in a number of men as well as women who took diet pills that contained this chemical. Ephedra is also said to be damaging to the circulatory system.

In spite of these warnings and dangerous chemicals, the diet pill industry continues to grow, ballooning to a $33 billion dollar industry each year.

Some companies have started producing all-natural diet pills which they claim contain only natural ingredients and take a holistic approach to appetite suppression and also give the user an energy boost. These products are generally your best bet if you want to use diet pills in order to lose weight.

Before beginning to take diet pills, you should always speak with your physician, whether or not the diet pills in question require a prescription. Your doctor may tell you it is best to leave diet pills entirely alone, depending on your health and any medications you may already be taking.

If, however, you are given clearance by your doctor to use diet pills, plan on taking them only as a short-term supplement to your dietary effort, not as a long-term solution to remaining trim. The chemical known as phenylpropanolamine is found in a majority of diet pills and can become very dangerous to your health if ingested for more than three months.

The best approach to diet pills is to use them early on in your diet to help you get out of the bad habit of overeating. In the end, however, the best weight loss advice is to follow a healthy diet combined with a regular exercise routine. This is the best long-term solution for losing weight.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Guidelines on Diets for Hypertension

By Lucille Green

Medical professionals suggest hypertension diets for those indivdiuals who tolerate this condition because the proof which shows regulation of certain foodstuffs and ingestion of others, being positive to individuals with high blood pressure. The difficult truth is there are a great many individuals walking around with high blood pressure who not even aware they are in peril. This can be prevented by employing the identical diet plan that is recommended for those who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

The diet plans suggested are low in salt and this cannot be emphasized enough if the sodium that you consume on a regular basis is more than the recommended total. Not only has this been proven to assist prevent hypertension but once the individual has their blood pressure under watch, the chance of it going up once again is lessened if the salt ingestion is controlled.

The diet of an individual with high blood pressure ought not take on alcohol because drinking more than a couple of alcoholic drinks daily will raise blood pressure. The occasional drink is not going to impact blood pressure but drinking too frequently will for certain raise it to higher points. There are some who think a glassful of wine each day will in reality serve to keep blood pressure low.

Vegetables are great for serving to stop your blood pressure from goin up and a vegetarian diet is recommended oftentimes by physicians who provide their patients a plan for keeping their hypertension controlled. This kind of diet takes in vegetables and fruits - foodstuffs that are low in saturated fats as well as the total fat consumed but dietary fibers are important likewise when it comes to observing your blood pressure at a recommended level. Meat that is good for those on a diet, to contain their blood pressure, are fish and chicken but of course the way the food is prepared and the vegetable oils employed are another matter that needs to be considered. The ingestion of fat should be less than twenty five percent of your calories for the whole day and saturated fat should be under 7 percent of the entire calories each day.

Trans fats ought to be under 1 percent of the daily calories and cholesterol should not be more than 300 mg each day. Although the meals you consume are not the fundamental reason for high blood pressure, the heartier you are the better the opportunity of beating the odds if you have a predisposition to hypertension.

The use of natural vegetable oils is advocated, which can be safflower, canola or olive oil, and the butter you employ should say "0 grams trans fat" on the label. The foodstuffs that comprise a great deal of tans fats for example cake, pie, muffins, doughnuts, french fries, crackers and cookies should be avoided. The infrequent cookie or piece of cake is not going to upset the entire diet as long as you don't make it a habit. Eating healthy now may prevent your requiring hypertension diets later, so by pursuing the dieting your physician suggests for you, the odds of acquiring hypertension are reduced.

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The Diet Which Caused Beyonce Knowles to Lose Weight - Is It Healthy?

By Frances Norah Smith

Beyonce Knowles-in recent times, days she became more famous for her sudden unexpected weight loss than either her vocal cords or histrionic abilities! Once she claimed on a TV show to have lost almost twenty pounds of fat using a special diet program, everyone went crazy over it. So what is this diet program and exactly how does it work, and more importantly, could Beyonce's results be duplicated by others? I will answer all these questions in this article.

Beyonce claimed to have lost the weight while shooting for the film Dream Girls, where she plays her real life role, that of a singer. Now anyone who is familiar with the environment of movie sets would know that it is virtually impossible to maintain a strict diet out there. Now you maybe are wondering how she lost weight despite all the odds!

Well, her nutritionist prescribed a special detox drink for her and during the following two weeks, she survived on nothing except that drink! That is a bit tough I agree; I for one cannot even imagine being on a liquid diet, that too, for two weeks straight!

But that is what Beyonce did, and whenever she would suffer from unbearable pangs of hunger, she would douse it with this detox drink. So that is how she lost weight! If you want to follow this diet plan, I would suggest that you don't use it beyond a week or ten days at most!

Fortunately it doesn't take a lot of skill or expertise to prepare this drink. All you need is to do is to get eight ounces of clean and pure sprint water, and then add these ingredients to it:

a) 2 tablespoonfuls each of lemon juice and maple syrup. Both the lemons and maples should be fresh and completely organic, and the juice must be made at home. Don't purchase high-calorie flavored juices from your local store!

b) If you want you can also add a little bit of cayenne pepper to the mix for flavor.

So that's it! I would say that it would taste best if you cool it off in the refrigerator but of course you can also drink it hot! Both lemon and maple cleanse all the toxins from your body and therefore help you lose unnecessary weight!

However just like other liquid diets, this one also has several downsides, and Beyonce herself admitted to have followed it out of lack of choice; she further admitted that given a choice, she would prefer a healthier diet plan to this one. If you really want to follow this diet plan, make sure to fix an appointment with your local nutritionist just like Beyonce did, so as to make sure that your body is fit for this diet plan!

The one major drawback of this diet is that it virtually makes you starve, and that is not a good weight loss step. When you starve, you will lose weight for sure but that would be just water weight! As soon as you get back to your normal food habits, you would gain back all the 'lost' weight instantly! If you want to get rid of your fat belly or flabby arms, you need to lose FAT, something which this detox diet is unable to help you with!

Fatigue and weakness are some of the side effects you may suffer from the use of this diet, so be careful if you decide to go for it!

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Cabbage Soup Diet, Like Any Other Low To No Carb Diets

By Christine G. Shannon

The Cabbage Soup Diet is something you have probably already heard of by this time. Most people lose some weight in the first couple of weeks. Unfortunately, most people lose interest in this diet after a short time and quickly regain the weight. This is similar to the results seen in other low to no carb diets. If a diet is to be effective over the long term, it has to offer enough variety to be enjoyable.

Because it is also called a fat-burning soup diet, it contains ingredients in the soup, which would be considered fat-burning. Besides the soup, there is not much else that can be eaten other than low carb or no carb fruits and vegetables.

When you analyze the cabbage soup or fat burning soup recipe, it could be considered another of the low to no carb diets. The soups main fat-burning, vegetables consists of: onions, tomatoes, peppers, celery, and of course, cabbage. Some of the more creative versions are now substituting broccoli or cauliflower for the cabbage. You can add spices to taste and bouillon or hot sauce, if desired.

This is a diet which is very low in carbohydrates, which your body converts to sugar - the unused energy is then stored as fat. This is a low carb vegetable soup, made with ingredients which encourage your body to burn fat and lose weight. It works for most, but since most of these dieters quickly lose interest in the diet, it is only effective in the short term.

Here's how the cabbage soup diet works: you can eat all the soup you like whenever you're hungry. Other than this, there are different things which you can eat depending on the day of the week. On day one, you can have fruit (except for bananas), on day two you can have vegetables except for peas, corn and beans. On day two you can also have a baked potato with dinner, to trick your body into thinking that you are still eating carbohydrates.

Day three allows fruits and vegetables, day four you can have bananas and skim milk. On day five, you can eat lean meat and tomatoes; day six allows leafy greens and lean meat. On day seven, brown rice can be eaten. This isn't a diet which offers a lot of variety, not to mention protein. This is why many do not manage to stick with the fat burning soup diet for very long.

Just like all of the other low to no carb diets, the cabbage soup diet severely curtails carbohydrate intake. The diet doesn't restrict how many times or how much you can eat, as long as you eat the soup or other allowable item for the day.

The best diets for helping you to lose weight over the long term are those which add fat burning foods while letting you have variety and meeting all of your nutritional needs. One such diet is Fat Loss 4 Idiots that you should check out quickly at the link below, which has helped thousands to lose weight without getting burned out on their diet.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Find Out Why The Most Popular Diet Plans Aren't The Best Plans!

By Jessica A. Andersen

It is hard to turn on the television today and not see an added some sort or one weight-loss plan or another. It begs the question, if they work, why are there so many different kinds? Knowing your body and how it works will let you pick from many diet to market the best one for you. Below I've described some of the more popular weight-loss programs and and provided links to some new promising ones.

1. Jenny Craig. This diet needs no introduction its spokespeople Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli are all over the media. We've seen Kirstie Alley shrink from a behemoth to merely a very large woman. And Valerie Bertinelli has made a remarkable transformation. This plan has one big drawback. It is extremely expensive. The mAonthly fee while only $20 does not hint at or reveal that the actual cost is much more. The food is great but expensive. On the plus side the plan matches you with counselor with whom you can speak about your progress or lack thereof when you go in for weigh ins.

2. Weight Watchers. This diet by far has been a very successful. Almost no food is off limits. The points system, developed by Weight Watchers, lets you eat anything you want as long as you do not eat more than a daily point value assigned to your weight group. this fun as great literature and informative meetings that instruct members how to eat benefits as they can eat more, not be hungry and not gain weight. Exercise is not a large part of this diet even though it's encouraged. My advice, however, is to always exercise. Even if it's just a little. Everyday, each little bit helps more than you know it's a vital part of your day and will improve your life.

3. South Beach. This diet has attracted a lot of people mostly because of the idea that they can lose up to thirteen pounds in the first two weeks. The first two weeks are the most restrictive of the entire program. The idea is to reprogram the body to metabolize food. Slowly, the foods that were restricted are added back in to balance out the diet. It also helps that South Beach has gone mainstream with products like frozen meals, bars, and cereals on grocery store shelves.

4. NutriSystem. This diet program is based on the glycemic index for rating carbohydrates. A carbohydrate that is low on the glycemic index is one that will release its energy slowly throughout the day so that sugar levels in the blood are stable, reducing hunger. High glycemic index foods are metabolized quickly and give you a burst of energy but makes you crash not long afterwards. The meals are already portioned out to avoid counting calories, fats, and carbs.

So which diet is for you? All of them work but there is a cost involved with each of them. let me help you make up your mind, visit my site and learn even more about these great programs and some new very promising ones. When you visit today and sign up for my newsletter I will give you free diet software. Click on the links below now!

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Choosing the Best Weight Loss System for You

By Max Loser

The best weight loss system for you will incorporate both a well-designed nutritional plan and an all-inclusive fitness program. Both of these elements are necessary to a successful weight loss system.

Weight loss actually begins the very first minute you start using a weight loss system. A powerful weight loss system is scientifically formulated to break down stubborn layers of body fat from hard to reach storage areas. So much so, it leaves your body with the most sensational sculpted look of your life that until recently only professional models knew how to get and maintain. You will not only lose the weight, but you'll also get the kind of body that turns heads wherever you go.

Both a diet plan and an exercise regiment will be included in a good weight loss system. It's best to have both for safe and effective weight loss. It is recommended that you speak with a doctor before attempting any new weight loss system. What is right and what works for one individual might not be advisable for you. A doctor can help tailor a weight loss system to make it more appropriate to your needs.

It's good to have some motivation for losing weight. You'll want your reason to be strong enough to motivate you to stick with your weight loss system, continue exercising, and continue eating healthy. You have to be persistent and really work at, but it'll be all worth it when you lose the weight you want. Get some help from friends and family; they can be a great support system for you.

Check with your doctor to make sure that you're healthy enough to being the weight loss program you've selected. Your doctor can also help modify the program if necessary to make it better suited for your needs.

Most, if not all, weight loss systems involve dieting of some sort. You will find many weight loss products on the internet, but most of them are not clinically proven and endorsed by leading medical experts.

There is a system that will help you finally achieve your goal. People around the globe are using weight loss systems to change their lives. All of the products in a good weight loss system are completely natural and manufactured to the highest possible quality. A weight loss system can also suppress appetite, decrease food cravings, and lower blood cholesterol.

The removal of toxins from your body will help restore proper organ functions, boost your metabolism, and help you feel energized. A weight loss system also helps to balance the acid-alkaline system in your body. The only side effect you should experience should be a slimmer and healthier body.

You might find that one weight loss system works better for you than another one. It might not be that easy to determine the best weight loss system for you - check with your doctor for advice on what might be the best weight loss program for you to follow.

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Weight Loss - Is It Too Difficult or Easy?

By Frances Norah Smith

Making a decision to lose weight is one thing and becoming successful in fulfilling your weight loss goal is quite another! The number of weight loss resolutions taken every year is not proportional to the rate of weight loss successes, and that is because only a few of the millions of people who take a New Year's weight loss resolution are able to keep their vows intact throughout the year! Why? It is because losing weight is an uphill task.

Let's say that you are used to sitting on your couch for hours on end, munching on potato chips or popcorn! Now if I suddenly ask you to change that habit and workout in the gym during the hours you used to be seated on the couch, or if I say that you cannot lose weight until you stop eating that packet of chips or popcorn, you can well understand how hard it would be to follow those suggestions!

While it is not easy to get rid of unhealthy lifestyle habits which have become one with you over the years, it IS possible to lose weight if you are willing to follow a few easy but effective weight loss strategies which I discuss in this article.

The most difficult part about weight loss is that of being able to stick to one diet plan for a long time. People waste more time in hopping from one diet program to another rather than making some progress towards their weight loss goals; they are always in search of an 'easy' and 'fast' weight loss solution which would effortlessly melt away all the unwanted chunks of fat from their body! However, that is simply not possible. If you are not willing to work hard, you may not be able to lose weight permanently!

Weight loss is important not just for cosmetic reasons but also to keep your body healthy. Overweight people suffer from a number of additional maladies over and above obesity itself, and not without a cause! For years experts have linked obesity to harmful diseases such as heart problems, kidney problems, back problems, pain in joints and muscle, premature death, etc.

You probably know that in order to lose weight successfully, you are required to follow a healthy diet and workout regularly. While working out is surely tough, maintaining your healthy eating habits is even tougher, especially in the busy modern life which most of us lead! Thanks to our hectic schedules, few of us have the time and energy to spend on cooking healthy meals at home! Naturally; we find it much more convenient to buy loafs and cakes from our local grocery store than cook some vegetables at home. Thankfully there is a way out!

There are special diet delivery services which would deliver healthy, low-calorie meals at your doorstep at short notice! The beauty of these services is that while on one hand you escape the stress of trying to figure out the calorie contents of the foods you cook at home or buy from outside, you also save time on the other!

All you have to do is just unwrap these packages and serve them for your breakfast, lunch and dinner! In fact, most people now prefer to use these services as they find it easier to maintain their healthy lifestyle that way!

Provided that you are wiling to make the extra effort, losing weight is not hard at all!

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Do You Think The Ketogenic Diet Just Another Fad?

By Frances Norah Smith

New diet programs seem to crop up almost every month, so much so that at times I find it difficult to remember all of them. A new kid on the block is the Ketogenic Diet. You may or may not have heard of it because it hasn't been able to reach the popularity levels of Atkins Diet or South Beach diet. Even so, weight loss has little to do with the popularity of a particular diet program.

In my experience I have found that people have lost weight with little known diet programs, and the opposite has also happened - that of people getting disappointed with the most popular diet program! The big question is: is the Ketogenic Diet just another fad or does it really work? That is what I would be talking in detail in this article!

To understand the Ketogenic Diet, you have to know about ketones first, since this diet is based on how ketones function in our body. In short, ketones are the enemies of fats, and the more ketones your body has, the quicker you would be able to shed the extra pounds!

Now, in fact, our body has a soft corner for fat. It would rather burn your valuable muscles for the purpose of producing energy than that ugly fat. The Ketogenic Diet burns your fat deposits and produces the readymade energy your body can use. This is a win-win situation for you: neither you would need your body's help to burn fat as it is done artificially by the Ketogenic Diet, nor would you lose your lean muscles!

Now the crucial part: which foods are you allowed to eat under this diet? Since carbs turn into fat and make you overweight, you should reduce their intake and increase the consumption of fatty foods. This means that you should be eating more of dairy products such as butter, milk, cheese, etc., and less of cookies, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, white breads, rice, pasta, fruits, etc.

The bad part of this diet program is that just like other fad diets, this one too is not without its share of side effects. Some side effects you may suffer from as a result of using this high-fat-and-low-carb diet are abnormal behavioral changes, stomach problems such as bloating and constipation, kidney troubles, as well as high cholesterol levels! On top of that, there is no scientific or clinical evidence of the effectiveness of this diet with regards to weight loss. So far, only epileptic patients, that too mainly children, have benefited from the use of this diet. If you decide to opt for this diet, you shouldn't do so without consulting a doctor or nutritionist!

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Proper Diet To Gain Muscle Mass

By James Jones

When you decide to gain weight, you always want the fastest way. But the reality is you have to put in your time and pay your dues at the dinner table. It doesn't have to be complex and difficult though. Here's a plan thats designed to be simple and effective for gaining weight quick.

The key is to eat lots of meals per day. You want a total of actually 6. Your breakfast, lunch, and dinner strong meals should all consist of at least 30-50 grams of protein from primarily a meat source. Just as the 3 above exercises are your backbones, these 3 meat meals are your eating backbones. In addition to protein, you need lots of complex carbohydrates and good fats too.

Remember, we talked about 6 meals. Three being large, and 3 being small. Let's talk about the small meals. Now in between your 3 strong meals you need to consume 3 minor meals, such as a protein shake or a couple of protein bars, or essentially some snack which is going to contain another minimum of 30-50 grams of protein, but you are allowed to have this in protein shake form or other easy, convenient protein forms. And the carbohydrate amount need not be as heavy. This is the ideal eating plan for how to gain weight and muscle.

Now you are going to have to pay your dues at the dinner table. This means eating rather heavy at breakfast, lunch and dinner. You want to add food that is going to contribute to weight and muscle gain and the simple way to do this is just to add a large serving of protein to each meal. For instance at breakfast if you normally just eat cereal and toast, you're going to have to start throwing some eggs in the mix.

It's great if you can eat egg whites for breakfast. Try for 3 or more. For lunch, if you normally have a burger, then your going to have to double it and have two burgers. And for dinner, if say you normally have something like pasta, then your going to have to add a hefty amount of meat in the sauce to get that protein in. If you usually have a serving of protein at dinner, say a chicken breast, then double it and have two chicken breasts. And if you can eat them baked or streamed, great. Basically your upping your protein intake with solid, strong weight gaining food. On thing to be stressed again is that you need to make sure you are getting alot of pure protein. Eating fatty and fried foods will not help you.

Again, If your serious about gaining weight, then in between your meals, sometime during the day you'll want to down a high calorie protein shake. This should consist of protein, juice or milk, a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, a banana, and any other fruit you prefer. You could drink half of it between breakfast and lunch and the other half between lunch and dinner. Or if its not convenient just down the whole thing at once during one of those two periods.

The mathematics require you to eat more calories than you burn. You'll basically force your body to gain weight on this program if you are consistent with it and stick to it day in and day out for at least 6-8 weeks. Eating this way and combining basic weight lifting exercises can create a stronger and much bigger physique.

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Everything About the Mediterranean diet. CLICK HERE!

By Jessica A. Andersen,

This weight loss plan teaches dieters to adopt the eating habits of the people in and around the Mediterranean Sea. The people in this region are clean and beautiful and to achieve the same look try this plan.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the thought that eating food is more than just munching and crunching. The total experience of food involves taking time to prepare the meal and taking time to eat it as well. Food that is eaten slowly is enjoyed more than gobbling it down.

The diet has no restrictions. However, plan encourages you to exclude high calorie and fried foods. Other than that, there are many choices. The one caveat, portion control.

Good news, the Mediterranean diet allows eat bread, especially pita bread. Peter comes in many varieties including whole-wheat which makes a healthy choice. The bread is light and is a great complement to any meal. You can eat it as an appetizer, for example, dip a pita bread Square in a bit of olive oil and herbs to add flavor to any meal.

While on the Mediterranean diet, participants get to eat fruits, veggies, low calorie pasta, cheeses and yogurt. Vegetables are sauted in olive oil for a lighter taste. Whole wheat pasta is an alternative to those made with white flour.

People living in the Mediterranean region of the world get most of their daily protein requirements from plant sources, but meat is eaten also. Fish and seafood are the usual choices, but lean meats are eaten in small portions as well. Plant sources provide proteins that are lower in cholesterol and fat. This fact improves the overall health of the dieter.

This diet plan is based on the enjoyment of food. Exercise enhances any healthy eating plan, but this particular diet does not stress that point. The choice of foods will lead to weight loss on this plan and adding exercise to the mix can increase weight loss over time. Start off with thirty minutes of activity three days a week and increase when you feel comfortable.

The Mediterranean diet teaches you that eating several small meals a day is much better than eating three large ones. Participants can enjoy a great variety of foods and not feel deprived. You will eat like you're vacationing in southern Spain when the Greek islands and lose weight simultaneously.

When you visit our site now you'll learn more great facts about the Mediterranean diet, nutrition and exercise tips. When you visit today and sign up for our free newsletter will send you a free gift! Click on the links now!

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14 Of the Most Popular Low Carb Diets. What You Must Know Now!

By Jessica A. Andersen

In order to lose weight and improve overall health many people try dieting. According to government statistics 65% of Americans are obese. But the good news is that 38% are trying to diet.

And according to a recent survey by the National Health Institute, about a third of overweight Americans who are trying to lose weight, are doing so by eating less carbohydrates (carbs) largely because of the increased popularity of fad diets like Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet.

The terminology "low-carb" wasn't really coined until around 1992 when the USDA announced America's model food pyramid included six to eleven servings daily of grains and starches. However, low-carb dieting dates back more than 100 years before the trendy Atkins diet to 1864 with a pamphlet titled Letter on Corpulence written by William Banting, as close to the first commercial low-carb diet as you could get.

The most popular high-protein diets/low-carb diets are:

1. Atkins Diet 2. Living Low-Carb 3. The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan 4. The Glycemic Index Diet 5. NeanderThin 6. Protein Power 7. Schwarzbein Principle 8. Somersizing 9. South Beach Diet 10. Sugar Busters! 11. The Zone 12. Thin for Good 13. Hampton's Diet 14. Carbohydrate Addict's Diet

So, how do you choose the right one for you? When you visit my site www.easyfatloss.us you can learn in detail about each of these diets described above. in fact if you visit today and sign up for my free newsletter you'll get a free BMI calculator and a free dieting e-book! Just for visiting today! Click on the blue links below now!

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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Rapid Weight Loss: Say Goodbye to These 4 Things

By Frances Norah Smith

Why do you want to lose weight? While I don't know what prompted you to take the weight loss decision, the fact remains that people usually lose weight in the hope of looking and feeling good. That said, losing weight is important for non-cosmetic reasons as well! Do you know that obesity alone leads to more than three million deaths every year? It might sound crazy, but it is true.

If you are obese, you are sure to die prematurely at some point of time. If you want to live a long and healthy life, read on to find out how you can lose weight quickly and easily!

1. Say goodbye to "low-calorie" and "low-fat" snacks: Snacks which come with the labels of "low-calorie" or "low-fat" would often fool you into believing that they are indeed better alternatives to the originals; however, the fact remains that the ingredients used to prepare those supposedly "healthier" alternatives are as bad as the original unhealthy foods, if not more!

Plus many people think that it is okay to eat "low-fat" or "low-calorie" foods in large quantizes, which makes the problem worse. Having one can of high-calorie drink is no different than gulping down on three cans of 'low-calorie' drinks. I believe that for the sake of your health, you should learn to accept the fact that you cannot eat your favorite junk foods anymore, neither in original nor in 'low-calorie' forms!

2. Say goodbye to 'kitchen junk': 'Kitchen junk' is a term I have developed to refer to the stocks of junk foods in kitchen. It is easy to feel tempted to grab a packet of chips or a bowl of chocolate soup if they are at your arm's reach! That is why it is essential that you remove all the 'forbidden' foods not only from your kitchen but also refrigerator, and then stock healthy and natural foods in their place!

When you are dying of hunger, would you prefer to drive to a grocery store located a few miles away in order to buy a few packets of chips, or grab some apples which are available right in your refrigerator? I think the answer is clear. You should keep only healthy foods in your home as it would be easier for you to maintain healthy eating habits that way!

3. Say goodbye to midnight jobs: Many of the modern jobs need you to stay up all night. However, the fact remains that you are more likely to pack on pounds if you don't sleep soundly, not to mention that you would suffer from fatigue and weakness all the time. Several studies conducted over the past few years have all pointed to one and only fact: the more a person sleeps, the less likely he is to feel hungry and eat all the 'wrong' foods! Ideally you should sleep at least seven hours per day, if not more!

4. Say goodbye to lazy life: Laziness is one of the primary reasons behind the rising levels of obesity in recent years. People seem to prefer their couches and beds more than the local gym. However, if you are serious about weight loss, you cannot reach your goal unless you put in at least fifteen minutes of intense workout per day!

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Genie Diet - Is It Suitable For You?

By Frances Norah Smith

It is nothing new for people to go after fad diets in the hope of fast weight loss. No matter how many times they fail you, the charm of fad diets is so irresistible that you seem to be drawn to them each time you notice an attractive claim, and the more attractive and hyped up the claim is the better!

I am not sure if you have heard of Genie Diet before, but it seems to be the new craze among obese adults these days. The point is: if it is just like the other fad diets which preceded it, then it is not worth your time. But what if it is effective? Let's find out the truth about Genie Diet in this article.

Whenever I review a diet, I don't take into account the testimonials on the diet manufacturer's website: more often than not, they tend to be either "fabricated" or offered by people in lieu of some bribe. On the other hand, even if a certain diet program has a few negative reviews, I don't make the judgment call that it is a scam product. After all, no diet program in the world would fit the 'one-size-fits-all' category. Every human body is set up in a unique way; so if the diet used successfully by your friend works for you as well, then thank your stars!

What really matters to me is the proportion of positive reviews to the negative ones, and going by this criterion, I think I would give the Genie Diet my assent! Why? From the reviews I have noticed at third party forums and message boards, most people seem to have gotten positive results (mind you, people aren't given any inactive to post a positive review in public forums and message boards, so you can trust the reviews found in those places more than the testimonials you see on the product's website) from its use!

I also make sure that a decent number of people have gotten positive results with a diet program; even though it is not possible for everyone to lose weight efficiently with the same diet program, most, if not all users, should notice some positive changes in their body weight after dieting for a considerable period of time.

Going by that criterion too, Genie Diet scores a high. From what I've noticed in consumer forums, on an average people successfully lost anywhere between 8-10 pounds within just fourteen days, in contrast to the normal rate of 2 pounds per week. Now that is really what I would call a fast and effective weight loss solution!

A big advantage of the Genie Diet is that you don't need to starve or eat boring foods for long periods of time. It is based on the concept of detox weight loss, which is why for the first few days you must not eat anything except the foods recommended by the diet program.

You should also make sure that you don't eat too much during this period, for it is important to keep your stomach empty in order to help it flush out the undigested foods and toxins present inside. As soon as you get rid of these waste products, you are sure to lose anywhere between 8-10 pounds as stated above.

Moreover, once you detoxify your body of these toxins and waste products, it becomes easier for your body to keep your metabolic rate high and burn fat quickly! Your overall health improves as well. As you can see, the Genie Diet is indeed a healthy weight loss program, for it not only helps you get rid of unwanted fat but also makes your body healthy!

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Friday, March 20, 2009

What You Must Know Before You Try Zone Diet!

By Jessica A. Andersen

Dr. Barry Sears developed the Zone Diet. The diet uses the 40/30/30 strategy. This means that you consume 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. The good Dr. Sears advocates a balanced diet plan in order to lose weight and avoid diseases.

The Zone Diet focuses on insulin production as the major facet of weight loss. Consuming foods that raise blood sugar and stimulate insulin production are bad for you. Excess insulin is stored as fat. When you eat foods that rapidly produce insulin your body is encourage to store fat rather than burn it for energy. Spikes in insulin are believed to cause heart disease and diabetes.

As we discussed some foods cause a spike in insulin. Which foods you ask? Well white flour and processed foods contain empty calories (simple carbohydrates) that cause insulin to flood the blood streams. Avoid these foods and white flour like the plague. Instead eat fruits and vegetables because the sugars (carbohydrates) in these foods are generally more complex and don't cause the unhealthy insulin spike!

The Zone Diet recommends eating 3 daily meals and two snacks. Snacks prevent hunger and overeating. However, your snack must contain good carbohydrates in order to avoid the dreaded insulin spike. Meals, of course, must follow the 40/30/30 rule. The largest portion coming from carbs like green vegies, corn, cauliflower, squash, peppers, zucchini, and other similar vegies. As for protein, a good measure is to choose a portion about the size of your hand. And fat should probably be cut off of your meat prior to eating.

Consumption of the proper amount of fat is essential because doing so slows digestion and provides a continuous source of steady energy. Slowing your digestion is good because you won't feel hungry immediately after eating because your body will be busy digesting. The Zone Diet recommends eating good fats contained in nuts and canola and olive oil.

Foods that cause spikes in the blood sugar are avoided as much as possible. We know that candy, cakes, and other sweet treats can do this, but also more common foods. Breads, pasta noodles, and heavy starches will do the same thing. These foods are addictive and we often eat more than a serving size of them at any one time, without realizing it.

The Zone diet provides affordable pre-packed foods to help you get started and stick to the diet. Also, we can provide you with dozens of sources of zone diet recipes. With just a few changes to your weekly grocery list you'll be Zone Diet Compliant! In fact, your family probably won't even notice the change to their menu once you do the switch.

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3 Simple and Easy Steps to Quick Weight Loss!

By Frances Norah Smith

If you are like others, you have certainly made a strong New Year's resolution to shed all those extra pounds of flab which bother you so much. This time you have promised yourself that you would really show off your new-found slim body much before the Valentine's Day! However, January is almost about to end and your body shows no signs of getting slimmer or lighter. Is the problem is with your diet, or something else? If you are confused and don't know the answers to these questions, this article is for you!

Making and breaking New Year's weight loss resolutions is nothing extraordinary; in fact I have done that many times myself and finally came to the conclusion that resolutions can do little if you are not willing to get started on the job! Yes, you should treat weight loss with the same effort with which you perform at your office!

Weight loss is not about starving for a few days, or following one fad diet for a couple of weeks and then hopping on to something more attractive! Weight loss can be attained only when you make a long term commitment to follow a healthier lifestyle!

Believe it or not, the first few days of your weight loss journey would probably be toughest, as you simply don't know whether you would be successful or not or if it is the right time to start losing weight, etc. Once you push yourself hard and sail smoothly through these first few days, you would be on a roll, shedding fat and losing weight non-stop!

What I am offering in this article is solid, practical advice which works for anyone; what I won't offer is suggestion for weight loss fads, since they have neither worked for me nor anyone else I know about!

1. Drive procrastination away by setting a realistic goal: The only thing that is keeping you from starting the weight loss journey is lack of a proper goal and target. You primary task should be to set a weight loss goal, and more importantly, the goal needs to be realistic!

Instead of wishing for a body like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston, you could set a much more meaningful and achievable goal of losing "12 pounds by the end of March". Assuming that you would be getting rid of two pounds of weight per week on an average, that timeframe is more than enough for you to become as slim as you wish!

2. Fix your bad food habits: Controlling your portions is surely important, but even more crucial than that is to discard all the unhealthy, junk foods from your daily meals and import healthy foods in their place! To give you an example, try to have a glass of fruit juice instead of chocolates or cookies; this would satiate your sugar cravings but without making you any fatter!

Similarly, grilled chicken meat is healthier than its fried version. Additionally, instead of gulping down on dozens of soda cans, try to drink eight glasses of water per day!

3. Leave the couch: I know it sounds harsh but the couch is the biggest stumbling block in your way of successful weight loss and as such, you need to start detesting it right away! Leading an active lifestyle would not only help you lose weight faster but also make you more energetic!

If your local club sponsors outdoor sports, make sure you participate in them. If the club comes with a swimming pool as well, then that is an added advantage. Whether you play tennis or swim, you would be burning fat and losing weight either way! Dancing is also not a bad idea-how about joining a dance school?

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2 Surefire Fat Burning Tips for Fast Weight Loss

By Frances Norah Smith

Our weight loss industry is filled with fads which promise to magically melt all your pounds away! We have fad diets which would help you lose the pounds within a couple of months, diet pills you simply need to pop daily in order to get slimmer, etc. In fact, there is no dearth of "magic weight loss products", though you will rarely hear about a product which magically boosts your metabolic rate!

I am not sure why everyone's not focusing on searching for ways to increase their metabolic rate, since it is the only key to weight loss success. In this article I will tell you how our metabolic rate influences our body weight and how you could use this tool to get rid of fat permanently!

Do you want rapid weight loss? How fast you would be able to lose weight depends solely on your metabolic rate. If you have a high metabolism, fast weight loss won't be impossible for you. On the other hand, with a slow metabolic rate you aren't likely to be successful in your weight loss goal. Now perhaps you are wondering how to boost your metabolic rate.

While we humans are blessed with natural metabolism which keeps us fit and healthy, it is often insufficient to help you with quick weight loss. If you want to burn fat quickly, you need to increase your metabolic rate to abnormal levels! There are diet pills which promise to skyrocket your metabolism in no time; however they come with several harmful side effects, not to mention that the metabolism boost you gain with their help is short-lived.

In my opinion the best technique to boost your metabolism naturally is by increasing your lean muscle mass. The more muscles you have, the higher your metabolic rate would be and the faster you would lose weight. Fortunately muscle building doesn't cost an arm and a leg; you can do it with the help of intense workouts!

Doing intense workouts on a regular basis would help you achieve rapid weight loss. These intense workouts may seem to be strenuous at first look, but unlike cardios, you need to do them only for 15-20 minutes each day. By spending as little as 20 minutes per day, you would be able to burn fat at a fast rate as well as build strong lean muscles at the same time. These lean muscles would help you burn fat even when you are not working out! So what are the best intense workouts for this purpose?

Undoubtedly, weight lifting comes to mind the moment I think of intense exercises. People wrongly believe that they need to do several low intensity reps using light weights in order to derive the maximum benefit from weight lifting. Truth to be told, the higher and shorter your reps are, and the heavier your weights, the quicker you would burn fat and lose weight. I would recommend that you do no more than 10-15 reps, but you need to make sure that the weights you use are heavier than five or six pounds!

Since you would be doing strenuous exercises, it is vital that you replenish your body by increasing your water intake. When your body remains hydrated at all times, you would find exercising much less strenuous, since water would help your body recover quickly from the strain of these workouts!

Also, water is itself a great metabolism booster as well as a powerful detoxifier that cleanses all toxins from our body. The minimum recommended water intake for a normal adult is about 8-10 glasses.

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2 Healthy Eating Habits for Rapid Weight Loss!

By Frances Norah Smith

While it is true that it takes time and patience to lose weight, and that you have to work hard for it, that 'hard work' doesn't mean starving yourself for days on end in the hope of losing a few pounds fast! You may or may not believe it, but it is possible to get rid of fat using healthy and natural means! In this article I will tell you about two such means!

Contrary to what you may be thinking, you won't have to workout at the gym for hours like crazy; it has nothing to do with your workouts and everything with your food habits. Do you know that your food habits can make or break your health? By implementing a few simple food management tips, you would ensure that you get rid of annoying pounds easily and quickly.

1. Pick healthy meals: This one is quite obvious; you cannot expect to lose weight by eating junk foods, can you? No matter how hard you diet in order to lose weight, your junk food buddies would ensure the return of the 'lost' weight after sometime.

If you want to see permanent weight loss results, there is no technique other than replacing your unhealthy foods with their healthier counterparts. Instead of consuming processed foods and fruit juices, burgers and pastries, fried and oily foods, you should consume natural fruits and vegetables, natural fruit juice (you should extract the fruit juice at home as it ensures that no sugary preservatives are added to it), plain water, etc.

You should also stay away from soda, alcohol and soft drinks. These simple but effective modifications in your food habits would help you lose fat much more easily than otherwise!

2. Choose the right portion and time for foods: Eating the right foods is as important as making sure that you don't overeat or don't end up eating at wrong times. Just because apple is a natural fruit doesn't mean that you would eat it in dozens at midnight.

Remember that one apple consists of 100 calories; if you eat too many of them at once, your body would be bombarded with excess calories which it may not need at that moment; as a result, it would store the extra calories as fat! Likewise, if you eat food at midnight, again your body won't be able to burn all the calories gained from food since it would be inactive during that time. Do you know that you could gain pounds in sleep? If you want to avoid that scenario then don't eat anything after 7PM!

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

2 Unspoken Truths About Weight Loss

By Frances Norah Smith

When it comes to weight loss, people invariably seem to recommend diet and exercise all the time, conveniently ignoring or overlooking the several other major and minor factors which determine the success or failure of weight loss. Now I am not saying that dieting and exercising are not important, but it is equally important to take note of the two weight loss truths I am going to discuss in this article. If you fail to take note of them, you may as well fail to get rid of your fat belly and love handles.

1. Weight Loss Truth#1 - You cannot lose weight in unhealthy surroundings: Struggling to lose weight in unhealthy surroundings is like trying to setup a sacrosanct place in a dirty area; both are absolutely hopeless endeavors and would result in nada, zilch! If you really want to lose weight, you need to inculcate good and healthy habits, and for that it is essential that you live in favorable surroundings.

Here is an example. How can you lose weight when your kitchen is filled up with chips and pastries or the refrigerator is choke-full of chocolates and soft drinks? The truth is, with these unhealthy foods keeping you company throughout the day, you cannot help but be tempted to take a bite of them even if you know it is bad for you!

The only way out is to replace those junk foods with their healthier selections which would provide your body with the required amount of nutrition, minus the oil and fat! Examples of such foods are lean meat, eggs, organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fishes, soy, etc.

2. Weight Loss Truth#2 - You cannot lose weight if you don't reward yourself: People work hard with the incentive of being rewarded in return, and the same holds true for weight loss as well! Losing weight is such a Herculean effort that more often than not you would feel disappointed and frustrated with your weight loss efforts.

When you fail to see any noticeable dip in the scale in one week, you would soon come to the conclusion that all your efforts for burning of fat have come to nothing. However, that is not true at all! For you to become successful in weight loss, it is important that you exercise patience and self-discipline all the time, but in reality, it is easier said than done. This is where rewards come in!

In order for rewards to work, you should have already set a weight loss aim as well as several smaller milestones for the purpose for reaching that goal. Let's say that you have a goal of getting rid of 20 pounds of fat in three months, and a milestone of losing 2 pounds of fat every week. Now, you can reward yourself every time you reach a milestone.

Note that the reward can be anything EXCEPT FOOD! Eating lots and lots of junk foods is not the method to reward yourself for all the hard work you have done, for these junk foods would simply let your weight loss efforts go in vain! However, you can set other rewards for yourself such as visiting a spa, buying a pair of jeans you have been eyeing for a long time, or fitting yourself into your old clothes, etc.

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