Dieting Ways - Making The Healthier Body

How To Add Vegetables To Your Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Are You Trying to Scam Your Diet?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Now, be honest with yourself. Do you "forget" to stock diet friendly foods? What about absentmindedly ordering that Grande Mocha Malt Frappuccino at Starbucks last Monday morning? You know, the Monday you were going to start your diet - again?

Maybe you're the type that figures once the morning diet is shot to hell, you may as well blow the rest of the day? Or, better yet, wait until next month?

What if you just needed a gentle reminder when you first wake up while your brain is still foggy? Try these two simple tricks: Run a piece of masking tape across your bedroom doorway - something you'll run smack into first thing in the morning. Nothing like being caught in a spider web to enhance the memory! Now run another piece across the bathroom mirror where you shave or apply make-up - another instant reminder.

My last favorite "reminder" trick is just a plain 'ol mind game. Hide everything! Trying to break the high calorie coffee habit? Stash the coffeemaker; ditch the mucho calorie Coffee-mate.

Wish you could pass on McDonald's for lunch every day? It's hard to buy anything if you leave your money at home. Yeah, you could hit up your coworkers, but then you need to ask yourself: "How badly do I want to be thin?"

Could it be that you're afraid? Scared that you'll fail again? You feel nervous that it will be too hard or complicated? Leery of not understanding all the "rules" for the newest diet you're trying?

Well, clearly you've been trying the wrong ones! Why not give the Kimkins diet a try?

The basic diet is so simple you could write it on the back of your hand. It's so easy your 2nd grader will have it down pat in 30 seconds. Complicated? Not even. The purpose of Kimkins is very simple - fast weight loss, no messing around, no coddling.

Our mental attitude and mindset is everything when it comes to mastering weight loss. If you're not on board consciously, then your subconscious is going to play every trick in the book on you - and win. Don't let that happen. Be the boss. Outsmart yourself!

Oh, and next time you're going to "forget" to pass on your favorite Starbucks creation, try to "remember" that Grande Mocha Malt Frappuccino will set you back 600 calories and 95 curbs!

This article is written by Kimkins Diet founder, Kimmer, who struggled with morbid obesity for 25 years before losing 198 lbs in 1 year and developing her quick weight loss diet, Kimkins. The focus of the Kimkins plan is lean low carb, less fat than Atkins, less carbs than South Beach.

Source : www.thatsmyniche.com

Why is My Diet not Working

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:49:00 +0000

A middle-aged single mother with one six-year-old daughter, has been skipping sweets for a few weeks now. She’s also become a stickler for portion control. She feels as if she’s eating less than ever, and she’s been diligently exercising for an hour at a time at least four days a week. Yet, she hasn’t lost a single pound. The question is, “Why?”

This is a dilemma which affects dieters the world over. They think they are taking the steps necessary to lose weight, but nothing seems to be happening. In essence, they are trapped in a dieting rut and they don’t know how to free themselves. As a result, they become frustrated and depressed and may then engage in binge eating.

One of the problems with diets is that they are often standardized. As a result, they don’t take into consideration your individual physiology and metabolism. They provide a cookie-cutter approach to weight loss—an approach which may not work in your individual case. As a result, an increasing number of people are turning to dieticians to formulate a person weight loss strategy for them. This process has been made easier through the Internet, where you can correspond with a dietician any time of the day or night via e-mail. The dietician can also act as your personal coach, helping you through your dieting dilemmas.

Another reason that you may be failing at your diet is because of a lack of support. You may have family members who can eat whatever they want and seemingly not gain a pound. As a result, they may fill your refrigerator with junk food, leading you into temptation. Also, you may feel as if you have no one to turn to in order to discuss your weight problems. In order to solve this problem, many individuals look to psychotherapists to help them with their food-related issues. This can be particularly important if an individual has turned to purging in an effort to combat their weight problems. Bulimia is a serious disease which must be treated in order to ensure the good health of the patient. Thankfully, there are a number of treatment programs throughout the U.S. specifically focusing on bulimia.

Yet another reason for diet failure is hidden calories. You may literally be consuming calories and not even realize it. For instance, the frappucinos that are so popular today are loaded with calories—as many as 600 in a single serving! You may also be indulging in sugary sodas—another source of extra calories. By taking a few simple steps, such as eliminating the exotic coffee drinks from your diet and substituting skim milk for whole milk, you may be able to eliminate the hidden calories that are denying you dieting success.

Lack of consistency can also be a diet-killer. You might go on a diet for a while, then quit before you’ve made any measurable progress. It’s only natural to want to see quick results. The problem is that healthy weight lose involves loseing only a couple of pounds a week. That means you’ll have to stay on your diet for months before you see appreciable weight loss. Discouraging? It can be, but if you keep a positive attitude you can achieve your ideal weight.

You may also be more successful in your dieting if you consider it to be a lifestyle change. Therefore, your diet becomes a meal plan for life. This means that you must change the way you look at food. It is designed to be fuel for your body, and nothing more. As a result, you should not turn to food to make you feel better or to provide you with a sense of comfort. A lifestyle change implies commitment; it means that you are prepared to follow the plan for the long haul. If you feel as if you cannot be on your diet for any appreciable length of time, perhaps it’s time to consider a different diet. Your aim ultimately should be not simply to lose weight, but to become healthier. A fad diet will not allow you to reach that milestone. Therefore, you must choose your diet carefully.

Dieting Makes You Fat ?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:36:00 +0000

When you're happy with your weight and have never dieted, you rely on your body to tell you when to eat and (crucially) when to stop.

But when you diet, this simple process goes very wrong. My clients often say: "As soon as I decide to go on a diet, I get this desperate urge to eat!" And, whilst they are "good" for a while and stick to the diet, if they ever break the diet and start eating, then they REALLY eat, wolfing down their food like young Labrador retrievers.

The ice cream experiment

Psychologists have looked at how dieting affects the amount we eat, by doing an experiment with dieting and non dieting students. The students were invited to eat as much ice cream as they liked after being given one of three different "pre loads": one milk shake, two milk shakes or nothing at all.

As you would expect, the non-dieters ate less ice cream after they'd had one milk shake than when they'd had none, and even less ice cream if they had been given two milk shakes first. But the dieters actually ate the most ice cream when they'd had the two-milk-shake, super-sized "pre load"! According to the psychologists, the effect of the milk shake pre-load was to undermine the dieters' resolve. After the excessive consumption of milk shake, the dieters decided that since the diet had been blown out of the water anyway, they may as well make the most of the situation and have lots of ice cream! Hunger and fullness had nothing to do with it!

This is a feeling which all dieters recognise. After succumbing to a biscuit you think: "Oh sod it, I may as well eat the cheese cake as well, and start the diet again tomorrow!"

The scary film experiment

By denying themselves the food they really want, dieters also make food much more important and give it a significance that it does not have for non-dieters. For instance, dieters are more likely than non-dieters to eat in order to suppress bad feelings.

In a study carried out in London, female volunteers were divided into three groups: the first were put on a strict diet, the second undertook a rigorous exercise programme and the third neither dieted nor exercised. After five weeks, the researchers got the women to watch a stressful film, and measured the women's food intake while they watched it. Bowls of food such as sweets and nuts were left beside the women and they were told to eat as much as they liked. Even though none of the women were hungry, those in the diet group ate far more than the women in the two other groups.

This probably won't be a surprise to anyone who has ever been on a diet. They may result in short term weight loss but they cause so many problems that the vast majority of people end up fatter in the long run. However, the effects can be reversed!
Roz Watkins, founder of Templeton Weight Mastery, is a professional coach, NLP Master Practitioner and hypnotherapist. She specialises in helping people lose weight and maintain a healthy slim weight WITHOUT DIETING. She can help you lose weight and keep it off for good by changing the way you think.

Do you wish you could be a slim, healthy weight without dieting?

Do you wonder how your slim friends seem to eat so much?

Are you beginning to suspect that diets just don't work?

Are you sick of thinking about food all the time?

Dieting doesn't work. The vast majority of people who diet put back on more weight than they lost.

You can lose weight and keep it off, but most people are going about it in completely the wrong way.

Source : http://EzineArticles.com

A Dieting Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:46:00 +0000

The South Beach Diet is a revolutionary way of looking at weight loss. It isn’t low carb or low fat—it’s all about balance and learning to choose good fats and good carbs instead of foods that don’t help your body. This diet was developed by Miami cardiologist Arthur Agaston as a way for heart patients to lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off, but it was so successful that soon everyone wanted to try it.

During the first two weeks on the South Beach Diet you’ll begin the process of learning to eat in a new way. You’ll eat three balanced meals a day with normal size portions of meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and nuts. You won’t be hungry and you’ll learn how to ignore cravings and avoid wanting to overeat. You get to have snacks twice a day, drink diet soda, and eat out, but there are a few things you can’t eat in the first two weeks. You can’t have bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, candy, ice cream, sugar, or fruit. You also can’t have beer or alcohol. But it’s only for two weeks. After that, you get to add these foods back into your diet in a healthy way. After the first two weeks, the next phase of the South Beach Diet begins. You’ll still eat plenty of lean protein, vegetables, eggs, cheeses, and nuts, but you also get to add in some of your favorite carbohydrates and sugars.

You’ll learn the difference between good carbs and bad carbs and learn to balance foods so that you stay full and have plenty of energy! You stick to this phase of the diet until you reach your target weight. Then you can add in even more carbs and sugars while still maintaining your new weight. Once you know how to balance healthy options with not-as-healthy favorites, it’s easy to eat what you love and still keep the weight off.The South Beach Diet is less of a diet and more of a way of life. It teaches you how to eat so that it isn’t such a struggle to be healthy. The foods emphasized are universally considered to be healthy choices rich in vitamins, minerals, omega-3 oils, and good fats. There are even prepackaged South Beach meal options that can be purchased online or in grocery stores, which makes it even easier to stay on track.

Quick Weight Loss Diet Plans - Dieting to Lose Weight Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:32:00 +0000

by: Michael Lee

We’ve heard the claims before — quick weight loss diet plans promising fast results that are nothing short of unbelievable. Many people succumb into all sorts of quick weight loss diet plans, only to lose motivation and fail miserably halfway in following the plan. Thus, they may end up right where they started or even gain a pound or two afterwards. Read on to know how to pick the right weight loss diet plan, and how to stay on course.

The term ‘plan’ itself denotes preparing and goal setting. It involves a highly structured, well-organized schedule of meals and food combinations you must adhere to on a stringent basis; otherwise the quick weight loss diet plan falls apart. Diets, despite their variations, all have common ground upon which each of their systems is based.

Diet Plan # 1: Ditch the Junk Foods.

Junk food is the first to go. Think of the undertaking as a challenge to be met and overcome, rather than treating it like a prison sentence.

If you go on a diet halfheartedly, fretting over the things you will be forced to give up, you will only set yourself up for failure and disappointment. Instead, set a reasonable and attainable goal and timeframe, something you’re sure to achieve, and then reward yourself afterward.

Having a sense of accomplishment is a great way to stay motivated and determined to see this through. For this, the ideal diet would be a more flexible one, like the Mayo Clinic Plan, which puts more emphasis on eating healthy choices — like having your fill of unlimited fruits and veggies — than eliminating unhealthy ones. This plan lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and cuts down the risk for heart, disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Diet Plan # 2: Just Say No.

If you get sidetracked and find yourself indulging a wee bit more than usual (read: cheating), do not abandon your quick weight loss diet plan altogether, simply because you feel you are no longer consistent.

Just make up for your mistake by eating twice as healthily as before. Remove temptation from your life (and your pantry!). Do your grocery shopping on a full stomach so you do not feel compelled to grab every snack in sight. Stock up instead on healthier alternatives, like whole grain foods.

Know the difference between a craving and real, honest-to-goodness hunger. When you hear that jelly doughnut a-calling, imagine yourself eating some other kind of food, like chicken, for instance. If you’re really hungry, you’ll want to eat whatever food comes to your mind. If anything other than that jelly doughnut seems like a bad idea, then what you have is a craving that must be ignored.

Eat smaller portions more frequently, about every three hours, because when you allow yourself to get hungry, it will be that much difficult to suppress your appetite and you will have a tendency to overeat.

Diet Plan # 3: Take Your Pick.

If you prefer a more rigid and quicker weight loss diet plan, try the famous South Beach Diet. It has three phases, the first of which takes two weeks long and is the most restrictive. Its specific menus do away with most of the carbohydrates you know and love, like bread, pasta, sugar, and alcohol, making it a seemingly difficult diet to hurdle. The Atkins Plan, on the other hand, provides three meals and one snack a day. It focuses on eating lean meat and eggs, and like the South Beach Diet, targets carbohydrates first.

The ideal would be to shed one to two pounds a week. Anything more than that would be too risky as it isn’t just unwanted fat you may be losing, but all-important muscle tissue as well. This is why exercise and physical activity are just as essential to quick weight loss as eating right, because building muscle helps to burn all those calories away.

There are many other quick weight loss diet plans in existence, precisely because there is no single diet that will work for everyone. Whether low-fat, low-carb, protein-rich, all-vegetarian, or whatnot, it is still up to you to decide which plan you think will suit you best. And remember, when in doubt, always consult your physician first.

The Mayo Clinic Diet And The 7 Rules of Dieting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:13:00 +0000

by: Gary Holdon

Rumors have been going around for years that the Mayo Clinic's get-thin-quick weight loss routine says it's okay to eat all the vegetables, fruits, meat and fat you want. The genuine Mayo Clinic has made statements repeatedly for years that they have nothing to do with the "Mayo Clinic Diet," and they do not in any way endorse it. The real Mayo Clinic have even issued statements saying that it may be unhealthy for many people.

The Mayo Clinic site is the place you should go to if you want the truth. On this site you will find information for the REAL clinic, with tips and guidelines for healthy eating and diet information.

The Basics

When you lose weight, you are using up more calories than you are taking in. You have to take in less calories than you use everyday in order to lose weight. Eating a healthy, balanced diet that suits your particular lifestyle, and being physically active everyday, is the only way to lose weight.

A diet has to be individualized to your particular lifestyle in order to be effective. There is no one-size-fits-all, standardized diet. In fact, your dietary needs will change over your lifetime. You need different things at different times, and you have to always pay attention to what is happening with your body and adjust your diet accordingly.

7 Rules of Dieting

1. Try to have more fruit in your diet than vegetables.
2. Avoid or decrease intake of cholesterol and saturated fats.
3. Watch your intake of salt and sweets.
4. If you drink, be moderate and don't drink too much.
5. Think about food portion size and make sure meals aren't too big.
6. Keep an eye on your calories.
7. Make sure to get some kind of physical exercise everyday.

Carbohydrates

These provide most of the energy for your body. Foods such as whole grains, legumes and many types of beans are called "complex carbohydrates." Foods containing these complex carbohydrates are common in the Mediterranean where the incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes is rare.

You should get 45-65% of your calories everyday from carbohydrates. If you want to keep those carbs balanced, get lots of fruit, milk and complex carbohydrates, and watch your intake of sugar and white flour.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol actually has a vital function in our body: the function of building and maintaining cells. Cholesterol makes it easier for the cells to do this. However, our bodies make pretty much all the cholesterol we need which means that all the cholesterol from meat, eggs and dairy end up lining the sides of our arteries.

It's best to take in no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol every day.

Fat

Fat is also useful for the body. It contains energy concentrated, providing more than protein or carbs. Fat is used in the body to metabolize certain vitamins. It also contributes to healthy cells and neural pathways in the brain. But, some fats are more damaging than beneficial. Red meat, for example, contains trans and saturated fats, which have lots of cholesterol and can cause heart trouble.

Try to get only 20-35% of your calories from fat everyday, and try to get them from nuts, vegetable oil, fish oil and other non-animal sources.

Fiber

The tough part of vegetables is fiber. There is both soluble and insoluble fiber, and you need both. We get fiber from wheat, green vegetables, fruits, bran and oats.

Women should get 21-25 grams of fiber everyday. For men, it's 30-38 grams.

The real Mayo Clinic recommends a balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, vegetables and moderate servings of meat. It recommends you watch what kind of fat you eat. It is stressful to lose weight suddenly and can cause health complications. The Mayo Clinic recommends losing weight over a longer period of time, so your body has time to adjust to the changes. Diet plans that sell quick weight loss plans should be avoided. Here are some guidelines according to the Mayo Clinic's Nutrition Center:

Protein

Protein is important for nearly every part of the body's system. It's in your muscles, bones, skin, organs, blood, enzymes and hormones. You get protein from a variety of sources like meat, poultry, legumes, seafood, nuts and seeds.

You should get 10-15% of your daily calories from sources rich in protein.

Find Your Own, Personalized Diet

As we said earlier, the Mayo Clinic emphasizes that you must individualize your weight loss plan. Everyone is different, and your own personal diet should match you perfectly. On their website, they provide the Daily Calorie Calculator. You can use this to help you plan an appropriate weight loss plan.

For example, this is what a typical plan might look like:

Subject: Female, 225 lbs, 5' 6"
Recommendations (these are daily amounts):
Sweets and candy: no more than 75 calories
Fats: 3 servings
Protein/ Dairy: 3 servings
Carbohydrates: 4 servings
Fruits: at least 3 servings (more is okay)
Vegetables: at least 4 servings (more is okay)
Vegetables: 4 or more servings

On the site, you can also find sample menus that include number of calories and special ideas to help you lose weight. Here is an example of the type of tips you will see:

Eat more vegetables and fruits with all your meals
Try out some foods you are not used to and also try different combinations of your favorites
Eat a salad or soup before your main meals
Open a health food cooking book and grab some healthy cooking ideas
By the way, have you ever heard about energy density?

What Is Energy Density?

This is rate the Mayo Clinic uses to determine how much energy a given food will provide. It is a comparison of the number of calories in a food and food portion size. If, for example, you consider a sugary desert like chocolate cake, it is high in energy density, so a small amount of cake will give you lots of energy. However, it takes more cake than other, less energy dense foods, to make you feel food. Broccoli, on the other hand, has very low energy density, so you eat much less broccoli and feel full.

The ideas of the Mayo Clinic are really nothing new, but they are based on sound dietary concepts. They emphasize eating a balanced diet and shedding pounds slowly and steady over time. Beware of imposters who use the Clinic's good name to sell their get-thin-quick diet scams!

Top 10 Ways To Prevent Obesity In Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:09:00 +0000

I’m sure you’ve seen the dire reports about childhood obesity becoming rampant in America. It’s a scary thing and not an experience any of us wish upon our children. Preventing obesity can be easy and empowering for children. Give them control over their bodies. Teach them to tune in to their real needs and to treat themselves with love and respect.

1) Allow children to be in charge of which foods they eat.

2) Make all foods equal and teach kids to check in with their bodies and choose foods based on what their bodies are asking for.

3) Encourage them to know when they are full and to stop eating at that point.

4) Let them eat according to their own hunger patterns rather than according to external schedules.

5) De-emphasize body shape and weight. Encourage kids to love and accept their bodies unconditionally.

6) Help them find fun ways to move and play so they get plenty of enjoyable exercise every day.

7) Love them unconditionally and don’t make derogatory comments about their looks or weight.

8) Be sure they never get started on the damaging cycle of dieting and bingeing.

9) Let food just be fuel for the body. Don’t turn it into a reward or save certain things to be special treats.

10) Teach them to honor other people and not tease or make fun of others who are fat.

Adults who want to lose weight through intuitive eating are encouraged to eat like a two year-old child. The most effective thing we can do to prevent childhood obesity is help children stay in touch with their bodies and honor its needs.

by: Nancy Hill

Why Do Weight Loss Diets Fail?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:05:00 +0000

Most Americans wish that they weighed less than they do. Two-thirds of us are overweight. At the same time, there are literally hundreds of weight loss programs--each one promising that it will help you finally lose those extra pounds. Some of them work--and you are able to lose weight. But most people gain back the weight they lost--and more--when they begin to eat normally again.

Why do these programs not fulfill your dream of reaching your desired weight--and staying there?

To find out, let’s discuss what happens to your body as you grow older. Adults who do not perform regular strength exercise lose about one-half pound of muscle each year after they reach maturity. This means ten pounds of muscle are lost during their 30s and 40s. And the rate of muscle loss doubles in people over 50 years of age. Many women have lost half the muscle they had at 30 by the time they are 70. In addition, most adults gain ten pounds of weight--fat--each decade. It should be obvious that these changes in body composition are not desirable, but most adults are more aware of the fat gain than the muscle loss.

If you lose one-half pound of muscle each year, by the time you reach 40, you have lost five pounds of muscle. Each pound of muscle in your body burns about 50 calories per day; therefore your body requires 250 fewer calories each day to maintain your weight. When you reach 50, you need 500 calories less each day than when you were in your twenties. Most people believe their metabolism slows down; actually it seems that way because they have less muscle to burn calories.

This gradual decrease in muscle and basal metabolism rate is also related to the increase in body fat that most people experience as they get older if they do not strength train. With the decrease in muscle, calories previously necessary to perform the activities of daily living now end up stored as fat. They then diet to lose weight, which further reduces their muscle mass because 30 percent of the weight lost through dieting is muscle tissue. Losing muscle leads to a lower metabolic rate because fat needs almost no calories to sustain itself, thus causing even more calories to be stored as fat which makes it more difficult to perform physical activities.

When you diet to lose weight, for every ten pounds of weight you lose, you lose three pounds of muscle. You have exacerbated the loss of muscle that’s already been happening to your body.

Let’s say you lose 20 pounds by dieting without strength training. Thirty percent of those 20 pounds you’ve lost were muscle—that’s six pounds of muscle that is gone. If you estimate that each pound of muscle uses 50 calories each day to sustain itself, 50 calories times six pounds equals 300 calories each day that your body does not need now to sustain itself. If you were eating 1,500 calories a day to lose weight, you now have to lower that to 1,200 calories. This is why you reach a plateau and are no longer dropping pounds. Get the picture?

You diet to lose weight--you lose muscle--metabolism slows--then you store more fat in your body--and you diet to lose weight. It’s a vicious cycle that’s repeated over and over by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.

You are not doomed to repeat this scenario. A strength training program will increase the amount of muscle tissue in your body--usually at the rate of over a pound a month for several months.

Why do diet programs suggest only aerobic exercise? Most experts and diet gurus tell you that you should exercise to burn fat. when you’re on a weight loss diet, but many of them ignore strength training or give it only a cursory mention. They tell you to walk briskly, ride the exercise bike or use the step machine at the fitness center to burn calories. They tell you how many miles or minutes it will take to burn a certain number of calories. This type of exercise is absolutely necessary to burn the fat stored in your body--but it does almost nothing to preserve or increase muscle mass.

I believe that if you do not do strength training as you “diet,” you are literally setting yourself up to fail--you guarantee that the more weight you lose, the more difficult it will be to lose more weight. You must do strength training to keep from losing muscle tissue. If you strength train for 12 weeks, you can increase your metabolic rate by up to seven percent and increase your daily energy requirements by up to 15 percent.

Bottom line: if you gain ten pounds of muscle, you’ll increase your metabolism and your body’s caloric needs up to 500 calories per day.

Wow! That means an extra piece of cake won’t add on another pound. Plus--you’ll find that strength training gives you more energy and a sense of well-being. It helps firm up your body as you lose pounds-- so you’ll look better, too.

So get out the dumbbells or go to the gym and get started. You'll be glad you did.

by: Phyllis Rogers

Lose Weight Permanently with the Power Pause

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:02:00 +0000

If strict diet and exercise routines are not for you and just make you feel like a failure because you don't seem to be able to keep them up, then why not try a new approach? Start with something you know you can do, which needs no special equipment and which you can do anywhere. This is something which is so powerful, so simple it will serve you all your life. I call it a "Power Pause" because it means using a moment to regain power over your decisions about what and when you eat.

To make the "Power Pause" part of your life ask yourself just 3 questions before you eat anything

* Am I physically hungry right now or could I wait?

* How will I feel after I have eaten this?

* Is there a better choice?

The Power Pause is a tool you can use whenever you're faced with food. You can use it before you buy food in a restaurant or shop. And you can use it before you open the fridge or freezer, before you reach into the cupboard for a snack, before you have a second cookie. You can even use it during a meal to help you think about whether you have eaten enough. Use it to remind yourself to stop eating whether or not there is food left on your plate or on the table. It simply helps you avoid eating when you're not hungry.

We all tend to eat food without thinking. We see food, we eat it. We get offered food, we accept it. We pass a burger bar. We suddenly feel "hungry", go in and order. We anesthetize our minds with food when we're upset. We hardly notice the food going in.

And eating food without needing it is the primary cause of our weight problems. We eat and eat without thinking whether we're hungry right now or whether that food is the best choice we can make for our bodies and our health. We eat without thinking about our desire to look good on the beach this year, to do something about our threatening health problems, to feel good about ourselves.

But what does it take to pause for a moment before you make a decision to put food in your mouth, to think twice before you add those calories to your hips? A few seconds at most! Certainly less time than you will spend regretting your bout of over-eating.

You may not succeed in stopping yourself every time especially at the beginning of using this tool - so don't look for perfection from yourself - look for progress. Keep going because it will eventually become second nature - a habit for the rest of your life - one which will help you stay slim forever.

by: Janice Elizabeth Small

Why Many Fat Free Diets Do Not Work

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:59:00 +0000

Most people understand that it is wise to limit the amount of fat grams in their daily diet. The dietary reference intake amount for an adult ranges from 20% to 35%[i] of daily calories; or about 44 to 55 grams per day[1]. Since a single slice of pecan pie carries with it 27 grams of fat, and a mere tablespoon of thousand island salad dressing contains 8 grams of fat[ii], it is not surprising to see more and more people checking food labels and “passing over” an order of onion rings[2] as they try to lose, or maintain, inches and pounds.

However, the relentless avoidance of fat – even of healthy unsaturated fat – is creating a troubling scenario for many individuals. Instead of losing weight when they go “fat free”, they are actually gaining weight.

Many people on the road to weight loss forget – or simply do not know – that the words “fat free” do not also mean “calorie free”. As a result, many people ingest far too much “fat free” food, believing that it will not add weight, since, alas, it is dubbed “fat free”. Yet it is the calories in these fat-free foods that cause the weight gain; not the fat grams themselves[iii].

A single gram of fat contain nine calories, which is more than double the amount of calories in a gram protein or carbohydrate. Therefore, mathematically speaking, an eater can consume twice as many protein or carbohydrate grams than fat grams, and achieve the same caloric intake. Since many high-fat foods contain an excessive amount of fat grams – such as onion rings – it has become a staple of dieting wisdom to reduce fat intake and avoid such oily, greasy foods[3].

Yet it bears repeating that the reason to avoid fat-rich foods is not because of the word “fat”; it is because each fat gram contains a scale-tipping 9 calories. In other words: the weight-conscious reason for avoiding excess fat grams is because it leads to a higher caloric intake.

Dieters who neglect to realize this basic nutritional fact – that weight gain is about calories and not about fat grams themselves – fail to realize, and often at their eventual dismay, how the body actually gains and loses weight.

The typical adult male American diet calls for 2000 calories per day because this is how many calories are collectively use and burned (i.e. converted into energy) by the body each day. As an example, an average male dieter who consumes 1800 calories a day will “save” 200 calories per day. As there are 3,500 calories in a pound, the dieter in this scenario will “save” 3,600 calories over the course of 18 days (18 x 200 calories). This translates into a loss of one pound. Similarly, if this dieter consumes an excess 200 calories per day, a pound of weight will be gained in 18 days.

A dieter who is not aware of this mathematical formula may indeed avoid fat altogether and consume, for example, 6 tablespoons of “fat free” caramel topping per day; believing that this is not a part of the weight gain equation, because it is labeled as “fat free”. This is not false advertising, as fat free caramel topping contains no fat grams. However, fat free caramel topping delivers 103 calories per two tablespoon serving[iv].

If this dieter is adhering to a diet regimen of 44 fat grams per day -- and does not count calories -- then he will simply not know that in these 6 mere tablespoons are a substantial 309 calories; or 15% of the total daily caloric intake for a 2000 calorie/day diet.

In fact, a dieter could subsist entirely on “fat free” foods, and easily exceed their target daily caloric intake by their second meal of the day. These excess calories are obviously not deriving from fat grams; but they are coming from another source, most probably carbohydrates.

Again, the message here that many dieters do not receive from the advertising and marketing media is that fat grams in and of themselves do not necessarily “cause” weight gain. Rather, fat grams contribute to the total caloric intake, and they should be counted alongside carbohydrates and proteins.

Adding an unnecessary layer of complexity here is that many “healthy foods”, such as energy bars, contain an excessive amount of calories. A chocolate chip Energy Bar™, for example, contains 230 calories; which is actually only 40 calories less than a Butterfinger™ candy bar[v]. Unfortunately, because the Energy Bar contains 2 grams of fat and is therefore “low fat”, some dieters eat several per day; and pack on 230 calories each time, despite the fact that virtually none of those calories come from fat. It does not matter; the dieter will still gain weight if his or her daily caloric intake threshold is surpassed. Dieters who expect yogurt-covered bars to be “healthier” are also misled; the yogurt-berry Balance BarÔ contains 200 calories per serving, despite the fact that only 25% of the calories come from its 6 grams of fat.

However, there are some responsible nutritional supplement products on the market that are engineered to be both low fat/fat-free and low-calorie. These foods are of benefit to dieters when they are losing weight, and also in the vulnerable period after the weight has been lost. Regrettably, many very well intentioned dieters who have made tremendous strides and sacrifices to lose weight regain it within the first few “post-diet” months. While a number of factors influence whether a dieter will regain weight, including environment and genetics, one major culprit is that dieters are not provided with low-fat, low-calorie, and palatable food sources once they have achieved their weight loss goals. They consequently return to previous eating habits, and the unwanted weight returns within weeks.

However, as mentioned, there are intelligent nutritional supplements on the market that do fill this void, and ethically serve dieters – and post-dieters – with foods that they need to stay healthy, and fend off weight gain. For the sake of current and future dieters who are going to struggle with misleading “fat free” marketing, it is hoped that such intelligent companies, and their products, quickly become the norm of the future, rather than the exception of today.

by: Protica Nutritional Research

Can't Lose Weight? It May Not Be Your Fault!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:56:00 +0000

Are you frustrated with your weight problem and don't know what to do about it? Do you find that you lose weight at first, only to gain it all back later, and maybe more when you stop dieting, or when you find yourself bingeing? Are you fed up with weight loss programs that don't work?

There is a good reason for that. You don't lack willpower. You are not doing anything wrong. It is just that dieting doesn’t work!

Facts About Dieting

* Dieting rarely works. 95% of all dieters who lose weight regain their lost weight and more within 1 to 5 years.

* Dieting can lead to eating disorders. The obsession to be thin can lead to anorexia, bulimia, bingeing and compulsive exercising.

* Dieting impacts your mental health and restricts your brainpower, leaving you mentally unfocused.

* Dieting robs you of energy and slows your metabolism down.

* Numerous studies link chronic dieting with feelings of depression, low self-esteem and increased stress.

* Dieting increases compulsive eating.

* You are fatter after a diet than before!

Why Dieting Doesn't Work

Quick fix diets usually never give long lasting results. The reason is most of the weight loss is due to loss of water. When you restrict calories, your body interprets it as impending starvation. When the body is under stress of starvation, it hoards the fat and burns the muscles first. The weight lost comes from water and the break down of muscles - the places we don't want to lose it from.

So, the last thing you want to do is drastically cut calories. When you do, the body will start breaking down muscle protein to produce energy for vital body functions. The body will use muscle protein as fuel, before it starts burning fat, so you end up losing more muscle mass than fat during dieting. The body then uses large amounts of water to flush the broken down muscle tissue out. Thus you lose weight fast. No matter how much you drink, you can't prevent this loss of water. The only way to get control of your water balance is to stop starving yourself.

When dieting, the body starts saving energy by turning some functions off and running others at a slower pace. Fat is designed to provide the body with energy and protect it from starvation. If you go below 1000 calories a day, your body will slow your metabolism down to compensate. That is why weight loss slows down dramatically after a few days on a crash diet. And a slow metabolism is exactly the opposite of what you want to lose weight.

Another reason that diets don't work is bingeing. Bingeing doesn't happen because of a lack of willpower. It is a direct result of dieting. As your body senses a restriction in calories, it goes on the alert for an impending threat to survival. As a result, it tells you to eat, which results in your bingeing on calorie and fat filled foods. The more successful you are at starving yourself, the more the body will increase it's efforts to eat more foods. Eventually the body wins because survival is our strongest instinct. Bingeing is also a result of depriving yourself of something, which psychologically makes you obsessed with what you can't have.

After the Diet

After the quick weight loss diet you go back to your normal eating pattern, and what happens? The body that has shut off functions in order to conserve energy is now, suddenly, fed. The cells in your body have an immediate response to the sudden abundance of food, and that is to keep on saving energy, storing up for the next famine. As your body saves energy, it also begins storing all the extra energy - as fat. So, you end up having lost fat burning lean muscle tissue and added more fat! That wasn't your goal when you started your diet.

In addition to building fat again, the body has no ketone-bodies to get rid of. Consequently, less water is secreted and your water balance is restored. As you replenish your emptied water stores you rapidly gain back the weight you lost. So, by building fat, and replenishing water, you will gain weight quickly the first few days after a diet.

And each time you diet, you are teaching your body how to deal with starvation by hoarding fat, so each round of dieting increases your overall body fat!

Freedom from Dieting

So, how can you lose weight if dieting and restricting calories don't work? There is no quick fix answer. Any healthy weight loss needs to come gradually. The goal is to give up dieting forever and get back in balance. Stop trying to lose weight. No more counting calories. Instead make a commitment to get healthier.

When you get off the diet roller coaster, you will feel better, become healthier and lose the weight for good. When the body is well fed with healthy foods, it will shed the extra fat. It doesn't have to store it anymore. And when you give the body the nutrients it needs to be healthy, you stop having all the cravings for less healthy foods.

Enjoy the freedom from counting calories. You will find yourself moving slowly and safely to your perfect body weight, and you will feel better than you ever have before, lean and full of vitality, energy and health. This means developing some new healthy eating habits, as well as other health habits such as exercise.

Try to avoid extremes, such as eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. There are many complications associated with unbalanced low carbohydrate diet regimens. At the other end of the spectrum, some diets are saying avoid protein and fats, but eat as much carbohydrates as you want. Too much of the wrong kind of carbohydrates, especially refined sugar and white refined flour will turn to fat in the body also. Most commercial breads, breakfast cereals, and prepared foods are loaded with empty, fast-release carbohydrates, causing levels of blood-sugar to rise, leading to obesity and hypoglycemia.

All of the experts agree that unprocessed complex carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, and legumes are far superior to other forms of refined carbohydrates and should play a significant role in people's eating habits. According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables along with regular physical activity can help most people manage and maintain weight loss for both cardiovascular health and appearance.

Losing weight and becoming healthier requires a lifestyle change, not a six week diet “quick fix”. The first step is to eat a balanced diet, filled with plenty of healthy foods, such as whole grains, fresh organic raw, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and organic meats.

by: Dianne Ronnow

Low-Carb Dieting During Pregnancy May Benefit Your Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:54:00 +0000

As low-carb dieters change there eating habits, it is likely that these habits will stay with them. There is no surprise then that more and more pregnant woman are trying to maintain there low-carb routine during the months of pregnancy. There are new studies being done on low-carb dieting that point to the fat that there may be benefits in the long run for children of low-carb dieting.

Scientists from the Southampton School of Medicine have used mice to study the benefits of low-carb diets during gestation. It was found that pups born to mice fed a high-unsaturated protein and fat diet and low In carbohydrates were more likely to have low liver triglyceride levels that the pups born to mice fed a standard diet which was high-carb and low-fat. Low-carb pups also had higher amount of protein that help in burning fat than the pups that were on the standard diet.

The mother mice were put on either the low-carb diet or the high-carb/low fat diets six weeks prior to being impregnated and stayed on the diets throughout there entire pregnancy as well as the duration of nursing. Post weaning all pups were fed the same high-carb diet, despite this fact, the pups born to the low-carb mothers were found to have significantly greater levels of the hepatic proteins CD36, CPT-1 and PPARá, which help with fatty acid oxidation.

The mice on the low-carb diet ate about 21 percent less than the high-carb/low fat diet. These low-carb mothers also consumed about 57 percent fewer carbs, 23 percent more protein, and 153 percent more fat than the high-carb mothers.

Humans too need to maintain low levels of liver triglyceride and a good lipid (fat) metabolism. This will help reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. This disease alone kills thousands of Americans each year.

by: Melissa White

Best 10 Dieting Tips for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

As the air starts losing the cold bite of winter, you are happy in anticipation of the summer. You start planning holidays to sea resorts with friends and family. Until that fateful moment when you realize you have been too lax with your body and you are not in shape for the summer activities and swimming trunks or bathing suits cannot accommodate your body any more!

Still don’t despair! Summer weight loss is still possible. Remember that losing weight is influenced to the extent of 70% to 80% by what and how you eat and the balance by the physical activities and exercises. Cut down intake of excess calories which increase fat in the body and exercise the body which will help in to burn body fat and to lose weight.

The following simple natural weight loss suggestions if implemented can help you with summer weight loss and shape up your body to face summer with confidence in a matter of three to four weeks.

Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day.

Water plays very important role in our body functions. Body fat and bones account for 20% of water each, lean muscle tissues are 75% water and over 80% of our blood is water. Water helps kidneys remove toxins allowing liver to metabolize more fat. It works as a natural suppressant of appetite;

Put alcohol on highly restricted list if you are serious on losing weight. Alcohol helps body in storing fat by slowing down metabolism;

Main culprits causing excess weight are saturated fats. Saturated fats and sugar are strictly no-no for weight watchers. Avoid desserts, ice creams, etc;

Include low fat milk products such as yogurt, skimmed milk, cottage cheese in diet; they contain “good proteins” which help suppress cravings for food. They are essential in building muscles;

Vegetables, beans, whole grains and fruits contain “good” carbohydrates which are moderate on calories and fats, they are consumed slowly by the body and thus they help suppress hunger naturally;

Omega 3 fatty acids increase metabolism and energy levels of the body. Eat fish such as Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines and Herrings; they are rich Omega 3 fatty acids which help prevent blood clotting, regulate blood pressure, and lower risk of heart failure. They are helpful in weight loss;.

Eat four or five meals of smaller portions instead of the normal three meals. Smaller meals at shorter intervals help metabolism and burn fat; it helps to lose weight;

Eat adequate fiber food. Fiber food is more filling and it suppresses hunger. It takes longer in digestion and passing through the body it attaches to some fats and proteins in our food and thus keeps them from being digested. Whole grains, brown rice, figs, Apples, broccoli, peas, lentils, beans, fresh vegetables and fruits and nuts are high on fiber content;

Spices such as ginger, mustard, pepper, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, etc decrease sugar cravings and are helpful in weight loss;

Avoid late night meals within the two to three hours before going to bed. Allow time for digestion of the meal before going to bed.

Psychological aspects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:35:00 +0000

Diets affect the "energy in" component of the energy balance by limiting or altering the distribution of foods. Techniques that affect the appetite can limit energy intake by affecting the desire to overeat.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been effective in producing long term weight loss. Judith S. Beck has been one of the most prominent practitioners and writers to bring this method to a popular audience.

Consumption of low-energy, fiber-rich foods, such as non-starchy vegetables, is effective in obtaining satiation (the feeling of "fullness"). Exercise is also useful in controlling appetite as is drinking water and sleeping. (Extreme physical fatigue, such as that experienced by soldiers and mountain climbers, can make eating a difficult chore.)

The use of drugs to control appetite is also common. Stimulants are often taken as a means to suppress (normal, healthy) hunger by people who are dieting. Ephedrine (through facilitating the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline) stimulates the alpha(1)-adrenoreceptor subtype, which is known to act as an anorectic. L-Phenylalanine, an amino acid found in whey protein powders also has the ability to suppress appetite by increasing the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) which sends a satiety signal to the brain.

Weight loss groups

There exist both profit-oriented and non-profit weight loss organizations who assist people in their weight loss efforts. An example of the former is Weight Watchers; examples of the latter include Overeaters Anonymous, as well as a multitude of non-branded support groups run by local churches, hospitals, and like-minded individuals.

These organizations' customs and practices differ widely. Some groups are modelled on twelve-step programs, while others are quite informal. Some groups advocate certain prepared foods or special menus, while others train dieters to make healthy choices from restaurant menus and while grocery-shopping and cooking.

Most groups leverage the power of group meetings to provide counseling, emotional support, problem-solving, and useful information.

Dangers

Extreme calorie restriction (fewer calories than 75% of that required for basal metabolic rate), medication or unusual patterns of eating (i.e. restricting food consumption to a single fruit or meal) can be dangerous. This can indicate Anorexia Nervosa and/or Bulimia which are common eating disorders and can even be fatal.

Medications

Certain medications can be prescribed to assist in weight loss. Some, like amphetamines, are dangerous and are now banned for casual weight loss. Some supplements, including those containing vitamins and minerals, may not be effective for losing weight.

Diuretics

Diuretics induce weight loss through the excretion of water. These medication or herbs will reduce the amount that a body weights, but will have no effect on an individual's body fat. Diuretics can thicken the blood, cause cramping, kidney and liver damage.

Stimulants

Stimulants such as ephedrine (now illegal in the United States due to an FDA ban) or synephrine work to increase the basal metabolic rate and reduce appetite.

Fat loss versus muscle loss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Weight loss typically involves the loss of fat, water and muscle. A dieter can lose weight without losing much fat. Ideally, overweight people should seek to lose fat and preserve muscle, since muscle burns more calories than fat. Generally, the more muscle mass one has, the higher one's metabolism is, resulting in more calories being burned. The exact figure is 14 kilocalories burned per pound of muscle at rest. Since muscles are more dense than fat, muscle loss results in little loss of physical bulk compared with fat loss. To determine whether weight loss is due to fat, various methods of measuring body fat percentage have been developed.

Muscle loss during weight loss can be restricted by regularly lifting weights (or doing push-ups and other strength-oriented calisthenics) and by maintaining sufficient protein intake. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Dietary Reference Intake for protein is "0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for adults."

Those on low-carbohydrate diets, and those doing particularly strenuous exercise, may wish to increase their protein intake which is necessary. However, there may be risks involved. According to the American Heart Association, excessive protein intake may cause liver and kidney problems and may be a risk factor for heart disease. There is no conclusive evidence that moderately high protein diets in healthy individuals are dangerous, however; it has only been shown that these diets are dangerous in individuals who already have kidney and liver problems.

Energy obtained from food

The energy humans get from food is limited by the efficiency of digestion and the efficiency of utilization. The efficiency of digestion is largely dependent on the type of food being eaten. Poorly chewed seeds are poorly digested. Refined sugars and fats are absorbed almost completely. Chewing does not compensate for the calorie content of a food that is eaten; even celery, which is primarily indigestible cellulose, contains enough sugars to easily compensate for the cost of chewing it.

Proper nutrition

Food provides nutrients from six broad classes: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, dietary minerals, and water. Carbohydrates are metabolized to provide energy. Proteins provide amino acids, which are required for cell, especially muscle, construction. Essential fatty acids are required for brain and cell membrane construction. Vitamins and trace minerals help maintain proper electrolyte balance and are required for many metabolic processes. Dietary fiber is another food component which influences health even though it is not actually absorbed into the body.

Any diet that fails to meet minimum nutritional requirements can threaten general health (and physical fitness in particular). If a person is not well enough to be active, weight loss and good quality of life will be unlikely.

The National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization publish guidelines for dietary intakes of all known essential nutrients.

Sometimes dieters will ingest excessive amounts of vitamin and mineral supplements. While this is usually harmless, some nutrients are dangerous. Men (and women who don't menstruate) need to be wary of iron poisoning. Retinol (oil-soluble vitamin A) is toxic in large doses. As a general rule, most people can get the nutrition they need from foods (there are specific exceptions; vegans often need to supplement vitamin B12). In any event, a multivitamin taken once a day will suffice for the majority of the population.

A sensible weight-loss diet is a normal balanced diet; it just comes with smaller portions and perhaps some substitutions (e.g. low-fat milk, or less salad dressing). Extreme diets may lead to malnutrition, and are less likely to be effective at long-term weight loss in any event.

How the body gets rid of fat

All body processes require energy to run properly. When the body is expending more energy than it is taking in (e.g. when exercising), the body's cells rely on internally stored energy sources, like complex carbohydrates and fats, for energy. The first source the body turns to is glycogen (by glycogenolysis). Glycogen is a complex carbohydrate (in total about 2000 kcal). 65% is stored in skeletal muscles and the rest in the liver. It is created from the excess of injested macronutrients, mainly carbohydrates. When those sources are nearly depleted, the body begins lipolysis, the mobilization and catabolism of fat stores for energy. In this process, fats, obtained from adipose tissue, or fat cells, are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids, which can be used to make energy. The primary by-products of metabolism are carbon dioxide and water; carbon dioxide is expelled through the respiratory system.

Fats are also secreted by the sebaceous glands (in the skin). When losing weight one must be careful as to not begin to burn muscle. When the body runs of out of fats and carbohydrates to burn, it will begin to burn muscle which will be harmful for the body.

Thermoregulation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:24:00 +0000

According to the principles of thermoregulation, humans are endotherms. We expend energy to maintain our blood temperature at body temperature, which is about 37 °C (98.6 °F). This is accomplished by metabolism and blood circulation, by shivering to stay warm, and by sweating to stay cool.[3]

In addition to thermoregulation, humans expend energy keeping the vital organs (especially the lungs, heart and brain) functioning. Except when sleeping, our skeletal muscles are working, typically to maintain upright posture. The average work done just to stay alive is the basal metabolic rate, which (for humans) is about 1 watt per kilogram of body mass (0.45 W/lb). Thus, an average man of 75 kilograms (165 lb) who just rests (or only walks a few steps) burns about 75 watts (continuously), or about 6,500 kilojoules (1,440 kilocalories) per day or 1 kilocalorie each minute.

Physical exercise

Physical exercise is an important complement to dieting in securing weight loss. Aerobic exercise is also an important part of maintaining normal good health, especially the muscular strength of the heart. To be useful, aerobic exercise requires maintaining a target heart rate of 50 percent above one's resting heart rate for 30 minutes, at least 3 times a week.[citation needed] Brisk walking can accomplish this. For example, if the resting heart rate is 70 bpm (beats per minute), the target heart rate would be 105 bpm. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program, and ask what the appropriate target heart rate for your physical condition and age should be.

The ability of a few hours a week of exercise to contribute to weight loss can be somewhat overestimated. To illustrate, consider a 100-kilogram (220 lb) man who wants to lose 10 kilograms (22 lb) and assume that he eats just enough to maintain his weight (at rest), so that weight loss can only come from exercise. Those 10 kilograms (22 lb) converted to work are equivalent to about 350 megajoules (84,000 megacalories). (We use an approximation of the standard 37 kilojoules or 9 kilocalories per gram of fat. Anyway, since the weight loss is also due to water loss, the actual loss will be slightly greater.) Now assume that his chosen exercise is stairclimbing and that he is 20 percent efficient at converting chemical energy into mechanical work (this is within measured ranges). To lose the weight, he must ascend 70 kilometers. A man of normal fitness (like him) will be tired after 500 meters of climbing (about 150 flights of stairs), so he needs to exercise every day for 140 days (to reach his target). However, exercise (both aerobic and anaerobic) would increase the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) for some time after the workout. This ensures more calorific loss than otherwise estimated.

The minimum safe dietary energy intake (without medical supervision) is 75 percent of that needed to maintain basal metabolism.[citation needed] For our hypothetical 100-kilogram man, that minimum is about 5,700 kilojoules (1,300 kilocalories) per day. By combining daily aerobic exercise with a weight-loss diet, he would be able to lose 10 kilograms in half the time (70 days).

There are also some easy ways for people to exercise, such as walking rather than driving, climbing stairs instead of taking elevators, doing more housework with fewer power tools, or parking their cars farther and walking to school or the office.

In children and young adults

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Receiving adequate nutrition through a well-balanced diet is critical during childhood and adolescence. Unless a doctor says otherwise, low-carb, low-fat, or other specialty diets for children who are not heavily obese are unhealthy because they deprive the body of the building blocks of cells (namely energy and lipids in the above examples).

Children who diet could actually be doing worse things for themselves and their bodies. Alison Field from Harvard Medical School stated that "Our study found that dieting was counterproductive- children who dieted gained more, not less, weight than non-dieters." Scott,R.,Jennifer "Dieting Kids May Gain Weight" 12,July,2006 Children who diet tend to develop habits of overeating, or binge eating as a result of attempting to casually diet. It is suggested that children should just attempt to eat healthy instead of trying to casually diet.

Types of Dieting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:16:00 +0000

There are several kinds of diets:

Weight-loss diets restrict the intake of specific foods, or food in general, to reduce body weight. What works to reduce body weight for one person will not necessarily work for another, due to metabolic differences and lifestyle factors. Also, for a variety of reasons, most people find it difficult to maintain significant weight loss over time — among individuals that have lost 10% or more of body weight, only 20% are able to maintain that weight loss for a full year.
Many professional athletes impose weight-gain diets on themselves. American football players may try to "bulk up" through weight-gain diets in order to gain an advantage on the field with a higher mass.
Individuals who are underweight, such as those recovering from anorexia nervosa or starvation, may adopt weight-gain diets which, unlike those of athletes, have the goal of restoring normal levels of body fat, muscle, and stores of essential nutrients.

Many people in the acting industry may choose to lose or gain weight depending on the role they're given.

As more cultures scrutinize their diets, many parents consider putting their children on restricted diets that actually do more harm than good. This is extremely deleterious to a young child's health because a full and balanced diet (fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.) is needed for growth. A doctor should be consulted before putting any child on a specialized diet.

Research also shows that putting children on diet foods can be harmful. The brain is unable to learn how to correlate taste with nutritional value, which is why such children may consistently overeat later in life despite adequate nutritional intake.