Fat loss diets and dieting has been around for some time. This is not a new type of diet, not for weight loss anyway. Fat loss is one of the reasons that many people go on a weight loss diet in the first place, in order to lose the excess fat that their body is carrying. There are many fat loss diet plans throughout the world including many well known ones as well as lesser known ones. The objective of a fat loss diet is to burn the excess fat while losing weight. This can also include firming up the body as weight is lost.
A fat loss diet works on the premise of getting your body to burn more fat at a higher level. It also uses techniques such as Glycemic index and high and lean protein diets for starters to help the calories burn quicker. This combined with exercise and a balanced diet will go a long way to reducing the amount of fat that the body is carrying. Certain foods in combination with exercise and proper hydration will burn more calories safely while the dieter is cutting back on the amount of food eaten in order to lose the weight that he or she wants to lose.
All these things need to come together in a fat loss diet so that someone can lose weight safely and effectively. Sometimes medicine will also be required in order to help the person to lose weight. Vitamin supplements may also be ordered to help the body as the weight loss progresses. There are many different things that will be put into a fat loss diet in order to help the patient lose weight safely and effectively without harmful side effects. Here is a word of caution when looking at dietary supplements. Let a physician make the determination about supplements on this type of diet. This is for safety reasons.
This is said because some supplements that are herbal can wind up being a dangerous part of a fat loss diet. Some of these herbal preparations have not been evaluated by FDA or other authorities and some have been shown to be life threatening to say the very least. Caution is required when using a herbal supplement in addition to a fat loss diet. Use common sense when dealing with these types of supplements and take ONLY as directed on the bottle or as prescribed by a physician. Herbal supplements when used improperly can lead to illness and death for the dieter.
With that being said, some supplements will work just fine under a doctor’s care. When losing weight or trying to lose weight, it is too easy to take the easy way out. On a fat loss diet, this can be dangerous to say the very least. Too much of a good thing can hurt as bad as too much of a bad thing. A more proper way to look at this is the fact that a balanced diet, in proportion, with plenty of fluids and exercise along with medication if it is needed is the only way that you will truthfully lose the weight that you want to lose.

 With so many diets turning up, and at such a constant pace, it can be difficult to know if they are viable, healthy or harmful.  Here are some tips for you to consider with regards to the famous protein diet and other areas you can turn to for diets and weight loss that encompass nutritional value and a healthy lifestyle. 

 Protein is very effective on metabolism. In avoiding carbohydrates your body wont have an immediate energy source and will have to use stored fat, which is where the weight loss comes from. So, yes, it is possible to lose weight on a protein diet – initially.

 Protein diets are usually misinterpreted. If done incorrectly, they can starve the body of carbohydrates, making it look for other energy sources such as fat stores and sometimes muscle. This process of burning fat and protein for energy creates what is called Ketones. If you have a lot of ketones in your body, your blood can become very acidic, which means it has to use calcium to buffer the acidity. We certainly dont want to do anything that causes us to lose precious calcium!

Other side effects I have heard people complain of is hair loss, skin problems, and digestive problems, mainly due to lack of fibre in the diet. I mean, why do a diet to lose the weight but then end up encompassing other issues with your health?

 Any diet that does not enable you to maintain for life is unrealistic. Restrictive diets, whether protein, low fat, or calorie counting, always has side effects. Dont look for quick fixes, they dont last, are usually very costly, and above all, usually have some sort of side effect. Dieting extremes are not the solution.

Instead, look for health diets and weight loss regimes suitable for your daily lifestyle. Be active and do regular exercise. There are diet plans that help you do this and these are the ones you should be looking at.  If you do this, you will be successful in managing your weight and will not have to move on to other diets.

The day after Super Bowl and all the festivities, eating, and drinking that this “holiday” requires.  Did you wake up all fuzzy headed, bloated, and hoarse from cheering on your favorite team?  Did you completely blow your diet plan that we all started on New Year’s Day.  Well, I certainly fell for the rivalry and fun and now am thinking of ways to get back on track with the battle of the bulge.

It is not too remarkable that one of the hot and spicy items searched for this morning was “The Belly Off Diet”.  This diet has been featured on the Men’s Health online community since 2002.  The “Belly Off! Club” has collectively lost over 2 million pounds since it was started.  This club achieved this phenominal feat by a combination of reducing intake of refined grains and sugar, portion control, exercise, and healthier eating.

The paper back book on this diet is scheduled for release on April 28 of this year.  It is written by Jeff Csatari and the editors of Men’s Health.  Not to be confused with The Flat Belly Diet written by the editors of Prevention Magazine, this diet plan is geared towards men’s weight loss while the Flat Belly Diet is targeted towards the fair ladies.

MSN actually did a preview of both of these diet plans, go to MSN Health and Fitness and enter both diets to review.

The Belly Off Diet is a well designed plan that features three satisfying meals a day with two snacks in between.  This plan encourages a high protein breakfast, a sensible lunch and varied dinner suggestions that keep the diet interesting.  As I talked about in an earlier post, low calorie and low carb diets don’t work that well and can actually be harmful to your body.  In that particular post I explained how these types of diets trigger the body’s metabolism into shutting down the weight loss that we first enjoyed at the onset of these plans.

The Belly Off Diet addresses this diet plateau by allowing a full calorie day once a week thereby insuring no weight loss plateau and so keeps your metabolism working toward your weight loss goals.  Every Tuesday is steak night with this plan accompanied through out the week with dinners such as Tex-Mex Chicken, Broiled BBQ Pork Chops, BBQ Chicken, Spicy Fish etc.  And it allows one beer a night on certain nights. Yay!

Breakfast  is varied between eggs, oatmeal, fruits, juice and coffee, lunch is usually light and the two snacks are a combination of fruit, yogurt, nuts, and popcorn.  My earlier post entitled “Pepper your nuts” explained how a handful of spicy nuts would dramatically decrease your appetite between meals.

Go and check out the 8 week meal plan that includes a daily meal plan, a weekly shopping list, recipes for all meals, and even a dining out guide which includes over 70 different dining facilities including Chili’s, Outback Steak House, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster just to name a few.

To check it out go to http://bellyoff.menshealth.com

To your health.

Clink!

Diet fads aren’t limited to programs sponsored by celebrities. The so-called grapefruit diet, which requires eating a grapefruit before each meal, has been a popular fad diet for some time. Other fad diets include the cabbage soup diet in which unlimited amounts of cabbage soup may be consumed, or the raw egg diet in which dieters eat all the raw eggs they can handle. Fad diets may recommend eating only raw foods or fasting every other day. These diets are based on misinformation and may even be dangerous. The cabbage soup diet, for example, has not been endorsed by any major health organization, and it could actually cause harm. The diet claims to provide losses as high as 15 pounds per week, but does not mention that most of this is water. The American Heart Association notes that this diet can be dangerous, and once dieters eat normally again, they will regain their lost weight. Side-effects associated with this diet include weakness, pains in the stomach, and diarrhea.

Another fad diet approach is food combining. The rationale behind this diet states that people are overweight because they do not consume the appropriate combination of foods. The diet may require its followers to do arbitrary things, like eat a banana only in the morning. This is nonsense, since the stomach can handle a variety of foods at one time. The diet does promote eating low-calorie foods, but there are better methods available that will accomplish the same thing.

Some weight-loss companies claim that weight can be lost by dreaming. By using their product before bed, dieters will lose weight. This claim is totally incredible. It is impossible to lose any significant number of calories while sleeping. Other questionable diets promote the loss of weight through eating special candy bars or milkshakes. These products generally consist of milk and candy to which vitamins and minerals have been added. They rarely satisfy the appetite and may actually encourage dieters to eat more throughout the day.

The truth is that there is a lot of money to be made in the marketing and sale of diet products. As long as there are overweight people, companies will try to profit from them. Dieters must become wise enough to recognize a fad diet for what it is. There are no short cuts to weight loss. A successful program requires commitment, patience, and determination, as well as a willingness to alter eating patterns.

Banting had suffered a series of debilitating health problems due mainly to being overweight or ‘corpulent’. He searched in vain for cures to his weight problem, which many doctors at that time believed to be a necessary side effect of old age. He also tried eating less but he continued to gain weight and have various health problems. He could not understand how the small amounts of food he was eating led to his weight problem:

“Few men have led a more active life – bodily or mentally – from a constitutional anxiety for regularity, precision, and order, during fifty years’ business career, from which I had retired, so that my corpulence and subsequent obesity were not through neglect of necessary bodily activity, nor from excessive eating, drinking, or self indulgence of any kind, except that I partook of the simple aliments of bread, milk, butter, beer, sugar, and potatoes more freely than my age required?”

Many contemporary Americans on the go may recognize Banting?s previous unhealthy daily diet:

“My former dietary table was bread and milk for breakfast, or a pint of tea with plenty of milk, sugar, and buttered toast; meat, beer, much bread (of which I was always very fond) and pastry for dinner, the meal of tea similar to that of breakfast, and generally a fruit tart or bread and milk for supper. I had little comfort and far less sound sleep.”

Just substitute a Pop tart, doughnut or muffin with coffee and plenty of cream and sugar for breakfast, a fast food burger and fries with a supersized soft drink for lunch and a frozen pot pie or pizza for dinner followed by dessert and you can see how Banting’s diet was so much like the typical fast-paced modern day Americans.

When his physician placed these items on a “forbidden foods list,” Banting lost 50 pounds and 13 inches in one year! Let me repeat that, fifty pounds and thirteen inches! He kept it off, living a long and much healthier life.

His new diet plan consisted of a number of meat dishes and he listed it as follows:

“For breakfast, at 9.00 A.M., I take five to six ounces of either beef mutton, kidneys, broiled fish, bacon, or cold meat of any kind except pork or veal; a large cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar), a little biscuit, or one ounce of dry toast; making together six ounces solid, nine liquid.

For dinner, at 2.00 P.M., Five or six ounces of any fish except salmon, herrings, or eels, any meat except pork or veal, any vegetable except potato, parsnip, beetroot, turnip, or carrot, one ounce of dry toast, fruit out of a pudding not sweetened, any kind of poultry or game, and two or three glasses of good claret, sherry, or Madeira- Champagne, port, and beer forbidden; making together ten to twelve ounces solid, and ten liquid.

For tea, at 6.00 P.M., Two or three ounces of cooked fruit, a rusk or two, and a cup of tea without milk or sugar; making two to four ounces solid, nine liquid.

For supper, at 9.00 P.M. Three or four ounces of meat or fish, similar to dinner, with a glass or two of claret or sherry and water; making four ounces solid and seven liquid.

For nightcap, if required, a tumbler of grog (gin, whisky, or brandy, without sugar) or a glass or two of claret or sherry.”

So great were the changes in his appearance and health that his friends and acquaintances began to notice and just like today wanted to know what diet he was on. Most important of all Banting could feel and see a difference himself.

“I am told by all who know me that my personal appearance greatly improved, and that I seem to bear the stamp of good health; this may be a matter of opinion or friendly remark, but I can honestly assert that I feel restored in health, ‘bodily and mentally,’ appear to have more muscular power and vigour, eat and drink with a good appetite, and sleep well. All symptoms of acidity, indigestion, and heartburn (with which I was frequently tormented) have vanished. I have left off using boot-hooks, and other such aids, which were indispensable, but being now able to stoop with ease and freedom, are unnecessary. I have lost the feeling of occasional faintness, and what I think a remarkable blessing and comfort is, that I have been able safely to leave off knee-bandages, which I had worn necessarily for many years, and given up the umbilical truss.”

Wow! Talk about improved health. Notice too that he ate more than just three meals a day. Four to five small meals should be the rule.

His how-to dieting book became very popular and was translated into multiple languages. However, over time it was abandoned.

Banting noted in “Letter on Corpulence” that a common health paradox of our time did not exist in his. This was the paradox of obesity, widely believed to be a problem of excess, among the poor. The poor of the 19th century could not afford the refined sugary foods that cause weight gain. But poor people of the 21st century sure can today.

In a recent Associated Press article titled, “Health Paradox: Obesity Attacks Poor”, the reporter noted that many poor families are stretching their food dollars by purchasing unhealthy processed and refined foods.

Of one family the author wrote, “During winter, jobs are scarce, so Caballero feeds her husband and three children the cheapest food she can get: potatoes, bread, tortillas. As processed foods rich in sugar and fat have become cheaper than fruits and vegetables, the poor in particular are paying a high price with obesity rates shooting up, followed by diabetes.”

Unfortunately for the Caballero family, these cheap staples are bad for their health. Fresh meat, low starch fruits and vegetables may be more expensive and have a shorter shelf life, but they are definitely worth the price in saved medical expenses and better health.

Throughout the years, as “calories” became known, variations of counting them were included in dietary solutions. And a variety of other issues were explored like how many of which foods should be eaten and how frequently.

While Bantings diet eventually fell out of favor, low carb diets did begin appearing again in the 20th century. The most famous of these are the Atkins and Scarsdale diets that came to popularity in the 1970s. While Scarsdale has a set 14 day meal plan that must be followed and greatly restricts calories, the Atkins diet allowed for unlimited calorie consumption as long as those calories were from protein, fat and vegetables and carbs intake was kept low.

Atkins and Scarsdale fell out of favor in the 1980s as the U. S. Department of Agriculture encouraged the consumption of grains and grain products with the USDA food pyramid.

It was only in the 1990s that we began to see a return to low carb dieting that seems to be more than a fad. It is a lifestyle! As more and more people realize the weight loss and other health benefits that are available to people who eat this type of diet, the number of diets and stores that sell specialty low carb products continue to rise.

In a nutshell, most low carb diets carry the same basic premise: that too much of simple, refined carbohydrates leads to over overproduction of insulin, which leads to the storage of too much fat in the body. This fat storage is especially prominent around the middle.

While there are degrees of difference among the many diets, they all agree on the negative effects that excess insulin production have on our systems.

Carbohydrates give body cells the source of energy to support all their activities. This is the reason why when the body’s sugar level is so low, the person experiences a feeling of weakness and lack of energy. This can be observed with diabetics when their blood sugar level go below the normal level. They also provide us with fiber, one of nature’s brooms to purge the body of toxins and waste materials. However, one major concern in carbohydrates is that when they are taken in excess, some of them get converted to stored forms such as fat and stored in certain tissues of the body, usually under the skin. This accounts for pot bellies and love handles and other unsightly bulges on certain areas of the body.

If you are very serious about trimming your waist and dropping pounds, one diet program that you might want to try is one that is low on carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate diet programs are quite popular these days in the form of the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet and Zone Diet. Basically these diet programs promote one thing: restriction of consumption of carbohydrates.

This is on the basis of researches that show the connection between high carbohydrate consumption affecting blood insulin levels to cause metabolic syndromes and obesity. Low carbohydrate diet programs therefore limit or replace foods rich in carbohydrates with those that contain more proteins, fats and fiber. In a low carb diet, there is less bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and cereals. They usually eat more vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, and nuts. When one opts to go on a low carbohydrate diet, one has to replace carbohydrates with fats and proteins. Carbos in fact make up less than 10 percent, and in some cases, less than 5 percent of the daily calorie intake.

Low carbohydrate diet for one, go for foods that are low in sugar. Processed sugar should be greatly reduced, if not totally eliminated from the diet. Low carbohydrate diet food is made up mostly of vegetables, more specifically non- starchy ones. A serving of at least 3- 5 cups per day is highly recommended for this type of diet.

Protein is also an essential parts of a low carbohydrate diet so foods rich in it are highly recommended. One low carbohydrate but protein rich food is soy – based food like tofu and certain meat substitutes.

Fruits that are low in sugar are also tops in the list of low carbohydrate diet foods. A serving of 1-3 per day is enough. As much as possible, it is recommended to eat the fruit itself and to not simply drink the juice to also meet the body’s need for fiber and vitamins. Fruit juices also tend to increase the body’s blood sugar so it is best to eat the fruit instead.

Nuts and seeds as well as legumes are also some low carbohydrate foods that can be included in the diet. Nuts and seeds are even used by some to replace starchier foods. They are also excellent source of healthy oils and fiber. Legumes like beans and peas may contain carbohydrates but they are those that can easily be broken down and digested so there is no need to get rid of them entirely. The same thing is also true for whole grains like brown rice and whole grain pasta.

As for oils and fats, a low carbohydrate diet opts for oils coming from olives as well as from fish. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 which is good for the heart. So eating more fish to get the full benefits of omega 3 and protein is highly recommended too.

Going on a low carb diet does not necessarily mean sacrificing a lot of food and getting deprived. It simply means shifting to foods that are less in carbohydrates and more on proteins and even fats. The foods included in the low carb diet are even more flavorful since they contain proteins and fats.

The Shelton Diet: it includes only meals with proteins or glucides. The advantage is fast weight loss and the disadvantage is the lack of nutrients.

The Antoine Diet: for this diet you must eat the same food all day. For instance, only meat on Monday, only fruits on Tuesday, eggs on Wednesday, vegetables on Thursday, dairy food on Friday, fish on Saturday, and so on. It causes fast weight loss but also produces imbalances, and the weight is often regained shortly after the diet ends.

The Mayo Diet: it is a difficult low-calorie diet that leads to fast weight loss followed by lack of vitamins, fatigue, or anxiety.

The Victoria Principal Diet: it has low amounts of proteins that lower the muscular mass, and the weight is often quickly regained after the diet ends.

The Scarsdale Diet: created by a cardiologist, it`s a low-fat diet with the same meals for fifteen days. Alcohol, milk, and fruit juices are forbidden. For short periods, this diet is efficient but long term it may cause a lack of nutrients.

The Montignac Diet: this diet is based on the principle of food dissociation but it forbids the combination of glucides and lipids. However, calories are retained as fat even if they are separate from glucides, according to specialists.

The Susan Powter Diet: it reduces the protein and fat intake while encouraging (es the glucides intake. It may result in lack of vitamins.

The Zen Diet: ten days of rice only. It`s difficult to follow and results in a serious lack of nutrients.

The Hollywood Diet: it includes only fruits in any combination. Dieticians agree it`s hard to follow.

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