Fast Weight Loss with the Zone Diet
August 9th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Once again, selecting a diet is no chore for the weak. The various diets available to you seem endless and confusing. One of the diets that is very popular and you are sure to come across in your search is the Zone Diet.
The Zone Diet has been around for a few years, although it was not originally developed to be a weight loss diet. No doubt you are interested to find out more about this diet and whether or not it really does work. So, let’s take a close look at the diet, the main goals, the pros and cons, and what health professionals seem to think about it. This way you can make an intelligent decision on whether it is a good diet for you to try.
What is the Zone Diet?
The Zone Diet is a diet that was developed by Dr. Barry Sears; however, it was not really developed originally to be a diet that was for losing weight. It was actually made to be a change in lifestyle that would manipulate the body in such as way that it would promote health, energy, and a lean body as well. In this diet, food is treated like a drug, and it focuses on treating food like hormones, not as calories. It is also a diet that is quite restrictive as well, focusing on making sure that the diet includes 30% fats, 30% proteins, and 40% carbs. This diet became popular because of the book Sears wrote, called The Zone. You’ll find that the diet is based on the idea that high levels of insulin can make you fat, and it focuses on making sure that your insulin level is kept in a specific “zone” which is done by eating a combination of fat, protein, and carbs.
Who Should Consider the Zone Diet?
This is a diet that works best for people who have the time to eat smaller meals throughout the day. Also, it was first developed for people who had heart disease and diabetes, so it works well for them as well. Those who love the idea of eating for taste and the experience may not find this diet to be the right one for them, since food is looked at as merely a drug.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the Zone Diet
You will find that there are many pros and cons to consider when you are trying to decide if the Zone diet is the right diet for your needs. It is important that you take a look at the following pros and cons and decide whether you can live with the cons because of the pros. If you are able to live without some of your favorite carbs, then this diet may be for you.
Advantages
Neat Eating - Neat eating, which is eating small meals various times each day, is promoted in this diet, which is a definite pro. It is a great way to keep yourself feeling satisfied without overeating. Many people have found that diets that offer small portions several times a day can be very effective.
Fruits and Vegetables are Encouraged - Another pro of this diet is that it really does encourage you to eat vegetables and fruits as well. So, you at least get some of the important nutrients that your body needs so badly.
Low in Saturated fat - The diet is also low in saturated fat, which is a pro as well. Saturated fats can be very bad for your body, so a diet that does not contain much of them is important and helpful to your health.
Encourages the Drinking of Water - This diet also really pushes that you should drink plenty of water while you are on the diet as well. Water is very important and some diets overlook this. So, this is yet another pro of the Zone Diet.
Disadvantages
Never Really Been Tested - One of the main cons of the Zone Diet is that it really has never been tested. This means that there is no real independent research that shows that this diet really does work. So, you may be trying a diet that doesn’t work at all.
Limits Foods that Have Important Vitamins and Minerals in Them - Another problem with the Zone Diet is that it limits some of the foods that have very important vitamins and minerals in them. Some of the minerals and vitamins that you may miss out on include Vitamin D, iron, folic acid, calcium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A.
Can Make Eating a Bit Boring - Since this diet actually wants you to treat food like a drug you have to take, it can become a bit boring to eat, and some people may find that this mindset is almost traumatizing to them. Eating should be a pleasurable experience, but this diet takes a lot of the pleasure away from eating.
Foods You Can and Can’t Eat
You are allowed to eat proteins, carbs, and fats as well, but they must be done in the correct ration. Every time you eat, you have to make sure that you include fat, carbs, and protein, even if it is just a snack that you are eating. Also, you have to eat about every five hours as well. While you are allowed to have some alcohol on this diet, it is limited. You are not allowed to eat very much bread or pasta at all. Also, other bad carbs according to this diet include peas, bananas, and even watermelon. Dairy products and butter is not allowed in the diet either.
What Does the Medical Community Think?
Those in the medical field think that the calorie amounts that are part of the Zone Diet plan are on the low side. However, the snacks do make an impression with medical professionals, since they do help out. There is no real science that shows that this ration of foods is going to really make you lose weight, so some in the medical community are understandably dubious about whether or not this diet will really work.
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10 Diet Tips for the Grocery Store
August 4th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Ever dread making that trek to the supermarket to buy your groceries? All the temptation with snacks and cookies staring you right in the face as you traverse the isles of your favorite store. And don’t forget the friendly folks at the end of what seems like every other isle handing out tastes of free samples — mmmmmmm good! Well, these temptations can be a real diet “buster” if you are not prepared to combat them.
Preparation for your shopping experience is the key tool you have to keep you on track and buying healthy, low carb diet foods. We have put together these 10 diet tips to help you stay in control of your diet. They will help you shop for weight loss foods, and we hope you will find something of use to you. These tips are just thought-starters and with just a little creativity, you should be able to come up with several more tips yourself.
1. Always use a list when you shop, and stick to it
Almost any other food item you put in the buggy will be something that does NOT fit in to your weight loss plan.
2. Plan ahead
Decide what your meals are going to be, and what ingredients you will need. Include portion sizes in this planning. If you just buy a pack of steaks, you will probably cook all those steaks at once and there is a chance they may be eaten all at once. Planning your meals will help you prepare your shopping list. Plan also for meals such as lunches you carry to work.
3. Take someone with you who you can trust to be on your side
By “on your side”, I mean, of course, someone who understands and supports your weight loss goals. While this person should be aware of what you are trying to accomplish, YOU must understand that they ARE trying to help you, and YOU must give them permission to express their honest thoughts about purchases you are making…especially if you are deviating from your list.
4. Have this trusted friend or family member HELP you draw up your shopping list
5. Always eat before shopping - REPEAT - Always eat before shopping
This cannot be emphasized enough! It is a fact that shopping when hungry increases your tendency to put extra items in your shopping cart.
6. Learn to read the labels
Almost every food you buy has a label outlining nutritional content and levels. Knowledge of nutritional needs is important, but does not need to be daunting. Basic information is easy to obtain.
7. Avoid convenience foods
Most have additional calories, fats, or carbohydrates. Although they may taste great, this is often a direct result of those very attributes.
8. Plan PREPARED meals
Cook from scratch. Not only will you probably enjoy the meals more, but having to prepare a meal helps prevent you from indulging yourself with a quick and easy snack or meal.
9. Avoid buying “empty” foods
These are foods such as chips, cookies, or candy. An apple may have as many calories as a piece of candy, but it contains a much higher level of nutrition, and provides factors such as fiber, for example.
10. Buy foods you really like
Eating in a healthy manner does NOT have to be a boring or unrewarding experience. Types of meals enjoyed in Japan, for example, can be tasty and a different and inviting experience, but they can also be very good for you. Again, be aware of portion sizes. Just because it is “good for you” doesn’t mean you ought to go back for seconds or thirds.
There you have it, 10 tips for grocery shopping for weight loss. Since portion sizes was mentioned twice, let me leave you with this thought. Most Americans eat portions much larger than what is recommended. However, individuals in countries like France tend to eat very rich, fatty foods, but don’t have the same obesity problems that are found in the United States. The Japanese tend to eat a more traditional diet and also don’t have an obesity problem. As diverse as these two cultures and their diet are, a common factor is portion size. So, why not cut down on your portion sizes and see if your weight loss program isn’t given an added boost and you lose those extra pounds even faster?
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Is the Atkins Diet for You?
July 16th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
As you have attempted to traverse the myriad of diets marketed today, and losing weight is a top priority for you, it can seem pretty difficult to determine which diet is best for you. If you know anything about diets, you are probably aware of one of the top diet alternatives - the Atkins Diet. But before you start any diet you owe it to yourself to learn as much about the diet as possible and how it works. So, let’s take a hard look at how the Atkins Diet got started, the theory behind the weight loss process, who are prime candidates for losing weight, and other factors which can help you make the right diet choice.
What Is The Atkins Diet?
The Atkins Diet is a popular diet that was developed by Dr. Atkins. The entire diet is based on the theory of this doctor is that the main problem for people who are overweight is that they eat too many carbohydrates and their body is extra sensitive to them. His idea is that the body and how it processes the carbs you take in each day is what makes you gain more weight. Basically Dr. Atkins feels that many people eat too many carbohydrates, which leads to insulin resistance. In order to remedy this problem, the diet is one that restricts the intake of carbs and focuses on eating a diet that is high in protein. You end up reducing the amount of carbs that you eat each day to make your body start burning off the fat on the body as its fuel.
Who are Prime Candidates for this Diet?
While this diet has been shown to be effective for many people, it seems to work the best for people who really do have an insulin resistance build up in their body. Also, people who are hypoglycemic can really benefit from this diet as well if they are trying to lose weight. Learn more about the Atkins diet here
Advantages and Disadvantages
You will find that just like any other diet, there are definitely both pros and cons. Let’s take a look at a few of the pros and cons you’ll find if you try this diet.
Advantages
- It’s a Simple Diet - One of the main pros that so many people love is that it is a very simple diet to follow. Once you learn what foods you are supposed to be eating, those you should avoid, and learn to count carbs, it really is a diet that is easy to follow.
- Finding Your Own Level of Carbs - Another great pro is that the diet does focus on finding the level of carbs that works best for you. Some people may be able to eat a bit more than others, but the focus is to figure out what works for you.
- A Popular Diet - The Atkins Diet is a popular diet as well. This is a pro because it means that you can easily find information on the diet and support as you are trying to follow it as well.
Disadvantages
- You Miss Out on Cancer Fighting Fruits and Vegetables - One of the main cons of this diet is that because of the big restriction on carbs, you actually miss out on some of the most important cancer fighting fruits and vegetables that you need. Add to this that you’re eating more red meat, which too much of can cause cancer, and you may create a dangerous situation.
- You Always Have to Count Carbs - Many people don’t like the fact that they are always having to keep track of the carbs they eat. This means that every single thing that goes in their mouth must be counted, which can get old after awhile.
- Miss Out on Necessary Nutrients - Probably one of big cons to this diet is the fact that you miss out on many necessary nutrients that your body needs, since you cannot eat many foods. While some minerals and vitamins can be taken in a supplement, some of the important phytonutrients that you need cannot be replaced by taking a supplement.
The Food Selection on Atkins
There are several different phases of the Atkins diet and each phase affects the food that you can and cannot eat as well. When you are going through the first two weeks of the Atkins plan, you are only allowed to have 20 grams of carbs each day, and the carbs that you can eat include vegetables that are low in carbohydrates, such as tomatoes, lettuce, and broccoli. During this time you can’t even eat fruits, potatoes, breads, or yogurt, since they have too many carbs. You can’t take in caffeine or alcohol during this time either.
As you go into the second stage of this diet you are allowed to go up to 25 grams of carbs each day. After you get to the weight you want to be, then you can slowly introduce some good carbs into your diet once again, but you have to make sure that you don’t gain back the weight that you have lost. Some of the things that you can add to your diet include plenty of proteins, such as various meats, like red meat, bacon, and you can even add eggs.
Medical Opinions - Safe or Dangerous?
So, you may be wondering what the opinion of the medical community happens to be. Well, the medical community often criticizes the Atkins Diet Program, feeling that there are many dangers to going on a diet that is so low on carbs and so high on protein. Since you cannot eat many fruits and vegetables, doctors fear that people don’t get the nutrients that their body really needs to be healthy. Also, all the fat that is taken in on this diet can be very dangerous.
Also, the American Heart Association (AHA) has specific concerns with the diet because of the high fat content of the many of the allowable foods. The American Dietetic Association also has concerns due to the lack of nutrition the diet provides its followers.
Despite the various opinions of the Atkins Diet, the proof may be in the fact that thousands have followed this diet without any negative health effects and in the process lost a significant amount of weight. The diet is not intended to be a long term permanent dietary plan, but rather a shorter term diet that gets good results for individuals who follow the guidelines. Learn more about the Atkins diet here
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Is South Beach the Best Way to Lose Weight?
November 29th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Based on its membership numbers, a huge amount of dieters do believe that South Beach is the best way to lose weight effectively. It should be noted that the South Beach Diet is not a new dieting fad. It has been around for some time, providing it with an established track record which shows it to be one of the safer diets from a health standpoint.
The South Beach Diet is not considered a traditional low carbohydrate plan. This diet was developed by Dr. Agatston with the intent of helping people lose weight through the proper choice of carbs (e.g. whole grains, certain fruits, and healthy vegetables), the right type of fats (e.g. olive oil and canola oil), and lean and low calorie sources of protein.
South Beach follows a 3 Phase approach — the first phase lasts for two weeks and kick-starts your weight loss program. The second phase teaches you to add back the right types of carbs, such as whole grains and most fruits. The final phase to South Beach is to enter a maintenance routine upon achieving your weight loss goal. This, in a nutshell, is the overall strategy behind the South Beach Diet.
As you may already know if you have tried other diet programs, being mentally prepared to lose weight is key to your success. This factor, combined with a diet that suits you and your lifestyle, is a winning combination and a formula for losing weight effectively.
So, if you believe that the best way to lose weight may be the South Beach Diet, you owe it to yourself to visit the South Beach Diet Online website to learn more about the diet and what you can expect from their program. And by the way, their program offers a number of special benefits to members - helpful weight loss tools, scrumptious recipes, customized meal plans, and other benefits too numerous to mention them all here. Check them out - we think you’ll be delightfully surprised at what you find!
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