Food Portion Sizes Critical To Successful Diet

Dec | Leave a Comment

Dieting And Food Portion Sizes

if you have been trying to lose weight lately, you are probably familiar with some of the obstacles that we all face. Sometimes, it can be difficult or impossible to figure out why a weight-loss program isn’t working. Are you eating too much fatty food? Are you not eating enough grains or vegetables? What about protein – how much of that should you eat, and what should it come from? Is it all right to eat animal products, or should you switch to tofu? All of these are questions that most dieters have to struggle with on a daily basis.

One of the most important questions, however, is one that many dieters neglect to think about enough – food portion sizes. No matter how healthy you eat, research shows that if you eat too much you simply won’t lose weight. The old myth that you can eat as much vegetables and grains as you want is rapidly losing credibility, and many weight-loss experts and gurus put food portion size as the most important factor in how much weight you can manage to take off.

The problem is that there is no one guide to portion sizes of food. There is the USDA food portion sizes guideline to look at, but this isn’t universally accepted. The government is often bureaucratic, and it can take years to update food guidelines to the latest thinking. As a matter of fact, each diet plan seems to have its own guidelines for food portion sizes.

The important thing is to find a standard and stick with it. Too many people make the mistake of trying to eyeballs food portion sizes, but this neglect some of the problems that we face in our culture. Most of us are raised in an atmosphere where more is better. Restaurants, cafeterias, and even households tend to serve up huge portions of food, so what looks normal to us might actually be except excessive.

One of my friends – a dieting expert himself – recommends this rule thumb for determining food portion sizes. If you are just starting to diet, try out a basic type of food – a plain vegetable dish, a breast of chicken, or whatever – and see how much you need to feel like you have had your fill. Roughly two thirds of that is the appropriate food portion size. When you are first starting dieting, you want to be hungry all the time. If you aren’t, you are probably eating a little too much.

Weight Watchers Diet Is Not For Lose Weight Fast

Dec | Leave a Comment

Finding the right weight loss diet can be pretty tough. Some people like to use a low carb diet, claiming that it helps them to lose weight much more quickly than other diet plans. Other people claim that the key is to cut down on fat and processed food. In my experience, however, the best thing to do is to find a balanced diet. I do not want to have to completely give up sweets, fats, or even processed food. I’d much rather moderate what I eat and start healthy habits that will last for the rest of my life.

Starting on the weight watchers diet was a pretty involved thing. Some diets are easier than others to start. In this particular diet, you have to keep track of everything you eat with points. There are certain weight watchers points for a slice of bread, 6 ounces of meat, or a cup of vegetables, for example. It is a complicated system which involves counting and tallying points every day, but once you get the hang of it, it is not so bad.

What I like about the weight watchers diet is that it lets me eat a bit of everything so long as I do it in moderation. If I want to eat desert on Tuesday, for example, I might have to give it up on Wednesday. If I want to have a hamburger on Thursday, I might have to eat nothing but grains and salads on Friday. Nonetheless, I get to eat at least a bit of everything I want over the course of the week.

Weight Watchers Diets are not the fastest weight loss plans. If you want to lose weight fast, you would do better using a low carbohydrate diet or maybe the Slim Fast diet plan. The advantage of a weight watchers diet over other diet plans is that it will help you to keep the weight off. It helps you to set up healthy habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life. Once you stop counting calories, you can still eat a similar proportion of fruits, vegetables, meat, and so on, and keep your health together. Staying on a severe low carb diet for years at a time, by contrast, is quite a bit harder to achieve. Once you are done dieting, you have to find a different way to eat.

Walking for Weight Loss Works

Dec | 1 Comment

Take up walking for weight loss as a pleasurable, effective adjunct to your diet plan

Anyone who wants to lose weight knows that exercise goes hand in hand with your goal. Sure, you can lose weight strictly by dieting and cutting your calories. However, if you don’t incorporate a regular exercise program into your diet plan, by the time you’ve lost the pounds, you’ll surely notice an unsightly lack of tone in a variety of places. Arms, legs and your waistline will be smaller, but skin hanging off your body in a wrinkly mess is not what you want. Without exercise, it will also take longer to reach your goal. You’ll also lose out on the benefits to your cardiovascular system.

So many dieters are adverse to the idea of exercise. Even though you may realize that a sedentary lifestyle contributed to your weight gain, you shouldn’t think of exercise as a torment. It’s easy to make excuses for why you can’t take up some form of exercise. You don’t have time. You don’t like workouts. On and on. Walking for weight loss can work for any dieter.

Did you know that walking for just 15 minutes, twice a day, can burn 400-500 calories and provide significant health benefits, particularly with your cardiovascular health? Not to mention that you’ll be toning muscles all along the way. Weight loss experts generally agree that walking for weight loss, just 4-5 days a week, provides you all of these health benefits. This also means that your 1800 calorie diet is effectively now a 1300-1400 calorie diet. Walking for weight loss is a winner!

There are so many missed opportunities that will allow you to fulfill your exercise program. If you’ve been leading a sedentary lifestyle, you probably have just not given much thought to these opportunities. We are all so used to driving everywhere, but with the price of gas a current concern, it’s far easier and economical to take short walks, save some gas money and get into shape, all at the same time.

For example, let’s say you need a quart of milk from the corner store, just a couple of blocks away. Instead of driving, walk! Going to visit your neighbor, just a short distance away? Walk! Take the stairs at work, instead of the elevator. Drive to the park and take a 15-30 minute walk. While getting your exercise, you also have a chance to enjoy the scenery. Take your dog for a walk. Go to the mall and walk from one end to the other and back. You don’t need to spend money, just window shop if you like. If you’re accustomed to driving to pick the kids up from school, consider walking if it’s not far away. This is a good way to get them in the habit of walking, too.

It’s easy to see how there are dozens of opportunities for you to implement your walking for weight loss program. In fact, it’s a good idea to make a list of such activities. Don’t use inclement weather as an excuse. Just use an indoor venue, such as the mall, an art museum or a large city library.

Almost anyone can make use of the walking for weight loss concept. You can start out walking slowly, as necessary, and build up steam over a period of weeks. You’ll get in shape in no time and reach your weight loss goal in less time.

Low Carb Recipes

Dec | 2 Comments

I was surprised when I first found out how many low carb recipes that were. You see, I have been having a huge amount of trouble losing weight. I have tried cooking with low calorie recipes, but they never filled me up. I hated being hungry of the time. You see, I grew up without enough to eat all the time. As a result, I was pretty addicted to food. I munched whenever I felt uncomfortable. A low calorie diet just wasn’t going to work for me. That is why I started looking at a low carb diet recipe book.

If you are not familiar with low carbohydrate recipes, you probably should be. After all, believe it or not you cook them every day! A steak and onions? Perfectly reasonable low carb recipe. What about eggs and bacon? Just the same! There are low carb meals everywhere if you just look for them. Unfortunately, healthy low carb recipes are little more difficult. You see, eating steaks, eggs, and bacon every day isn’t exactly the best thing for your health. Fortunately, there are plenty of low carb recipes that are healthy for you.

My favorite low carb recipe is salad. It is easy to make a low carbohydrate salad. As a matter of fact, as long as you don’t add potatoes or other starchy vegetables to it, you are almost guaranteed that it is low in carbohydrates. You can add anything you want to it – meat, avocados, nuts, vegetables – and it will stay low in carbohydrates. Adding a little bit of fat on to your salad isn’t so bad for you as long as it isn’t combined with high carbohydrate food.

We even tried doing low carb recipes for the wedding. We had a wedding planner who was skilled in putting together alternative sorts of weddings. They could cater for vegetarian recipes, vegans, Kosher dining, and everything else. We talked about doing low carb recipes, but in the end we decided against it. After all, a wedding is such a special day. You only have it once – at least you hope you will only have it once – so there is no point in wasting that day eating healthy food. Bring on the steak and wedding cake! You can start dieting again after the honeymoon. In the mean time, it is better to just enjoy yourself. After all, you only live once.

3 Day Diet, Lose 10 Lbs in 3?

Dec | Leave a Comment

Everyone, it seems, is trying strange fads or ingesting crazy concoctions to lose weight or improve their health. They want a get slim quick fix, or an easy elixir of youth, or something else equally absurd instead of to take the time actually required to improve health. The latest fad is called the 3 day diet, and it claims that, by consuming what it tells you to, you can lose ten pounds in three days. Come on, what are we foolish. It tells you to eat saltine crackers, toast, eggs, tuna, coffee, tea, apples, cheese. All regular stuff, nothing magical or “high tech” in any of it, and in 3 days, you’re supposed to lose all of that weight. I have trouble believing it.

If it is true, it is probably because of the small amount you eat on the 3 day diet, and it probably is mostly “water weight.” Water weight means that what you lose is mostly water flushing out of your system, and very little body mass is actually reduced. Losing water weight is actually pretty pointless since it just means getting dehydrated. This can be dangerous, and is certainly unhealthy.

The best way to lose weight is the old, traditional way, in my opinion, although it takes a little longer. You exercise regularly, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, and also fruits in moderation, cut out processed and fatty foods, and don’t snack between meals. Also, very high carbohydrate food is not really good for your diet either as it will fill you up with calories. This is not a 3 day diet, or even a 30 day diet, but nonetheless, within a couple of months, you will be slimmer and healthier, and happier too.

There are diets that are outright dangerous. The Atkins diet, for example, works by throwing your liver into ketosis by eating nothing but lots of protein. This can cause liver damage, and in some cases, death. Nonetheless, it does make you lose weight at a high rate of speed, but once you get off it, you will probably gain the weight right back.

If you are going to get on a 3 day diet program, one thing to consider is what kind of exercise to do to supplement your dieting. Jogging is very good, but can be hard on your knees. Bike riding is a little safer on your joints in the long run. One of the best exercises, however, is swimming, because it is zero impact and exercises the whole body. Personally, I like to swim for at least half an hour every day. Nothing makes me feel healthier or more refreshed.

Post Thanksgiving Weightloss Tips

Nov | Leave a Comment

Even the most seasoned weight loss expert can use some weightloss tips every so often. Our eating habits are tied very closely with our behavior and using a behavioral approach to dieting can be beneficial to certain types of people who have bad eating habits that can be overcome with a little behavioral intervention.

Many times an individual eats without thinking. This means that the person’s habitual behavior has overrun his cognitive functioning. In a nutshell, we basically shove food into our mouths just because it is there. Among the many weightloss tips offered, thinking before snacking is the prime tip as far as the behavioral approach goes. When we act on impulse, we rarely make good choices.

The behaviorist will look at the problem in a number of ways. The best approach would be to get into the habit of slowing down a little bit. Some good weightloss tips include waiting ten minutes before grabbing that snack that is calling you from the pantry. You may discover that you are not really hungry. If you wait ten minutes the craving will most likely go away on its own.

You can also opt to go for a brisk walk when the urge to cheat on your diet arises. This is a great way to get much needed exercise along with self-control. You will be less likely to run to the pantry upon entering the home after a jaunt around the neighborhood. You will be more likely to go for a big glass of cold water instead.

Some people laugh at these two weightloss tips but they do work if you take a behavioral approach. You have to focus on your actions. The best way to look at it is making priorities. Do you want the chocolate cake or do you want to fit into those jeans tucked away in your closet? There are times that the chocolate cake will win but not often if you focus on your behavior.

Weightloss tips that involve a behavioral approach also include portions. We often need to train ourselves to understand how much is enough. Getting into the habit of buying single-sized servings or taking the time to measure will increase your chances of success.

You also may find that there are certain “triggers” that cause you to eat. This is a simple stimulus-response cycle that the behaviorists claim can be broken with a little effort. Weightloss tips in the trigger realm include avoiding the kitchen right after a stressful situation, eating only at the dinner table and keeping a diary of what happens right before you get a craving.

How Well Do Detox Diets Work?

Nov | Leave a Comment

It seems that there’s always some new alternative therapy that’s all the rage, and right now its detoxification diets. These diets are intended to help the body to eliminate toxins in many ways, and while detox diets are effective by themselves, they may be reinforced by eating certain foods and drinking prescribed liquids. Just like anything else, how well these diets work for you will depend on how well you follow them, and of course, it’s not right for everyone. As before starting any type of diet or exercise program, it’s recommended that you speak with a health care professional first, regarding your physical health, and how the process may affect any current health conditions. A detox diet may be contraindicated in people with certain chronic illness, and who are on certain prescribed medications.

The removal of potentially toxic substances from the body is a common treatment for alcohol and drug dependence, but the term is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health. The benefits of detoxification diets and how to properly detoxify your body can be found on a number of sites online. Just remember that not all of these cleansing therapies are safe, and some can really cause harm to your body, which is why it’s so important to consult your physician first before proceeding with any type of detoxification program. The liver is the primary organ involved in detoxification, which is why it’s important to support and protect the liver during the detoxification process, especially if there are any health concerns involved. Elimination in the form of stool and urine is also increased to cleanse the colon, and to enhance circulation to clear toxic substances and allergens from the body.

For general information about detoxification diets, visit www.altmedicine.about.com, for instructions and common questions about how to detox your body using colon cleanses and prescribed food lists. Start with the detox screening quiz, learn the detoxification diet basics, find out what foods to eat and ones to avoid, and how the diet can be customized for individual needs. Many people believe that various health conditions are caused by toxins and pollutants in the body, which can cause everything from indigestion, food sensitivities, and bacterial overgrowths to weak hair, skin, and nails. Detoxification diets are intended to rejuvenate both the mind and body, the premise being that as toxins are eliminated from the body, our outlook changes toward a more healthier vision, once that will enhance and sustain life, and create more positive energy around us, something we all need!

Atkins Dieters Only – Do You Make These Common Mistakes?

Nov | Leave a Comment

The Atkins diet is one of the simplest weight loss plans to follow. Although the principles are clearly set out in the books, there are some common misconceptions that occur for dieters. These mistakes can make a big difference in the amount of weight you lose and effectiveness of the diet overall. If Atkins isn’t working for you, or you find yourself suddenly gaining weight after weeks of effective dieting, make sure you aren’t making any of these common mistakes.

First, make sure to be patient with your weight loss. If you lose 8 lbs per week on the Induction phase and then slow down once you enter ongoing weight loss phase, this is perfectly normal. The level of carbohydrate grams that are acceptable on the Induction portion of the diet are not meant to carry you through the rest of your dieting experience. Induction is meant to break you of carbohydrate cravings and detoxify your body from sugar. Starting with the ongoing weight loss phase, you will begin introducing small levels of carbohydrate grams each week. This may slow down weight loss a bit from the level it was at during Induction, but this is completely normal.

Also, people are different and react differently to the diet. Some people lose weight in spurts, and other lose weight more steadily. A plateau can last for a few weeks and then voila, you’ve lost five pounds in a matter of a few days.

Make sure you are avoiding caffeine in all of its forms as well as aspartame, a common artificial sweetener. Both of these chemicals can impact blood sugar levels negatively. Look out for caffeine in coffee and diet sodas. Watch out for aspartame in diet sodas and sugar-free gelatin. These can cause cravings for sugar and take your body out of ketosis after just one serving.

Watch your daily intake of cheese. Although cheese is on the acceptable foods list, it does have small amount of carbohydrates. Your best bet is to limit your cheese intake to 4 oz per day. You can have more on special occasions, but it should not be used as your mainstay for protein. Meats, eggs and tofu are much better choices and don’t contain carbohydrate grams.

Remember to emphasize vegetables during Induction and beyond. Your carbohydrate grams should be primarily derived from leafy, green vegetables and other acceptable vegetable choices. Vegetables fill you up without spiking your blood sugar. They provide essential fiber and nutrients that help your weight loss efforts and overall health. After induction, you should have 3-4 cups of salad and 1 cup of cooked vegetables each day. Make sure the vegetables you are using are on the acceptable foods list. Eliminating vegetables from your diet can shut down your metabolism and cause your weight loss to stall.

It is also very important that you eat regularly while you are on the Atkins plan. Never go more than five waking hours without eating a combined snack of protein and fats. Two things happen when you skip meals. First, you cause a blood sugar drop that will have you craving carbohydrates like bread and sugar. Secondly, continued periods of not eating will slow down your metabolism and make it even harder to lose weight.
Finally, make sure you are drinking enough water each day. Water has a myriad of benefits for every human being, not just those on the Atkins diet. Thirst can sometimes be masked as hunger, so staying well hydrated will keep you from craving foods you shouldn’t be eating. Water also helps you avoid constipation, which is an occasional side effect of the Atkins diet. Drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day will also help you flush out the toxins from your system that are produced when you burn fat.

These common mistakes can make people frustrated with the Atkins diet when there is no need to be. If you are just starting out on the diet, make sure to prepare yourself for these mistakes. If you’ve been on the diet for some time, evaluate your eating habits and make sure you are following the program correctly.

High Protein Diet Talk

Nov | Leave a Comment

Are you on a diet? You see, the funny thing about diets is they never actually end. The effective way is to adopt a nutritious set of eating habits and stick with them forever. However, many people are under the misconception that you diet for a month or two in order to drop weight, and then you quit. Now, there’s just one tiny problem with that scenario. You’ll gain the weight back. This is why you have to stick to your new healthy eating habits for good. One of the more famous diet plans lately is the Atkins diet. Have you heard of this one? With all the attention it was receiving on the news, you probably have. This is the infamous high protein diet. And when I say high protein, I mean high protein. Apparently it relies on a lot of meat products. While meat is high in protein, it certainly shouldn’t be the only food group you are consuming.

Does your diet help you bulk up? This is why so many individuals search for a good high protein diet. As we all know, protein is what builds our muscles. If you take a gander at Flex magazine, you will see several men who have acquired high protein diets. Now, one of the big concepts storming the health media these days concerns high protein and low carbs. This is basically supposed to lead to more muscle and less fat. If you weren’t already aware, carbs often turn to fat and make us gain weight. Therefore, carbs bad, protein good. While I personally do not knock the benefits of a high protein diet, I don’t know that it’s right for everyone. Sure, if you’re trying to build muscle mass, then a high protein diet is ideal for you. However, if you’re simply trying to drop excess fat, then maybe a more balanced diet of healthy foods would suit your agenda. My brother is constantly on a high protein diet. But this is because he lifts weights. He’s always trying to beef up more and more, hence the six cans of tuna a day. Yikes, you can have that high protein diet.

If you are searching for more information on a high protein diet, or any diet for that matter, the Internet can be of great help. Browse through a plethora of diet and weight loss options in order to find that right one for you. It may also be prudent to consult a nutritionist if you’re uncertain about a particular diet plan.

Diet Information and The Media

Nov | 1 Comment

Our society today certainly struggles with a weight epidemic. The media is more than confusing when it comes to this dilemma. While we are flooded with fast food adds, we then see how unbearably thin our entertainers are becoming. It’s an odd situation. People continue to stuff their faces with pizza and burgers, yet always seem to want that size six waist. There is probably no ideal solution to this age-old problem. When it comes to our weight and health, a reasonable diet and sufficient exercise always prove superior. Fortunately there is diet information everywhere we turn.

My mother is someone who has always struggled with her weight. It wasn’t until she hit her 50’s and became afflicted with diabetes, that she actually started taking it seriously. With the plethora of diet information I found via the Internet, I was able to help my mother get started on a path to living healthy. Understanding your body and how it functions is key in forming a good diet. Since my mother was already overweight, I knew that I had to decrease her caloric intake. She needed less fat, salt, and sugar, and more low calorie meals.

If you watch television, then you’ve surely been bombarded with diet information from some fitness guru. The key is finding the diet that’s right for you. We all have different nutritional needs on some level. While some of us need more fiber in our meals, others need more protein. A great place to begin your search for diet information is online. You will be overwhelmed by the loads of free facts that can help you get started. If you venture out to the local supermarket, you will find a variety of diet products. From frozen entrees, to quick and convenient snack bars, there is much to choose from. Many diet plans offer a variety of meals that contain low amounts of fat, carbs, and calories. These are things that our body often gets too much of.

Whether you’re looking to start that new celebrity diet, or simply desire some diet information, you will find it on the World-Wide-Web. The key to dropping weight is eating healthy and acquiring a daily exercise routine. With proper diet and fitness benefits, your body will soon transform into that size six you crave. It’s time to live healthy, and rid yourself of that burden, which too often destroys your confidence, as well as your body.

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