How To Lose Weight

Archive for the ‘Diets’ Category

Things You Just Can’t Afford To Do When You Are On A Diet!

A lot of people forget a few basic things when they are on a diet, out of excitement of being on a diet! So here’s a list of things you just can’t afford to do when you are on a diet. Have a look!

Diet

* Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. No matter which diet you are on, don’t skip it.

* Don’t starve yourself. The reason is simple. If you starve one whole day, you are very likely to binge- eat the next.

* Drink enough water. If you drink when you are hungry, it means you are already dehydrated. So keep sipping.

* Get enough sleep. This is something you can’t compromise on. It’s okay if you don’t exercise one day, but not getting enough sleep is really bad.

* Don’t let the way other people’s bodies look like make you judge your own. You have to be the best you can be, but not according to other people’s body type.

* Don’t eat or snack in front of the television. It will make you eat more.

* Don’t eat just because its meal time. Eating when you are hungry is a great way to diet. It will keep you from eating a lot of excess foods.

* Keep simple, home- made snacks available. This will make you avoid the chips bag.

Keep these things in mind and you are sure to lose all the excess weight.

Negative Calorie Diet

A negative calorie diet is a great idea if you are planning to lose weight fast. To some it may just be a fad diet, to others it is another quick weight loss recipe. So how do you go about on a negative calorie diet? Here’s help.

The Negative Calorie Diet

* This diet is fit for people who are serious about a stringent diet plan that will help them lose weight. You have to understand that you have to make considerable changes in the way you eat and the amount of eat.

* Calories are the only thing that matters in weight loss. A negative calorie food will let you eat food that is low- calorie, which means that you can eat more than you can eat high-calorie foods.

* The thing with a negative calorie diet is that more energy will be required to digest it. So it means that you will be burning more calories just by going on it! Foods high in fiber are examples of negative calorie foods.

* A vegetarian diet is what you have to eat if you decide to go on this diet. Fruits and vegetables are going to be the source of the calories you take in. If’ vegetarian’ sounds yucky to you, this diet is not for you!

* You have to slowly reduce the quantity of meat and other high-calorie foods from your diet before going completely vegetarian.

* Watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit and apples in the “fruits” category and carrots, cauliflower, tomato and lettuce in the “vegetables” category are what you will be allowed on this diet.

No Carb Diet

If you have heard of the Atkins diet, then you must be familiar with the terms “no carbs” and “low carbs”. Diets that exclude carbs or allow very low amounts of it are helpful in making weight loss happen fast. If you are planning to go on such a diet, this article will be helpful as it brings to you a list of no – carb foods that you can incorporate into your diet. So here goes.

The No Carb Diet

* Water: This is perhaps the most popular no-carb, no-calorie food you can think of! Water is essential for the proper functioning of our bodies and helps in digestion. Drink as much water as you want all day and you can still be assured of maintaining a no- carb diet!

* Cheese: Some kinds of cheeses are available which have very little or no carbs in them. For instance, gruyere and Monterey Jack contain only 0.1 gm of carb in 3 slices. Cheddar, Muenster and Fontina are other examples of low or no- carb cheeses.

* Meat: This is the mainstay of Atkins diet and other diets that purport a low- carb diet menu. Most kinds of meat contain zero carbs. Of course, processed meat does not fall in that category. Make sure that you bake or grill meat to keep your fat consumption down.

* Vegetables: Bok choy, spinach, lettuce and celery contain zero carbs. But make sure you find out the carb content of vegetables before buying as most of them are high in it.

Protein Diet

A protein diet is mainly used by people who want to lose excess pounds. Studies have proven time and again that a high-protein diet aids in quick weight loss. Protein is an essential component of the body and a diet that consists of high amounts of protein will help you lose weight. This article will tell you of the basics of a high-protein diet.

The Protein Diet

* Protein is the body’s building block and is required for building muscle. A high- protein diet ensures that the body is not starved of this essential component.

* When you eat a high- protein diet, you automatically start eating low- carb or no- carb meals. This translates into easy and fast weight loss.

* The body needs more energy to build muscle. When you eat a high- protein diet, your body is utilizing more energy to digest the protein so you are burning more calories. This causes quick weight loss.

* The body does not store protein; instead it uses it up to build muscle. When you eat a high- protein diet, your fat stores get burned up making you lose weight.

* A high-protein diet makes you lose weight because of a process called ketosis, which makes your body be forced to burn fat stores to produce energy.

As said earlier, a high-protein diet is an extremely effective way to lose weight fast. It is important to remember that this kind of a diet is not safe if continued for a prolonged period of time.

Soup Diet

The Cabbage soup Diet is the most popular of all soup diets doing the rounds on the internet. This article will tell you exactly what a soup diet will have you eating.

The Soup Diet

Day 1

Eat all the fruit you want except banana, black coffee, unsweetened tea, cranberry juice and water. Of course, eat as much cabbage soup as you want.

Day 2

No fruit today but you can eat as much raw, fresh or cooked vegetables as you want. You can have a baked potato with butter for dinner. Eat as much soup as you want.

Day 3

You can eat whatever you ate on Day 1 and 2. Put a miss on the baked potato and butter part though.

Day 4

You are allowed to eat 8 bananas and 8 glasses of skimmed milk on this day. You will also eat as much cabbage soup as you want.

Day 5

Feast on beef on this day. You can have up to 20 ounces of beef and 6 fresh tomatoes. It is important that you drink at least 6- 8 glasses of water on this day. Eat cabbage soup once in the day. You can substitute chicken for beef if you want.

Day 6

This day is for vegetables and beef. Make sure you eat cabbage soup at least once.

Day 7

On this day, you will eat brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juices.

The end of the 7 – day diet will see you losing at least 7-10 pounds.

Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet comes with a number of health benefits. The great thing about a vegetarian diet is that anyone can go for it and be benefited. It is suitable for all people, be they be young, old, fat, thin, healthy, unhealthy and a whole lot of other categories.  There are 5 kinds of people who call themselves vegetarians.

Vegetarian Diet

1. Fruitarians - This class of people stays away from all processed foods and animal products.

2. Vegans - This class of people stays away from all animal products.

3. Lacto- vegetarians - This class of people consumes dairy products but not eggs.

4. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians - This class of people eats milk products and eggs.

5. Semi-vegetarians - Eats fish and chicken but stays away from red meat.

Apart from the 5th category of people, all are considered vegetarians all over the world. A vegetarian diet is a great option if you are trying to lose weight as it naturally makes for a low- calorie diet without you even trying. Also, a vegetarian diet lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose level and promotes better health. The mainstays of a vegetarian diet are:

1. Fruit and vegetable - Include as many kinds of fruits and vegetables in your meals as you can as it will keep you away from being bored.

2. Grains and cereals - Brown rice, muesli and whole-wheat bread and pasta are great choices.

3. Dairy or soya products - Yogurt, milk and cheeses are great options.

4. Legumes, seeds and nuts - Almonds, cashews, lentils, soya beans, split peas and kidney beans are great ideas.

Low Carb Diet

Do you want to lose weight fast? Though there are several weight loss plans available, a low – carb diet is one of the most popular. For information on how to go about on a low carb diet, read on.

Low Carb Diet Recipe

a.) Gather information: Gather as much information as you can about low – carb diets. Find out which one suits you and your lifestyle and how much weight you will be able to lose if you are on it. Keep a food diary.

b.) Easy changes: Before starting on a full – fledged low – carb diet, start by making some easy changes where you cut off unhealthy carbs from your diet. This will make the process easier.

c.) Decide on a diet: There are many low – calorie diet options for you to choose from. It is important that you select one depending on the kind of food you eat.

d.) Plan your meals every week: Going on a low – carb diet is not easy as a lot of the food we usually eat is carbs. Planning what you can eat is important if you eat out regularly. Avoiding all white foods, chocolates and sweets is a good start.

e.) Familiarize with the diet: Familiarizing with what you can eat and what you cannot on a low – carb diet will help you come with options easily.

f.) Support: Let your friends and family know that you are on a diet. Ask them to support you as much as they can in your endeavor to lose weight.

Low Calorie Diet

A low calorie diet is one that restricts your calorie consumption between 900 and 1300 calories a day. A lot of people today are trying out low calorie diets to lose weight and have a fitter body. There are many benefits to such a diet. But how safe are they? This article takes a look at the pros and cons of a low calorie diet.

Don't Worry Low Calorie Diets Are Not That Bad

Pros

a) On a low – calorie diet, you can expect to lose anything between 4 to 7 pounds a week. That’s great by any standards.

b) After you are on this diet for a few days, you will learn to eat more well – balanced and healthier meals.

c) This diet will lower your cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure levels.

d) It will also prevent heart diseases such as strokes, heart attacks, etc.

e) It will decrease the risk of getting affected by Type 2 Diabetes.

Cons

a) It is difficult to get used to a low – calorie diet as your hunger will not be satisfied, especially during the first few days.

b) The chances of falling off the wagon and binge eating are high on this diet.

c) People on this diet may be missing out on some of the essential nutrients required for the proper functioning of their bodies.

d) Continuing with this diet for a prolonged time may lead to side effects such as nausea, constipation, fatigue and weakness.

Thus, a low – calorie diet is a good idea for a short period of time if you want to lose weight fast.

High Protein Diet

One of the most effective ways to lose weight is by going on a high – protein diet, as suggested by the very popular Atkins’ Diet. A high protein diet is one that allows little or no carbohydrates in meals. Is going on a high protein diet safe? What should one eat on a high protein diet? For all this and more, read on.

Example Of A High Protein Diet Meal

* Dieters on a high – protein diet has to eat more protein and fat and less carbohydrates to lose weight. This diet strives to make proteins and fats comprise 40-50% of your everyday diet. A low – carb intake ensures that the body uses up its stored fats and hence loses weight rapidly.

* A usual high – protein diet sample menu consists of breakfasting with 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and a black coffee; lunching with a small salad with any kind of dressing and a hamburger patty and unlimited amounts of meat. The dinner has to be of unlimited amounts of meat or fish, an egg and a small salad with Russian dressing.

* All white foods such as bread, flour, sugar are banned on this diet as they contain lots of carbs. Also, you are allowed only to have unsweetened tea or coffee while on this diet.

* A high – protein diet may be great for losing weight, but doctors are of the opinion that there may be certain health concerns with such a diet. As such, following this diet for a prolonged period of time is a strict no – no.

High Fiber Diet

A high fiber diet is a great idea if you are planning to lose weight. What’s more, a high fiber diet also lets you get rid of constipation and keeps hemorrhoids at bay. This kind of diet also ensures that you don’t catch yourself snacking at midnight because of the high levels of satiety it brings with it! Here are a few tips that will help you plan your high – fiber diet better.

High Fiber Diet

a) Eat lots of wholegrain breads and cereals. Buy bread that has “wholegrain” written on its label. Breads that contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving is the best deal you can find.

b) Instead of normal white rice, choose brown rice, millets and bulgur.

c) Frits and vegetable contain lots of fiber. Eat them in large quantities everyday. A high fiber diet is one that contains at least 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Apples, oranges, prunes, brussel sprouts, corn, beans, raspberries, figs, pears, broccoli, carrots and peas are great.

d) Include bran in your diet to increase its fiber content. Do not have more than 1 teaspoon of bran in a day. You can increase slowly.

e) It is extremely important to drink lots of water if you are on a high – fiber diet. This diet will not be successful unless you couple it with 8-10 glasses of water everyday.

f) Expect larger, softer, easier to pass and more frequent stools when you are on a high – fiber diet.