How do you define a diet? For me, it’s a D – diligent, I – intelligent, E - eating, T- transformation. You just can’t pick up a diet program from the newspaper or one that your neighbor told you about or one that promises to transform you body in a day or two. There has to be a very specific and good reason for choosing a diet program.
South Beach Diet
I found a hundred good reasons for choosing the south beach diet. Unlike other diet programs, the south beach diet is based on the glycemic index. It means that you improve the health of your heart and end up losing weight along with it. Isn’t that fantastic?
How it all started
Noted cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston found out that most of his patients were suffering from heart problems owing to their faulty and unhealthy eating habits. He wanted to re-introduce some changes into their diets and he came up with a diet plan that restricts carbohydrates for the first two weeks. Then, the carbohydrates are reintroduced into the diet slowly with a low glycemic index. The saturated unhealthy fats in the diet are replaced by unsaturated ones.
He found two startling things about his diet plan.
1. The heart-health of these patients started improving by leaps and bounds.
2. They started to lose a lot of weight along with the improvement in their heart health.
That’s when Dr. Arthur discovered that he had just invented what would be one of the most used diet programs of all times i.e South Beach Diet.
Why south beach diet is different ??
Most diet programs require you to count the calories that you consume, weight the food portions that you eat etc. Is it easy? Would you want a weighing scale next to your food table everyday or would you like to indulge in calculations each time you want to eat something?
The south beach diet changes your entire eating habits in a span of three phases. The first two phases have to be followed for a limited amount of time and the third phase for life.
You are allowed to eat three normal sized meals, two snacks and meal plans that are extremely flexible. So are you ready to transform your life?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Zone Diet - Diet for Healthy Living
Here’s why you will live healthier with the zone diet
Some smart person once said that old habits die hard. Have you ever tried to unlearn something? Unlearning is harder than learning something new. We have been eating unhealthy food since years. If you suddenly make the switch to ‘protein only’ diet plans, then your body will reject it outright.
A diet plan must be systematically planned and meticulously executed giving your body the time frame it needs to adjust to the change. That is precisely what the Zone Diet is. It is more of a lifestyle than a diet plan.
Zone diet aims at creating a healthy balance in the influx of nutrients into the body and the hormones that are triggered by the body as a result. Each diet in the zone is a perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins and quality fats.
What foods are restricted?
Like I said before, there are no restrictions as far as you stick to the rules. The rules are simple enough. All that you need to do is create a balance of nutrients and keep the calories in control. For example, if you are planning to have a burger as a mid-day snack, then you need to ensure that you match it with an equal amount of protein so that your body doesn’t stack those carbohydrates in the liver.
The rules
As long as your plate contains about 30% of proteins and 30% of fats, a serving of fruits and vegetables and about 40% of carbohydrates, you are doing just fine. You can have any of your favorite snack as far as you stick to this balance.
How it works
If you stick to the zone diet long enough, then your body will be adjusted to the constant influx of quality nutrients and weight loss will happen automatically. More than the weight loss, it will create a much healthier and nutritious lifestyle for you.
Some smart person once said that old habits die hard. Have you ever tried to unlearn something? Unlearning is harder than learning something new. We have been eating unhealthy food since years. If you suddenly make the switch to ‘protein only’ diet plans, then your body will reject it outright.
A diet plan must be systematically planned and meticulously executed giving your body the time frame it needs to adjust to the change. That is precisely what the Zone Diet is. It is more of a lifestyle than a diet plan.
Zone diet aims at creating a healthy balance in the influx of nutrients into the body and the hormones that are triggered by the body as a result. Each diet in the zone is a perfect balance of carbohydrates, proteins and quality fats.
What foods are restricted?
Like I said before, there are no restrictions as far as you stick to the rules. The rules are simple enough. All that you need to do is create a balance of nutrients and keep the calories in control. For example, if you are planning to have a burger as a mid-day snack, then you need to ensure that you match it with an equal amount of protein so that your body doesn’t stack those carbohydrates in the liver.
The rules
As long as your plate contains about 30% of proteins and 30% of fats, a serving of fruits and vegetables and about 40% of carbohydrates, you are doing just fine. You can have any of your favorite snack as far as you stick to this balance.
How it works
If you stick to the zone diet long enough, then your body will be adjusted to the constant influx of quality nutrients and weight loss will happen automatically. More than the weight loss, it will create a much healthier and nutritious lifestyle for you.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Getting prepared for Weight Loss
Oh, yes! I will start my weight loss diet tomorrow. Does that sound like you? Procrastination as it is called is a man’s worst enemy. More so if you are looking to gain a specific goal or objective because tomorrow never comes.
How many times have you envied the cute girl next door who scores all the points with the guys, courtesy her killer body? How many times have you wished that your stomach were as flat as an ironing board? In a more realistic situation, how many times have you quit a weight loss program midway?
Let’s face it. Weight loss isn’t as easy as it is made out to be and there is no genie waiting to grant you a thin waist, a six pack abdomen and buttocks to match. The only person who can ever help you lose weight is you yourself. But most people do not know where to begin or which weight loss diets to choose.
Analyze yourself
If you feel that you are gaining more weight than you ought to, then obviously there is something wrong somewhere. Maybe it’s your eating habits. Maybe it’s about your lifestyle. But you have to identify what it is in order to even think of rectifying it.
So before you start with a weight loss diet, start off by analyzing yourself for about 7 to 14 days. Get a weighing scale. Download a calorie counter off the internet. Now you are all set to begin. Maintain a diary and jot down your eating habits (calorie specific), the amount of time you spend on a couch and also the amount of time you exercise. This includes even the small walks that you might make from your doorstep to the bus stop.
Time for step two
Now that you know a little bit more about yourself, it is time for step two and that is selecting a diet program. Now, there are thousands of weight loss diets out there. But ensure that you choose one that matches your body requirements.
How many times have you envied the cute girl next door who scores all the points with the guys, courtesy her killer body? How many times have you wished that your stomach were as flat as an ironing board? In a more realistic situation, how many times have you quit a weight loss program midway?
Let’s face it. Weight loss isn’t as easy as it is made out to be and there is no genie waiting to grant you a thin waist, a six pack abdomen and buttocks to match. The only person who can ever help you lose weight is you yourself. But most people do not know where to begin or which weight loss diets to choose.
Analyze yourself
If you feel that you are gaining more weight than you ought to, then obviously there is something wrong somewhere. Maybe it’s your eating habits. Maybe it’s about your lifestyle. But you have to identify what it is in order to even think of rectifying it.
So before you start with a weight loss diet, start off by analyzing yourself for about 7 to 14 days. Get a weighing scale. Download a calorie counter off the internet. Now you are all set to begin. Maintain a diary and jot down your eating habits (calorie specific), the amount of time you spend on a couch and also the amount of time you exercise. This includes even the small walks that you might make from your doorstep to the bus stop.
Time for step two
Now that you know a little bit more about yourself, it is time for step two and that is selecting a diet program. Now, there are thousands of weight loss diets out there. But ensure that you choose one that matches your body requirements.
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