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.

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.