Basic Factors to Consider When Preparing to Diet

By Steve Arkema

If you're contemplating starting a new diet there are a few basic factors to consider. So before we begin, grab your favorite beverage of choice, reading glasses if needed, and sit back and enjoy this article.

Now that you are ready let's begin! We will look at three areas one should contemplate before beginning a diet.

• what are your particular goals by dieting

• are you seeking rapid weight loss or the slow and steady weight loss approach

• do you want to purchase pre packaged foods or cook your own meals?

To begin, ask yourself what your goals are by dieting. 

Do you want to lose 5-10 pounds or do you want to drop 25 pounds or more. Knowing what your target weight loss number is will make choosing a particular diet that aligns with your weight loss goal easier. For some people with a significant amount of weight to lose it might be easier to break it down into monthly attainable goals such as 5-6 pounds a month instead of saying I want to lose 75 pounds.

Next you need to decide if you are seeking rapid weight loss or the slow and steady weight loss method.

Most Doctors will tell you that to succeed at keeping weight off the best approach is to drop the pounds slowly, around 1-3 pounds a week. Unfortunately we are a society that wants instant gratification - "we want it now", in other words most of us aren't satisfied with only losing a pound or two a week but rather we would like to see 5-10 pound loss a week. Some diets provide rapid loss but again most Doctors will advise that to lose weight and keep the weight off, your weekly weight loss goal should be 1-3 pounds.

The third area to examine is, do you want the convenience of purchasing pre packaged diet meals like Weight Watchers frozen food items found at your local grocery store or do you enjoy making homemade meals?

We live in a hustle and bustle world so it is understandable why some people want the convenience of a frozen food product versus taking time to prepare a homemade meal but on the flip side I believe you find more flavor in the meals prepared at home. One also needs to consider the cost factor. Is it cheaper to buy a pre packaged meal for each meal or is it more cost effective to buy fresh items where you could also cook in bulk and freeze leftovers for future meals.

In summary, before you begin any diet be sure to identify what your specific weight loss target goals are, the type of diet that matches your goals and finally whether you want to go with pre packaged meals or prepare home cooked meals.

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How to Use Weight Loss Diet Plans

By Ahmad Raza Khan Bhatti

How to use Weight Loss Diet Plans for a long life?

You can find different weight loss plans on the web. Search for some minutes, and you will come up with various types of the lemon diet, Atkins diet plans, Asian diet plans, and Indian diet plans. These plans are good for health. You will be familiar with some and others will be unknown to you. The task is to select a versatile diet plan for your health. You must stick to the plan for 6+ months. If you want to live a long life, it is important to eat a healthy diet.

Here are some details on creating an incredible diet plan.

1. Create easy meal plans

We have limited time in a day. Most of us cannot spend 2-3 hours in a kitchen. We can get an hour to prepare all 3-5 meals. Do not go for unknown plans. Cook meals which are easy and familiar.

2. Eat complete nutrition

Your meals must include protein, fats, carbs, dairy, vegetables, snacks, and fruits.

3. Drink Green Tea/Hot water/Lime Juice before breakfast.

4. Avoid artificial sweeteners, alcohol, soft drinks, commercially produced juices, fast food, fries, sugar, salt, and caffeine.

5. Create an excel plan and store all of your diet plans in the excel sheet. Put complete recipes along with their nutritional benefits. You can print this sheet and save it in your kitchen.

6. Crash dieting is safe but do not use them too often. Crash dieting is only recommended when you need it the most. Do not start rapid weight loss plans without the consent of your doctor.

7. Different programs are designed for different people. You might be familiar with dieting programs, medically supervised programs, self-help programs and fitness programs. These programs have the online and offline versions. You can use different apps and online tools to improve your health.

Similarly, you can attend seminars and meetings to educate yourself on health topics.

8. Time is the key to weight loss. Losing weight is possible when you do the right things at the right time. Weight gain is common among people who eat their meals at the wrong time. Ideally, there should be a 5-hour difference between each meal. For example, you do the breakfast on 7 Am, eat the lunch at 1pm and eat the dinner at 7pm. You can have snacks and fruits between the meals.

9. No weight loss plan can be successful without an excellent exercise routine. Do whatever you can to keep moving. Do cycling, or run a mile to do the exercise. The best time to do exercise is in the morning.

10. If your diet plan contains same dishes, you will get bored very quickly. Create something versatile and delicious. Experiment with different recipes. Each goal requires devotion, focus, and determination.

These 10 weight loss tips will guide you about using diet plans. The important task is to be creative. Enjoy your foods. Best of luck.

If you would like more information, visit Weight Loss Diet

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Will a Low Carb Diet Be an Effective Tool for Weight Loss?

By Aaron P Blair 

So the question is, will a low carb diet be an effective tool to lose weight?

The answer is a resounding YES!

It is one of the best tools and most effective methods of shedding weight fast. There are a few points that must be followed for a low carb diet to be effective.

First, we need to understand what a diet is. A low carb diet program is a program that restricts the consumption of carbohydrates. The percentage of carbs consumed should not exceed 20% of caloric consumption for the day.

Fats and protein will make up the rest of the calories. Fruits and vegetables are allowed on a diet. The harmful carbs however, are kept to a minimum.

What are harmful carbs?

Food with sugars and white flour such as donuts, pasta, white bread,etc, white rice and potatoes. These are considered as high glycemic foods that spike your blood sugar levels.

When you avoid these foods, you will not gain weight fast and your body will not have insulin spikes. In fact, avoiding these foods will prevent health problems like diabetes.

You should be consuming healthy carbs in moderation for the low carb diet to work effectively. Low carbs does not mean no carbs. Many folks make the mistake of avoiding carbs completely.

This is wrong. You must consume carbs of the healthy variety.

Vegetables and fruits are healthy carbohydrates. You may also wish to switch to carbs with a lower glycemic index. Instead of eating white bread, you can opt for whole grain bread. Switch white rice for brown rice.

So why does a low carb diet work so effectively?

The reason that a low carb diet works so well is due to the fact that most people consume the wrong kind of carbs. They eat white bread, pasta, etc. What these carbs do is that they cause spikes in insulin and blood glucose levels.

These indirectly lead to fat storage, increased appetite and sudden hunger cravings. The cravings lead to overeating of these same carbs and the vicious cycle continues.

By eating carbs with a low glycemic index, your blood sugar and insulin levels will stay constant. You will feel full and satiated for a longer duration. You will also not have sudden cravings for unhealthy food or an unexplained increase in appetite.

Being on a low carb diet has several health benefits. These have been proven through studies that have been conducted for the past few decades.

A low carb diet will give you more energy. Contrary to popular belief, a low carb diet will not leave you feeling sluggish. You will experience mental clarity too. Your joints and body will be less painful.

Bad carbs tend to cause inflammation in the body. This could explain why many people constantly feel aches and pains in their joints and muscles. Their body is suffering from inflammation.

These are just some of the benefits that have been reported by those who have embarked on a low carb diet. It is highly recommended that you adopt this diet permanently even after you have reached your desired weight.

Once you reach your desired weight and know how many calories you should consume daily for maintenance, then you can allocate 20% of those calories for healthy carbs and you will maintain your figure for a long time.


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10 Questions You Need to Answer Before Going on a Diet

By Anna M Storey


1. What is your goal? Many diets fail because the target is uncertain. If you are not sure what your ideal weight should be, you will never be satisfied with the results, as you can always lose "just a few pounds more".

2. When has the problem started? It is possible that you started to overeat in response to an emotional trauma or a significant life event. If so, careful examination of the situation will help you deal with the real reason behind your overeating.

3. What is your "dieting history"? If you already have an experience of a failed diet, try to describe it in great detail. If you will be able to spot when and why do you normally get stuck, you will avoid similar problems in the future.

4. In what situations do you normally overeat? Perhaps, you reach out for chocolate when you are stressed or start eating more when you feel tired? In that case, you need a rest or an emotional support, not an extra slice of pizza.

5. Where do you overeat? Do you snack at work or are you hiding crisps in the car and eat them when no one is watching? Knowing your eating patterns will help you avoid the "risky" situations.

6. What are you saying to yourself when you overeat? Quite possibly, you are feeling guilty or blaming yourself. Constant self-criticism will not help you lose weight, but might well push you into more "comfort eating".

7. Do you like yourself? Have a good look in the mirror and give a honest answer. Do you like yourself right now, not when you will be 10 kg lighter? In your quest for a perfect body you will need an ally and that ally is you!

8. What was the attitude towards thin/fat people in your family of origin? Perhaps you are just replicating old statements, mentally repeating that "In our family people are big" or believing that "thin people are unhealthy".

9. Could you describe a typical mealtime in your family of origin? Were you told to eat up everything on your plate even if you did not like the food? Perhaps in your mind you are still listening to your parents and feel obliged to finish your meal, rather than listen to your body.

10. And the last question - can you imagine yourself in the future, having achieved your target weight? Try to picture yourself: What are you wearing? How are you feeling? How are people reacting to the "new you"? If you feel uncomfortable doing this visualization, you might have a few psychological barriers to overcome before starting on a diet. The easier and more pleasant the visualization will become, the more ready you will be to lose weight for good.

© http://www.annastorey-counselling.com

Anna Storey Counselling is based in Central London W1G
Please visit http://www.annastorey-counselling.com for more information

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