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Nearly everyone has heard of the Atkins Diet by now, even if not necessarily clear on what it is. Some may even know it as the source of “low-carb?diet craze in the country, but don’t know much about it beyond that. This article aims to place a neutral and objective eye on this popular weight loss program.

diet, atkins, atkins diet, week,

Nearly everyone has heard of the Atkins Diet by now, even if not necessarily clear on what it is. Some may even know it as the source of “low-carb?diet craze in the country, but don’t know much about it beyond that. Considered as controversial as it is revolutionary, the Atkins Diet has worked successfully for a tremendous number of people, and not so successfully for a good amount of others. This article aims to place a neutral and objective eye on this popular weight loss program.

Re-introduced in the 1990’s (after an initial period of popularity in the 1970’s, the Atkins Diet is the brainchild of Dr. Robert Atkins.

The diet works in several phases, the first ?or the “induction period??lasting only 2 weeks. In this phase, dieters are not to eat any more than 20 grams of carbohydrates of any form each day. The bulk of a person’s diet during this period, then, is fats and proteins. Usually, a dieter will reach their 20 gram limit on carbohydrates simply from the small amounts in foods like salad dressing, cheese, sauces, condiments, and vegetables.

Forbidden from a participant’s diet during this 2 week induction period are fruits, grains, breads, cereal, milk, and vegetables with a high-glycemic index (a measure of the effect a food has on the body’s blood sugar.

During this period, the body enters a state called “ketosis? where it begins burning its own residual deposits of fat in order to produce the energy for which it previously had been relying on your regular consumption of carbohydrates.

Atkins also asserts that the source of most weight problems people experience is an “insulin-resistance?that causes overweight bodies to have difficulty converting carbohydrates into glucose (or sugar which becomes energy. In this state of ketosis induced by the induction phase of the Atkins Diet, the insulin function of the body is affected in such a way that impedes the production of more fat.

After the two week induction period ends, dieters are then permitted to increase their carbohydrate allowance by 5 grams each week. In other words: they’re allowed 25 grams of carbs per day throughout week 3, 30 grams of carbs per day throughout week 4, 35 g in week 5, etc.

Depending on the person’s body type and weight objectives, this gradual increase in carbs should level off somewhere between 40 g and 90 g per day. At this point, the dieter is considered to have entered the “maintenance?phase of the diet, where they ought to remain for the rest of their lives. Although counting calories is not a part of the Atkins Diet, studies by the North American Association for the Study of Obesity found that adhering to the restrictions imposed by the Atkins Diet led to a decrease of 1,000 calories from participant’s daily caloric intake.

A quick perusal of the recommendations published by most traditional health experts and health organizations will reveal that 40-90 grams of carbs per day is still a miniscule amount compared to that of what they consider a “standard?healthy diet.

The Atkins Diet also contradicts authorities (US FDA and the American Cancer Society included that extol the virtues of eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads and cereals. According to Atkins, even “healthy?carbohydrates are harmful in large quantities.

Studies by the Annals of Internal Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine have actually found that participants on the Atkins Diet experienced an improvement in heart disease indicators.

Like the 80’s and 90’s were to “low-fat?and “fat-free? Dr. Atkins has helped make the early 21st century “low-carb? Whether that’s for better or worse is up to you.

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The most important determinant for cholesterol in the body is fat from diet. Though our liver produces 75% of cholesterol only 25% is absorbed from the food. For a high cholesterol condition, fats are of different types. Some fats are good for cholesterol levels while others are obviously bad.

Diet and Cholesterol, Reduce Cholesterol, Cholesterol Treatment, Cholesterol Reduction, Cholesterol, Lower Cholesterol.

Diet and Cholesterol – The single biggest influence on our cholesterol condition.

Cholesterol was not a factor when Charles Darwin’s proposed his theory “Survival of the fittest”. He would certainly re-write his theory if he existed today, battling with the cause himself. Survive – we do: fittest -? that needs speculation, with half of the world population battling with a cholesterol condition.

Our ancestors had lived most of their life feeding on fruits, grasses, herbs, nuts, leaves, roots, water , seeds, cereals and hunting meat which was often a daunting task without the four wheel drives and buffalo shotguns.

Today, surviving, unlike our ancestors is not fighting with tigers, running after antelopes, or working the ground for roots. It is often fighting with ourselves that makes us weak. Of the fierce predators is the commonplace cholesterol which we find in abundance. Cookies, cakes, colas, chemicals, pesticides, chocolate, cool drinks, preservatives and the list could go on for a few hundred pages.

Some people develop dangerous tumors. Other people have Cholesterol levels that are through the roof. For you, your diet and lifestyle is causing the condition commonly referred to as Cholesterol.

This condition is simply a SYMPTOM of a very fundamental and dangerous imbalance within your body, and Cholesterol is simply the initial way it is manifesting itself in your body.

The biggest influence on blood cholesterol level is the mix of fats in the diet.

The most important determinant for cholesterol in the body is fat from diet. Though our liver produces 75% of cholesterol only 25% is absorbed from the food. For a high cholesterol condition, fats are of different types. Some fats are good for cholesterol levels while others are obviously bad. What are becoming clearer and clearer is those bad fats, meaning saturated and Tran’s fats increase the risk for certain diseases while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats.

Your Body – a Breeding Ground

Extensive research reveals that, proliferation of cholesterol in society is a direct manifestation of our changed lifestyles. When people around the world experience similar problems, it’s not a random incident but a methodical process spreading across cultures and borders.

The body is infected by acids: released from sugars, carbohydrates, excess fat and uric acid, found a plenty in modern day foods.

Robert A. Young a leading micro-biologist, author of “The ph miracle” quotes: “There is only One Sickness and One Disease, and this one ’sickness’ is the over-acidification of the body due primarily to an inverted way of living, thinking, and eating… there can therefore be only one remedy and treatment, and that is to alkalize the body and break the cycle of imbalance, thus allowing us to experience the energy, vitality and true health we’re all meant to have.”

Cholesterol Reduction: Recommendations for Fat Intake

Although the different types of fat have a varied – and admittedly confusing – effect on health and disease, the basic message is simple: chuck out the bad fats and replace them with good fats.

Focus on the ROOT CAUSE that is causing your Cholesterol… choose fruits and vegetables that drive the acids out of your body, burn of the excess by maintaining a strict schedule of work-outs. The many drugs available promising to reduce your cholesterol are optimistic placebo which works well when you are distressed.

Instead of “Medication” and “fighting the symptoms”, you start thinking about “Health” and treating the cause with THE RIGHT DIET.

This Article is Originally Published here: Diet and Cholesterol (http://www.cholesterol-reduction.org/treatment/diet-cholesterol.html

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What is heartburn? How is it related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD and hiatal hernia? What type of diet is best for heartburn and associated digestive disorders? Linda Smyth, an experienced dietitian and nutritional consultant outlines the issues and provides some answers.

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Heartburn is a common digestive complaint which affects an estimated 15 million Americans every day, and 60 million once a month. Relief of mild heartburn is typically achieved through diet and lifestyle changes, although medication (eg. antacids is usually necessary if the heartburn is caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD.

What is Heartburn? What Are The Symptoms?

Heartburn is a digestive problem: it has nothing to do with your heart. It occurs when small amounts of stomach acid accidentally rise up the esophagus (the food canal running from the mouth to the stomach causing symptoms like a burning pain in the chest which rises towards the throat. Sufferers may even taste the fluid in the back of the mouth, and this is called acid indigestion. In many cases the pain and burning sensation is relatively mild, but sometimes is so severe that patients think they are experiencing a heart attack.

What Are The Causes Of Heartburn?

In general, the immediate cause of heartburn is the acidic digestive juices which leave the stomach and rise up the esophagus. The acid burns the tissue of the esophagus causing inflammation and pain – a condition called esophagitis. Heartburn may also occur in pregnancy when the baby is pressing up against the underside of the diaphragm and squeezing the stomach. An occasional episode of acid-regurgitation or indigestion is quite normal. But persistent heartburn (eg. twice a week, is usually a sign of something more serious. The two most common underlying causes of heartburn symptoms are gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, and hiatal hernia.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

GERD is characterized by a failure of the muscular valve, known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES, which is located at the bottom of the esophagus. The function of this valve is to keep acid in the stomach and prevent it leaking back up the esophagus. When this valve doesn’t work properly, reflux (leak-back and heartburn can occur. Factors that contribute to gastroesophageal reflux disease include obesity, pregnancy, smoking and, in particular, hiatal hernia.

Hiatal Hernia

Hiatus or hiatal hernia is a condition in which part of the stomach herniates (protrudes upwards into the chest through the hiatus (opening in the diaphragm normally only occupied by the esophagus. This puts extra pressure on the LES valve preventing it from closing properly. As a result, stomach acid leaks into the esophagus causing heartburn. The underlying cause of hiatal hernia is unknown. Contributory factors include: obesity, pregnancy, constipation, abdominal muscle strain, and smoking.

Dietary Treatment For Heartburn

In cases of persistent heartburn, dietary improvements are not sufficient. So as well as advocating a digestion-friendly diet, your doctor is likely to recommend one or more of the following types of medication. Antacids to neutralize the acid in your stomach; H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid production; or prokinetics to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter and expedite stomach-emptying. However, if heartburn symptoms are mild and occur only from time to time, usually you will be advised to make the following changes to your diet

If Overweight, Switch To A Healthy Weight Loss Diet

Obesity, especially excess fat on the chest and abdomen, is a common contributory factor to GERD and hiatal hernia, and therefore to heartburn. So if you are obese (BMI > 30, take steps to normalize your weight and thus reduce your risk or symptoms of heartburn. Choose a healthy calorie-controlled diet and customize it by following the eating tips below.

Stop Eating Large Meals

A big meal distends the stomach and causes a rise in the production of stomach acid. Both these factors lead to an increased risk of heartburn. So opt for 4-6 small meals or snacks, and allow a maximum of 3 hours between eating. In addition, choose foods that are “easier on the stomach” and more more easily digested.

Avoid Acidic Food

Reduce your intake of very acidic foods by avoiding items such as: tomatoes, tomato-based sauces, citrus fruits, rhubarb, gooseberries, unripe fruit, vinegar and acidic pickles or relishes.

Cut Down On Fatty and Spicy Food

Fried or very fatty foods, including candy, encourage indigestion and should be avoided or eaten sparingly. So go easy on butter, mayo, sausages, salami, pate, meat pies, and full-fat cheese. The same applies to very spicy food such as: black pepper, chili peppers, curry, mustard and other hot spices, as well as raw onions and garlic.

Avoid Carbonated Drinks

Fizzy or carbonated soft drinks cause belching and upward pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES, increasing the likelihood of heartburn. The best drinks include: water, herbal teas or diluted non-citrus fruit juices. Please also note that some soft drinks (eg. cocoa, coffee, orange juice are not helpful for heartburn as they can over-relax the LES, thus encouraging the backward flow of acid from the stomach.

Eat More Fiber, Especially Soluble Fiber

Constipation can lead to extra strain on abdominal muscles and increase the risk of heartburn. To prevent constipation, eat more high-fiber foods such as: oats, apples, pears, dried apricots and vegetables. When increasing fiber intake it’s also important to increase your water intake by at least 40 fl oz a day.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is not helpful to heartburn for several reasons. So take steps to reduce your intake to one unit a day, or avoid it altogether. Alcohol is also a source of non-nutritious calories and can contribute to overweight.

Other Digestive Tips

For digestive disorders like heartburn, some dietitians and alternative health experts recommend patients to eat (or cook with digestion-friendly aromatic herbs like basil, camomile, caraway, dill, fennel, rosemary and thyme. They also recommend that you end each meal with a glass of herbal tea (eg. camomile, fennel to reduce acidity and wind.

Lifestyle Improvements To Reduce Heartburn

There are several lifestyle changes that can help to reduce the symptoms of heartburn. One obvious one is to stop smoking, as tobacco smoke increases acidity in the stomach. Other recommended changes include:

Avoid placing extra strain on your abdomen or chest. Wear loose-fitting clothes, and do not overstretch or lift heavy weights.

Do not lie down after eating, and try not to eat anything for at least three hours before going to bed. The less there is in your stomach when you come to lie down, the lower the risk of heartburn.

To minimize night-time discomfort, raise the head end of your bed by about 3 inches by using bed-blocks or by placing a solid object under the bed-legs. This helps to prevent stomach acid from leaking backwards into the esophagus. Do not use extra pillows – you simply end up with a stiff neck as well as heartburn!

Heartburn symptoms can be caused by certain over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, or other pain-killers or anti-inflammatories. So if you take this type of medication regularly, check with your doctor or pharmacist that it’s safe to continue.

The Atkins diet is one of the most popular low carbohydrate diets on the market today. Its popularity has sparked dozens of look-a-like diets who center on the same principles of high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating. There are a lot of fish in the sea when it comes to choosing a low-carbohydrate plan.

Studies have shown that low-carbohydrate eating has many benefits. There have been scientific results that low-carbohydrate diets like Atkins do create significant weight loss without having to restrict calories. People who use the Atkins diet have also reported this. There are studies that show that low-carb eating improves triclycerides, reduces blood glucose for diabetics and pre-diabetics and increases good cholesterol (HDL. Low-carbohydrate dieting has been scientifically proven to improve insulin sensitivity, decrease blood pressure and lower blood insulin levels. When compared with low-fat diets, low-carb dieters lose less muscle mass.

Although not scientifically proven, there are many common benefits reported by Atkins dieters and other low-carb dieters. These include an increase in energy, a reduced craving for sweets, better concentration, improved mood and an lessening of depression type symptoms.

However, there are also some benefits that are specific to the Atkins diet. If you have been a low fat dieter in previous years, you’ll enjoy eating all of those “forbidden foods?that you once had to go without. Steak, butter and cream are a regular part of Atkins dieters?meals. There is a certain pleasure that goes along with eating foods that were once off limits. Atkins dieters are encouraged to eat their full of rich meats, cheeses and fats and oils.

Atkins is also simple to use, compared with some other low-carb diets on the market. There are some basic food carbohydrate counts that you’ll need to learn, but after that, you are free to eat from the acceptable food lists.

Dr. Atkins also emphasized finding your own personal carbohydrate level. Different people have different levels of carbohydrate tolerance. While some gain weight on just 90 carbohydrate grams a day, others can live comfortably at 120 carbohydrate grams. During the ongoing weight loss phase and pre-maintenance phase of the diet, you will learn your personal carbohydrate count that will help determine your carbohydrate goal for life.

The popularity of Atkins is a double-edged sword for dieters. There is a lot of information available on the diet, which makes it easy to find resources and support. There have been many, many Atkins books written and there are endless amounts of websites that offer tips and group support. However, everyone has heard of Atkins and probably has an opinion on it. There are some big misconceptions out there about the nature of the diet, and you’ll no doubt have to defend your new way of eating from time to time.

There are some other minimal downsides to using the Atkins program. You do need to count carbohydrates in everything you eat to make sure that you are staying within your personal carbohydrate range. There is also the issue of Induction, the most hotly debate aspect of the plan. Induction can be difficult to get through if you’ve had a diet that centers on carbs and sugar. Also, many people try Induction and mistakenly believe that this is the way that the whole diet is going to be. They end up quitting before they get into the actual Atkins plan.

Sometimes, although it is not common, people will experience a carb crash on the 3rd to 5th day of the diet. This reaction is a result of their body finally experiencing ketosis, or running on fat instead of carbohydrates. The effects are transient, but many people have sworn off low-carb diets entirely because of this happenstance.

Overall, with the minor drawbacks considered, Atkins is one of the most popular low-carb diets for a reason. It works. Thousands of people have had success with the Atkins approach to the low-carb way of living.

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Does it seem like no matter how little food you eat, you never lose a pound? You start your day out with an apple, eat vegetables for lunch and have a tiny dinner. You have all week, but you’re still the same weight. Why?

It seems to be the first thought in someone’s mind when they decide they’re going on a diet: I need to eat less. The general rule is eat less and exercise more. In all actuality, this will do nothing but cause you to gain weight and become fatigued. When…

diet, lose weight, weight loss

Does it seem like no matter how little food you eat, you never lose a pound? You start your day out with an apple, eat vegetables for lunch and have a tiny dinner. You have all week, but you’re still the same weight. Why?

It seems to be the first thought in someone’s mind when they decide they’re going on a diet: I need to eat less. The general rule is eat less and exercise more. In all actuality, this will do nothing but cause you to gain weight and become fatigued. When you eat less your body believes that it is being starved and will hoard every fat cell it can. It will do whatever it takes to keep these fat cells and no matter how many calories you burn, you won’t lose weight. Your metabolism slows greatly. Your body is in starvation mode.

People who start these diets will quickly end them when they realize they aren’t losing weight and they will return to their normal eating habits. Because the body still thinks it is in starvation mode, it will hoard all the fat cells of which there is twice the amount being eaten now, and the dieter will actually gain more weight back than they lost. This will prompt another diet and the process begins again. This is called a “yo-yo diet.?
The number way to avoid yo-yo dieting is to see a nutritionist. They will create a proper diet plan tailored to your needs and they have all the know-how to create a healthy and safe diet. Diets are not about eating less, they’re about eating better. A nutritionist will help you balance what types of food you’re eating, when you’re eating and how much you’re eating.

The second way to avoid yo-yo dieting is proper exercise. It is recommended to visit a personal trainer in order to receive a personalized workout plan to properly introduce you to regular exercise and muscle building. It is also imperative to ignore diet pills at all costs.

Eating better, not less, and exercising properly will lead you to weight loss!

We live in a society of nibblers. Long gone are the traditional three square meals per day. Today, people eat at their desks, catch a snack in the afternoon and eat late night goodies. Most, if not all, of these snacks are carbohydrate based and full of sugar. This poses a challenge to people who are trying to follow the Atkins plan. Snacking is a necessary part of keeping your blood sugar up, but most packaged snack foods are forbidden on the plan.

Sweet snacks are high in calories, full of empty carbohydrates and offer no nutritional value. But they sure are popular. There is actually a Snack Food Association that tracks sales of packaged snack foods. It is estimated that Americans eat 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate. Snacking has increased more than a third since 1988. Sales of snack foods gross over $30 billion a year.

If you’ve been a snack food junkie you’ve become used to eating carbohydrates of the worst kind. Snack foods are made from highly refined carbohydrates like white flour, white sugar, corn meal and corn syrup. They are high in trans-fats (which is a contributor to clogged arteries. All in all, they are probably one of the worst food choices you could be making.

But there is hope! You can conquer your love of snack foods by making Atkins-friendly snacking choices. Before you can make the switch, make sure to educate yourself. Understand just how dangerous trans fats can be by reading up on them. Then read the ingredients label of your favorite snack foods. You may be shocked to discover how many trans fats, artificial flavorings and preservatives that you are eating.

Next, get rid of all of the snack foods in your house. If its not there, then you can’t eat it. Junk food is not good for anyone in your home so ignore your family’s complaints and do what is best for the health of everyone.

Now you’ll need to replace those snack foods with some better choices. Giving up your snack foods is not the same as giving up snacks. Snacks should be a part of your daily eating plan because it will help you from becoming too hungry and indulging in high-carbohydrate treats.

There are plenty of low carbohydrate snacks that are easy to make and simple to have around the house. String cheese sticks or small cheese rounds are very easy to keep in the refrigerator. Meat snacks are also a good choice. You can buy jerky strips and other meat products that keep well for long periods of time. When you buy cheese or meat sticks, make sure to read the labels carefully for hidden carbs.

There are low carb instant soups available that are very easy to make and satisfying if you are craving something hot. Low carb soy chips and celery can help with “crunchy?cravings. Try adding peanut butter or cream cheese spread to add more protein to these snacks. Also, you can’t beat a handful of nuts for a high-protein, quick snack.

All of the previously mentioned snacks are good for the initial phases of the Atkins diet and beyond. If you are past the induction phase, you can enjoy berries with cream as a snack. There are also many acceptable fruits that make good snacks for the pre-maintenance phase.

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The Induction phase of the Atkins diet is one of the most important stepping-stones to successful weight loss. In addition to the list of acceptable foods, there are a few rules that are important to follow during this period of the diet.

During Induction, you need to eat three regular-sized meals per day or four to five smaller meals. If you find yourself jittery and hungry between meals, try breaking down your meals into smaller portions and eat more frequently. In order to stave off carbohydrate cravings, you’ll need to constantly keep your body running on the proteins and vegetables on the plan. Never skip meals and never go more than six waking hours without eating.

You can eat freely from the list of acceptable foods. Do not restrict your fats and proteins. Eat as much of them as you like. Remember, the Atkins diet is not a calorie-restricted diet. The only thing you need to worry about is your level of carbohydrate grams. Make sure to count your carbohydrate grams when you eat vegetables, cheese and beverages with Splenda. At least 12-15 grams of your allowed carbohydrates should be from your vegetable list. While it may be tempting to eat them all in cheese, vegetables are important to your digestive system (especially while on this diet.

Avoid all fruit, bread, pasta, grains and starchy vegetables (like cauliflower or squash during this initial period. These foods will be slowly introduced throughout the course of the pre-maintenance phase. Although beans are high in protein, they also include carbohydrates and should be avoided during this phase. If you feel that you must have some grain products, you should limit yourself to high fiber low-carbohydrate products. However, this may slow down your weight loss process.

Anything that isn’t on the acceptable food list is forbidden during the Induction phase. Don’t be tempted to just have “one bite.?Your one bite may turn into two, and then before you know it you’ll end up ruining your diet.

Remember to adjust the quantity of acceptable foods to suit your appetite. At the beginning of the Induction phase, you may find yourself eating much, much more than you will toward the end of the phase. As your body breaks its addiction to sugar and carbohydrates, you will be less hungry throughout the day. When this starts to happen, make sure to eat only what you need. Eat until you are satisfied and not overly stuffed.

Always read the labels of packaged products, even if they claim they are “carb free.?You may find that some products have hidden carbohydrates. The law allows manufacturers to round off to zero if a product has fewer than .5 grams of carbohydrates. Look at the list of ingredients for manufactured products to determine if there are hidden carbs. You’ll also need to watch out for hidden carbohydrates when you eat out. There are small carbohydrate amounts in gravies, sauces and salad dressings. The best bet is to eat your meat without sauce and eat your salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Remember to drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water, in addition to anything else you might drink. This will keep your body hydrated and help you avoid constipation. You’ll also be able to flush out the by-products created by fat burning.

Keep all of these guidelines in mind when you start the induction phase and you’ll be setting yourself up for long-term success with the Atkins diet.

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Losing weight is becoming a common goal with many individuals. And this task is becoming difficult and complex with all the conflicting information out there. Thus, in this article, you will find logically sound and effective tips you can follow to find the diet that will give you the maximum benefits and effectiveness.

weight loss programs, weight loss diets, weight loss pills, weight loss

Losing weight is becoming a common goal with many individuals. And this task is becoming difficult and complex with all the conflicting information out there. Thus, in this article, you will find logically sound and effective tips you can follow to find the diet that will give you the maximum benefits and effectiveness.

1. Find a program that provides realistic goals.
Avoid diets that promise weight loss overnight. Diets that promise such unrealistic promise are not designed to lose weight. Diets take time to work. Select a diet based on your food preferences. Like sweet food? Opt for a diet that is high on carbohydrate intake. Allow your body to transit to the new diet easily by selecting the food that you like. By doing so, you can be on a diet and still enjoy it.

2. Research the credentials of your chosen diet.
The best diet for weight loss is the one that is created by an experienced doctor, health practitioner, or physician. These people spent years studying how the body works and what’s good for it. Before you choose a diet, make sure that you try to find out where the diet rooted from, who created it, and how many people have already benefited from it. The more background you get from the diet, the better.

3. Plan it out.
Don’t go ahead with a diet without planning at least a week ahead. Dieting is all about taking the right types of food in the right amount. If you can’t prepare your meals the proper way, you’ll end up not following your diet at all. Here’s a suggestion ?before you start out on your new diet, rid your refrigerator of anything that your diet plan asks you to avoid. If you can’t do this, even the world’s best diet for weight loss won’t work for you.

4. Strictly adhere to the diet plan.
There’s no sense in looking for the best diet for weight loss only to forget about it after two to three days. Again, diet takes time to work. Following it is definitely hard. So prepare yourself mentally and physically. And make sure you are up to the challenge. Don’t worry. The results may be too grand than could you have expected.

There you have it! You now know the best diet for weight loss, so use it to your advantage!

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When it comes to our weight, our emotions reign supreme. We so desperately want to be more attractive, more respected, and more desirable. We will even subject ourselves to painful and sometimes dangerous surgery to bring our reality closer to our ideal. And we will rob our piggy banks, deplete our bank accounts, and run up our credit cards for anything that promises us a slender future.

diet,weightloss,health,attitudes,psychological reframing

We are so eager to lose weight that we swallow the promises of every diet guru on the planet and eagerly plunk down our hard earned cash, praying that this time it will work.

What are the costs of the popular diets? The initial cost is to buy the “Bible?for the diet or join the program. Those initial fees range from $20 or $30 for a book to several hundred dollars for a personal program.

Then there’s the food. Studies have shown that the average cost of a week’s food purchases, per individual, is slightly above $50. To start the South Beach Diet, tack on an additional $25 per week. For the Zone and Weight Watchers Diets, the additional cost is about $40, for Atkins $50, for NutriSystems almost $60 and for Jenny Craig about $85!

Wait a minute, you say. I’m losing weight by cutting back on eating. Shouldn’t that SAVE me money?

Looking at it logically, you would certainly think so. But we don’t try to lose weight logically, we approach the whole process through our emotions. It is our emotions that lead us to buy things on impulse, to sign up for programs we know we’ll never complete, and to join projects we’ll never actively pursue.

Our emotional thinking is our weakness and it has nothing to do with intelligence or education or social level. We all get suckered into scams at some point in our lives and we all occasionally suffer from buyer’s remorse ?it’s a part of the human experience.

The marketers and ad men know it well and spend their days devising tricks for which we all too often fall. How often have you eagerly dialed an 800 number during one of those brilliant infomercials only to receive something that doesn’t work as it did on TV, is either shoddily made or just too complicated, and you stick it in the back of a cupboard where it gathers dust until you finally toss it?

When it comes to our weight, our emotions reign supreme. We so desperately want to be more attractive, more respected, and more desirable. We will even subject ourselves to painful and sometimes dangerous surgery to bring our reality closer to our ideal. And we will rob our piggy banks, deplete our bank accounts, and run up our credit cards for anything that promises us a slender future.

Do we get what we pay for? Sometimes. There are a few successful disciples in every program. It is their pictures and stories that are prominently displayed in promotional literature. It is the old “before?and “after?trick that sucks us in. Our logic (and a tiny footnote tells us that the featured results are not typical.

The wary left side of our brain wonders if a little airbrushing might have been employed. Then the right side explodes, filled with desire, well-meaning intentions, and an overwhelming urge to believe. And we fall for it again.

Notice that we never hear or see about the failures, the hundreds of thousands who start a diet with such high hopes yet live the rest of their lives overweight. All the diets have their failures but never bother to mention exactly what their percentages are. They may caution that their program must be followed exactly if it is to work, but let’s be realistic. How many of us can follow an unswerving routine for the weeks, months, or years it is going to take to reach our ideal weight? We may be creatures of habit but life seldom fits into one unsquishable box for very long. We adapt the routine to meet our immediate needs and everything falls apart.

Sadder, wiser, guilt-ridden and self-critical, we vow to start again until, eventually, we give up. Is there a better way?

We can start by realizing that it really doesn’t matter what diet we choose. The secret is to address our emotions, that infatuation with food that has, nationally, reached crisis proportions. We have to break off our affair with what we eat and restore food to its rightful place ?something that keeps us alive and healthy, not our primary source of excitement and self-satisfaction.

The idea of the program is to be able for you to develop a consistent approach to weight loss as well as a healthy endurance when exercising. The program’s objective is to get rid of the excesses in your body, the excess fat. Not the healthy and lean muscle tissues and body fluids.

The program first requires your focus and dedication, so therefore you need to be prepared in both mind and – of course – body. It is highly advised that you first visit your doctor for a check-up before embarking on any weight loss program.

It is important that when starting on any weight loss program, one should be positive enough to work for the results. Some people get impatient easily but long term effects are assured as long as one sticks to the weight loss plan at hand.

Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Before actually doing those exercises and working out those muscles, a little stretching is needed in order to avoid any injury or soreness in your body.

It is also not advisable for anyone to try too hard. Everything should be done in moderation. Find the level of exercise and training that suits you. It should be enough for you to be comfortable in but not too convenient that it will not be much of a challenge.
The first week

The first day of the program involves a long and steady walk in a little over twenty minutes. After the walk, follow it up with a good stretch. This takes so little of your time for the first day. In less than an hour you have taken that first step to a weight loss program that could work to your advantage.

By the second day, it is good to focus on an upper body workout. This maintains your strength to be able to go through the whole program for the week. On the third day, a brisk walk or jog for ten minutes is in order. For beginners, a lower body workout should be done in the evening.

In the fourth day, a good rest is in order, as well as a good stretch. This lag time should be used wisely though to sort out any negatives in your mindset. The fifth day starts with a good ten minute walk. Exercise the lower body in four sessions of workouts, follow this up with another ten minute walk, and another four sessions of lower body workout.

The sixth day should be spent on a low impact exercise such as swimming. To avoid boredom, do not be afraid to try something new. The last day of the week is a time to solicit the support of the people you care about. Spend time with them or get them to be with you in your long walk. Again, follow up your walk with a light upper body workout.

This is just the beginning though. If by this first week you are able to stick to the program, you have a great chance to further boost your weight loss and stay with the plan until you achieve your desired result. Try as much as possible to be unlike the people who give up easily just because they could not see the result they want at the time they want – like this moment, today, now! Patience is a virtue. The same way it took your body time to gain all that weight, think about it as the time your body will have to exert just to get rid of it.