Almost everywhere you turn, fad diets are appearing. They often deliver results, but at what cost? Is there a healthier but still effective option?

You’re joining your friend for lunch. She looks great. She’s shed the extra twenty pounds that she’s been carrying since college, and she’s dressed in a slinky black outfit that makes you a bit envious. When you question her about it, she tells you she’s been on the Atkins diet. She proceeds to recount how she ate a pile of bacon for breakfast, and some pork rinds for a midmorning snack, and you feel your eyes widen in shock when she orders a double cheeseburger off the menu. Is this really a smart diet?

“Are you really going to eat that?” You stare in awe at the size of the two monster hamburger patties. She quickly peels the bread off her burger, discarding it on the side of her plate.

“Sure,” She quips. “I can eat all the meat I want, cooked anyway I want.”

With all the fad diets circling around, it’s important to evaluate a diet before signing on. Is it really a smart diet? Sure, your friend looks amazing, but can it really be healthy to eat a pound of bacon and greasy burger meat every day? It doesn’t sound like a smart diet. The fact is that your body needs carbohydrates for energy, and people on the Atkins diet have reported fatigue and even experienced high blood pressure.

The same is true of low fat diets. While you may drop weight fairly easily by limiting your fat grams, it’s not really a smart diet. Your body actually needs some fats. These fat-free foods are often loaded with extra sugar to make them taste better.

There are literally too many current fad diets to list. Most of them include loading up on a particular type of food while depriving yourself of other foods. In the case of diets like Atkins diet, you are not allowed to eat carbohydrates. What you aren’t being told is that this is not a smart diet. Not only does your body need carbohydrates, it also shifts into carbohydrate starvation mode when you finally splurge on one, storing it as fat. Your body doesn’t know when it will get this type of fuel again.

Most physicians will tell you that a smart diet consists of a variety of different food groups. This means incorporating every group (even carbohydrates) in moderation.

The bottom line is that to lose weight, you simply have to cut calories. Although most people acknowledge this would be a smart diet, they often crave the immediate results that some not-so-smart diets offer.

Perhaps you’ve tried smart dieting. You’ve selected the proper foods, you’ve even developed an exercise plan, but you’re miserable. The weight isn’t coming off all that quickly, and quite frankly, you’re just starving. That’s the reason you binged on the pizza from Dominos last night, and it’s probably the reason you thought you deserved that extra helping of mashed potatoes. If only you could stick to a smart diet without feeling deprived.

The good news is that you can. I’m not talking about diet pills because you’re probably smart enough to know the dangers of those products. I’m talking about a vegetable… an all natural cactus-style plant literally changing the way people look at dieting. If you missed the specials on the Today show and 60 Minutes, let me fill you in. Hoodia Gordonii is a plant from the South African desert. Bushmen used it for centuries to ward off hunger. It tricks your body into thinking that you’ve eaten, limiting your consumption by up to 2000 calories a day.

Remember that a smart diet is one that limits calories, not one that tells you to avoid certain food groups entirely. With Hoodia Gordonii, you will have the extra willpower you need to commit to a smart diet. It’s easy when you’re not hungry. Best of all, this isn’t a drug. It’s a vegetable, so it’s healthy and safe. Say goodbye to fad diets and give something smart a try.

Martin Stanwyck
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/the-dangers-of-fad-Dieting-41163.html

Whether you eat fewer calories or burn them off through exercise, the effect on body composition and fat distribution is the same.

Researchers found that dieting alone is as effective as a combination of diet and exercise at cutting weight and fat – as long as calories consumed and burned equal out.

Adding exercise to a weight-loss program doesn’t change body composition and abdominal fat distribution. That challenges the theory that specific exercises can reduce fat in certain areas. For example, some exercises are supposed to specifically target abdominal fat.

It’s all about the calories. So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease in the same way.

The researches conduct a study. They divide people into three groups: One group went on a diet that reduced their caloric intake by 25 percent (550 to 900 fewer calories a day); the second group reduced their caloric intake by 12.5 percent and increased their physical activity to burn 12.5 percent more calories.

The people in the third group were put on a healthy diet designed to maintain their body weight.

After six months, the people in both the calorie-restricted and the calorie reduction/exercise groups had lost about 10 percent of their bodyweight, 24 percent of their fat mass, and 27 percent of their abdominal fat. However, their distribution of body fat remained the same.

The inability of the interventions to alter the distribution of fat suggests that individuals are genetically programmed for fat storage in a particular pattern and that this programming cannot easily be overcome.

While dieting alone can reduce weight, the researchers noted that exercise also improves aerobic fitness, which has many other health benefits.

For overall health, an appropriate program of diet and exercise is still the best.

sunshine
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/Dieting-and-exercise-have-the-same-effect-on-body-fat-distribution-704135.html

Let’s face it, not everyone enjoys breakfast. While most early-to-rise types are ready for food early in the a.m., many who consider themselves night owls cannot stomach the thought. Unfortunately for the night owls, skipping breakfast has many negative consequences, especially when you are trying to lose weight. While theoretically the idea of eating less food by skipping breakfast sounds like a useful idea, practice has shown skipping breakfast sabotages your Dieting successes made later on in the day. How could that be? By missing breakfast one would most likely forgo between 300-400 calories. In fact, 10 days of going without breakfast would cause you to lose over a pound, by those counts. Unfortunately, your body knows that it is running without its morning fuel, and finds other ways around the loss.

First of all, by going without breakfast, we leave our body without fuel for nearly 12 hours or more. Sure, you may not be hungry early on, but by lunch or later in the afternoon when you finally give in, you are sure to over eat by more than those calories you missed at breakfast. This is because your blood sugar has dropped so low by that time that you begin to feel shaky, ravenous and irritable. You are far less able to fight temptation when you are caught in the midst of such a strong physical need for food, and much less likely to heed the signs of satiety when it has been so long since you havefed your body. Perhaps you are one of the few that possess an iron will? Maybe you are sure that you will not overeat or choose unwisely. Unfortunately, even with your will of iron, you will still not gain (i.e. lose pounds) by pushing away breakfast. Your body is a remarkably smart machine. If you have not fed it in more than 5-6 hours, but are still requiring it to keep up with your physical tasks, it will respond by slowing down your metabolism. Who would have thought that by eating you would raise your metabolism? Turns out it is true. The process of eating and digesting burns some calories by raising your metabolism. So, how early do you want your metabolism raised?

Finally, choosing to eat in the morning does not just get your metabolism going, studies have shown that women have greater amounts of calcium and fiber intake on the days that they choose to eat breakfast. Both calcium and fiber have been shown to be associated with successful weight loss, so you really do want more of both of those nutrients. Also breakfast eating in children is associated with greater cognitive skills, better moods and better grades. It is not too hard to believe that those same benefits are available to you, and when dieting, do not we all need something to help us with our moods?

Kerry-Ann Crawford
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/why-breakfast-is-so-important-when-dieting-340952.html

I am dieting and cutting back on meal portions, calories and fats but it feels like I am always hungry. So now I am trying to think of a type of food that is filling and can accompany my diet meals. I already tried Shirataki Noodles(no fat/no calories) but that was not filling. So what type of food should I eat with my diet food that is low in fat and filling at the same time?? I am trying to diet without feeling like I am hungry all the time.

Well I would suggest that you leave the diet food alone and eat strictly natural foods avoiding salt and sugar(foods that are high in salt and sugars. Also, avoid ketchup, milk(take a calcium and vit d supplument).

For a satisfying fufilling diet, I would suggest that you load up on the following foods to diet:

Salads:
Make salads with tomato, car rot, beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, lettuce, or cucumber all low in calories-your diet staple, to liven them up, you can use curd or lemon as a salad dressing. Sandwiches too, are a goods way to have these raw vegetables. The bread helps fill you up, but don’t use butter-spread a coriander-and-mint chutney instead would do good.

Veggies:
Green beans, cabbage, broccoli

Fruits:
Grapefuit is good for Dieting. I would also recommend apples too (at least one a day)

Starches:
***Brown Rice
***Potatoes *PLAIN potatoes that are boiled or baked* When baked or boiled it must not be eaten without fatty accompaniments. Potatoes are great for your diet. If you desire flavor, have them mashed, adding pepper and a dash of lime. Potatoes contain only 97 calories.
***Sweet potatoes when boiled have a naturally rich taste and creamy texture. They have 120 calories more than potatoes – but they’re delicious even without accompaniments. And although they belong to a different botanical family, calorie they’re just as nutritious as regular potatoes.

High fiber cereal:
By providing bulk, some cereal-based foods, too, fill you up on relatively few calories. They include chapattis, roasted corn on the cob, dhokla or idlis, and white rice upmas. Other breakfast choices could be oats, poha, or rice wheat-or- corn-flakes low in sugar’. Pour skim milk on the flakes. If you prefer them sweet, add chopped fruit.

Drinks:
Hot -Green Tea (either no sweetener or very little)

How soon can you start Dieting after you have a baby? I was also interested in detoxing. Thanks.

as long as you’re not breastfeeding detoxing right after you have baby should be fine. my mom always said that she just drank a lot of water, and did a lot of walking after having her kids. (my mom has 6 kids)

Keep A Diary Of What You Eat

I think you will be very surprised if before you start your diet you keep a journal of what you eat and at what times. Do this for about a week. Then study your journal and see where you can cut back and find out at what times are you eating that could cause problems. If you find you are having a snack at 10 pm at night. Try bringing the time time in. You never what to eat to soon before you go to bed.

Buy Diet Food Prepared

What can make Dieting hard to stick to is the preparation? Having the diet food available to you also means having to go shopping then come home and prepare your healthy meal. Now a days it seems everyone is so rushed with no time to spare. Would it not be easier to have your diet meal already prepared for you? There are a few diet nutrition food programs that will actually ship the food right to your door. Talk about convenience. I know of a few diets that deliver food, Atkins At Home, Diet To Your Door, Diet To Go, eDiets – Fresh Cuisine, Jenny Direct, Nutrisystem, Sunfare and Zone Chefs.

Smaller Plates To Help Lose Weight

Use smaller plates to help you lose weight. This will give you smaller portions but may fool the eyes. Never feel you have to finish everything on your plate. This does not mean you have to throw food out. You can store diet food for later. If you feel full, stop.

Snacks Ready To Eat

Have healthy snacks ready to eat. Instead of grabbing for the chips have carrot slices ready to grab. You will still get that sensation of crunchy with a more healthy nutritious choice.

Water, Water, Water

If you do some research regarding dieting one thing you will hear over and over is to drink plenty of water. Not only will water help to fill you up so you do not eat to much, but it is also great for your appearance. Water is the best beauty treatment. It flushes out the impurities and gives you great looking skin.

Drinking water can also improve muscle tone. Muscles having all the water they need contract easier. Drinking water can give you a more effective workout when you exercise.

You should drink at least 8 8 oz glasses of water a day and more if you are more than 25 pounds over weight. For every 25 lbs I would drink another 8 oz glass of water.

Keep water by you. Use a straw if that will help you drink more.

Good luck and stick with it. Take it day by day. I also recommend only weighing your self once a week. As always before you start any diet or exercise program check with your doctor first.

Tk Healey
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/dieting-tips-for-weight-loss-43268.html

If you want to lose weight fast then what you drink is just as important as what you eat.

Here we are going to look at drinking and dieting and how by making some simple changes in your drinks you can lose weight fast.

These drinking and dieting tips are easy so let’s look at them.

1. Coffee

It’s great that we have so many different varieties of coffee and specialist coffee shops have been one of the major growth industries in recent years.

Only one problem – many coffees contain up to 400 calories the equivalent of a filling snack.

Also caffeine gives an energy boost followed by a slump, so you are then more likely to eat to satisfy your craving for energy.

If you must drink coffee take it black (or coffee with skimmed milk at around 10 calories it’s the best option.

Or try drinking tea. Green tea is a great option.

It has been found that drinking 5 cups a day boosts the metabolism that can see you burn up to 70 extra calories a day.

2. Drink water

Drink plenty of fresh water. Water is an important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off.

It acts as a natural appetite suppressant by keeping your stomach full and fending off dehydration which can lead to hunger pangs.

When we get “hunger signals”, in many cases they are “thirst signals”, so drink 1.5 2 liters a day to fend them off

Water also helps your body metabolize stored fat by helping the kidneys flush out waste.

Drinking eight glasses of cold iced water each day burns about 60 calories.

Your body has to work to raise that waters temperature to your body’s temperature. This results in burning about 420 calories per week.

3. Carbonated Drinks

Here you need to consider that a can of coke has around 150 calories so 4 day means 600 the equivalent of a meal.

Switch to diet options or cut down. Carbonated drinks in terms of calories add up!

4. A tasty filling lunch drink

Soup is fantastic for weight loss, is full of goodness and is filling and their great in the winter to.

Make sure you go for Healthy options lots of vegetables, fish, beans and chicken are good options.

Vegetables have slow realise carbs for energy and the meat protein which makes you feel full for far longer.

5. In the morning get started with

Juice full of goodness and tasty but be careful. You need to drink juice with pulp in it (i.e the bits) as these are shown to keep you full longer and prevent snacking.

Buy fruit juice without added processed sugar make sure it’s organic and full of pulp.

6. Alcohol

The killer on a diet but you don’t have to give up entirely. Consider the fact that alcohol is laden with calories and increases appetite and you can see how it can ruin your diet.

Let’s be honest though many of us like a drink, but you need to be sensible.

If you are out and want a drink then the best option is a sprit and a diet mixer or the occasioal glass of wine with a meal is ok.

How much can simple drink changes make to your diet?

When dieting drinking and dieting are closely linked and unless you are careful about your drinking your diet will suffer.

Follow the above tips though and you will soon be losing weight fast and feeling great so try them.

Sacha Tarkovsky
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/drinking-dieting-how-to-lose-half-a-stone-quickly-72736.html

Everyone is in competition nowadays to look good and live healthy.

So to look good usually they go for Dieting with the aim of losing weight as personality with overweight is not pleasing.

People diet for many reasons. Some are at an unhealthy weight and need to pay closer attention to their eating and exercise habits. Some play sports and want to be in top physical condition. Others may think they would look and feel better if they lost a few pounds.

Lots of people feel pressured to lose weight and try different types of diets. But if you really need to lose weight, improving your eating habits and exercising will help you more than any diet.

Dieting could be a solution if done in a right manner.

Unhealthy Dieting, especially extreme food-intake reduction and rapid weight loss, can have the following side effects:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Prolonged hunger
• Sinus
• Muscle loss
• Blood shot eyes
• Gall bladder diseases
• Acidosis
• Rashes
• Irritability
• Fainting
You can always try these diets that work everyday and find which ways improve your life for the better. Ecommerce Marketing can be one of the best ways to create an online business today in 2010 and on January 11th the amazing product called Niche Blueprint 2 will be released and the ones who get it first are the ones who will make money the fastest so why not get your membership too.

The best way to diet is to eat a wide variety of enough food to meet your body’s needs. Aim to eat more fruits and veggies, cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets, and drink more water instead of sugary drinks like sports drinks or sodas.

Great Dieting Tips to loose weight safely:

• Eat less. More often.
• Don’t eat right before going to bed.
• Kick the sugar habit.
• Shop with calories in mind.
• Reduce the amount of breads, chips, crackers, and salty snacks you eat.
• Exercise daily.
• Drink milk, including fat-free or low-fat milk.
• Drink plenty of water (at least four to six 8-ounce glasses a day).
• Eat lean, high-protein foods, like lean meat, chicken, fish, or beans.
• Eat whole grains (like whole-wheat bread or pasta), which provide fiber, B vitamins, and iron.
• Eat breakfast.
• Choose smaller portions at fast-food restaurants.
• Stay away from fad diets — you might lose a few pounds temporarily, but if you don’t focus on changing your habits, you’ll probably just gain it back when you go back to your usual way of eating.
• Don’t take diet pills.
• Avoid seeing foods as "good" or "bad" or eliminating entire groups of foods, like dairy. If you eliminate entire food groups, you may miss out on important nutrients, like calcium
• If you choose to become a vegetarian, talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to make nutritious vegetarian choices.

Jyoti
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/dieting-weight-loss-tips-107159.html

yea so i need help.
Dieting.
tips.
please.
kbye.

get rid of all junk food and dont drink anything but water
eat 5-6 small meal every day dont eat past 7 pm
eat every 3 hours
ex 10 oatmeal
1 chiken salad
4 small sub
7 meal replacment shake

Low carb dieting has become fashionable in recent years especially with the publication of the Atkins diet. Losing weight is a goal for so many people and everybody is looking for the quick and easy way to lose weight. Some people do not need to lose weight at all but still get stressed over a couple of pounds. Others need to lose for medical reasons and may have one hundred pounds or more that they want to shed.

There are many different diets out there including low carbohydrate diets and the truth is that most of them will achieve weight loss if they are followed correctly. This does not mean always doing what the diet says every moment of every day. What is more important is how you deal with the inevitable occasion when you eat too much or feast on foods that are not on the plan. If you can write this off and return to the plan without giving yourself a hard time, you are likely to succeed. Everybody has those days – the important thing is to let them go and accept them as just another step on the road to permanent weight loss.

It is also important to find a diet that you can easily follow. Low carb diets suit many people because the rules are quite simple. As the name suggests, the diet consists of avoiding or limiting foods that are high in carbohydrates. These include bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grains. Sugar is also a carbohydrate. Once you understand what these foods are, it is a simple matter to choose dishes that avoid them.

Most criticism of low carbohydrate dieting is based on the fact that the dieters will get most of their daily calories from meat, dairy and other high fat products. This can lead to high cholesterol and other problems related to a high intake of saturated fats. Medical advice is advised before starting this type of diet. Sometimes weight loss is good in the early stages but people cannot handle the restrictions in the longer term and start to deviate from the diet.

One of the problems that many people have with low carb dieting is the elimination of bread and pasta. No more toast, spaghetti or pizza! Many of the foods that are quickest to prepare are based around carbohydrates – burgers in their buns, fries, sandwiches, pasta and sauce. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are high in carbs too. It is true that alcohol is generally restricted on any diet, because it is high in calories and very low in nutritional value, but low carb diets put particular emphasis on this.

Still there are many Foods that can be enjoyed on a low carb diet. If you are fond of meat you will relish the opportunity to consume beef, chicken and other animal products. The popularity of these diets is clear from the length of time that they stay on the bestseller lists. It is just a matter of what suits you. Low carb dieting works for many people.

Bill Nad
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/what-is-low-carb-dieting-719335.html