Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
Fast Food Can Be Healthy Food!
Kenneth Scott asked:
It is possible for people to make health food choices if they only have a short time in which to prepare their meals. The first thing to realize is that it is often the case that healthy choices do not always mean a need for two-hour meals. A person can choose healthy foods that are quick and easy to prepare at home or to pickup from a takeout place. Cities often provide restaurant guides in their telephone books that display full-page menus indicating what a particular restaurant or drive-thru offers. Many of these food vendors now include healthy alternatives to their usual fast-food selection.
At places like McDonalds and Hardees, it is possible to find consumers who are concerned about their carbohydrate consumption. This has prompted the restaurants to provide other options in their hamburger choices. Hamburgers can be ordered without the bun, for example, and fruit and yogurt are included on the menu along with fresh salads. Many restaurants provide salad choices either as side orders or as complete meals. Often, a salad of fresh vegetables with chopped ham, roast beef or chicken is more attractive than regular menu items. Salads are especially appealing in the summer months because they are lighter on the digestive system.
Restaurants that feature foods in season cultivated by local farmers offer very healthy and affordable choices. Some of these kinds of restaurants will create their own recipes for healthy food options. This provides the consumer with a totally new choice and encourages them to visit the restaurant again.
If home preparation of food is preferred, the options for healthy choices increase. Visiting a local grocery store or supermarket emphasizes the number of healthy choices that are available. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more varied that ever before, due to improvements in transportation and preservation methods. All types of cuisine can be prepared quickly because of the choices of fresh goods rather than frozen foods. There are numerous choices among frozen foods as well. The demand for healthy frozen dinners and other meals has increased along with demands for more variety in frozen food offerings. Any frozen food aisle in any supermarket will show as many healthy food options and poor choices. The decision is up to the individual.
People can either choose to eat a healthy diet or an unhealthy one. Time and availability of healthy choices are no longer problems for a person who is trying to eat better and healthier foods.
The Fat Burning Furnace
It is possible for people to make health food choices if they only have a short time in which to prepare their meals. The first thing to realize is that it is often the case that healthy choices do not always mean a need for two-hour meals. A person can choose healthy foods that are quick and easy to prepare at home or to pickup from a takeout place. Cities often provide restaurant guides in their telephone books that display full-page menus indicating what a particular restaurant or drive-thru offers. Many of these food vendors now include healthy alternatives to their usual fast-food selection.
At places like McDonalds and Hardees, it is possible to find consumers who are concerned about their carbohydrate consumption. This has prompted the restaurants to provide other options in their hamburger choices. Hamburgers can be ordered without the bun, for example, and fruit and yogurt are included on the menu along with fresh salads. Many restaurants provide salad choices either as side orders or as complete meals. Often, a salad of fresh vegetables with chopped ham, roast beef or chicken is more attractive than regular menu items. Salads are especially appealing in the summer months because they are lighter on the digestive system.
Restaurants that feature foods in season cultivated by local farmers offer very healthy and affordable choices. Some of these kinds of restaurants will create their own recipes for healthy food options. This provides the consumer with a totally new choice and encourages them to visit the restaurant again.
If home preparation of food is preferred, the options for healthy choices increase. Visiting a local grocery store or supermarket emphasizes the number of healthy choices that are available. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more varied that ever before, due to improvements in transportation and preservation methods. All types of cuisine can be prepared quickly because of the choices of fresh goods rather than frozen foods. There are numerous choices among frozen foods as well. The demand for healthy frozen dinners and other meals has increased along with demands for more variety in frozen food offerings. Any frozen food aisle in any supermarket will show as many healthy food options and poor choices. The decision is up to the individual.
People can either choose to eat a healthy diet or an unhealthy one. Time and availability of healthy choices are no longer problems for a person who is trying to eat better and healthier foods.
The Fat Burning Furnace
Psycho Diets
Dane Fletcher asked:
Hey buddy! So you want to lose weight, eh? Its summertime and you want to look all nice and hot for those babes at the beach. Ok, here’s what you have to do if you want this to happen quickly; eat lots of cabbage and drink a gallon of prune juice twice daily at noon . . . no wait. Hmm, try this; eat nothing but ice cream and lard for the next three weeks or until the next full moon . . .no that’s not it either. Aha! Here we go: eat six hotdogs per day (with syrup), while cutting out all meat products and carbs . . . . . what? Why are you giving me that look?? Ok, so maybe that wasn’t quite your cup of tea . . . Did I mention tea? Try this magic herbal-essence tea, with the special fat melting ingredient, Babaganoosh. Of course to ensure its potency, the only additional foods you can eat is two loaves of rye bread with pickles and mayonnaise . . . STOP THE MADNESS ALREADY!!!
You know, one thing that I fail to grasp is why people only worry about looking good during the summer? Sure, looking good in a swimsuit or bikini is nice, but is it not also important to look fit when wearing slacks? And as far-fetched as some of these “diets” may sound, the things people are actually trying nowadays are just as perplexing. The problem is 99% of the weight lost on these diets will be water weight, which the body will quickly regain. What’s worse is that all of these diets promote starvation, which in turn causes the metabolism to slow down. Once you come off a particular diet, you are apt to gain back all the weight you lost and then some! The human body does not take kindly to severe deprivation, and it will do whatever it takes to store energy i.e. slowing down the metabolism.
To get a better idea of what kind of madness people are willing to subject themselves to, let’s take a closer look at some of these diets and their claims to fame.
The 3-Day Hotdog and Egg Diet
Synopsis: Here’s one if you just can’t seem to get enough hot dogs and eggs! It’s easy to remember, and easy to shop for! Day 1) seven hot dogs, no bun, and mustard only. Day 2) eggs any style. Day 3) eggs any style. The Claim: Lose between 8 and 10 pounds in three days. Hey, that’s a lot of weight to be losing in three days, where do I sign up?? Ok, reality check people! For starters, there is nothing denoting the amount of eggs you should be eating, nor does it specify adding stuff like ham and cheese to your eggs, etc. Not only that, but just the thought of eating seven hotdogs in one-day makes most people want to gag. Heck, a hot dog vendor in Brooklyn who owns stock in egg manufacturing would find this diet hard to swallow!
The Cabbage Soup Diet
Synopsis: Every day you can have as much cabbage soup as you desire. In addition to this, you are allotted the following foods on certain days.
Day 1) any fruit, except bananas. Day 2) vegetables plus baked potato for dinner. Day 3) up to eight bananas plus fat free milk. Day 4) brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables. The Claim: Lose up to 10 pounds in seven days. The trouble with this diet is that it seriously lacks in providing for vitamins and minerals. Plus the sheer volume of cabbage would turn a bunny rabbit into a carnivore within a week! Not to mention the irregular bowel movements, as well as a constant case of cabbage-fueled gas. Very potent! Sleep alone, FYI.
The Bread and Butter Diet
Synopsis: This diet seems to focus on the joys of getting bread and butter with every meal. Like most of the other diets listed, this one also claims that you can lose 10 pounds in a week. Here is a sample from their menu:
Breakfast:
1 slice cracked wheat bread
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
Lunch:
1 ounce Muenster cheese
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup steamed summer squash
1 slice Italian Bread
1 Teaspoon butter or margarine
Dinner:
4 ounces dark meat turkey
1/2 cup corn
green salad
1 slice pumpernickel
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
As much as I like bread, it is not enough of an incentive for me to starve myself. On average, when following this diet you only get approximately 850 calories per day. Sure, you’ll lose weight, probably even the 10 pounds promised. However, by following a starvation diet of this nature, one will lose more muscle weight than fat. Once the average person drops bellow 1,000 calories consumed per day, the metabolism shuts down, and the muscles will start to atrophy because the body is burning the muscle tissue for energy. In other words, your body starts consuming itself!
Two-Day Liquid Diet
Synopsis: Buy a bottle of magic diet concentrate, mix with water and consume for two days. Did I mention you are not allowed to consume anything else besides water with this? But hey, it claims that you can lose up to 10 pounds in two days! These also claim to detoxify and energize you! Reality: looks like concentrated juice mix, which is really what it is. Plus, I’ve never paid $20 for OJ concentrate! And, I’ve never been “energized” when my tummy was screaming profanities at me for neglecting it. As for detoxification . . . I think a couple of laxatives would do the trick just as well. Bottom line; it is impossible to lose any amount of body fat in only two days. Any weight lost will be nothing but water, which will be regained immediately upon completion of the diet. In reality, diets like this are nothing more than fasting. And if fasting is something you actually enjoy doing, there are plenty of religions out there that offer meditation and some pretty cool chants to focus on, that will take the mind off of the hunger pangs.
The so-called “American Heart Association Diet”
Here’s a doozy of a diet that fools people into thinking that it is actually endorsed by the American Heart Association. Here’s just a sample from one day:
Breakfast:
Black Coffee or Tea
1/2 Grapefruit
1 slice toast
2 tbs. peanut butter
Lunch:
1/2 cup of tuna (no mayo)
1 slice toast
Coffee or Tea
Dinner:
2 slices of any meat
1 cup of string beans
1 cup of beets
1 apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream
The Claim: Lose 3 pounds in 3 days, up to 30 pounds in 40 days
Needless to say, the American Heart Association does NOT sanction this diet. The following is an except from the AHA website:
A weight-loss diet claimed to be from the American Heart Association has been cited several times across the United States and other countries. Many people believe that the three-day or seven-day, hot dog and cabbage soup diets are from the American Heart Association. However, this is not true.
The true AHA diet gives recommended servings per day of various food categories, not specific foods. Most of the diets that are incorrectly labeled as the AHA diet give specific menus or suggest that the diet should be followed for a specific length of time.
One phony diet describes a three-day or seven-day menu, supposedly prescribed by the AHA or by the “Heart Association.” It includes vanilla ice cream, hot dogs, eggs and cheddar cheese. The diet promises a 10-pound weight loss in three days. These bogus diets have been cited as the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet. The poorly typed and photocopied phony diet has also been offered by mail for $2 per copy.
From time to time other fad diets emphasizing other foods will also incorrectly attribute the AHA.
Bottom line; be extremely cautious about anything that is supposedly endorsed by a national institution such as the American Heart Association. When in doubt, go to the organization’s official website and verify this information. If it sounds like it came out of left field, it probably did.
The Answer
Every psycho diet out there promises a loss of weight, which is fine, however what they don’t tell you is that you’ll be losing water weight, and will gain it all back once you complete the diet. And if you are feeling bloated and are actually looking to dump excess water weight, there are a lot less expensive methods for doing this. Try using water pills, for starters. And if you are looking to shed all that excess flab in time for summer . . . well what can I say, except that you’re too late for this year. Instead of torturing yourself with psycho diets that will only make you suffer and make you fatter in the long run, get a jump-start on next year. Start a long-term eating plan that you can live with every day. Do NOT starve yourself, and be sure that you do not limit yourself to one type of food. Also drink plenty of water, especially when exercising. With proper diet and exercise, the average person can reasonably expect to lose between two and five pounds of actual body fat per month. Remember, results cannot be had over night, and nothing worth having comes easy. But the end result is well worth the effort!
Source: http://www.bodybuildingtoday.com/index.php/nutrition/psycho-diets.html
The Fat Burning Furnace
Hey buddy! So you want to lose weight, eh? Its summertime and you want to look all nice and hot for those babes at the beach. Ok, here’s what you have to do if you want this to happen quickly; eat lots of cabbage and drink a gallon of prune juice twice daily at noon . . . no wait. Hmm, try this; eat nothing but ice cream and lard for the next three weeks or until the next full moon . . .no that’s not it either. Aha! Here we go: eat six hotdogs per day (with syrup), while cutting out all meat products and carbs . . . . . what? Why are you giving me that look?? Ok, so maybe that wasn’t quite your cup of tea . . . Did I mention tea? Try this magic herbal-essence tea, with the special fat melting ingredient, Babaganoosh. Of course to ensure its potency, the only additional foods you can eat is two loaves of rye bread with pickles and mayonnaise . . . STOP THE MADNESS ALREADY!!!
You know, one thing that I fail to grasp is why people only worry about looking good during the summer? Sure, looking good in a swimsuit or bikini is nice, but is it not also important to look fit when wearing slacks? And as far-fetched as some of these “diets” may sound, the things people are actually trying nowadays are just as perplexing. The problem is 99% of the weight lost on these diets will be water weight, which the body will quickly regain. What’s worse is that all of these diets promote starvation, which in turn causes the metabolism to slow down. Once you come off a particular diet, you are apt to gain back all the weight you lost and then some! The human body does not take kindly to severe deprivation, and it will do whatever it takes to store energy i.e. slowing down the metabolism.
To get a better idea of what kind of madness people are willing to subject themselves to, let’s take a closer look at some of these diets and their claims to fame.
The 3-Day Hotdog and Egg Diet
Synopsis: Here’s one if you just can’t seem to get enough hot dogs and eggs! It’s easy to remember, and easy to shop for! Day 1) seven hot dogs, no bun, and mustard only. Day 2) eggs any style. Day 3) eggs any style. The Claim: Lose between 8 and 10 pounds in three days. Hey, that’s a lot of weight to be losing in three days, where do I sign up?? Ok, reality check people! For starters, there is nothing denoting the amount of eggs you should be eating, nor does it specify adding stuff like ham and cheese to your eggs, etc. Not only that, but just the thought of eating seven hotdogs in one-day makes most people want to gag. Heck, a hot dog vendor in Brooklyn who owns stock in egg manufacturing would find this diet hard to swallow!
The Cabbage Soup Diet
Synopsis: Every day you can have as much cabbage soup as you desire. In addition to this, you are allotted the following foods on certain days.
Day 1) any fruit, except bananas. Day 2) vegetables plus baked potato for dinner. Day 3) up to eight bananas plus fat free milk. Day 4) brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables. The Claim: Lose up to 10 pounds in seven days. The trouble with this diet is that it seriously lacks in providing for vitamins and minerals. Plus the sheer volume of cabbage would turn a bunny rabbit into a carnivore within a week! Not to mention the irregular bowel movements, as well as a constant case of cabbage-fueled gas. Very potent! Sleep alone, FYI.
The Bread and Butter Diet
Synopsis: This diet seems to focus on the joys of getting bread and butter with every meal. Like most of the other diets listed, this one also claims that you can lose 10 pounds in a week. Here is a sample from their menu:
Breakfast:
1 slice cracked wheat bread
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
Lunch:
1 ounce Muenster cheese
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup steamed summer squash
1 slice Italian Bread
1 Teaspoon butter or margarine
Dinner:
4 ounces dark meat turkey
1/2 cup corn
green salad
1 slice pumpernickel
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
As much as I like bread, it is not enough of an incentive for me to starve myself. On average, when following this diet you only get approximately 850 calories per day. Sure, you’ll lose weight, probably even the 10 pounds promised. However, by following a starvation diet of this nature, one will lose more muscle weight than fat. Once the average person drops bellow 1,000 calories consumed per day, the metabolism shuts down, and the muscles will start to atrophy because the body is burning the muscle tissue for energy. In other words, your body starts consuming itself!
Two-Day Liquid Diet
Synopsis: Buy a bottle of magic diet concentrate, mix with water and consume for two days. Did I mention you are not allowed to consume anything else besides water with this? But hey, it claims that you can lose up to 10 pounds in two days! These also claim to detoxify and energize you! Reality: looks like concentrated juice mix, which is really what it is. Plus, I’ve never paid $20 for OJ concentrate! And, I’ve never been “energized” when my tummy was screaming profanities at me for neglecting it. As for detoxification . . . I think a couple of laxatives would do the trick just as well. Bottom line; it is impossible to lose any amount of body fat in only two days. Any weight lost will be nothing but water, which will be regained immediately upon completion of the diet. In reality, diets like this are nothing more than fasting. And if fasting is something you actually enjoy doing, there are plenty of religions out there that offer meditation and some pretty cool chants to focus on, that will take the mind off of the hunger pangs.
The so-called “American Heart Association Diet”
Here’s a doozy of a diet that fools people into thinking that it is actually endorsed by the American Heart Association. Here’s just a sample from one day:
Breakfast:
Black Coffee or Tea
1/2 Grapefruit
1 slice toast
2 tbs. peanut butter
Lunch:
1/2 cup of tuna (no mayo)
1 slice toast
Coffee or Tea
Dinner:
2 slices of any meat
1 cup of string beans
1 cup of beets
1 apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream
The Claim: Lose 3 pounds in 3 days, up to 30 pounds in 40 days
Needless to say, the American Heart Association does NOT sanction this diet. The following is an except from the AHA website:
A weight-loss diet claimed to be from the American Heart Association has been cited several times across the United States and other countries. Many people believe that the three-day or seven-day, hot dog and cabbage soup diets are from the American Heart Association. However, this is not true.
The true AHA diet gives recommended servings per day of various food categories, not specific foods. Most of the diets that are incorrectly labeled as the AHA diet give specific menus or suggest that the diet should be followed for a specific length of time.
One phony diet describes a three-day or seven-day menu, supposedly prescribed by the AHA or by the “Heart Association.” It includes vanilla ice cream, hot dogs, eggs and cheddar cheese. The diet promises a 10-pound weight loss in three days. These bogus diets have been cited as the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet. The poorly typed and photocopied phony diet has also been offered by mail for $2 per copy.
From time to time other fad diets emphasizing other foods will also incorrectly attribute the AHA.
Bottom line; be extremely cautious about anything that is supposedly endorsed by a national institution such as the American Heart Association. When in doubt, go to the organization’s official website and verify this information. If it sounds like it came out of left field, it probably did.
The Answer
Every psycho diet out there promises a loss of weight, which is fine, however what they don’t tell you is that you’ll be losing water weight, and will gain it all back once you complete the diet. And if you are feeling bloated and are actually looking to dump excess water weight, there are a lot less expensive methods for doing this. Try using water pills, for starters. And if you are looking to shed all that excess flab in time for summer . . . well what can I say, except that you’re too late for this year. Instead of torturing yourself with psycho diets that will only make you suffer and make you fatter in the long run, get a jump-start on next year. Start a long-term eating plan that you can live with every day. Do NOT starve yourself, and be sure that you do not limit yourself to one type of food. Also drink plenty of water, especially when exercising. With proper diet and exercise, the average person can reasonably expect to lose between two and five pounds of actual body fat per month. Remember, results cannot be had over night, and nothing worth having comes easy. But the end result is well worth the effort!
Source: http://www.bodybuildingtoday.com/index.php/nutrition/psycho-diets.html
The Fat Burning Furnace
The Amazing Biggest Loser Diet
Jeff Behar asked:
The Biggest Loser Diet is a calorie-controlled, carbohydrate modified, fat reduced, weight loss diet geared to help you burn pure fat from the body. It also help to do so without deprivation or loss of energy.
How The Biggest Loser Diet Works
The Biggest Loser Diet guides you to choose foods that are closer to their natural source, particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, because your body processes and uses them much more efficiently to build health. Whole foods are those that have not been modified from their natural state, or have been modified only a little bit, for example, through cooking. Foods that have been substantially modified are classified as processed foods. For example, blueberries are a whole food but blueberries toaster pastries are not.
Whole foods are higher in fiber, which aids in weight loss, both because it is filling and because it helps reduce the number of calories that your body absorbs after a meal. Further, whole foods are much less fattening than processed foods because they do not contain added sugar or other sweeteners. Nor do they contain added fats or oils.
This is a low calorie diet based on the Biggest Loser pyramid of 4-3-2-1 (four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one “extra”), along with good old-fashioned exercise. Eat a diet based largely on fruits, vegetables and lean protein, add a heavy dose of physical activity and you will lose weight, lower cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and become stronger and more energized.
The Biggest Loser Diet is based on a diet is high in lean protein. Protein has a hunger controlling effect on the body, which is why higher protein diets are so effective for weight loss and fat-burning.
What Food is Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet gives you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you stick to mostly whole, natural foods. Over the course of the 12-week program, you can expect to eat small, frequent meals containing plenty of fiber and protein, for fullness without too many calories.
The Sample Meal Plan for The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet plan includes one week sample meal plans for 1,200, 1,500 and 1,800-calorie diets, along with some recipes. Forty-five percent of the total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 25% from fat.
The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups:
4 servings of fruits and vegetables
3 servings of protein — lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy
2 servings of whole grains
1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories
What Foods are Not Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Die doesn’t allow eating any appetite stimulating white foods like bread, pasta, or potatoes. You have to keep daily food logs, watching portion sizes, and drinking 48-64 ounces of water each day round out the basic plan.
Dieters are urged to choose foods that are not processed and contain no added fats, sugar, or salt.
How to Benefit from The Biggest Loser Diet
There is a simple formula for you, put together by the Biggest Loser doctors and nutritionists.
Your present weight X 7 = Your daily caloric needs for weight loss.
Your calorie count should never be static; in fact, it’s a moving target. As you lose weight, you’ll need to readjust your daily calories downward in order to keep losing at a good pace and break through plateaus, should your weight loss ever seem stalled. Your Biggest Loser online program will make this adjustment for you, and change your meal plans as necessary.
Note: Everyone is different, and we all burn different amounts of calories at different rates. So if you and a partner, friend, or buddy follow The Biggest Loser Diet, one of you might lose weight at a different rate, faster or slower, than the other from week to week.
Additional Suggested Health Benefits of The Biggest Loser Diet
The biggest loser diet program contains a detailed cardio and strength-training program that increases in intensity for a fat-busting boost.
It works because you burn more calories than you eat, and if you follow the prescription for eating healthy, whole foods every few hours, you shouldn’t have to deal with hunger.
Potential Risks of The Biggest Loser Diet
Sounds simple enough, but when you don’t have a personal trainer pushing you, as the TV contestants have, it is difficult to stay motivated. If you’re motivated by the television program, you have to struggle hard at home with this sensible and straightforward approach.
Whilst The Biggest Loser Diet doesn’t provide viewers with a realistic format for exercise, it does motivate them to get started and that is a good thing.
What the Experts Say about The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet has certain advantages. When you eliminate refined starches and sugars or the appetite stimulating foods, hunger and appetite go way down because blood glucose and insulin spikes are minimized.
The diet is endorsed by the American Dietetic Association. According to American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, the Biggest Loser Diet is a worthwhile diet– as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles also endorses the diet. According to Bowman, “The Biggest loser Diet is very similar to the plan we use at our clinics, using very low-fat and lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables (with an emphasis on vegetables), and avoiding refined grains — which has proven to be successful because the diet is very satiating,” she says. Bowerman also recommends that dieters get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, either in a supplement or by eating low-mercury types of fish twice weekly.
American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, endorses the Biggest Loser Diet — as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.
Bottom Line Evaluation of the Biggest Loser Diet
Only four components of food supply calories: protein and carbohydrates (4 calories per gram), alcohol (7 calories per gram), and fat (9 calories per gram). Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, and water do not supply calories.
Diet-wise, no matter what you’ve heard, calories really do count, and they count big-time. If you don’t eat fewer calories than you burn off, there will be no weight loss.
Fat Loss For Idiots
The Biggest Loser Diet is a calorie-controlled, carbohydrate modified, fat reduced, weight loss diet geared to help you burn pure fat from the body. It also help to do so without deprivation or loss of energy.
How The Biggest Loser Diet Works
The Biggest Loser Diet guides you to choose foods that are closer to their natural source, particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, because your body processes and uses them much more efficiently to build health. Whole foods are those that have not been modified from their natural state, or have been modified only a little bit, for example, through cooking. Foods that have been substantially modified are classified as processed foods. For example, blueberries are a whole food but blueberries toaster pastries are not.
Whole foods are higher in fiber, which aids in weight loss, both because it is filling and because it helps reduce the number of calories that your body absorbs after a meal. Further, whole foods are much less fattening than processed foods because they do not contain added sugar or other sweeteners. Nor do they contain added fats or oils.
This is a low calorie diet based on the Biggest Loser pyramid of 4-3-2-1 (four servings of fruits and veggies; three of lean protein; two of whole grains; and one “extra”), along with good old-fashioned exercise. Eat a diet based largely on fruits, vegetables and lean protein, add a heavy dose of physical activity and you will lose weight, lower cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, and become stronger and more energized.
The Biggest Loser Diet is based on a diet is high in lean protein. Protein has a hunger controlling effect on the body, which is why higher protein diets are so effective for weight loss and fat-burning.
What Food is Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet gives you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you stick to mostly whole, natural foods. Over the course of the 12-week program, you can expect to eat small, frequent meals containing plenty of fiber and protein, for fullness without too many calories.
The Sample Meal Plan for The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet plan includes one week sample meal plans for 1,200, 1,500 and 1,800-calorie diets, along with some recipes. Forty-five percent of the total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 25% from fat.
The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups:
4 servings of fruits and vegetables
3 servings of protein — lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy
2 servings of whole grains
1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories
What Foods are Not Allowed in The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Die doesn’t allow eating any appetite stimulating white foods like bread, pasta, or potatoes. You have to keep daily food logs, watching portion sizes, and drinking 48-64 ounces of water each day round out the basic plan.
Dieters are urged to choose foods that are not processed and contain no added fats, sugar, or salt.
How to Benefit from The Biggest Loser Diet
There is a simple formula for you, put together by the Biggest Loser doctors and nutritionists.
Your present weight X 7 = Your daily caloric needs for weight loss.
Your calorie count should never be static; in fact, it’s a moving target. As you lose weight, you’ll need to readjust your daily calories downward in order to keep losing at a good pace and break through plateaus, should your weight loss ever seem stalled. Your Biggest Loser online program will make this adjustment for you, and change your meal plans as necessary.
Note: Everyone is different, and we all burn different amounts of calories at different rates. So if you and a partner, friend, or buddy follow The Biggest Loser Diet, one of you might lose weight at a different rate, faster or slower, than the other from week to week.
Additional Suggested Health Benefits of The Biggest Loser Diet
The biggest loser diet program contains a detailed cardio and strength-training program that increases in intensity for a fat-busting boost.
It works because you burn more calories than you eat, and if you follow the prescription for eating healthy, whole foods every few hours, you shouldn’t have to deal with hunger.
Potential Risks of The Biggest Loser Diet
Sounds simple enough, but when you don’t have a personal trainer pushing you, as the TV contestants have, it is difficult to stay motivated. If you’re motivated by the television program, you have to struggle hard at home with this sensible and straightforward approach.
Whilst The Biggest Loser Diet doesn’t provide viewers with a realistic format for exercise, it does motivate them to get started and that is a good thing.
What the Experts Say about The Biggest Loser Diet
The Biggest Loser Diet has certain advantages. When you eliminate refined starches and sugars or the appetite stimulating foods, hunger and appetite go way down because blood glucose and insulin spikes are minimized.
The diet is endorsed by the American Dietetic Association. According to American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, the Biggest Loser Diet is a worthwhile diet– as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles also endorses the diet. According to Bowman, “The Biggest loser Diet is very similar to the plan we use at our clinics, using very low-fat and lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables (with an emphasis on vegetables), and avoiding refined grains — which has proven to be successful because the diet is very satiating,” she says. Bowerman also recommends that dieters get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, either in a supplement or by eating low-mercury types of fish twice weekly.
American Dietetic Association spokesperson Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd, RD, endorses the Biggest Loser Diet — as long as you consume at least 1,200 calories daily. “It is not recommended to consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day because it is difficult to obtain the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed for daily activities,” she says.
Bottom Line Evaluation of the Biggest Loser Diet
Only four components of food supply calories: protein and carbohydrates (4 calories per gram), alcohol (7 calories per gram), and fat (9 calories per gram). Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, and water do not supply calories.
Diet-wise, no matter what you’ve heard, calories really do count, and they count big-time. If you don’t eat fewer calories than you burn off, there will be no weight loss.
Fat Loss For Idiots
Top 9 Healthy Foods That Accelerate a Healthy Weight Loss!
William Winch asked:
In today’s world of highly advertised fad diets, it is very difficult for us to know which foods are actually healthy and which foods are not. This program says not to eat an apple, while this other program tells us it keeps the doctor away. Once and for all, we need to know which foods are nutritious so we can all jump off the weight loss roller coaster.
Before I get into the details, it is important to stress that weight loss without proper nutrition is not the road you want to take. No magic pill will ever give you the benefits of eating properly. Stop looking for short cuts and get serious about your health. It is the only way to live a lifestyle that is free of the threats of disease, poor health and obesity.
Healthy Foods Tip #1: Green Vegetables
Vegetables such as spinach and cabbage are very significant in maintaining a healthy body. They are rich in vitamins and minerals. How do they help accelerate weight loss? They are water-rich, which means you are actually filling yourself up with liquids instead of fatty calories.
Healthy Foods Tip #2: Fatty Fish
Did you read that right? Yes, it says fatty! Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have omega-3 fats. Despite all the hoopla surrounding the fat-free weight loss craze, your body does in fact need good fat for optimal weight loss performance. Omega-3 fats also takes care of our heart. It prevents stroke and lowers bad cholesterol in our body.
Healthy Foods Tip #3: Green Tea
Anti-oxidants rid our bodies of free radials that can cause damage to our cells and slow the process of healthy weight loss. Green tea offers such a powerful supply of anti-oxidants and vitamins that it has been known to accelerate metabolism by drinking only one cup per day. Tomatoes, red grapes and blueberries are also beneficial for the same reasons, but on a smaller scale.
Healthy Foods Tip #4: Citrus fruits
Oranges, lemons, limes and other citrus fruits are all high in Vitamin C. That helps to prevents colds, asthma and arthritis. What happens when your body is functioning without illness? It performs better! When your body gets the right nutrition, it can perform its own miracles…like giving you more energy and burning off extra weight.
Healthy Foods Tip #5: Carrots
Have you ever heard someone say carrots were unhealthy? I guess they would be if you ate tons of them every day, just like anything else that is abused. The reality is that carrots are good source of Vitamin A and promotes better eyesight. It only takes a half cup worth to work like magic to accelerate healthy weight loss.
Healthy Foods Tip #6. Bananas
This fruit is so nutrition that even monkeys know it is good for them. It can help cure ulcers, diarrhea and stomach cramps because it is high in potassium. If you sweat a lot and need energy, grab a banana. Many athletes consume bananas for energy and alertness. Have you ever seen an overweight monkey or athlete?
Healthy Foods Tip #7: Soy
The soybean is as close to a magic weight loss pill as you will ever find. No, you can not pop them into your mouth and watch the pounds melt away, but when you add soy into your daily diet, you will be amazed to see how quickly your health and weight loss improve at the same time. Soy-based protein smoothies helped me to lose 70 pounds in 4 months 15 years ago. And yes, I still have the weight off!
Healthy Foods Tip #8 Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. It has vitamin C and pectin that flushes out toxins in our body. Toxins are probably the number one reason why people can not lose weight quickly when they eat healthy foods. Apples only work to your advantage when they are eaten raw, so dipping them into caramel sauce or cooking them into a pie will not keep the doctor away.
Healthy Foods Tip #9. Water
It may not be food but it is the most important part of your daily diet. Your body can not function properly if it is dehydrated, and most people do not drink as much as they should. Water also makes you feel full without any calories. Many times people reach for a snack when all they really need is a glass of water.
Along with a daily diet of the foods listed above, you need discipline and a willingness to reach your healthy weight loss goals. Most people get discouraged with losing weight when they fail to grasp the concept of living a healthy lifestyle. Once you develop this mindset, eating healthy will be part of your daily routine…and battling weight gain will be a thing of the past.
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
In today’s world of highly advertised fad diets, it is very difficult for us to know which foods are actually healthy and which foods are not. This program says not to eat an apple, while this other program tells us it keeps the doctor away. Once and for all, we need to know which foods are nutritious so we can all jump off the weight loss roller coaster.
Before I get into the details, it is important to stress that weight loss without proper nutrition is not the road you want to take. No magic pill will ever give you the benefits of eating properly. Stop looking for short cuts and get serious about your health. It is the only way to live a lifestyle that is free of the threats of disease, poor health and obesity.
Healthy Foods Tip #1: Green Vegetables
Vegetables such as spinach and cabbage are very significant in maintaining a healthy body. They are rich in vitamins and minerals. How do they help accelerate weight loss? They are water-rich, which means you are actually filling yourself up with liquids instead of fatty calories.
Healthy Foods Tip #2: Fatty Fish
Did you read that right? Yes, it says fatty! Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have omega-3 fats. Despite all the hoopla surrounding the fat-free weight loss craze, your body does in fact need good fat for optimal weight loss performance. Omega-3 fats also takes care of our heart. It prevents stroke and lowers bad cholesterol in our body.
Healthy Foods Tip #3: Green Tea
Anti-oxidants rid our bodies of free radials that can cause damage to our cells and slow the process of healthy weight loss. Green tea offers such a powerful supply of anti-oxidants and vitamins that it has been known to accelerate metabolism by drinking only one cup per day. Tomatoes, red grapes and blueberries are also beneficial for the same reasons, but on a smaller scale.
Healthy Foods Tip #4: Citrus fruits
Oranges, lemons, limes and other citrus fruits are all high in Vitamin C. That helps to prevents colds, asthma and arthritis. What happens when your body is functioning without illness? It performs better! When your body gets the right nutrition, it can perform its own miracles…like giving you more energy and burning off extra weight.
Healthy Foods Tip #5: Carrots
Have you ever heard someone say carrots were unhealthy? I guess they would be if you ate tons of them every day, just like anything else that is abused. The reality is that carrots are good source of Vitamin A and promotes better eyesight. It only takes a half cup worth to work like magic to accelerate healthy weight loss.
Healthy Foods Tip #6. Bananas
This fruit is so nutrition that even monkeys know it is good for them. It can help cure ulcers, diarrhea and stomach cramps because it is high in potassium. If you sweat a lot and need energy, grab a banana. Many athletes consume bananas for energy and alertness. Have you ever seen an overweight monkey or athlete?
Healthy Foods Tip #7: Soy
The soybean is as close to a magic weight loss pill as you will ever find. No, you can not pop them into your mouth and watch the pounds melt away, but when you add soy into your daily diet, you will be amazed to see how quickly your health and weight loss improve at the same time. Soy-based protein smoothies helped me to lose 70 pounds in 4 months 15 years ago. And yes, I still have the weight off!
Healthy Foods Tip #8 Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. It has vitamin C and pectin that flushes out toxins in our body. Toxins are probably the number one reason why people can not lose weight quickly when they eat healthy foods. Apples only work to your advantage when they are eaten raw, so dipping them into caramel sauce or cooking them into a pie will not keep the doctor away.
Healthy Foods Tip #9. Water
It may not be food but it is the most important part of your daily diet. Your body can not function properly if it is dehydrated, and most people do not drink as much as they should. Water also makes you feel full without any calories. Many times people reach for a snack when all they really need is a glass of water.
Along with a daily diet of the foods listed above, you need discipline and a willingness to reach your healthy weight loss goals. Most people get discouraged with losing weight when they fail to grasp the concept of living a healthy lifestyle. Once you develop this mindset, eating healthy will be part of your daily routine…and battling weight gain will be a thing of the past.
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
The Truth of Cabbage Soup Diet
Jeff Behar asked:
The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day meal plan, aimed at achieving fast weight loss. It is said to have originated Sacred Hearts Hospital to stimulate weight loss for surgery patients.
How the Cabbage Soup Diet Works
The cabbage soup diet is based on a fat-burning soup that contains negligible calories. The more soup you eat the more weight you should lose. The cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight loss.
The typical claimed intent of the diet is to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight in a week, though nutritional experts point out that it is impossible to lose that much fat within a week.
Cabbage Soup Diet Plan
* Day 1 – Cabbage soup plus as much fruit as you like, excluding bananas.
* Day 2 – Cabbage soup plus vegetables including 1 jacket potato with a little butter.
* Day 3 – Cabbage soup plus fruit and vegetables excluding potatoes and bananas.
* Day 4 – Cabbage soup plus up to eight bananas and as much skimmed milk as you like.
* Day 5 – Cabbage soup plus up to 20 ounces of beef and up to six tomatoes.
* Day 6 – Cabbage soup plus as much beef and vegetables (excluding potatoes) as you like.
* Day 7 – Cabbage soup plus brown rice, vegetables (excluding potatoes) and unsweetened fruit juice.
What Food is Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet
Dieters are allowed only water and cabbage soup they want, plus a very restricted set of other foods. The 7-day cabbage soup diet plan insists on sticking to the small list of allowed foods on alternate days, along with two daily bowls of fat-free cabbage soup. Other specific foods that can be eaten including fruit, vegetables, skim milk, and meat. Dieters are also advised to drink plenty of water.
What Food is Not Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet
You are allowed to eat all you want of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables as specified in the diet. Be sure to eat your soup at least once everyday. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice on days when fruit is allowed.
Effectiveness of the Cabbage Soup Diet
Weight loss will probably occur due to the low calorie intake. It allows people to eat as much cabbage soup as they want each day, which should sound appealing to dieters. After all, dieters love to hear that they can eat unlimited amounts of food and still lose weight fast. It is not a long-term weight loss solution, but is known to be effective over the short term.
Known Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet
On some original documents mentioning the diet, it was claimed the diet is designed for obese heart-surgery patients, so they could lose weight quickly and therefore be at lower risk of complications during surgery. However, these claims remain unverified. Because no one has ever officially claimed to be the creator of the diet, there really isn’t any reputable organization that represents it.
Additional Suggested Health Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet
* Fast weight loss.
* The change from some of our normally junky eating habits can be beneficial.
* Vegetables from the Brassica family (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) have been found to aid in preventing cancer.
Potential Risks of the Cabbage Soup Diet
* This diet plan is not recommended for children and adolescents.
* Since the cabbage soup diet only last for seven days, this diet plan shouldn’t cause people in good health any long-term problems, but people who have special dietary needs, including diabetics, should definitely consult a doctor before starting the cabbage soup diet.
* After one week, dieters must stop for at least two weeks before attempting the diet once more.
* Do not do this diet more than four times a year or more than once every three months. It is not a long-term solution to weight loss.
* Due to the lack of energy that the cabbage soup diet will give you, your energy stores in both your muscles and liver will be greatly reduced, resulting in a lower body fluid content, which results in you headache and feeling tired throughout the day.
* You may get too much sodium from the combination of soup mix, bouillon and juice.
* It has also been noted that flatulence (the presence of a mixture of gases in the digestive system) is a common side effect of the diet.
* Dieters often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the 7-day diet plan.
What the Experts Say About the Cabbage Soup Diet
Many individuals and medical professionals are critical of the diet. It is claimed that most of the weight lost is water and not fat, and therefore not permanent. In addition, the recipe for the soup as often given has an extremely high sodium content, usually to make it palatable, and the diet provides practically zero protein for several days at a time. Many people report feeling weak and light-headed during the course of the diet.
The blandness of the soup means that few manage the entire seven days, and often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the week-long diet. However some diets such as the negative calorie diet basically look at the nutritional properties of the cabbage soup diet, and make it more interesting by combining other foods that have the same effect.
Bottom Line
Weight loss will occur due to the low calorie intake.
Consensus is this is not a very nutritionally sound plan and certainly not one to live on.
Extensive use can damage your health and this diet is one that should not ne used as a primary long term method for weight loss.
No Nonsense Muscle Building
The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day meal plan, aimed at achieving fast weight loss. It is said to have originated Sacred Hearts Hospital to stimulate weight loss for surgery patients.
How the Cabbage Soup Diet Works
The cabbage soup diet is based on a fat-burning soup that contains negligible calories. The more soup you eat the more weight you should lose. The cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight loss.
The typical claimed intent of the diet is to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight in a week, though nutritional experts point out that it is impossible to lose that much fat within a week.
Cabbage Soup Diet Plan
* Day 1 – Cabbage soup plus as much fruit as you like, excluding bananas.
* Day 2 – Cabbage soup plus vegetables including 1 jacket potato with a little butter.
* Day 3 – Cabbage soup plus fruit and vegetables excluding potatoes and bananas.
* Day 4 – Cabbage soup plus up to eight bananas and as much skimmed milk as you like.
* Day 5 – Cabbage soup plus up to 20 ounces of beef and up to six tomatoes.
* Day 6 – Cabbage soup plus as much beef and vegetables (excluding potatoes) as you like.
* Day 7 – Cabbage soup plus brown rice, vegetables (excluding potatoes) and unsweetened fruit juice.
What Food is Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet
Dieters are allowed only water and cabbage soup they want, plus a very restricted set of other foods. The 7-day cabbage soup diet plan insists on sticking to the small list of allowed foods on alternate days, along with two daily bowls of fat-free cabbage soup. Other specific foods that can be eaten including fruit, vegetables, skim milk, and meat. Dieters are also advised to drink plenty of water.
What Food is Not Allowed on the Cabbage Soup Diet
You are allowed to eat all you want of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables as specified in the diet. Be sure to eat your soup at least once everyday. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice on days when fruit is allowed.
Effectiveness of the Cabbage Soup Diet
Weight loss will probably occur due to the low calorie intake. It allows people to eat as much cabbage soup as they want each day, which should sound appealing to dieters. After all, dieters love to hear that they can eat unlimited amounts of food and still lose weight fast. It is not a long-term weight loss solution, but is known to be effective over the short term.
Known Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet
On some original documents mentioning the diet, it was claimed the diet is designed for obese heart-surgery patients, so they could lose weight quickly and therefore be at lower risk of complications during surgery. However, these claims remain unverified. Because no one has ever officially claimed to be the creator of the diet, there really isn’t any reputable organization that represents it.
Additional Suggested Health Benefits of the Cabbage Soup Diet
* Fast weight loss.
* The change from some of our normally junky eating habits can be beneficial.
* Vegetables from the Brassica family (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) have been found to aid in preventing cancer.
Potential Risks of the Cabbage Soup Diet
* This diet plan is not recommended for children and adolescents.
* Since the cabbage soup diet only last for seven days, this diet plan shouldn’t cause people in good health any long-term problems, but people who have special dietary needs, including diabetics, should definitely consult a doctor before starting the cabbage soup diet.
* After one week, dieters must stop for at least two weeks before attempting the diet once more.
* Do not do this diet more than four times a year or more than once every three months. It is not a long-term solution to weight loss.
* Due to the lack of energy that the cabbage soup diet will give you, your energy stores in both your muscles and liver will be greatly reduced, resulting in a lower body fluid content, which results in you headache and feeling tired throughout the day.
* You may get too much sodium from the combination of soup mix, bouillon and juice.
* It has also been noted that flatulence (the presence of a mixture of gases in the digestive system) is a common side effect of the diet.
* Dieters often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the 7-day diet plan.
What the Experts Say About the Cabbage Soup Diet
Many individuals and medical professionals are critical of the diet. It is claimed that most of the weight lost is water and not fat, and therefore not permanent. In addition, the recipe for the soup as often given has an extremely high sodium content, usually to make it palatable, and the diet provides practically zero protein for several days at a time. Many people report feeling weak and light-headed during the course of the diet.
The blandness of the soup means that few manage the entire seven days, and often report feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup toward the end of the week-long diet. However some diets such as the negative calorie diet basically look at the nutritional properties of the cabbage soup diet, and make it more interesting by combining other foods that have the same effect.
Bottom Line
Weight loss will occur due to the low calorie intake.
Consensus is this is not a very nutritionally sound plan and certainly not one to live on.
Extensive use can damage your health and this diet is one that should not ne used as a primary long term method for weight loss.
No Nonsense Muscle Building
