By Peter Hale
When it comes to losing weight the first word people think about is “diet”
Diet to most people means weight loss – people imagine small portions of food and giving up what they most like to enjoy. I imagine most folks think of salads, fruit and vegetables and feeling hungry all of the time.
Luckily there are many diet plans on the market today that simply allow you to change the way you view food whilst allowing you to lose weight at a reasonable rate rather than enduring rapid weight loss which is not suitable to most people’s lifestyles.
Even some the weight loss plans, such as the GI diet, are actually good for you. The foods you are allowed to eat will improve your health whilst maintaining a steady weight loss that you are aiming for.
Being overweight is no fun for anyone and can actually reduce your life expectancy by 10 or more years so it’s important to maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) as well.
Some diet plans target instant weight loss in “7 days or less” but when choosing to start a diet it’s better to look at your longer term goals – rather than losing weight for a special event it’s probably better than you look at your life style and what you want from yourself and your body.
Certainly people who reduce their weight state that their energy levels improve dramatically and they enjoy their day to day lives even more.
So what weight loss diet plans are available to you to try?
As mentioned, the GI diet combines a healthy eating approach and is based on how your body processes the food you eat. GI diets are followed by diabetics because it’s based on the blood sugar levels that are produced from what you eat. It’s scientifically researched and if you follow the guides for long term weight loss it should be beneficial.
Other diet plans include the Atkins Diet, which although has received bad press is also based on how your body processes food and is structured around food combination. It is suggested that if you combine fats, proteins and carbohydrates correctly you will lose weight naturally. It’s best to avoid the high fat content of this diet as you will raise your cholesterol levels. Additionally by avoiding carbohydrates your body will initially lose water rather than fat and this leads to unwanted side effects such as bad breath.
You should search the internet to see what other diet plans are available and that fit in with your lifestyle. Generally though, if you cut out high fat and high calorie food, eat your 5 fruit and vegetables a day as recommended by most government agencies and combine this with a light exercise programme, your weight should be maintained at a healthy level.
You should always speak to your Doctor before embarking on any weight loss diets and the above should in no way constitute diet advice. For more information on diet plans please visit www.118diet.co.uk
About the Author: For more information on healthy weight loss diet plans please visit http://www.118diet.co.uk
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=222782&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
 Flat Belly Diet (Hardcover)Product Description Prevention magazine is the country's most authoritative, trustworthy, and innovative source for practical health, nutrition, and fitness information. Now, its editors bring you a weight-loss plan that's specifically designed to target your number-one trouble spot: BELLY FAT. For women over 40, belly fat is incredibly stealth and incredibly stubborn. It's also the most deadly, contributing to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and chronic illness than any other type of fat on your body. Finally, science has helped uncover a key dietary weapon in the fight against belly fat. Monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, help dieters lose more weight--in their bellies specifically--and keep it off longer. Flat Belly Diet! will lead you step by step, day by day, meal by meal toward a flatter belly...and a longer, healthier life. About the Author LIZ VACCARIELLO is the vice president and editor-in-chief of Prevention, the #1 healthy lifestyle brand and the tenth largest magazine in the nation, with nearly 11 million readers. She resides in New Jersey. CYNTHIA SASS, MPH, RD, is Prevention's nutrition director. With master's degrees in nutrition science and public health, Sass has more than 10 years of experience in helping women lose weight. She lives in New York City. Flat Belly Diet  |
 The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss (The South Beach Diet) (Mass Market Paperback)Editorial Reviews Amazon.com The verdict is in: those simple carbs we've been living on are killing us. For good health, we've got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant cravings. Or so says Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet. The first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat toast, carrots—-are actually evil. To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston created a modified carbohydrate plan, recommending plenty of high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits. Major differences from other diets include a lack of concern over portion size and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations in a solitary sentence. The last half of the book covers his three-stage plan; daily diets are mixed with recipes, some of which are from South Beach restaurant chefs. The most restrictive period lasts just two weeks, enough time to stabilize your urges and lose a few pounds; stage two adds fruits and a handful of other carbs, while stage three is meant to last the remainder of your life, with occasional lapses for white bread or birthday cake. While the diet is sound, the book could be better organized. The first half mixes scientific study with anecdote in a seemingly random way, while the mix of meal plans and recipes can be confusing. Still, the recipes are varied and tasty, and you'll never feel deprived, unless you currently happen to live by bread alone. --Jill Lightner --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Despite the glitzy title, this is one of the more appealing diet books among the new "anti-carb" programs. Agatston, a doctor based at Miami Beach's Mt. Sinai Medical Center, found that his patients not only were unable to stay on various popular diets but their cholesterol and blood sugar levels remained dangerously high after trying these plans. The doctor chose to alter his own diet-first avoiding all carbohydrates and fruit and then reintroducing these foods in moderation. Feeling better and losing weight, he then consulted a nutritionist to modify his strategy to devise a sound method for his patients. The South Beach diet begins with a somewhat restrictive two-week program, generally producing a weight loss of from eight to 13 pounds. The initial phase may be difficult for those who crave bread, pasta and fruit. But there are still choices, and snacks (cheese, hummus, vegetables) are a necessary part of the diet. People shouldn't feel hungry on this part of the diet, stresses the author. The second phase offers somewhat more choices, including whole wheat bread and other selected carbohydrates. Agatston advocates combining the "bad" with the "good." For example, take whole wheat bread and dip it into olive oil, rather than using butter. Eat a very small amount of pasta with lots of vegetables, meat and healthy oils. Complete meal plans along with simple recipes comprise roughly half the book. Of course, there's no perfect diet that works for everyone but the enthusiasm of the conversational tone and the inviting manner make the book more appealing than many other diet tomes. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss (The South Beach Diet)  |
