weightloss

Healthy weight loss diet plans have a different focus than many of the commercial programs. Too many of the commercial programs compete to show who can have customers losing the most weight in the fastest time. Healthy weight loss diet plans only aim to give participants a better quality of life. These plans focus on turning you on to a healthy lifestyle. The goal is to teach you this new lifestyle beginning with the moment you start the diet. And you never really go off the diet; you will only adjust it to your new weight. You learn a new diet – or healthy way of eating – for life! One example of a "new" way of eating is a weight pyramid. At the base of the pyramid are the foods that you can eat without restriction. These include all kinds of fruits and vegetables. There is such a variety of these foods that you should never want for a new choice. Next up on the weight pyramid are the carbohydrates and grains. Healthy weight loss diet plans will not leave these foods out. In fact, some good plans will allow 4-8 servings per day. An important detail is that the majority of these food choices are whole grains. Oh, the exact number of servings depends on your current weight, height, and fitness level. Healthy weight loss diet plans also include at least 3 and up to 7 servings of protein and dairy. These include lean meats, chicken, and fish. Cold water fish is the best because it is full of Omega-3 oils which are healthy fats for your body. Even fats and sweets should be accounted for. You might have a diet that allows you 3-5 servings of fat and 75 calories of sweets. Why? Because your body needs a small amount of fats. You won't stay on your diet for life if you know you can never eat sweets again. A good plan will also offer sample menus. These give you an idea of what is meant by the requirements of the plan. They make it clear how to put together a meal out of the many choices available. You'll do better with healthy weight loss diet plans if you learn about correct portions. Check to make certain whatever plan you choose is clear on portion sizes. For example, a medium apple might be the size of a tennis ball. A 3-ounce piece of meat might be the size of a deck of cards. What's more, some plans even give instructions on how to figure servings on food you buy pre-packaged. Do you go by what the package says is a serving? Or do you go by a certain number of calories or carbohydrate grams? Healthy diet plans will tell you. There's no quick fix for losing weight. You can't simply sit on the sofa and drop the weight you’ve been carrying. It takes effort to change behaviors you’ve spent a lifetime cultivating. However, healthy weight loss diet plans give you the tools and they make being in shape a life-long habit.
About The Author
Melinda Grossman Want more healthy food tips or some free diet meal plans? Info on fitness weight loss programs or even some special tips just for women? I finally have my own weight and exercise regimens under control and I want you to join me. That's why I share what I've learned at http://www.WeightLossAnswersOnline.com

Is the Zone Diet just another fad? Well, it's currently the favourite diet of the celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and many other well-known faces from the world of film and theatre. So what is all the fuss about? The Zone Diet was created by Dr. Barry Sears, and is based around the consumption of correct ratios of food groups. In theory, by regulating your insulin levels, you keep your body's metabolism performing at its optimum level and the weight just falls off! Well, whatever the theory is, it seems to be working for some people so let's take a closer look at what this diet entails. The Zone Diet Our bodies are not fundamentally geared up to process "junk food" very well, and that's one reason why it's considered harmful to us. Although we live in a fast-paced modern age, our body structure is based on a very old design, which goes back to prehistoric times. Our bodies expect to be fed foods like lean protein and natural carbohydrates, which is exactly the foods that our ancestors would have eaten. The theory behind the Zone Diet is if we adhere to the correct ratios of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that our body needs, we will help the body to regulate the levels of insulin. Keeping insulin at the right levels will help speed up the body's metabolism, and the result is, you lose weight. All you are actually doing is feeding the body exactly what it was designed to expect. The ratio of food groups is: 40% Carbohydrates, 30% Fat and 30% Protein. So, each meal is based on a calculation. Creating a Zone Diet meal can be a little tricky, as the ingredients have to be measured precisely. Food groups are classified into 'blocks' and then further classified into 'mini-blocks'. A typical meal might consist of one block of Carbohydrates, but this may be broken down further into three mini-blocks, which might comprise 1 cup of green beans, 2 cups of yellow squash and 1 glass of red wine. The Zone Diet also allows for 2 snacks a day and the occasional glass of wine, calorific intake tends to be much lower when on the diet. In that respect it is more restrictive than other measured diets such as the South Beach Diet. So, what are the benefits of the Zone Diet? ---Dieters tend to get all the nutrients they need, as all fruits and vegetables are okay to eat. Smaller portion sizes will also help to build a healthier lifestyle and maintain weight loss. ---Cravings for carbohydrates tend to disappear after a few days as the body adjusts to the new high protein diet. ---The concentration on lean proteins and "good cholesterol" is healthy for your heart. ---Weight loss on The Zone Diet can be very rapid! It is essentially a low-carb, low-calorie diet and can give great results in a short period of time. The not so beneficial aspects are… ---Essentially, the Zone Diet should be considered as a short term weight loss remedy. ---Coming off the diet can result in putting the weight back on very fast if dieters return to their previous eating habits. ---The diet can work out to be quite expensive. Creating Zone meals requires buying special cookbooks and other materials. ---The Zone Diet can be time-consuming, as food preparation is sometimes a complicated process! It is therefore not practical for some people.
About The Author
Mary Watson writes weight loss, diet plan, health, beauty and general well-being articles for the Slim Eazy website at http://www.slimeazy.com

Have you ever wondered how the so-called super models manage to get in such good shape and stay trim, even after having a family? Fashion models depend on their slim figures for their livelihood, so it's imperative that they always look good. Don't worry, I'm not suggesting that you should embark on a diet of leaves and nuts. I'm not an advocate of the size zero, but I'm sure you'll find it interesting to know what sort of diet a fashion model would choose. The Fashion Models Diet Plan A favourite way for models to look good is to "Cleanse" or "Fast". This is not a complete starvation diet, as it will include the intake of soups and fruit juices over a 3 to7 day period. It is more of a detox routine and is gernerally only carried out once or twice a year. The benefits of this detox is to obviously rid the body of harmful toxins, such as preservatives and food additives together with inhaled smoke and fumes. It also gives the colon a chance to rid the digestive system of any fecal build up. The results can be dramatic as the liver and kidneys are able to repair and replace damaged cells instead of continuing to rid the body of toxins. A typical "Cleanse" diet might consist of a combination of fresh carrots, celery, beet, spinach, apple, coconut, broth and juices. Citrus and tomato juices are too acidic to drink while fasting so these should be avoided. It's important to drink plenty of water during the detox and avoid consuming any unnecessary medications or supplements. The advantages of a detox are weight loss, reduced body odour, shinier finger nails, stronger hair, reduced cellulite, a glowing complexion and more beautiful eyes. After the detox, the typical fashion model will then begin her normal eating habits, which to some people may appear to be a "real" diet. However, it will simply be a healthy balanced diet, which might typically consist of the following: ---Breakfast (9am) One boiled egg with a slice of wholewheat bread A bowl of cereal with skimmed milk Black coffee Total 369 calories ---Lunch (12.30pm) Turkey salad with balsamic vinaigrette Cup of tea with skimmed milk Total 320 calories ---Early Evening Snack (4.30pm) Low fat Jell-O pudding Total 100 calories ---Dinner (8pm) Lean Cuisine chicken a l'orange with rice 2 slices of low fat cheddar cheese with wholewheat crackers Total 448 calories The total calorie intake for a typical day is 1237. The aim of the diet is to keep the daily calorie count below 1500. This is a typical example of a fashion model's diet, which will also involve some form of aerobic exercises 3 times a week. So, as you can see it's not at all what you might have originally thought. It's just a sensible eating plan and a sensible exercise routine. However, if even this diet seems a little too much to stomach, you could try a natural herbal diet remedy. Here are the top 5 tips that fashion models highly recommend for staying in trim. 1. Decrease your alcohol consumption. Alcohol suppresses the body's ability to burn fat. 2. Eat more Black Pepper, Ginger, Chile Peppers. Spicy food helps speed up the body's metabolism. 3. Increase your muscle mass. Muscle burns fat, so adding 5lbs of muscle will help you burn another 250 calories a day. 3. Increase your vitamin B and Calcium intake. The B-Vitamins give you more energy and increase your metabolism. 4. Drink More Water. A healthy, well-hydrated body is important to flush out toxins and aid in metabolising fats 5. Increase your intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Omega 3 fatty acids can help to balance blood sugar levels and control appetite.
About The Author
Mary Watson writes weight loss, diet plan, health, beauty and general well-being articles for the Slim Eazy website at http://www.slimeazy.com

The trace mineral iodine is well known for its crucial role in enabling the body's manufacture of vital thyroid hormones, but it is also important for the health of the immune system and for optimal brain function. It is widely believed by many authorities that iodine deficiency should never be seen in the affluent West, although this problem affects millions throughout the developed world. Some nutritionists argue, however, that this conventional view is too optimistic, because the content of all minerals in foods is heavily dependent on the mineral content of the soil from which those foods are derived. The assumption must therefore be that the continuing de-mineralisation of farm soils has led to a reduction in the amount of dietary iodine commonly consumed. Fish and other seafood, however, remain a relatively rich source because these ocean creatures concentrate the sea's iodine in their flesh. Though not commonly eaten in the West, seaweed, or kelp, is also an excellent source of iodine for this reason, and is readily available in the form of a dietary supplements. Dairy products and certain meats may also be a good source, particularly where iodine is routinely added to farm animal feed. But in countries, including most of Western Europe, where animals are grazing fields growing on iodine depleted soils, levels are likely to be much lower. So even in the West, those not including fish or seafood in their diets, and not using iodised or sea salt, may be at real risk of deficiency. In an effort to compensate for low levels of dietary iodine, the mineral has been routinely added to ordinary table salt in the US for many years. But the practice is not as common in the UK and other European countries, where specially iodised or natural "sea-salt" has been marketed more as a luxury alternative. The problem of insufficient dietary iodine has been compounded on both sides of the Atlantic, however, by increasing concern about the possible adverse health consequences, particularly high blood pressure, of excessive salt intake. Many nutritionists, however, regard these fears as exaggerated, and believe that any such potential problems are far less serious than the consequences of an insufficiency of iodine, and may be easily resolved by the use of the low sodium salt alternatives available. Iodine, however, cannot in any case be regarded as a luxury. Its essential function lies in the production of the vital thyroid hormones; thyroxine, sometimes known as T4, and tri-iodothyronine, or T3. And as is well known, these hormones are crucially important in ensuring a healthy metabolic rate and the release of energy from food; so an underactive thyroid gland is commonly the villain in cases of excessive weight gain, particularly where this of sudden onset, and in cases of difficulty in losing weight even when following a sensible reducing programme. A healthy thyroid gland is also crucial for the optimal functioning of the immune system. But perhaps even more importantly, iodine deficiency is also known as a major cause of avoidable brain damage; a problem which the World Health Organisation has estimated to affect an astonishing 50 million people worldwide. Sadly, many of these cases occur in children whose mothers were iodine deficient in pregnancy, resulting in a condition of severely retarded brain development known as congenital hypothyroidism, or "cretinism". Even where such catastrophic consequences are avoided, iodine deficiency in childhood may also have serious effects on the developing brain, leading to low energy and motivation for learning, and measurable impairment of IQ scores. Since 2001 the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine (FNB) has prescribed a Recommended Dietary Allowance for iodine of 150 mcg for all individuals over 14, rising to 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for those breastfeeding. Somewhat confusingly, however, an excessive consumption of iodine is also associated with a malfunctioning or enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well as mouth ulcers, headaches and gastric upsets, and the FNB therefore advises an upper safe limit for daily iodine consumption of 1,100 mcg for adults. Most people eating a conventional Western diet are unlikely to exceed this level. With the possible exception of pregnant and breastfeeding women, people in the West who use liberal quantities of iodised salt as a regular seasoning are unlikely to need further supplements. But many commercial multi-mineral preparations contain iodine in reasonable quantities, usually in the form of potassium iodide, and whilst not perhaps strictly necessary, such supplementary doses will do no harm and may be regarded as a useful insurance policy given that, like all minerals needed by the body, iodine functions best in the presence of adequate supplies of all the others. And it should be particularly noted in this context that the effects of any deficiency of iodine may be intensified by any deficiency of selenium, iron or vitamin A.
About The Author
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter and journalist with a particular interest in health and wellness. Find out more at http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/Iodine.htm