How To Lose Weight The Easy And Safe Way

by: Rasheed Aladel

WHAT IS THE BEST DIET

Many people ask me which is the best diet for me to follow, with practically a new diet coming out every year I find myself getting frustrated with the mis- information being put out there. Let me shine some light on some of these fad diets.

Why fad diets don't work

There's no question if you follow these fad diets you will lose weight, but I can also guarantee you will not be able to sustain these so-called diets which is why millions of people follow these diets only to pack back on the pounds again.

The simple answer to this is fad diets do not work, the reason they do not work is because you can only follow such a ridiculous routine for only so long successful long-term weight loss is not necessarily about a diet but it's about long-term happiness.

I even hate that word diets, because it is linked to feelings of restriction and unhappiness but what I do believe in is a sensible nutrition plan which allows you to eat five to six enjoyable small meals a day. To be honest with you I wish all of these fad diets did work then we wouldn't be experiencing the problems we have today such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Before I explain to you the concept of a healthy eating plan I'll cover just a few of these fad diets.

THE ATKINS DIET.

I'm sure you've all heard of the Atkins diet and heard about the supposed success stories. The problem is that most of these fad diets work on the basis of calorie reduction. with the Atkins carbohydrates are severely limited, the atkins diet requires that you get your calories from just protein and fat.

The way this works is by consuming so much fat and protein it sends a signal to your brain saying that your full when in reality you are not, this can result in metabolic disorders. The Atkins diet will allow you to lose weight but at what cost? the side-effects of the Atkins diet is nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and bad breath (urghh)

I would have to say the Atkins diet is a big no-no, a healthy diet is well rounded and borrows from all the food groups such as carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Tricking your body into believing it is full, when it's not, will only can catch up with you and make you feel ill through the lack of nutrients received in you diet.

The weight loss achieved in Atkins is mainly muscle mass, and muscle tissue is what helps speed up your metabolic rate, the more muscle tissue you have the more calories you burn. Which is why when people realise they cannot sustain the Atkins diet any more they put the weight on twice as fast because now they do not have the muscle to combat the fat.

Bear in mind when a new diet hits the market and seems too good to be true, your usually right!

THE ZONE DIET

The zone diet is used by many celebrities such as Jennifer aniston, Renee zellweger, Madonna, Cindy Crawford and Winona Ryder. The main concept of the zone diet is a balanced ratio of carbohydrates (40) and proteins (30%) so on this diet you do actually get to eat, which in my eyes is a good start.

The zone diet works by following recipes with a low-carbohydrate diet plan, it does insist on watching your calorie consumption while eating eg. A meal must not exceed 500 calories and a snack must not exceed 100 calories which they call staying in the zone.

I must say weight loss is not the only benefit of the zone diet you also experience improved energy, improved mental clarity and is also ideal for type 2 diabetes sufferers. This diet was implemented to reduce hunger and compulsion to eat. Zone diet recipes are customized to each individual, based on your sex, activity level and proportion of body fat.

The foods the zone diet encourages are fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, leafy green vegetables, sufficient protein consumption, and eight glasses of water everyday. How weight loss is achieved with the zone diet is similar to the low gi diet.

By reducing your carbohydrates your body will not produce too much insulin (a hormone that tells your body to store up nutrients) consuming too much carbohydrates causes this to happen which is why carbs are seen as the bad guys. The overload of insulin tells the body to convert the carbohydrates you ate into fat stores around your belly, thighs, buttocks and other areas.

Carbohydrates are not totally the bad guys if you limit them and balance them with low-fat protein this will keep your insulin levels balanced. I like this diet because it's not so much a diet, it's more of a eating plan. The only problem I have with the zone diet is calculating meals and snacks every day is not totally convenient, with 5 hours of exercise a week and a variety of balanced meals consisting of low gi carbs, protein and veg is a simpler formula to lose weight.

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

The south beach to me is an improved version of the atkins diet because it does allow "good" carbohydrates like fruit and foods with a low glycemic (Gi) index. The south beach diet gives you the freedom to snack all day if you feel the need to and not to worry about counting calories.

This diet is a complete waste of time because if you give people in search of losing weight the go-ahead to eat a portion as big as they like, they probably will, I know I would if I didn't know any better. Even eating the healthiest foods if you consume too much you will still put on weight.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

Weight watchers have created their own brand of foods with low calories from full dinners to ice cream. I must say weight watchers have tried to make counting calories as simple as they can here by running a points system.

Their point system runs something like this: each food has a point value ranging from 0 for jelly to 8 for pizza. Depending on your bodyweight, you are allowed a certain amount of points daily, if you stay under your points you lose weight.

With weight watchers you are allowed to bank points and use them over days, exercise also earns you points. When you're feeling down in the dumps or lacking in the motivation department you can go to daily weight watchers meetings and get great tips and motivation from others who have overcome their obstacles and achieved there goals.

I believe weight watchers has stood the test of time because they focus more on long term healthy eating rather than restrictive dieting, we are all human and sometimes we desire some of our favorite dessert or pizza without having to feel like a failure. I feel this is totally acceptable and is a good approach to achieving your goals.

THE GI DIET

This diet definitely takes the No.1 spot for me, because it's more of a eating plan than a restrictive diet. The GI diet also teaches you that carbs are not the bad guys after all, it's the type of carbs you eat that is important.

Put simply the GI diet is a scale which charts how quickly a food is converted into sugar in the body. Foods that chart as a high G.I number are converted into sugar more quickly than foods that have a low G.I number, the scale is based on a rating of 1 to 100.

So why is the G.I number important?

If a food is rated high on the G.I scale your body is more likely to store fat, this is due to insulin which is the primary storage hormone in your body and is used to help get nutrients into the different cells of your body. High G.I foods raise our blood sugar so rapidly that insulin has to be released in our body to bring our blood sugar down to a normal baseline, in order for insulin to bring our blood sugar levels down it has to store the sugar

It's a simple stimulus - response system that works to keep blood sugar levels in balance in the body.

So how does this affect your fat loss?

I'll tell you how, just remember when insulin is present in your bloodstream, your body is in STORAGE mode and will NOT release fat from your fat cells to burn. So when your blood sugar levels are high, your body isn't burning fat.

Another thing is when your blood sugar is high, your body is using that blood sugar for energy instead of using fat. Sugar is the preferred fuel for your body because it's easier to use, but it confuses the body so the body takes a guess and always releases too much insulin to bring your blood sugar level down but too much insulin results in bringing your blood sugar levels too low leaving you feeling dizzy and lethargic craving for more sugary foods to perk yourself up again, this is where the vicious cycle starts.

How do you stop this cycle?

To stop this vicious cycle you need keep your blood sugar levels stable so your body stays in fat burning mode instead of STORAGE mode. You accomplish this by focusing on eating low G.I carbs (every G.I diet book gives you a list of low G.I foods)

When you eat low G.I foods, the carbs are converted into sugar at a slower, steadier rate into the body, this way your body doesn't have to panick and send out extra reserves of insulin in an emergency response, also your blood sugar levels will not drop so suddenly leaving you craving for more sugar an hour later.

The steady state you recieve from consuming low G.I foods will allow your body to access stored bodyfat and use this fat for energy instead of constantly relying on blood sugar. The bonus… you don't get as hungry and you feel more energised throughout the day with a leaner body to go with it.

G.I diet: A eating plan for life

Another advantage of the G.I diet is that it focuses on good amounts of protein, healthy fats and fiber, which is a well balanced diet.

The concept of the G.I diet is scientifically sound because it works and can be maintained for the rest of your life unlike many fad diets which cannot. Eating low G.I foods for fat loss can have a positive impact not only on your fat loss but on your mood and well being as well.

A diet that focuses on natural, unprocessed foods such as whole grains, quality lean proteins, healthy fats and lots of fiber is no doubt going to be a effective diet

About The Author
Rasheed 'the body sculptor' Aladel is a certified Fitness and Nutrition Expert to find out more from this author visit http://www.sculptrexfitness.co.uk

Health And Fitness Supplements For Women

By: Lynn VanDyke

Many health and fitness supplements for women are making headlines today. They promise to help you lose weight, feel great, and even shed the pounds where you hate them the most. But are these supplements safe for you to use? And do they follow through on their promises? More studies are showing that health and fitness supplements for women may be a poor decision when it comes to the health of your body, causing more problems than solutions.

One of the first things to keep in mind with health and fitness supplements for women is that many of these have not been scientifically tested. While they might say they have been tested in their labs, this is not a definite indication of quality. Since supplements are not monitored by the FDA or tested before they get on the shelves, they can contain harmful ingredients that are only found to be harmful once people start reporting problems. Another consideration is that those supplements that have been tested may not have been tested on women exclusively. This means that they may contain higher levels of some ingredients that are safe for men but not for women.


Most fitness experts will tell you that health and fitness supplements for women are not advisable. Not only are they not addressing the problems or habits that have caused weight or health issues, but they may be adding to the problems at the same time. For example, when the diet pills starting being sold with Ephedra, they worked great. They gave users a lot of energy and helped them lose weight by reducing their appetite. But as users started to report heart palpitations and even some deaths, the safety of these pills was called into question. For the time, they were even taken off the market. While they're back on the market now, this does not mean that they're safe for you to take. Those items on the market may be ticking time bombs in your body – and do you really want to be the test subject?

Buying health and fitness supplements for women isn't the answer to your weight and health woes. There are no quick fixes when it comes to your health and to your weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to exercise more and eat less. These simple steps will not only allow you to healthfully lose weight, but you can also ensure that no unforeseen side effects occur along the way.

The health and fitness supplements for women that line the shelves of stores might be appealing right now, but if you were to have some of the awful side effects happen to you, you might not feel the same way. Why not follow the common sense advice that has worked for so many others? Sure, it might take a longer time to lose the weight you want to lose, but isn't that worth it when it comes to saving your health?

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Lynn VanDyke is a master trainer and nutritionist focusing on straight-forward fat loss workouts. Her wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat is available for immediate download. Bonuses are being offered for a limited time only. Learn more about Melt the Fat!