Diets and Dieting

Obesity and being overweight is a problem all over the world and especially in the United States with over 200 million Americans being classified as overweight. These people have a critical risk for developing serious chronic diseases, early disability and even death as a result of being overweight.

Being overweight also harms a person's sense of well being. They may have lowered self-esteem, depression and eating disorders. In today's social environment, the ideal physical form is slim and sexy. Failure to match this form can destroy a person's self image.

The keys to dieting and losing weight fast in a healthy way are discipline and the will to achieve the desired body weight. This natural process involves moderate diet of healthy foods and enough exercise to burn approximately 150 calories a day, every day. It is a good idea to check with your family physician before you begin any type of diet or exercise regimen.

Eat moderately and frequently - It is smarter to eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours instead of three large ones daily. This burns off more calories & you tend to not get hungry before your next meal. Carry healthy snacks like cut up veggies and stay away from junk food.

Exercise - Put together a good exercise routine that will firm up your muscles. It can be just 15-30 minutes, but make sure it is a workout that truly makes you sweat & breathe harder. Every extra bit of exercise you can do will help you reach your goal. It all adds up. Some experts recommend wearing a pedometer and aiming for walking 10,000 steps a day.

Water - Make sure to drink plenty of water. Water suppresses appetite. The recommended water intake per day is 8 to 12 glasses/day. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. If you do not like to drink water, there are alternatives such as green tea, sugar-free lemon-aid and no calorie drink mixes.

Fiber - Fiber is important in your diet because it helps control blood sugar level, lower blood cholesterol and manage weight. Most people today do not eat near enough fiber in their diet. Some healthy sources of fiber are broccoli, potatoes, apples, beans, brown rice, whole grains, and strawberries.

Carbohydrates - The key is eating mostly complex carbohydrates (moderate amount) and eating them with protein. Complex carbs are broken down to sugar at a much slower rate during the digestive process than simple carbohydrates; they therefore do not raise the blood sugar levels as fast or as much as simple carbs. Examples of complex carbs are whole grains, broccoli, squash & berries. Simple carbohydrates are sugar, alcohol, full calorie sodas, refined white flour, potatoes and most desserts.

Protein - Protein is a vital part of your diet. Every time you eat, be sure to include some protein, it will aid you to feel full faster, prevents sugar cravings and maintains muscle mass, which is a very vital part in burning fat. Good sources of protein are: fish, poultry, beef, pork, soy (tofu). Trim off visible fat. Beware of high fat/ high calorie sauces & gravies as they make weight loss difficult.

Non-caloric Sweetener - Sugar can be a huge downfall for someone wanting to lose weight. Today, a person can still enjoy sweets due to the availability of good calorie-free sweeteners.  The most common one is Splenda/ Aspartame. It is a chemical, not natural. It does a good job of sweetening both hot and cold foods. The body does not recognize it as a carbohydrate so it has no glycemic effect. Aspartame has been linked with toxic poisoning and illnesses.

Xylitol looks and tastes like sugar. It is natural and is widely distributed throughout nature in small amounts. It has only 40% of the calories of sugar and has little to no glycemic effect (it does not cause elevated blood sugar levels). It also is effective in both hot and cold foods and is very beneficial in reducing tooth decay.

Stevia, is natural and tastes sweeter than sugar and works well for both cold and hot foods. Our bodies do not metabolize or break down the stevia complex so it does not affect blood sugar levels at all.

Diets and Weight Loss

Further Information Regarding Diets and Dieting

How to Get Slim in10 Easy Steps
What if an ad on the television offered the claim that by taking just ten easy-to-do tips and incorporating them into your daily eating plan, you could slim down without dieting. Well, you can take that one to the bank...Getting slim is just that easy with these few changes you can make to your food intake.

Slimming Tips for Losing Weight Easier
If you feel you need to lose some pounds and inches, then you don't have to resort to a diet. Instead, you can make some minor changes to the way that you eat and your lifestyle in order to reach your goals.

What is the Best Alcohol to Drink When on a Diet?
Alcohol is empty calories if you look at from the calorie perspective. There are good qualities to alcohol assuming that the consumption is moderate and not associated with any addiction. Different alcohols or spirits can be a part of a good weight loss or healthy diet.

Diets Bad for Teeth Also Bad for the Body
One viewpoint is that certain fermentable carbohydrates are beneficial to general health and that the harmful dental consequences of such a diet should be managed by the tools found in the oral hygiene section of drugstores. A contrasting viewpoint suggests that fermentable carbohydrates are bad for both dental and general health, and that both dental and general health need to be maintained by restricting fermentable carbohydrates.

Nutritional Authority David Wolfe Shares Important Diet Information
In this excerpt, David Wolfe shares the experiences that led him to be a health educator and tips on improving your metabolism. The Fountain of Youth World Summit with David Wolfe, nutrition authority and author of Sunfood Success System.

Exenatide Promotes Weight Loss with Diet and Exercise
In combination with diet and exercise, the diabetes drug exenatide helped nondiabetic, obese individuals lose over three times more weight than those receiving a placebo, or dummy treatment, for 6 months. The results of the new study will be presented Thursday at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Reduced Carbohydrate Diet Keeps Full Feeling Longer
A modest reduction in the amount of carbohydrates eaten, without calorie restriction and weight loss, appears to increase a sense of fullness, which may help people eat less, a preliminary study found. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

White Tea - Solution to Obesity?
Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism have shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells.

Low Sugar Drinks Help Stem Obesity and Diabetes Epidemics
Strong evidence developed at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and elsewhere shows that sugary drinks are an important contributor to the epidemic rise of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the United States.

Losing the Last Ten Pounds is the Hardest
Dr. Sanford Siegal, Medical Director of Miami, Florida-based weight-loss practice, Siegal Medical Group, today confirmed the widely held suspicion among dieters that the most challenging part of reaching a healthful weight is shedding the last ten pounds.

Chinese Slimming Pills can be Health Risk
Taking herbal food supplements is certainly not free of risk. Since 2005, the poison emergency centers in the German cities of Freiburg and Göttingen have registered a total of 17 patients with health problems after taking Chinese slimming capsules.

Beverage Consumption a Bigger Factor in Weight Loss
When it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be more important than what you eat, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Fiber Rich Diet for Weight Loss
A healthy diet is a balance of good nutrition, calories, vitamins, and fiber. Fiber by definition is the part of plant foods that is not digestible but necessary for us because it moves foods through our digestive system. Our daily fiber requirement is 25-30 grams. An average person gets only 5-8 dietary grams of fiber in a day. This article will show you how easy it is to add fiber to your diet.

Why Women Store Fat Differently than Men
On average, women have 6 to 11 percent more body fat than men. Studies show oestrogen reduces a woman's ability to burn energy after eating, resulting in more fat being stored around the body. The likely reason is to prime women for childbearing, the review suggests.

Rachel Ray Diet to Stay Fit
Rachel Ray is a renowned cook, media personality and author of several best seller books. She is famous for her fast, healthy & easy recipes. Her take on diet says 'no diet.' She never favors crash diet.

Calorie Shifting Dieting Plan
When it comes to diet and exercise, many people find that they may be having trouble sticking with anything for more than a couple of days. Whether you are just dieting or just exercising you may find that you are having trouble because of the difficult techniques. No matter the case, it may be time for a change and that is where the Calorie Shifting Diet Plan can come in handy.