It wasn’t all that long ago that the South Beach Diet was the hottest diet plan around. But then, as often happens, other diets started getting more attention. However, you may be surprised to know that the South Beach Diet is still being used by a lot of people to lose weight. It may not be the one getting the most notice, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is whether or not it’s an effective diet for losing weight, and on that count it works very well.

A good place to start is learning a bit about how the South Beach Diet works. It’s a fairly basic concept, but one that other diets have overlooked. What it does is change your cravings. You will retrain your body to stop craving bad food, and start craving good food instead. The other thing the diet does is it slowly lowers the amount of bad fats and carbohydrates that you are currently taking in.

Doing it this way allows you to make the needed changes to your diet without feeling like you are being deprived. That means you are much more likely to stick with it for the long term, and not only can you lose weight, but you will also keep it off. That’s certainly a good thing as far as diets are concerned.

The South Beach Diet has often been compared to the Atkins Diet, but they are not the same. Yes, they are both high protein diets, but that’s where any similarity ends. The Atkins Diet is noted for allowing people to eat as much fat and protein as they want, with the idea that calories aren’t the main problem. But this overlooks the fact that the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. The South Beach Diet let’s you eat plenty of eggs, cheese, vegetables, beef, fish and poultry, but there are also portion sizes (though these are generous).

The diet is divided into phases which are designed to help you make the transition from unhealthy eating habits to healthy ones. For example, the first phase will help you to get rid of things like white rice and bread, ice cream, alcohol (including beer), and baked goods. Now, that may sound like a tall order, but it can be done if you follow the diet. Remember, one of the aims of the South Beach Diet is to actually reset your cravings. If it helps any, Phase 1 of the diet is made to last for only two weeks.

Once you are done with Phase 1, you move on to Phase 2. You will be able to eat a wider range of foods, but there is no time limit on this second phase. That’s because Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet is meant to be followed until you reach your target weight. But the whole beauty of the diet is that Phase 1 actually sets you up to succeed at Phase 2.

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Let’s face it, going on a diet isn’t anybody’s idea of having a good time. At least not for the countless number pf people who have been on and off many diets. Now, they all have something in common, and that’s good intentions. Everybody that starts a diet has high hopes, and thinks they’ll be able to stick to it…this time. But then something happens and they slip a little. Then they feel bad and that leads to more slipping, and pretty soon you’re completely off your weight loss program and may even weigh more than when you started.

If this sounds like you, then you are not alone. In fact, it’s safe to say that more people go off their diets than stick to them. However, the good news is that there are some things you can do to greatly increase your chances of sticking to your diet, for good.

It’s all about preparation, and that comes in two forms.

1. Be prepared. You are going to be tempted to eat “forbidden” foods any time you change your diet. Therefore, you have to either not have any forbidden foods or you have to avoid them.

It all starts with which weight loss plan you choose. The best thing you can do is to select one that allows you to eat as many different foods as possible. This way you won’t be tempted to splurge, as the splurges will be built in. One of the most popular diets says you have to basically eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Sure, it may be effective, but it’s next to impossible to stick to. Think about it, it’s not asking you to give up one or two foods, it’s asking you to not eat an entire group of foods! That’s almost begging for the diet to fail.

Of course we all have some foods that we just can’t seem to get enough of; foods that we feel addicted to. Maybe you can’t limit yourself to only one or two chocolate chip cookies, or maybe you always eat at least half a bag of potato chips. Whatever the case, you know yourself best, so your best line of defense is to not have those particular foods in the house.

2. Prepared foods. If you are used to eating fast food, or ready-made foods from the supermarket, then switching over to eating healthier can be a real chore. Chances are you will be eating more fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean protein. This usually means cooking from scratch. But it doesn’t have to be inconvenient. You can buy pre-cut frozen fruits and vegetables, making preparation just as easy as any convenience food. Food makers are also getting wise to the idea that people are concerned about their health. It used to be the only frozen dinners you could get were high-fat, calorie-laden fare such as meat loaf or fried chicken; and they didn’t taste all that great either. Times have changed. Now you can get low-calorie frozen meals that not only help you to lose weight, but taste great, too.

Tags: Atkins, Carbohydrates, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Countless Number, Different Foods, Eating Habits, Face, Fruits And Vegetables, Going On A Diet, Good Intentions, Having A Good Time, Healthy Diet, High Hopes, Leads, Losing Weight, Popular Diets, Potato Chips, Splurge, Weight Loss Plan, Weight Loss Program —

Losing weight can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be the impossible task that all the t.v. ads make it out to be. They try to make it seem harder than it is because they want you to believe that it is hard and the only way you will succeed is if you buy and use their products. Not true. Some simple diet tips that you can follow everyday is really all you need.

Before you start any diet and exercise program make sure you talk to your doctor. She will let you know what, if any, modifications you should make based on your current health situation.

Here are some easy to follow tips that you can start using right now!

1. Losing weight is a combination of eating a well balanced diet and getting your body moving. Don’t waste time looking for ineffective “quick fixes” just approach your weight loss from a place of reasonable expectations and you won’t be disappointed.

2. Understand that getting in better shape is a process and it will take time. If you have a big event coming up and you want to lose weight before the big day, don’t wait until the last minute, start now.

3. Losing weight and getting in shape is more about a lifestyle change (which is permanent) rather than a “diet” (which many people think of as temporary).

4. Eat a well balanced diet rich in lean proteins and very light on carbohydrates and fats (my personal opinion is that any eating plan that totally restricts fats or carbs is unrealistic and will be difficult to stay with forever. Remember, this is about lifestyle change so if the changes you make aren’t permanent your weight loss won’t be permanent. Instead focus on balance in your diet and you will have more success).

5. One point I have to make about what I said in step 4 is that if you are looking for some quick results just to jump start your weight loss efforts it is ok to use a restrictive diet. If you are planning on going carb free for just the first two weeks, and then add carbs back into your diet in moderation, just to give you a jump start, than by all means, do that.

6. It’s very easy to get focused on the outside of the body and forget that everything you see on the outside actually starts on the inside. Make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs. Add a multi vitamin to make sure.

7. Don’t forget about the benefits of getting enough sleep, quitting bad habits like smoking, and drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Most professionals recommend getting half your body weight in ounces of water everyday.

So, if you weight 125 lbs, you would divide that (or whatever your weight is) by 2 to get half. That is the number of ounces of water you should drink everyday. So in this example you would need to drink about 62 ounces of water everyday.

8. Find an exercise plan that you enjoy so you will stick with it. Not everyone wants to go to a gym, hop on a treadmill for 30 minutes and then lift weights. While this is a great workout plan, it may not be for you, so you need to find one that is.

Remember, exercise can be pretty much anything that gets your body moving. So, if you like to dance, then dance. If you enjoy the water; start swimming. If you love taking your dog for a walk, add a few more walks in everyday. Just find what you like to do, do it, and you will see results.

9. Even if you don’t want to join a gym, you should incorporate some weight training into your exercise routine. You can buy a few dumbbells and do some workouts at home but don’t neglect your muscle tone when you are working on improving your body.

Enjoy these diet tips and put them to work for you right away.

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For anyone who has undergone the gastric bypass operation you are well aware of the challenges that can come with such a limited food intake. You know more than anyone how difficult it can be to make sure to eat properly proportioned and prepared meals so that you not only get all the nutrients you need but you can avoid a lot of the fats, carbs, and sugars that you don’t need, and that can actually make you sick. That’s why it’s so important to find good gastric bypass recipes, and the good news is that there are many places to look.

Of course, for several weeks after the procedure you will be greatly limited on the types of foods you can eat, at first you won’t be able to eat solid foods at all just Jell-o and protein shakes, then you will move up to pureed foods and finally, you will be able to eat most types of food. After the surgery, don’t be surprised if the foods you used to enjoy no longer satisfy you. Some people have reported that after the surgery they no longer liked to eat certain foods, such as meat. This may or may not happen to you, you will be spending some time relearning what you like, and what agrees with you, and what you don’t like or what doesn’t agree with you.

One thing you will need to do is to avoid eating too much processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugars. You will want to have a diet that is made up more of healthy, low or non processed whole foods. These are more nutrient rich anyway and are better for everyone, not just those that have had the surgery. If you eat too much highly processed carbs and sugar you will very likely get quite sick. You will experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Since there is a very real danger that you can get a ‘clog’ in your stomach, you have to make sure to thoroughly chew all of your food. For this reason you may want to avoid foods that have a very tough texture such as some cuts of meat. Raw vegetables might also prove troublesome to some people and you may want to use mostly cooked vegetables such as cooked carrots.

There are very real, and important, things you need to consider post surgery when it comes to preparing the best meals for your body and your overall health. If you are interested in finding gastric bypass recipes there are many places you can look but one of the first places you should check out is right at your doctors office. They will most likely be able to provide you with some recipes to get you started, other than that you can find recipes online, or at your local library or bookstore. With the increasing numbers of people who are having the surgery done, finding tasty recipes is just going to get easier and easier.

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