There is no doubt that the market place is filled with countless programs that claim to be the last word in healthy eating diets. One plan may allow you to eat all of the whole grains and vegetables you want, while the next may all but eliminate them. The problem is that there is no way they can all be right, and not all of them can be wrong; this leads to confusion, and this confusion is often all the excuse people need to not try any healthy diet at all. How are you supposed to tell which ones are good or bad; and which ones should be avoided versus which ones are worth trying?

What may surprise you is that some of the most popular diets are not necessarily the most healthy. The truth is that a lot of them are based around a gimmick of some kind, and the rest of the diet relies on some basic principles found in all healthy eating diets. This creates the illusion that the gimmick makes it work, but the harsh reality is that the gimmick is often the least healthy aspect of such diets.

Still, it’s hard to convince people that a certain diet doesn’t work. There is a lot of psychology that goes along with it, but the simple explanation is that these people are invested in believing their diet of choice works, and that the gimmicky portion is the secret. However, there are many people who don’t resort to fad diets to get healthy. Instead, they develop a well-balanced plan of their own by taking the best elements from several healthy eating diets.

One of the fad diets to make a big splash recently was the low-carb diet. These diets really did work for a good number of people. How they worked, and whether they’re a good long-term option remains debatable, but they did work. The catch is that there are very few people that should b restricting carbohydrate intake to this degree. Sure, it’s a good idea to get rid of the “bad” carbs found in white flour, white rice and sugar, but it’s not a good idea to give up the “good” carbs which are high in fiber and loaded with nutrients that can’t be found anywhere else.

So, a low-carb diet may help somebody to lose weight, but it can’t really be counted among healthy eating diets because it falls short on fiber as well as various important nutrients. But, somebody can take a part of the typical low-carb diet and use it to create some of their own specific plan.

Of course there are tons of other diets that say you should do this or do that, or not to do it at all. But healthy eating plans don’t have to rely on gimmicks, they simply rely on common sense. Instead, it’s just a matter of eating a variety of wholesome foods and keeping them on balance, and in this day and age, that may be the biggest gimmick of all.

Tags: Atkins, Bad Carbs, Carb Diets, Carbohydrate Intake, Choice Works, Confusion, Eating Habits, Fad Diets, Fruits And Vegetables, Gimmick, Good Carbs, Harsh Reality, Healthy Diet, Healthy Diets, Illusion, Last Word, Losing Weight, Low Carb Diet, No Doubt, Popular Diets, Term Option, Vegetables, White Rice, Whole Grains —

Simple Ways To Lose Weight – Watching What You Eat

There is no question that obesity is a big problem in the United States and other Western nations, and it’s not showing any signs of going away soon. If you have been looking for simple ways to lose weight, then chances are you have stumbled across a few fad diets, perhaps you have even tried a few. But there is only one way to shed those extra pounds: you have to burn more calories than you take in. One way to decrease how many calories you take in is by controlling your portions. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

The first thing you need to know is what a normal portion is for most of the foods you eat. You may be quite shocked to find out that you have been regularly eating three to four times the normal portion. For example, a serving of meat is considered to be 3 ounces, that works out to be about the same dimensions as a deck of cards. A serving of ice cream is a half cup, so if you eat a pint you will have consumed four servings. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Most of us will mindlessly fill our entire plate when we sit down to eat. We don’t really think about what we put on the plate, we just know that it should be full. Therefore, you can trick yourself into eating less by using smaller plates, cups and bowls when you eat. That way there will be less plate to fill.

You can also look to tricks used by restaurants to make your plate look fuller. A favorite is to use garnishes like thinly slice fruit, raw kale and fresh parsley. These aren’t normally eaten, but they take up extra room and give the illusion of having more food on your plate.

If you put the healthiest foods on your plate first, then you will automatically limit how much of the less-than-healthy food you’ll have room for. For example, if you start by putting veggies on your plate, then a small salad, you will be forcing yourself to take a smaller portion of meat.

Did you know that the type of glass you put your beverages in makes a difference? This is nothing more than an illusion, but it ranks as one of the simple ways to lose weight. Taller, thinner glasses look like they hold more, so use those. If you’re having a cold drink, then fill the glass with ice first, then pour in your beverage. Yes, restaurants use this trick, too.

Only cook what you’ll eat. A lot of recipes are designed to feed a family of four, but if there are only two of you, or you’re on your own, then reducing those recipes will help to keep your portions under control. After all, you can’t eat more of a certain dish if there isn’t more there for you to eat.

Tags: Bowls, Burn Calories, Calories, Deck Of Cards, Eating Habits, Extra Room, Fad Diets, Healthiest Foods, Healthy Food, How Many Calories, Illusion, Kale, Losing Weight, obesity;, Parsley, Pint, Proverbial Iceberg, Restaurants, Shed, Signs, Sit, Veggies, Ways To Lose Weight —

If you live in a part of the world where the winters are cold, then chances are good that you look forward to summer every year. The warm weather, being outside, picnics…and going swimming. Wait! That all sounds good except for the swimming. Sure, you enjoy summer, but let’s just say you’re not quite ready to reveal to much at the beach. To put it another way, you are concerned about summer weight loss. If so, you should know that you are not alone. Perhaps millions of people go through this exact same struggle, year after year.

Of course winter has its strong points, too. You can stay indoors all you like and nobody questions it, you can sit by the fireplace and read good books, or just watch television. Throw in a few big holidays…and big eating, and it’s easy to see how your waistline could increase during the colder months. But no matter, summer is coming sooner than you would like and now you have to lose some weight.

If you have found yourself facing this dilemma in years past, then you know how difficult it can be to lose enough weight in time for summer. Perhaps you have tried DVDs, gym memberships, fad diets, diet pills or starving yourself to get rid of a few pounds. But summer weight loss doesn’t mean you have to do drastic things to look good in swimwear. The real secret is to make better food choices and to get yourself moving.

One of the great things about spring and summer is that the grocery stores start getting in fresher produce. That means you can stock up on some of the tastiest foods from nature. And eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the keys to losing weight without taking too much effort. These foods are low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and nutrients that help you to stay healthy.

Another benefit of fruits and vegetables is that they tend to be high in fiber. Fiber helps keep things moving along in your digestive system, but it also makes you feel more full. Speaking of which, most people will heavier, more rich foods when it’s colder outside. So, the foods you eat in summer may already be lighter to begin with. There are exceptions, of course, such as thick burgers made on the grill. But you don’t have to give those up. Just aim for a smaller portion and load up on the foods that are lower in calories.

Summer weight loss may seem like an impossible task, but there are a lot of advantages working in your favor. You have more access to fresher, healthier foods. You will most likely eat foods that are lighter. Plus, because it’s summer you will probably be a lot more active than you were during the winter. Either way, the choice is yours. You can either keep doing what you’re doing now and be embarrassed all summer long, or you can take action and actually do something about it.

Tags: Calories, Course Winter, Diet Pills, Digestive System, Dilemma, Eating Habits, Fad Diets, food choices;, Fresh Fruits And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, Going Swimming, Good Books, Grocery Stores, Gym Memberships, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating, Losing Weight, Nutrients, Picnics, Spring And Summer, Strong Points, Vitamins And Minerals, Waistline, Warm Weather —

Fastest Way To Lose Weight – Take Action Right Now

We all want something good to happen quickly, but the truth is that the fastest way to lose weight is to make simple daily changes to your lifestyle. Do not think of your weight loss as a diet and do not put it in terms of having to lose weight in a few weeks so you can be ready for your class reunion. Doing that will only set you up for failure.

The first thing you need to do is plan on spending all the time it will take. It’s just not healthy to plan on using fad diets or potentially dangerous supplements to lose weight. What you really want is a long term weight loss routine where you balance a healthy eating plan with a sensible workout plan.

Of course you should talk to your doctor before you start any weight loss plan. This is even more important if you have any health issues. Make sure you have your doctors ok before you start on any diet or exercise plan.

If you can find someone, like a dietician, to help you work out a sensible eating plan, than by all means, make your life easier and get some help.

If that just isn’t in your budget, don’t worry, you can figure it out on your own. You can get many quality cookbooks online or at your local library. Just pick ones that have recipes that you think you will enjoy making… and eating. Also make sure that you have a sensible eating plan. Don’t use recipes that don’t have a healthy balance of proteins, carbs and fats.

Then you go out and start to exercise. If you want to join a gym and / or get a personal trainer, than again, do it. If that isn’t in your budget, or your comfort zone, than you can do it on your own. All you really need to do is get moving. How much you move will depend on how much you have been doing up until now.

If you’ve been pretty active, you can just add some workouts but if you haven’t spent much time doing physical activities you will need to start more slowly.

I think the very best way to get in shape is to find one, or more, physical activities that you actually enjoy doing. Too many people get caught up in the rut of thinking they have to go to the gym and spend hours on the treadmill or some other boring exercise.

Instead of doing that, why not find a class that incorporates dance with a fitness workout, if you like to dance that is. How about martial arts, swimming, biking, hiking, ice skating, skiing, etc. Just find something that is fun for you and you will stay with it.

Hey, it’s not magic, there is no one size fits all approach, the truth is that the fastest way to lose weight is the path that you will be most likely to stay with for the rest of your life. Weight loss should be viewed as a lifestyle change not a quick fix. Quick fixes are only very temporary and you want your weight loss to be permanent.

Tags: Best Way To Get In Shape, Carbs, Class Reunion, Comfort Zone, Dietician, Eating Habits, Exercise Plan, Fad Diets, Fastest Way To Lose Weight, Fats, Health Issues, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eating Plan, Local Library, Long Term Weight Loss, Losing Weight, Personal Trainer, Proteins, Quality Cookbooks, Weight Loss Plan, Weight Loss Routine, Workout Plan, Workouts —