Diets to Lose Weight

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What Diets Are There That Claim To Help You Lose Weight?



If you’re looking to lose weight, you’re probably wondering what diets there are out there that can help you to lose weight.

The problem is, a lot of these diets simply don’t work. Or worse – they are bad for your health.

On this page, I intend to take a look at some of the most well-known diets around, and ask the question – does this diet really help you to lose weight?

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Low Calorie Diet – Will It Help You Lose Weight?



For many years, the standard advice to many overweight people is to cut down on the total number of calories they eat in a day.

The problem with this kind of diet, is that it doesn’t take into account the TYPE of food that people eat. The TYPE of food you eat is far more important.

For example, you could eat only a few calories, but if those calories all came from chocolate, you’re not going to be very healthy.

On the other hand, you could eat lots of calories, but if all of those calories came from whole foods such as wholegrain cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables, and quality proteins, then you would be far more healthy.

Also, if you suddenly reduce your calories intake, you metabolism will slow down to accommodate this, and your body will merely burn fewer calories.

Low Fat Diet – Good For Losing Weight?

Cutting out fatty food



There are good fats, and there are bad fats. Our body needs fat, but the RIGHT kind of fat. It is SATURATE fat which is the bad kind. We need less of this kind of fat, and more POLYNSATURATE and MONOUNSATURATE fats, as well as OMEGA OILS such as Omega 3 (from fish) and Omega 6 (from seeds).

Of course, cut out the SATURATED fat from your diet. However, you will not lose weight from just doing that. You need to eat healthy in other ways too, byt eating lots of wholefoods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which are full of the nutrients that your body needs.

Low Carb Diets – Can You Lose Weight?

Cutting down on the carbohydrate in your diet



The problem here is that our bodies need carbohydrate for energy. But again, just like with the fat, there are good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates.

The kind of carbohydrates you need to avoid are the refined kind, such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, sugar, chocolate, biscuits, etc.

Good carbohydrate means whole foods such as whole grain bread, wholemeal pasta, oats, beans, lentils, and also fresh fruits and vegetables. You are much more likely to lose weight eating good carbohydrates like this.

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How to Fast for Weight Loss and Health

The concept of fasting for weight loss scares people away. However it is not as hard as it seems to be. Fasting helped me to lose weight so I know this first hand. It is especially easy when you get fed up of your extra weight, start having health and numerous other problems because of it.

You just have to be ready to lose weight and then everything falls into place.

Here is an article on fasting:

Fasting for Weight Loss
Fasting has been used for ages to recover health. Body spends a lot of energy to digest food. Fasting provides the body with an opportunity to rest and self-heal. It also gives rest to digestive organs and helps strengthen their mucosal lining.

Regular fasting results in noticeable improvements in health; increases energy level, stabilizes blood pressure, leads to weight loss.

Fasting is usually done for health restoration purposes and not for weight loss: weight loss is just an added benefit.

Do not fast if you have diabetes or are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have any chronic disease it is better to consult a medical doctor before starting a fasting program.

There are different fasting programs. The real fasting is a complete refraining from any food, be it solid or liquid. Juice fasting doesn’t provide with the same effects as water fasting. Water fasting is the quickest way to health recovery. It is a way to detoxify the body and should be undertaken as a first step to a healthy weight loss process.

Healthy weight loss can help the body to get rid of toxins, retained water and extra fat. Fasting can help with all of them.

One-day water fasting is the best way to fast for someone with a busy schedule. It can be done each week on the weekend and will not interfere with your work schedule. You shouldn’t plan any major activities for that day and be prepared to rest all day long.

Here are some tips for the mini-fasting day:



1. Start your day with a glass of water at a room temperature or hot water with a thin slice of organic lemon. And then drink 8-10 glasses of water during the day. You can also drink herbal teas or hot lemon water.

2. Make sure to put on warm clothes so you won’t be cold.

3. Brush your body in the direction of heart starting from your feet to improve the blood and lymph circulation and take a hot shower afterwards.

4.Try not to watch the TV.

5.Take a walk in the first part of the day if it is warm outside.

6. If you are hungry, drink more water.

You might experience headache, weakness: these are normal reactions to fasting. As soon as you start eating they will disappear.

Next day drink a glass of water or hot lemon water before you start eating. Do not break your fast with heavy food. Start with shakes or smoothies, salads, vegetable soups, fruits, dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Return slowly to your regular diet from the day two.

Here is the site the program that I recommend: Body Cleansing for Weight Loss and Health

http://www.quicknichewebsites.com/weightlosspaths/detox_program

Weight Loss and Vital Energy

Proper energy flow in the body promotes good health and prepares the mind for weight loss.

If you feel negative and tired most of the time and do not feel motivated to do things that are good for your health the chances are your energy flow is blocked.

There are different ways to improve the energy flow in the body. Here are some of them:

1. Getting a good night sleep. If you don’t sleep well at night you will crave sweets or junk food throughout the day or just eat continuously without even being consciously aware of it.

If you have sleeping problems, consider natural remedies. Good night sleep is one of the secrets of losing weight and maintaining the ideal weight.

2. Another way to restore the energy flow in the body is through deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, guided imaginery and chakra energy balancing.

Chakras and the Energy Flow in the Body is an excellent article that can help you to balance your chakras and improve the energy flow.

3. You can also restore the energy level in the body through non-competitive, meditative exercise systems such as Yoga or Qigong.

These exercise systems can help you lose weight in many different ways. Each of these systems deserves a separate article.

In this article let’s consider the benefits of Qigong for weight loss:

- Deep breathing exercises promote the flow of qi (energy), strengthen the willpower and thus help to cope with cravings and staying on a weight loss program till the desired outcome is achieved.

- Qigong helps to clear the energy blockages in the body. When the energy moves freely, the major energy centers that nourish the endocrine glands get energized. This helps regulate the hormones production in the body and hence help to maintain the ideal weight and good health.

- When practiced on an empty stomach qigong helps increase the metabolic rate and burn fat.

4. Vital energy can also be derived from food. This is another reason to eat healthy food. Overcooked foods, non-organic foods treated with herbicides and pesticides, foods that are too spicy, too fatty, too sweet, foods that over-stimulate the body do not nourish the body and do not provide the body with vital energy. They actually deplete the energy of the body because an extra energy is needed for their digestion.

5. Acupressure is another way to promote the energy flow in the body. Stimulation of the acupressure points related to spleen, large intestine, stomach and gall bladder used in conjunction with other weight loss tools can facilitate the weight loss process.

Liver Health and Extra Weight

While decreasing the caloric intake can lead to weight loss, in some cases this doesn’t work.

If you are seriously overweight, tried many diets and couldn’t lose weight, the answer might be the liver dysfunction. Some symptoms of liver dysfunction are sluggish metabolism, accumulation of fat around the upper abdomen, liver pain, digestive problems, depression, cravings for sugar, allergies and food sensitivity, recurrent infections, excessive sweating and hormonal imbalances.

Some of the causes of liver dysfunction are reactions to drugs and toxins, incorrect diet or alcohol abuse.

Liver purifies the blood. If it can’t perform this vital function, it will affect the entire body. Liver also plays an important role in fat metabolism. If it functions properly it burns the fat and creates the energy needed for the body.

Proper liver functioning also helps take the extra fat out of the body. If the liver doesn’t function properly, fat is stored in the body. In this case the healthy liver tissue is replaced by fat so liver becomes “fatty”. If this condition is present, it is practically impossible to lose weight without addressing it.

Taking appetite suppressants or other weight loss aids won’t help in this case: a complete change of diet is needed. You also need to follow a detoxification program. One day fasting with hot lemon water performed once a week over a period of time can help cleanse the liver.

You will also need to take multivitamin, multimineral supplements and herbs that support the liver function. Some liver tonics are milk thistle, dandelion, green tea, vitamin B complex, vitamins C and E. This will restore the normal functioning of the liver. Only after that you’ll be able to lose weight by following a weight loss program.

If you keep the liver in a good shape you’ll be able to easily lose weight and maintain it.

Some Causes of Weight Gain

There are many health conditions that can contribute to weight gain.

In order to lose weight you need to eliminate the underlying cause. While it is important to visit a medical practitioner and follow the recommendations, the simple change in diet and detoxification can provide invaluable support in curing the underlying conditions and helping you to lose weight.

Let’s consider some of the weight gain causes:

1. Hypothyroidism.

Some signs of hypothyroidism:
Extreme fatigue, thinning of hair, constipation, weight gain.

Foods to consume in case of hypothyroidism:

- Seaweed (kelp, spirulina, wakame, etc). It is rich in iodine that supports the thyroid function;

- Organic meat, chicken, turkey, low-fat organic yogurt and milk, almonds, avocados, bananas, lentils. They contain an amino-acid tyrosine that promotes the thyroid function;

- Garlic, onion, seafood, fish, Brazil nuts. They contain selenium necessary for the thyroid functioning;

- Other foods – olive oil, avocado, carrots, sunflower seeds, bananas.

Avoid: sugar, cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower; soy products; any animal products that are not organic, stimulants (coffee, alcohol, etc). Non-organic products increase the body’s estrogen that inhibits the thyroid functioning.

Gluten might also be a cause. Decrease the consumption of wheat as well as rye, barley, spelt, kamut and corn products. Try this for a week and see how you feel.

2. Estrogen dominance

Some signs of estrogen dominance:

Fat in the belly area that is hard to lose; water retention, different allergies, frequent sinus infections, mood swings, fatigue.

Foods to consume in case of estrogen dominance:

Consume only organic foods to avoid the estrogen containing herbicides and pesticides to enter your body; consume foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acid such as fish, flaxseed; onion, garlic, citrus fruits, bee products.

Avoid: Soy products, non-organic meat and milk, animal fat, Omega-6 rich oils (canola, corn, soy, etc)

If you have any health conditions that contributed to your weight gain, the simple calorie count will not help. Make sure you treat the underlying condition to help you lose weight and maintain it.

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Heavy Metal Intoxication and Body Weight

If you want to attain you ideal weight and improve your health in the process you need to start with detoxification. Everything in our bodies is interrelated so you really can’t change something without changing something else.

Let’s consider one example of such interrelationship: heavy metal intoxication and weight problems. How are they related?

Some studies show the connection between certain chemical substances accumulated in the body and underactive thyroid function leading to weight gain; some other chemical substances accumulated in the body contribute to weight loss.

For example, lead toxicity can result in weight loss while mercury toxicity can result in hypothyroidism and hence the weight gain. Heavy metals also interact with each other, for example the presence of lead can make the detrimental effects of mercury much stronger.

Heavy metal toxicity also results in different digestive tract disturbances such as bloating, constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and others. Heavy metals accumulated in the body can cause the liver damage and since the fat regulation is among the important functions of the liver, it will be impaired too.

Don’t think that heavy metal exposure is a problem for people who directly work with them; all of us are widely exposed to heavy metals in our daily lives. Cosmetics, deodorants, dental amalgams, newsprint, paint, birth control pills, aluminum foil, antiseptics, body powders, cheese, toothpaste, milk products, nasal sprays – all of them are sources of heavy metals. As you can see nobody is immune to them.

The heavy metal intoxication needs to be addressed before you can solve your weight-related problems.
You need to fine-tune your health if you want to attain and maintain your ideal weight.

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What to Do Before Going on a Diet

You consulted weight loss charts, calculated the BMI index, determined the ideal weight for your body frame. You know how much weight you need to lose. What to do next?

Before starting a weight loss diet visit a medical doctor for some tests. These tests will help determine if there are any underlying causes for your weight gain.

Below are few tests you should consider:

1) Blood tests. There are different blood tests – make sure to do the one that determines food intolerances. Food allergies (intolerances) result in different symptoms. Some of them are weight gain, headaches, chronic fatigue, constipation, depression.

2) Glucose tolerance test. Among other things this can help determine the insulin resistance that is one of the factors of weight gain.

3) Liver function tests. Liver plays a vital role in the fat metabolism process. Impaired liver function can lead to weight gain.

4) Thyroid test. Thyroid regulates the body’s metabolism. Consequently, the underactive thyroid leads to weight gain. It will also render inefficient your weight loss activities if you don’t take steps to cure this condition. This test is especially important if you tried unsuccessfully to lose weight in the past; if your energy levels are low.

5) Check up your adrenal glands functioning. Adrenal insufficiency can contribute to weight gain.

In general consider a check up of the entire endocrine system since hormones produced by different glands affect each other and the functioning of the body in various ways.

If you have any health problems that cause your weight gain or make the weight loss process inefficient consider a detoxification program in addition to your doctor’s prescriptions. This will help eliminate the cause of the weight gain and make it easier to lose weight.

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Exercise for Weight Loss and Health

All healthy weight loss programs advocate the importance of exercising in one way or another. However if I simply say to someone “you have to exercise more” there is not much value in this statement unless I explain why exercising is important, how to fit it into a busy schedule and how to stay motivated to exercise. These are the three important aspects that I want to cover here.

Benefits of exercising:

- Regular exercise increases the metabolic rate and helps burn fat; it can help you lose weight and maintain your ideal weight.

- Exercise can improve your mood because more endorphins and produced in the brain. Endorphins promote good mood and can help fight depression and reduce the negative consequences of stress on the body. Not exercising regularly leads directly to refrigerator meaning overeating and eating junk foods.

- Exercise improves the brain functioning and hence can increase your productivity and creativity. It can also increase the energy level.

- Exercise promotes the healthy heart, lungs, joints, hormonal system and improves the overall health in general.

How to stay motivated to exercise

- Define your goals – what benefits do you expect to receive from regular exercising? Do you want to lose weight, look younger, have more energy? If you keep in mind all the benefits you will receive, this will motivate you to continue.

- Schedule a fixed time for your workout the same way you would for an important event and treat it as such.

- Exercise with a partner. This way you will have a chance to interact more with someone you like and will have more fun. You can also motivate each other.

- Listen to your favorite music if you can (you can’t do that while practicing yoga, for example but you can while walking or jogging).

- Reward yourself if you meet your weekly goals, preferably not by eating fattening foods – get a massage or buy an interesting book, for example.

- If you get bored with your exercise routine, try a new class. There are lots of classes to choose from at your local YMCA or gym.

- Try competitive sports: this might be something that will keep you motivated.

- Join a club where you will have to pay membership fee on a monthly basis. This can serve as a motivation to go and exercise.

- Using positive affirmations can help you look forward to your workout. Repeat to yourself “I feel good about my workout”, “My body becomes firm and beautiful”, “I enjoy my exercise program”.

How to fit exercise comfortably into your schedule?

Different excuses not to exercises are just the excuses. “I don’t have time to exercise” is one of the most popular excuses.

- If you have time to watch one hour TV show, then you have 20 minutes to exercise during the commercial breaks.

- Simple 10 minutes of fast walking qualify as aerobic exercise.

- If you park your car far from a grocery store then 5 minutes of walk with groceries equally distributed in each hand can qualify for weight training.

- Jump a rope for 10 minutes at home – there is no need to go to a gym to do that.

You can find exercising opportunities everywhere – all you need is a little bit of creativity, not extra time.

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Three Weight Loss Tips

There are many aspects that play an important role in weight loss. Let’s consider some of them:

1. Fiber plays an important role in the diet. Besides the fact that fiber can minimize the risk of diabetes, colon cancer and other diseases, it also plays an important role in the weight loss process. Fiber can help clean the colon by helping to have regular bowel movements. It also helps to eliminate the toxic waste trapped in the body as well as fat. Fiber can also fill you up so you will not crave unhealthy food. Instead of considering appetite lowering drugs eat more fiber-containing foods. These foods are vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber helps to reduce cholesterol while insoluble fiber helps to clean the colon of toxic waste and hence prevent diseases like colon cancer.

In order to get all the benefits of fiber you need to consume about 30gm of fiber daily.

It is important to take fiber rich food with sufficient amount of water otherwise the increased consumption of fiber can actually cause constipation.

2. Water is another element of the magic weight loss formula. Water is an essential nutrient for the body. We can’t survive without water for extended periods of time. Water helps to clean the body of toxins; it plays an important role in all the biochemical reactions of the body; it also can fill you up so you will eat less. If you ask me what is the magical weight loss pill my answer would be – water. Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water daily.

3. Exercise -  as with any other weight loss component exercise is important not only for weight loss but for good health in general. If you don’t have time to exercise, try to find exercise in any activity that you do. For example, climb the stairs or walk instead of driving whenever possible. If you have time and resources you can also join health clubs for a complete weight loss exercise program.

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Mindfulness and Weight Loss

Mindfulness is being fully present, being aware of every moment of your life. We walk through our lives in a gaze. We make choices based on our previous experience, our habits so we don’t have to think.

Everything is put on autopilot. Our eating habits, exercising habits and everything else we do throughout the day are just wired in our brain. In order to change our habits we need to be conscious of them and then try to do things differently.

For example, I am looking for something to eat when my writing doesn’t move forward or I am tired and stressed out. Sometimes I don’t even notice how I go to refrigerator and open in search for food – it’s all automatic.

You might have a habit to eat while watching TV. Some people can eat a whole bag of chips in front of the TV while watching one hour TV series that usually happens after 7 pm – time when you normally have to stop eating to ensure the proper digestion. This is also a habit; something that we do without even being aware of it.

Mindfulness is the first step of the weight loss process. Without being aware what we do and how we do it we can’t make a decision to change it.

It is not easy to be fully present at any moment; it is just a matter of habit. Start doing the mundane task in the fully present state.

For example, while you wash dishes, pay attention to all the sensations and sounds; do not allow any other thoughts to interfere with what you are presently doing – do not think about past or future.

Next step is to bring the full awareness to the eating process. Feel the taste in your mouth, pay attention to the smells, enjoy your food completely. This will help you to eat less and really enjoy what you eat.

Now try to retain the awareness throughout to day to catch the unhealthy habits that contribute to weight gain and subsequently replace them with healthy ones.

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