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A Fad diet is a conventional diet that promises people fast results through simple methods. These diets are very tempting given that losing weight is a challenge to many people with most of them having a misconception that they can lose weight overnight. The fact is fad diets are all hype and may cause you, even more, harm than good.Below Are 10 Reasons why Fad Diets Suck:
Unnecessary food restrictions — Fad diets that promise quick weight loss will usually instruct you to eat more of one food type and restrict yourself from eating another food type. This could lead to an unbalanced diet. To address that, fad diets will usually recommend many supplements, but then again, many supplements might cause nutritional deficiencies.
Against the fat level as recommended by the government — Fad diets does not follow government recommendations for fat concentrations in the diet. Most fad diets will recommend high fat and low carb diet, which is not good for your health when taken long term. You will indeed lose weight but taking so much fat could lead to heart disease.
Failure to address the root cause of weight gain — The reason that fad diets are considered bad is that these diets do not address the root cause of the weight gain. You regain back the weight you lost at the end of the day!
Expensive — Some fad diets require people to take pills and drink potions which can be costly.
Anti-exercises — Any diet that promises you weight loss without counting your calories or doing exercise is a fad diet. These diets do not encourage weight loss patients to incorporate exercises into their programs.
Elimination of healthy foods — Usually, fad diets ask people to eliminate certain food groups from their diet because they are bad. Some of the foods are carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids.
Short term results — Fad diets are just a temporary solution and will not make any permanent change to your figure and eating habits. In a few weeks time, you will regain all the weight as you will fall back to your old eating habits.
Extremely unhealthy — The short-term weight loss effects followed by weight gain is extremely unhealthy and may cause many diseases such as high blood pressure or coronary heart disease.
Not motivating — They will make you feel bad and guilty whenever you break the overly restrictive diet. After a few days of following the diet and restricting yourself of certain foods, you will start craving and start being bored and sad about your diet.
Unbalanced diet — Many fad diets do not give you a balanced intake of fruits and vegetables, which is important to keep yourself healthy.
Conclusion
Irrespective of how good the fad diet advertisement is, don’t fall for these diets, they will not help you in the long term. The only way to achieve weight loss is to eat moderately, eat a balanced diet, exercise, etc.
Losing excess weight not only makes you look and feel good, but also significantly reduces your risk of getting diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart attack and high blood pressure. There are numerous crash diets and over the top workout programs sold online that promise to help you loose weight fast, but most of them don’t work in the long term. If you’ve tried any of them and failed, don’t give up just yet. There are numerous steps you can take to develop a healthy relationship with food and attain lasting weight loss. Here are 3 tips for losing weight healthily:
Introduce Changes Gradually
Our bodies use the foods we eat for energy. When you eat more food than your body requires for daily activities, the excess energy is stored as fat. The more food you eat, the more fat your body stores and the more weight you’ll gain. To lose weight in a healthy way, it is very important that you gradually change your eating habits.
Making small changes here and there can make a big difference in the long run. So, if you are used to eating unhealthy foods, try cutting them out slowly and replacing them with healthier alternatives (vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meat). Swap snacks like biscuits, candy bars or potato chips for fruits such as an apple to ensure you remain fuller for longer.
Reduce Your Calorie Intake
Other than introducing healthier foods to your diet, you also need to limit the amount of food you eat to lose weight. A good starting point is cutting down on foods that have added sugar and refined carbohydrates like white bread, energy drinks and white rice among others. Aim to eat at least 300-500 calories less everyday, and you’ll be able to lose between 1-2 pounds per week. This may seem a bit slow, but it is more realistic and sustainable. Eat smaller portions of the foods you usually enjoy, and you’ll be able to lose weight for sure.
Increase Your Activity Level
Every time you exercise more than you usually do, but maintain your calorie intake, you’ll burn calories and fat. There are many physical activities you can do to increase your level of activity even if you don’t like going to the gym. This can be anything from using the stairs at work instead of the lift, watching your favorite TV programs while jogging on a tread mill or using a stationary bicycle, swimming, or taking longer walks than you usually do.
The key to long-term weight loss is to eat less calories than your body needs, do physical activities that you enjoy regularly and make lifestyle changes that contribute to your overall health. Always remember that every extra step you take in the right direction brings you closer to achieving your weight loss goal.
Are you obese? Have you attempted almost everything to lose weight with little success? Well, losing weight can prove to be a difficult task especially if you don’t know where to start from, or you lack an experienced hand to guide you through the process.
In this post, we’ll delve into 3 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight no matter how hard you try. To learn more, please read on.
– You don’t exercise regularly
If you intend to lose weight exercise is a must. Health experts recommend that you work out for at least thirty minutes daily. Regular exercise will help you burn extra calories and regulate the production of a hormone named cortisol produced when you are stressed. Cortisol is closely associated with obesity since when your body is recovering from stress it increases your appetite to compensate for the carbohydrates and fat that was used to prepare your body for fight or flight.
– You are not eating healthy
What you eat will determine your body weight. If you intend to lose weight, and you still eat processed foods that are rich in trans fats, salt, and sugars, you are doing more harm than good to your body. These substances tamper with your digestion as well as metabolism. Besides, processed foods lack nutrients and won’t satisfy you, meaning that you will have to eat more to deal with your cravings. Modify your diet by including more fruits, vegetables, and proteins that contain nutrients that promote weight loss. And that is not all, also ensure that you drink enough water to improve your digestion and catalyze reactions that result in burning off extra calories.
– You are not sleeping well
Lastly, to achieve your weight loss goals, you can’t overlook getting enough sleep. Sleep is crucial in promoting your overall health as well as weight loss. Studies have shown that those who don’t get enough sleep have a tendency of consuming high-calorie foods the next day. Yes, you heard me right! Besides, lack of enough sleep also affects your appetite hormones namely leptin and ghrelin increasing your appetite. So, if you are not sleeping well, start sleeping for about seven to eight hours to lose weight without much hassle.
Wrap Up:
There you have it-3 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight. Getting the body that you have always desired can be so hard sometimes. However if you exercise, eat healthily and sleep well, then you will be in a better position to lose weight fast within the shortest time possible.
Many men today are unfortunately affected by the dreaded Dad Bod. As with all aspects of fitness, there is a very easy way to go about toning your body to look more like a Greek God and less like an average Joe.
The most important thing is a diet. You don’t have to adhere to a fad diet that people like to do such as paleo, liquid only, raw only, and others. You can choose a good diet like one that consists of healthy meals that are balanced, and that’s it.
If you’re trying to burn fat and lose your Dad Bod, you should eat more protein than carbs. Excess carbs give you that body type, and can be found in pasta, bread, chips, pizza, and beer.
This doesn’t mean you should go on a no-carb diet, because carbs are what you need to give you energy. Just make sure you’re not eating more carbs than anything else. You should also eat no more than about three meals per day (or six smaller ones), with a fruit or other healthy snack between each meal.
Men plagued with a dad bod frame need to ramp up their exercise. You have to put those carbs to work in order to burn fat. There are plenty of ways to go about this, including running, walking, biking, lifting weights, and any other form of cardio.
You can clock a fair amount of miles each day by finding some time to put on some music and go on a long walk around your neighborhood. Running is also applicable, and both of these can be done on a treadmill if you don’t want to go out and about at various times of the day.
Biking is a very fun way of getting in shape, and you can use it as transportation if your destination is somewhere within about 10 miles of you. Weightlifting should be done in combination with your other cardio exercises, so that while you burn fat you also put on more muscle, allowing your muscles to show through your fat quicker.
A gym membership is a great investment, and if you go to a smaller one, you can get 3 months for about $90. This will allow you to have access to all kinds of weights and machines, as well as treadmills and stair climber machines.
Don’t forget – you should drink more water than anything else. This important for you as a human regardless of whether or not you’re trying to lose weight, but it will certainly help you drop the weight quicker, because it flushes out all of the toxins.
A good tip for those who drink beer is that vodka is a great replacement for your alcohol choice because it’s a very low carb and low calorie option for those who still want to go out to bars and socialize with their friends.
The Mediterranean Diet is often praised for its ability to reduce heart disease and cancer, as well as to extend the lifespan.
And of course these are all noble aims! Most of us would consider these to be very good things and would probably be more inclined to eat any diet that could improve our health in those ways.
At the same time though, many of us also start diets because we want to lose weight. And in a lot of cases, this might actually be the stronger motivating factor and the real reason we adopt a new diet to begin with. Not always, but often!
So how is the Mediterranean Diet when it comes to weight loss? Is this all about nutrients and fats? Or can you actually expect to cut some calories and see your weight go down as well? Let’s take a closer look…
The Good and the Bad
The reason that some people might not think that the Mediterranean Diet is effective for weight loss, is that it doesn’t involve counting calories, cutting carbs or cutting fats.
You’re still eating everything you normally would, with no control in terms of the amounts that you’re allowed to eat. How can this possibly contribute to weight loss?
What’s more, is that the Mediterranean Diet is very focussed on fats – with lots of olive oil added! Seeing as fat contains 9 calories per gram (versus 4 for other types of food), this is a concern.
But then there’s good news too. For starters, the Mediterranean Diet keeps you feeling much fuller for longer. Why is that? Simply because it contains those fats and it contains lots of nutrients.
This is you giving your body real food and the kind of real food that it actually needs. As such, you don’t find yourself craving food all the time and you actually get to feel full! This aids considerably with weight loss.
What’s more is that many nutrients actually improve weight loss. For example, you will be getting things like CoQ10 from the meats and fish which will improve your energy metabolism. Garlic does the same. So do B complex vitamins!
So is this diet good for weight loss or not?
The answer is definitely yes! This is a diet that helps you to eat healthier and when you do that, weight loss will come naturally.
At the same time though, you can’t simply rely on this diet on its own to help you shed pounds.
Rather, you need to ensure that you work hard to lose weight on it as well. The fortunate thing is that the meals are delicious and the lifestyle is practical… so this is a diet you actually can be strict with!
Remaining on a diet and weight loss journey is hard enough on its own, but when you start adding in self-doubt, it becomes almost impossible. However, if you have the right mindset, you can still accomplish your goals. These tips are going to help you get to where you need to be.
Stop Counting Pounds and Inches
This is perhaps one of the most important things you can do, but also one of the most difficult. You want to track your progress so you can see if your weight loss methods are working, but every time you step on a scale and it hasn’t moved, it completely ruins your day. This is why it is important to focus more on being healthy and making smart food choices than losing weight. Dieting is more of a healthy lifestyle, and if you lose weight in the process, great! But when that is your sole reason for changing your eating habits, it tends to create a lot of doubt and depression. Throw away the scale, stop measuring yourself, and just focus on eating better.
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Self-doubt also stems from what you see in other people and how it compares to your own life. No two bodies or situations are the same, so this is nothing but an unhealthy habit you need to break now. Just because someone else is losing weight faster, achieving their goals in a different way, or lives a life different from yours, doesn’t mean it is better or worse. Focus more on yourself and your own choices and less on what others are doing.
Reward Yourself For Small Changes
When you first start dieting or sticking to a healthy lifestyle, it will consist of making small changes. You might begin drinking more water, exercising more, adding fruits and vegetables to your diet, or switching to whole grains. These are all good, healthy choices that deserve rewards. Every time you commit to a change, such as opting for water instead of soda for a month, you should reward yourself! This makes you feel good about your accomplishments and gives you more motivation to continue.
Get Support as Needed
There is nothing wrong with seeking out emotional support during your journey, whether you need to attend a local overeaters anonymous group, want to see your doctor to discuss your progress, or feel like you need to see a counselor or therapist. Some people need to work on their mental or emotional state while sticking to a diet, and that can help you succeed.
Even if you feel feelings of doubt during your journey, don’t let it hold you back. Pick yourself back up and keep going.
If you’re looking to lose weight and improve your health, then one of the first things you need to do is to choose from the huge amount of different diet plans out there. Essentially, you need to decide who you’re going to listen to and what theory of weight loss you want to subscribe to!
And things get tricky right away. What you’ll find is that everyone has a different opinion – and that these opinions vary hugely. Some people to tell you to stay away from fats while others tell you to dunk them in your coffee! Who do you listen to?
And one of the strangest and most polarizing subjects you’ll come across is the debate regarding milk and bread. Some people say they’re healthy things to have in your diet, other people say they cause weight gain, brain fog and all manner of other evils!
So what’s the truth?
Where the Worries Come From (And Why They Need to Stop)
In the case of bread, people first started worrying that it could cause tiredness and weight gain as the incidence of Celiac’s disease increased. This is a condition caused by an allergy to glucose that prevents the ‘villi’ in the stomach from absorbing nutrients. Unfortunately, Celiac’s disease (and the less serious gluten sensitivity) often go undiagnosed due to similarities with other conditions such as ME and IBS. Thus many people suffer with the conditions without being any the wiser. When they eventually do come across their intolerance, they feel much better and tell everyone!
But the thing is, that won’t be the case if you don’t have a gluten sensitivity of some sort. If your digestion operates normally, you can digest bread just fine. And there are plenty of studies to prove this.
There’s a similar problem with milk. Surprisingly, a huge proportion of the planet’s population is actually lactose intolerant due to the inability to produce lactase. The caveat? The percentage is far lower in the US and Europe. Again – it just doesn’t apply!
Of course there is no harm in trying to remove food from your diet and seeing if this improves your health. But at the same time, recognize that 99% of the world’s leading athletes and thinkers eat both bread and milk and are perfectly fine!
Unfortunately, there is no ‘quick fix’ when it comes to improving your energy and your health!
Okay, maybe ten times is hyperbole… but it got your attention right?
Seriously though, sometimes the trick to sticking to a diet more effectively is just knowing the right meals and combinations of foods that you can enjoy in order to save yourself time in the kitchen while keeping your diet nutritious and low in calories!
Here are some meals that will prove to be the perfect example of that…
Mushroom Sandwiches
While bread isn’t quite the terrible enemy that a lot of people claim it to be, it is nevertheless still a common source of simple carbs and can contribute a lot of calories.
If you want to make a sandwich without bread though, there are plenty of options! One such option is to slice the top off of two mushrooms and then to use these in order to sandwich your filling. Not only does this work just as well to keep everything in place but the mushrooms provide tons of nutrition all of their own and are very good for you indeed!
There are many more breadless sandwiches out there too. A simple one? Mix up some filling and then just wrap it in a large leaf of cabbage. It’s cheaper than bread too!
Greek Yogurt Pudding
Here’s a quick and simple dessert that is excellent for packing in the nutrition and keeping those calories relatively low. Simply take some plain Greek yogurt, add some blueberries and add just the tip of a teaspoon of honey. When you mix all this up, you’ll be left with something deliciously sweet that doesn’t break the calorie bank and is filled with antioxidants!
Tuna Avocado
Here’s a delicious way to start your day that will give you plenty of energy and help you to stay full until lunch.
Simply take an as avocado and cut it in half, removing the stone. Now mix up some tuna with a little mayo and horseradish and then dollop into the hollowed out center. This will fill you with protein, omega 3 fatty acid, healthy fats and tons of other good stuff!
Eggs Royale
The ultimate brunch meal: eggs royale. This is simply some bread (such as brioche) with a slice of salmon, a poached egg and some sunflower seeds. If you want to keep it as healthy and low-cal as possible, then add vinegar for seasoning. If you feel like treating yourself, then use Holondaise sauce instead!
When it comes to losing weight and getting into shape, there is one thing that matters more than any other aspect of your new diet. And that one thing is ‘adherence’.
Adherence is essentially just the technical term that describes how well you are able to stick to the diet rules you’ve set yourself. Do you stick religiously to your new calorie count? To reducing your carb intake? To getting more fruits and vegetables?
Because if you don’t stick to the rules you’ve set yourself, then it really doesn’t matter how effective that diet would have been.
Thus the priority becomes not only thinking about how you’re going to eat but also how you’re going to fit your new diet plan into your lifestyle.
And one of the biggest considerations in that regard is the role of socializing and how this will impact on your diet…
Eating is Inherently Social… And That’s a Problem!
Because what many of us forget when we set out on a diet is that eating is inherently social. Many of us will enjoy family meals around the table, while couples might see dinner as a great chance to catch up on each other’s days and to inject a little romance.
This is a great thing about eating but it’s also a problem – seeing as you’ll often find that having to avoid chocolate becomes a problem when you’re eating out with friends, or enjoying Valentine’s Day!
The Solution
There are a number of solutions to this problem. One option is to just make sure that you’re very strict with yourself during the non-social meals of your day. For instance, try to keep your calories as low as possible when you’re eating lunch and breakfast and keep these consistent as well. This will give you more flexibility to eat well in the evenings. You can still be healthy but you can also stop being quite so strict.
Another option is to use that social aspect to your advantage – by dieting at the same time as a partner and getting them to experience the diet with you. This way, you can support one another and help each other through the process!
When eating out at restaurants you might find it hard to turn down dessert. One option then is to share a dessert (making yourself more social, not less so!) while another is to order a coffee instead of a massive cake!
If you want to change your diet and start losing weight/improving your shape, then often the best strategy is to start eating healthier meals.
And one of the best ways to do that is to start cooking more meals of your own. This way, you can know exactly what ingredients are going into your meals, you can choose to eat more vegetables and you can even save money.
But this where many people come stuck. Unfortunately, learning to cook isn’t all that easy and often the best laid plans end up going awry. Read on and we’ll see why that is and what you can do about it.
The Problem with Cookbooks
A good place many of us will start when trying to learn to cook is with a cookbook. This seems logical after all! Specifically, most of us will want to look for a cookbook that provides simple and quick meals, so we’ll gravitate towards things with titles like “15 Minute Meals.”
Often they promise to be affordable and simple as well as just being fast to make and put on the table.
But in all too many cases, that’s a little bit of wishful thinking. Either the writers are a little removed from the real world and don’t understand the limitations most of us have, or they just didn’t spend much time thinking the books through.
That’s why, very often, you’ll find that your recipe starts with “taking your chopped onion…”
As it happens, an onion doesn’t come chopped – and so leaving the chopping part out of the instructions is actually a little misleading. That just added 2 minutes to your preparation time – as does chopping the peppers, chopping the bacon and washing your chopping board and knife or clearing space.
Another similar problem is when the “simple ingredients” list calls for balsamic vinegar and then the very next recipe lists calls for apple cider vinegar. Cooking quickly gets expensive when you’re expected to buy different seasonings every time you make a meal!
If you have a small kitchen, you can then add struggling with space management and stacks of plates falling over to your list of troubles. We haven’t even touched on the fact that you have to divide the quantities and let loads go to waste if you’re living alone.
What sounds like a 15 minute meal is in fact a 45 minute meal at best that makes a lot of mess.
How to Make it Stick
So with all that in mind, how do you go about making your new diet plan stick? How do you fit cooking into your routine and learn some actually convenient meals that are still healthy?
One trick is to ask your mom for some recipes. She has most likely honed the art of cooking healthy meals quickly having raised you.
Another tip is to not divide the quantity and to instead freeze a lot of what you have left over.
Also don’t be afraid to experiment and to mix up the instructions. If you don’t feel like buying “a sprig of rosemary” then you can probably do without it. Either that or there are pre-packaged bottles of spices that you can use over and over again for a long time to come.
If you want to add some flavour, there are probably cheaper ingredients you can use that will last much longer.
Whenever you read the label and it says “quick recipe” make sure you add at least 20 minutes onto the prep time!