Author: Sandy Griffin

While there are some foods (celery, grapefruits, etc.) that can help with metabolic rate and weight loss, a single food diet is not good for your body. A lot of people are skeptical about the idea of fat burning foods. Finding a food that will boost your metabolism, can it be that easy to loss weight?

Well in a word “NO”.

There has been many studies to find out if a celery or grapefruit diet will help speed up your metabolism but none have been able to prove this as true or false. One fact is that adding these foods into a healthy diet is good for your body, and low in calories. Celery is one fat burning food that is high in fiber and can help the body burn more calories. So, what does all this mean? Is there fat burning foods, that can boost your metabolism? Well thats simple, adding celery and grapefruit to your diet will help your burn calories. Don’t just eat those foods alone but add them to your diet.

So before you run out and buy all the celery and grapefruit you can find, take a deep breathe and remember to add this to your overall diet program. Here is few things you need to think of to add these fat burning foods:

Make sure you eat smarter, you can’t change your metabolism, you can massage it a little bit. Frequent, smaller portions through the day. Eat smaller meals every four to six hours during the day, adding in celery and grapefruit is great but make sure to only add these to a healthy diet. What does healthy diet mean? It’s a balanced diet.

Move, get up, exercise will help when trying to boost your metabolism. Fat burning foods will only do their job if you get up and move, go out play with the kids, clean the house, just get out and do something. The more you move the harder your metabolism will have to work to keep up.

More muscle. If you have more muscle, the more calories you will have to burn to keep up with you body. Muscle burns fat. Now don’t run out and start pumping iron, you don’t have become a weight lifter. You just need to build lean muscle mass to help boost metabolism. So toning and shaping is all you really need to do.

If you think you can just go out and boost your metabolism with super foods then you may just be fooling yourself. If you are just eating one type food, meat or vegetable can end up hurting you in the end. Having a healthy diet with all the food groups and adding some fat burning foods to your diet can help give you the results you are looking for.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/low-calorie-articles/fat-burning-foods-do-they-exist-272805.html

My wife and I have been noticing a change in our size… we are growing bigger. It seems to happen to all of us, as we get older, we eat the same as we use to but we keep gaining weight. With that weight come some unexpected problems. Our joints begin to hurt, we get out of breath, lack of energy, tired etc, so we end up sitting more, doing less and still eat the same amounts. No wonder we gain weight.
We need to regain control over the amount of food we are consuming. I don’t mean dieting, diets don’t work! What I do mean is we need to regulate the intake of calories and the output in exercise.
To start with we have to regain our understanding of portions. I read recently that from 1977 to 1997, hamburgers expanded by 23%; a plate of Mexican food got 27% bigger; soft drinks increased by 52%; snacks (potato chips, pretzels, crackers) grew 60%. I’m sure most of you can recall when a typical soft drink used to come in a 10 ounce cup, now they are about a gallon.
It seems as we expand so does the portion of food that we are eating. Thats more calories. As we gain weight, our bodies tend to complain about the extra work and we do less, that is the exercise. So the first step seems to be portion control. We need to get into the habit of measuring the portions so we know how much we are eating (calories). This will help us take control over the amount we eat. Once you are into the habit of controlling your portions you can easily reduce the amount of calories quickly and easily without I might add giving up what we love to eat. You could lose weight simply by eating the recommended portions instead of the whole thing. You would be surprised at the actual portion size compared to the container.
Here are some tips:
Use smaller plates. Get smaller plates. There is no need to have a 12 inch dinner plate go for the 9 inch plate. When you are dining out, have the waiter/waitress box half of the meal before bringing it to you. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak. Leftover are great, you get to enjoy the meal twice for the same price.
Pay attention to what you eat. No TV, no computer, no reading, no dinner arguements, eat your meal without distractions. Before your meal start with a glass of water (ice water is better), your body needs it and it starts the process of filling you up so you eat less. Eat a salad, put the dressing in a small dish on the side and dip you fork in the dressing for each bite. You will use less dressing and still get the same taste. Eat your vegetables first. When you are not hungry, stop eating and get away from the table.
Eat smaller more frequent meals… snack more often. You should eat 6 times a day. Start with a good breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, bedtime snack. NOW, snack does not mean sweets! Try vegetables, carrots are great for giving you that crunch you sometimes crave. If you start to crave something, start taking notes as to what you are eating. Most often cravings are because the body is not getting something it needs and your mind interprets that as a craving for something you like, trying to make you eat so that it gets what it needs. We are weak and our minds know it. So pay attention and give it what it NEEDS not what you think it wants.

by: Andrew Banderman

People diet for lots of reasons, and with lots of aims in mind. No matter what your aims are, the most effective diet to achieve them is a personalized one. A personalized diet which suits you is what you need, whether you want to improve your health, or just lose weight.

Once you’ve decided to make a change for the better in your diet the next step is to seek advice from an expert. There are a myriad of fitness and diet plans to suit you available from your local gym or fitness center. There will usually be someone there you can talk to and discover what the best diet for you is. Alternatively you can take join up to one of the many fitness programs offered by the major fitness companies, there is one to suit every taste!

Everyones body is different and so different diets and fitness programs effect you diffently to the way they will effect others. Some people will lose weight and tone up more quickly on certain diets so its important to ensure the diet that you are on is just right for your body.

Most diet programs are designed for people with no specific health problems. If you find you are changing your prescribed diet to suit a health problem you have it is essential to contact your doctor first for advice. They can advise you on what is best to eat or avoid eating with your illness.

Of course your doctor knows as much as anyone about your health. They are in an excellent position to help you decide on the diet that will be most effective for you. They will also be able to spot any potential problems with a diet you are on, or are considering. For example if you are on medication to prevent blood clots then you shouldn’t eat green vegetables (spinach in particular). Your doctor will spot issues like this and point them out to you.

The major problem with standard diets (including the fad diets we all here about) is that they are just that - standard. They are designed to suit everyone to some degree but they will probably have an average effect on you. These diets are not designed for you - for your body, build, fitness level, health, or potential health problems. A good diet is one you can make your own - a diet you can tailor and personalize to suit yourself.

Another problem is that depending on where you live, some diets might call for you to eat a particular food that is difficult or even impossible to find. They might also require you to eat foods that are out of season or more expensive to buy in your location than others. If this is the case, you should change your diet to include foods that are easier to come by, but that also work in your diet.

Of course there is little point in beginning your diet with great determination only to find a week later you dont have the ability to stick with it. It is important that you ease yourself into your diet when possible. Phase out your old diet while gradually adopting your new personalised diet.
That way you’ll be able to stick with it and get the most out of your new diet.

Avoid a diet that requires you to abruptly change your eating habits, forcing you to stop eating your favourite foods for example. Changes like that will cause temptation and make you cheta on your diet. A diet like this will rarely last long enough to have any meaningful effect on your health or weight.

If your diet has an aim - like losing weight or lowering your blood pressure then you should consider making a progress chart. that way you can look at the chart and see how far you’ve come and how much closer to your goal you are. that kind of encouragement will give you a much needed boost in your confidence, and your resolve to work along the path of your new diet and achieve your goals.

About the author:
Andrew Banderman is the owner and editor of RC Diet — a premier source of information on diet. Free newsletter.
For more diet information and articles, go to:
http://www.rcdiet.com

by: David Teeth

Low-carb diets have been in the market for quite some time now. Two of the most common these days are the Atkins and South Beach Diet.

Beginnings
Both were developed by medical doctors (cardiologists) who — according to reports — were trying to help Americans lose weight given their high carb diets.

Atkins Diet was the first to be developed and is thus, the more popular. It was developed by the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins as early as the 1972 but became more widely popular — despite the oppositions — in the 1990s.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, also a cardiologist but from Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., is known as the father of the South Beach diet. His work came a lot later through his book: “The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss” published in 2003.

Similarities
Both popular diet plans advise dieters to avoid carbohydrates and follow stringent steps to ensure that the significant weight lost during the program does not come back.

Both start with the so-called induction phase where the body of the dieter is “trained” for the routine.

Both diet plans come with suggested food lists where dieters can mix and match foods to suit their tastes. Of course, like other diet plans, both plans advise dieters to stay away from food not included in the lists.

Among the “dont’s” in Dr. Atkins’ list are fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and some dairy products except cheese, cream, and butter.

Aside from fruit, bread, pasta and vegetables, South Beach dieters are also advised to stay away from potatoes, cereal, rice, and corn, especially for the first two weeks of the induction or introductory period. After this period, these can be slowly re-introduced into the body, albeit in smaller amounts.

Both diet plans have a lifetime “maintenance” phase where hopefully dieters will be so accustomed to either plan that they hardly recognize that they are dieting at all.

Differences
While both diet plans restrict carbohydrate intake, the South Beach diet is said to be more forgiving by not totally eliminating carbs. It distinguishes between “good” and “bad” carbs and even “good” and “bad” fats. South Beach encourages intake of “good” carbs and fats.

Low-sugar carbs with low glycemic index are “good” carbs under the South Beach plan. Food rich in fiber are also recommended.

Atkins’s diet routine helps the body to burn fat instead of carb. The goal is to help the dieter achieve good health.
Atkins’s diet plan involves four phases while the South Beach plan has three phases.

In both plans, the introductory stage aims to condition the body for some changes to prepare for the program.

In Atkins diet, the body is trained to burn fat instead of sugar to help curb the cravings for sugar and break addiction to some foods.

In South Beach diet, the initial phase involves cutting on high-carb foods, which can be gradually re-introduced in small amounts in the next phase. In this case, South Beach debunks myths that this approach prevents dieters from getting healthy mix from all food groups.

Atkins dieters go through the next following phases: ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance.
The last two phases of South Beach diet are called re-introduce the carb and diet for life.

What’s key in the maintenance phase in Atkins is to keep portions of food at small amounts.

Atkins diet guarantees no hunger deprivation because its long-term goal is healthy diet.

South Beach’s promise is a “change in the way of eating,” with the dieter not recognizing at all that he is on a diet.
Summarizing the Diets

Atkins Diet
Developed by cardiologist Dr. Robert C. Atkins in 1972, with his “Diet Revolution”, a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

The program focuses on a low-carbohydrate diet.

The Program has 4 phases:
1. induction phase (train the body to burn fats instead of carb)
2. ongoing weight loss
3. pre-maintenance
4. lifetime maintenance

South Beach Diet
Developed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston of Miami, Florida, who in 2003, published the book “The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss”.

The program distinguishes between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates, and “good” and “bad” fats.
Take in “good” carbs and fats.

The program has 3 phases:
1. 2-week introductory or induction phase (strictly no carbs)
2. re-introduce the carbs
3. diet for life

Please check http://www.OnlineDietReview.com for more information.

About the author:
David Teeth is a personal trainer, nutritionist and dietician with years of experience in dieting. David is a full time writer for http://www.onlinedietreview.com/

by: Allison Preston
Are you looking for a diet plan that helps you lose weight, then you should look for the help of a diet buddy. A diet buddy is a friend or co worker who your partner with to help each other lose weight. Many fitness experts know that if you have to account for your actions to a friend and yourself you are much more likely to stick to it and successfully lose weight.

Picking a diet buddy isn’t hard but it isn’t easy either. You need to find someone who you can trust and who is honest with you. You need someone who will tell you the two big Macs you had for dinner last night wasn’t a good choice, but won’t tear you apart either. You should find a person who has similar weight loss goals. If you want to lose 15 pounds and your buddy wants to lose 65 you aren’t that compatible. You should avoid choosing someone you live with if possible. The constant interaction and monitoring will make you feel like your every move is being watched. Instead try to choose a co worker or close friend to help you out.

You should also choose a diet buddy who you will see regularly. A really great strategy is to meet at the gym every morning and go for breakfast afterward. This way you can compare and talk about what’s going on and how you are progressing. If breakfast doesn’t work lunch is another good alternative. If you have a regular lunch date it will be much easier for you to say no when the office goes for Buffalo wings and nachos every Friday.

You and your diet buddy should set goals and rewards for each other. When you hit a weight goal go out and celebrate. Celebrate by shopping for a new outfit that shows off your weight loss, not by going out for a cheeseburger and milkshake. Remember you and your buddy are working together to help each other reach your goals you aren’t competing with each other. If you can shop for a new dress size or bathing suit don’t be smug about it to your diet buddy. Be supportive and help them, realize everyone’s body is different and some people take longer to lose weight.

About the author:
This article was written by Allison Preston who is the webmaster of http://www.Fitness-Web.com,a website with diet, health, fitness, and exercise articles and reviews of fitness infomercials. NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info)

Mega Recipe Site Announces Free Memberships

The Weekend Chef announced today free memberships to their 340,000 recipe web site until January 23, 2008.

Source: RD Webhosting
Jan 02, 2008 10:56:50

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(PRLog.Org) – Jan 02, 2008 – The Weekend Chef announced today free memberships to their 340,000 recipe web site until January 23, 2008. To start off the New Years with a benefit to the people, Chef Ray and Chef Daisy announced that The Weekend Chef would open membership to everyone free of charge. A coupon code is included on the sign up page that will cover the normal $19.97 annual membership fee. This gives everyone who joins a year free access to their databases, cookbooks, Recipe Exchange and articles.

The Weekend Chef is a series of websites that includes:
The Dieting Weekend Chef - http://thedietingweekendchef.com
The Vegetarian Weekend Chef - http://thevegetarianweekendchef.com
The Diabetic Weekend Chef - http://thediabeticweekendchef.com
and The Weekend Chef - htpp://theweekendchef.com

According to Chef Daisy, one of the owners of The Weekend Chef Web Ring, “This may be the last recipe site or cookbook you will ever need.” The Weekend Chef has several databases including our 340,000 plus food recipe database and a 9,300 plus drink recipe database. Making this the largest recipe database that we know of on the Internet and we are constantly adding to it. The websites also offer over 150 pdf cookbooks, including the exclusive The Weekend Chef Guide to.Sushi and The Weekend Chef Guide to Deep Fried Turkey and Twinkies written by Ray Laubert the web master and weekend chef.

That is not all that The Weekend Chef has to offer. Every other week or so they post articles on the different websites about dieting, vegetarian cooking, cooking for the diabetic, cooking tips and recipes related to an upcoming season or event. Want to contribute your favorite recipe? The websites also offer a Recipe Exchange forum where you can post your recipes or ask questions.

This is a great resource for those of you who love to cook. Visit them today at http://theweekendchef.com.
# # #

Weight Loss - Lose The Guilt To Lose Weight
By Kathryn Soloff

Here is something that you never hear anyone talk about when it comes
to weight loss. That is, how our emotions come into play when we attempt
to lose weight, or to achieve any goal for that matter.

For the longest period of time I thought that guilt way a nonproductive
emotion. Just recently I came to realize how wrong I was. Guilt is much
more than nonproductive, it is counter productive. So much so that it
prevents us from obtaining our goals, in this case, losing weight.

Naturally, you ask yourself how this works. It is quite simple really.
Guilt is the mechanism that allows us to bind together two contradictory
thoughts, beliefs, desires or actions.

Here is a simple example, one pertaining to your weight loss program.
Let us assume for a moment that you are overweight. It is on your
mind a great deal of the time. You are unhappy with this condition. As
a matter of fact, it plagues you. It is on your mind constantly and you
absolutely plan to do something about it. Maybe you are even in the
process of dieting and exercising right now. Okay. So you have had
a long, frustrating day. There is a pint of chocolate ice cream with your
name on it in the freezer. You know in your heart that eating it will
be counter productive. Jeez, it is worse than that. No only will it delay
your weight loss, it will actually put weight on your thighs. What do
you do? You guessed it. You eat the pint of ice cream.

What is the mechanism that allows this to happen? What is it that
allows you to know for certain that what you are doing is against your
own best interests and you do it anyway? Duh, it is guilt. Guilt is the
means that allows us to bind these absolutely, contradictory actions
together. We are dieting (or plan on dieting) and eating ice cream at
the same time. Not to beat a dead horse, but what makes this alright
in our minds and emotions. Guilt.

By this time you are saying to yourself, do not be silly. This is the
most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard. Well, stop and think
about this for a few minutes. Find other examples in your life where
this can apply. You will discover that it is no so silly after all.

When you come to the realization that this may in fact be true, you should
be asking yourself what can be done about it. The easy answer, on the face
of it, is to just stop feeling guilty. Easier said than done.

You see, guilt has a small army of allies. This army of allies only strengthen
the power of guilt. These allies include, but are not limited to, low self esteem,
self pity and a general negative outlook on life.

By now, the picture is beginning to look hopeless. Not so. The fact of the
matter is that there are a number of people who lose weight every single day.
What is it that they do to successfully lose weight? What is it that I can do
to duplicate their success?

The single, most important and powerful thing that you can do is to set your
goal. When you establish this goal it has to be set in stone. Ghandi use to
talk about taking a personal vow. I take this to mean to establish your goal
at the highest and deepest mental and emotional levels. When you do this
then every action that you take will contribute to arriving at your goal. That
includes the slips and missteps.

Anyway, there you have it, something to think about. If you have tried to
diet and lose weight in the past, and were unsuccessful, perhaps you have
gained some insight as to why. With some self reflection perhaps your next
attempt will be your last.

Sign up for our free ecourse: [http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/ecourse_signup.html]10 Steps To Lose Weight Without Dieting

Kathryn Soloff is the mother of 8 children and a natural foods cook for
over 30 years. She is co-publisher of http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/fatburnerreviews/herbal_fat_burners.html
where she provides additional advice, tips and hard to find information on [http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/losing_weight/]Weight Loss

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Soloff http://EzineArticles.com/?Weight-Loss—Lose-The-Guilt-To-Lose-Weight&id=874319

By Trevor John

If only weight was as easy to lose as it was to gain!

Trouble is, it’s all too easy to eat more than you should.

The thought of diets brings instant misery:

Lettuce

Salad with no dressing

Burgers without the bun or the relish or the fries or the cola

Smaller portion sizes (the kind a 5 year old kid would think was small)

Snacks and chocolate banned

Boring, tasteless food

If your New Years Resolution is to lose weight, chances are the list above will be crossing your mind. But your scales and your waistline are telling you otherwise. You don’t want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe either.

The trouble with diets is we don’t stick to them. The “other people’s” food always looks tastier and more tempting.

This is going to sound odd but I want you to throw your diet books away!

It’s true, diets don’t work (unless you’re the person selling the diet food).

It’s time to rethink what you eat.

Instead of “just eating”. On autopilot. Eating everything in front of you as if it’s a race.

That’s what needs to stop!

Put your cutlery down between each mouthful of food.

If you’re in a fast food restaurant and not using cutlery, put your food down between each mouthful.

Chew your food (just like mom told you!).

Taste your food. Go on, actually notice the flavors of the food you are eating! You’ll likely enjoy the experience. Notice the seasoning. Notice the way the different flavors and textures work with each other.

Keep eating consciously until your stomach tells you that you are full. Then stop eating until you are hungry again.

Regular meal times are all well and good providing you’re hungry when they arrive. If you’re not hungry, you’re just eating for the sake of it.

Don’t do that!

Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full. Your body is a much better indicator of this than any of those diet books I told you to throw away. Listen to your body for a change.

Get more ideas on losing weight for New Year and helpful hints on keeping your New Years Resolutions

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_John

Have a look on these ten tips to lose weight they will help you a lot in your weight loss program.

Develop a habit of counting calories before you eat this will help you a lot in losing some extra weight.

Always put a realistic weight loss goal before you and be patient because losing weight is a gradual process.

Avoid frying your food more fried you will eat more weight you will gain. Try some other methods of cooking like boiling,baking and grilling.

Never skip your meals it will give just the opposite effect you want. If you will skip your breakfast you will eat more in the second part of the day.

Eat fresh vegetables instead of cooked or canned vegetables it will give you more vitamins and fibre which you need the most if you want to lose weight.

Avoid eating eggs they are having high calorie content.

Do not eat more than three eggs per week this will also help you in you weight control program.

Chocolates and other sweets should not be part of your diet.

Chocolates help a lot in gaining weight.

Always try some new recipes and always experiment with your food this will give you a variation in your food.

Avoid alcoholic beverages this will also help you in losing some extra weight.

Breakfast is most important meal so never skip your breakfast.You should take half of your daily calories in your breakfast. This is also a step towards a successful weight loss program.

Jitesh Arora is a Weight Loss expert. If you want to know more about weight loss,diet and exercise visit his blog http://jitu-doctor123.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora

By Damian Sofsian
A person following a diet plan is said to be ‘on a diet.’ Although losing weight is the most common cause for dieting, the practice is followed also for improving one’s personal appearance, physical fitness and general health. By dieting, we mean the practice or habit of eating and drinking in a regulated manner. In general, it involves a non-traditional diet. Dieting has a long history dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, gradually leading to the classification of foods into proteins, carbohydrates, starches and lipids.

Scientifically speaking, weight loss is all about energy in and energy out. If you expend more energy than what you take in, you lose weight. Diets regulate the energy balance by limiting or altering the distribution of foods. But dieting needs discipline and self-control. It is not as safe as people assume it to be, either. So consult a physician or dietician before following any diet plan, and conduct your own research as well.

A low-carbohydrate diet is currently the most popular of all diet plans. It is based on the belief that if we restrict carbohydrates and fat, which are our main sources of energy, we will succeed in losing weight. In the grapefruit juice diet, the more you eat the more weight you lose. This diet believes that the acid contained in the grapefruit juice will accelerate the calorie-burning process. In this diet, foods that are high in fat or carbs (such as snacks, desserts, bread, and sweet potatoes) are restricted. However, you may double or triple your helpings of meat, salad or vegetables. The low-sugar diet believes that sugar, not fat, causes weight gain.

Avoid yo-yo dieting, i.e., alternate periods of feast and fasting, and also avoid complete fasting as it is dangerous to your health. Certain religions restrict food choices and preparation; those do not belong to “dieting.” Vegetarianism is also not considered “dieting.” Mind you, never confuse disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia with dieting.

To remind you again, always consult a dietician or physician so that the selected diet plan may work more effectively.

Diet Plans provides detailed information on Diet Plans, Free Diet Plans, Weight Loss Diet Plans, Diabetic Diet Plans and more. Diet Plans is affiliated with Online Diet Programs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damian_Sofsian