Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Sugar Busters Diet


The Sugar Busters Diet- No need to count calories on this plan. You can lose weight with a high-fiber diet made up of the right kinds of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. You have to give up refined sugar and flour and make other adjustments to the way you eat. The plan emphasizes foods with a low glycemic index (GI), which help keep your blood sugar levels steady such as meats, cheese, nuts, seeds ect..Foods with a higher GI make your blood sugar rise  such as cakes, cookies, soda ect..

The foods with the highest GI are simple carbohydrates, including white bread, white rice, white potatoes, white flour, and sugar.

No major food groups are off-limits, but you will need to avoid foods with a high GI.

Fruits and vegetables: You can eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but  stay away from parsnips, watermelon, and pineapple.

Grains: Whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice, and oatmeal are allowed.

Protein: You can eat low-fat dairy like milk, cheese, and yogurt, eggs, nuts, fish and shellfish, and many lean meats, including beef and pork.

Alcohol: You can have moderate amounts of alcohol, preferably heart-healthy red wine.

Sweeteners: Table sugar is forbidden, but artificial sweeteners like Equal, Sweet'N Low, and NutraSweet are allowed. Sugar-free ice cream is recommended instead of cookies and cakes.

Forbidden foods: You will have to give up white potatoes, white rice, white bread, white flour, corn, beets, soda, candy, baked goods, and refined sugar.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Best Life Diet

The Best Life Diet - The Best Life Diet comes from exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene, who worked closely with Oprah Winfrey for years.
Even though "diet" is in the title, this isn't the sort of diet you can do for a few days for quick weight loss. Instead, it is a way of eating, and living, that helps you gradually change your eating habits so they stick with you for good.
You will go through three phases:
Baby Steps (at least 4 weeks): Prepare your body for weight loss by being more active, revving up your metabolism, getting rid of six "problem foods," and increasing the number of calories you burn.
Get Moving (at least 4 weeks): Keep calories in check by increasing your activity at least one level, understanding emotional reasons for hunger, introducing "anything-goes calories," and portion control.
Your Best Life (ongoing): Add even more activity; cut back on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar; eliminate trans fats; and include wholesome foods.
What You Can Eat and What You Can't
You will eat three meals and at least one snack a day and drink lots of water.
Phase 1: You will have a fiber- and calcium-rich breakfast every day, healthy 100- to 200-calorie snacks, no eating for at least 2 hours before bedtime, and lots of water. You cannot eat the six problem foods: alcohol, soda, trans fats, fried foods, white bread, and full-fat milk and yogurt.
Phase 2: This phase is all about controlling your portions. You will eat the same types of food as in Phase 1, but you’ll add "anything-goes calories," with the amount depending on your activity level. In short, you have to earn them by being active.
Phase 3: You still keep portions in check, and you shift toward nutritious foods (leaner proteins, fruit, whole grains, colorful vegetables). You'll also focus on the quality of your diet. Everything you eat should offer great taste, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need to be satisfied and stay healthy.
The Best Life Diet doesn’t allow alcohol in Phase 1 but allows it in moderation in Phases 2 and 3 as part of your "anything-goes calories."
Limitations: In Phase 1, you cannot have alcohol, soda, trans fats, fried foods, white bread, or full-fat milk and yogurt. In Phases 2 and 3, you may use some of those foods as your "anything-goes calories."
Exercise: Required. You will do cardio and strength training, increasing it up with each phase of the diet. It will take time, ranging from 90 minutes a week to 6 hours a week or more.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

The Mayo Clinic Diet

The Mayo Clinic Diet - The claim: You will shed 6 to 10 pounds in two weeks and continue losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly until you’ve hit your goal weight.
The theory: You recalibrate your eating habits, breaking bad ones and replacing them with good ones with the help of the Mayo Clinic’s unique food pyramid.

You start with Part 1- Lose It!! You don’t count calories, and you can snack all you want on fruits and veggies. After two weeks, you begin part 2, learning how many calories you should eat to either lose or maintain weight and where those calories should come from.

In “Lose it!” you will add a healthy breakfast, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats and at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. You will ban eating while watching TV, sugar (except what’s found in fruit), snacking (except on fruits and veggies), consuming too much meat and full-fat dairy, and eating out (unless the food you order follows the rules). You will eat  natural or minimally processed food.

In “Live it!” you will use what you learned in the first phase but be allowed to occasionally break the rules. You will also calculate the number of calories you can eat while still losing a couple of pounds a week. Instead of counting the calories in every grain of (brown) rice you eat, you will focus on servings. On a 1,400-calorie plan, for example, you are allowed four or more servings each of fruits and veggies, five servings of carbs, four of protein/dairy and three of fats. What’s a serving? For fruit it’s the size of a tennis ball; for protein, no bigger than a deck of cards. Round out “Live it!” with regular physical activity and you’re set for life.

The diet is heavy on food that’s naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories, and the diet emphasizes fruits, veggies and whole grains. Recommended foods include healthy carbs (think fruit, legumes, vegetables, whole-wheat flour and wheat bran); fiber-rich foods such as nuts and beans; heart-healthy fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna; and “good” fats, which include avocadoes, almonds, olives and walnuts. Foods to avoid include saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Volumetrics

Volumetrics - The theory: People tend to eat the same weight, or amount, of food each day, regardless of how many calories they take in. Since some foods are less energy dense than others—that is, they have fewer calories per gram—filling your plate with more of those means you’ll be eating fewer calories without actually eating less food. Low-density foods, which are low in calories but high-volume, help you feel full and satisfied while dropping pounds. Fruits and veggies are ideal, since they’ll fill you up without breaking your calorie bank. (A pound of low-density carrots, for example, contains as many calories as an ounce of high-density peanuts.)
Volumetrics is all about getting more mileage out of what you eat. Food is divided into four groups. Category 1 (very low-density) includes nonstarchy fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk, and broth-based soup. Category 2 (low-density) includes starchy fruits and veggies, grains, breakfast cereal, low-fat meat, legumes, and low-fat mixed dishes, like chili and spaghetti. Category 3 (medium-density) includes meat, cheese, pizza, French fries, salad dressing, bread, pretzels, ice cream, and cake. Category 4 (high-density) includes crackers, chips, chocolate candies, cookies, nuts, butter, and oil. You will go heavy on categories 1 and 2, watch your portion sizes with category 3, and keep category 4 choices to a minimum. Each day, you’ll eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, a couple snacks and dessert. Exactly how strictly you follow Volumetrics is up to you.
Foods high in water play a big role in Volumetrics, since water increases the weight of food without packing in additional calories. Soup (80 to 95 percent water), fruits and veggies (80 to 95 percent), yogurt (75 percent), and yes, pasta (65 percent) are among your best bets.
You’re also encouraged to eat foods similar to what you’re craving: crunchy carrots and hummus, say, instead of chips and dip. No foods are off limits. And if there’s a category 4 favorite you can’t do without, indulge, as long as you make tradeoffs elsewhere.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Volumetrics

Volumetrics - The theory: People tend to eat the same weight, or amount, of food each day, regardless of how many calories they take in. Since some foods are less energy dense than others—that is, they have fewer calories per gram—filling your plate with more of those means you’ll be eating fewer calories without actually eating less food. Low-density foods, which are low in calories but high-volume, help you feel full and satisfied while dropping pounds. Fruits and veggies are ideal, since they’ll fill you up without breaking your calorie bank. (A pound of low-density carrots, for example, contains as many calories as an ounce of high-density peanuts.)

Volumetrics is all about getting more mileage out of what you eat. Food is divided into four groups. Category 1 (very low-density) includes nonstarchy fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk, and broth-based soup. Category 2 (low-density) includes starchy fruits and veggies, grains, breakfast cereal, low-fat meat, legumes, and low-fat mixed dishes, like chili and spaghetti. Category 3 (medium-density) includes meat, cheese, pizza, French fries, salad dressing, bread, pretzels, ice cream, and cake. Category 4 (high-density) includes crackers, chips, chocolate candies, cookies, nuts, butter, and oil. You will go heavy on categories 1 and 2, watch your portion sizes with category 3, and keep category 4 choices to a minimum. Each day, you’ll eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, a couple snacks and dessert. Exactly how strictly you follow Volumetrics is up to you.

Foods high in water play a big role in Volumetrics, since water increases the weight of food without packing in additional calories. Soup (80 to 95 percent water), fruits and veggies (80 to 95 percent), yogurt (75 percent), and yes, pasta (65 percent) are among your best bets.

You’re also encouraged to eat foods similar to what you’re craving: crunchy carrots and hummus, say, instead of chips and dip. No foods are off limits. And if there’s a category 4 favorite you can’t do without, indulge, as long as you make tradeoffs elsewhere.