Cheater's Diet

The Promise
You have to cheat on this diet. You eat a Mediterranean-style diet during the week, “cheat” on your diet all weekend long, and you’ll still lose weight, according to The Cheater's Diet by weight-loss doctor Paul Rivas, MD.

Purposely blowing your diet on weekends, Rivas claims, cranks up your metabolism, reversing the metabolic slowdown that happens when you restrict calories. Your furnace stays hot, so that when you eat fewer calories Monday through Friday, your body burns fat. Rivas doesn’t cite research to back up this theory, however.

Weekend “cheating” also strengthens your resolve to eat well the rest of the week, Rivas says (though it seems some people may find it even harder to stick to healthy eating after a weekend off). You can even cheat on exercise, working out only twice a week and doing “lifestyle” exercise, such as cleaning the house, on other days, according to the plan.

What You Can and Can't Eat
Pizza, ice cream, steak, wine, beer, cinnamon buns -- they’re all fair game from Saturday morning to Sunday night. In fact, they’re downright encouraged. Only foods that might trigger overeating are off-limits.

On weekends, you add an extra 10 calories per day for every pound you weigh, which could mean a whopping 1,500 additional calories or more on both days.
On all other days, you fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein (such as fish, chicken, beans, “and some pork loin thrown in now and then for taste”), and one-quarter with whole grains.

You have at least three servings of fruit per day (not bananas, which contain too much starch) and at least four servings of vegetables.

Low-fat yogurt, peanuts, eggs, and skim milk are specifically endorsed.
Sugar, bread, white rice, potatoes, saturated fats (like butter, cream, marbled meats, and most fried foods), and alcohol are off-limits during the week.
Preparing healthy meals, avoiding potatoes and other foods, and fitting in exercise during the week will take some effort.

Limitations: Many foods are off-limits during the week, as is alcohol.

The Final Word
The Cheater’s Diet is based on healthy foods, at least on the weekdays, and can help you get used to portion control.
Allowing yourself a guilty pleasure once in a while might be enough to stave off boredom and help you keep your diet on track, but letting yourself eat whatever you want on the weekend might not be a habit you want to develop.

Looking to Shed Pounds in the New Year

Looking to shed pounds in the New Year? Perhaps you’ve dieted and lost weight, only to regain it again. It can be frustrating, but the good news is that long-term weight loss is possible. While there’s no magic pill, decades of research have yielded clear strategies for increasing your chances for success.

Here are 5 strategies proven to help you lose weight:

1. Keep a Food Journal
It may sound too good to be true, but there is one simple strategy that can help you double your weight loss: write down everything you eat and drink.
Studies indicate that writing down what you eat can help you lose weight and keep it off.
With apps like LoseIt and MyFitnessPal, it’s easier than ever to keep track of meals, snacks and beverages. And if you want to go low-tech, a simple notebook will do.

2. Get on the Scale
Afraid of stepping on the scale? You shouldn’t be. Regular weigh-ins are one of your best weapons in the battle of the bulge. According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers reported that people who weighed themselves daily lost about three times as much weight as those who were more lax about stepping on the scale. In fact daily weight checkers lost an average of 20 pounds, compared to an average of just seven pounds for those who weighed themselves only five days per week.

3. Eat at Home
Prepare more meals at home. A recent study published by Public Health Nutrition found that people who eat at fast-food or full-service restaurants consume an extra 200 calories per day on average compared to those eating at home. Those calories added up to about 10% of their total daily intake. What’s more, the researchers found that people who ate out consumed more sugar, salt and saturated fat.

4. Know Your Portions
You may not realize it, but we live in a ‘super-sized’ culture. Looking at data from national surveys involving more than 60,000 Americans, researchers found that serving sizes have gotten bigger over the past 20 years – not only at fast-food chains and other restaurants, but even in homes. How much bigger? The study found that hamburgers have increased by 23%; soft drinks are 52% larger; and snack foods like potato chips and pretzels are a whopping 60% bigger.
It’s no coincidence that as portions have grown, so have waistlines. In the 1960s, 45% of Americans were overweight or obese. Today that number is nearing 70%!
When we’re given larger portions, we eat and drink more. One way to fight back against supersizing is to use smaller plates, bowls and silverware.
When dining out, a simple rule to follow is to eat half of what is served. Have the server put the rest in a take-away bag and you’ll have a second meal for later.

5. Turn off the TV..be careful what you watch
Put down that remote and step away from the TV. The more time you spend watching television or staring at a computer screen, the less time you have for just about everything else, including physical activity.
What’s more, what you watch can influence how much you eat! Researchers at Hobart and William Smith Colleges found that viewing just 10 minutes of a food show may lead to cravings and overeating.
Tempted to watch TV? Limit viewing to just 2-3 hours a week and avoid watching food and cooking shows.

Body Reset Diet

Body Reset Diet:
The aim:
Jump-start your metabolism, reboot your system and set yourself up for sustained weight loss.

Low-calorie Diet: These diets provide far fewer calories than is generally recommended, which leads to weight loss.

The claim:
By getting most of your nutrients through smoothies and then incorporating solid food back in your diet over the course of 15 days, you’ll “reset” your body, lose weight quickly and sustain that weight loss long term.

The theory:
While many diets will help you lose weight while you’re on the diet, the results are often not sustainable. Instead, you need to restart your metabolism and kick it into gear. By eating a low-calorie plant-based diet made up mostly of smoothies over the course of 15 days, you can train your body to use energy more efficiently and burn calories faster, even while you’re asleep. Combine this with resistance exercise three days per week, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term, sustained weight loss.

The Body Reset Diet was created by celebrity fitness trainer Harley Pasternak, who holds a masters degree in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto and co-hosted ABC’s daytime talk show “The Revolution” in 2012. Pasternak has worked with celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Bono.

Will you lose weight?
Probably. There isn’t any clinical evidence behind the diet, but sticking to smoothies full of fruits and vegetables will likely result in a calorie deficit, which would help pounds drop off. How quickly and whether you keep the weight off, however, is up to you.

HMR Diet

HMR Diet:
Overview
Lose weight and keep it off by reducing calories via meal replacement with added fruits and vegetables, learning healthy lifestyle strategies and increasing physical activity and personal accountability.

Low-calorie Diet: These diets provide far fewer calories than is generally recommended, which leads to weight loss.

HMR meal replacements – low-calorie shakes, meals, nutrition bars and multigrain hot cereal – are eaten in place of other meals and snacks. In addition, eating fruits and vegetables, which are naturally low in calories, helps displace higher-calorie foods from a diet. By mixing vegetables and fruits with HMR meal replacements, you have filling, nutritious meals. Physical activity is essential for successful long-term weight management, and a little exercise – just 10 to 20 minutes of walking per day – will help you attain weight-loss goals.

Pros & Cons
Meals delivered to you
Phased approach for quick start on weight loss
Eating out limited
Shakes could get humdrum

The HMR Diet was developed more than 30 years ago by Lawrence Stifler, a behavioral psychologist and president of HMR. The HMR at Home Program – also referred to as the Healthy Solutions Diet – involves two phases. Phase 1 is the Quick Start phase, when the goal is to lose weight as quickly as possible. The Quick Start diet kit includes all the HMR foods you need for the first three weeks, except for fruit and vegetables, which you provide yourself. Automatic food shipments will then arrive every two weeks. Home delivery helps ensure you never run out of food, which could interrupt your weight loss. You’ll also start learning healthy lifestyle strategies. You then transition to Phase 2 once you reach your goal weight, or you’re ready for less structure in your diet. While the time in Phase 1 depends on the your individual weight-loss goal, expected weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, with an average weight loss of 23 pounds over the first 12 weeks.
In Phase 2, you’ll receive HMR food monthly, work in other healthy food options and focus more on lifestyle changes while either maintaining your Phase 1 weight loss or continuing to lose weight at your own pace. Weekly telephone coaching sessions with dietitians and exercise physiologists provide support and encourage.

How much does it cost?
The initial three-week HMR starter kit costs $295 (with free shipping when joining the program). The standard two-week reorder kit costs $180. Individually, shakes, cereal and soup run between roughly $2 and $2.50 per serving. Entrees cost $3.65 per serving and can be ordered online. You'll save on costs in the meat and processed-food sections of your grocery store, while possibly spending more money than you used to in the produce aisle.

Tips to avoid weight gain during the holidays

Helpful Hints to keep your weight under control during the holidays:

Never arrive hungry
Pace yourself when you are eating
Limit alcohol consumption
Use a small plate instead of a large plate to feast
When you are full do not continue to eat
Limit your sweets
Take a walk after you eat

**Get back to healthy eat as soon as possible**
**Continue working out**

Eat To Live Diet

Eat to Live Diet -

The Promise
Losing 20-plus pounds is a great accomplishment, and Joel Fuhrman, MD, aims to help you do that with his book, Eat to Live.

Eat to Live isn't just about losing weight without feeling deprived or hungry. It's also about improving your blood pressure, cholesterol, and more.

The 6-week plan shows that if you eat foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories, you can eat more and feel fuller for longer.

On this plan, you cut down on some carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and oil. You also quit meat and dairy for at least 6 weeks, and eat more whole fruits, vegetables, beans and other legumes, and whole grains.

What You Can Eat:

Raw veggies
Steamed or cooked green vegetables, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, ect..
Beans and other legumes
At least four fresh fruits per day, but no juice. You can have frozen fruit, but not canned. You can use dried fruit sparingly, as a sweet accent.

In limited quantities:

1 cup per day of cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains (winter squash, corn, potatoes, rice, bread, cereal)
1 ounce per day of raw nuts and seeds
2 ounces per day of avocado (1/5 of a medium avocado is 1 ounce)
2 tablespoons per day of dried fruit
1 tablespoon per day of ground flaxseed

Off-limits:

Dairy products
Animal products
Snacks between meals
Fruit juice
Oils
Processed foods

Fuhrman says it’s best to avoid alcohol if possible, but you can have one drink a day if that will help you stay on the plan.

Limitations: This is a very restrictive diet. You will be eating tons of vegetables at most meals, with some fruit, some legumes, and a limited amount of starch at one meal. You will not eat meat, dairy, sugar, or oil at all on the initial 6-week plan. After you complete the first 6 weeks, you may reintroduce fat-free dairy, meat, fish, refined carbs, and olive oil in very small amounts.

The Fast Diet

The Fast Diet -
The Promise
"Fast," in this case, is not about speed. It's about fasting.
This diet, which started in the U.K., slashes your calories so drastically 2 days a week that you're basically fasting. That's not safe for everyone, so you should check with your doctor if you're considering trying it.

The Fast Diet says that you shouldn’t fast if you’re pregnant or underweight, or if you have a history of eating disorders or diabetes, and that you should check with your doctor first if you take medication. The diet also isn't recommended for kids, teens, frail seniors, or anyone who isn't feeling well or has a fever.

The basic concept behind The Fast Diet by Michael Mosley, MD, and Mimi Spencer is to eat normally for 5 days per week and eat very restricted calories on the other 2 days.
Mosley tried this "intermittent fasting" diet when his doctor showed him that though he was only a few pounds overweight, his cholesterol was high and his blood sugar was headed in the wrong direction. He writes that he knew fasting would be difficult, but his hunger pangs passed quicker than he expected. He also felt that fasting sharpened his senses and his brain. Plus, the diet delivered all the results he hoped for.

On its web site, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that although there is evidence that intermittent fasting diets may help prevent chronic disease, more research is needed. It doesn't recommend the diet because "it is not a realistic long-term solution.” The academy also notes that "any variation of fasting may make a person irritable, cause daytime sleepiness/sleeplessness at night, and can even lead to dehydration."

What You Can Eat and What You Can't

You eat normally 5 days a week, and fast for the other 2 days. Your fasting days should not be back-to-back; you should have at least 1 normal eating day in between them.
During your fast days, you can eat, but not very much. Women get 500 calories per day; men get 600. That’s far less than what’s usually recommended. Depending on age, gender, and how active you are, you could need three or four times as many calories.
The Fast Diet encourages you to eat lean protein, vegetables, and fruit on fasting days, usually as two small meals plus a few snacks.

A typical 500-calorie fasting day might include oatmeal with fresh blueberries for breakfast, a tangerine for a snack, and a chicken and vegetable stir-fry for dinner. You will drink lots of water and may also have calorie-free beverages such as tea, coffee (no milk or sugar), and club soda.
On your 5 "off days," you can eat anything. Surprisingly, the research team that studied the diet found that people didn’t gorge themselves on off days.
The Fast Diet strongly discourages drinking alcohol on fasting days and suggests that if you drink on your "off days," you drink only in moderation. Once you reach your weight loss goal, 1 day of fasting per week is recommended for maintenance.

Exercise: The Fast Diet recommends exercise, but the diet's web site cautions that you shouldn't try to do a lot of endurance training on fasting days, and to stop if you feel uncomfortable.

Does It Work?

Even though many health experts don’t recommend fasting, if you’re going to do it, the authors of this plan have it right. Eating 500-600 calories a couple of days a week will be tough, but it’s doable.
One reason experts tell people not to cut way back on calories is that it can slow your metabolism, making it even harder to lose weight. But studies show that fasting from time to time can be an effective strategy for weight loss. In addition, cutting calories on a couple of days instead of every day may help preserve muscle, so you lose mostly fat.
Mosley’s team found that people don’t overindulge on the non-fasting days. Other research suggests he they may be right. But it’s ultimately up to you to make sure you don’t sabotage your weight loss efforts on the “off” days.

If fasting interests you, The Fast Diet is a decent approach. It’s going to take some serious willpower, but if you’re up for the challenge, it can work. It’s definitely not meant for everyone, so don’t ignore the warnings.