The Candida Diet

The Candida Diet is a necessary evil, as many of my patients will agree. If you are a Candida sufferer, the diet is something that "you can't live with yet you can't live without." The diet is feared, hated, despised, misunderstood, and often can make the difference between the success and failure in the elimination of the yeasty beast! The purpose of this article is not to explain what the Candida Diet is. This can actually be found on our website in the "patient only section," or by simply searching the Candida Diet on the internet. The purpose here is to explain why it is important!

I will also explain how the diet is generally healthier than most diets that are being followed in the 21st century.

The Candida Diet is low in carbohydrates, low in sugar, and generally low in fermented foods like vinegar, alcoholic beverages, etc. Candida feeds on sugars. Sugars make it grow and strengthen its adherence to the intestinal lining. While on a Candida Diet, the total amount of carbohydrates for the day should not exceed 150 grams. At the Biamonte Center, we use 3 versions of the Candida Diet that range between 30-50 grams, 60-90 grams, and 100-150 grams of total carbohydrates for the day. Avoiding sugar and alcohol are the most important factors. These substances can cause the fastest and greatest increase in Candida growth. They are the most dangerous. Starches come next. Starches convert to sugars in your body. Candida can feed on healthy sugars just the same as it can on junk food. Many of your patients will notice that sweet fruits will flare their symptoms just as noticeably as junk foods! When eating starches (carbohydrates), choosing those foods that have a lower "glycemic index" rating is best. The glycemic index is a scale that rates how fast a food converts to sugar in you blood stream. Examples of the glycemic index can easily be found on the internet. Fermented foods like soy sauce, vinegar, etc. can be important to avoid, especially if the person has reactionary symptoms from the food. These foods often produce an allergic reaction in the Candida sufferer's intestinal tract which can upset the good flora and the intestinal immune response. Foods from the fungus family like mushrooms, etc. can be allergens in the same manner as the fermented foods.

Foods high in yeast can have a similar effect to fermented foods and the foods from the fungal family. Foods that contain yeast do not contain Candida. They contain baker's yeast. This is not Candida. These foods can aggravate Candida by causing allergic reactions, but they cannot cause Candida.

The Candida Diet, though apparently restrictive, is actually higher in nutrients than the diet of the average American. The Candida Diet in fact is very similar to "The South Beach Diet," "The Zone," and "The Hunter/Gatherer Diet" (also known as the "Paleolithic Diet"). There are races of people who are all slimmer, stronger, and faster than us. They all have straight teeth and perfect eyesight. Arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, schizophrenia, and cancer are absolute rarities to them. These people are the last 84 tribes of hunter-gatherers in the world. They share a secret that is over 2 million years old. Their secret is their diet- a diet that has changed little from that of the first humans 2 million years ago, and their predecessors, up to 7 million years ago. Theirs is the diet that man evolved on, the diet that is coded for in our genes. It has some major differences to the diet of "civilization." You are in for a few big surprises.

The diet is usually referred to as the "Paleolithic Diet," referring to the Paleolithic or Stone Age era. It is also referred to as the "Stone Age Diet," "Cave Man Diet," or the "Hunter/Gatherer Diet." More romantic souls like to think of it as the diet that was eaten in the "Garden of Eden," and they are correct in thinking so. For millions of years, humans and their relatives have eaten meat, fish, fowl, and the leaves, roots, and fruits of many plants. One big obstacle to getting more calories from the environment is the fact that many plants are inedible. Grains, beans, and potatoes are full of energy but are all inedible in the raw state, as they contain many toxins. There is no doubt about that- please don't try to eat them raw. They can make you very sick.

Around 10,000 years ago, an enormous breakthrough was made- a breakthrough that was to change the course of history, and our diet, forever. This breakthrough was the discovery that cooking these foods made them edible- the heat destroyed enough toxins to render them edible. Grains include wheat, corn, barley, rice, sorghum, millet, and oats. Grain based foods also include products such as flour, bread, noodles and pasta. The cooking of grains, beans, and potatoes had an enormous effect on our food intake- perhaps doubling the number of calories that we could obtain from the plant foods in our environment.

Grains, beans, and potatoes (GBP) share the following important characteristics:

-- They are all toxic when raw. There is no doubt about this; it is a fact that no competent source would dispute. They can be extremely dangerous and it is important never to eat them raw or undercooked. These toxins include enzyme blockers, lectins, and other types. I will talk about them in detail later as they are very important.

-- Cooking destroys most but not all of the toxins. Insufficient cooking can lead to sickness such as acute gastroenteritis.

-- They are all rich sources of carbohydrate, and once cooked, this is often rapidly digestible, giving a high glycemic index (sugar spike).

-- They are extremely poor sources of vitamins (particularly vitamins A, B-group, folic acid, and C), minerals, antioxidants, and phytosterols.

Therefore diets high in grains, beans, and potatoes (GBP):

-- contain toxins in small amounts

-- have a high glycemic index (i.e. have a similar effect to raw sugar on blood glucose levels)

-- are low in many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytosterols ( i.e. they are the original "empty calories")

-- have problems caused by the GBP displacing other foods

As grains, beans and potatoes form such a large proportion of the modern diet, you can now understand why it is so common for people to feel they need supplements or that they need to detoxify (i.e. that they have toxins in their system). Indeed both feelings are absolutely correct. The essentials of the Paleolithic Diet are:

-- Eat none of the following: (Note the following is not the Candida Diet - this information is present in order to compare the Candida Diet to the Paleolithic Diet.)

-- grains- including bread, pasta, noodles

-- beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas, and peas

-- potatoes

-- dairy products

-- sugar

Eat the following: (Note the following is not the Candida Diet- this information is present in order to compare the Candida Diet to the Paleolithic Diet.)

-- meat, chicken, and fish

-- eggs

-- fruits

-- vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)

-- nuts, e.g. walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia, almond- Do not eat peanuts (a bean) or cashews (a family of their own)

-- berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.

Try to increase your intake of:

-- root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes

-- organ meats- liver and kidneys (I accept that many people find these unpalatable and won't eat them.)

This diet strongly resembles the typical Candida Diet, which in fact is higher in nutrient density than most diets that are followed by the average American.

From a layman's point of view, we can say that we use the diet to starve Candida in order to kill it. From a more scientific point of view, sugars, when metabolized by Candida cells, help Candida to adhere to the intestinal lining in order to hold on and keep its grip on you! Therefore, the avoidance of sugars can weaken the grip that the Candida has on your intestinal lining.

Sugars also make up and comprise the outer most layers of the yeast cells. A flip to this statement is the sugar, "Mannose." The sugar, Mannose, is currently being researched by this author, as it has shown the ability to block the adherence of Candida to the vaginal lining and perhaps the intestinal lining.

Candida above all is a yeast/fungus so it can be considered vegetation, like a mushroom. Like brewer's yeast, it metabolizes sugars and converts them to toxic alcohols called aldehydes. Many of the symptoms of Candida are produced by this toxic alcohol, the toxic proteins called antigens, mycotoxins (fungal toxins), and the neurological toxins (neurotoxins) that the Candida produces. When Candida is fed sugars, it not only strengthens its grip on you but it produces more of these toxins. Starches and carbs are naturally broken down and converted to sugars by your own body. This is normal for your health. However, Candida will eat these sugars as well. Fermented foods contain predigested sugars and substances that react like an allergen with your Candida. So sugars, starches, alcohol, and fermented foods feed Candida and make it worse! They also make it harder for medicines to kill Candida.

Diet, however, rarely causes Candida. It is usually caused by antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills, and other drugs. However, a diet high in sugar, starch, and alcohol, consumed during a period of extreme stress, can bring Candida about as if one took these medications.

At the Biamonte Center, the Candida Diet is used to weaken the Candida by starving it. This makes it more susceptible to the anti-yeast/ anti- fungal substances that we use. The Candida Diet is not used to kill the Candida as its own weapon. Diet very rarely can eliminate Candida. Candida grows a root system into your blood vessels. Here it taps into you blood and feeds on blood glucose and other nutrients. There is always enough blood glucose to keep the Candida alive, despite being on a low carbohydrate diet or even if you fasted. Fasting cannot kill Candida! This is because even when you fast, your body must keep a normal level of glucose (blood sugar) circulating for your brain and muscles to work. However, the low carb diet weakens it, like a weed which has had little water for some time.

Even when it is barely alive, it can continue to survive. And if "watered and fed properly," could grow again, returning to its former glory.

This is a very important concept to understand when we consider the importance and place the diet treatment holds in the elimination of Candida.

DIET RARELY ELIMINATES CANDIDA. ITS PURPOSE IS TO MAKE THE CANDIDA WEAKER SO THAT THE MEDICINES CAN TOTALLY DESTROY IT!

When you cheat on the diet, the Candida can temporarily increase. If one cheats for 1 day on the diet but continues the Candida rotation and phase 0, little will happen to set one back. Any increase in growth can be reduced within 1-2 days. The more one cheats, the more Candida grows. If one does the program but does not follow the diet, either no progress will be made or the person will continually feel ill from feeding the Candida, then making it grow, and then killing it and becoming toxic from the dead Candida wastes!

So when you cheat a day or so here and there on the diet, it does not defeat the entire program, providing that you stay on the anti-fungal rotation and Phase 0.

WHY IS GLUTEN AND MILK EXCLUDED IN CANDIDA DIETS?

Many of the Candida diets also suggest excluding Gluten and Casein (milk protein) from the diet. What isn't explained is why. It is observed that most, but not all Candida patients worsen when eating these foods.

A possible theory as to why is that an underlying allergy to these foods causes damage to the intestinal condition, where damage to the intestinal villi occurs. These villi are finger- like hairs that absorb nutrients that pass through the intestines. This damage causes putrefaction and decay of food in the intestines due to malabsorption.

In that case, the Candida is provided with food so it can continue to proliferate. This can also suppress normal, healthy flora and the intestinal immune response. The underlying problem is gluten-induced intestinal damage, but because the Candida is easier to identify, the underlying pathology is missed. Candida could easily eat these foods and release allergens as a by product of its metabolism, which causes intestinal allergies and further degrades the intestinal flora.

WEIGHT GAIN AND CANDIDA

"It's Not Your Fault"

If you have failed to lose weight despite following a diet exactly, it could be due to Candida. The late Dr. Robert Atkins, an international expert on the low carbohydrate diet, says in his books that Candida or low thyroid function can prevent weight loss despite a low carbohydrate diet. Candida adversely affects your metabolism and interferes with many hormones, nutrients, and the body's ability to burn fat!

One of the major secondary problems associated with Candida Albicans is weight gain. A number of the problems associated with loosing weight and staying with a diet are due to Candida Albicans. A person with Candida Albicans will often crave sugar and simple carbohydrates because this is the main source of nutrients for yeast. Mood swings and depression are often associated with the rapid change in blood sugar levels caused by the yeast.

Lower thyroid function, lower Dhea levels, Estrogen dominance, and elevated Cortisol levels are all typical in someone with chronic Candida. Each of these situations has been known to contribute to weight gain or difficulty losing weight. Focusing on removing Candida Albicans from the body rewards the dieter with a feeling of well being and weight loss that is steady, sustainable, and healthy. Very often a person trying to lose weight will not be able to do so because of a Candida infection.

A NEW MIRACLE FOOD TO STOP SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATE CRAVINGS SO YOU CAN STAY ON THE DIET!

Hemp Hearts (Shelled Hemp Seed) is a natural food that is concentrated with all of the required proteins, essential fats, and many vitamins and enzymes, and contains only insignificant quantities of saturated fats and carbohydrates.

Because Hemp Hearts provides people with an excellent balance of proteins and essential fats, they will have less difficulty avoiding the sugar and starchy carbohydrates that cause obesity and many other late onset health problems. Individuals who use Hemp Hearts as described above--eating them in the morning for their nutritional essentials, to increase their energy and reduce their dependence on sugar and carbohydrates, and having all day to burn off the calories--these individuals always experience profound health benefits.

Except for those with diabetes and other conditions which may seem to require individuals to eat more frequently, most people eat at least four, but usually five, measuring tablespoons of Hemp Hearts early each morning, preferably on fruit and yogurt (vegetables for diabetics), but also sometimes on cereal. They frequently report that they are not yet hungry at lunch time, and often only slightly hungry at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. Those who are overweight can quite easily limit themselves to a large salad in the afternoon. Because those who eat Hemp Hearts in quantity every morning are nutritionally satisfied, they have less difficulty avoiding foods made with sugar, flour, potatoes, pasta, and rice, and they are less inclined to regain lost weight.

Michael Biamonte holds a Doctorate of Nutripathy, a Degree in Natural Healing, and a Master's in Clinical Nutrition. He is affiliated with the International Academy of Clinical Nutritionists and the International Academy of Nutrition and Preventive Medicine. He is listed in "The Directory of Distinguished Americans" for his research in Nutrition and Physiology. Michael Biamonte, C.C.N. 139 Fulton St. Suite 507, New York, NY 10038 (212) 587-2330, http://www.health-truth.com.

Detoxification Diet - What Benefits Can I Get From It?

Detoxification Diet works wonders

Every detoxification diet you will come across will have some differences from each other. Some programs may completely restrict intake of food, while others will advice you to eat nothing more than just fruits and vegetables. This is the usual scene once you begin with a detoxification diet program. Whichever you take, each one will take you towards the great benefits of being cleansed from the inside.

Your body is constantly bombarded by a multitude of toxins and other harmful substances, and it does its best just to flush these things out. With a detoxification diet, your body will receive a great deal of help in naturally eliminating these culprits. There may also be some side effects when you first try this cleansing program, like when you are used to drinking coffee every morning, then you will need to exert efforts just to withdraw from something you are used to doing, and that isn't easy. This may seem like a torture for most people, but this is just normal and symptoms of withdrawal will gradually subside. Once your body gets accustomed to the new routine, you will feel much better and more energized.

Fatigue and lethargy is often considered to be primarily caused by constipation. Undergoing a detoxification diet program will help cleanse the colon area, and can improve your symptoms of constipation. I once had this room mate who was regularly taking narcotic pain killers for more than a year because of a recent injury. It was this drug that made him constipated most of the time. The moment she finished with her medication on narcotic pain killers, she immediately tried getting into a detoxification diet. She experienced improvements in her health like getting rid of her narcotic dependency, and she does not experience being constipated anymore. She currently gets her colon cleansed and undergoes detoxification every time she had difficulty in bowel movements. She felt really cleansed from the inside and felt so much lighter after getting into a detoxification diet.

Even with the benefits that detoxification diets offer, some individuals say they experienced a general feeling of weakness in the 1st week of the program. As with most diets like this, food consumption is greatly reduced, and this can really affect the body's performance and balance. The secret here is to know how to prolong the effects of the foods you consume. Individuals who have a hard time with reduced caloric intake state that spreading out meals into smaller portions throughout the day is better than just taking the major meals by themselves. This allows them to enjoy the benefits that detoxification diets have to offer while keeping the food intake the same. Experts on this kind of diets say that as long as the amount of calories taken in each day remains constant, then spreading out meals throughout the day will pose no problem.

The extra water consumption related with detoxification diets is just normal, as this would help flush out whatever impurities you have inside you, and it can also grant you smoother bowel movements. The more water you take in, the better your body will be able to flush out those toxins inside you. It will also help your kidneys function more efficiently in cleansing your bloodstream and excreting waste matter through your urine.

Another benefit of getting into a detoxification diet is liver regeneration, which is not really known to many people. Including milk thistle as a supplement is highly recommended when undergoing a cleansing program. It can help with the ability of the liver to heal and regenerate itself. And although it may not cure any liver disease, it can at least help prevent them from occurring when combined with a healthy lifestyle.

What you won't get from detoxification diets

Undergoing a detoxification diet is made to help the body recuperate from the large amounts of toxins that has accumulated inside it. It is not a magic cure for every ailments or illnesses. Although most individuals may report improvements in their health conditions, it may not be able to partially or completely have an effect no already existing diseases in the body. For example, cancer cells cannot be eliminated by undergoing a detoxification diet. Although they have been due to toxin build-up, they are made up of cells and not something you can just flush down the toilet.

A lot of people experience significant weight loss during detoxification diets. This is just normal as calorie intake is greatly reduced, which also causes water weight reduction and flushing out of fat cells. Some people say this is just temporary, but the weight loss effects can actually be made permanent if you maintain your healthy eating habits and do not get back to your old routine of junk and processed foods. So if you were previously used to snacking on French fries and hamburgers everyday, you must not return to this routine anymore, or else you will again gain back your weight, and most of the time the weight gained is greater than what you originally had. Detoxification diets teach you to eat smart by making smart choices, whether you are dinning inside or outside your home.

Detoxification diets are not designed to cure emotional or mental problems like clinical depression. Although a lot of people state that they felt more emotionally stable after undergoing the program, there is still a big line separating situational depression from clinical depression. Appropriate medication is needed for serious cases of clinical depression. For people with this kind of condition, detoxification diets can never replace the medication they need in order to get by with daily activities. Situational depression is way different case however, and can be managed easily by undergoing a detoxification diet since it is designed for you to have maximum control over your body and health.

What makes Detoxification Diets different from the usual diet programs?

Diet programs are usually considered a dime a dozen. Popular diet programs like Grapefruit diet, Atkins diet, Green Tea and National Diet programs. One can go over and over these diet plans, spend a fortune on each one just to find out which one works and which does not. The reality is that not every one of these programs will work for you. To others it may prove to be a success, but that does not guarantee the same result for you. This is because different diet programs are meant to be used by different kinds of people. They are not a "one size fits all" program. So will detoxification diets work everyone? Definitely! This is because weight reduction is only a side effect of getting your body cleansed of toxins. Its main goal is to get rid of different kinds of toxins and harmful substances which have accumulated over time. These toxins are what give us countless health problems ranging from simple headaches and fatigue, to even cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Besides cleansing the body of foreign matter, we are also aiming to prevent them from getting back inside of us. And while weight reduction is a result of undergoing a detoxification program, we would like to emphasize that this is not its principal objective.

Always remember that detoxification diet programs will also vary from one another. Some will be designed by health professionals who have extensive knowledge on how the body works and its ability to cleanse itself of harmful substances. And while most diet programs were created with some sense of entrepreneurship, a detoxification diet program was made by a naturopathist or an individual who deals with different body types and how each one functions on its own unique way. After the first detoxification diet program was introduced, a lot of "spin-offs" have already sprouted in the market, and all have their different claims for body purification. Most of them will recommend cutting back completely on eating and just living on juice drinks for a few days (although something such as this beyond 24 hours is just unhealthy). These are the types of diet plans that just seem an impossible task to complete. If you really want to try going into any diet program, we definitely recommend starting slow and gradual so that your body's balance is not drastically disturbed. Weight loss will follow once you start taking care of your health.

Losing weight while under a detoxification program came as a surprise for people who weren't really expecting it. They only wanted to get cleansed of toxins and harmful substances, but they were not aware that losing weight in the process would be possible. This gave this diet program significant popularity because of its cleansing and weight reduction capabilities.

It is a well-known fact that the world we live in today, though modern and comfortable, is filled with everything unnatural, chemically treated and processed; from the food we eat to the air we breathe, everything contains some level of processing in it. People seem to have forgotten that we are biological beings who need more of the natural stuff. If you compare our diet and lifestyle to people living in the Pacific Islands, you would notice the significant difference between them and us. Just by merely looking at them, you can be able to conclude that they are a lot healthier than us. This is because what they have for food in their place are all natural and unprocessed. Fewer health issues are reported in that area as compared to a typical metropolitan area.

A detoxification diet plan can work wonders to cleanse and rejuvenate your body towards a healthier and happier you. In order for the diet plan to be effective, it requires an active participation on your part, and the will to improve eating habits and overall lifestyle. Nothing will happen if you sit there in the couch just waiting for a magic potion to arrive and expect it to cleanse your body and help you lose weight at the same time. This takes hard work; there are no shortcuts toward a healthy and fit body. There are a lot of other diet plans out there but there are only a few that I would even try to recommend to others. If you are looking for something that will fit you, try doing some research and investigation on a particular diet program, read reviews and recommendations, and of course, never forget to talk to your doctor first before engaging in any kind of diet plan.

Beyonce Knowles recently announced on the Oprah Winfrey talk show that she had lost a massive 20 pounds on the Master Cleanse detox diet

Compare the best detox diets used by the Hollywood's superstars!

Free Diet Programs - Four Of The Most Popular Types

If you are looking for free diet programs on which you will base your weight-loss program, it is best to search online. Almost all types of free diet programs are found in the internet. Diet programs are different from each other in terms of the style or approach that it takes to lose weight, the phases of the program and the types of food included in the diet.

Here are some examples of the types of diet plans on which you can base your diet program of choice. These types are the most common ones which most people are familiar with. Some have been around for a long time while others are relatively new.

Fixed-Menu Diet Program

One example of the diet plan is the fixed-menu diet plan. The advantage of this plan is that it is easy to follow because this diet plan has a definite menu and recipes. The list is detailed and and has been perfected over time. The listing is made together with the program. You can not replace anything on it.

The disadvantage is that this diet plan will tend to be dull. There are no changes and it is stationary. And once the program is finished, you will now have difficulty in manufacturing your own menu so you will tend to lose interest in the menu and start to gain weight again.

Exchange-Type Diet Plan

Another diet plan is the exchange-type diet plan. This diet plan has greater challenge because it allows swapping of food. The only goal when swapping is to find the right amount that matches the amount to be replaced. The advantage of this diet plan is that there are possible variations with the food that you eat. You add and subtract certain foods to come up with your choice of combination.

The disadvantage comes in when you don't know how to balance and follow instructions. Later on, you might find it difficult to find the correct matches for the required food.

An example of this diet plan is the South Beach Diet. With South Beach diet, you can eat anything as long as you comply with the requirements of the food groups that you should eat.

Pre-Packaged Meal Diet Program

Another type is the prepackaged-meal diet plan. This is a diet plan where sizes and proportions for this diet plan are strictly implemented. The advantage of prepackaged-meal diet plan is that it is measured carefully and appropriately. Size matters and the calorie intake make the difference.

The disadvantage, on the other hand of this type is that it is more expensive than other types. Because this type might need you to purchase the foods that you will eat to follow the required sizes and proportions. Before getting into this type of diet, inquire first if you will have to buy or you can make the servings by yourself.

Liquid/Powder Formula or Replacement Diet Plan

Still another type of diet plan is the diet program that replaces part of your meals with liquid formula (which are usually powder-based). This is also commonly known as the replacement diet plan. From the description, the diet plan swaps liquid formula with the food. The liquid formula has the same calorie requirement as the food. The advantage of this type of diet plan is that this is a very effective weight loss program for a short period of time. Liquid formula can be in the form of shakes or juices.

The disadvantage of the liquid formula diet plan is that you will gain weight fast when you go back to the usual diet that you have.

The example for this type is the Medifast Diet Program. The diet requires an individual to take 5 sets of liquid formula diet and only 1 green and lean meal per day.

With the basic knowledge on the different diet plans available, you can now choose which free diet program you would like to incorporate in your daily life -the diet plan that you think will work best for you.

Flor Serquina is a successful Webmaster and publisher of The-Good-Diet.com. She provides more information on topics such as free diet programs [http://www.the-good-diet.com/], free online diet plans [http://www.the-good-diet.com/free-online-diet-plans.html] and Alli diet drug [http://www.the-good-diet.com/alli-diet-drug.html] that you can research on her website even while lounging in your living room.

Power Self Help: 3 Effective Techniques

<р>Pоwеr ѕеlf hеlр іѕ аbоut іmрlеmеntіng tесhnіquеѕ thаt wоrk. It іѕ сrіtісаl іn thіѕ fаѕt расеd wоrld thаt wе hаvе реrѕоnаl ѕеlf hеlр tесhnіquеѕ thаt wе hаvе trіеd, tеѕtеd аnd fееl соmfоrtаblе wіth.<р>Thе mоrе wе truѕt оur ѕеlf hеlр tесhnіquеѕ, thе mоrе wе wіll uѕе thеm bоth іn еvеrуdау ѕіtuаtіоnѕ аnd durіng tіmеѕ оf hіgh ѕtrеѕѕ оr сrіѕіѕ. Hаbіtuаl uѕе hеlрѕ tо fасіlіtаtе ѕkіll аnd іntіmасу wіth thе mеthоdѕ. Intіmасу dоеѕ nоt brееd соntеmрt іn thіѕ саѕе... іt hеlрѕ uѕ gаіn grеаtеr соnfіdеnсе аnd truѕt іn оur оwn іnnеr рrосеѕѕ аnd hеlрѕ uѕ tо dеvеlор grеаtеr ѕеlf аwаrеnеѕѕ, а сrіtісаl fасtоr fоr іntеrасtіng mаѕtеrfullу іn lіfе.<р>Thе bеѕt, mоѕt еffесtіvе tесhnіquеѕ іnvоlvе аlіgnіng thе dіffеrеnt lауеrѕ оf оurѕеlvеѕ ѕо аѕ tо mаxіmіѕе іnnеr аwаrеnеѕѕ. Wе саnnоt іntеrасt mаѕtеrfullу wіth оthеrѕ іf wе dо nоt knоw аnd undеrѕtаnd оur оwn іnnеr wоrkіngѕ.<р>Innеr аlіgnmеnt іnсrеаѕеѕ сlаrіtу, fосuѕ, еffесtіvе ѕеlf dіrесtіоn аnd lеаdеrѕhір ѕkіllѕ. Thеѕе аll lіnk роwеrfullу tоgеthеr tо mаxіmіѕе mаnіfеѕtаtіоn оf оur gоаlѕ аnd drеаmѕ соnѕіѕtеntlу, јоуfullу аnd wіth mіnіmum ѕtrеѕѕ.<р>Thе fоllоwіng thrее еffесtіvе роwеr ѕеlf hеlр tесhnіquеѕ саn bе еаѕіlу іnсоrроrаtеd іntо а buѕу lіfеѕtуlе:<р>1. BREATHE!!!<р>Fаѕt, еаѕу wау tо аlіgn оn thе ѕріrіtuаl, mеntаl, еmоtіоnаl аnd рhуѕісаl lеvеlѕ. Thе brеаth іѕ іmроrtаnt tо соnnесt, rеbаlаnсе аnd rеmаіn аlіgnеd wіth оur dеереѕt сеntеr durіng оur hесtіс, сhаllеngіng dауѕ.<р>Brеаthе. Dеерlу аnd fullу fоr ѕеvеrаl mіnutеѕ, mаnу tіmеѕ durіng thе dау. Brеаthе іn реасе, wіѕdоm, lоvе, аbundаnсе, јоу аnd fun. Brеаthе оut wоrrіеѕ, аnxіеtіеѕ, ѕаdnеѕѕ, fеаr аnd hurt.<р>2. SELF TALK CHECK<р>Dо а quісk сhесk оf thе quаlіtу оf thоughtѕ рlауіng thrоugh thе mіnd ѕіnсе аwаkеnіng. Nеgаtіvе ѕеlf tаlk сhаngеѕ thе frеquеnсу wе еmіt аnd аttrасtѕ rеаl lіfе ѕіtuаtіоnѕ thаt ѕuрроrt, rеflесt аnd ѕtrеngthеn thе nеgаtіvіtу.<р>If wе аrе nоt hарру wіth еіthеr thе ѕіtuаtіоnѕ wе аrе еnсоuntеrіng durіng thе dау оr thе quаlіtу оf оur ѕеlf tаlk wе саn trаnѕfоrm bоth bу rерrоgrаmmіng оur ѕеlf tаlk mоrе роѕіtіvеlу іn lіnе wіth whаt wе wоuld lіkе tо mаnіfеѕt.<р>Hаvіng thе dіѕсірlіnе tо rеgulаrlу сhесk-іn оn thе quаlіtу оf оur ѕеlf tаlk rеаlіgnѕ іt tо wоrk іn раrtnеrѕhір wіth асhіеvіng оur gоаlѕ аnd drеаmѕ.<р>Thе rеlеvаnt роwеr ѕеlf tаlk tесhnіquе hеrе wоuld bе tо іnѕtаntlу сhаngе frоm thе nеgаtіvе vеіn tо а роѕіtіvе, mоrе gоаl аnd ѕеlf аlіgnеd еnеrgу.<р>Fоr еxаmрlе іf thе lіmіtіng ѕеlf tаlk іѕ "I аm nоt gооd еnоugh", аn еffесtіvе аntіdоtе соuld bе "I аm brіllіаnt аnd еаѕіlу еxрrеѕѕ mу brіllіаnсе іn аll аrеаѕ оf mу lіfе."<р>Plау wіth thіѕ fоr уоurѕеlf untіl уоu соmе uр wіth уоur оwn реrѕоnаl ѕеlf tаlk gеmѕ thаt уоu саn uѕе tо іnѕtаntlу rеаlіgn уоur fосuѕ еvеrуdау. Fееl frее tо ѕеnd mе уоurѕ fоr fееdbасk аnd fіnеtunіng.<р>3. TAKE YOUR EMOTIONAL TEMPERATURE<р>Tunіng іn tо thе еmоtіоnаl ѕtаtе іѕ оnе оf thе mоѕt еffесtіvе роwеr ѕеlf hеlр tесhnіquеѕ thеrе іѕ. Evеrу оnе оf uѕ іѕ а trаnѕсеіvеr - wе bоth trаnѕmіt аnd rесеіvе еnеrgу frеquеnсіеѕ. Emоtіоn іѕ аn еnеrgу thаt оur trаnѕсеіvеr bоth еmіtѕ аnd rесеіvеѕ.<р>Tо trulу сrеаtе роwеrful lіvеѕ оur еmоtіоnаl аnd mеntаl frеquеnсіеѕ muѕt mаtсh оr а mіxеd ѕіgnаl wіll bе trаnѕmіttеd, rеѕultіng іn mіxеd mаnіfеѕtаtіоnѕ. Rеlаtіоnѕhірѕ, fіnаnсеѕ, hеаlth, ѕtrеѕѕ аnd оthеr lіfе fасtоrѕ wіll rеflесt thе lасk оf аlіgnmеnt.<р>Wе hаvе аll еxреrіеnсеd hеаrіng ѕоmеоnе ѕау ѕоmеthіng but dеер dоwn nоt rеаllу ассерt whаt thеу ѕаіd аѕ truth ѕіmрlу bесаuѕе іt dіdn't 'fееl rіght'. Wе рісkеd uр thаt thеіr еmоtіоnаl frеquеnсу dіd nоt mаtсh thеіr vеrbаl еxрrеѕѕіоn.<р>A vеrу ѕіmрlе wау tо buіld аwаrеnеѕѕ оf оur dаіlу еmоtіоnаl tеmреrаturе іѕ tо јоurnаl, рrеfеrаblу uѕіng thе mоrnіng раgеѕ tесhnіquе оf wrіtіng thrее раgеѕ nоnѕtор еvеrу mоrnіng dіrесtlу uроn аwаkеnіng. It іѕ іmроrtаnt thаt nоnе оf whаt іѕ wrіttеn іѕ rеаd fоr аt lеаѕt оnе mоnth. Rеvіеwіng thе mаtеrіаl аftеr thіѕ реrіоd оf tіmе wіll rеvеаl lоtѕ оf іnnеr соnсеrnѕ, dеѕіrеѕ аnd fеаrѕ thаt саn bе аddrеѕѕеd tо ѕtrеngthеn іnnеr аlіgnmеnt.<р>Emоtіоnаl tеmреrаturе сhесkѕ, еmоtіоnаl rеlеаѕе аnd аlіgnmеnt оf еmоtіоnѕ аrе bаѕіс роwеr ѕеlf hеlр аnd lеаdеrѕhір ѕkіll tесhnіquеѕ I tеасh tо сlеаr, rеlеаѕе, hаrnеѕѕ аnd dіrесt оur еmоtіоnаl роwеr.<р>Thіѕ Pоwеr Sеlf Hеlр аrtісlе іѕ but а brіеf fоrау іntо thrее оf thе mоѕt іmроrtаnt аnd ѕіmрlеѕt роwеr ѕеlf hеlр tесhnіquеѕ thаt саn аѕѕіѕt uѕ tо сrеаtе lіvеѕ thаt fulfіll bоth оur іnnеr аnd оutеr nееdѕ аnd dеѕіrеѕ.<р>Aѕ wе tаkе саrе оf оur tоtаl ѕеlvеѕ іn аn аttеntіvе, hоlіѕtіс wау, thе quаlіtу оf оur lіvеѕ wіll іmрrоvе аnd rеflесt іnсrеаѕеd bаlаnсе, whоlеnеѕѕ аnd еffесtіvеnеѕѕ.

<р>Angеlа Chеn Shuі, Sоul Alіgnmеnt Sріrіtuаl Lіfе Cоасh, Tеасhеr оf Dіvіnіtу, Awаkеnіng Enеrgу Hеаlіng Fасіlіtаtоr аnd Intеrnеt Mоmрrеnеur рublіѕhеѕ "Sоul Sеlf Hеlр Inѕіghtѕ", thе Bеуоnd-thе-Mіnd, Sоul-thrіllіng ѕеlf hеlр, Nеw Enеrgу ѕріrіtuаlіtу nеwѕlеttеr. If уоu'rе rеаdу tо ассеѕѕ уоur іnnеr wіѕdоm, сrеаtе аnd сеlеbrаtе а mоrе mаgісаl lіfе аnd еxрrеѕѕ уоurѕеlf mоrе fullу аnd раѕѕіоnаtеlу, gеt уоur FREE іnѕіghtѕ nоw аt: <а tаrgеt="_nеw" hrеf="httр://www.ѕріrіtuаlіtуѕеlfhеlр.соm">httр://www.ѕріrіtuаlіtуѕеlfhеlр.соm<р>Cоруrіght 2006 - Angеlа Chеn Shuі. All Rіghtѕ Rеѕеrvеd Wоrldwіdе. Rерrіnt Rіghtѕ: Yоu mау rерrіnt thіѕ аrtісlе аѕ lоng аѕ уоu lеаvе аll thе lіnkѕ асtіvе, dо nоt еdіt thе аrtісlе іn аnу wау, gіvе аuthоr nаmе сrеdіt аnd іnсludе thіѕ еntіrе rеѕоurсе bоx.


<р>

All Diets Types and Their Explanations - How to Navigate and Choose the Best One For You

Atkins Diet

"The Atkins Diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate weight loss diet developed by Robert Atkins, M.D., during the 1960s. In the early 1990s, Dr. Atkins brought his diet back into the nutrition spotlight with the publication of his best-selling book "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution".

The Atkins Diet severely restricts the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods and encourages the consumption of protein and fat. The diet is divided into four phases: Induction, Ongoing Weight Loss, Pre-maintenance, and Maintenance. During the Induction phase (the first 14 days of the diet), carbohydrate intake is limited to no more than 20 grams per day. No fruit, bread, grains, starchy vegetables, or dairy products (except cheese, cream, and butter) are allowed during this phase. During the Ongoing Weight Loss phase, dieters experiment with various levels of carbohydrate consumption until they determine the most liberal level of carbohydrate intake that allows them to continue to lose weight. Dieters are encouraged to maintain this level of carbohydrate intake until their weight loss goals are met. During the Pre-maintenance and Maintenance phases, dieters determine the level of carbohydrate consumption that allows them to maintain their weight. To prevent weight regain, dieters are told to maintain this level of carbohydrate consumption, perhaps for the rest of their lives. According to Dr. Atkins, most people must limit their carbohydrate intake to no more than 60 grams per day to keep lost weight off. In addition to the dietary restrictions discussed above, Dr. Atkins recommends regular exercise and nutritional supplementation as part of his weight loss program.

Note: The dietary recommendations issued by various organizations, including the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Heart Association, encourage a daily carbohydrate intake of approximately 300 grams. To stay healthy, you will need to consume five times more what Atkins prescribes in his diets. Can a human being last long enough on this diet without experiencing any side effects? If the dieter dares to cheat on this program, the result can be detrimental and the weight can be regained easily, twice as much as what has been lost during the diet. The quick weight gain brings about eventual depression and the dieter will eventually reach his original weight before the weight loss.

What is so attractive about the diet that so many individuals have taken the time and effort to apply?

High-protein diets are the fad regimens of the moment. Their theory for weight loss consists of eating lots of animal proteins and skipping carbohydrates such as breads, rice and pasta. The theory behind these diets is that if you load up on animal proteins, you will feel fuller faster, so you'll end up eating less.

The Atkins Diet is attractive to dieters who have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight on low-fat, low-calorie diets. Atkins dieters can eat as many calories as desired from protein and fat, as long as carbohydrate consumption is restricted. Consequently, many Atkins dieters are spared the feelings of hunger and deprivation that accompany other weight loss regimens.

The underlying premise of the Atkins Diet is that diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates cause weight gain, and ultimately lead to obesity. Such diets increase the production of insulin (a hormone secreted by the pancreas). When insulin levels are high, the food we eat is quickly and easily converted into fat, and stored in our cells. By restricting the consumption of carbohydrates, the production of insulin is moderated. In addition, the lack of available carbohydrate (the body's preferred fuel source) forces the body to burn stored fat as energy.

What do the critics say?

Many nutrition experts disagree with the basic premise of the Atkins Diet - the notion that high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets cause obesity. For evidence of the implausibility of the Atkins Diet, some nutritionists point out that the traditional Japanese diet is very high in carbohydrates, low in protein, and very low in fat; however, before the introduction of high-fat and high-protein Western foods, being overweight was rare in Japan. Such findings make sense because ounce for ounce, carbohydrates contain far fewer calories than fats (4 calories from carbohydrates versus 9 calories from fat). These critics blame the over-consumption of calories (from any source) and lack of physical activity as the primary causes of obesity.

One concern about a high-protein diet stems from all the saturated fats one eats - those fats that we're told cause high cholesterol, clogged arteries and, eventually, heart disease. Critics also express concern about the impact of the Atkins Diet on the overall health of the dieter. Depending on the foods chosen by the dieter, the diet may contain a large amount of saturated fat and trans fat, putting those at risk for heart disease in danger. Recent research has found that high-protein diets speed up the progression of arteriosclerosis, the main cause of heart attacks. Moreover, contrary to Atkins' claims, extremely low-fat diets have been found to reverse heart disease. In addition, the lack of grains, fruits, and vegetables in the Atkins Diet may lead to deficiencies of key nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and several minerals. Finally, high protein diets may increase the risk of osteoporosis and accelerate the rate of deterioration in kidney function associated with aging.

Critics concede that Atkins dieters often experience significant weight loss during the initial stages of the diet. However, these critics argue that the diet has a diuretic effect and that the initial weight loss is due to water loss, not fat loss. Eventually the body restores its water and sodium balance, and the rate of weight loss declines. Critics also note that there is no evidence showing that the Atkins diet leads to greater weight loss than do other diets that provide more carbohydrates, yet the same number of calories.Critics also note high-protein diets can lead to dangerous imbalances - bone loss and kidney problems - because too much protein can overwork the kidneys.

Dr. Atkins was the first person who brought a low-carbohydrates diet to major prominence in the U.S. and I credit him for defying "the system" and offering a weight loss plan that works for some people. He presents scientific fact, but for the most part his recent book provides anecdotal information from many of his patients.

Dr. Atkins claims that some people have a condition of "hyper-insulinism", in which they produce excess amounts of insulin when they eat carbohydrates, which in turn causes fat storage, diabetes, and a craving for more carbohydrates. This theory is scientifically logical but has not been accepted as proven by the medical community.

In Dr. Atkins' "maintenance phase", he advises that persons increase their carbohydrate intake to the point where they do not gain or lose weight.

All that is great, however, how can we understand the whole concept behind his diets and why do people truly believe in it? How does it actually work?

Insulin is a hormone, which is a substance that travels through the body and stimulates chemical reactions. The human body has mechanisms to regulate how much of each hormone is produced, so that their effects can be controlled. With insulin, however, there is no "shut-off" switch as there is with other hormones. The digestion of carbohydrates produces insulin, and there is no way to stop its activity once it is present in the bloodstream. There is also no way to prevent it from being produced when carbohydrates are consumed, even if these are in excess of what the body needs for fuel.

So, the more carbohydrates you consume, the more insulin the pancreas will produce to help digest the sugars of the carbohydrates. The more insulin that is being produced, the more stored fat will be sent to the cells, especially to those around your waist.

I believe Dr. Atkins' diet may be useful for persons who are very sensitive to carbohydrates and have extremely slow metabolic rates.

Dr. Atkins' diet does not restrict protein intake, which is the correct approach. However, his advice to add carbohydrate grams for the maintenance phase so that continued weight loss does not occur is not scientifically sound. There is no indication that a person will continue to lose weight below his ideal bodyweight, taking in consideration his body type and metabolism. Your body is predisposed to a certain weight, even though you interrupt carbohydrates consumption from your diet, the body will still maintain the same weight. After that phase, you will simply need to maintain it and be happy with it.

Extreme dieters will need to understand that all the information mentioned above and below these lines is to make you realize some facts that you've never taken the time to research. When a diet becomes popular, people jump on it without researching in more detail what it can do for their bodies or if the diet fits their standard. It is not because "John Doe has lost some weight on this specific diet" that you will have a similar result. The same goes for diet pills: be careful with them. If they work temporarily for some people, it doesn't necessarily mean they will have the same effect on you.

As for me, experiencing my own programs enabled me to lose weight, maintain it and still eat as much as I want of the right foods. I eat and exercise plenty.

Remember that moderation is important. If you want to eat something that is not healthy, go ahead and eat it. However, make sure to moderate the rest of the day with the right food. The following information should be helpful when it comes to moderation regarding a well-balanced diet.

Here are some good reasons to avoid high-protein diets:

1. They violate almost every known fact about nutritionally balanced eating. For some dieters, these diets can even be life threatening.

2. Popular high protein diet foods are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, which are now established as major culprits in heart attacks and strokes.

3. They overload you with protein, which results in loss of calcium from your bones, which may lead to osteoporosis. Protein overload also pressurizes your kidneys as they try to eliminate large amounts of urea, a by-product of protein metabolism.

4. They forbid foods known to lower the risk of heart disease and many cancers.

5. They deprive you of carbohydrates, the nutrient group most readily converted to energy. Even moderately active people will notice this lack during exercise.

6. They deprive your brain of glucose, which it needs for normal functioning. The result is a slowdown in thinking and reaction time.

7. They deprive you of the enormous benefits of fiber, which is a form of carbohydrate (cellulose).

8. They are deficient in essential vitamins. Indeed, some high protein diets even require you to take vitamin supplements for the sake of your health.

9. They cause potentially dangerous changes in your body chemistry.

10. They deliver temporary weight loss. However, a large part of it is water weight and lean muscle mass - not fat. (You lose water because your kidneys try to get rid of the excess waste products of protein and fat, called ketones, that your body makes.)

Note: Weight gain is usually rapid when you go off the diet.

11. Finally, it's worth knowing that while your body burns up 23 calories for every 10o carbohydrate calories it digests, it only burns up 3 calories for every 100 "fat" calories it digests. Therefore, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet makes it easier for you to stay fat!

FYI (For Your Information):

The average Western diet contains TOO MUCH FAT.

That's why an estimated 1 in 3 American children are overweight!

That's why heart disease is the No. 1 killer in America and Europe.

We should be eating less fat, not more.

High protein diets encourage high-fat eating and - for this reason alone - should be avoided.

What are those medical miracles that are being publicized to consumers for their rapid weight loss programs? The magazine Self, in March of 2002 investigated some of the programs that are simply bogus.

"Healthy weight loss" is not a particularly sexy marketing slogan. It is quite impossible to sell these types of slogans to Americans: "Drop pounds by eating fewer calories and increasing physical activity!" Instead, manufacturers of weight loss concoctions resort to selling their products with dubious promises of magically speedy results. Thankfully, separating fact from fiction is easy.

Try to separate bogus slogan from reality:

o "Lose 30 pounds in just 30 days" - Very tempting, isn't it? However, it is physically impossible to lose so much weight in such a short time. Moreover, it is not healthy. You could only hurt your health throughout the process and I can reassure you, you will gain back the weight faster than a speeding bullet.

o "Lose weight while you sleep" - Yeah! Heard that one before. If all you have to do is sip a magical potion or swallow a miracle pill, the product is as likely to be as real as your "wet dreams" at night.

o "Lose weight and keep it off for good" - The only permanent weight loss plan involves changing your diet and exercise regimen. It is all about burning more calories than you are consuming. It's all about simple mathematics. You burn more than what you ingest.

o "John Doe lost 90 pounds in just six weeks". Yes, and I am Superman! As I said previously, it is very dangerous to try to lose that much weight in such a short period. Let's analyze this slogan. We'll have some fun!

One pound equals 3,500 calories. You will need to reduce your diet by over 315,000 calories (90 pounds x 3,500 calories) during that 6-week period. Now how is that going to happen? Let's say your body needs 2,000/day calories to function. That equals 14,000 calories weekly, right? Multiply that by 6 weeks. That equals 84,000 calories for 6 weeks. Now, I am not a rocket scientist, but do you get my point? You will actually need to fast for 6 weeks in a row, and still have to burn an extra 231,000 by exercising. What are these morons thinking when they try to advertise these slogans to the American people? I would suggest that they go back to school and retake elementary math. It seems they can't even do a simple calculation.

Bottom line, ladies and gentlemen. There is NO MIRACLE DIET. Quit being triggered to spend your money by these bogus slogans.

Low Carbohydrate Diets

We all love carbohydrates. Pasta, bread, rice and potato are America favorite foods, to say the least. However, we all know that they contain ingredients that can lead to what we are most afraid of: being overweight. The problem with carbohydrates is that they cause the body to produce insulin. However, insulin turns carbohydrates into sugar, and whatever sugar we don't use right away gets stored in the body as fat.

On the other hand, a lack of carbohydrates tricks the body into thinking it's starving, at which point it flicks on an internal switch that causes the body to burn its own fat. This is called ketosis. We did mention that if the body doesn't use the extra sugar produced by the intake of carbohydrates, it would be stored in fat. Hmmm, now what about exercise? Have we thought about that?

After studying in depth the way the human body's nutritional processes work, and considering the type of diet these processes evolved with, I must conclude that consuming carbohydrates in limited amounts (not eating a whole pizza, loaf of bread, or a pound of french fries) is the most natural and healthy way for us to eat, not just for weight loss but for ongoing weight and health maintenance - even for people who do not have a weight problem. The "low carb diet" has become extremely popular in the United States in the past few years and continues to have a large following despite the frequent criticisms by various diet experts. Although many of them are without scientific validity, some of them are on target, especially when considering the calorie intakes of some of the formulas presented.

There is a major issue here with all of these plans - that is whether the diet is being used merely for weight loss, or for long-term weight maintenance. As a weight loss diet, any of these plans can work. However, if they are then discarded and previous eating habits are restored, it is likely that any weight lost will be regained, as with any short-term diet. Eventually, going off the low carb diet can definitely promote weight gain in excess of that which was lost, due to metabolic changes that occur. The only sensible way to use a low carb diet for weight loss is to remain on this type of diet on an ongoing basis afterward. The question then asked, "Is it safe for weight loss" and "is it safe for ongoing use as an eating plan?"

Americans now eat more carbohydrates than ever - 50 more pounds per person, per year, than a decade ago (ABC.NEWS). Carbohydrate-related diseases have also reached a peak. After decades of being warned away from fats, many people have turned to carbohydrates instead. At the same time, obesity levels in the country are greater than ever.

Is there a connection? Do carbohydrates lead people to become obese? Experts in the field have different opinions.

The Zone

Biochemist Barry Sears, author of the best selling low-carbohydrate diet book The Zone, believes carbohydrates do cause people to gain weight. He has developed a controversial theory that suggests that people who eat a lot of carbohydrates get caught up in a cycle of overeating because carbohydrates can be addictive in a way other foods are not. People who critique Sears' theory have various problems with it, including some of his basic premises that carbohydrates lead to weight gain or that carbohydrates are more addictive than other foods. Zone dieting is designed to avoid ketosis, which the author claims causes one to lose muscle weight even with high protein diets. The author also claims that high levels of protein in a meal cause high insulin levels, which converts the protein into fat.

The concept of The Zone is that food should be treated like a prescription drug that is designed to promote the desired hormonal response throughout the day. The hormones in question are insulin, glucagon, and eicosanoids. Insulin and glucagon are well known hormones, and their functions are described accurately.

Sears says eating lots of carbohydrates triggers a flood of insulin. Because there is so much insulin, sugars are cleared from the blood so quickly that people feel hungry again after a very short period. Therefore, carbohydrates drive the sugar level up and then the insulin drives it down. The obesity crisis in America is a result of "carbohydrate hell." Sears suggests that eating a lot of carbohydrates triggers a biological mechanism that lowers the blood sugar level and leads people to need a sugar boost and therefore to crave more carbohydrates. He says the cycle of eating and craving keeps them hooked on carbohydrates and causes overeating.

"You eat a big carbohydrates meal at 12. By 3 o'clock you're hungry again. You eat more carbohydrates. By 7 you're hungry again," Sears says. His theory accepts some of the basic principles about how the body processes carbohydrates and takes them a step further. The basic principle is that carbohydrates turn into sugars that trigger the release of insulin. The insulin routes the sugars to our muscles for energy and stores the rest as fat.

To reach the "Zone", one must consume foods in a protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of 0.75, which is 3 grams of protein for every 4 grams of carbohydrate, at every meal and snack, and without allowing more than 5 hours between meals or snacks. The author converts grams into blocks of protein and carbohydrate and provides food lists and meal plans for these. He distinguishes between carbohydrates with high versus low glycemic indexes, which is a measure of how fast the carbohydrate is digested for each food type. In addition, he adds fat "blocks" to his meal plans and distinguishes between various types of fats, recommending against saturated fats and favoring monounsaturated fats, due to their effect on eicosanoid production. Protein requirements in the Zone are based on lean body mass and level of physical activity (the same method that is used in Protein Power). Lean body mass is calculated using standardized charts that use height, hip, and abdomen measurements in women and weight, wrist and waist measurements in men.

The calculated protein requirement is not to be exceeded, and is to be spread throughout the day to avoid increased insulin levels caused by protein digestion. Therefore, a person would end up with a calorie limit on their total daily intake, since protein has a maximum value, and carbohydrate and fat intake are measured by protein intake.

The second half of the book is a description of how Zone dieting can improve numerous health conditions, primarily based on the eicosanoid activities.

In this program, the author provides excellent scientific explanations for how too many carbohydrates in a diet cause fat storage. The entire design of the Zone diet is also explained in a very scientific fashion, however, it is greatly lacking in scientific evidence to support it. The concept that providing higher levels of carbohydrates would avoid ketosis, which is a condition that may be hazardous over the long term is correct, however, because of a restriction on the intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, it is likely that insufficient calories and carbohydrates will be available for most people to avoid ketosis. In other words, the ketosis that results from starvation - getting too few calories to meet basic needs - can easily occur in many persons based on their calculations for daily intakes. There may also not be enough protein in the diet to prevent loss of muscle mass.

Dan Amzallag Mission Possible: Eat MORE 2 LOSE more: Combating obesity epidemic in America http://www.fitnesstrainersnetwork.com Top accredited fitness and personal trainers network for USA and Canada To register as a trainer, please visit our site. For clients looking for accredited trainers, this is the right site to be: http://www.fitnesstrainersnetwork.com

Free Diet Programs - How to Create Diets From Your Food Choices - And is Your Diet "Tricking" You?

One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing people tell each other how much weight they've lost in the last few days on their new diet "kick."

It's not that I don't want people to lose weight; in fact, I'm probably going to be your biggest advocate if you want to lose weight.

The reason why I get frustrated with this extremely quick "weight loss" is because I don't want people to just lose "weight," I want them to lose the RIGHT kind of weight.

And believe me it really matters.

Hear me out for a second...

People who lose a ton of weight right after starting up a new diet are not losing the right kind of weight.

Very low calorie diets and very low carbohydrate diets will cause you to lose lots of water weight and glycogen stores (glycogen stores are just carbohydrates stored in your muscles.)

And for every ounce of glycogen, you store 3 ounces of water.

When you are eating a very low calorie diet, or a diet that totally restricts or severely limits carbohydrates then guess what?

Those glycogen stores and the water surrounding them gets used up very quickly, and all that water, and glycogen weighs quite a bit and it also burns up very quickly.

So the actual weight loss you see on the scale is just this initial flushing of the glycogen and water, and nothing more.

In addition to this loss of glycogen, you will probably lose quite a bit of energy as well, because this glycogen is used to give energy to your muscles.

To make things worse, you can't visibly tell if anyone has lost water and glycogen. No one walks around and says, "Wow it looks like you've lost lots of glycogen lately! How did you do it? What's your secret?"

No one cares, and no one can see it, so why should you care?

And that's the thing, you shouldn't really care, but lots of people are tricked into thinking that a specific diet works "magically" because they see this initial drop of bodyweight is such a short period of time.

And they see this drop in water weight when they step on the scale.

Don't be fooled by these "tricks."

You probably want to lose weight to get healthier, or to look better, or maybe both. And I'll tell you right now that flushing this water weight and glycogen is not going to help you do either.

If you think these diet tricks are bad...

They are only half the problem.

There's an even bigger issue that can really set you back on your quest to lose weight that is rarely brought up in the dieting community.

And that problem is:

After you're done flushing out this "non-visible" weight, often times you begin losing something you really don't want to lose... your muscle.

You really don't want to lose muscle because muscle burns fat, and muscle is what gives you your tone, and lot of your shape.

Also, it's much harder to get back the muscle that you lose.

Unfortunately, most diets are geared towards eliminating muscle.

But why would they want to destroy your muscle?

Simple, it's because muscle weighs more than fat, and muscle is easier to lose than fat because your body wants to hold on to it's reserves.

And your body's reserves are fat.

When you get on a really low calorie diet your body will begin to think it's starving.

And when your body is starving, it really wants to hold on to it's fat stores, but it has to get energy from somewhere... so your body will literally eat away your muscle for energy.

But again, why would diets target muscle loss?

Because it's a quick and easy way to see results on a scale, and if you see results on a scale you'll probably think the diet is working.

But this muscle loss is a problem because just like water weight, losing muscle is not really a "visible" way to lose weight, especially if you have a good deal of fat covering your muscles.

Think about it for a second, if you can't see your muscles right now, if you lose some muscle, will you see that weight loss in the mirror?

Probably not.

Sure, if you lose some of your muscle you will see the scale weight go down, but you'll most likely look in the mirror and wonder why you aren't actually SEEING any results.

And once you get rid of too much muscle, it just gets that much harder to lose fat, or any weight at all, because remember muscle is what burns fat.

And if you're losing your muscle just to make your scale happy, you're really asking for trouble.

What you want to do is to find a way to preserve your muscle while losing fat.

Basically, you want to keep the muscle that will give you your toned shaped body, and burn the fat that is on top of that muscle.

That is really the ultimate goal. Not just blind weight loss.

If you didn't need to know your body weight to find out the best nutritional plan for you, I'd say just throw the scale away.

But that's another story...

People who experience the initial "scale weight" drop from these restrictive diets often get excited and think that the diet is working extremely well...

But the truth is their weight loss will level out quickly and they will either stop losing weight, or just lose weight at a slower rate.

And the really bad part is that the second they start eating more food, or eating more carbohydrates then they will almost always gain all of, or a majority of the weight back in just days.

This is especially true if they've only been on one of these restrictive diets for a month or less.

The weight gain you will experience when you switch back to your normal eating habits will be just as fast, and just as dramatic as the initial weight loss.

And that's no fun.

But why does this sudden weight gain happen?

Remember that when you are on a very low calorie diet, or a diet that is very restrictive on carbohydrates, that the carbohydrates in your muscles (glycogen stores) are extremely low.

As soon as you begin to replenish them you will gain weight at an incredible pace as the glycogen goes back into your muscles, and along with that you will also gain three times as much water as the glycogen you get back.

Because remember, for every ounce of glycogen you have, you store three ounces of water.

And this water and glycogen is really heavy, so it will show up on your scale.

Keep in mind that this weight gain may be shocking, but it is mostly weight that no one can see. So although it's kind of scary, it really does not matter in the mirror.

What does matter is the fact that if you've been on these kinds of diets for any significant length of time, the diet has probably destroyed a good chunk of your muscle tissue.

Remember that muscle burns fat, and now you don't have as much.

What do you think that does to your ability to burn fat?

And what do you think that does to your ability to eat the same amount of food and maintain your weight?

That's right, you have a lower ability to burn fat, and you're likely to gain fat at a faster pace.

Does yo-yo dieting sound familiar?

And in addition to this problem, extremely low calorie diets can severely slow down your metabolism beyond just losing muscle.

Your body adapts very quickly, and when it realizes that you're not giving it enough food it starts to panic and begins to conserve energy as a defense mechanism.

Basically, your body slows down it's metabolism as a direct response to extremely low calorie diets.

Sow now we have an even bigger problem to compound the problems we already had.

To summarize...

-We have a body that didn't have any glycogen stores

-And we've destroyed a lot of our muscle tissue

-And now we have a slowed down metabolism

-Which means we can't eat as much food as we used to or else we'll probably gain weight.

As you can imagine, we've put ourselves in a very bad environment for trying to maintain any type of weight loss. And this is probably one of the biggest reasons why people have so many problems with keeping their weight off.

In summary, extremely low calorie diets or diets that severely limit your carbohydrate intake often do these things:

-Give you rapid weight loss that you can't see in the mirror (glycogen, water)

-Destroy muscle tissue

-Slow your metabolism

And when you go back to your normal eating habits, these things often happen:

-You gain back the weight you lost as quickly as you lost it

-You probably gain back more than you lost because you destroyed muscle and damaged your metabolism.

Now we know what happens when we go on these extremely low calorie diets and carbohydrate restrictive diets, and why the weight loss is "fake."

And we also know that this "fake" weight loss can also cause you to gain back more weight than you lost originally because this "fake" weight loss can slow down your metabolism and destroy your muscle tissue.

Alright... but what can we do to prevent this from happening?

The solution may be simpler than you were expecting...

You can avoid these negative side effects first and foremost by making sure you are eating enough food, so you don't damage your metabolism.

Eating enough calories (food) is the key here.

Food is the key because when you drop too low in calories (food) your metabolism slows down, and you begin to destroy your lean muscle.

Eating the right amount of calories is the most important factor to looking great and losing the right kind of weight.

And if you want to take your weight loss to the next level, you can see even greater results by making sure you have enough protein in your diet.

Protein is the building blocks to muscle, and when you give your body enough protein, it will help your body hang on to as much lean muscle as it can because you are giving your body what it needs to keep your muscle around.

With calories (food), there really is a fine line between being too little and too much. And each person is different.

That's actually another reason why a lot of these "popular" diets are really bad. They simply don't take YOU into account. They just engineer a diet for the average person, and they just assume that you are that "average person."

Because most diets don't tailor their plan around YOU, they simply won't work for YOU, unless you get lucky and fall into the definition of the diet creator's "average person".

There's such a fine line between losing and gaining weight.

You have to make sure you don't eat too little, and make sure you aren't eating way too much.

You really need to find the right number for you. Not the "average person."

So how do we find your number?

First let me say this...

If your diet is not asking you these questions before giving you a recommendation on how to lose weight, then you're probably not going to want to use that diet.

These are the questions that will determine how many calories you need to lose weight that you can actually see in the mirror:

-How old are you?

-How much do you weigh?

-How tall are you?

-What is your gender?

-How active are you?

It seems simple, but I bet you've never been asked those questions before starting a diet... but you really do need that information to recommend anything that will work effectively for you.

"Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice." (Think about that quote for a bit.)

But, really these are really the two biggest factors...

1.) Get your calories right. Make sure you aren't eating too little or too much food.

2.) If you want to turbo charge your visible weight loss, make sure you're eating enough protein.

Finding out your optimum protein level also depends on your goals, what you want to look like, and how much muscle mass you want to retain.

Most diets won't ask you those types of questions.

The fact is that most diets are just trying to be a one size fits all solution.

The only way they can make it appear like their diets work is if they just give you a really low calorie, or really restrictive diet. That way they know they'll at least get that quick "fake" weight loss to trick you and get you hooked.

Even if the diet isn't really working, and you're not seeing any results in the mirror.

Here's something to think about...

Notice that we did not talk about specific foods, such as whole wheat bread, salads, fruits, fast foods, etc?

We didn't talk about them because the truth is, specific foods don't matter as much as you might think.

Even eating "junk food" does not matter in moderation, and yes you can lose weight while eating "junk food" or even candy. (It may not be the healthiest thing to do, but that doesn't mean you can't do it and still lose weight.)

It's probably one of the best kept secrets in the diet industry.

The concepts we talked about in this post were all about eating enough calories, and not restricting carbohydrates.

And now that we've started to understand that you can eat more calories, and don't need to eliminate specific things like carbohydrates, or fat out of your diet.

You may begin to realize that this opens up a lot of possibilities...

-You can eat protein.

-You can eat fat.

-You can eat carbohydrates.

Did you know that these three categories (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) are the building blocks to all foods?

All foods have at least one of these, if not two or all three of them.

What does this mean for you?

Well, it means that all these building blocks are ok for you to eat while losing weight.

And because all foods are made of these building blocks, then that means almost ALL foods are ok for you to eat.

Even while losing fat.

You just have to know how to come up with the right combination of these building blocks to help you lose weight.

I've spent over a year of my life developing a tool that not only helps you figure out how much of each building block you need to lose weight.

But this tool figures out the right numbers for you based on who you are right now and what your goals are.

This tool also lets you pick the foods you want to eat, and it figures out how to create a diet for you using the foods you chose.

Yes you can eat more use it to eat all organic, vegan, raw foods, or even a diet based entirely on fast foods, or candy it's your choice. And I'll be perfectly honest with you, this software program is not for everyone. Some people will love it, and others will choose not to use it. But either way it's at least worth checking out.

I've named this tool OK-Cal.

And OK-Cal actually asks you the right questions, and ensures that you get enough calories, and if you want it will help you get the right amount of protein too.

OK-Cal figures all of this out for you, based on who you are, and what you want to eat.

It's your choice, and you can have a custom tailored weight loss diet created just for you every day based on the foods YOU choose.

100% organic, or 100% fast food, it's your choice. OK-Cal has the technology built right in to handle almost any food preference.

Wishing you great success and happiness in 2008.

For your free diet programs created by OK-Cal just click here. And for more free dit and fitness advice visit YummyFitness.com today.

Diet's Don't Work - 12 Facts Why They Never Do Or Will!

You heard me right! They Never Have! They Never Do! They Never Will!

The Diet Industry is a 40 Billion Dollar Industry filled with misinformation.

96% of people who go on diets can't stay on them to reach their desired goal.

98% of people who go on diets gain the weight they lose back + 5 extra pounds. (National Institute of Health)

50% of Americans are on a diet at any given time yet 70% of Americans are overweight and 30% are obese.

My Story

When I was in my late teens I took up bodybuilding and after a couple of years I began competing. A typical year consisted of me gaining fifty or more pounds in the off season by eating lots of food and then dieting and loosing fifty or so pounds over the next few months as I prepared for the competition. After doing this for six years I stopped competing in bodybuilding. Over the following years I continued to gain fifty or so pounds a year and then go on a diet and lose all or most of it over the following months. I became an expert and gaining weight and loosing weight. I became an expert dieter. I could lose weight on the Atkins, Stillman, Scarsdale or any other diet. I was master of the low calorie, low fat and low carbohydrate diets. The only problem that once I lost the weight I couldn't keep it off and eventually would gain it all back plus some. I eventually ended up gaining and losing almost a thousand pounds. After giving up on dieting I began researching why people gain weight and why diets don't work. After spending over five years researching why diets don't work and discovering what does work when it comes to loosing weight and keeping it off. I began applying the principles I discovered and today I am celebrating over ten years at a body weight that hasn't fluctuated more then five pounds up or down.

Why Diets Don't Work

Fact #1: Diets are downers. People hate to diet. Have you ever met anyone on a diet that liked it? Does anyone like doing anything with the word DIE in it? When I went on diets I hated it. It made me unhappy and depressed.

Fact #2: Dieting slows your metabolism. The longer you diet the slower your metabolism gets causing you to eat less and less until your weight loss stops entirely. Then when you resume normal eating the weight quickly returns + extra pounds due to it taking months for the metabolism to return to normal. Then guess what? You need to go onto another diet.

Dieting simply is a way to create an artificial famine. Your body doesn't know that it's a diet. All it knows is that its in a famine. So it slows the metabolism as much as 40%. If you naturally need 2000 calories a day to sustain your current body weight and go on a diet where you are consuming 1000 calories a day your metabolism will get lower and lower to say 40% or 1200 calories below its natural level of 2000 calories. At that point weight lose is minimal and extremely difficult. Then when you return to eating 2000 calories a day which is what the majority of people do you begin adding 800 extra calories daily. That's 800 calories about 1.75 pounds of fat per week.

When I was on the dieting roller coaster I'd lose 50 pounds in six months and go off it and gain all the weight back over the next six months. One thing I noticed was that as soon as I'd go off the diet the weight would quickly come back due to my metabolism having slowed due to the dieting.

Fact 3: Diets offer a poor temporary fix What's really needed is a lifestyle change. The only people who lose weight and keep it off are the people who change their lifestyle once and for all. Changing your lifestyle is easier then dieting and far more rewarding.

I used to go on diets knowing that they were only a quick fix. After losing hundreds of pounds and gaining it back convinced me that dieting could never able me to sustain the weight lose. Dieting was just a superficial way of treating symptoms instead of the cause of my weight gain.

Fact 4: Since 96% of people who go on diets gain the weight they've lost back plus some the next time they diet it gets a little harder to lose weight. With each never dieting round the body becomes more resilient to giving up the weight and dieting gets tougher and tougher. With each new diet I went on it became more and more difficult to get the weight off. Finally after years of yo-yo dieting It became almost impossible to get the weight off dieting.

Fact 5: Diets fail to deal with the things that cause people to overeat. People overeat due to a number of psychological reasons. Some overeat because they fail to eat consciously. After years of eating on the run, in the front of the television or while stuffing a hot dog into their mouth while driving down the highway; they eat like dogs never stopping to taste, savor and enjoy the food their eating.

Another thing that causes people to overeat is previous conditioning that can go back to their childhood. As a child I was told to clean my plate because children were starving in Africa. I was also told that if I didn't clean my plate I couldn't have desert. The experts in my life conditioned me to eat every scrape on my plate even if I was stuffed. They conditioned me to overeat. Something that took me years to understand and change.

Fact 6: Dieting Causes Eating Disorders. People who get onto the dieting roller coaster can develop eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Dieting serves as a precursor to these illnesses.

During my weight gain and dieting cycles I frequently would binge and after the binge think nothing of purging while standing over the toilet. I eventually got pretty good at it and could down five burgers and a dozen Dunken Donuts and drop them in the toilet only to be back eating fifteen minutes later.

Fact 7: Dieting Causes Obesity. Dieting slows down the metabolism making it harder and harder to lose weight. Eventually the metabolism slows to a crawl and even a well balanced healthy diet causes the person to gain weight. Have you ever seen an obese person who says, "I don't eat a lot and continue to gain weight." They may be telling the truth. After years of dieting their metabolism is running slow and low making it really easy to keep on adding the pounds.

You would think that in America with all the diets, diet pills, and diet centers that we would be the thinnest country on the globe. But instead we are the fattest and getting fatter every year. With all the dieting I was doing and all the expertise on dieting I was gaining I still just kept getting fatter.

Fact 8: Diets cause starvation or semi starvation. Starvation occurs at 900 calories or less that's when you start to die. Most diets are in that range. Starvation plays havoc with the systems of the body and brain and if continued will cause permanent damage. When faced with starvation your body will do everything it can to survive. Things like slowing your metabolism to conserve energy and creating intense hunger to drive you to find food. When I was dieting I has hungry all the time. I didn't know it at the time but I was starving. I was putting my body through what people in famines go through.

Fact 9: Diets damage your body and cause disease. Studies show that ongoing dieting causes heart disease, osteoporosis, gall stones, high blood pressure, anemia, constipation, kidney stones, dry skin, hair lose, depression, anxiety.

When I was on the dieting roller coaster I would frequently get sick. I would get frequent colds, the flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, and constipation was a daily experience. Over the past ten years I've had two colds.

Fact 10: Dieting Causes Malnutrition. Dieting restricts people from getting the necessary macro and micro nutrients. Not getting these nutrients causes damage to our bodies and results in sickness. I didn't know It back when I was dieting that the main reason why I was getting sick so frequently was that I was suffering from malnutrition. I simply wasn't getting the nutrients that me body needed.

Fact 11: We don't fail at dieting, diets fail us. Diets simply don't work. Every person who ever quit dieting or gained the weight they lost back did so due to the fact that diets are built upon false premises. If you build a house upon a foundation of straw it will crumble. Diets are built upon a foundation of straw.

While on the dieing roller coaster I continuously felt like a failure. I struggled to stick to the diets I would go on and always gained the weight back. I felt like a frustrated failure. I didn't know at the time that I wasn't the failure but that the entire diet industry and everyone of their diets was a failure.

Fact 12: Diets Cause Death. The name Diet fits well. Dieting shortens your life span. Diets cause a number of problems that lead to sickness, disease and eventually death.

Had I not discovered the truth I likely would have dieted myself to death. I am eternally grateful for discovering the truth. For the truth truly set me free.

Why Diets Don't Work

1. Diets treat superficial symptoms instead of causes.

2. Diets cause major deprivation. You deprive yourself of food. Not only food, but food that you like. This drives people crazy. When I used to diet all I did day and night was think about food. When I wasn't dieting I thought about other stuff like the geo-political situations in the world and sex. But while on the diet I just thought about Italian bread, pasta, and cannoli's.

To Your Health!

Frank Bolella

Learn how to lose weight without dieting ever again...Ever! Health & Vitality is the only true way to prevent disease and create a happy healthy long life. Let me reveal to you many of the ways I can help YOU live a Healthier life! By revealing things like the Real Fountain of Youth...and what foods you are eating that could be killing you! What Super Foods could change your life dramatically! I invite you to learn more at http://frankbolella.com

The 5 Most Effective Diets This Decade - A Review

Out of the thousands of diets that have been written over the years 5 really stand out as being the most effective. One of them, Weight Watchers, has been around for over 40 years, while the others have been introduced more recently. One of them, the 9th Law Diet, is only a year old.  Although each diet has philosophical differences on the best way to lose weight, they all are effective and have shown to be safe.

Here is a summary of each diet. Each summary includes information about the general philosophy, type of foods, overall expense of each diet, as well as the most commonly attributed pros and cons. The diets are listed in no particular order. These are just the top five weight loss diets this decade based on the formerly listed criteria.

Skinny Bitch: This diet was written by two fiery and passionate best friends who are proud to call themselves skinny bitches. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin call Skinny Bitch, a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous. Skinny Bitch is definitely telling it to you straight.  The way your best girlfriend would tell you over a cocktail.

These girls make no apologies for the attitude, wit, and even the language found in this colorful guide to basically getting your ass in gear once and for all. They refer to sugar as the devil, and themselves as pigs, and encourage you to get a sweet ass. They love food just as much as anyone. But, they have also learned a successful way to enjoy food and enjoy eating without depriving themselves and maintaining sexy little bodies.

The diet lets you eat all the carbohydrate packed goodness you could ever want including bread, potatoes, pasta, cakes, cookies and muffins. Of course, nothing good ever comes for free, so what is the catch? No dairy. No meat. No sugar or artificial sweeteners. Sound a little vegan? That is because it is, and Skinny Bitch is even endorsed by P.E.T.A.

These skinny girls don't like to feel hungry and they don't like to feel like they're being deprived. And they know you're the exact same way. There is plenty to eat when you decide to make the switch to Skinny Bitch. The basic premise is simple: being skinny means being healthy. The two ideas are not independent of one another. They come right out and show the flaws of some of the more popular diets around, probably some you have followed yourself. They say in the end, those diet programs are quick fixes that will never help you get a grip on your overall health and wellness.

Skinny Bitch will educate you about the foods you're eating, how and why they have the effects on your body that they do and where you have been going wrong all along. They release you from the constraints of counting calories, but tell you to start reading all of those food labels. The expense is the cost of the book, Skinny Bitch. The book itself is an entertaining, albeit brash, read. The diet is perfect for vegetarians or vegans. The book can be purchased online and through all major booksellers

South Beach: If you are looking for a diet plan that has grown wildly popular over the past few years, gives your eating habits a dramatic makeover, and shares the name of one of the world's favorite beaches, then the South Beach Diet is for you. Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist, created this friendly contrast to other prohibitive weight-loss plans and offers a chance to achieve success where you might have previously failed.

The South Beach Diet differs from its low carbohydrate competitor Atkins, in that it restricts saturated fats, which are linked with health problems like heart disease and high cholesterol. It promises that cravings for sugars, sweets and other carbohydrates will disappear as you go along because the diet is supposed to keep blood sugar levels maintained.

The South Beach Diet has three separate phases in which in each phase, you wean yourself away from certain foods and incorporate other South Beach Diet friendly foods. The diet promises that you will lose 8-12 pounds in the first two weeks as long as you adhere to the guidelines.

The South Beach Diet supports a clean way of eating that is void of refined sugars and trans fats. It also has thousands of satisfied clients, updated research in the 2008 release South Beach Diet: Supercharged, and a maintenance plan after weight loss goals have been achieved.

A problem is the fact that many South Beach Diet food products contain sugar-alcohols, which may cause diarrhea and other GI tract problems. The best recommendation is to adhere to the diet without consuming all the specially made products.

The diet has various phases. The first phase lasts for two weeks and has you remove starches like bread, pasta and rice, potatoes, fruits, milk, yogurt, honey and baked goods. Sugars are completely eliminated. During the first phase of South Beach, you will enjoy three balanced meals and some snacks that should include lean meats and fish, eggs, low-fat cheese, fresh vegetables, beans and nuts.

Phase two of the South Beach Diet will allow you to slowly re-introduce fruits, whole-grain breads and pastas. You will choose just one carbohydrate and include that in one meal each day for one week. Phase two will continue until you meet your goal weight. You will begin the maintenance, or third, phase of South Beach once you have met your goal weight. It is here that you will put to practice all that you learned in phases one and two.

The cost is the price of the book, South Beach, which is available online as well as all major book outlets. There is also a complete line of South Beach Diet foods that can be purchased in your grocery store from cereals to frozen meals. But many of the nutrition bars and snack items contain artificial sweeteners, which have been known to induce gastrointestinal problems.

The 9th Law Diet: This is a relatively new diet that has been sweeping across the country due to its simplicity and overall effectiveness. The 9th Law Diet was created by a physiology professor out of the St. Louis area. He is well known on the web as Professor Jay, but his real name is Jay Snaric.

The diet was formally created after a student of professor Jays lost over 90 pounds following his weight loss guidelines.  The student convinced the professor to get it into the hands of so many people who really need it.  Professor Jay created a website where he gives the diet away for free, as well as offers on-going email support.  The rest is history, as the 9th Law Diet has swept across the country and around the world in record time.  Thousands of people have lost major weight and have changed their lives with the 9th Law Diet.

The 9th Law Diet emphasizes cutting out what he refers to as negative carbohydrates and fats, and incorporating more positive carbohydrates and fats. Its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and heart-healthy fats is an eating plan that is full of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids Support for this diet comes from the science provided by Harvard Medical school and other predominate members of the medical science community. Professor Jay Snaric himself has studied human physiology, nutrition, and health at New York University, The Medical University of South Carolina, and University of Southern Illinois.

The 9th Law Diet does not just promote dieting, but overall behavioral and lifestyle changes. As stated earlier, you can get the 9th Law Diet for free at secretloss.com.  The cost is zero.  At the very least this diet is worth a read, and subscribing to Professor Jays mailing list is well worth your time.  It's not coincidence that this diet has grown is popularity so fast.

Jillian Michaels, The Biggest Loser: The biggest loser background Fitness guru, Jillian Michaels, known for her tough approach for losing weight on NBCs The Biggest Loser, has written a guide on how to drop those pesky last 10 or 15 pounds in 30 days. Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You sets itself apart from the myriad of fitness and weight loss books at your local bookstore because Michaels' program uses the process of oxidizing as a way to determine what kind of a metabolism your body has in order to lose weight effectively.

Michaels takes you through the steps to determine what kind of an oxidizer you are: slow, balanced or fast. Your new body classification then dictates what you will eat supported by Jillian's own menus and recipes. She promises that you will feel comfortable in a bikini if you commit to her disciplined fitness and diet regimen. As part of Making the Cut, you must take a body fat percentage test and a "fit test" before starting the program as a measure to evaluate your pre and post self.

Michaels does not under estimate the power of the mind in the battle to lose weight. She includes helpful tips and advice for how to improve self-esteem and confidence. The book is also full of various exercises to improve strength, flexibility and endurance. Michaels also unveils some well-kept celebrity diet secrets to get your body prepared before a big event.

The diet is Inexpensive and personalized.  The program focuses on the mental aspect of losing weight in addition to the exercise and nutrition components - Jillian Michaels is a popular weight loss coach with nearly 20 years experience

Michaels supplies a list of recipes and menus for each of the three oxidizer classifications. As part of your commitment to the Making the Cut program, you are supposed to adhere to her menu and calorie plan. During Making the Cut, you will take a fit test which is outlined in the book. The test establishes your level of fit-ness and you are then required to exercise about 5 hours each week. Michaels provides you with various exercises to do. She also has her own line of exercise DVDs that can be purchased at an additional cost over the book.

The cost is $14.95 for the book. Many online booksellers sell new and used books for discounted prices.

There is no refuting Michaels knowledge and training expertise when it comes to getting in shape and losing weight. Her 30-day promise, like any similar promise is no guarantee but it packs a three-pronged approach of diet, exercise and mental awareness to help you to lose those lingering pounds. The clinical science behind her oxidizer theory is scanty but her belief that the road to weight loss is a personal journey that begins with changes in behavior, lifestyle and self-motivation is an important component that many diet plans disregard.

Weight Watchers: It has been more than 40 years since Weight Watchers came on the scene and started helping people live healthier lives. Weight Watchers helps members create a foundation to introduce healthier choices and physical activity into their lives.

The original Weight Watchers plan invites members to weekly meetings where they hold group sessions, helping dieters form a network of support with people sharing similar experiences. Upon arrival, each person checks their weight privately. Meetings are conducted by a trained Meeting Leader who motivates and offers the group support through information about nutrition and fitness.

Members are also welcome to join the Weight Watchers community online.  From the comfort of their homes, members can form virtual support groups, monitor progress and access hundreds of approved recipes, like Blue Cheese Muffins, Sweet and Sour Pork, Grilled Beef Fajitas and even delectable treats like Chocolate Mint Brownies. If it's not convenient to prepare the approved meals at home, they offer a wide variety of frozen meals and point-complimenting menu items at Applebees.

Weight Watchers was made popular by a points system called Flex Plan. A point value is assigned to each food on the comprehensive list of more than 27,000 foods. The Flex Plan allows you to eat the foods you like. Just stay within your daily points and you can still enjoy fried chicken and Diet Pepsi. It is an easy plan to follow, offers great flexibility and has proven successful for more than 40 years. Read this full explanation of how Weight Watchers Points work, or use our free Weight Watchers Points Calculator.

Weight Watchers emphasizes eating more wholesome food through its Core Plan. Members don't count points, just choose a balanced combination of whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy. Whether you choose the Flex Points or Core Plans, you can find hundreds of delicious, satisfying and good-for-you Weight Watchers recipes right here at Diets In Review. Weight Watchers Online helps its members with 60 workout demonstrations. There are fitness recommendations for all skill levels. As little as $5 a week with their 3-month plan. Weight Watchers is a trusted diet company with 40+ years experience - Programs to suit men, women and all adult ages - Flex Points or Core Plan programs - Choose one-on-one counseling or the online program for anonymity and convenience - Comprehensive Web site membership - Provides exercise guidance - Thousands of recipes and meals to choose from - Partnership with Applebee's to make dining out more healthful. Counting points can be time-consuming - Web membership detracts from the traditional social aspect of Weight Watchers meetings

Weight Watchers is a tried and true veteran of the weight loss industry. With a variety of methods to choose from for both men and women, you're almost certain to find the right path for your weight loss journey. Weight Watchers provides support from every aspect of weight loss- so you're never left without information or support. Food is one of the primary concerns of any dieter and Weight Watchers goes above and beyond most other weight loss programs with thousands of recipes that anyone, dieting or not, will find tempting and delicious. If their style appeals to you, go for it.

Overall, all of these diets have proven to be very successful for many people, and have changed many lives.  The key is finding the diet which works best for you.  Obesity increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.  Obesity is an epidemic.  We need more diets like these to help people get their health back.

Dr. Kimberly Lee has been studying and guiding on health, fitness, and diet for over 15 years. She works as a nutrition expert consultant for several major companies.