Are you looking for the perfect diet plan? There are just so many diet plans available over the internet, in book stores, recommended by your doctor, friends and family etc…

Out of all these diet plans, which is the best?

Here’s a diet, you’ve never heard of before, it’s called the Diet Solution and it works!

The focus of the Diet Solution is on high protein foods, that are designed to increase metabolism and reduce the amount of calories that you will eat in a day!

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It’s easily the best diet plan available!

Some of the other effective diet plans

If you go out in stores today, you are probably going to find a hundred and one different kinds of diet plans offered to dieters. But the truth is, not all of them are as effective as manufacturers claim them to be. In fact, some of these weight loss programs have yet to be clinically tested and approved by health professionals.

So to help you out, here is a list of some of the most well-trusted, tried and proven diet plans that will not only give you effective results but will help in promoting better health as well.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach diet focuses mainly on your carbs and sugar intake – which are the main sources of fats and calories in the body. The regimen starts out by letting dieters stick to a certain kind of diet for 2 weeks to see how to body responds to this altered food intake.

If this dieting regimen does not work, then a new diet “formulation” is made up until your body manages to keep itself in its normal and recommended weight. This process can be very tedious and time consuming as body weight and food measurements need to be done every now and then. But by far, the South Beach diet has been reported to be one of the healthiest and the most effective among all the other diet plans out in the market today.

The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet works by simply reducing carb intake. This is done to allow the body to burn fats for energy. Naturally, your body will rely on carbohydrates as a primary source of energy. But when they are found at very limited amounts, the body will automatically shift to burning fat cells instead. As a result, fat metabolism is increased and weight loss is achieved at a surprisingly short period of time.

However, these kinds of diet plans may produce certain side effects such as bad breath and constipation. Thus, this is not recommended for long term use. Dieters who have reached their targeted weight should go back to a more well-balanced eating regimen.

The Zone Diet

The Zone Diet

 

The Zone diet program focuses mainly on incorporating proteins, fruits and vegetables into the diet. It will also require you to painstakingly count every ounce of calorie that you take in from your meals. Although this is a pretty tedious process, it has been proven as far more effective and healthier than all the other diet plans available today.

The Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage Soup diet is a very short-term weight loss regimen. It will require dieters to eat nothing but vegetables and fruits for a week, coupled with cabbage soup. During the course of the program, dieters are highly recommended not to engage in any kind of strenuous physical activities or exercise as carbohydrate and protein sources are completely cut off from the meal.

Remember, when it comes to choosing which diet plans to take, always put your safety at first priority. Achieving good health should always be your primary goal.

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Midlife weight gain is a common occurrence although the likes of Halle Berry, Courtney Cox and Vanessa Williams – celebrities who are in their 40s and yet manages to give younger women a run for their money – may say otherwise. Men and women can gain 1-2 pounds every year beginning from their teenage years and then end up being fat, flabby and feeling less than fabulous when they reach the 40-year mark.

The good news is that being in your 40s and looking fat, flabby and pudgy is not inevitable. You can do something about your midlife weight gain! You can start by acquainting yourself with the answers to many of the frequently asked questions about the subject and it starts here.

What Are the Reasons for Weight Gain in Midlife?

There is no single reason for weight gain in midlife. Instead, several factors come into play to explain fast weight gain and, consequently, slow weight loss in during your midlife. These factors include hormonal changes; poor lifestyle choices in terms of diet, exercise and stress; slower metabolism; and inherited genes, all of which are related to each other in one way or another. In a relatively young, healthy and slim person, the balance between three sex hormones, namely, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are finely-tuned. As said person ages, however, the balance changes so that losing weight is harder but gaining weight is easier.

In both men and women, midlife weight gain can be attributed to the dominance of estrogen in the body. Medical experts agree that too much estrogen in circulation in the body will increase body fat while fatty tissue produces estrogen by itself. The result is a vicious circle wherein the body stores fat in an excessive manner instead of using it for energy production. Slower metabolism in older individuals also contributes to faster weight gain. With fewer calories burned by the body, the belly fat increases while bone and muscle mass decreases.

If we add poor lifestyle choices, weight gain in middle age becomes more pronounced. Said lifestyle choices may include but are not limited to an unhealthy diet consisting of junk, processed and packaged foods consumed in large quantities; lack of physical exercise; extreme stress coupled with lack of sufficient hours of sleep; and prolonged use of alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs. Although genes play a role, we must say that the choices you make in the past and present are more significant in your midlife weight gain.

What Are the Steps to Take in Overcoming These Factors?

Fortunately, there are so many ways that can be done to overcome these challenges of staying relatively slim and sleek in your middle-aged years. We will, however, summarize these ways into the three Ms – mouth, muscle and mind.

Mouth, of course, refers to your nutrition particularly where quantity, quality and frequency are concerned. Your body’s nutritional requirements will change with each phase of life it goes through and middle age is no exception to the rule. We suggest these tips to cope with these changes:

  • Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. If you are fond of processed, packaged and junk foods, now is the best time to ditch these unhealthy choices.
  • Eat a balanced diet where every macronutrient along with plenty of the micronutrients is well-represented on your plate.
  • Eat less but eat with greater frequency. Portion sizes must be smaller but you can eat 5-6 times a day just not too late at night.

You must also be accountable for the calories you take in to your system. An ordinary middle-aged man who exercises on a moderate basis requires 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day while a middle-aged woman requires 1,500 to 1,600 calories daily.

Plan your meals so that you can reach these caloric goals. If necessary, you can have consultations with a doctor and/or a dietitian to plan these meals while also taking into account your special dietary needs borne of underlying health conditions like diabetes.

Muscle obviously refers to physical exercise, which must include cardio, strength and flexibility training. As it ages, the human body slowly loses its ability to build muscle while also increasing its capacity to store fat. In short, you must do two things in order to lose weight and build muscle even in your 40s, namely, change your workout program and increase your workout time. These aspects will be discussed in the next section.

Mind pertains to the ways you can control chronic stress in your life and handle the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight in your middle-aged phase. It should be noted that a certain level of stress is good for the mind and body because it keeps us alert, stimulated and sharp. When stress becomes a chronic occurrence, however, your body suffers in so many ways. You can suffer from lack of sleep, which science has found to contribute to weight gain. You can turn to food for stress relief, which hinders your weight loss plans. You can skip on your exercises in favor of being a couch potato to relieve your stress.

Keep your stress in check. Take time off away from work. Take mini-breaks like deep breathing exercises, meditation and just generally sitting back from work. Take good care of yourself by boosting your self-confidence.

What Workouts Are Best for Middle-Aged Individuals?

Aside from good nutrition, losing weight in middle age also requires physical exercise. As previously mentioned, you must change your workout plan from your younger days while also increasing your workout time. Just make sure not to overdo on your exercises because your body now has higher risks for injuries and illnesses.

Your workout plan should consist of three aspects, namely:

Cardio Exercises – Aim for 400-500 calories burned in a day. We suggest high-intensity interval training since it has been proven to burn calories and fat faster than conventional cardio training.

Weight Training – This training obviously builds muscles but it also increases the body’s metabolism. We suggest this weekly plan:

  • Monday: Triceps and chest
  • Tuesday: Rest day
  • Wednesday: Biceps and back
  • Thursday: Rest day
  • Friday: Trapezoids and shoulders
  • Saturday: Rest day
  • Sunday: Abs, thighs and calves

Flexibility Training – This will keep your joints in good shape, maintain your sense of balance, and help in the prevention of injuries. Pilates, tai chi and yoga are good choices.

Indeed, anybody can have a healthy body during their middle-aged years and beyond. Diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are musts.

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