There are many forms of low carb diet but probably the most famous of all is the Atkins diet, created by Dr. Robert Atkins and popularized in the last quarter of the 20th century. Fad diets come and go, but the Atkins gained enough celebrity and medical support that it developed its own momentum, and took off in a big way.

Low carb diets vary in what they suggest that you eat. The strictest form, such as the induction phase of the Atkins diet, can suggest that you cut out almost all carbohydrate foods. This includes potatoes, rice and other grains, bread, sugar and anything containing it, and many fruits. Even carrots may be considered a medium carb food and eliminated for this phase, although green vegetables are fine and should be eaten in large quantities. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: atkins diet, energy, ketosis, low carb diet, low carb diets, medium carb food, obesity, Robert Atkins

Is a high protein diet the best way to lose weight? There have been some famous diets that advocate this, most notably the Atkins Diet. There are also some more recent diets, such as the New High Protein Diet that are slight modifications on the Atkins Diet. All of these diets tell you to eat more protein and fewer carbohydrates, and insist that this is healthier and will allow your body to burn calories more efficiently.

When it comes to diets, you can always find many experts on both sides of a question or debate. The high protein diet is no exception. The first thing we should look at is the question of whether this is a safe and healthy way to eat. The answer is, it depends. A very high protein diet can put stress on your kidneys. This is especially true if you are prone to kidney stones or other kidney-related problems. In fact, if you have this kind of health issue, you should not go on a high protein diet without consulting with your physician. Read the rest of this entry »

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With so many fantastic diet claims out there, it can be difficult to determine which diets work and which ones are just a waste of time and money. Which diet is right for you?

Weight Watchers is one of the most popular and well-known weight loss programs. Dieters can expect to be able to choose which items they would like to eat, “budgeting” their consumption. Weight, along with a few other factors, determine the adherent’s food allowance. Foods are assigned a point value based on fat, fiber, and calorie content.

Meat lovers may enjoy the Protein Power Diet, one of many low carb, high protein diets on the market. The Protein Power diet has broad allowances for such indulgences as eggs, steak, and cheese. Carbohydrate consumption is limited to 30 grams or less, spread throughout the day. This diet also encourages high water consumption as well as the addition of healthy fats and 25 daily grams of fiber.

Popularized by celebrities, The Zone diet is a high protein, low carb diet that offers the convenience of pre-packaged, prepared meals. The Zone is encourages the consumption of lean proteins and restricts whole grains. In addition to carefully planned meals and snacks, The Zone diet also encourages consumption of proprietary dietary supplements.

Relatively obscure, the Volumetrics diet is designed to complement the dieter’s natural urge to consume large portions. Shunning typical feelings of diet deprivation, the Volumetrics diet provides meal and snack ideas comprised of low calorie foods that can be consumed in large portions. Emphasis is placed on foods that have high water content.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, is an eating program designed to lower the dieter’s blood pressure by 8 to 14 points. While no food groups are excluded, the DASH diet restricts saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and sodium. This diet includes large portions of food that may, for some, inhibit weight loss. The goal of this diet is primarily health-related.

Many dieters find using a weight loss product gives them increased results. Slimirex is an all-natural weight loss product that claims to increase metabolism and energy while reducing appetite. Slimirex users are encouraged to employ exercise and dietary changes to receive maximum results. Despite its being a natural product, some users may be uncomfortable with the high level of caffeine present in the product.

The Atkins diet, one of the most popular of the low carb diets, is high protein and low carb. Due to its popularity, many food products and meal ideas catering to this diet are available. While many dieters have experienced great success with this diet, potential Atkins dieters should know that this diet may be high in unhealthy fat and low in fiber.

Choosing a new diet or weight loss product can be overwhelming and expensive. Key considerations when determining which diet to use include the health benefits and how well the diet reflects your personal goals.

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In recent years, diets with low carbohydrate allowances have found popularity and legitimacy. Low carb diets have a long history that does not begin, as many might suspect, with Dr. Atkins in the 1990s. The low carb diet actually had its humble inception in the 1860s, with a single doctor and a single patient.

The true creator of the low carb diet phenomenon is actually a man named William Harvey, who recommended the diet to a patient suffering from numerous obesity-related ailments. This patient, William Banting, was the first adherent to what would much later become a low carb dieting craze.

Banting was stunned by not only his weight loss, but the increase in his quality of life as his medical conditions improved and disappeared. Banting’s 50 pound weight loss was touted in a series of pamphlets he produced, encouraging others to take advantage of this revolutionary way of eating.

The original low carb diet required an extreme reduction in foods such as bread, milk, sugar, butter, potatoes, as well as beer, as such food items were believed to create fat due to their starch and saccharine content.

Almost 60 years later, in the 1920s, the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins University began using a similar diet to William Harvey’s low carb diet to treat seizure disorders in children. The diet the children adhered to induced a condition called ketosis, which is the altered metabolic state that gives a low carb diet its weight loss success.

Finally, in the late 1960s, the low carb diet found widespread acclaim when it was introduced to the public by Dr. Irwin Maxwell Stillman in his book, The Doctor’s Quick Weight Loss Diet. Stillman’s book was a huge success, which paved the way for later incarnations of protein-rich low carbohydrate diets.

Of course, most of us have never heard of Dr. Irwin Maxwell Stillman or William Harvey. To the modern world, Dr. Robert Adkins is the creator of the low carb diet. While he did not create the idea, he can certainly be credited with raising the diet’s profile and popularity.

Adkins released his first book, Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution in 1972, after reading articles on low carb dieting in the late 60s and experiencing the success of the low carb diet philosophy himself. It was met with dismal success and other doctors produced works encouraging similar diets in the 80s and 90s.

At the time of its release, Atkins’ diet program was shunned by medical professionals and nutritionists as being unhealthy. Fortunately, controversy dissipated as more and more people discovered the incredible health and weight loss benefits a low carb diet could yield.

As the low carb movement began gathering more adherents, Adkins released Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution in the early 1990s and again in 1999. The popularity of low carb dieting continued to increase and many variations of the diet were introduced, including well-known diets like The Zone and South Beach.

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Ask the average man or woman, and their number one body complaint will be belly fat. A sleek, toned mid-section is the single greatest quest in most dieter’s weight loss journey. How can you target mid-section flab and bloat?

Consider the Atkins Diet. This diet is ideal for fast-paced fat burning and is relatively easy to stick with. The primary principal behind the Atkins Diet is limiting carbs to force the body to consume its fat stores (like in the belly.) for fuel.

Dieters who enjoy meats and butters and oils will love the food selection. Beef, turkey, pork, chicken, shellfish and other meat favorites are staples of the Atkins Diet. Although alcohol and sugary foods are strictly prohibited in the earliest phase, the diet is less restrictive in later phases.

If you like the principles behind the Atkins Diet but are looking for something with a little more freedom, the South Beach diet may be the diet for you. Similar to the Atkins Diet, South Beach is a low carb, high protein diet.

Get a lean, attractive mid-section by focusing on healthier carbohydrates and shunning high starch, low fiber, and processed carbs. The South Beach diet also allows a small amount of some alcohols as well as greater cheese and vegetable options. South Beach dieters may also be pleased to discover a large number of prepared South Beach food items commercially available.

The Zone is another convenient diet choice that boasts prepared meals to make planning and eating easier. While The Zone limits carbs like South Beach and the Atkins Diet, the principle behind The Zone’s dietary regimen is insulin control.

The Zone diet is comprised of three stages and prescribes a 40-30-30 meal plan where 40 percent of calories are carbohydrates, 30 percent are proteins, and 30 percent are fats. This diet is well known for being the diet of choice for many celebrities.

If you’re looking for a diet that is truly a life-long change in habits, you may enjoy the Mediterranean Diet. This diet reflects the eating habits of Mediterranean peoples, who have long been known to be exceptionally healthy and fit.

The Mediterranean Diet calls for the dieter to replace fats and oils with heart-healthy olive oil. Meals and snacks are based around fresh seasonal produce. Protein comes from nuts, seeds, and moderate intake of high quality lean meats.

Weight Watchers offers a flexible program for banishing belly fat. The program combines two distinct dietary regimens from which the dieter can choose along with motivational meetings and tools.

Weight Watchers dieters may choose between a program that “budgets” food by assigning all foods a numeric value based on fat, fiber and calorie content, and one that allows for unlimited consumption of healthy, whole foods.

Obtaining a slim, trim abdomen is not the unattainable goal we sometimes tell ourselves it is. With so many options available, it’s only too easy to choose a program that compliments your lifestyle.

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With so many different weight loss pills and programs out there, it can be a bit overwhelming at times to try to find the perfect fit for your goals and lifestyle. Whether you decide on the Atkins diet or South Beach, Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, there are some things everyone should consider when deciding on a weight loss program.

There are so many modern day plans that advertise amazing results, but in reality, they might not work as well for you, at least not initially. First and foremost, make sure the program is safe for you to participate in. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before you embark on this journey so he or she can give you an idea of what will suit you based on different data they can gather from you. Remember that your weight loss should be slow and steady and not “immediate: like some programs claim.

Another important factor in choosing a weight loss program is determining how many customers or clients have had success. You can find this out usually simply by asking, or by looking for testimonials from others who have already tried it out. Check out some genuine “before and after” photos and find out what these people did to lose the weight.

Ask questions and look for real answers, not just another sales pitch or robotic response. You’ll also want to be sure that the plan you choose is “doable.” In other words, do the foods fit your lifestyle? Are there enough choices that you can live with? If it’s too restrictive, you might not be able to stay with it. You want to choose a weight loss plan that you can enjoy while doing it.

Do your homework when choosing a weight loss plan. Find out what the average weight loss is with several plans as well as how well people have maintained their weight loss. Remember that losing a few pounds is not as difficult as keeping them off, so make sure it’s a plan you will be able to stick with over time.

Once you’ve done some digging & decide on a plan for you, it’s time to get started. Be sure to track your progress and keep a food journal if possible.

Many weight loss programs now offer bulletin or message boards for their clients; these message boards can help to serve as a great resource and support group as you go down the road towards a slimmer, healthier you.

Tags: atkins diet, food journal, south beach

Carbohydrate is the root cause behind your obesity, or so the supporters of low-carbohydrate diets would have you believe. Low-carb diets have always been more popular than the other dieting methods. After all, who hasn’t heard of the classic ones such as the Atkins Diet and South Beach Diet which continue to be popular even today?

Today however, you have more than one choice for low carb diets. There is the Zone diet, and then there is the Suzanne Summers Diet, each trying to beat down the other in terms of effectiveness. There are also several other minor low carb diet plans available.

If you are worried about cooking low-carb meals, drop your worries. Almost all low carb diet plans now come with in-built menus, recipes and other dietary tips designed to help the common man prepare delicious low carb meals with little effort or headache. Now the million dollar question: is the low-carb diet a right choice for you? Well, that is what you would learn about in this article. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: atkins diet, low carb diet, low carb diets, Low-carbohydrate diet, obesity, south beach, South Beach Diet, Suzanne Summers Diet, USD

New diet programs seem to crop up almost every month, so much so that at times I find it difficult to remember all of them. A new kid on the block is the Ketogenic Diet. You may or may not have heard of it because it hasn’t been able to reach the popularity levels of Atkins Diet or South Beach diet. Nonetheless, weight loss has little to do with the popularity of a particular diet program.

In my experience I have found that people have lost weight with little known diet programs, and the opposite has also happened – that of people getting disappointed with the most popular diet program! The big question is: is the Ketogenic Diet just another fad or does it really work? That is what I would be exploring in detail in this article!

To understand the Ketogenic Diet, you need to know about ketones first, since this diet is based on how ketones function in our body. In short, ketones are the enemies of fats, and the more ketones your body has, the quicker you would be able to shed the extra pounds!

Now, as a matter of fact, our body has a soft corner for fat. It would rather burn your valuable muscles for the purpose of producing energy than that ugly fat. The Ketogenic Diet burns your fat deposits and produces the readymade energy your body can use. This is a win-win situation for you: neither you would need your body’s help to burn fat as it is done artificially by the Ketogenic Diet, nor would you lose your lean muscles!

Now the important part: which foods are you allowed to eat under this diet? Since carbs turn into fat and make you overweight, you should reduce their intake and increase the consumption of fatty foods. This means that you should be eating more of dairy products such as butter, milk, cheese, etc., and less of cookies, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, white breads, rice, pasta, fruits, etc.

The bad part of this diet program is that just like other fad diets, this one too is not without its share of side effects. Some side effects you may suffer from as a result of using this high-fat-and-low-carb diet are abnormal behavioral changes, stomach problems such as bloating and constipation, kidney troubles, as well as high cholesterol levels!
On top of that, there is no scientific or clinical evidence of the effectiveness of this diet with regards to weight loss. So far, only epileptic patients, that too mainly children, have benefited from the use of this diet. If you decide to opt for this diet, you shouldn’t do so without consulting a doctor or nutritionist!

Tags: atkins diet, bloating, constipation, dairy products, energy, low carb diet, nutritionist, readymade energy, south beach, South Beach Diet

Over the years I have seen a lot of flimsy ideas of how to get a set of six pack abs. The most common scams are special machines that will do it and sometimes some kind of drink. I remember at one point Slim Fast seemed to be showing chubby people suddenly spawning a set of six pack abs.

Anyway I wanted to put this notion to rest that there is some magic to getting a six pack. Sure there is some genetics involved in sculpting perfect abs but the two most important factors are diet and exercise.

What? Did you think there was a shortcut?

Six Pack Abs Diet

The diet part is fairly simple; you need to drop any extra fat. You have probably heard this before but there is no such thing as spot reduction when you are losing weight. You will lose weight proportionately, generally, as you lose weight. What you may find is that you have a large stomach and if that is the case of course you will lose that fat faster than you lose the fat on your legs but that is just because that is where the fat deposits will be easiest for your body to use.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: abdominal exercises, atkins diet, chair, getting a six pack, lose weight, losing weight, rowing, six pack abs, spot reduction, Swimming

A new diet study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine has had some interesting results. I am always a little shocked by the poor results of these studies but lets dig into it.

The study was done in Israel with a group of 332 moderately obese people, that is people that knew that they had to lose some weight. The group dieted for two years and most of them, 84% were still on the diet at the end.

There were three diets, a low fat diet, (standard diet) a Mediterranean Diet (like the book), and a low carb diet (Atkins). The people stayed on the diet that was chosen for them for the entire two years.

The shocking part? That the did not lose very much weight at all over the two years. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, atkins diet, diet study, energy intake, england journal of medicine, Israel, low carb diet, low fat diet, Mediterranean, mediterranean diet, New England Journal, olive oil, The New England Journal of Medicine