2009 is going to be a great year for all those struggling with weight loss. Why? Well, it is no secret that since the beginning of this year the economy has been hard-hit by recession. With pockets going almost half empty, people would think twice before indulging in excesses of any kind, their junk food addiction notwithstanding.

As a matter of fact, junk foods usually cost much more than natural foods. This is why people are likely to spend less money on junk foods and more on natural fruits and vegetables. Consequently, they are bound to lose weight.

With the recession setting in, you should be doing due diligence before investing in a diet program. There are useless fad diet programs which you should avoid at all costs. Usually, diets which focus only on one type of food or other should be avoided. 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.

Unless you have been living under a huge rock, you have surely heard about the Flat Belly Diet! This diet has, by her own admission, helped Rachel Ray lose weight easily! Here is the cold hard truth though: only 10% of those who follow a diet are able to lose weight successfully, and then the blame game starts. While customers blame the diet program for wasting their time and money, the manufactures of the program in turn claim that the customers didn’t follow all the guidelines set by the program properly and consequently, failed to lose weight.

Truth may be both or neither. As a matter of fact, seldom would you be able to lose weight permanently with the help of diets, and that is because almost all diet programs available out there have one common major flaw in them! Want to know what it is? Read on to find out the answer!

You would be surprised to know that the Flat Belly Diet program recommends a diet which is high on fat. I know it goes against the conventional wisdom because we all know that fat is the culprit behind weight gain. However, this is also where we err slightly. There are actually two types of fats out there: saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats can be found in plenty in junk foods and make us fat! There is another type of fat which actually helps us lose weight, and that is called unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat can be further divided into polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats. The Flat Belly Diet essentially focuses on foods which are rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs).

As a matter of fact, MUFAs serve dual functions: they help you ward off constant pangs of hunger by acting as natural appetite suppressants; at the same time, unlike saturated fats they flush themselves out of your body instead of getting deposited as fat.

This doesn’t however mean that you can have MUFA foods all day long, as the diet restricts your maximum daily calorie intake to just 1,600 calories per day, which is just enough for normal adults. But the million dollar question, will this diet really work or not?

Very pertinent question indeed, and I am afraid I won’t be able to offer you an affirmative answer either! The basic thing to note is that just like other fad diets the Flat Belly Diet also focuses on just on type of food group. When you eat only MUFA foods everyday, your body would soon get accustomed to your food habit and consequently lower your metabolic rate.
Obviously, you cannot expect to burn fat and lose weight with a low metabolic rate!

The second disadvantage of following this diet program is that you would soon get bored of it and quit it as usually happens with other fad diets. So I won’t recommend this diet to you.

That doesn’t however mean that all diet programs are bad; there are a few diet programs which have proven their effectiveness time and again, and one such program is the FatLossfouridiots. Unlike most other conventional diets, FatLossfouridiots doesn’t focus on any particular type of food group.

By means of a dieting technique called ‘calorie shifting’, it helps you lose weight by making you eat foods of varying calorie levels. When you don’t restrict yourself to one type of food group, your metabolism would always be high and consequently you would find it pretty easy to lose weight!

What? Can you really lose as much as five pounds of solid fat in just seven days? Sounds unbelievable I know, and that is because you have been taught over and over again by the so-called ‘weight loss experts’ that you cannot lose more than two pounds of fat week.

However there are certain underground weight loss tactics which, unknown to many, could accelerate the weight loss process to such a high level that you would find it difficult not to lose at least five pounds of fat in that same week, if not more. So how do you do it? Well that is what this article is all about! Read on to find out the weight loss secret.

Oh okay I probably forgot to mention that you can lose weight by drinking one of the most delicious drinks out there! If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, I don’t know what else will!

1. Green Matcha Tea: You have surely heard about the tremendous benefits of green tea with regards to weight loss. It is a known fact that green tea not only helps you lose weight by boosting your metabolism but also acts as a natural appetite suppressant. Now if you add a bit of matcha powder to it, the effect could only be mind blowing! Why? Just like the famous acai berry, matcha powder is also rich in antioxidant.

While it is true that green tea itself is rich in antioxidants, you could make the situation even more favorable for you by using the dual strength of green tea and matcha powder to make the Green Matcha Tea! Green Matcha Tea is obviously more powerful than plain Green Tea, in that it helps you burn fat unlike any other weight loss super drinks you might be familiar with! Try it, and I am sure you would not only like its fat burning capabilities but also the delicious taste!

2. PGX: Carb blockers serve a very important function: that of preventing carbs from getting deposited in your body as fat and making you overweight. Carb blockers do this by binding themselves with the carbs your body receives from your food. PGX is one such carb blocker. Even if you don’t eat sugary foods at all, you still need this because even natural foods contain carbs in varying degrees. It is also a good remedy for those who are suffering from Typetwo diabetes. All in all, it is an indispensable tool for your arsenal!

3. A diet that makes you burn fat and lose weight: In case you are curious, it is called the ‘calorie shifting’ diet. Calorie shifting is a technique which doesn’t believe in focusing on any single food group; rather it burns fat by making you consume foods of different calorie contents. In effect, you are not limited to eating just ‘low-calorie’ or ‘low-fat’ foods all the time.

Studies have pointed out that when you vary your calorie consumption level instead of restricting it to one fixed percentage, your body has no way of knowing whether to keep your metabolic rate high or low, with the result that it would keep your metabolic rate high at all times just to be on the safe side!

Do I need to tell you that the higher your metabolic rate is, the faster you burn fat and lose weight? The famous diet program FatLossfourIdiots is based solely on this ‘calorie shifting’ method of dieting, and no wonder it has so many raving fans around the globe! If you haven’t given it a try yet, I highly recommend you do!

History of Fad Diets

There is an entire industry based around helping people lose weight in strange ways. This is the world of fad diets. I remember years ago my dad did a diet called the Mayo Clinic diet that was based around just eggs and grapefruit. Now the Mayo clinic is a very reputable organization but anytime that you find a diet surrounding only a couple of foods then you know that it can’t last. This is a fad diet.

When you are considering a fad diet what you have to look at is if this diet will become a part of your ongoing lifestyle. If you have an all liquid diet that is suppposed to help you lose weight then what are you going to do after the fad diet is over? Keep eating only liquids or go back to your old diet that was helping you gain weight in the first place.

Fad Diets and Shortcuts

Most diet pills, liquid diets, and diet supplements are short-term solutions that won’t work without long-term changes in your eating habits and physical activity level. And many produce side effects, which can be especially dangerous for people with other health conditions.

Fad diets can be another no-lose/no-win situation. Most are based on an eating plan that is not nutritionally balanced; some even eliminate an entire food group. This can cause health problems, and the weight lost is usually regained quickly once the diet regimen is stopped.

Just about every few months we will find another diet book on the book shelves and creating press around. The Diet Blog has for years now written about every diet including fad diets but just because a book has sold lots of copies does not mean that it is not a fad diet and that it will work fore everyone.

Instead of Fad Diets, Supplement Instead

In my eyes there is nothing inherently wrong with supplementing, this is not the same thing as a fad diet. Do not take green tea pills or whatever the latest product is just for the weight loss possibilities, look instead at how these supplements will help you get healthier in the long term. Supplements are especially powerful when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program to help you lose weight and get healthy. Say no to fad diets.