If you’re like me, you’ve looked high and low for the weight loss secret that will help you melt the pounds away for good. Does that hidden dieting trick exist? Could a high protein, low fat diet give me the edge I need to stay slim for life?

As I considered the high protein, low fat dieting approach I was surprised to learn how popular it is. Many brand name companies even produce packed meals and snacks tailored to the high protein, low fat dieter’s needs.

Of course, ease and availability are only a small piece of the bigger picture. What I wanted to know is, does it really work? Could adding more lean proteins like lean beef and fish and limiting processed, high fat foods give me the results I wanted?

Surprisingly, studies comparing the results of a high protein, low fat diet and a high carbohydrate, low fat diet have shown both yield similar weight loss, but the protein-focused diet reduces more actual fat mass. This is great news because, when it really comes down to it, I want to lose fat, not just “weight”.

I was also pleased with the reported health benefits of a high protein, low fat diet. Some of the health benefits I discovered that are associated with this diet include reduction in glucose and insulin levels, and a reduction in cholesterol. I also found that Folate and vitamin B-6 levels were increased by the diet.

High protein diets have often been criticized for potentially causing damage to the kidneys. I was happy to learn that many studies have refuted this claim. The official recommendation is no more than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Low-fat sources of protein-rich food are easy to locate and, fortunately, pretty tasty too. Beans, eggs, lean meats, and even tofu are excellent sources of protein. Some high protein, low fat dieters add protein supplements to their diet as well.

Even after reading studies that demonstrated that a low fat, protein-focused diet really does work, I was still curious about how and why more protein and less fat produced such great results. As I learned, the magic is in the complex way in which our bodies handle protein.

The first way protein helps with weight loss is by creating a more “full” and satisfied feeling. The real trick, however, comes in digestion. Proteins contain the chemical nitrogen, which the body likes to retain because of its usefulness in producing antibodies.

Because of this, the body would rather turn protein into carbs (for later fuel) instead of fat. It’s the complex process the body uses to digest and store protein that uses up extra energy, also known as burning calories.

Protein is also essential for rebuilding muscle mass, and those new muscles are calorie burning machines too. It seems higher protein and lower fat is exactly what the body wants for high performance.

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: antibodies, chemical nitrogen, energy, low fat diet, protein-rich food

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

Does alli work as a weight loss pill? The quick answer seems to be yes, but there is a downside, so read on.

Alli is the over-the-counter name for orlistat which is also available in prescription form as Xenical. If you are going to ask for it you may like to know that it is pronounced like ally, not alley. It is essentially a fat blocker. It works by preventing the body from absorbing the fat from the foods that we eat, and it is the one freely available drug that has FDA backing for its claims to aid weight loss. You might think you could eat all the fatty foods you liked and then take alli to negate the effect but sadly that is not true. It should always be used in conjunction with a low fat diet plan under the supervision of a doctor.

The amount of weight loss achieved with alli is variable. In one study involving one-year clinical trials, between 35.5% and 54.8% of subjects attained a 5% or greater decrease in body mass, although we do not know how much of this mass was fat. Between 16.4% and 24.8% of the subjects achieved a 10% or more decrease in body mass. In combination with a calorie controlled diet, the effects could be expected to be greater. It was also shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The participants regained an average of one third of the weight that they had lost after stopping alli, but this is typical of most dieters.

The main disadvantage of alli is the side effects which center around digestive and bowel problems. The higher the fat content in the diet, the greater these side effects are likely to be, as the undigested fat is expelled from the body. Flatulence, loose stools and bowel incontinence can result, especially in the early stages before the body is accustomed to the drug. The manufacturer’s website warns, “You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.” You really need to want to lose weight to take alli!

However these side effects are reduced if you stick to the recommended low fat diet and as the manufacturers hint, the potentially embarrassing side effects can even be helpful in encouraging you to keep to your diet. Always remember that alli does not claim to work without consistent efforts toward weight loss from you. What they do claim is that it can improve your weight loss by up to 50%. That would mean a person who lost 10 pounds without taking alli would lose 15 pounds taking it. It boosts your weight loss and rewards your efforts with better results than you could get by yourself. Note though that individual results will vary and are not guaranteed.

Sadly there is no magic diet pill that will melt away your excess pounds while you sleep, but alli is a pill that has documented results. If you are determined to lose weight and have been struggling with diets without much effect, it may be a good time to discuss it with your doctor and find out does alli work for you.

Tags: diabetes, fda, low fat diet

Talking to most women over 50 you will quickly find that menopause and weight gain are linked in their experience. It is very common to put on weight at this time and while some of this may be due to lifestyle changes, that does not explain why suddenly we develop a tendency to put on weight at different parts of the body, especially the abdomen, while any weight gained when we were younger tended to be centered on the hips.

The truth is that hormonal changes do have a part to play in this, although the process is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen which is responsible for the ovulation process. Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and it almost certainly is the reason why our bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they store it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turning to fat as they grow older, and the metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits you will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need as many calories as a person of 40.

Hormone therapy with estrogen is sometimes prescribed to control menopausal symptoms. Many women will be surprised to hear that studies have shown that hormone therapy does not cause weight gain. Some women experience bloating and water retention in the early stages of hormone therapy but this is usually temporary and they have not gained any fat. Hormone therapy can reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing the changes in storage of body fat around the abdomen and lowering cholesterol. However, hormone therapy has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in some studies.

If you find that you are gaining weight around the menopause, there are several things you can do.

- Eat a healthy, low fat diet with plenty of fiber, avoiding sugar.

- Take regular exercise. As people get older their physical activity levels naturally drop. Work often becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to run around after, we take less active holidays and do things more slowly. 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day will help to balance out the effect of this.

- Maintain your muscle strength and mass. Use weights for arm muscles and walking or cycling for legs.

- Accept the changes to the shape of your body. If you are not overweight, but simply have a thicker waist and slimmer legs, that is fine.

Consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have any medical conditions or your fitness levels are low. Your doctor can also help with symptoms of the menopause and weight gain.

Tags: bloating, breast cancer, heart disease, hormone therapy, low fat diet

Alli is now out. The news we have been looking at for months is here. Alli, which is the over the counter version of Xenical for weight loss is now on the market so that people can use this as a aid to their weight loss program. I have said for years that you can not trust any pills to have you lose weight and I am still a little apprehensive to recommend that people use Alli to try to lose weight as the most important things in your weight control program are proper eating and exercise. Here is the press release for the product

Before you go out and buy Alli I just wanted to let you know that in researching this product I looked for a natural alternative. I have found one product that does what Alli does but is natural, cheaper and best of all has no side effects. That product is called Avatrim. Check out Avatrim before you go out to purchase Alli.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announces today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the weight-loss product orlistat 60 mg capsules for over-the-counter (OTC) use in the United States. GSK Consumer Healthcare will market OTC orlistat under the brand name alli(TM) (pronounced AL-eye). Approved for use by overweight adults in conjunction with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, alli helps people lose 50 percent more weight than with diet alone. alli is the only FDA-approved weight-loss product available to consumers without a prescription, and it is the first clinically-proven over- the-counter product to be combined with a comprehensive support program. alli is expected to be available in stores nationwide by summer 2007. This approval marks the start of an educational program that includes a series of resources online at myalli.com.

GSK Consumer Healthcare selected alli as the brand name because it conveys the concept of partnership with consumers in their weight-loss efforts. Consumers spend billions of dollars each year on fad diets, unproven miracle pills, and potentially unsafe weight-loss supplements that may not work. alli is the clinically proven option to these hyped, quick-fix products that mislead overweight adults away from weight-loss strategies that are backed by medical science. With alli, consumers have access to an individually tailored online action plan that provides support and the necessary tools to help them lose 50 percent more weight than with diet alone.
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Tags: Alli, Boston Medical Center, Caroline Apovian, Center for Nutrition and Weight Management, Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center, diabetes, director, educational tools, food, GlaxoSmithKline, heart disease, hypertension, individualized online action plan, low fat diet, obesity, online action plan, online support program, physician, Steven L. Burton, the-counter product, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United States, Vice President, Weight Control, Xenical

People are getting ready for summer, losing weight and getting toned up. Losing weight is a huge challenge, and in most cases, it helps to follow some diet plan while trying to lose weight.

Today, the South Beach diet plan is widely followed by many dieters. However, quite unlike other popular diets, the South Beach diet is neither a low-carb diet nor a low-fat diet. Basically, the South Beach diet plan teaches dieters to eat the right carbohydrates and the right fats. By avoiding “bad” foods, then one can be healthy and fit.

What is the South Beach Diet?

It is however noteworthy that despite its popularity, the South Beach diet plan is not normally fully understood.
So, what is the South Beach diet plan? What is all about it � what are its principles?

The South Beach diet plan was in fact developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston after the truth that some of his patients were having little success by using the said to be conventional low carb, high fat diet plans like the Atkins diet.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, being then a cardiologist, decided to formulate a diet that will lead to a healthy heart � and the South Beach diet plan was created.

Based on the testimony of Dr. Agatston, since the introduction of the South Beach diet plan, many people who followed the South Beach diet plan actually lost an average of 13.6 pounds almost double the 7.5 pounds lost by those who use the strict “Step II” of the American Heart Association (AHA) diet.

In addition, it was also found that with the use of the South Beach diet plan many people showed to have greater decreases in their waist-to-hip ration and triglycerides, and their good to bad cholesterol ratio even improved more.

The South Beach diet plan is not considered as a low carbohydrate diet. This is because the idea behind the South Beach diet plan is to lose weight in a way that is healthy and sustainable for those who follow it.

A lot of people are now realizing the importance of being healthy and fit; thus dieting has become very popular as people seek to maintain healthy bodies. While the dieters are increasingly looking for the way to lose weight, there has also been many diet plans that have been developed. Some of these diets have been more effective and popular than others.

The South Beach Diet is the latest in the series of the diet fads. As a lot of people who hear about the excitement about this diet, they ask: What is the South Beach Diet? What is involved in the South Beach Plan?

As the search for the best diet program continues, the number of diets to select from in today�s society also increases. Now there the low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate diets, reduced-calorie diets, and low protein diets, and the list goes on. A South Beach Diet plan is the most recent contender. The South Beach Diet plan has amazingly taken the whole continent of America by storm and is set to have an impact world wide.

Why should you do South Beach diet?

With all the various diets to choose from, how is a dieter going know which one is the best diet? Knowing the basic facts of the diet is the starting point. So, what actually is the South Beach Diet plan?

The South Beach diet is very different from any other forms of diet plans. Why? It is mainly for the fact that the South Beach diet system does not rely on the low carbohydrates or low fat like other main diets.

Instead, the main purpose of the South Beach diet system is to discipline people, especially the dieters to rely on the right carbohydrates and fat. The South Beach Diet plan is also designed to teach the people on how to avoid the food items that are �worst� for their bodies.

The South Beach Diet plan is in fact a diet program that is generally set for a healthy body. The most significant principle of the plan is that teaches you to rely on the right kinds of carbohydrates and the right types of fats to maintain health and facilitate weight loss. These particular groups are considered as the �good� carbs and fats. By eating the �good� food items and avoiding the �bad� ones, then you can lose weight and keep healthy.

The South Beach Diet plan is further contrasted from one of the hottest diet plan that also swept the continent of America and worldwide � the Atkins Diet. Unlike the Atkins Diet plan, the South Beach system does not entail removing a particular food group. Whereas the Atkins Diet relies primarily on the no carbs and limitless proteins and fats, this diet plan seems to be rooted around a balanced and healthy eating regime. You get to eat what is �good� for you and avoid what is �bad�.

Carbohydrates in the South Beach Diet

Within the principles of the South Beach Diet, the good carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables, are highly recommended, as are unsaturated fats. In the South Beach Diet plan, proper form of exercise and healthy eating plans are not a critical necessity. For this reason, some people have expressed concern with the South Beach Diet Plan, since it is a proven fact that exercise helps speed up the process of losing weight.

Numerous studies have shown that the South Beach Diet plan can aid to reduce cholesterol as well as to minimize the risk of cardiovascular problems. Satisfying the hunger is a big part for the South Beach Diet plan, as it requires both determination and willpower.

Basically, the South Beach Diet teaches you how to eat healthily, to include good carbs and fats in your meals. This ensures that your heart is cared for and generally makes you fitter for life, thus increasing your vitality and quality of your life.

In the South Beach diet plan, unlike the low carbohydrate, diets have to choose between the good and bad carb foods; rather that avoid all the carb foods. As such, the dieter is required to eat more fruits and even entire grain bread when it is contrasted to other low carb diets. The South Beach diet is therefore more manageable and dieters are able to stick with it, and incorporate it as their new way of eating and living.

The South Beach diet involves stopping your cravings, eating foods that are good for you and maintaining the diet and way of eating for life. Those who have followed the South Beach diet plan plan comment that the diet more like a way of life rather than a diet. Successful dieters go to live the rest of their lives following the South Beach diet plan principles.

There are a lot of success stories from dieters who have followed this diet. These are a great source of inspiration for others who are planning on losing weight and have a healthy life. With summer coming up, get onto a diet today and look and feel great!

Tags: America, American Heart Association, arthur agatston, atkins diet, carbohydrates, Cardiologist, diet plans, diets, fats, food items, losing weight, low carb diet, low carb diets, low fat diet, low fat diets, Low-carbohydrate diet, particular food group, south beach, South Beach Diet, south beach diet plan, Weight Loss

I just stumbled upon a Newsday article that looks at a few pieces of research to try to find out what a good diet is. Is a good diet high or low in fat? There is so much conflicting evidence these days but I think this kind of article helps you ask yourself a lot of questions and then it is up to you to decide what to do about it by listening to how your body reacts to different diets.

When it comes to defining a healthy diet, it’s easy to become confused. Recent reports from the Women’s Health Initiative study, which followed 40,000 women for eight years, concluded that low-fat diets and calcium with vitamin D supplements do not decrease a woman’s risk for heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer or hip fractures. Upon hearing this news, after being schooled for years on the merits of low-fat diets and calcium, a health-conscious person might be tempted to eat any old thing.

But hold on. While these types of large-scale trials help researchers and policy planners, they do not by themselves help consumers craft a healthy diet. That is because standards for conducting such studies and analyzing data have built-in limitations.

The dietary pattern studied in the Women’s Health Initiative – low fat with five servings of fruits and vegetables and six servings of grains – was based on research available when the study began in the early 1990s. This diet stressed proportions of fats and carbohydrates. But more recent research takes into account the quality of fats and carbohydrates, not just quantity.
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Tags: animal products, breast cancer, colon cancer, food, food culture, food industry, food supply, heart disease, low fat diet, low fat diets, Newsday, olive oil, physician, registered dietitian, Vitamin D

This study below that I gleaned from the LA Times shows that just altering your diet may not be able to undo a life of bad eating. Maybe if they included exercise in these peoples lives it may have made a bigger difference to their health.

Overturning three decades of conventional wisdom, a new study of low-fat diets in nearly 50,000 healthy older women has shown that reducing fat intake alone does not significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer or colorectal cancer, researchers reported today. Results from the same study reported last month also showed that reducing fats without reducing calories does not lead to significant weight loss.

“Just switching to low-fat foods is not likely to yield much health benefit in most women,” said Marcia Stefanick, a professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, chairwoman of the steering committee for the Women’s Health Initiative study.

“Rather than trying to eat ‘low-fat,’ women should focus on reducing saturated fats and trans fats,” the so-called bad fats, while maintaining their intake of “good” fats, such as vegetable, olive and fish oils.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Medical Assn, atkins diet, biostatistician, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, chairwoman, colorectal cancer, diabetes, director, Elizabeth G. Nabel, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, heart disease, high energy density, LA Times, Los Angeles Biomedical Institute, low fat diet, low fat diets, Lung and Blood Institute, Mara Vitolins, Marcia Stefanick, National Heart, North Carolina, professor of medicine, professor of public health sciences, Ross Prentice, Rowan T. Chlebowski, Seattle, Stanford Prevention Research Center, stroke, study co-author, the LA Times, USD, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem

There are essentially three types of diets these days. There is the Atkins diet which stresses low to zero carbs. There is the low fat diet which stresses no fats and there is a vegetarian diet which stresses low fat and low protein but allows higher carbohydrates.

Today I would like to demystify the need for carbs. And then in the future we can deal with fats and protein as well as what diet is best.

Where to find Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main component of grains, rice, fruits and vegetables. You essentially need carbohydrates for energy and fibre. When your body is looking for a source of energy it tends to use the simplest form available. The very simplest form of energy is glucose and although this is pure table sugar its next closest form is found in fruits as sucrose. These carbohydrates are called simple carbs because they are easy for your body to break down into energy.

If your body can not find one of these sources of sugar for energy it will move down the food chain and try one of the next most easily available carbs next would be grain based or what we look at as “white” carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, or rice. (Chocolate bars although not an official food group are closer to sugar than veggies or other carbs). Your body will use any of the complex carbs as well as vegetables for fuel before moving to fats or proteins.

Now that we can see where our carbs site in the energy chain it is a good idea to see what happens when we eat one and what happens to our energy from them. When you eat a sugar it immediately increases your blood sugar otherwise known as your insulin level.

What happens when you rely on sugar?

When you blood sugar spikes from sugar, chocolate, or pop you will get a bit of a euphoric feeling from this extra unneeded energy but because it is quick pickup it is also a quick drop for energy and thus you will get a sugar crash 30-45 minutes after the initial energy peak, this is very bad and bad for your body. If on the other hand you only had potatoes or bread or rice for your carbs you would have no nice spikes but no crashes either and would feel after a couple days on a very more even keel, you would feel like you energy is pretty good all the time but never to low or to high. This is the key that we are looking for.

Tomorrow I will write more about bad foods just for a nice way to start minimizing them not to scare people away from them. But now you know energy wise why you would rather get you energy from more complex carbs than simple carbs.

Tags: atkins diet, energy, energy chain, energy peak, energy wise, food chain, low fat diet, official food group, unneeded energy, vegetarian diet