How To Lose Weight The Easy And Safe Way

WHAT IS THE BEST DIET

Many people ask me which is the best diet for me to follow, with practically a new diet

coming out every year I find myself getting frustrated with the mis- information being put

out there. Let me shine some light on some of these fad diets.

Why fad diets don't work

There's no question if you follow these fad diets you will lose weight, but I can also

guarantee you will not be able to sustain these so-called diets which is why millions of

people follow these diets only to pack back on the pounds again.

The simple answer to this is fad diets do not work, the reason they do not work is because

you can only follow such a ridiculous routine for only so long successful long-term weight

loss is not necessarily about a diet but it's about long-term happiness.

I even hate that word diets, because it is linked to feelings of restriction and unhappiness

but what I do believe in is a sensible nutrition plan which allows you to eat five to six

enjoyable small meals a day. To be honest with you I wish all of these fad diets did work

then we wouldn't be experiencing the problems we have today such as obesity, diabetes and

cardiovascular disease.

Before I explain to you the concept of a healthy eating plan I'll cover just a few of these

fad diets.

THE ATKINS DIET.

I'm sure you've all heard of the Atkins diet and heard about the supposed success stories.

The problem is that most of these fad diets work on the basis of calorie reduction. with the

Atkins carbohydrates are severely limited, the atkins diet requires that you get your

calories from just protein and fat.

The way this works is by consuming so much fat and protein it sends a signal to your brain

saying that your full when in reality you are not, this can result in metabolic disorders.

The Atkins diet will allow you to lose weight but at what cost? the side-effects of the

Atkins diet is nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and bad breath (urghh)

I would have to say the Atkins diet is a big no-no, a healthy diet is well rounded and

borrows from all the food groups such as carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Tricking your

body into believing it is full, when it's not, will only can catch up with you and make you

feel ill through the lack of nutrients received in you diet.

The weight loss achieved in Atkins is mainly muscle mass, and muscle tissue is what helps

speed up your metabolic rate, the more muscle tissue you have the more calories you burn.

Which is why when people realise they cannot sustain the Atkins diet any more they put the

weight on twice as fast because now they do not have the muscle to combat the fat.

Bear in mind when a new diet hits the market and seems too good to be true, your usually

right!

THE ZONE DIET

The zone diet is used by many celebrities such as Jennifer aniston, Renee zellweger,

Madonna, Cindy Crawford and Winona Ryder. The main concept of the zone diet is a balanced

ratio of carbohydrates (40) and proteins (30%) so on this diet you do actually get to eat,

which in my eyes is a good start.

The zone diet works by following recipes with a low-carbohydrate diet plan, it does insist

on watching your calorie consumption while eating eg. A meal must not exceed 500 calories

and a snack must not exceed 100 calories which they call staying in the zone.

I must say weight loss is not the only benefit of the zone diet you also experience improved

energy, improved mental clarity and is also ideal for type 2 diabetes sufferers. This diet

was implemented to reduce hunger and compulsion to eat. Zone diet recipes are customized to

each individual, based on your sex, activity level and proportion of body fat.

The foods the zone diet encourages are fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, leafy green

vegetables, sufficient protein consumption, and eight glasses of water everyday. How weight

loss is achieved with the zone diet is similar to the low gi diet.

By reducing your carbohydrates your body will not produce too much insulin (a hormone that

tells your body to store up nutrients) consuming too much carbohydrates causes this to

happen which is why carbs are seen as the bad guys. The overload of insulin tells the body

to convert the carbohydrates you ate into fat stores around your belly, thighs, buttocks and

other areas.

Carbohydrates are not totally the bad guys if you limit them and balance them with low-fat

protein this will keep your insulin levels balanced. I like this diet because it's not so

much a diet, it's more of a eating plan. The only problem I have with the zone diet is

calculating meals and snacks every day is not totally convenient, with 5 hours of exercise a

week and a variety of balanced meals consisting of low gi carbs, protein and veg is a

simpler formula to lose weight.

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

The south beach to me is an improved version of the atkins diet because it does allow "good"

carbohydrates like fruit and foods with a low glycemic (Gi) index. The south beach diet

gives you the freedom to snack all day if you feel the need to and not to worry about

counting calories.

This diet is a complete waste of time because if you give people in search of losing weight

the go-ahead to eat a portion as big as they like, they probably will, I know I would if I

didn't know any better. Even eating the healthiest foods if you consume too much you will

still put on weight.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

Weight watchers have created their own brand of foods with low calories from full dinners to

ice cream. I must say weight watchers have tried to make counting calories as simple as they

can here by running a points system.

Their point system runs something like this: each food has a point value ranging from 0 for

jelly to 8 for pizza. Depending on your bodyweight, you are allowed a certain amount of

points daily, if you stay under your points you lose weight.

With weight watchers you are allowed to bank points and use them over days, exercise also

earns you points. When you're feeling down in the dumps or lacking in the motivation

department you can go to daily weight watchers meetings and get great tips and motivation

from others who have overcome their obstacles and achieved there goals.

I believe weight watchers has stood the test of time because they focus more on long term

healthy eating rather than restrictive dieting, we are all human and sometimes we desire

some of our favorite dessert or pizza without having to feel like a failure. I feel this is

totally acceptable and is a good approach to achieving your goals.

THE GI DIET

This diet definitely takes the No.1 spot for me, because it's more of a eating plan than a

restrictive diet. The GI diet also teaches you that carbs are not the bad guys after all,

it's the type of carbs you eat that is important.

Put simply the GI diet is a scale which charts how quickly a food is converted into sugar in

the body. Foods that chart as a high G.I number are converted into sugar more quickly than

foods that have a low G.I number, the scale is based on a rating of 1 to 100.

So why is the G.I number important?

If a food is rated high on the G.I scale your body is more likely to store fat, this is due

to insulin which is the primary storage hormone in your body and is used to help get

nutrients into the different cells of your body. High G.I foods raise our blood sugar so

rapidly that insulin has to be released in our body to bring our blood sugar down to a

normal baseline, in order for insulin to bring our blood sugar levels down it has to store

the sugar

It's a simple stimulus - response system that works to keep blood sugar levels in balance in

the body.

So how does this affect your fat loss?

I'll tell you how, just remember when insulin is present in your bloodstream, your body is

in STORAGE mode and will NOT release fat from your fat cells to burn. So when your blood

sugar levels are high, your body isn't burning fat.

Another thing is when your blood sugar is high, your body is using that blood sugar for

energy instead of using fat. Sugar is the preferred fuel for your body because it's easier

to use, but it confuses the body so the body takes a guess and always releases too much

insulin to bring your blood sugar level down but too much insulin results in bringing your

blood sugar levels too low leaving you feeling dizzy and lethargic craving for more sugary

foods to perk yourself up again, this is where the vicious cycle starts.

How do you stop this cycle?

To stop this vicious cycle you need keep your blood sugar levels stable so your body stays

in fat burning mode instead of STORAGE mode. You accomplish this by focusing on eating low

G.I carbs (every G.I diet book gives you a list of low G.I foods)

When you eat low G.I foods, the carbs are converted into sugar at a slower, steadier rate

into the body, this way your body doesn't have to panick and send out extra reserves of

insulin in an emergency response, also your blood sugar levels will not drop so suddenly

leaving you craving for more sugar an hour later.

The steady state you recieve from consuming low G.I foods will allow your body to access

stored bodyfat and use this fat for energy instead of constantly relying on blood sugar. The

bonus… you don't get as hungry and you feel more energised throughout the day with a leaner

body to go with it.

G.I diet: A eating plan for life

Another advantage of the G.I diet is that it focuses on good amounts of protein, healthy

fats and fiber, which is a well balanced diet.

The concept of the G.I diet is scientifically sound because it works and can be maintained

for the rest of your life unlike many fad diets which cannot. Eating low G.I foods for fat

loss can have a positive impact not only on your fat loss but on your mood and well being as

well.

A diet that focuses on natural, unprocessed foods such as whole grains, quality lean

proteins, healthy fats and lots of fiber is no doubt going to be a effective diet

by: Rasheed Aladel