DrHoon.Net - General Medical, Surgery, and Cardiovascular Information Online!
 

Google
 

 

The No Diet Way to Lose Weight and Keep it off!


Yes, you read it right?no diets!

The first step in this weight management program is to gather all of your old fad diets, quick weight loss remedies, and "magic cures". Once you have them all together in a nice, neat pile- throw them into the trash! One thing we have learned in the last 20-30 years is diets don't work and actually can make things worse. Fad diets may provide short term weight loss but they are generally too difficult to stick with for a lifetime. The majority of people who lose weight on fad diets regain that weight within 3 to 5 years. Over time this yo-yo dieting effect can slow your metabolism, the way our bodies burn the calories from the food that we eat. Most fad diets require you to significantly restrict your caloric intake by limiting or even eliminating specific foods from your diet. They lead you to believe that it is these specific foods that are causing you to gain weight. The fact is; a cookie or a slice of French bread is not responsible for weight gain. It is the total number of calories that you consume in a day compared to the amount of calories you use as energy. The calories you don't use as energy turn into stored fat and over time this translates into more body weight.

Yes, its true consuming excess carbohydrates can result in large insulin spikes and cause you to store fat more readily and stimulate your appetite. However, does this mean that everyone in America is eating too many carbohydrates? Not necessarily. Does this mean we need to completely eliminate all carbohydrates from our diet? Absolutely not. It means we need to learn how to eat the right kind of carbohydrates and the right amount.

It's also true that eating excess fat can make us gain weight because fat carries more calories than protein and carbohydrates, but does this mean that everyone's issue is too much fat? Once again, no. Therefore, we must approach weight management on an individual basis because not everyone is eating too many calories from bread. Just the same, not everyone is consuming too many calories from cookies. We are all individuals and our eating habits are all unique which is why the one size fits all diet plans don't work. The ultimate key to success is balance.

Balance is providing the appropriate amount of calories, nutrients, and (don't forget) enjoyment from our meals. In a balanced diet, there are no perfect days, no foods are omitted, and you don't have to starve yourself. It may simply be that you've been eating too many starchy foods and too little fat. This may have stimulated your appetite and caused you to consume more than your body needs. Or vice versa, it may be that you are consuming too many fats and too little fruits and vegetables which can cause you to have a high calorie level with a fairly small intake of food. Perhaps you've been eating the right balance but with too large of portion sizes. These are the kinds of things that throw us off balance and cause us to consume more calories than we utilize for energy.

Let's take an example

Unbalanced Day
Breakfast: skip (too busy)
Large latte
Snack: chips from vending machine
Lunch: (restaurant) hamburger and large French fries
Dinner: 8 oz steak and 2 cups mashed potatoes
Dessert: large bowl of ice-cream (1-2 cups)

Meal Makeover
Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, 1 cup low fat milk
Snack: apple, 1 oz peanuts
Lunch: (restaurant) turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with a bowl vegetable soup
Dinner: 3 oz steak (size of a deck of cards), 1 cup mashed potatoes, and a large salad w/1 TB vinaigrette dressing
Dessert: small bowl of frozen yogurt or sorbet (1/2- 1 cup)

The original meals were heavy in high fat foods, large in portion sizes, (beef, French fries, chips, and ice-cream) and low in fiber. The balance was off. By making these changes we saved approximately 800 calories while still enjoying steak, mashed potatoes, and dessert! Not to mention you get to eat more when you incorporate more plant based foods since they are much lower in calories. We also improved the nutrient content by adding more fiber/vitamins/minerals/and antioxidants with increased fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

So, stop fad diets and start balancing your meals for lifelong weight loss. You have nothing to lose but lasting results, improved energy and better health!

© Meri Raffetto, 2004

About The Author

Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She offers individual nutrition counseling and has developed one of the only non-diet online weight management programs available on the internet. For more information or to sign up for Real Living's free nutrition newsletter, visit http://www.reallivingnutrition.com.

Yoga Videos

   


MORE RESOURCES:

The Age

Malaysia abuzz with debate about the practice of yoga
Channel News Asia, Singapore - 2 hours ago
By Channel NewsAsia's Melissa Goh | Posted: 02 December 2008 0029 hrs KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been all abuzz with debate about the practice of yoga in ...
Should a Pious Muslim Practice Yoga? TIME
Malaysia bans yoga for Muslims United Press International, Asia
Yoga practised here is secular, say instructors Straits Times
ABC News - Sin Chew Jit Poh
all 222 news articles


ABC News

A HinJew Target in Mumbai
Washington Post, United States - 3 hours ago
Hindu-derived Siddha Yoga was my path. I came by it in 1980 as a journalist sent by a Los Angeles newspaper to cover California's latest guru sensation, ...
Video: NY Rabbi, Wife Among Dead in Mumbai Raid AssociatedPress
US Jewish, meditation groups' members die in India The Associated Press
all 2,358 news articles


Defining yoga, one style at a time
Common Ground, CA - 3 hours ago
That’s the philosophy that inspired Jivamukti Yoga founders Sharon Gannon and David Life, who developed the style in their Manhattan studio in 1984. ...


Library offers beginner's yoga class
Log Cabin Democrat, AR - 4 hours ago
A beginner's yoga class is being held weekly at the Faulkner County Library. The class is on-going, meeting from 7 to 8 pm on Tuesdays. ...


Look for more about Laughter Yoga Dec. 5 on Channel 11
Dallas Morning News, TX - 3 hours ago
One of those classes was Laughter Yoga. Well, what do you know? That very topic is part of a Channel 11 show on stress -- in this case, relieving it. ...


vision magazine

Surfing and Yoga: Two Communities Become One
vision magazine, CA - 17 hours ago
So where does yoga fit in with Fulcrum Surf Studio? While I was in Costa Rica and Mori was in San Diego, we both had a simultaneous idea to bring yoga and ...


Yoga for mums
The Times, South Africa - 10 hours ago
I used to harbour images of myself, after many years of uninterrupted yoga practice, as an 80-year-old doing the Shirshasana — sleek, youthful, and eternal. ...


YOGA FOR YOU Utthita Parsvakonasana
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI - Nov 30, 2008
Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy are certified Iyengar yoga teachers and co-direct the Manoa Yoga Center. Address questions to them at Manoa Marketplace, ...


Lovepeaceyoga.com Announces Its World Yoga Resource Connection and ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 11 hours ago
Lovepeaceyoga.com proudly opened its online doors and Facebook page, LP Yoga last month to resounding praise and positive feedback. ...


Strike a Yoga Pose: Locust Prep
FitSugar.com, CA - 3 hours ago
If you're looking for a unique way to increase flexibility in your spine, then you'll want to try Locust. The full pose is rather Cirque du Soleil-ish, ...

Yoga - Google News

home | site map
© 2006