Atkins Diet Program

The Atkins diet program is based on the principle of switching your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates to obtain energy. It is a life change rather than a diet program, as in order to keep the pounds off you need to stick to the recommended way of eating.

The main difference to other diet programs is in what you are allowed to eat ie eggs, meat including beef, pork, turkey, chicken, duck, wild game, veal & lamb also fish such as shellfish. Fats are also permitted ie butter, olive oil & mayonnaise, certain cheeses are also permitted.

You must drink lots of water, only de-caffinated coffee & will need to take vitamin supplements including minerals. You must also exercise every day, no need to do a marathon however, a brisk walk will suffice. You are encouraged to eat enough to satisfy your appetite but you must not overeat.

You must not drink alcohol. You must not cheat; it takes 2-3 days for the body to switch from burning carbohydrates (in the form of glucose) to burning fat, so if you cheat you are back to day 1.

You cannot eat the following:

Sugar in any form, corn syrup, honey or maple syrup.

Milk or Yogurt – a limited amount of cream is allowed.

Fruit & fruit juice.

Flour products (bread, pasta, crackers etc)

Grains or cereals.

Beans and legumes.

Starchy or high sugar vegetables such as potatoes, yams, corn, peas, parsnips, beets & carrots.

Sweet condiments such as most ketchups, bbq sauce & balsamic vinegar.

French dressing & thousand island dressing.

Cottage cheese, farmers cheese & other fresh cheeses.

Nuts & seeds.

Diet Program Pro’s

Lots of popular foods are permitted & you can have snacks between meals. No need to starve and are encouraged to eat when hungry.

Diet Program Con’s

Must stick to diet for good to keep off unwanted pounds. No breaks or cheat days allowed. May not be suitable if you can’t go without coffee or alcohol.

South Beach Diet Program

Similar to the Atkins diet program in that it changes the way you eat whilst still allowing plenty of popular foods such as meat, fish & eggs but you can also eat cheese & vegetables.

You can have 3 meals a day & even 2 snacks a day. You can also have dessert & diet soda. You are not allowed any alcohol for an initial 2 week period but after that you are allowed to drink wine. After an initial 2 week start where what you can eat is limited you can start to phase some of your favourite foods back into your diet. Its all about eating “good carbs” instead of “bad carbs”.

Diet Program Pro’s

Based on a healthy way of eating rather than a diet. Many of your favourite foods are probably still allowed. Some alcohol ie wine is allowed.

Diet Program Con’s

You may find the first couple of weeks particularly hard due to what you can eat being limited.

Zone Diet Program

Developed by Barry Sears a biochemist, the Zone Diet is about controlling your insulin level through a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins & fat, also known as the 40-30-30 diet (40% carbohydrates, 30% Proteins 30% fat). Once again it is a way of living rather than just a diet with 3 stages geared to make you lose weight, control hunger & have more energy. It is based on consistent insulin levels with the supplementation of high dose fish oil.

The Zone diet encourages eating regularly throughout the day & eliminates many jink foods such as sweets & chips.

The “Zone” refers to being in a physiological state in which hormones, governed by the food you eat, are in a zone which is neither too high nor too low.

Diet Program Pro’s

Balanced diet rather than cutting out foods you may enjoy.

Diet Program Con’s

The reasoning behind the diet can be quite technical & therefore many people may disagree about its merits.

Mediterranean Diet Program

Not a diet as such but simply a way of eating for hundreds if not thousands of years followed by people of countries bordering the Mediterranean such as Greece, Southern Italy, parts of North Africa & the Middle East.

It is well known that people from these areas have a lower incidence of heart disease; this is believed to be due to over half of their fat intake being from monounsaturated fat (mainly from olive oil) as opposed to saturated fat, prominent elsewhere. Saturated fat is known to raise cholesterol levels.

The basic diet followed is one that has a low consumption of red meat, low to moderate consumption of sweets, fish, eggs & dairy products except cheese & natural yogurt, a high consumption of fresh fruits & vegetables & a higher consumption of breads, pasta, rice, potatoes & couscous. Water & red wine (in moderation) are taken with meals.

Diet Program Pro’s

Not a “fad diet” but a traditional way of eating with known health benefits.

Diet Program Con’s

None as such apart from if you are unable to obtain fresh fruit & veg.

Weight Watchers Diet Program

There are 2 main diet programs for you to follow; one a points system where all foods are allocated points according to their calorie, fat & fibre content. You are allowed to use up (or consume) a set number of points per day. The other diet program is a no points system which allows you to eat from a range of wholesome foods without having to count the calories.

The weight watchers diet program can be followed online as well as offline through regular local meetings where you will get not just tips & guidance but the support & encouragement of fellow weight watchers.

Diet Program Pro’s

On the points system you can eat what you like as long as you stick to the number of points. The meetings can help to keep you motivated.

Diet Program Con’s

Offline meetings may not be practical for you. The points system may leave you feeling hungry.

John Mac is author & owner of http://www.fitnessdiethealth.com a website aimed at providing help & information for people looking to improve their fitness, diet & health & for information about diet programs

Over the last twenty five years the most common questioned asked me by frustrated exercisers, has been what exercise routine will get me the body I desire? My answer is always the same. They need to start exercising better judgement and learn that exercise alone will not solve their body composition problem. I believe the number one reason for starting an exercise program is weight reduction, even before fitness and health concerns. Exercise by itself is a poor weight manager and it increases the need for better nutritional requirements. I believe I would receive very little disagreement that a combination of nutrition and exercise is the answer to improvement in weight loss ( fat loss ), fitness and health risk concerns. With obesity reaching epidemic rates and the drop out rate of most health clubs’ remaining high this article intent is to lay the foundation why exercise and low carbohydrate diet’s are poor partners.

Over the last three decades I have seen extreme changes in the macro nutrients ( proteins, carbohydrates and fats ) combinations in our quests for the ideal body. Everything from high carbohydrate, low fat, high protein, to the current low carbohydrate craze has bombarded us, though the failure rates in managing our weight continue to rise. The problem lies in our bodies ability to adapt to change, especially extreme change. If your goal is to lose fat you must provide your muscle enough quality fuel without being over fueled. This is especially true if your goal to lose fat includes exercise. The secret is not found in elimination of macro nutrients, but in management of them. Understanding how to fuel your muscles prior to exercise sessions and replacing fuel after workouts is critical or your body will break down muscle for fuel.

Understanding how our muscles use the calories we eat as fuel for muscle contraction is the first step in knowing what to do and not to do. A basic nutritional knowledge tells us that proteins repair and rebuild cells, carbohydrates energize cells and fats provide hormonal foundation for cells.

When we lack balance in protein, carbohydrates and fats are bodies adjust and can use all three as a source of fuel for muscle contraction and cellular energy. Though energy is needed for all cellular function, the focus of this article is muscle contraction and body composition. All muscle contraction derives energy from adenosine triphosphate or ATP. The primary source of ATP comes from glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen ( glucose and water ). Muscle contraction during anaerobic activity ( resistance training ) can use glycogen directly to form ATP. The process is anaerobic glycolysis, meaning it can use the glucose as energy with very little oxygen ( 90% glucose, 5% oxygen and 5% fatty acid ).

Our muscles only store enough ATP for short periods of muscle contraction, when depleted leads to muscle failure. The rest period between weight training sets allows additional ATP to be produced. During early stages of aerobic exercise, ATP is again created primarily from glucose until the heart and lungs provide enough oxygen to the muscles to allow fatty acids to be used to create ATP. So there you have it during resistance training and the beginning stages aerobic training the primary source of fuel is glucose.

This supports my claim that low carb diets and exercise make poor partners. To uncover why, we need to quickly look at the concept behind low carb diets and how they work. Any diet that provides 100 grams or less of carbohydrate daily. This article classifies as low carb diet’s. This will quickly deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. This by itself is testimony that our muscle’s primary source of fuel is glucose. Fatty acids stored in the adipose tissue ( fat cells ) are now released into the blood and processed by the liver and some are turned into glucose ( gluconegenesis ) and some remain fatty acids and both provide ATP for muscle contraction. One of the by products of this process is ketone bodies which can provide energy to brain and nervous system. The problem gluconegenesis ( non glucose turned into glucose ) provides fuel to the muscle less efficiently than glycogenesis ( glucose ). The end result is increased muscle fatigue, decreased muscle power, which leads to poor athletic performance.

A recent study performed at the University of Connecticut showed that exercisers who switched from a balanced diet ( proteins, carbohydrates and fats ) to a low carb diet experience the following drop’s in athletic performance. There was a 7 – 9 percent drop in muscle power and 6 percent drop in VO2 max of cardiovascular performance. Another factor to consider is the recuperation of muscle between workouts is decreased on low carb diets. So why would someone go on a low carb diet, especially when exercising? Because the initial weight loss that comes from the glycogen depletion is believed to be fat loss. We have become so focused on weight loss, that any weight loss is seen as good. As identified earlier in this article glycogen is a mixture of glucose and water and the majority are stored where? You guessed it, the muscle. A large percentage of the initial weight loss is coming from muscle loss.

I don’t think any exerciser’s desire is to have smaller muscles as a result of their exercising. The goal of exercise should be to improve body composition, the percentage or ratio of muscle to body fat. This can only be accomplished by losing fat without the loss of muscle tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is vital to sustainable weight control. The following steps will protect your muscles as your losing fat, while reaching your ideal weight and ideal body composition.

FAT LOSS COACH Keys to losing FAT without losing MUSCLE

1. Cycle fat burning days with recovery days.

The secret to losing fat without losing muscle starts with not being too aggressive or extreme with your reduction of carbohydrates. You need carbohydrate management, not carbohydrate elimination. Over the last 12 years, with more than 10,000 clients I’ve found by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily needs and within 48 hours replenishing the glycogen in the muscle by eating 100% of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows for fat loss, without muscle loss. In essence you have two fat burning days, then a recovery day. By doing this you’ll have the best of both worlds. You will experience fat loss that averages between 1-2 pounds weekly, while muscles are being well fed. You never drastically deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle so athletic performance is not affected like on a low carb diet.

2. Exercise on days where you are receiving more carbohydrates.

Exercising on days where muscle are getting more carbohydrates for fuel and taking days off from exercise when you are being aggressive about fat loss. One of the most difficult thoughts for exercisers to accept is that most of the results from exercise come when we are not exercising. They come after we exercise and in direct response to how the muscles receive nutrition after exercise.

3. Exercise 1.5 – 2 hours after eating when blood sugar levels and insulin levels are slowly declining.

As insulin levels increase in response to a rise in blood sugar after a meal, the cells are in an anabolic state ( receiving nutrients ). Insulin is the hormone that feeds are cells. As blood sugar levels drop, insulin levels drop and the pancreas produces the hormone glucagon and nutrients stored in the fat cells are released to the blood and used for energy. The management of this blood sugar rise and drop is important. If blood sugar levels go to high insulin feeds the muscle cells and deposits excess into fat cells. If insulin levels go too low, the muscle cells are being under fed. A slow rise in blood sugar provides good nutrition to the muscles and a slow drop allows glucagon to take from the fat cells. Timing your exercise to this blood sugar decline allows the muscles to receive from the fat cells more effectively. It is important to never exercise without having at least one meal left in your day so that muscles can recuperate from exercise.

Final Thoughts

Long term success managing weight starts with the right approach. If you are overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for how much muscle you possess. A body composition solution is needed, not just a weight loss diet. Your goal should be to lose fat without losing muscle or sacrificing your health in the process. To maintain your results your eating habits must develop life long character. Low carbohydrate diets provide initial weight loss, but at the high cost of losingmuscle and reducing metabolism. They are inadequate sources of fuel to support exercise activity, which is vital in maintaining good health. The risks to your health long term makes low carbohydrate diet’s poor solutions for life long weight management.

About The Author

By Charles Remington
Nutritionist
Founder of THE FAT LOSS COACH
Customized Fat Loss System
1303 Highland Ave
Cheshire, Ct. 06410
203-272-0014
http://www.thefatlosscoach.com
charlie@thefatlosscoach.com

As one of the newer diets on the market, the Zone Diet is rapidly taking hold as one of the best and most popular. Like many on the market, the Zone Diet is the result of many years of intense study into the way the human body uses the food sources it is given. Through this research, the folks at Zone Diet have managed to find a way to make your body use the food to its fullest advantage and make you lose weight. The Zone Diet is gaining wide spread acceptance as a true form of weight loss and anything but a fad diet.

Dr. Sears is the man responsible for the Zone Diet and all of its inner workings. For years he has studied the effects that certain foods have on the bodies fat burning potential. With this research he has found the formula of foods and drinks that actually spur the body into over drive and help it to burn off the unnecessary fat and make you lose weight.

The Zone Diet is nothing like the other starvation diets that have come down the pike. In most cases you do not have to give up the foods that you love, but simply make adjustments in the daily regimen. This all speaks to the unique way that the Zone Diet works. Instead of cutting out the meals the Zone Diet adds two additional meals to the daily routine.

The Zone Diet works to stabilize and increase the insulin output of the body. With this insulin the body can more readily burn the fat to make certain that you are losing weight. This diet does not work in miracles or days even. There is a standard amount of time that you will need to work to make sure that you have maintained the proper procedures in the diet. This will help to build the bodies natural defenses against weight gain. With this manner you will be training your body to accept and decline certain foods in order to keep the weight that you lose off.

The Zone Diet is being actively referred to as the diet of the stars. Many of those in Hollywood and surrounding areas have found that the Zone Diet is vastly superior to the other diets currently on the market and therefore increasing its popularity to new levels.

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