The low carb diet basics

Low carb diets are probably the most popular diet types today. Its philosophy of cutting down on bad carbohydrates, bad fats and bad sugars has turned the world on its ear because it challenges the age-old belief that low fat diets help you lose weight. But according to supporters of low carb diets, if low fat diets are really beneficial in losing weight then why is it that 30 years after it was first presented to the public there are more obese people now than ever before.

According to low carb diet supporters the reason lies in carbohydrates. They contend that carbohydrates are what contributes to obesity. They also said that carbohydrates are a power stimulant that triggers hunger pangs. This misconception about how certain ingredients in our food work is proving to be a huge mistake because low fat diet followers are actually more compelled to eat more carbohydrates.

How does this exactly work? When we eat carbohydrate rich food especially those that are made of simple carbohydrates like sugar, pasta, potatoes, rice or anything made with refined flour it stimulates the production and secretion of insulin. The effect of insulin in the body is that it coaxes glucose which is produced by the digestion of carbohydrates to be absorbed more rapidly by our tissues for energy consumption. The extra glucose that is not consumed are then converted into and stored as fat.

But it does not stop there. Once the glucose levels in our body drop, the insulin levels in our body would also fall. This cycle of a carbohydrate meal rapid insulin increase and then subsequent rapid drop in insulin only promotes more hunger pangs. This means that just after two to four hours after a carbohydrate-rich meal we would already crave for more carbohydrates. This is like a vicious circle where you eat carbohydrates, store fat, get hungry and then eat more carbohydrates. With a low fat diet, a person still gets fat and raises his cholesterol levels and that is bad news.

This explanation to support low carbohydrate diets is as sound as the explanations being forwarded for low fat diets. By limiting or even avoiding carbohydrates in our diet we can control our insulin levels to a manageable degree and thus prevent the hormone from transforming glucose into fat. This would in turn transform our metabolism enabling us to use our fat reserves as the source of our energy and not glucose that is made from carbohydrate digestion. This transformation enables our body to burn fat more.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, there are not enough studies to support the low carbohydrate diet when compared to the older low fat diet regimen. But as more and more studies are made, it is becoming apparent that low carbohydrate diets actually have tremendous health benefit to our body. There are some indications that this type of diet can actually lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. The tremendous health benefits that are being attributed to low carbohydrate diets really deserves a second look.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a nutritionists recommendation. Prior to beginning any dietary program, including a low carb diet, individuals should consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or an appropriate path toward weight loss.

2020 Weight Loss Tips To Help Transform You

Here are 10 tips for helping to lose weight by using healthier meals and 10 tips for helping when you are eating out.

10 Tips For A Healthier You In 2020

When it comes to cooking a meal for the family, don't let your diet take a back seat. Just because you're on a diet and the rest of your family members are not does not mean that you have to eat a different meal. There are times when you have to draw the line e.g. Christmas lunch, Sunday lunch and family gatherings. Take a look at some of the suggestion below for a healthier meal:

1. Try steaming or boiling your vegetables instead of frying or casseroling, also stay away from using cheese based dishes. Try to use herbs and lemon juice instead of butter or margarine.

2. Cooking with chickens can pose as a bit of a problem, although chicken is very healthy in its self, containing half the fat of red meat. Don't go for the easy option of breaded chicken fingers or nuggets this is very unhealthy. Try roasting or steaming your chicken in a non stick pan, and eliminate the use of oil by using a cooking spray. Beware of the chicken skin as this is very fattening, try to buy a skinless chicken or remove the skin prior to cooking.

3. Watch out for different types of bread, stay away from white bread as it is full of sugar. Try to go for wholemeal bread, seeded bread and whole grain bread. Also look for brown rice, wild rice and basmati rice, the tastes are not all that different from white rice and have a much lower starch content.

4. When buying meats like pork and beef, try to buy lean and extra lean. Try some cuts like fillet and sirloin, these have less fat content than the other cuts. Roasting, grilling and dry frying are healthy methods of cooking meat. Once again try to use a cooking spray instead of cooking oil.

5. If you're preparing turkey, why not try cooking the stuffing separate. You will reduce the fat content by preventing the turkey fat from absorbing into the dressing. Be sure to use less margarine or butter when making the stuffing. Also don't forget to skim the fat off of the gravy. Leave the drumsticks for the kids; as with chicken, choose light meat over dark and you'll save a lot in the calorie department.

6. Why not try serving fruit as a dessert? Serving fruit instead of pie or cake can make a massive reduction in the amount of calories you find in your meal. Instead of cake and pie, try serving a whole piece of fruit, some yogurt or a fruit cocktail. You will usually find that we don't need a dessert and have one just because of habit. I think you will be surprised at how fruit can substitute the sweet tooth in a dessert.

7. If you must have an ice-cream try a sugar free ice-cream of low fat frozen yogurt. Instead of topping with chocolate sauce or caramel, try some mixed fruit cocktail. The taste of the ice-cream is almost identical and the sugar from the fruit stops the sweet craving. All in all itís fewer calories than the full sugar and chocolate variety.

8. When cooking save yourself a lot of calories by using powdered milk. By doing this you will save on a lot of fat and calories. Also by using skimmed milk instead of cream in your favourite cream based recipes can also save on the calories.

9. Try some substitutions in your cooking. Use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to replace 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate in your desserts, replace 1 egg with 2 egg whites or cup of egg substitute, replace half of the oil in dessert recipes with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, try reduced or non-fat frozen yogurt or sugar free ice cream on pies.

10. If you still find yourself hungry after your meal and you do want to tempt your self to seconds, then go for the vegetables. Choosing steamed vegetables over meat and bread is far healthier.

10 Tips for eating out when on your Diet

1. For a starter, try and keep it light maybe a prawn cocktail or a side salad. Make an effort to stay away from creamy starters and red meats.

2. If you are a pasta lover and find it hard not to eat endless amounts. You must try and stay with a single portion. Also don't worry if you leave a little no one will persecute you for it, especially not your body.

3. When ordering a meat dish, always go for the chicken. Stay away from fried chicken. Always go for boiled, grilled or steamed. If you must ask for red meat, be sure to ask the waiter for a nice lean piece.

4. If you don't see anything on the menu, that is cooked to your liking. Ask the waiter if it would be possible for the chef to cook you a dish with say, boiled or grilled chicken, instead of fried. Don't be embarrassed at this request as you will not be the first or the last to ask for it.

5. Avoid the temptation of cream sauce, butter, oil, batter and home made gravy.

6. If you do not like leaving your food, then you can always ask the waiter, to wrap it up so you can take it home afterwards.

7. If you are a take away person as I am. When you serve your take away at home, only serve half of it, and keep the other half for the next day or for another family member. Willpower is the key here!

8. If you know where you are going for your evening meal. Why not ring the restaurant and ask them to post a menu out to you, or go and pick one up. Now you can give the menu a good read and find out the best meal to suit you. When you arrive at the restaurant, your choice is already made and a healthier one it will be.

9. Buffets are the worst of all restaurant temptations. You must know your portion control. Try and have only one plate. Once again the key factor here is will power!

10. When the day comes for you to go out for your meal, try to eat smaller meals during the day, then you can keep an eye on the calories for the day and evening. However do try to remember not to starve yourself as you may just end up eating like a horse, which is never a good diet tip.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a nutritionistís recommendation. Prior to beginning any dietary program, including a low carb diet, individuals should consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or an appropriate path toward weight loss.

Your Belly Fat Could Be Killing You!

Belly fat. Some of us have it, others don't. Is there anything special about a big belly compared to a large bottom? Well, surprisingly, not all body fat is created equal! According to a study carried out by researchers it seems that gauging your heart attack risk depends on where your fat is, rather that how much fat you have.

These types of findings are not unique for Human Nutrition reports, which state that distribution of body fat is a more important predictor of heart attack risk than the traditional measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measurement based on the ratio between your height and weight.

It appears that a more accurate predictor of the impact body fat has on your health, is your overall body shape. You may be more like an apple or a pear, or evenly shaped top and bottom. You may have large thighs, fat hips and a huge bottom and have a lower heart attack risk than someone with skinny legs and a big belly.

A more accurate and telling predictor of heart attack risk, is the waist-to-hip ratio.

What is your waist-to-hip ratio?

Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For example, if your hips measurement is 40 inches and your waist is 34 inches your hip-to-waist ratio is 0.85. If you are a man, that's great, if you are a woman, that's OK (but you are right on the limit of healthy).

- A man's ratio should not be over 0.90

- A woman's ratio should not be over 0.85

Don't fight what you were blessed you with.

If you were born an apple you will stay an apple and if you were born a pear you will continue to be appear. Accepting your natural body shape is the first step in losing weight. Through my own research, I've concluded that women, and men whose actual body shape differs from their desired one may find losing weight frustrating and have more trouble sticking to a weight-loss program as a result.

If this sounds like you, accept your overall shape as nature intended, but pay attention to reducing fat around your middle and tummy areas. Circumference is much more important to your health than how you look in relation to your top and bottom.

Learn to love yourself, while reducing your belly fat!

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.