Thursday 28 February 2013

The Atkins Diet



The facts about Atkins Diet: Pros and Cons

The Atkins Nutritional Approach, popularly known as the Atkins Diet is definitely the most marketed and well-known diet program of all low-carbohydrate diets on the market today.
The Atkins business has been highly successful due to the popularity of the diet, and is considered the iconic symbol of the low-carb products.

However, nothing lasts forever and various factors have led to adecrease in it’s success. That’s why a company called Atkins Nutritionals of Ro
nkonkoma, New York, founded by Dr. Atkins in 1989, filed for bankruptcy in July of 2005. The Atkins diet was special in many things. It promesed that not only will you lose weight and not be hungry with a low-carbohydrate diet, but you'll also be on the road to better heart health and memory function, as well as other wellness benefits.

 History of the Atkins diet

This diet was created by Dr. Robert Atkins (1930-2003) and popularized in a series of books, starting with Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution in 1972. This lone cardiologist stood up against the medical establishment by warning us of the dangers of sugar and carbs. He was called unflattering names by his peers and brought up before a senate committee, but nothing deterred him. In his revised book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Atkins updated some of his ideas, but remained faithful to the original concepts. The Atkins Nutritional Approach gained widespread popularity in 2003 and 2004. At the height of its popularity one out of every eleven adults was on the diet.

Diet basis

People that invented and supported this diet claimed there are two main facts about Western eating habits:

    * refined carbohydrates particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrup are the main cause of obesity
    * saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem, because only trans-fats from sources such as hydrogenated oils need to be avoided.

The bottom line is that the diet is based on the theory that overweight people eat too many carbohydrates.

The truth is that our bodies burn both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but it is also a fact that carbs are used first. So, by drastically reducing carbs and eating more protein and fat, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently.
Supposedly, Dr. Atkins was claiming that many eating disorders are the result of hyperinsulinism, or excessive secretion of insulin which comes through eating too many carbohydrates.
Besides some nutritional supplements, exercise is also considered an equally important element. Atkins involves restriction of the intake of carbohydrates in order to switch the body's metabolism from burning glucose to burning fat. This process, which is also called lipolysis, begins when the body enters the state of ketosis as a consequence of running out of carbohydrates to burn. Although many people don’t know it, ketosis is an entirely normal state but can cause troubles if prolonged.

What you can eat?


The Atkins plan allows you to eat foods that many dieters have only dreamed about. There are only a few restrictions and none of them is about the amount of food you eat but instead severely restricts the kinds of food allowed on your plate: no refined sugar, milk, white rice, or white flour.
On the other hand, food traditionally considered as rich in calories and fattening such as meat, eggs and cheese are allowed.

A person following this diet can consume almost everything that is based on pure proteins and fat, such as red meat, fish (including shellfish), fowl, and regular cheese. Everything can be cooked with butter, have mayonnaise, olive oil and other ingredients.

However, carbs are forbidden. They are restricted in the first two weeks, which translates to three cups of loosely packed salad or two cups of salad with two-thirds cup of certain cooked vegetables each day. Later, the carb allowance is increased in the form of fiber-rich foods, but you do not return to eating refined sugar, milk, white rice, white bread, white potatoes or pasta made of the dreaded white flour. Those remain on a lifelong list of forbidden pleasures. Exercise in all phases as part of a healthy lifestyle is now emphasized more than when the diet was first introduced.

Phases of the Atkins diet

Atkins diet has four main phases, during which the body’s metabolism is slowly adjusting to the new eating habits.

Induction

The Induction phase is the first, the most important and the most restrictive phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. Its role is to lead the body to the state of ketosis as quickly as possible. Carbohydrate intake is limited to 20 net grams per day. This could be very difficult to obtain, although the allowed foods include a liberal amount of most meats, a good bit of cheese and cream, two cups of salad, and one cup of other vegetables. Caffeine and alcoholic beverages are also not allowed. Most of the users report losses of  up to 3 or 4 kg per week.

Ongoing weight loss

The Ongoing Weight Loss phase of Atkins is the part in which there is an increase in carbohydrate intake, but the goal is to remain at levels where weight loss occurs. The target daily carbohydrate intake increases each week by 5 grams. The Ongoing weight loss phase lasts until weight is within 4.5 kg of the target weight and then we move to the pre-maintenance phase.

Pre-maintenance

Carbohydrate intake is increased again, and the key goal in this phase is to find that critical carbohydrate level which represents the maximum number of carbohydrates a person can eat each day without gaining weight.

Lifetime maintenance

The last and the longest phase. This phase is intended to carry on the habits acquired in the previous phases, and avoid the common habits that people usually return to.

What do the experts say?

Critics say that Atkins meat-heavy, high-protein eating patterns could be linked to osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, and renal disease. According to the great majority of experts and nutritionists, the Atkins theories remain unproven. They are concerned that a high-protein, high-fat diet can cause a host of problems, particularly for the large segment of the population that is at risk for heart disease. In addition, the plan doesn't include a high intake of fruits and vegetables, recommended by most nutrition experts because of the numerous documented health benefits from these foods. Two studies published in May 2003 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that carbohydrate-restricted diet produced weight loss and improved lipid profiles compared to typical dieters who followed calorie-restricted, low-fat diets. The "good" cholesterol increased and triglycerides were lowered. The fact is that a diet high in fat is not healthy for your heart. Atkins food choices definitely do not reflect American Heart Association guidelines, which calls for a reduction of fat to 30 percent of total calories a day, mostly coming from the unsaturated fats. Another problem is that high protein diets stress the kidneys.

Atkins diet pros and cons


The fact is that the Atkins Diet is probably the most successful diet in the last few years in terms of books and products sold.
There are many advantages and disadvantages that could be linked to this diet and the most common are listed below.

Benefits

The only benefit may be quick weight loss and possibly eating as much foods as desired for some people.  Quick weight loss is what motivates people at first but because so many foods are off-limit, a high rate of the followers just drop out before reaching the forth, maintenance level.

Disadvantages

  •   Many individual health experts disagree with the Atkins philosophy calling it unhealthy way of losing weight.
  •   When we think about it, this certainly sounds right.
  •   People who do not eat fruits and vegetables deprive themselves of fibers crucial for the gastrointestinal system as well as antioxidants found in many plants that prevent cancer development and cardiovascular disease.
  •   The recommended dose of carbohydrates is 300 grams but the Atkins promotes no more than 20 grams per day. Lack of carbohydrates leads to lack of energy causing lethargy and prevents people from different activities both physical and cognitive.
  •   Another negative side to Atkins diet is eating as much protein as one can possibly eat. Foods high in protein are also high in fats and high levels of fats increase the levels of the “bad” cholesterol. The general fat allowance is only 30% of one’s daily calories intake but Atkins diet promotes eating as much fat as desired.
  •  The biggest disadvantage of the Atkins diet is that although the pounds may be shedding quickly, the weight levels off over six months to one year.

 Conclusion

This is the truth about the world's most famous, most glamorous and most controversial diet.
The Atkins diet says that eating fat can make you thin. While it may be so, it also presents amajor threat to your health. If you need to lose more weight, especially if you are obese, work with your doctor and a licensed nutritionist. Following an exercise program is the key ingredient to any successful weight loss program. 

 http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/The_facts_about_Atkins_Diet__Pros_and_Cons_a142.html?show_all=1

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Why do we eat too much?

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others.”
- M.F.K. Fisher
 

Nutritionists would call a three-margarita meal a no-no. We call it the highlight of our week. Lots of so-called food faux pas—eating until you're good and stuffed, skipping breakfast to save time—are things we need to do once in a while to survive. Sure, unhealthy eating habits can cause everything from weight gain to sluggishness, as Charla K. Schultz, RD, a dietitian at the Women's Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic, helpfully points out. The good news is that with minimal effort, you can make up for most not-so-good food decisions. Put these damage-control strategies to work and start gaining healthy food habits.

Bad Food Habit: You Blow Off Breakfast
The thought of food at the crack of dawn makes you queasy. But your brain (which runs on glucose) and body need a little something in the morning.

Makeup Session: Fine, don't eat breakfast. But do drink a few nutrients first thing in the morning to fuel your mind, boost your energy, and stoke your fat-burning fires (remember, research shows that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight). If all you can bring yourself to consume is a cup of coffee, make it a soy latte. One serving of fortified low-fat soy milk has 30 percent of the Daily Value for bone-building calcium, and the 6.4 grams of protein will keep you full until lunch.

Bad Food Habit:  You Pack It in Till It Hurts
That whole "enjoy just one bite" advice makes you roll your eyes as you dig into your third piece of a coworker's birthday cake. Occasional gluttony has its place, but if you eat too much all the time it can cause indigestion, acid reflux, and bloating, says dietitian Amy Campbell, RD, education program manager at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

Makeup Session: Stuff yourself with foods that contain fewer calories per bite. These tend to have a higher water and fiber content, so they fill you up quicker, Campbell says. Go ahead and pile it on: broth-based soups, vegetable salads (carrots, cucumbers, celery, lettuce, jicama, tomatoes, green beans), gazpacho, fat-free or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, apples and pears, whole grain cereals with low-fat milk, and lean grilled meats and seafood (such as chicken, shrimp, turkey burgers). Avoid heavy foods like pasta, chips, and dense breads and cakes.

Bad Food Habit: You Drink Dinner
It's the perfect way to celebrate the fact that it's Friday. But depending on your poison, you could end up sucking down a flood of empty calories.

Makeup Session: If you know tonight's a party night, cut back during the day: Choose a low-cal yet filling lunch like soup or salad. Then, before you find that barstool with your name on it, Schultz recommends eating a small, fiber-rich snack—a piece of fruit, half of a Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagel, half a cup of hot oatmeal—with a bit of protein, like string cheese or a handful of almonds. That will slow the absorption of alcohol, so you won't be feeling fine so fast that you order round two and a mountain of nachos before the bartender brings your change. The best choices include heart-healthy wine (125 calories per 5-ounce serving, red or white), light beer (103 calories per 12-ounce serving), sake (39 calories per ounce), and rum or whiskey with diet cola (100 calories per 1.5-ounce serving). "Then, after one alcoholic drink, order something nonalcoholic," Schultz advises. Keep the "one for me, one for them" thing going and you'll cut your calories in half.

Bad Food Habit:  You're Never Not Eating
For you, chewing is like breathing. And since you probably lose track of how much and what you've eaten, all that endless crunching and munching can add up.

Makeup Session: Your problem is more about fidgeting than eating. So try drinking tea or carbonated water as a calorie-free way to keep your hands and piehole occupied between mealtimes. When liquid won't do, go for healthy snacks that require some work to get at—pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds still in their shells take time to open. You'll spend more minutes cracking and cleaning up than actually eating, says Cynthia Sass, RD, a former national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Stockpile other no-pudge goodies that you can eat in tiny individual pieces. We like low-fat popcorn or dried wasabi-crusted peas such as Hapi Hot Wasabi Peas.

Bad Food Habit: Your Car is Your Dining Room
With a schedule tighter than Fergie's halter top, time behind the wheel may be the only chance you get to eat. Problem is, you can inhale an entire day's worth of calories, fat, and sugar in one drive-thru run. Nutritionists would call a three-margarita meal a no-no. We call it the highlight of our week. Lots of so-called food faux pas—eating until you're good and stuffed, skipping breakfast to save time—are things we need to do once in a while to survive. Sure, unhealthy eating habits can cause everything from weight gain to sluggishness, as Charla K. Schultz, RD, a dietitian at the Women's Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic, helpfully points out. The good news is that with minimal effort, you can make up for most not-so-good food decisions. Put these damage-control strategies to work and start gaining healthy food habits.

Bad Food Habit: You Blow Off Breakfast
The thought of food at the crack of dawn makes you queasy. But your brain (which runs on glucose) and body need a little something in the morning.

Makeup Session: Fine, don't eat breakfast. But do drink a few nutrients first thing in the morning to fuel your mind, boost your energy, and stoke your fat-burning fires (remember, research shows that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight). If all you can bring yourself to consume is a cup of coffee, make it a soy latte. One serving of fortified low-fat soy milk has 30 percent of the Daily Value for bone-building calcium, and the 6.4 grams of protein will keep you full until lunch.

Bad Food Habit:  You Pack It in Till It Hurts
That whole "enjoy just one bite" advice makes you roll your eyes as you dig into your third piece of a coworker's birthday cake. Occasional gluttony has its place, but if you eat too much all the time it can cause indigestion, acid reflux, and bloating, says dietitian Amy Campbell, RD, education program manager at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

Makeup Session: Stuff yourself with foods that contain fewer calories per bite. These tend to have a higher water and fiber content, so they fill you up quicker, Campbell says. Go ahead and pile it on: broth-based soups, vegetable salads (carrots, cucumbers, celery, lettuce, jicama, tomatoes, green beans), gazpacho, fat-free or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, apples and pears, whole grain cereals with low-fat milk, and lean grilled meats and seafood (such as chicken, shrimp, turkey burgers). Avoid heavy foods like pasta, chips, and dense breads and cakes.

Bad Food Habit: You Drink Dinner
It's the perfect way to celebrate the fact that it's Friday. But depending on your poison, you could end up sucking down a flood of empty calories.

Makeup Session: If you know tonight's a party night, cut back during the day: Choose a low-cal yet filling lunch like soup or salad. Then, before you find that barstool with your name on it, Schultz recommends eating a small, fiber-rich snack—a piece of fruit, half of a Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagel, half a cup of hot oatmeal—with a bit of protein, like string cheese or a handful of almonds. That will slow the absorption of alcohol, so you won't be feeling fine so fast that you order round two and a mountain of nachos before the bartender brings your change. The best choices include heart-healthy wine (125 calories per 5-ounce serving, red or white), light beer (103 calories per 12-ounce serving), sake (39 calories per ounce), and rum or whiskey with diet cola (100 calories per 1.5-ounce serving). "Then, after one alcoholic drink, order something nonalcoholic," Schultz advises. Keep the "one for me, one for them" thing going and you'll cut your calories in half.

Bad Food Habit:  You're Never Not Eating
For you, chewing is like breathing. And since you probably lose track of how much and what you've eaten, all that endless crunching and munching can add up.

Makeup Session: Your problem is more about fidgeting than eating. So try drinking tea or carbonated water as a calorie-free way to keep your hands and piehole occupied between mealtimes. When liquid won't do, go for healthy snacks that require some work to get at—pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds still in their shells take time to open. You'll spend more minutes cracking and cleaning up than actually eating, says Cynthia Sass, RD, a former national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Stockpile other no-pudge goodies that you can eat in tiny individual pieces. We like low-fat popcorn or dried wasabi-crusted peas such as Hapi Hot Wasabi Peas.

Bad Food Habit: Your Car is Your Dining Room
With a schedule tighter than Fergie's halter top, time behind the wheel may be the only chance you get to eat. Problem is, you can inhale an entire day's worth of calories, fat, and sugar in one drive-thru run.

Makeup Session: Fill your glove compartment with prepackaged snacks that will make you feel full fast. Nuts are clutch because their healthy fats/protein combination satisfies you with just a handful. Stock up on 1-ounce single-serving bags. Energy bars also make great portable meals for ravenous road warriors. If you must stop for food, pull into the nearest grocery store. Most now have prepared-food sections that offer salads, soups, and other good-for-you options. "It's so much healthier than typical road fare," Sass says.


 http://fitbie.msn.com/eat-right/do-you-eat-too-much-break-and-other-bad-food-habits

Tuesday 26 February 2013

How to conquer your cravings

Have just one dessert a week

When cooking, reduce sugar in every recipe by a third, and eat dessert as a treat, once a week.

Fibre leads to weight loss

Fibre is now routinely stripped from foods to give a finer texture and extend shelf life (manufacturers have found food with fibre doesn’t freeze well, and can’t be cooked quickly), but according to Professor Lustig: ‘Fibre, or roughage, is the most misunderstood weapon in our nutritional arsenal.’
This is because the digestive system has to work to strip away the outside bran of a wholegrain, so slowing the whole digestive process, and stopping glucose levels from peaking suddenly.
This means less insulin is released, therefore less energy is stored as fat. Slower digestion also gives your brain a chance to register that you are full.

Take 15 minutes’ exercise daily

Exercise alone cannot cause significant weight loss (unless you change your diet at the same time) but Professor Lustig says 15 minutes a day is enough to improve your insulin sensitivity (because activity helps cells become more receptive to insulin), and build muscle at the expense of fat.
Although you may not see a drop on the scales, by improving insulin sensitivity and lowering insulin levels, exercise, will improve leptin signalling.

Eat like your Grandma

Beware packaged food. Professor Lustig’s mantra is: ‘Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognise. If the food has a company logo you’ve heard of, it’s processed.’

Don’t eat on your feet

Eating standing up means you will be eating fast, with no time for satiety signals to kick in, says Professor Lustig.
Always include some sort of protein (chicken, pulses) in every meal (to slow the digestive process and reduce the risk of insulin spikes) and avoid any ‘food’ that is just fat, carbohydrate and sugar (such as doughnuts, milk-shakes, pastries).

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2255442/The-REAL-reason-eat-New-theory-revolutionise-way-lose-weight.html


Friday 22 February 2013

How fast should you expect to lose weight?


How fast should you expect to lose weight?

Most experts agree that a safe, healthy rate of weight loss is one to 1 ½ pounds per week. Modification of eating habits along with regular exercise is the most effective way to lose weight over the long term. It is also the ideal way to ensure that the weight stays off.

Starvation diets may result in rapid weight loss, but this weight loss is almost impossible to maintain for most people. When food intake is severely restricted (below approximately 1,200 calories per day), the body begins to adapt to this state of poor nutrition by reducing its metabolic rate, potentially making it even more difficult to lose weight. It is also possible to experience hunger pangs, bouts of hypoglycemia, headaches, and mood changes from overly stringent dieting. These symptoms can result in binge eating and weight gain. Since a highly restrictive diet is almost impossible to maintain for a long time, people who attempt to starve themselves thin often start to gain weight again when they stop dieting.

The no-diet approach to weight control  

By adopting sensible eating habits and practicing portion control, you can eat nutritious foods so that you take in as many calories as you need to maintain your health and well-being at your ideal weight. Often, weight loss occurs on its own simply when you start making better food choices, such as avoiding processed foods, sugar-laden foods, white bread and pasta (substitute whole-grain varieties instead), foods with a high percentage of calories from fat, and alcoholic drinks.

 While nothing is absolutely forbidden, when you do succumb to temptation, keep the portion size small and add a bit more exercise to your daily workout.

By replacing some unwise food choices with healthy ones, you'll be cutting back on calories. If you add some moderate physical activity, you have the perfect weight-loss plan without the need for special or inconvenient (and often expensive) diet plans.

 

http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/page3.htm

Thursday 21 February 2013

How do you lose weight?



How do you lose weight?

The most effective method for weight loss is reducing the number of calories you consume while increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity. To lose 1 pound, you need an expenditure of approximately 3,500 calories. You can achieve this either by cutting back on your food intake, by increasing physical activity, or ideally, by doing both.
For example, if you consume 500 extra calories per day for one week without changing your activity level, you will gain 1 pound in weight (seven days multiplied by 500 calories equals 3,500 calories, or the number of calories resulting in a 1-pound weight gain). Likewise, if you eat 500 fewer calories each day for a week or burn 500 calories per day through exercise for one week, you will lose 1 pound.
Examples of calorie content of some popular foods and beverages include the following:
  • one slice of original-style crust pepperoni pizza - 230 calories
  • one glass of dry white wine - 160 calories
  • one can of cola - 150 calories
  • one quarter-pound hamburger with cheese - 500 calories
  • one jumbo banana nut muffin - 580 calories
Any activities you do throughout the day are added to your BMR (basal metabolic rate) to determine the total number of calories you burn each day. For example, a 170-pound person who spends 45 minutes walking briskly will burn about 300 calories. The same time spent on housecleaning burns about 200 calories, and mowing the lawn for 45 minutes consumes around 275 calories. For more, please read the Calories Burned During Fitness Activities article.
http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/page2.htm#tocc

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Introduction to Weight Loss



Introduction to weight loss

Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the following simple guidelines and putting them into practice can lead to weight loss without the aid of any special diet plans, books, or medications.
Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our day. Energy is measured in calories. If your weight remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories that you burn each day. If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.
Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon
  • our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions
  • and our level of physical activity.
For some people, due to genetic (inherited) factors or other conditions, the resting metabolic rate (BMR) can be slightly higher or lower than average. Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- the more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. A 100-pound person requires less energy (food) to maintain body weight than a person who weighs 200 pounds.
Lifestyle and work habits partially determine how many calories we need each day. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labour will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job). For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.
As a rough estimate, an average woman 31-50 years of age who leads a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1,800 calories per day to maintain a normal weight. A man of the same age requires about 2,200 calories. Participating in a moderate level of physical activity (exercising three to five days per week) requires about 200 additional calories per day.


http://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/article.htm

Monday 18 February 2013

Alternate Day Fasting - the Pros and Cons


Alternate Day Fasting – introduction

Welcome to the Alternate Day Fasting .org website.
When it comes to diets, the idea of being able to eat absolutely anything you want one day, then have a reduced calorie intake the next day, but still lose weight and be healthy, is a pretty attractive one isn’t it?
There are a lot of myths and half truths out there about Alternate Day Fasting, so this site is an attempt to separate fact from fiction and give you an frank and detailed overview of Alternate Day Fasting.

Alternate Day Fasting – what is it, in a nutshell?

In a nutshell, Alternate Day Fasting is a method of dieting and calorie control. To summarise, when you are following an Alternate Day Fasting program, you eat whatever food you like on day 1, and on day 2, you consume a very limited amount of calories (typically less than 400 calories for women, and 500 calories for men). Then on day 3, you eat whatever you like again, and on day 4, again consume a limited amount of calories again. This pattern is simply repeated over and over again.
The theory behind this is that, overall, you are consuming less calories than you normally would, therefore, weight loss is inevitable.

Alternate Day Fasting – benefits

The benefits of alternate day fasting are currently unproven in humans, but have been observed much more in animals much more than human subjects. However, the benefits are thought to be as follows –
- Weight loss
- Improved lifespan
- Improved bodily repair function
- Better survival rate after major disease or trauma
Numerous studies have been done on alternate day fasting. One of the most interesting involved mice, which were studied for 20 weeks. They followed the diet, being allowed to eat as much as they liked on one day, and were not fed the next day. The mice lived longer, and it was also noted that their levels of glucose an insulin were lower than those of mice who followed a normal diet.
Another interesting aspect of the study was that another group of mice were also studied – these had their calorie intake reduced by 40% every single day. This group of mice also experienced similar health benefits – but these were improved upon by the mice following the alternate day fasting diet.
The results of the study seem to support the thinking that reduced calorie intake in any form is beneficial, although some forms are better than others.
The big question is – does alternate day fasting work in humans? This is currently unknown – there are a number of ongoing studies taking place which are looking into this, but these are long term studies, so results might not be available for a while.
One of the other benefits of alternate day fasting over normal diets is that, unlike normal diets, you won’t feel hungry every day – you will only feel hungry on fasting days. It also means that you can plan social occasions such as eating out and drinking on non fasting days, and not feel worried that you will be breaking your diet.

Alternate Day Fasting – downsides

No medical downsides have yet been observed in alternate day fasting, however many people who have tried to follow an alternate day fasting diet have struggled, because cutting calorie intake to a minimal level on fasting days can be quite tough psychologically, due to the hunger involved. Some people have found it easier to adjust the diet and take in slightly more food on the fasting days, in the form of low calorie snacks and drinks, to keep hunger at bay.
Like any diet, it is to be expected that the fasting part will be much tougher than the ‘eating what you want’ days!
One of the possible downsides of alternate day fasting is that, on non fasting days, you may end up gorging yourself with food to make up for the hunger felt on fasting days. For example, let’s say you’re a woman, and your normal calorie intake should be 2000 per day – on your fasting day, you would consume only 400 calories. But on the non fasting day, it’s easily possible to consume 3600 calories – for example eating a big takeaway and several large glasses of wine, plus normal meals. This would mean that you’ve eaten your normal 4000 calories over the 2 days, and would cancel out any weight loss.

Alternate Day Fasting – can I expect to lose weight?

Several limited studies (following less than 15 people) have shown that people following the alternate day fasting diet typically experience a weight loss of between 1 – 3 lb per week. However, it should be reiterated that these studies only involved very small numbers of people.
The best way to test alternate day fasting is to try it for yourself. Weight yourself at the beginning of the diet, and note down the results. Then start following the diet, and weigh yourself every week, and note down the difference. You should weigh yourself at the same time of the day every week – and you should also weigh yourself on a non fasting day (the same type of day you started the diet on) – the reason for this is that your weight may fluctuate considerably between fasting and non fasting days. So for example, if you day 1 is a non fasting day, you would weigh yourself at say 9am on day 1, then weigh yourself again on day 7, which is another non fasting day. You would then weigh yourself again on day 13, a week later, and another non fasting day.

Alternate Day Fasting – finally

Alternate day fasting is becoming very popular, and you should definitely give it a go if you are looking to try out a diet, and other diets have failed for you. The method makes perfect sense when analysed in detail, and although there are no large scale studies on alternate day fasting, the small ones that have been done look very promising indeed. Certainly give it a try, but while you’re at it – don’t discount other ways of dieting – and certainly don’t neglect your general health by avoiding exercise.

Sunday 17 February 2013

Why is gradual weight loss better than a crash diet?


Crash diets (where someone tries to quickly lose weight by cutting down on the amount of calories they eat) don't work for long-term weight loss and most aren’t healthy. 
It’s best to lose weight gradually:
  • at a rate of 0.5-1kg (1-2lbs) a week
  • by eating a healthy, balanced diet combined with regular physical activity
At a rate of 0.5-1kg (1-2lb) a week you’re more likely to maintain a healthy weight long-term. For the best results, you need to combine your healthy diet with regular physical activity. For more information, see What weight loss plans are recommended?

Crash diets

Many diets:
  • radically restrict your daily calorie intake, or
  • miss out entire food groups
Diet plans like this are not recommended for weight loss and can make you feel unwell.
“Because they are nutritionally unbalanced, crash diets can lead to long-term poor health,” says dietitian Ursula Arens.
Depending on the type of diet, it may:
  • slow down your metabolism: the rate at which your body turns food into energy
  • prevent you from getting important nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to work properly
  • reduce your intake of carbohydrates (such as pasta, bread, and rice) that are an essential source of energy
  • increase your intake of protein and fat: too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke
Read more about the pros and cons of the top ten diets.

Fast weight loss

When you lessen the amount you eat, your body uses up energy stored in the liver and muscles. However, most of this initial weight loss will be water and muscle.
What’s more your body's response to dieting like this is to reduce the speed at which it burns off calories. This means you're actually slowing down your ability to lose weight.

Weight gain

People who crash diet by missing out food or greatly cutting down on their daily calories tend to put weight back on quicker than those who follow a long-term healthy diet plan.

Healthy balanced diet

Most diets are not healthy, and crash dieting for a long time can be harmful. Also, some are so restrictive that you may not have the willpower to stick to them.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2468.aspx?CategoryID=51