Don’t Fall into the Trap of Dieting with “Diet Foods”

diet cycleAre you in a continual battle with your weight? If so, you need a firm and proper game plan. You must be prepared to battle beliefs and habits that formed a long time ago and continue to lead you down “repeat road”. You must be prepared for battle if you want to win the war.

Unfortunately once fat has gained its position on our bodies it’s not likely to let go easily…fat loss is not something that happens just “by chance” and if you are out to win the battle against this villain the better prepared you are the better your results will be. [Read more…]

The Importance of Dietary Fats

good fatsMany people believe that cutting dietary fats is the route to go in order to stay lean. However, this is not quite an accurate picture and despite what you’ve been told, fat isn’t always the bad guy when it comes to waistline wars.

Truth is, dietary fats are also extremely important for success. When you go about your day to day activities, you can easily utilize dietary fat as a fuel source and in fact, this is actually preferable because then you will be sparing your glucose stores.

Futhermore, dietary fats have absolutely no influence on blood glucose levels so they’ll help to keep your energy level very stable over time. Combined with a good source of protein and your energy level will stay consistent for hours at a stretch.

[Read more…]

Evil Trans Fats

french friesEvidence of the close link between the quality of the food we eat and our personal health and disease is becoming clearer. Preventing disease is not just about eating less or even losing weight. It is about making better choices in our food selections.

Our diets need to be cleaner. They should include proteins, grass fed meats, free range poultry and eggs, ocean fish, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. We should avoid sugars, unhealthy fats, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, chemicals and unhealthy food preparation. Any heavily processed food or “junk” foods should also be eliminated from our diet. [Read more…]

The Importance of Vitamins and Supplements

supplements

Supplements and vitamins…do we need them?

Supplements are important but it is equally important to realize from the start that there is no supplement in the world that can replace a proper diet and exercise program.

The rampant mistaken belief that putting in half the effort while relying on taking supplements to achieve the results you are hoping for is a huge mistake.

Supplements can help but they do not have the power to overcome a lackluster nutritional diet and poor exercise plan. They are meant to supplement your diet efforts…just as the name implies. Give it any more power than that and you’re headed for trouble. [Read more…]

Proper Nutrition and Body Weight Rebound

diet planWe’ve already discussed the two  most significant reasons why you see a body weight rebound after using so many diet plans in “Dealing With Metabolic Slow Down When Dieting”.

There is one more issue that can be a reason for metabolic concern and body weight rebound; malnutrition.

If you are not eating enough of the right types of foods you risk becoming deficient in a number of key vitamins and minerals and that causes changes in your metabolism and it isn’t going to operate as well as it should.

Most diets out there do cause you to become short in B vitamins and iron as well as calcium because you are so limited in your food choices. Many others have very low carbohydrate approaches as well which can cause your body to struggle when you re-introduce them into your diet.

[Read more…]

The Important Role of Protein in Your Diet

protein sourcesProtein is an essential nutrient that can be found in animal products, nuts as well as beans. Your body is chock full of proteins. They are large complex molecules made up of smaller amino acid compounds.

Why should you care that you body is getting enough protein? Unlike carbohydrates and fats which are considered micro-nutrients, protein is a ‘macro-nutrient’, meaning that you need to consume large amounts of it to keep your body in top, vital, healthy shape.

There are many more reasons to consume a balanced diet of proteins.

Proteins are present in the outer as well as the inner membranes of every living cell in your body. Most of us realize that protein is the important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin.  [Read more…]

Starvation Diets are Out Healthy Lifestyles Are In

starvation dietStarvation diets are not your friends. They do not provide the proper amount of calories your body needs to function at peak performance and your body reacts to the situation by drawing on its reserves to provide the energy needed. This puts added stress on your body and is not the answer to permanent weight loss.

Let’s examine what happens when you adhere to a low-calorie diet when trying to achieve your permanent weight loss goals. [Read more…]