Tag: Carbs

Categories
General Weight Loss Tips

Self Plan

self april 2012 carrie underwood Self Plan

I do love magazines, I’m not gonna lie. I know the models are airbrushed and unrealistic, the information is regurgitated, but that doesn’t stop me from picking them up on occasion as a treat. I haven’t read Self in a really long time, and in a fit of needing inspiration I bought this, Health and Fitness when I was in WV the weekend before last.

I do find inspiration in them, just having them around the house, in the bathroom (haha I know) or the coffee table, it’s like a reminder of what I’m doing. Where I want to be.

Anyhow, the point of this is to share with you that the April issue of Self has (in my opinion) a really good and realistic weight loss plan.  I’ve tried a lot of diets in my pre and post blog. Some that require counting calories or restricting carbs and they all work, it’s just about consistency and for me, the more down to earth it is, the more likely I am to stick with it. As soon as I decide I can’t have something for the sake of weight loss, that’s all I want. Even if I don’t really want it.

The Drop 10 (and more, they talk about losing more weight) is pretty straightforward: 1,600 calories a day, with a 200 calorie treat a day that can be carried over to other days when you may need them more (like plus points with weight watchers), the only catch is that you can only stack 800 together at a time. So say, you are planning to go out for a celebration this coming weekend you can use up to 2,400 at one time and still lose weight.

They also provide a daily exercise plan, recipes and a check off list to keep track of your progress. And for those wondering, I wasn’t paid or asked to promote this magazine or plan, I just really liked how simple and doable it is. I think having structure with the principles of Brain Over Binge (breaking bad habits) will be a winning combination.

I’m traveling to WV again this weekend for a baby shower and plan to save some of my extra calories this week for that.

Today’s breakfast:

One Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin with less than 1 T butter, 1 T cacao (cacao!) bliss and a cup of strawberries: 367 calories

4 16 12breakfast Self Plan

 

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on fat
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Low Carb Diet Plan Right For You?



I would assert that without a doubt, the low carb diet plan is the most heavily debated weight loss program ever created. In fact, the intensity with which both sides of the argument are expressed is truly incredible. This article will discuss the pros and cons of the low carb diet lifestyle, weighing in on both sides of the argument and helping you determine if this is the best way for you to reach your goals.

What is  Low Carb Diet?

As most of us are well aware, the “king” of this type of eating plan is the Atkins Diet. On this diet, you go through a series of three phases that gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates you are permitted to include in your diet on a daily basis. The first of these phases is called induction, which limits you to virtually no carbs whatsoever. You are permitted to eat all the animal protein you care to consume, but no bread, pasta, potatoes, sweets, or anything else containing carbs are allowed to pass your lips.

Low Carb Diet Plan Right For You?

low carb diet

Supporters of this program claim that the induction phase is where the magic happens, while its opponents will tell you that it’s suicidal insanity. This phase is dependent upon your body being thrown into a state of ketosis, where ketones are being expelled in the urine, indicating that your body’s fat is now being used as its preferred source of energy. The result of this is extremely rapid weight loss, healthy or not.

I can tell you from personal experience that this diet is effective. I lost 18 pounds my first 14 days on this program. And I experienced both the positive and negative effects that both sides of the issue continually argue.

Despite what some people may say, I found that my energy levels and overall sense of well-being were improved. I was eating steak, eggs, cheese, and bunless burgers constantly… and my feelings were not those of death that opponents of the low carb diet try to scare you with. I felt good. But I was really bored with my diet, which I thought was a fair trade-off given the weight loss results I was enjoying.

They also say that carbohydrates are the primary fuel source used by the brain, yet I felt no mental or emotional consequences of this diet. What I didn’t enjoy about the diet was the heaviness of the food. Meat, cheese, eggs, cheese, and meat. It was enough to bring a PETA representative to tears! I guess in my soul, it didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

So here’s my conclusion. If you want to lose a crazy amount of weight in a very short period of time, keep yourself energized, and don’t mind being a straight up carnivore in every sense of the word, then a low carb diet may be right up your alley. There are more lenient variations a person can consider, as well. The South Beach Diet is another popular low carb diet that may be easier for you to stick with. If you are interested in a low carb diet then try it out first for a week and see how you like it.

Related Blogs

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Foods to Avoid for Better Health




Today I want to write about the foods to avoid for better health. So yesterday, just as a recap I wrote about the five things you should eat. Meat, veggies, fruit, milk, water. I know that these are the staples of what we should eat but I know that as a core we do not tend to eat just those things.

But here is the thing, eat those foods as the basis of your daily diet. Everything else is extra and not as good.

So I want to make a short list of what to avoid or not eat as much of. These may seem obvious but the point is that what we put in our mouth is often not well though through.

Foods to Avoid for Better Health

Foods to Avoid for Better Health

Foods to Avoid for Better Health

1. Bread – I know that this is a very broad one but bread, although offering some carbs and nutrients is not a core food to me. I eat it but I also do try to avoid it (breadsticks anyone?). This is not the worst food but your body can turn this into fat fairly quickly as the calories are pretty dense.

2. Rice and Potatoes – Another complex carb these two are the basis of most people dinners. You have a piece of meat, a vegetable, and a half a plate of mashed potatoes or rice. Both of these do have some nutrients but because of the carbs per once of food the calories will add up quick and be stored as fat in your body

3. Fried Foods – Frying food in many parts of the world is a constant and normal type of cooking. Fried chicken, fried fish, french fries, deep fried snickers bars. There are a couple problems with these fried foods and these are the loss of nutrients in the frying process and the gobs of calories in fat added needlessly to the food.

4. Pop or Soda – Apparently what I call pop in Canada is called soda in America. Anyway these are of course empty calories and I am as guilty as many for this. I have a can a coke a day which is the equivalent number of calories as a regular meal. There is no redeeming value in sodas, no nutrients, contain caffeine, and they work as a diuretic robbing your body of water.

5. Sweet or fried Snacks – This should be obvious to everyone so it was an easy one for this list. Sugar turns to fat easily, no nutrients, blood sugar peaks and valleys. These snacky foods that can fill a pantry easily are not at all good, mostly very bad and should be avoided.

So lets have a caveat here. I take shots at the food above and we all know why we should avoid it but they are around and we still want to eat them right? I am a real person and I do eat all of the above but the fact is that we need to realize the importance of good eating and the result of bad eating. I would not expect anyone to completely take all of the above out of their eating plans but at the same time you have to be careful.

This leads me into what I want to write about tomorrow which is sacrificing food habits and how to avoid it.

Hope this list of foods to avoid for better health just helps you think about things as they are today.