Tag: Fad Diet

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

2 Huge Factors That Can Cause Weight To Fluctuate On The Scale


If you often weigh yourself when trying to lose weight, you may have noticed that your weight fluctuates on a daily basis. In fact, your weight in the morning may be completely different from your weight at night. However, it’s usually when there is a gain between one day and another that often makes us sad and frustrated. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your weight loss efforts are wasted. There are several factors that cause weight to fluctuate on the scale.

Water Weight

bathroom-scaleIf you go on a fad diet that involves lots of liquids and a very low calorie diet, you may see very good results initially where you lose many pounds within a single day. This is because what you have lost is not fat, but water. When you eat a regular diet again, water weight is usually gained back.

Several other factors cause one to retain water including dehydration, increased consumption of sodium, as well as menstruation (for women). You can prevent water retention by drinking lots of water and restricting your intake of salt.

Muscle Weight

Often exercise is a big part of a weight loss program, and if it is a big part of yours, chances you will sometimes see a gain in weight displayed on the scale. This is especially true if you frequently incorporate weight training as part of your exercise program. This gain in weight is not because you’ve been slacking off on your diet and putting on fat; instead, it’s possible that you have been putting on muscle.

Muscle is denser than fat, so even if you gain a bit of muscle you will probably see a bigger number on the scale. Don’t worry if this is the case. If you are concerned, use a measuring tape as a supplementary way to track your weight loss progress. If you are losing inches, even though your scale says you’ve gained weight, then it’s probably muscle that you’ve gained!

There may be other factors that lead to weight fluctuations, but these are the main two. So the next time your scale seems to be yo-yoing back and forth, don’t stress about it. If you can’t help stressing about it, then instead of weighing yourself every day, weigh yourself every week to get a more stable picture of how you are doing with your weight loss. In the end, your weekly weight is what matters, and not your daily weight.


Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Zone Diet Plan



Zone Diet Plan

Zone Diet Plan

The Zone Diet Plan is a popular diet plan among celebrities. People often choose a celebrity endorsed fad diet in order to lose weight. And if a fad diet is used and endorsed by their favorite celebrities, then they would obviously prefer it over other diets.

The Zone Diet is one of those Celebrity endorsed diets with users like Mekhi Phifer from ER, hockey player Brian Leetch, and Brad Pitt.

I will tell you to start that the Zone diet plan is difficult to follow but the carb to protein to fat levels seem to be quite good for any active person.

Now, as a matter of fact, just because a diet works for your favorite celebrity doesn’t mean that it would work for you too. Different people have different body compositions and what works for one doesn’t necessary work for another! Another thing to note is that the Zone diet is said to be miles apart from a strict vegetarian diet. Considering the fact that experts say that vegetarian diet is the best diet for quick weight loss, and that people who thrive on a vegetarian diet usually remain fit and healthy, you maybe curious as to how the Zone diet works.

So what is Zone diet plan all about?

According to the Zone die tplan, your meals must consist of 30% fat content, 40% carb content and 30% protein content. With this combination, your insulin level will be balanced. When your insulin level is balanced, you automatically lose weight (since higher levels of insulin trigger the storage of fatty tissues in our body). As you can see, the Zone diet is particularly useful for those who want to get rid of diabetes or any heart-related ailments.

Barry Sears is the creator of the Zone diet plan. Some people will call the Zone Diet a fad diet, I don’t know if that is true as the Zone Diet and variations of it have been around for quite some time. Considering the fact that the Zone diet is a fad diet, I have found that it is much more flexible than the other diets in the same category.

The problem with this diet, however, is that it is not only hard to follow, but it also comes with a couple disadvantages:

1. The recommended ratio of protein in the Zone diet is a bit high compared to protein and carbs. Experts however contend that the ratio of fat is all right

2. By restricting the intake of certain foods, the Zone diet also restricts the intake of the essential nutrients and vitamins. This can adversely affect your health so supplementing with multivitamins is essential.

So whats the verdict, Is the Zone Diet Plan any good?

I kind of like the Zone diet. As a book it is a great one to have in your bookshelf and try it out for yourself. When you do look around though the Zone diet plan is probably most popular with athletes as the high protein is especially good for people that need the muscle recovery.

Categories
General Weight Loss Tips

Going Primal

I decided to delete my last post after a I received a comment from Richard over at Primal Fed. I always double check sites that leave comments mainly because I get so many spam comments. I started reading Richard and Amanda’s blog and l was intrigued by their success and recipes on the Paleo plan. Paleo is very much a factory-free plan and I just thought…why not start there?

I’d heard about the Paleo plan and did a little research months ago and qucikly decided that it wasn’t for me. This from the girl who used to down bun-free burgers, bacon and sugar-free sweets with wild abandon on Adkins. I lasted about 6 months and lost a lot of weight. And then I ate a biscuit. And well it was pretty much over from there. I did not (do not) want to go down that road again. So Paleo went on the back burner for me.

But yesterday I could not stop reading blogs about Paleo/primal eating. Blog after blog after blog. Thinking could I do this? Could I go down this road again, even if the road has been re-paved, the scenery much nicer? Could I face another holiday meal where I’m the one bring the “weird food” or having people asking me if I’m doing ahhhddkkiiiinsss again.

Paleo, is not primarily low-carb nor is it extremely restrictive. The foods that aren’t allowed are the same ones that (surprise) I have the most trouble not overeating. I’ve read recipe after recipe and most of my favorite foods are included. If not, there is a way to modify them. What I like most about Paleo is that it is about making real (dare I say) lifestyle changes rather than being on the latest fad diet.

You can read for yourself here, here and here. There are so many sites and blogs though.

There are ways to enjoy pancakes, suasage and gravy, and even pizza if you really need it. You can find recipe modifications for pretty much anything you enjoy eating.

Paleo is basic: no sugar, no grains, no legumes or beans, and no starches.

What you can have is pretty endless though. Most cuts of meat (there are debates regarding high fat vs/ low fat cuts), poultry, sea food,  vegetables, fruits (mostly the low sugar variety) and nuts. Some people still eat small amounts of dairy- I will be one of those people. Raw, organic butter, and cheese is recommended. I can have sweet potatoes, and cauliflower which have endless options and ways to cook. You can also have coconut milk and other coconut products- this is a big deal for me as I looove coconut milk for thai/indian food.

Another expection that I am making for myself (and my husband) is rice. Rice is not technically Paleo, but if I want to be serious about this, I can’t go long stretches without eating it. I’m justifying this choice by stating that 1) I do not have an issue with overeating rice. 2) I do not crave rice, this is not a trigger food for me 3) when I do eat rice I always measure it out in 1/2 to 1 cup portions 4) I eat brown rice at home (mostly) 5) I have never felt that sushi/maki was nothing but a healthful meal for me, I rarely get the Americanized versions (mayo, cream cheese, and tempura). This is not something I can justify cutting out of my life and it’s not a long-term solution for me. Rice isn’t a trigger food and is not the reason why I’m 150+ pounds overweight.

I will do a weekly progress report on Paleo and let you know how it’s working in the weight loss department. Another side effect of Paleo is productivity, energy and helps with depression.

Here we go!

Related Blogs