Health and Diet Articles

Posts Tagged ‘Diet’

Can Avoiding Food After Dinner Help to Lose Weight?

Friday, February 20th, 2009

glass20of20waterThere are many avid dieters who swear by the logic that not eating after dinner or after seven or eight in the evening can help them to maintain a svelte figure and contribute to the weight that is lost through a diet program. Is there any truth to these acts or are these dieters avoiding a bedtime snack for nothing?

Unfortunately, for me anyway, after dinner and before bed is snacking time. I go to the kitchen to see what I can find and come back with fruit most of the time. However, there are many times when I have come back with popcorn, chips or even a few sweet treats – or my favorite, sour candy! Could I be losing more weight if I avoided these pre-bedtime snacks?

First, it is important to determine the logic behind avoiding these foods in the evening. Many snack foods are filled with calories and contain high levels of sugar. Not only this, but these foods are often refined and contain chemicals that can sit within the stomach during the night. As we are sedentary in the evening and are getting ready for bed, it can be hard for our body to burn these calories that have been consumed – as we are just getting ready to go to bed!

There have been dieters that have seen high levels of weight loss by just making small changes to their eating habits. One of these small habits is to avoid snacking during the evening after dinner has been completed.
There are many ways that we can decrease the instances of snacking during the evening, these are:

- Drink water. Drinking a glass of water can help to fill you up and help you ignore the hunger until breakfast hits. Be sure to drink the full glass of water and then assess your hunger, if you are still hungry than consider having a piece of fruit.

- Know that the first few days are the hardest. The first few days are going to become a period of adjustment when you are transitioning into the new eating habits. Use fat free snacks and smaller portions while making the transition to help you reduce the cravings that will come with stopping your pre-bedtime snacks.

- If you must snack, snack right. Having a serving of fruit or an apple can reduce the chances that you will be hungry and will be surprisingly satisfying. Fruit is not refined and has natural sugars and vitamins that the body can process into energy. Be sure to take advantage of these foods when you are choosing snacks.

Using these tips, you can reduce the amount of food that is eaten in the evening and lose up to twelve pounds per year – by making this one small change. Imagine how many pounds could be lost by making other healthy changes?

Can You Lose Weight with the Curves Diet Program?

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

curveslogo_smgThe curves diet plan has grown in popularity as the thirty minute workout can be worked into a busy day, throughout the lunch break or after dropping the children off at school.  The curves workout plan combines a low fat and calorie diet with high protein and whole grain foods with a thirty minute circuit program which is completed at least three times per week.

Curves is a woman’s only fitness club that can allow the dieter to complete the circuit program that focuses on working out the muscles within the body alternating with short terms of high intensity cardiovascular activity. This is an effective way to increase weight loss and start a diet plan to lose inches from the body.

The curves workout plan comes with a monthly subscription cost that allows the dieter to have access to the workout programs, which can be personalized through the exercise progress. As well as access to the fitness facility, the dieter will also have access to a personalized diet plan which can be tweaked to optimize the amount of weight which can be lost throughout the program.

Can you succeed in weight loss with the Curves workout and weight loss program? Sometimes, the circuits can be very busy and it can be difficult to get the attention of the instructors that are directing the workout. If you are not completing the circuits correctly, it can lead to the exercises being inactive and not leading to weight loss.

To successfully complete the weight loss program it can be helpful take part in these circuits which can build muscle within the body. As we all know, building muscle in the body can lead to an increased metabolism which can help to burn calories and shed those stubborn pounds. An increased metabolism can also help to get rid of stubborn fat around the midsection.

The Curves diet program offers a variety of diet plans and snacks that are available and catered to the dieter. It is so important to consume foods that will fuel the body through the workout program and the Curves program allows the dieter to fuel their body with the foods that are necessary for the dieter to expedite their weight loss process.

Have dieters seen much success with the Curves weight loss program? There have been thousands of women that have lost hundreds of pounds throughout the weight loss program that is offered in conjunction with the Curves exercise plan. These women combine the circuit training with the combination of the low fat diet to see success in the weight loss program.

Is Weight Loss Betting Effective

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

weightlossDiet betting seems to be more and more popular amongst colleagues at work and with friends and relatives. The fact that there is money at stake seems to be a strong incentive to lose weight; many amongst those who find it difficult to do so by just dieting are stimulated by this game, hence lose weight.

Some office colleagues organise actual weight loss competitions, where those who do not lose more than a determined amount of weight each week, will be paying a pre-fixed amount of money to those who are losing weight.

The competition seems to be taking the lead over the actual difficulty in losing weight, the fact that there are stakes to win or lose, and that there are people to beat seems to trigger off a higher sense of determination, and it works wonders.

This form of weight loss is also popular amongst relatives and friends, for the competition added to the fact that everyone around you is trying to lose weight as well, will make things easier and encourage you to keep on.

There is more support and understanding to help you to keep going, and more important you will not be tempted to eat unhealthy food, as no one else around you is either.

There are also web sites to this effect, where people bet over Internet on how much weight they can lose. These methods of weight loss are proposed on certain web sites, where your credit card is charged weekly if you do not lose the fixed weight, the money is then turned over to a charity of your choice or a friend.

Other web sites also propose betting on weight loss, bringing together different people on line in order to form a group of people who will wager how many pounds must be lost per week.

A large number amongst those putting a wager on their weight loss, actually lose weight because of the money they may win. They thoroughly enjoy beating their colleagues, competition and money being a strong incentive.

To this effect, a research by the American Medical Association demonstrated that those people who had an incentive for losing weight were more successful than those who did not, particularly when the money was given at the end of the trial.

Another study was conducted at Yale University, which analysed the impact of signing actual contracts, where people are committed to lose weight or money. They found that signing contracts also stimulates people to keep to their weight losing programmes; it renders things more serious and restricting.

The contract in these cases stipulates that if the person does not lose a predetermined amount of weight he or she will lose money. This is a very strong motivation for people to start changing their eating habits and lifestyles, the fact that they have signed and made an engagement, together with the fact that they will lose their money stimulates people to make greater efforts to keep to their commitment.