Archive for May, 2010

Cheat Your Way Thin Plan

What’s the Cheat Your Way Thin Plan?

Are you tired of following those strict diets that tell you to eliminate entire food groups to lose weight? Sure these temporary restrictions will begin with quick weight loss but at what cost? Eventually you will get frustrated and go back to your old eating habits.

Restrictive diets may work in theory, but getting people to stick with them is another story. After all, we are only human, and lets face it, food not only nourishes us but eating is one of life’s great pleasures.

If losing weight was so easy we wouldn’t be struggling in the first place. You know how it is when you start a new diet. Day one you are all excited, in fact, you may do great for the first day, week or even the first couple of weeks. But eventually you will get tired of feeling hungry all of the time and you will really start craving some of your favorite foods. Before you know it you slip, then what starts as a slip turns into a full blown binge.

Luckily there are diets out there that aren’t so strict. In fact, “cheating” is not only okay but part of the plan. Imagine not having to give up your favorite foods to lose weight. Imagine cheating your way thin!

The Cheat Your Way Thin Diet Plan
So what is the Cheat Your Way Thin diet? Basically it is a diet that encourages you to consume those favorite foods that other diets tell you to avoid or eat only occasionally. And the great part is you will be cheating your way to weight loss!

Created by Joel Marion, a certified sports nutritionist, his work has been featured in many publications such as Women’s Day and Men’s Fitness. Joel has also been featured on Fox News and NBC in addition to other places.

Joel Marion is a trusted, well known expert in his field. Being in the fitness industry for many years, his diet plan is based not only what he has learned but the mistakes he has made along the way.

So exactly what can you expect from a diet called Cheat Your Way Thin? The diet comes with an audio that explains the science behind the diet as well as how it was created. Along with the audio is an e-book with a complete rundown of the diet plan.

Two Part Diet Plan
There are two parts to the Cheat Your way Thin diet plan, the diet part and the exercise part. The diet part consists of a rotation style way of eating, which means you will have high GI (glycemic index) days, low GI days and days that are low in carbs. The exercise part of the diet consists of three different sessions throughout the week.

Not only does the e-book contain a complete overview of the diet and exercise plan, it comes from someone who knows his stuff.

This diet program does appear to deliver what it promises. However, some may not be happy with the expense of having to purchase certain products such as protein shakes. Still, some like the benefit of no calorie counting, and any diet that gives the go ahead to cheat is a diet that will be much easier to follow in the long run.

Visit the Cheat Your Way Thin Website for more information.

Perfect Weight Loss Plan: Is It Different For Everyone? (Article)

Considering the rate of obesity within our country, it really should come as no surprise that everyone seems to be on some sort of diet. And considering the sheer volume of different diets on the market, it becomes very difficult to find that perfect weight loss plan, especially as plans provide different results for each person.

As no two people are identical, so too are our diet results and nutritional needs. Weight loss plans can vary in structure from rigidity to some, such as Weight Watchers®that can be customized by age, gender, starting and ending weight  For example, a new mother that is still breastfeeding would have far different nutritional needs than a woman who is not, and their respective diet programs should reflect that difference.

So, then how to you find that perfect weight loss plan that will help you achieve your goals? To begin with, consider consulting with your physician and discuss your goals, as well as a possible referral to a nutritionist. Between your physician and a nutritionist, you can develop a plan that is designed for your age, gender, weight, activities, and any possible health concerns, and that will help you achieve results.

Regardless if you choose to follow a structured weight loss program, develop one with a nutritionist, or attempt to lose weight on your own, you must remember that all bodies are different, so one weight loss plan that works for your friend may not be appropriate for you. However, you should completely avoid fad diets or any type of diet advocating restricting your body to few calories. Your diet should allow you to enjoy nearly any type of food, simply done so in moderation, unless prohibited by your physician or nutritionist.

Remember, that dieting is not easy under any circumstance. If it were simple, no one would be fighting with their weight. Nevertheless, selecting an appropriate weight loss program for your body type while making healthy lifestyle changes will help you not only achieve your goal, but keep the weight off. One such technique is to find healthy alternatives to higher calorie foods and recipes. Most of your favorite dishes can easily be adjusted to reduce the number of calories per serving.

Regardless of what you choose, understand that if you do cheat on your diet on occasion, you should not feel guilty. Most diet programs actually recommend having a moderate cheat day or meal. Even plans such as Weight Watchers®gives you the opportunity to indulge by offering weekly flex points to use as you see fit.

Dieting is not a short term fix. Instead, dieting is a lifestyle change you are making. As such, it is vital that you find solutions to helping make these choices permanent in your life, but also understanding that you need to allow yourself the occasional cheat or treat.

So, above all else, understand that cheating occasionally should not make you feel guilty. Especially as many diet programs allow for cheating in their schedules and recommend it. Dieting is a long term promise to yourself. It is a life style you are choosing to participate in. Success is created by finding ways to implement these changes into your everyday life without completely giving up what you enjoy.

The Flat Belly Diet Book

In case you haven’t noticed I am a diet book junkie. If you were to peak on my shelf you would see a few dozen diet books that I have purchased over the last few years. This doesn’t count the ones that I find at the library (I always look there first to save money) or the ones that are either packed away or given away.  So yesterday I found myself in the diet section of Barnes and Noble and ended up buying the Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccariello.

This is not the first time I have heard of the Flat Belly Diet. I did give it a half hearted try when I read about it in Prevention magazine a few years ago (2008 I think). The cover on the book promises that not one single crunch is required  but that isn’t why I bought the book. I do remember that I liked the foods being offered, I like that you can have up to 1600 calories a day and the diet does focus on eating healthy. This is where I also heard the term Mufas (monounsaturated fatty acids) which are supposed to help target belly fat. Mufas can be found in foods such as  olives and olive oil, avocados, nuts and my favorite, dark chocolate!

There are a few things that I recall not really liking about the program. One is, you eat 4 times a day which, for someone who likes to snack is kind of difficult. Another thing is each meal is 400 calories. Now that sounds very doable except I remember struggling to eat just 400 calories at dinner. Still, if I give it a chance maybe I will be use to eating and being satisfied on less for dinner. Also, I will probably break that rule on occasion by eating a little less during the day to allow myself a bigger dinner.

Now of course I probably shouldn’t start breaking rules before I even get started. However, with any diet I think it is sometimes necessary to modify it if that is what it takes to stay on it. Back when I first joined Weight Watchers I remember that I didn’t always follow the rules exactly but I did lose.  After all, I would rather break a rule once in a while then just give up.

In case anyone wonders about my candy bar diet, I think it could have worked but I was feeling a bit guilty eating all that sugar. I know that for me, I need to watch my sugar and carbohydrate intake a little better than that, meaning a 300 calorie candy bar should be an occasional treat, not something that I indulge in every day.

I will be officially starting the Flat Belly Diet on Monday, which should give me plenty of time to read the book and stock my fridge. And I haven’t weighed in lately either so I am a bit nervous to see what the scale brings. In the meantime I will try to get a few more smoothie recipes posted over the next few days.

Berry Banana Smoothie

Here is a quick and easy smoothie recipe with just 5 ingredients.  High in fiber too!

Berry Banana Smoothie

• 1 small banana, cut into chunks and frozen
• 2 cups frozen strawberries, hulled
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 ounces low‐fat strawberry yogurt such as Yoplait Light
• 1/2  cup cranberry juice cocktail

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

Calories: 203
Fat 1.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 47 grams
Protein: 4.4 grams
Fiber: 8.7 grams

Weight Watchers Points: 3

Triple Frozen Fruit Smoothie

This is a delicious and refreshing triple frozen fruit smoothie recipe. Actually, if you count the orange juice, we could call this a four fruit smoothie.  No sugar is necessary since the fruit and juice  adds plenty of sweetness, although you can add a tablespoon of honey if you like.

Triple Frozen Fruit Smoothie

• 1 small banana, cut into chunks and frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, hulled
• 1 medium peach, peeled, pitted, cut into slices and frozen
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 cups nonfat (skim) milk
• 1 tablespoon honey

Place frozen fruit in a blender. Add the orange juice, skim milk and honey.  Blend until smooth and enjoy!
Note: This makes 2 servings, if using a single serving smoothie maker cut recipe in half.

Serves 2
Weight Watchers Points: 3

Calories: 188
Fat: Less than 1 gram
Fiber: 3.4 grams
Carbohydrates: 37.6 grams
Protein:  9.7 grams

Note: nutritional information calculated without honey. If adding 1 tablespoon honey to recipe (1/2 tablespoon per smoothie), each smoothie contains 219 calories and 4 Weight Watchers points.

Tip: Try experimenting with different fruit. Also try with almond or soy milk.

More Diet Smoothie Recipes

I started this blog with the intention of sharing my favorite diet smoothie recipes as well as other low calorie recipes. I then went on to post about my own weight loss struggles as well.  However, somehow I got away from posting diet smoothie recipes and turned the whole focus of this blog on me. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize this, but today it occurred to me that with a blog name like diet smoothies, visitors  who find this blog expect to get just that-plenty of diet smoothie recipes! Read more…

Starting a Daily Weight Loss Journal

It has been about ten years since I went to a local Weight Watchers meetings but one thing that I remember my leader always saying: “no matter what you eat, you need to write it down”.  That’s why I am going to get more strict about keeping track of my weight loss with a daily weight loss journal of my own.

Of course, my intention was to always post everything that I eat on my blog, which I do on occasion but sometimes real life gets in the way and I am unable to blog more than once a week.  I also find that  since I haven’ t been really strict about counting calories or points  each day I tend to either underestimate or forgot something that I may have eaten.

Anyone who has been on the weight loss roller coaster for a while knows that after a while you pretty much know either the calorie or point values of most food, thus, figuring it up in your head is a no brainer. However, when we get away from measuring or keeping a weight loss journal, after a while the portions start getting bigger and we are back to where we started from.

There are some really good weight loss journals available online but for me, I am going to use my trusty tablet and start writing everything down. Not only will I keep track of calories but keep an eye on the saturated fats and sweets as well (no need to write down trans fats, I have eliminated those entirely).  Also, due to my insulin resistance I will keep an eye on my daily carbohydrate take and make sure that I don’t eat too many at one sitting.

Another thing that I am going to get strict about is weighing my portions.  One thing that I have been doing is measuring out 1/4 cup of almonds each day and nibbling them throughout the day. Almonds are very healthy but eat too many and it is easy to go over your daily calorie allotment.

So today I am going to buy myself a shiny new tablet to use as my daily weight loss journal and continue to post my menus here as well.