Hey buddy! So you want to lose weight, eh? Its summertime and you want to look all nice and hot for those babes at the beach. Ok, here’s what you have to do if you want this to happen quickly; eat lots of cabbage and drink a gallon of prune juice twice daily at noon . . . no wait. Hmm, try this; eat nothing but ice cream and lard for the next three weeks or until the next full moon . . .no that’s not it either. Aha! Here we go: eat six hotdogs per day (with syrup), while cutting out all meat products and carbs . . . . . what? Why are you giving me that look?? Ok, so maybe that wasn’t quite your cup of tea . . . Did I mention tea? Try this magic herbal-essence tea, with the special fat melting ingredient, Babaganoosh. Of course to ensure its potency, the only additional foods you can eat is two loaves of rye bread with pickles and mayonnaise . . . STOP THE MADNESS ALREADY!!!

You know, one thing that I fail to grasp is why people only worry about looking good during the summer? Sure, looking good in a swimsuit or bikini is nice, but is it not also important to look fit when wearing slacks? And as far-fetched as some of these “diets” may sound, the things people are actually trying nowadays are just as perplexing. The problem is 99% of the weight lost on these diets will be water weight, which the body will quickly regain. What’s worse is that all of these diets promote starvation, which in turn causes the metabolism to slow down. Once you come off a particular diet, you are apt to gain back all the weight you lost and then some! The human body does not take kindly to severe deprivation, and it will do whatever it takes to store energy i.e. slowing down the metabolism.

To get a better idea of what kind of madness people are willing to subject themselves to, let’s take a closer look at some of these diets and their claims to fame.

The 3-Day Hotdog and Egg Diet

Synopsis: Here’s one if you just can’t seem to get enough hot dogs and eggs! It’s easy to remember, and easy to shop for! Day 1) seven hot dogs, no bun, and mustard only. Day 2) eggs any style. Day 3) eggs any style. The Claim: Lose between 8 and 10 pounds in three days. Hey, that’s a lot of weight to be losing in three days, where do I sign up?? Ok, reality check people! For starters, there is nothing denoting the amount of eggs you should be eating, nor does it specify adding stuff like ham and cheese to your eggs, etc. Not only that, but just the thought of eating seven hotdogs in one-day makes most people want to gag. Heck, a hot dog vendor in Brooklyn who owns stock in egg manufacturing would find this diet hard to swallow!

The Cabbage Soup Diet

Synopsis: Every day you can have as much cabbage soup as you desire. In addition to this, you are allotted the following foods on certain days.

Day 1) any fruit, except bananas. Day 2) vegetables plus baked potato for dinner. Day 3) up to eight bananas plus fat free milk. Day 4) brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables. The Claim: Lose up to 10 pounds in seven days. The trouble with this diet is that it seriously lacks in providing for vitamins and minerals. Plus the sheer volume of cabbage would turn a bunny rabbit into a carnivore within a week! Not to mention the irregular bowel movements, as well as a constant case of cabbage-fueled gas. Very potent! Sleep alone, FYI.

The Bread and Butter Diet

Synopsis: This diet seems to focus on the joys of getting bread and butter with every meal. Like most of the other diets listed, this one also claims that you can lose 10 pounds in a week. Here is a sample from their menu:

Breakfast:
1 slice cracked wheat bread
1 teaspoon butter or margarine

Lunch:
1 ounce Muenster cheese
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup steamed summer squash
1 slice Italian Bread
1 Teaspoon butter or margarine

Dinner:
4 ounces dark meat turkey
1/2 cup corn
green salad
1 slice pumpernickel
1 teaspoon butter or margarine

As much as I like bread, it is not enough of an incentive for me to starve myself. On average, when following this diet you only get approximately 850 calories per day. Sure, you’ll lose weight, probably even the 10 pounds promised. However, by following a starvation diet of this nature, one will lose more muscle weight than fat. Once the average person drops bellow 1,000 calories consumed per day, the metabolism shuts down, and the muscles will start to atrophy because the body is burning the muscle tissue for energy. In other words, your body starts consuming itself!

Two-Day Liquid Diet

Synopsis: Buy a bottle of magic diet concentrate, mix with water and consume for two days. Did I mention you are not allowed to consume anything else besides water with this? But hey, it claims that you can lose up to 10 pounds in two days! These also claim to detoxify and energize you! Reality: looks like concentrated juice mix, which is really what it is. Plus, I’ve never paid $20 for OJ concentrate! And, I’ve never been “energized” when my tummy was screaming profanities at me for neglecting it. As for detoxification . . . I think a couple of laxatives would do the trick just as well. Bottom line; it is impossible to lose any amount of body fat in only two days. Any weight lost will be nothing but water, which will be regained immediately upon completion of the diet. In reality, diets like this are nothing more than fasting. And if fasting is something you actually enjoy doing, there are plenty of religions out there that offer meditation and some pretty cool chants to focus on, that will take the mind off of the hunger pangs.

The so-called “American Heart Association Diet”

Here’s a doozy of a diet that fools people into thinking that it is actually endorsed by the American Heart Association. Here’s just a sample from one day:

Breakfast:
Black Coffee or Tea
1/2 Grapefruit
1 slice toast
2 tbs. peanut butter

Lunch:
1/2 cup of tuna (no mayo)
1 slice toast
Coffee or Tea

Dinner:
2 slices of any meat
1 cup of string beans
1 cup of beets
1 apple
1 cup of vanilla ice cream

The Claim: Lose 3 pounds in 3 days, up to 30 pounds in 40 days

Needless to say, the American Heart Association does NOT sanction this diet. The following is an except from the AHA website:

A weight-loss diet claimed to be from the American Heart Association has been cited several times across the United States and other countries. Many people believe that the three-day or seven-day, hot dog and cabbage soup diets are from the American Heart Association. However, this is not true.

The true AHA diet gives recommended servings per day of various food categories, not specific foods. Most of the diets that are incorrectly labeled as the AHA diet give specific menus or suggest that the diet should be followed for a specific length of time.

One phony diet describes a three-day or seven-day menu, supposedly prescribed by the AHA or by the “Heart Association.” It includes vanilla ice cream, hot dogs, eggs and cheddar cheese. The diet promises a 10-pound weight loss in three days. These bogus diets have been cited as the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet. The poorly typed and photocopied phony diet has also been offered by mail for $2 per copy.

From time to time other fad diets emphasizing other foods will also incorrectly attribute the AHA.

Bottom line; be extremely cautious about anything that is supposedly endorsed by a national institution such as the American Heart Association. When in doubt, go to the organization’s official website and verify this information. If it sounds like it came out of left field, it probably did.

The Answer

Every psycho diet out there promises a loss of weight, which is fine, however what they don’t tell you is that you’ll be losing water weight, and will gain it all back once you complete the diet. And if you are feeling bloated and are actually looking to dump excess water weight, there are a lot less expensive methods for doing this. Try using water pills, for starters. And if you are looking to shed all that excess flab in time for summer . . . well what can I say, except that you’re too late for this year. Instead of torturing yourself with psycho diets that will only make you suffer and make you fatter in the long run, get a jump-start on next year. Start a long-term eating plan that you can live with every day. Do NOT starve yourself, and be sure that you do not limit yourself to one type of food. Also drink plenty of water, especially when exercising. With proper diet and exercise, the average person can reasonably expect to lose between two and five pounds of actual body fat per month. Remember, results cannot be had over night, and nothing worth having comes easy. But the end result is well worth the effort!

Source: http://www.bodybuildingtoday.com/index.php/nutrition/psycho-diets.html

If you add the below mentioned weight loss tips in your day-to-day lifestyle, you will not only feel better, but also look better. Avoid trying to do all these weight loss tips at once, since they do not work well with everybody.

Pick one, and practice it for a week, see if you are comfortable, if not choose another one. If you really want to reduce your weight, then have patience since you may have to wait at least three months to witness the positive outcomes of your weight loss programs.

A few Effective Weight loss Tips:

Below cited are some of the weight loss tips that will help you to cut down the additional pounds that you gained due to an improper diet plan.

1. This is the most vital and natural weight loss tips according to many dieticians. It is advisable to take fruits and vegetables, since they contain beneficial vitamins, fibers and antioxidants.

2. Eating ample of fresh fruits is one of the most effective weight loss tips. This is especially of great use when you eat these fruits between mealtimes. Since, this helps to regulate your sugar level and cravings.

3. Have fresh vegetables with everyday lunch and evening mealtime. Avoid mixing of proteins with starch.

4. Maintain meat consumption to less than 4 to 5 servings a week, which means you need to take vegetarian dishes too.

5. Replace meat with legumes, but begin gradually. You can make use of lentils, peas, and dry beans.

6. Avoid drinking liquids during mealtime. If you feel thirsty, try to drink a bottle of water after 10 minutes.

7. If you take less amount of meal, it may help to balance your intake of calorie level. Beside this, it keeps your sugar level well balanced. Instead of having three big meals a day, it is advisable and beneficial to have 5 to 6 light and small meals all through the day.

8. Pop, cream, juices and sugar in your tea or coffee can add up your weight. Instead, drink at least eight glasses of water each day, since it provides hydration to your body and helps to feel full.

9. Most dieticians also suggest 30 to 60 minutes of physical exercise daily to remain healthy and to cut down those extra pounds.

10. If you really want to cut down your weight, you need to avoid alcohol. Since, these substances are rich in calorie and add additional weight on your body.

11-Nearly every guy or gal who’s tried dieting or fitness has dropped out of a program at least once. Such is life. Work and social events tend to get in the way, lack of adequate emotional support saps the willpower and boredom sets in. Eating the same kind of foods every day is boring. Suiting up at the gym only to go through the same motions is also boring. But this kind of mood can be avoided with a bit of planning and a positive attitude. Here’s a list of the most common mistakes people do when trying to get fit.

12-The number one mistake has to be the failure to plan ahead. Going to the gym with a vague target in mind is the best way to fail. If your target is unclear, how can you know if you’ve reached it or not? If you’re a little vague on the details, maybe you need help. Ask a doctor what’s your ideal weight and make that your goal. Or focus on the number of inches you want to drop off your stomach, bottom and thighs. That works great, too.

13-Coming up with excuses to avoid going to the gym is second on this list. Yes, life tends to get in the way, but that can be arranged with some more planning. Don’t quit the program just because something came up at the last moment. Reschedule your gym session and make sure you don’t get lazy.

14-Don’t work out too little. This may seem too obvious to belong here, but a lot of people lift two dumbbells a couple of times and think they’re done for the day. Sit down at the table for half an hour and come up with a sound training program. If you don’t know enough to make your own program ask a gym trainer or a veteran bodybuilder to help you. People are usually quite happy to show off their knowledge.

15Too much fitness is also bad. Muscles need time to grow and the body needs time to burn fat. Some people think that the body only burns up fat during exercises, but this is not true. The more muscles mass you have, the faster calories get burnt because muscles need energy for maintenance all the time. Even when you’re resting. Overtraining will simply make you tired without any additional benefits.

16-Never compare yourself to others. We are all unique individuals with unique genetic make-ups governing our weight gain, weight loss and response to training. You shouldn’t rate your performance according to the achievements of others, but stick to your own pace and your own goal. If you’re trying too hard too soon, you’re simply asking to fail.

17-Don’t do the same things over and over. There’s no better way to lose motivation that doing the same exercises in the same order over and over again. Learn to juggle around with the exercises that form your routine and replace them with new ones every now and then. Find variations on a classic exercise and try them out. Make things interesting for yourself

18-Don’t stroll into the pub straight from the gym and keep alcohol consumption on a tight leash. Alcohol has extra calories that you don’t want and is also metabolized as fat and very fast. Pumping iron in the gym for 45 minutes and then throwing the entire effort away with a couple of beers is not a good way to move forward.

19-Keep a close eye on your meals. Drop the fast food and snacks from your daily eating plan and forget about soft drinks. At the same time avoid starving yourself. This is a huge mistake and a lot of people do it. Never assume that you can tank your way through a fitness program while starving yourself because you’ll only end up in a hospital. Muscles need nourishing meals in order to grow and starvation is a bad way to diet anyway.

20-And, lastly, never look for a magic fix that can save you all the trouble. You can’t lose weight sitting around and moping in front of the TV or computer. It just doesn’t happen. So get out and go to that gym because it’s good for you. And no excuses!

21-The Atkins diet is the most admired of the top 10 diets. This low-carbohydrate diet encourages the elimination of carbohydrates from your diet. The diet really works and you can munch as much as fats and proteins you want. However, before starting this diet, study a bit to know the suitability of this diet for your body.

22-South Beach Diet

This diet is one of the most successful of the top 10 diets to lose weight. It is not a low-fat or low-carb diet. Instead, it focuses on consuming the correct amount of fats and carbs. The diet depends on the glycemic index. It limits the intake of carbs in the initial two weeks and then re-introduces those carbs with a low glycemic index. You need to eat three healthy meals daily, along with some snacks, provided they are healthy enough.

23-Cabbage Soup Diet

It is also one of the effective of the top 10 diets. The diet contains insignificant amount of calories. You will observe instant weight loss, if you stick to cabbage soup diet for a week. The more soup you consume, more pounds you drop.

24-Grapefruit Diet

This is the finest weight loss diet for obese people. The advantages of this diet arrive from the addition of grapefruit to a low-calorie and low-fat diet.

25-SlimFast Diet

This is also one of the superior of the top 10 diets. The diet restores your breakfast and lunch meals, with two SlimFast shakes, and puts ahead for a usual meal for dinner. These low calorie shakes will help you to lose weight.

26-Subway Diet

It is also a well-known diet of the top 10 diets. The low fat content in the Subway sandwiches assist you to lose weight.

27-The Beverly Hills Diet

This diet reaps the benefits of the natural chemical reaction of foods when consumed to lose weight. The diet is quite strict, as protein needs to go with proteins and carbohydrates with carbohydrates only. The diet is exceptionally restrictive, but motivates rapid weight loss.

28-3-Day Diet

This is also one of best of top 10 diets. The diet can be ideal to lose weight, if you can follow a three-day meal plan without wandering from it.

29-Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

This is one of the sensitive diets of the top 10 diets. Hence, you need to follow it carefully. It is a low-calorie diet, which stimulates quick weight loss.

30-Negative Calorie Diet

This is one of the ultimate types of diet among the top 10 diets to reduce weight. It includes addition of healthy vegetables to your diet as much as possible. http://aloeverainfo.co.cc/

The best way to living a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy and forming healthy eating habits for the long run, has always come from within, within the home that is. We cannot look to others, books, magazines and publications for making us a healthy family or giving us the healthy lifestyle we would want to live. Sure these publications could give us the inspiration and motivation to take that step ourselves and to live a healthy lifestyle of choice. Everything still ends up with the home and family and we need to take that extra step in being courageous consumers when it comes to our choice of food.
One of those choices would be whether we want to continue eating obese foods, such as fast food, refined foods, processed foods or bleached foods. We need to take the responsibility and get back to what Mother Nature provided us, with food in its natural form, without any instructions to refine or process these foods. Obesity is directly linked to bad food choices in the form of highly refined carbohydrates and sugars which really is only a form of poison to our bodies. Gone are the days when considering those foods nutritious or beneficial to our families.
A solution each of us have available is to return to the bygone years of food production, or processing at home, sure it is less convenient, but the benefits are overwhelming an in a sense, you don’t have to watch what you eat really if you are consuming natural, high fibrous and unprocessed food. These foods will not only provide a healthy lifestyle, but will enable you to take care of a healthy family through healthy cooking and eating.
Ways to produce healthy food for your family would be to look at obtaining a grain mill and natural whole wheat grains which you can mill in your own time and for purposes you need such as baking and providing daily natural and fresh bread to your family. Another would be to start a victory garden, or vegetable garden in your back yard or in smaller pots in order to provide your own vegetables and salad items for the table. These foods are so healthy and nutritious for your family that you would reap the benefits almost immediately without worries of consuming unnatural processed and refined foods from the store.
Make healthy cooking and eating a priority for your family and the benefits will be seen before long. Benefits would include healthy digestion, disease fighting nutrition, obesity suppression etc. which will lead to a healthy family and lifestyle you will be grateful for. Not to mention the fun and satisfaction in producing your own food, being independent wholly from buying all your food from the supermarket. You can start your journey on the road of independence and take charge of your healthy eating habits, cooking and eating to promote your healthy family
A last word on healthy eating habits is this: there are many ways to promote the healthy family lifestyle you want and deserve, look at fresh produce you can grow in your own yard, storing whole grain which will last years, and when milled will give you the best and freshest whole wheat flour you can use for all your healthy cooking requirements. Canning vegetables and sauces is very easy too and is a skill you can learn in a very short time. In a day and age where the economic future is uncertain, being able to produce and store your own healthy food is vital to your health and lifestyle you would like to preserve