Weight Loss Diet Program Reviews: Choosing the Right Diet for You

Many people who find themselves constantly dieting or going through a yo-yo dieting cycle are stuck in a diet that is in fact weighing them down.

A diet is meant to enhance your life, not slow you down or make you feel discouraged in any way. Although this has been the dieting of the past, today we have established more effective ways to lose weight that we can actually utilize everyday, and not even realize it once we get into the routine. This is the type of diet everyone wants to take advantage of.

One of the main causes of a weight loss diet slowing you down may be a result of the price of the products required for your particular chosen program.

There are many diet and weight loss programs on the market today that entice you to join with their great promises of extreme weight loss results. And then you only find that you have been taken into a program that is constantly draining your wallet and your energy.

Does this sound like you? If so, it is time to start paying attention to the healthy and all natural diets.

Many dieters find that when they are on a diet they cannot go out for dinner with their friends and family and enjoy life as they did before their diet. This is the type of diet that can really drain your life because of how it weighs you down and forces you to spend more time at home, trying to ignore your hunger cravings.

When a diet forces you to exclude carbohydrates for example, it can be almost impossible to eat at a restaurant or even go to a friend’s house for dinner if you are going to stick to this diet plan. When you find this is happening with your current diet plan, it is time to find a diet that is more effective.

Excluding food groups and essentials like carbohydrates from your diet can potentially damage your health and this is one feature of any diet plan that you should avoid.

The diet you choose should do the complete opposite of weighing you down, it is meant to revitalize you! Many people have yet to find a diet that allows them to feel better and see weight loss results and maintain this new feeling of health.

A lot of the diets are short term. And this is why it can be hard to find results when your chosen diet only maps out a few weeks of elimination of carbs or calories, from here you end up back where you started more than likely.

When you begin your diet, you should have all the information regarding how to utilize nutrition no matter where you are, so you can always do what you want to do and where you want to do it.

The only type of money you should be spending on your diet program is for healthy foods and meals that can help you begin your new natural diet. If you find you are constantly spending money on supplements and diet pills it is time to go all natural.

The easy way to weight loss is to make the decision to really change your lifestyle. If you are not able to make this decision, then you are going to find yourself constantly feeling weighed down by your weight loss diet plan, and this can be very discouraging for anyone of any age.

A good diet plan will guide you through each and every step, providing you with resources and tools to make this lifestyle change as easy as possible.

The good news for you is that there are weight loss diet programs that offer simple yet effective diets on the market today. You can check out their reviews to find out if the diet is right for you.

10 Strategies for Successful Weight Loss

The great ones have great strategies for success—Odysseus hiding in the Trojan horse, Ali using the rope-a-dope, Bugs Bunny dressing in drag.

Your weight-loss strategy should be similarly inspired. Willpower alone won't shrink your waist—you need facts and wisdom on your side if you're going to maintain the resolve you showed in January.

There are scientists who study weight loss so the rest of us can keep track of the important stuff, like spring training and Rotisserie drafts. These researchers regularly come up with good advice, the latest and greatest of which we've gathered for you. Pick a few tips, put them in your lineup, and get back in the weight-loss game.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #1

Weigh Yourself Often

Time was, experts said to stay off the scale—it can be discouraging. But after studying 3,500 individuals from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) who've maintained 60 or more pounds of weight loss for at least a year, researchers found that 44 percent weighed themselves daily.

Unhealthy obsession? No, says James Hill, Ph.D., NWCR cofounder and director of the center for human nutrition at the University of Colorado. "They use it as an early warning system for preventing weight regain," he explains. "If your goal is to keep your weight at a certain level, you have to have feedback to see whether you're successful."

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #2

Turn Off the TV

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York recently determined that simply seeing food can trigger a physiological "feed me" response. In the study, visual food cues caused brain activity to jump by 24 percent—mostly in the orbitofrontal cortex, the area of the brain related to drive and acquisition. So a constant barrage of pizza-delivery ads on TV could test your limits. And don't get us started on the Food Network.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #3

Pray the Fat Away

Christian men who report feeling greater intimacy with God through prayer are more likely to be physically active than other men, according to research from Cornell University. "Studies have shown that those who have more social support move more, and being closer to God may give men that support," says lead researcher Karen Kim.

Another possible reason: "General religion in the United States encompasses theological teachings about the body as a temple, which may also lead to the consumption of a healthier diet and increased physical activity," she adds. Amen to that.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #4

Beware Tastebud Betrayal

"Hunger increases healthy men's taste sensitivity to sweet and salty substances," says researcher Yuriy Zverev, of the University of Malawi. This means vending-machine snacks (which come in two flavors: sweet or salty—coincidence?) will taste even better when you're hungry.

You could trust that you'd savor the flavor by eating only a small amount. (Right.) Or you could sidestep this land mine altogether. "Eat offensively," says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Eat regularly during the day to stave off cravings and the bingeing that can result."

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #5

Snack on Almonds

Seventy per day, to be exact. That's the number that people in a City of Hope National Medical Center experiment ate daily for 6 months, in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet, to drop 18 percent of their body weight.

Study author Michelle Wien partially credits the satiety factor. "Almonds are a nutrient-dense food that provides healthful monounsaturated fat, protein, and fiber, which together contribute to feeling full," she says.

Go for whole almonds in their unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted state. Fifteen to 20 will do the trick for a quick snack. Try 50 as a meal replacement.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #6

Grab the Day

Long summer days can help you lose weight. "The best time to start a diet is in May, because the days are very long, which makes your energy levels go up and your food cravings go down," says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at MIT. "You'll eat less and exercise more." So if you get home and it's still light, go for that run.

Conversely, resolution-crazed January is the worst time to diet—the short days knock your serotonin levels out of whack, causing cravings. An Apollo Health goLite P1 lamp can help your body adjust to the dark days of winter.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #7

Pour a Bowl of Cereal for Lunch

A study from Purdue University shows that eating cereal in place of meals helps you lose weight. Participants consumed an average of 640 fewer total daily calories and lost roughly 4 pounds during the 2-week intervention.

According to study author Richard Mattes, M.P.H., Ph.D., R.D., the approach teaches portion control with a convenient, easy-to-use food. Stick to filling, high-fiber cereals, like All-Bran or Fiber One, and eat them with low-fat milk.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #8

Go Under the Needle

When Polish researchers examined acupuncture as a diet aid, they found that people who got needled lost 10 more pounds and ticked 2 additional points off their BMIs compared with those who merely cut calories.

Marie Cargill, a licensed acupuncturist in the Boston area, explains that pressure points on the body—mostly on the ear—work as a switchboard to the brain, triggering electrical pulses that suppress appetite. "The ear system is very effective for addiction treatment," she says.

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #9

Eat a Cow's Worth

Of dairy, that is. Reports of the benefits just keep coming.

Recently, a University of Tennessee study found that people who ate a daily 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium from dairy lost an average of 24 pounds, or 11 percent of their total body weight. "When you don't have enough calcium in your diet, you're more efficient at making fat and less efficient at breaking down fat, causing a bigger, fatter fat cell," says lead researcher Michael Zemel, Ph.D.

Get the just-right amount by taking in two 8-ounce glasses of low-fat milk (699 mg), a cup of low-fat yogurt (338 mg), and an ounce and a half of cheese (287 mg).

Weight-Loss Success Strategy #10

Gamble on Yourself

Take a cue from the poker craze and wager against a buddy to see who can shed the most pounds. "Men do really well when they make weight loss a competitive game," says New York City nutritionist Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., author of Cooking with Joy. "Have a 6-month and a 1-year check-in—none of that 2-week garbage."

Or try it in teams, as on NBC's The Biggest Loser, and you'll double the incentive—you'll want to win the bet and avoid letting down your team. "Healthy competition can bring out the absolute best in people," says the show's red-team trainer, Jillian Michaels, owner of SkySport and Spa in Beverly Hills.

She recommends that the team take on a swimming relay or a 5-K run. "That way, it's not a scenario like ‘Who can lift the most?'" she says. "Losing weight is ultimately about better health. For $100, somebody might do a pulldown that's way too heavy and end up tearing a rotator cuff." It'd be a shame if, after you'd lost all that weight, you still couldn't button your pants.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/motivation_to_lose_weight/Weight_Loss_Success_Strategy_10.php#ixzz0jZcgGU6P

Weight-loss Evolution

It's how you run, not how far that reaps fat-burning benefits. So try these five simple routines to run smarter, not further

YOUR ACTION PLAN

What? Five fat-burning running programs you can tailor towards your lifestyle and goals.

Why? To lose a kilo of fat you need to burn approximately 29000 kil0joules more than you eat. Running is one of the fastest ways to expel energy and keeps your metabolism hiked up long after you've chucked your trainers back in the cupboard.

Who? Anyone who wants to burn fat quickly and cheaply.

When? Do two or three of the routines below each week, leaving at least a day of rest between each run.

1 Keep it short

Best if running bores you

The science For some people, running for long periods can be about as exciting as a double bill of The Antiques Road Show. If this is you then you'll be pleased to hear that a study at Canada's Laval University found people doing cardio exercise for 45 minutes burnt less fat than those who did interval training for 25 minutes. If 45 minutes on the trot is too dull follow the study's 25-minute program below to cash in on these fat-zapping benefits.

The appliance Warm up with a slow three-minute run. Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat this eight times. Run as fast as you can for 60 seconds and rest for 60 seconds. Repeat five times.

Result: get instant fat-burning benefits.

2 Bait your threshold

Best to be pitch-ready fast

The science If you want to get fitter, faster, you have to increase your pace to just below your lactate threshold. A paper in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found unfit guys who ran at just below this threshold burnt twice as much fat as trained athletes. One way to find your lactate threshold is to run at a slow pace then increase your speed every two minutes until you rate your effort as seven out of 10.
For an alternative, see below.

The appliance Run at a slow pace, increasing speed every two minutes. The speed at which your breathing has become markedly deeper is your lactate threshold. Now take your foot off the gas to run just below it. Run 15 minutes at this pace then rest for two minutes. Repeat three times.

Result: super-fast match fitness.

3 I rest my case

Best if you don't like long runs

The science "Less pain, more gain," could be the new mantra that keeps you lean. You're not complaining. Research in the Journal of Applied Physiology found guys doing 60 minutes of cardio training who took a 20-minute break at the halfway mark, burnt more fat than guys who exercised for a full hour without a break. It's thought the first session mobilises the fat into your blood stream and the second session burns it off.

The appliance Run for 30 minutes at a leisurely pace. Stop and stretch your upper body for 20 minutes. Run for another 30 minutes. Or, run one 30-minute session in the morning before work and another after work. Don't wear the same kit or you'll clear the gym.

Result: better results by bookending work.

4 The afterburner

Best if you like track running

The science Whether you run five kilometres in 25 minutes or 65 minutes, you'll still burn the same amount of kilojoules while you're doing it. However, a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found people who did high-intensity exercise burnt more kilojoules after exercise than those who trained for longer at a lower intensity. Use this routine to slim when sedentary.

The appliance Run six sets of 400 metres at a pace that's eight out of 10 effort. Jog for two minutes to recover. Run eight sets of 200m at a pace that's eight out of 10 effort. Jog slowly for two minutes to recover. Run two sets of 800m at a pace that's eight out of 10 effort. Jog slowly for four minutes to recover.

Result: burn fat while you're sitting down.

5 Go that extra mile

Best if you want to build stamina

The science It's what you always wanted to hear: slow-and-steady can win the race against fat. A study published in The Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences found that when subjects increased the amount of time they ran from 30 to 45 minutes, the rate at which they burnt kilojoules after the run doubled. When they ran for an hour they burnt five times more kilojoules after their run than after a 30-minute run - not a bad return on your fat-burning investment.
The appliance Continue to run for your usual amount of time, but try adding five minutes extra each week until you're running for around an hour. Or alternate between running and walking in 10-minute intervals to clock your time.

Result: burn more fat in the long run.

Bad form on cardio machines

Hunching over or using a death-grip on the handrail cheats your body and can throw off your alignment, thus jarring your spine, shoulders, and elbows.

To make sure that you are getting the best out of a cardio machine, make sure that you don’t set the incline or resistance so high that it causes you to hang onto the machine too tightly. Instead, use a natural gait with a light grip for better results. If you want a more challenging workout, then hold on lightly with one hand and move the other arm, switching arms once in a while.

Why Weight?

Vanity not enough of a reason for you to burn off excess fat with exercise? Lose your gut and you could also gain more money, more sex and a rosier outlook on life.

1 BURN, BABY, BURN
Your bespoke fat suit is from years of eating more calories than you’ve been burning. “Start consuming fewer calories than you need, so that your body turns to its fat cells for energy instead,” says Dr Jack Edmonds, weight loss advisor at The London Clinic. Then the lumpy skin pockets these fat cells are stored in will begin to deflate, and that suit becomes a bit more figure-hugging. The fat is then absorbed into your liver, kidney and muscles.

2 SKIN TIGHT
“Controlling weight loss with diet and exercise means your skin will shrink to fit your body, thanks to its elasticity,” says Dr Ian Campbell, an obesity specialist. “To maintain the collagen that provides this elasticity, drink eight glasses of water a day and eat vitamin C-rich fruits like guava and kiwis,” says Amanda Ursell, author of The Complete Guide To Healing Foods. Skimp on the fruit and your skin will be baggier than jeans from the 1990s.

3 SLEEP SOUNDLY
“Being overweight disrupts sleep and leads to snoring,” says Marianne Davey, director of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association. Lose flab to reduce the neck’s fatty tissues, which squeeze your airways. Dropping 10 per cent of excess weight can improve sleep by two hours a night, found the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

4 HAPPY DAYS
Gut-busting makes you feel good. “By breaking down fat, you’re producing energy-boosting by-products called ketones,” says Dr Edmonds. “Your brain prefers these to its normal energy source – glucose. As a result, it gets revved up and releases a cocktail of feel-good chemicals.” But eat regular, small meals and sip water all day. “If ketones build up, your blood becomes acidic, making you weak and lethargic,” warns Dr Edmonds.

5 CLEAR YOUR PIPES
University of Texas research shows a 10 per cent weight drop reduces blood pressure, halves your diabetes risk and cuts LDL (bad) cholesterol by 15 per cent. The trump card: lose 4.5kg for better sex. “Conditions linked to being overweight can cause arteries in the penis to shut down,” says Dr Andrew McCullough, director of sexual health at New York University. Lose weight to keep yours flowing.

6 DOUBLE YOUR SAVINGS
In the UK, obesity has more than doubled in the past 18 years, and the average male spends $180 a week on junk food and booze. In the US, obese Americans pay more for health care each year than do normal-weight adults. It’s not difficult to make a connection and appreciate the financial benefits of staying lean. Save on the unhealthy snack habit and you will also save on the unnecessary medical expenses in the future.

Running

While many people find running tedious and monotonous, truthfully, it actually burns some serious fat. This is because running is a weight bearing activity that uses up a lot of energy.

Because of this, your body will do its best and try to make it easier for you by shedding kilos. Therefore, try to build up the intensity of your run over time for the maximum results. Most trainers recommend increasing the intensity of your workout to see improvement in your strength and aerobic capability.

10 Strategies for permanent weight loss

1. Exercise is essential for weight loss

It's nothing new, but exercise is probably the most important predictor of whether you will succeed at long term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. In order for exercise to be helpful in weight loss, you should strive for a minimum of five 30 minute sessions per week. The good news is that recent research has shown that three 10 minute sessions in a day are as good as one 30 minute session. This helps many in combating the old "no time for exercise" excuse. Be certain to find something you enjoy. You'll be more apt to stick with it. Try walking with a friend, joining an intramural sports league, participating in outings with a group like The Sierra Club, or trying some classes at your local gym. Once you give exercise a chance, you will begin to enjoy its positive benefits on your psyche as well; you will literally become "hooked."

Having trouble getting a workout in? Why not try one of these Diet Channel recommended programs:

• 15 minute boot camp workout
• Power workout for busy executives
• 10 minute workout for busy moms

2. Weight loss and weight training

We chose to list this separately from the "exercise" category because of the significant weight loss benefits attached to weight training in and of itself. The basic equation is this: the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you will burn. This is why world class weight lifters must eat thousands of calories a day to maintain their weight. Muscle is active tissue, fat is not. Thus, muscle "burns" a significant number of calories each day for its own maintenance. In her book Strong Women Stay Slim, Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University researcher, showed that a group of women who followed a weight loss diet and did weight training exercises lost 44% more fat than those who only followed the diet. While aerobic activity can help burn calories, muscle's where it's at when it comes to giving your metabolism a significant daily boost even at rest.

Read Cardio and Strength Training: How do you create a balanced routine? to find out how best to pursue numbers 1 and 2 above in tandem.

3. Keep a diary for triggers that hinder weight loss

Keeping a food diary can be a huge asset in successful weight loss. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers. Study any patterns that emerge from your food diary and identify where you may be able to make more healthful changes. A food diary provides an added benefit of keeping you focused on and committed to your goals. Start keeping a food diary today by printing our food diary.

4. Stay focused on being healthy, not on becoming thin

Many people become more successful at long term weight loss when their motivation changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mindset to think about selecting foods that will help your body's health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your body's weight. The Food Pyramid offers a basic outline of the types and amounts of food you should eat each day to give your body the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

5. Find out why you overeat

All too often overeating is triggered by stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, depression and other emotions. Learning to deal with emotions without food is a significant skill that will greatly serve long term weight control. The Solution, a book and national program developed by Laurel Mellin, RD, helps participants to identify their eating triggers and respond to them without food. A research study showed that the participants in this program demonstrated a better rate of long term weight loss maintenance than those who simply diet and/or exercise and don't address behavioral and emotional issues. Chronic over-eaters and "emotional eaters" can be significantly helped by learning new behavioral skills such as those Mellin presents. You can also seek help with behavioral and emotional eating issues from a licensed counselor or psychologist in your area.

6. Weight loss support: join a weight management group

A big key in long term weight control comes from receiving encouragement and support from others. You can check to see if groups such as Jenny Craig offer programs and resources in your areas. You may also wish to check with your local hospital to see if their registered dietitian conducts group weight loss programs.

7. Weight loss and portion control

With the advent of "super-size" meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amounts of food you consume at a sitting. When necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag. It is all too easy to be a "plate cleaner" even when served enormous portions. Learn to pay attention to your hunger level and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.

8: Lose weight slowly with small changes

Try to remember that "losing 15 pounds in two weeks" is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that the more quickly weight is lost, the more likely the loss is coming from water and muscle, not fat. Since muscle tissue is critical in keeping our metabolism elevated, losing it actually leads to a decrease in the amount of calories we can each day without gaining weight. Fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. Strive for a weight loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories. By making small changes like eliminating 250 calories a day from food and expending 250 calories a day from exercise, you can lose one pound (of mostly fat) per week. You can calculate how much time you need to exercise to burn 250 calories by clicking here. You can calculate your caloric needs by clicking here, and then subtract 250 from that number.

9. Eating slowly can lead to weight loss

Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy and savor every tasty morsel.

10. Weight loss through eating less fat - but do it wisely

We've known for some time that limiting high fat foods in the diet can be helpful with weight loss. That's because fats pack in 9 calories per gram compared to only 4 calories per gram from proteins or carbohydrates. To many, the message to limit fats implied an endorsement to eat unlimited amounts of fat-free products. Just to clarify, fat-free foods have calories too. In some cases fat-free foods have as many calories as their fat laden counterparts. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. Eating less fat will help you to lose weight. Eating less fat and replacing it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.

Adapted from Original Article