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Weight Loss Diet, What Works and What Doesn’t

The first myth refers to the high consumption of proteins. A lot of people tend to believe that by consuming extremely high amounts of proteins, their bodies will gain more muscles. This statement is completely false; every weight loss diet should include proteins, but only in a reserved amount. You see, proteins take a lot of body fluids to eliminate waste, which is why the excessive protein consumption may lead to dehydration and other problems.

The second myth refers to water consumption. Ok, now we are getting to the most interesting part about a weight loss diet. You should be very careful, since there are a lot of people who might tell you that, by reducing your water consumption, you will loose weight, and while this is true, you will only loose weight related to your body fluids, which might lead to further complications in your body, but you will not be loosing any fat at all. Water consumption is of extreme importance in every weight loss diet, not only because it keeps your body free of toxins, but also because it gives your body the nutrients it needs to stay fit.

The last myth refers to sugar consumption. Ok, we all know that candies and sugar filled types of food are probably the most enjoyed meals that people crave; however, for your weight loss diet, people might have told you that sugar is out of the picture if you are truly trying to lose some weight. The truth is that your sugar consumption should depend on the process that you are willing to follow during a weight loss diet. If your weight loss diet includes plenty of exercise, then sugar is utterly important. Sugar will give you the fuel you need in order to improve your performance at any given sport, the amount of energy that it provides will easily help you when burning the amount of fat it provides, and more.

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Weight Loss Companies Prey on Women’s Greatest Fears‎

At the same time, I’ve always been confident, outgoing, and had a strong sense of self, never hesitating to know or to communicate who I am. And that has been the truth no matter where the scale has gone.

But the folks behind weight loss programs, pills, supplements, foods, and support groups want me — and women like me — to think otherwise. They’d rather our sense of self-worth and identity was inextricably woven to our weight.

I realized this recently when I saw two posters at a Weight Watchers center, which display the following boasts from now-thin women: “When I look in the mirror, I see the real me” and “Now I’m the person I always wanted to be.”

I couldn’t help but notice that these were the messages exclusively from and targeting women … Women like a lady in one of my WW meetings, actually, who called the leader’s bluff and remarked that she’s always worn fashionable clothes and loved how she looks in them, no matter what size she’s fit into.

GM Diet

The point she was making was loud and clear: Just because you have some weight to lose doesn’t mean you should be having an identity crisis!

Negative Calorie

After all, men aren’t being told that they need to drop the pounds to be the person they’ve always wanted to be. In fact, the WW poster from and for men read, “You can do this.” That’s all. No mention of self-worth, the mirror, the real him. No, all he needs is a little Tony Robbins-style motivational tap.

I’m a Lifetime Weight Watcher, currently on the new PointsPlus program leading up to my wedding. I approve of the plan itself for the most part as a great way to learn and adhere to healthy lifestyle habits. But noticing how these two campaigns are like night and day really underlined a mega, double-edged problem when it comes to what Weight Watchers and similar companies are selling women and what we’re buying. It’s so disappointing to see how these commercial diets continue to steer us into a dangerous trap: Tying up who we are as people, our minds and souls, with our weight. Telling us that if we’re overweight, we must not be our authentic selves.

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What is Dukan Diet and its side-effects?

This article gives pertinent information about Dukan Diet and its side-effects

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Pierre Dukan, a French doctor and nutritionist, challenged with the case of obesity started to look for alternative ways in curing the illness. After 20 years of thorough research he published in the year 2000, a book called, “Je ne sais pas maigrir” or translated as, “I don’t know how to get slimmer.” It gained the best-seller in France after a year it has been published.
It was made a hit in UK when Kate Middleton, now the duchess of Cambridge, tried the Dukan Diet before her marriage to the beloved Prince William, she reportedly claimed a loss of two dress sizes. It also allegedly claimed to help five million French. The book is also gaining fame in the US in the year 2011 when actress/singer, Jennifer Lopez, lost pounds after her pregnancy by following this diet.
Dukan Diet: What is it? How does this work?
Dukan Diet is similar to the famous Atkins diet. Atkins and Dukan are much alike in terms of non-intake of carbs initially and do not require portion control or counting calorie consumptions. In Atkins, it requires net carbohydrate intakes and unlike Dukan, it suggests a daily intake of oats, increase water consumption and 20 minutes of everyday brisk walking. Dukan Diet adopts four phases namely: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization.
Four Phases of the Dukan Diet
Attack: In this starter phase, the dieter is only allowed take protein rich foods that are exquisitely low in fat. Dr. Dukan provided 72-item list of foods to be eaten, it excludes pork, lamb, poultry products and cheeses. Food should always be cooked but without adding any fat to it, it best to cook in grilling or roasting. It also requires you to eat 1 ½ tbsp. oat bran & 1.5 liters of water per day. This phase should be followed around 2-7 days or more. Results from this initial phase within 5 days may result in 4-7 lbs. loss. This phase promotes quick loss of weight since it is strictly based on a protein-only diet.
Cruise: Cruise, the second to the fourth phase of the Dukan diet scheme. During this phase dieters who were only allowed to eat protein-only foods can now alternate a 28-items of non-starchy vegetables. They may take attack phase diet for today and take non-starchy veggie diet for tomorrow, and so this phase must go on by alternating these two types of diet each day. This phase may last long enough as much as you want by reaching your desired weight and assuring 2 pounds per week loss.
Consolidation: As one achieves the desired weight, one has to go the next phase called Consolidation, this is the maintenance phase of this diet scheme where you have to prevent putting back excess pounds. The plan in this phase is less strict compared to the first two phases. During this phase you are permitted to eat protein-only and veggie diet along with a piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole grain bread and a portion of hard cheese. In this phase you are allowed to have 1-2 serving of starchy foods and one celebration meal per week. The phase of consolidation does not expect to loss off pounds but rather it is steadily the maintenance process.
Stabilization: Stabilization is the final phase and a life-long phase of the diet scheme. In here maintenance of the life-changing diet may be a challenging and tempting. During this portion of the scheme, one is already permitted to allow any food intake that a person wants and by also sticking to the diet rule in the consolidation phase. As Pierre Dukan suggest, that staying on the phase 1 rule once a week and eat whatever you like for the rest of the week lowers the chances of regaining weight.
Pros and Cons of Dukan Diet
Pros: The fast results of this diet scheme is beneficially rewarding and motivating. It allows you to have protein and veggie meal plan diets and does not require you to count off your calorie intakes.
Cons: It is highly restrictive and can exclude healthy foods. Dieters can experience side-effects such as symptoms of headaches, nausea, lethargy, irritable and loss of concentration. Dieters may acquire halitosis (bad breath), metallic tasting mouth and strong smell in their urines. For those people who have problems with their kidneys and liver are not advised to follow this diet plan. It is not also recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Views and Opinions by Health Experts on the Dukan Diet
There are lots of critics in this diet plan. Due to the restrictive type scheme of this diet, some fruits, grains and nuts which are healthy and have high amounts of vitamins and minerals that are vital to the nutrition of the body are eliminated. Keri Gans of American Dietetic Association, said that the lost amount of multivitamins that should be acquired from those restricted foods are not compensated in the Dukan diet. Experts have also criticized that experiencing such side-effects may not be healthy at all.

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