My Diet Plan

Now that I have covered three of the most popular diet on the market today, I'll let you know about my diet. My approach to diets is based on my goals which are: to loose body fat and to gain muscles. But I also believe that life is too short for me to deprive myself from the countless dishes that tantalizing my taste buds. So I would not be embarking on any of the diets I discussed in the last three posts. However, I do adopt some of the principles of these diets. What are the principles of my diet? Well let me give you a brief breakdown of my diet:

• I adopt the principle of eating small amounts of food in any one meal, but I eat more frequent meals. This helps me to get just enough fuel to keep me going without starving my body.
• A typical meal consists of mostly protein, a small amount of starch (carbohydrates) and a full serving of vegetables. I also substitute some of my snacks with a protein shake. This allows me to get the protein I need as I am lifting weights. I don't give my body too much starch so my body fat does not increase and the vegetables fill me up as well as provides minerals, vitamins and fibre.
  
• I do not completely cut out the nice foods, that is chocolate, ice cream, cookies, pizza, fried foods and pastries. However, I do not eat these foods on a regular basis nor do I gorge myself on these fatty, sugar-filled foods. I view these foods as novelties, a reward for myself, and not something for me to have every week.
• I eat mostly baked or cooked food, and I stay far away from fry foods as much as possible. I prefer to eat lean meat such as fish and chicken, but I occasionally eat beef and pork as these are high in protein but more fat.
  
• Exercise...yes I know you are saying diet only relates to food. However, I consider exercise as an integral part of any diet programme as it helps you to burn the unwanted fat and build muscles that are needed to give your body a sculpted look.

That is basically the gist of my diet programme, the main thing is to eat in moderation and exercise regularly. I have been seeing improvements since I started this new approach, although I would love to see the results faster, but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day! Whatever diet programme you choose, make sure it's sustainable and it works for you, get professional help if you can and always remember to include regular exercise.

Diet Fads At A Glance Pt. III: The Jenny Craig Diet

"Have you called Jenny yet?" No doubt you have been hearing this question on numerous Jenny Craig advertisements on almost all cable and public stations. Their latest set of TV ads feature the success story of Kristie Alley, formerly of Cheers. What is the Jenny Craig diet programme all about?

According to the website, "The Company offers a comprehensive weight management program that helps clients learn how to eat the foods they want, increase their energy level through simple activity, and build more balance into their lives for optimal weight loss and well-being." Also the diet programme is "... Designed by an expert Medical Advisory Panel and our own team of Registered Dietitians, whose recommendations are based on the latest nutrition, weight management and disease prevention research." - Jenny Craig Program Information http://www.jennycraig.com/programs/faq-pi.asp.

The programme tries to accomplish weight loss and maintenance by the use of three goals:

• A healthy relationship with food. The programme focuses on portion control and balanced food choices. The programme also highlights the importance of "tuning into" physical and emotional eating cues and the pleasure of eating via their menus and online journal.
• An active lifestyle. Unlike the other two diet programmes that focused on only dieting, the Jenny Craig programme also has an exercise component. The exercise component encourages members to gradually increase through a combination of natural, planned and also surprisingly, playful physical activities. They offer walking audio cassettes, a video series an well as other products to encourage their clients to engage in a variety of cardio, resistance and stretching exercises.
• A balanced approach to living. The developers believe that weight issues can also be contributed to peoples stress and emotions. Therefore, the programme also focuses on problem solving strategies to help their clients to manage stress and their emotions.

The Jenny Craig Diet offers two types of membership programmes:

• Local Center - Where members have weekly consultations at one of the Jenny Craig centers with a trained consultant and private weigh-in sessions. There are also a variety of the diet programmes cuisine as well as products offered at these centers. Members are also provided with 24/7 online message boards and live chat to provide support from other members.
• At Home - members will have weekly schedule's phone consultations from any location of their choice. This is would be the best programme for members who are too far away from the Jenny Craig center or for busy individuals. Members on this programme will also receive biweekly food delivered directly to their homes. Like the Local Center programme they will also have access to 24/7 online message boards and live chat to provide support from other members.

According to the Jenny Craig website, they offer a variety of diet programmes that a specifically designed to meet the individual needs of their members. The pricing options of these programmes vary based on several factors and can vary by geographic regions. These membership options include:

• Jenny Craig Platinum
• Jenny Craig Gold
• Jenny Rewards
• Jenny Ontrack
• Jenny Tuneup
• there is even a Special Trial Offer

That is just a gist of what the Jenny Craig diet entails. For more detailed information you can visit their website at http://www.jennycraig.com.

I hope you have found this three part series on the current diet fads helpful and wish you all the success in your endeavors to loose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Diet Fads At A Glance Pt. II: The South Beach Diet

Another very famous diet that has been on so many people’s lips is the South Beach Diet. But how does this diet work? This post will explore this diet fad to give you a basic idea behind this diet.

Like the Atkins diet programme, discussed in the previous post, the South Beach Diet involves phases, however the South Beach Diet consists on only three phases. The phases of the Atkins diet is basically based on the same general principle.

Phase 1 involves eating three balanced meals as well as snacks. This is not just a slack off where the diet programme is concerned; it is actually mandatory, even if you are not hungry. How can this be? The reason behind this is, according to the South Beach Diet that the snacks keep you more satisfied, so the next time you eat you will be less likely to overeat. During this phase your meals will consist of lean meats such as chicken, fish, turkey and shellfish eggs, reduced-fat cheese, nuts, beans and of course plenty of vegetables. Vegetarians are not left out as they can eat meat substitutes and tofu. However, you will have to give up bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and even fruits. You are also not allowed to eat candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, alcohol or sugar. In the second phase the diet allows you to add some of these to your diet. The purpose of Phase 1 is to kick start your weight loss.

Phase 2 will allow you to start reintroducing the right carbs, such as fruit and whole-grain breads and past, in your diet. In this stage you will slowly reintroduce these carbs. First you will choose a single carbohydrate and add it to one of your daily meals for one week. You will monitor your body’s reaction to this change. If it responds favorably you can now add a second choice and continue to monitor your body’s reaction. This gradual addition and monitoring process is continued until you are able to eat two to three servings of the right carbs a day. If your body reacts in a negative way you are encouraged to revert to Phase 1 until things are back under control.

Phase 3 is termed as “A Diet for Life” by the South Beach Diet. You will begin this phase when you have finally reached your weight loss goal. The individual will continue following the principles of Phases 1 and 2 of the South Beach Diet. This phase is less restrictive than the first two, however you should not abandon the diets and eat anything you want. Instead you should continue to make smart food choices and feel free to experiment with new recipes and ingredients.

That was just a summary of the information I found on the South Beach Diet’s website. For more information you can visit their site at http://www.southbeachdiet.com. The next post will look at the third of this three part topic, the Jenny Craig diet.