Diets to promote weight loss

         Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in 


a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a 


controlled weight. In most cases dieting is 


used in combination withphysical exercise to 


lose weight in those who are overweight or 


obese. Some athletes however aspire to gain 


weight (usually in the form of muscle). Diets 


can also be used to maintain a stable body 


weight.

Diets to promote weight loss are generally 


divided into four categories: low-fat, 


low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and very low 


calorie. A meta-analysis of six randomized 


controlled trials found no difference between 


the main diet types (low calorie, low 


carbohydrate, and low fat), with a 2–4 


kilogram weight loss in all studies. At two 


years all calorie-reduced diet types cause 


equal weight loss irrespective of the 


macronutrients emphasized.

The first popular diet was "Banting", named


 after William Banting. In his 1863 pamphlet 


Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public


 he outlined the details of a particular


 low-carbohydrate diet that had led to his own


 dramatic weight loss.

      LOW FAT DIET

According to A SURVEY, a low-fat diet  – as 


the name implies – is a diet that consists of 


little fat, especially saturated fat and 


cholesterol, which is thought to lead to


 increased blood cholesterol levels and heart


 attack. It is important to know that dietary fat 


is needed for good health, as fats supply 


energy and fatty acids, in addition to 


supplying fat-soluble vitamins like 


A, D, E, and K.

However, in recent years the exact health


 benefits of a low-fat diet have been debated.


 A 2006 study published by the Journal of the 


American Medical Association argued that a 


low-fat diet did not reduce the incidence of 


breast cancer. However, this study was 


criticized by several epidemiologists for its 


lack of validity (see "Criticisms" in the 


Women's Health Initiative article). Recently,


 the Nurses' Health Study from the Harvard 


School of Public Healthreported from a 


Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension






 (DASH), and found that a diet "with high 


intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, 


moderate intake of legumes, nuts, and low-fat 


dairy products, and low intake of red and 


processed meats and sodium, was 


significantly associated with lower risk of 


coronary heart disease and stroke in women. 


A 2002 Cochrane Review found low-fat diets 


to be no more effective than other weight loss 


diets in achieving lasting weight loss.

Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health or physical 

fitness, is a reduction of the total body mass, due to a

 mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean 

mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon 

and other connective tissue. It can occur unintentionally due

 to an underlying disease or can arise from a 

conscious effort to improve an actual or perceived overweight

 or obese state.

 CRASH DIETING

A crash diet refers to willful nutritional restriction (except 

water) for more than 12 hours. The desired result is to have 

the body burn fat for energy with the goal of losing a 

significant amount of weight in a short time. There is a

 possibility of excessive muscle loss, depending on the 

approach used.

Crash dieting is not the same as intermittent fasting, in which

 the individual periodically abstains from food (e.g., every 

other day).

There is a substantial market for products

 which promise to make weight loss easier, 

quicker, cheaper, more reliable, or less painful.

 These include books, CDs, cremes, lotions, 

pills, rings and earrings, body wraps, body 

belts and other materials, not to mention

 fitness centers, personal coaches, weight loss

 groups, and food products and supplements.

 US residents in 1992 spent an estimated $30 

billion a year on all types of diet programs and 

products, including diet foods and drinks.

Between $33 billion and $55 billion is spent

 annually on weight loss products and services,

 including medical procedures and 

pharmaceuticals, with weight loss centers 

garnering between 6 percent and 12 percent of

 total annual expenditure. About 70 percent of

 Americans' dieting attempts are of a self-help

 nature. Although often short-lived, these diet 

fads are a positive trend for this sector as 

Americans ultimately turn to professionals to

 help them meet their weight loss goals.

HOW TO LOSE STOMACH FAT

            Most people think that the reason they have bulging belly fat is because they are missing out on a magical stomach fat abdominal exercise or a secret weight loss supplement. Well, they can't be more wrong than that! You see, it is your mindset to be blamed for not having a flat stomach with fabulous 6 pack abs or at least this is what some scientists and researchers think.






Is it difficult to lose your pot belly and to get a flat stomach? Certainly not although many people do think otherwise. You see, losing the fat in your stomach area is a boring process. It definitely requires time, hard work, and most important of all, a firm commitment and dedication. There is no other magical formula even though some late night commercials want you to think otherwise.






If you take the correct steps every single day, I guarantee that you will ultimately carve out your six pack abs. However, if you stray away from your flat stomach plan even a few times a week, you will probably never see your stomach flattened. I can bet my last dollar on this unless you have some medcial condition.






So how can you get rid of the fat in your midsection? Well, I will show you some habits which you must develop to get your abs to show. Individually these habits are no big deals but when put together, they become a powerful tool to lose your belly fat. This is because the effectiveness of this method is supported by science.






At the University of Iowa, researchers found that most people are more likely to stick with their weight loss programs when they concentrate on specific actions instead of the desired end result. So rather than focusing on getting a flat stomach, just dilligently follow this daily list of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle strategies for achieving that ripped flat belly with rock hard stomach muscles.






a) Do drink lots of water first thing in the morning. This is because you have had no water for at least the last 8 hours when you sleep which is precisely why you should start rehydrating immediately when you wake up from your snooze. Scientists found that by doing this, your metabolism shoots up by about 24 percent for 90 minutes or thereafter. They also noted that if you drink only a smaller amount of water, then it is not effective at all.






Another study found that muscle cells grow faster when they are well hydrated. So isn't it sensible to guzzle lots of water over the course of a day. Do take note that I said water, not soda or coffee. Just good old fashioned plain water!






b) Never skip breakfast! Skipping breakfast is a cardinal sin if you want to lose stomach fat. A study at the University of Massachusetts showed that men who skip their breakfast regularly are 4-5 times more likely to have bigger tummys than those who eat their breakfast dilligently. So quickly have a meal and a protein shake first thing in the morning.






Do you know that researchers found that breakfast size is inversely related to your waistline size? Bet you don't as it is surprising information, isn't it? But it is true! It is well documented that the larger your breakfast, the leaner your midsection will be!






Of course you must add some common sense to this and keep the meal's size within reasonable limit. A 1,500 calorie meal at a fast food restaurant is really two or even 3 breakfasts, therefore limit your breakfast to just about 500 calories.






At the University of Iowa, scientists also found out that people who monitored their diet and exercise goals most frequently are more likely to achieve them than people who rarely review their goals.






Everybody have abs muscle. You cannot see your awesome abs is because they are concealed beneath the layer of your tummy fat. This is good news indeed because it meant that you need not do endless sit ups and leg raisers to carve out your six pack abs. In fact, sit ups and leg raisers are lousy exercises to get ripped abs and may even injure you, but that is for another article.






So this being the case, you should spend most of your time in the gym burning off your body fat instead of wasting your time with ineffective exercises like situps and leg raisers. The most effective exercise strategy then is the combination of weight lifting with compound exercises and high-intensity interval training commonly known as HIIT.






According to another study by the University of Southern Maine, half an hour of pumping iron burn as many calories as running at a 6 minute per mile pace for the same duration. Furthermore, by pumping weights, you have the added benefit of building muscles and muscles burn more calories 24 hours a day.






What is even more interesting is that unlike aerobic exercises, lifting weight has been shown to boost metabolism for as long as 40 hours after you leave the gym! That makes you a natural fat burner!






Similar findings have been noted with exercises using HIIT method, which are short, all out powerful sprints interspersed with periods of lower level cardio activities. This will burn pounds and pounds of belly fat and give you that flat stomach look over a period of time.