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Get Slim With Atkins Diet Plan

The Atkins’ diet has been a craze for a couple of decades. Here’s how you can gain from it.

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All of you who are reading this article right now have definitely been on a diet at some point or the other of your lives. The battle of the bulge is an ongoing problem and we are always on the lookout for various means to win this war.

Along with exercise, our diet and nutrition also plays an important role in reducing our weight. Hence, this obsession persists in all of us to undertake some form of dieting. But going on a diet is definitely not an easy thing. What to eat and what to stay away from is always a perennial problem.

One of my friends told me that she ate the normal menu which she cooked for the family, but her weight loss recipe is “portion control.” This is a really simple diet plan. In this plan, you cut down on the portion of food you consume. For example, if you usually have two pieces of toast for breakfast, you should eat only one piece. If you normally eat two cups of rice for lunch, cut it down to one cup. In this way, you are automatically reducing your calorie intake by half.

Another popular method of dieting is to stop all intake of fatty foods and sugar. In this diet, you cut down on your oil, butter and ghee intake which automatically reduces your fat deposits.

While I was leafing through a magazine, I read about one of our Hollywood celebrities following the Atkins’ diet. This immediately aroused my curiosity about the diet. Though I have heard about the diet many times, I had no inside knowledge about it. So, I immediately set to work on it and found out certain basic facts’ about the Atkins diet which I want to share with my readers.

The Atkins’ diet made its first appearance in 1972 and was invented by its namesake, Dr Atkins. According to him, this method enables us to lose weight by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body burns both fat and carbohydrates to provide energy. If we reduce the intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body starts burning only fat to provide energy. This method is called “lipolysis”, which in turn induces ketosis. In ketosis, our body burns fat as fuel. Atkins also felt that ketosis will affect insulin production which will result in less fat being formed. And, once your body enters ketosis, your cravings for carbohydrates will reduce significantly which, in turn, will reduce your body weight.

The major difference between Atkins’ diet and other types of diet is that, while most diets restrict calorie, intake, the Atkins’ plan encourages us to eat more. While most of the diets recommend low fat, high carbohydrate intake, Atkins’ does just the opposite. Instead of carbohydrate and sugar, this diet wants us to consume plenty of fat and protein.

The core principle of the Atkins’ diet is that, by limiting carbohydrates, our body is forced to burn its stored fat, rather than carbs for fuel.

The Atkins’ diet has a four carbohydrates stage plan induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. With the help of these four stages, you can reduce as well as maintain your weight throughout your life.

Induction – phase 1: This phase lasts for two weeks, by the end of which you can obtain significant results. Another point is that, in this diet plan you can begin at any of the phase. But it is recommended to start with induction. As you cut back on your carbohydrates significantly in this phase, you will jump start your weight loss programme. In this phase, only 20 gm of carbohydrates are allowed and hence your weight loss is significant. As you drastically cut down on carbohydrates your body shifts into high gear and starts burning fat. This takes about 48 hours to occur and you may feel hungry and irritated for the first three-four days. But don’t worry, as soon as your fat starts getting converted to fuel, you will feel fit as a fiddle. Induction will strengthen your immune system and also improve our long-term health.

Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase 2: In this phase, the weight loss pace slows down as you add nutrient-rich carbohydrates to your diet. During this period, you will boost your body’s ability to burn fats as well as understand your body better. You will find the right amount of carbohydrates which you can consume and still lose weight. Your body will also prepare itself for permanent weight management. The amount of carbohydrates which you can eat is increased to 25 gm per day for the first week and increased in five gm instalment for the next few weeks. If your weight loss is significant, you can increase your carbohydrate intake. A person has to be on OWL till he or she is within three-five kg of their goal weight.

Pre-maintenance – (phase 3): Pre-maintenance is a practice run for lifetime maintenance. In this phase, you are fast approaching your target. As long as you continue to lose weight, you can increase your weekly allotment of carbohydrates by another 10 gm. You will be in this phase till you reach your goal and stay on it for one month. The ultimate goal here is to achieve a state of balance called Atkins’ Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE). The ACE is your individual level of carbohydrate intake wherein you neither gain nor lose weight.

Lifetime maintenance phase 4: In this phase, you have to focus on your individual ACE and strive to stay within two kg of your ideal weight for the rest of your life. By following a sensible eating plan, you gain energy, better health and confidence in yourself.

By following these four phases, you not only achieve your dream weight but are also able to maintain it throughout your life. You can learn more about this diet by reading the book, Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. But, as with any other diet, this plan also has its pros and cons. The good point is that this diet recommends exercise as a vital part of the weight loss programme. Another point to be noted is that you cannot start on carbohydrates after you lose weight as this will result in your gaining back all that you have lost.

Medical experts advise that people who have gout, kidney problems, diabetes or are pregnant women should not follow this diet plan. As this diet is very stringent, do consult your doctor/dietician for proper advice.

Your dietician will provide you with a proper menu chart as to what should be eaten, in what quantities, etc, based on your eating habits and general lifestyle.

Happy dieting and hoping to see slimmer and fitter readers.

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Xtreme Fat Loss Diet – A Review of Joel Marion’s Body Sculpting Plan

Although many reviewers have described Joel Marion’s Xtreme Fat Loss Diet as a weight loss program which is designed to be used by the masses interested in losing weight, this may not be applicable in all instances. Its actual design was meant to address certain specific deficiencies in other programs which touted rapid weight loss achievements at the expense of muscle loss. In order to lose weight rapidly and healthfully (i.e. without sacrificing muscle mass) certain criteria must be met so as not to discourage the body’s metabolism from eventually sabotaging the weight that was lost, thus gaining it all back.

The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet is made up of a five-day cycle of diet and exercise which is repeated five times in succession for a total of 25 days altogether. Each of the five days in the cycle is designed to use a unique combination of special fat loss workout techniques and altered eating patterns that help the body boost its metabolism and fat burning hormones, which allows the body to speed up its natural fat burning rate. This has all been determined to be effective based on scientific research and a practical application of the program itself.

This kind of program is optimally utilized by people who either want or need to target the loss of body fat in certain areas of the body, and to accomplish this in the fastest way possible. In this sense, then, the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet is designed for people who are interested in sculpting their body to look a certain way.

Professional models and body builders, in particular, have benefited from using this fat loss program. But then, they are used to working hard for what they achieve in the way of sculpting their bodies, and won’t shy away from the extreme aspects of the program. Others, however, may find these methods to be more extreme than they bargained for.

Casual weight loss seekers should be aware that the suggested workouts themselves will likely be quite challenging in the beginning, as they will entail exercises the intensity of which one may not be used to undergoing. Those who are not prepared to work hard going in should not even consider this program. The workouts are, for the most part, a mandatory part of the plan in order to produce the results it claims to produce.

For those who are able and determined to undergo a program of this extreme, the genius of the plan lies in the synergistic way that the nutritional methods work in conjunction with the workouts. By keeping the body off balance and not able to predict a regular eating pattern, the dietary part of the plan has participants changing between a moderate carb day, a cheat day, a protein day, and a shake day throughout the five-day cycle.

The amount of caloric intake is varied each day to take advantage of the fat burning workouts scheduled for that day. This is why it’s so important to follow through with the exercise portion of the program. It’s designed to maximize the speed of the weight loss effect.

To be fair, Joel claims that some of his friends have use the diet portion of the plan while only instituting a “moderate” level of exercise, and were able to lose as much as twenty pounds in 25 days. Maybe that’s possible for some people; then again, maybe not for everyone. I’m just reporting what Joel himself has claimed. The proof, though, is in the pudding: will it work for you?

What’s good about Joel’s offer is that he gives prospects the option to try the program out first before they pay the full price. Through a special offer, he allows people to download the information for a nominal fee ($5), apply the information, then decide after they’ve used it whether or not it is worth the entire price. That’s a pretty bold stance to take, and may be well worth looking into.

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Yoga Exercises For Weight Loss: The Best Way To Healthy & Fit Life

Losing weight is not an easy task. Shedding those extra pounds of flesh requires you to be consistent in your approach towards weight shedding. You should chalk out a weight loss strategy and stick to it till you get desired level of reduction in your weight. If you keep shuffling from one line of action to another, you would be simply delaying attainment of physical fitness. And it may prove disastrous.

Exercises happen to be best remedial option for obesity or weight gain. Seeing excessive weight gain problems of Americans, the government is advocating efficacy of constant exercise routine in keeping body fit. And among various forms of exercises what’s currently topping the charts is Yoga exercises. Yoga has become a rage in America because of its incredible efficacy in weight shedding.

Yoga is probably one of the safest options for losing weight as it ensures no side effect. If you are resorting to weight loss pills it may affect you adversely when taken the unregulated way. Even a reasonable dosage of weight shedding pills is sure to give you some side effects. On the other hand yoga won’t only help you in shedding weight without side effects; it would also help you in attaining permanent physical fitness.

Yoga exercises must be performed in tune with dietary measures. Yoga postures and pranayama help shed weight through two ways. The first way is to do asana to directly burn the excessively deposited fat. The other way is to improve all physiological functions that help control obesity.

If you are taking up yoga exercises as a solution to your obesity, you must know that yoga won’t give you immediate result. You need to be a little patient. This gradual weight loss process would last from two weeks to six months. If you happen to be making your maiden tryst with yoga, you should better take up easy postures at first. And once you get the comfort level, you can opt for rigorous yoga workouts.

Hatha Yoga exercises have been found exceptionally good to serve the weight loss purpose. If you want to lose weight in lesser time you can resort to hot yoga exercise. To sum up, if you could make yoga a part of your life, you would be able to solve your weight loss problem forever.

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