I was all set to write todays blog, until I saw a headline reviewing The 17 Day Diet. Rrrrrrt! Change of plan Once again, leading doctors and nutritionists have spoken: successful weight loss should be based on eating healthy foods in reasonable portions; limiting sugars, alcohol, and refined starches; and getting plenty of exercise. In their expert eyes, The 17 Day Diet falls short in its beginning by requiring limits and restrictions on certain fruits and vegetables.

Thank you experts! Randy and I, both, tried The 17 Day Diet and couldnt agree more. Truly, the above medical advice is the base line we follow for our good health. Oh, we have tried a few diet trends. But in the end we always agree, Lets just stick to eating healthy and exercising.

Randy and I may agree with the experts, but thats not to say that The 17 Day Diet is a flop. We did learn some new and valuable information weve added to our eating habits (probiotic yogurt is awesome for you, but thats another blog). Let me tell you a little about this diet and our experience on it

The 17 Day Diet is Doctor Michael Morenos strategy for rapid weight loss. Its based on 3 cycles, each lasting 17 days, plus a 4th long-term maintenance cycle. Moreno claims whether its 10 pounds or 100 pounds, this plan can help you lose weight quickly, avoid the dreaded plateaus, and revamp your metabolism.

Cycle 1 is what Dr. Moreno calls the accelerate cycle: includes eating lots of lean protein, cleansing vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, and low-sugar fruits such as berries and apples (no fruit after 2pm), healthy fats (olive oil, flaxseed oil), low-fat yogurt, water and green tea.

It prohibits many foods including most fast foods, fried foods, processed foods, starchy carbohydrates such as bagels, pasta, crackers and white bread, and fruits such as pineapple and bananas.

Moreno writes, Most people can expect to lose 10 to 15 pounds during the first 17 days. And I do think this is true for the most part, if those people have the will power to follow cycle 1 to the tee.

Randy and I started out on cycle 1 ok, but truthfully, we gave up after day 4. The menu was too restrictive. Both of us were physically tired and drained of energy. This was terrible, considering we have 2 little kids and a baby to keep up with. We were moody, even a little shaky sometimes (I think from low blood sugar). This had to be the result of lacking in calories and cutting too many healthy varieties of foods. It was obvious that this cycle wasnt balanced nutritionally for us, and as a result, we caved.

Those 4 days were not without some success though. We did lose weight. I lost 4 pounds and Randy lost 2 1/2. But, 4 pounds in 4 days? Thats a pound a day and to what expense!?!

Needless to say, Randy and I did not move onto to experience the next 3 cycles. Kathleen M Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, an expert at WebMD, offers a detailed explanation of these cycles, how they work, and how to eat while following them, please see WebMD. I found her review to be very informative and on spot when describing the book.

Please check out the link provide above, read more information about the book, and decide for yourself if this diet is right for you. With some preparation and serious dedication, it really could help you lose weight quickly. I will give Dr. Moreno credit for addressing such willpower and other issues like emotional eating, portion control, and identifying food triggers.

All in all, Randy and I do think if you are determined to lose weight fast and are mentally prepared for the rules of The 17 Day Diet accompanied with lots of support, you can lose weight and fast! For some of you, Dr. Morenos plan may fit. I cannot say we didnt lose weight, and in all fairness, Randy and I did not see it through to the last cycle. Considering our 4 day experience, though, even with the success of losing weight, we still agree, Lets just stick to eating healthy and exercising.

Amy

P.S. If you want to check out The 17 Day Diet for yourself Amazon has it for half the price of the official website

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The 17 Day Diet Review - Does It Work Or Is It A Scam?

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Two Methods:Plan your water fastBegin Your Water Fast

There's no more grueling type of fast or cleansing diet than a pure water fast. Unless of course you're on a fast where you consume absolutely nothing, including water. But I digress, on this fast, you can only have water. According to many alternative health experts, the health benefits can be extraordinary. Fasting allows the body time to heal from all of the toxins and pollutants in our food and environment. It also costs nothing to do. Follow these steps to learn more.

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Select a length of time to do your water fast. While many regular fasters can do a water fast from 3 to 30 days, beginners should experiment by trying several shorter fasts first to see how their bodies react. Try a 2 day water fast, just to see how things go, and if things go well, continue.

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Plan your water fast for a period during which you will not be under a lot of stress or during which fasting might interfere with your daily routine.

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Read more here:
How to Perform a Water Fast: 10 Steps (with Pictures ...

Juice fasting is an often misunderstood practice and can be very detrimental if not approached correctly. Promises such as "lose 5 pounds in 5 days!" and "get glowing skin!" are often bandied around detox and fasting programs, leading you to jump too quickly into a fast without prior preparation, sufficient knowledge and managed expectations to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable and beneficial fasting experience.

While the promises above are certainly achievable through fasting, I dont encourage any regime which blindly promises physical results without real education and guidance on the fasting process.

When used intelligently and carefully, juice fasting can be a beautiful, nourishing tool to improve your health, clarity and sense of connection to self and your spiritual life. It can allow you to go deeper into cleansing your body, breaking down acidic waste matter and rejuvenating your body at a cellular level, which is then reflected in the health and vitality of all of you.

Before you try juice fasting, you need to understand how it works and when to use it. What is juice fasting?

It is a certain period of time when all you typically consume only liquids, specifically water, herbal teas, fresh fruit and vegetable juices and strained vegetable broth.

Just as important is what you are not consuming when fasting -- any liquids which will tax the body such as coffee, caffeinated teas, milk, soda, pasteurized juice, protein powder mixes, diet drinks and so on. Solid or blended foods are also not consumed as the fiber content activates digestion which is avoided during fasting. Why juice and what types of juice?

When you juice your fruits and vegetables, you remove the fiber and drink only the liquid which contains the organic hydration, nutrients, vitamins and enzymes from the plant food. Although you do need fiber in your diet, going for a certain period of time without it will give your body a chance to spend less energy on digestion.

Around 70% of your energy every day is spent on digestion alone, so when you are eating 3 meals a day plus snacks, you are rarely giving your body a chance to direct energy to deeply cleansing the body and drawing up old acidic waste that is likely causing a whole host of symptoms.

If you suffer from headaches, constipation, diarrhea, skin troubles, fatigue, irritability, excess weight, bloating or any other number of symptoms, your body needs some help to cleanse. The intelligent application of fasting is a brilliant way of helping you to do this.

Enjoy plenty of fresh vegetable juices, particularly green vegetable juices (see recipe below), with a touch of fruit to sweeten the juice and ensure it is still delicious. You can also use sweeter vegetable such as carrot, beetroot and bell pepper to add sweetness.

See the rest here:
How to Juice Fast Safely - mindbodygreen.com

Losing weight can be difficult at any age, but finding a healthy diet plan is the majority of the battle.

If you categorize diet plans into two main groups, you have online diets with built-in support communities, and meal delivery plans. This site focuses on the best of the online diet plans the diets that work.

There are manyDukan Diet, Sonoma, Denise Austin, and the list goes on. But there are three that truly stand out from among the others.

Dieters have largely had impressive results with our short list, and we will tell you why they have achieved so much success with them. These diets are very healthy, they are very safe diets, and most of all, the majority of dieters can plug right in and start losing weight right away.

A quick summary follows more detailed reviews are further below.

Pros: Highly effective and drops weight really fast. Just one capsule twice per day with a meal works like a charm. Dr. Ozs #1 fat burner.

Cons: You still need to eat healthy and exercise.

Bottom Line: Raspberry ketones are the most powerful and effective supplement we have found to drop weight. Dieters are astounded how quickly the product works and the amount of weight you can lose. Very easy to use. See review below for free bottles.

Raspberry Ketones Website

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Diets That Work | The 3 Best Diet Plans For 2015

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism.[1]

Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. The word diet often implies the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons (with the two often being related). Although humans are omnivores, each culture and each person holds some food preferences or some food taboos. This may be due to personal tastes or ethical reasons. Individual dietary choices may be more or less healthy.

Proper nutrition requires ingestion and absorption of vitamins, minerals, and food energy in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Dietary habits and choices play a significant role in the quality of life, health and longevity. It can define cultures and play a role in religion.

Some cultures and religions have restrictions concerning what foods are acceptable in their diet. For example, only Kosher foods are permitted by Judaism, and Halal foods by Islam. Although Buddhists are generally vegetarians, the practice varies and meat-eating may be permitted depending on the sects.[2] In Hinduism, vegetarianism is the ideal, Jain are strictly vegetarian and consumption of roots is not permitted.

Many people choose to forgo food from animal sources to varying degrees (e.g. flexitarianism, vegetarianism, veganism, fruitarianism) for health reasons, issues surrounding morality, or to reduce their personal impact on the environment, although some of the public assumptions about which diets have lower impacts are known to be incorrect.[3]Raw foodism is another contemporary trend. These diets may require tuning or supplementation such as vitamins to meet ordinary nutritional needs.

A particular diet may be chosen to seek weight loss or weight gain. Changing a subject's dietary intake, or "going on a diet", can change the energy balance and increase or decrease the amount of fat stored by the body. Some foods are specifically recommended, or even altered, for conformity to the requirements of a particular diet. These diets are often recommended in conjunction with exercise. Specific weight loss programs can be harmful to health, while others may be beneficial (and can thus be coined as healthy diets). The terms "healthy diet" and "diet for weight management" are often related, as the two promote healthy weight management. Having a healthy diet is a way to prevent health problems, and will provide your body with the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.[4]

An eating disorder is a mental disorder that interferes with normal food consumption. It is defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive diet.

A healthy diet may improve or maintain optimal health. In developed countries, affluence enables unconstrained caloric intake and possibly inappropriate food choices.[5]

It is recommended by many authorities that people maintain a normal weight by (limiting consumption of energy-dense foods and sugary drinks), eat plant-based food, limit red and processed meat, and limit alcohol.[6]

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Diet (nutrition) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation originally inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, Southern Italy, and Spain.[1] The principal aspects of this diet include proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of non-fish meat and non-fish meat products.[2]

In 2013, UNESCO added the Mediterranean diet to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia.[3][4]

Despite its name, this diet is not typical of all Mediterranean cuisine. In Northern Italy, for instance, lard and butter are commonly used in cooking, and olive oil is reserved for dressing salads and cooked vegetables.[6] In both North Africa and the Middle East, sheep's tail fat and rendered butter (samna) are the traditional staple fats, with some exceptions.[7] Indeed, one researcher concludes: "It appears that currently there is insufficient material to give a proper definition of what the Mediterranean diet is or was in terms of well defined chemical compounds or even in terms of foods.... The all embracing term 'Mediterranean diet' should not be used in scientific literature...."[8]

The most commonly understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented, among others, by Dr Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health from the mid-1990s on.[9][10][11][12][13][14] Based on "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s", this diet, in addition to "regular physical activity," emphasizes "abundant plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, zero to four eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts". Total fat in this diet is 25% to 35% of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories.[15]

Olive oil is part of the Mediterranean diet, although not of all Mediterranean cuisines: in Egypt, Malta, and Israel, olive oil consumption is negligible,[5] and in other areas, it is not predominant.[6][7] It contains a very high level of monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid, which epidemiological studies suggest may be linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease risk.[16] There is also evidence that the antioxidants in olive oil improve cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol reduction, and that it has other anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive effects.[17]

Although it was first publicized in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys (his wife and collaborator),[18] the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. Objective data showing that Mediterranean diet is healthy originated from results of epidemiological studies in Naples and Madrid [19] confirmed later by the Seven Countries Study, with first publication in 1970,[20] and a book-length report in 1980.[21]

The Mediterranean diet is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found. A parallel phenomenon is known as the French Paradox.[22]

A diet rich in salads was promoted in England during the early Renaissance period by Giacomo Castelvetro in A Brief Account of the Fruits, Herbs, and Vegetables of Italy.[23]

A number of diets have received attention, but the strongest evidence for a beneficial health effect and decreased mortality after switching to a largely plant based diet comes from studies of Mediterranean diet, e.g. from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.[24]

The Mediterranean diet often is cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. One of the main explanations is thought to be the health effects of olive oil included in the Mediterranean diet.

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Mediterranean diet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia