Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Alternate Day Diet

Posted on June 24, 2013

If you’re looking at all the diets that are out there right now, you’ve likely come across a few fasting approaches.  Fasting diets are hot right now with more and more people jumping on the bandwagon and one particular fasting approach that is quite common is the alternate day diet.

But, before you rush off to try it and see what it’s all about, there are some important things that you should know.

Let’s look at what points to remember about the alternate day diet.

What This Diet Is All About

This diet is all about freedom when it comes to eating.  If you are sick and tired of feeling restricted on your diet plan, always calculating calories, and never really eating what you truly enjoy, this plan will fix that in a hurry.

With this diet, you’re allowed to eat whatever you want on the days that you are designated to eat.

You’ll alternate between days where you can eat anything and your down days, where you are to eat no more than 20 percent of your typical calorie intake.  For most people this would mean 500 calories or less, so this easily counts as a very low calorie diet on those days.  The diet recommends that you use meal replacement shakes on the down days to make things easier on you since they are very calorie and nutrient controlled.

What You’ll Eat

On the on days that you’re allowed to be eating, you can eat just about anything to your heart’s content. While the diet does encourage you to make healthy choices, nothing is off limits.

On the off days, meal replacement shakes are recommended, however you can choose other foods if you want, but you must maintain strict calorie control.

Pros:

  • Will provide great freedom in food choices
  • Good for those who hate feeling restricted
  • Can produce good rates of weight loss when used properly
  • May help to reduce the risk that you suffer a metabolic slow-down and progress comes to a halt

Cons:

  • Can cause some people to develop binge eating disorders
  • If you make poor food choices, your nutritional status will go down
  • Doesn’t teach proper realistic nutrition habits for life
  • You may find you are incredibly hungry and fatigued on down days

The Verdict

All in all, this is definitely a different type of diet but for those who never seem to stick with a normal diet, it may just be your key to success. Just do try and choose as healthy as possible as that will be key to promote optimal health.

(Image by totaltransformation.wordpress)

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.

Liven Up Your Evening Meal With This Beef Mandarin Recipe

Posted on June 19, 2013

Adding some lean beef to your menu is a wise move for any dieter as it is rich in protein and high in iron, two important nutrients that you must take in. Many dieters are fast to cut beef from the menu as they think it’s far too high in fat and calories to be eating, but in doing so, they’re missing out.

If you aren’t taking in enough iron, you may find yourself fatiguing much more quickly throughout the day, failing to reach your exercise goals.

As long as you choose lean beef and prepare it correctly, it definitely can be added to your plan.  Try this recipe to get started.

Ingredients

3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced into thin pieces
3 cups broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Chinese rice wine
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ cup mandarin orange slices
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups cooked brown rice

Begin by marinating the beef by combining the soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Add in the beef and then let it stand for around 10 minutes.

Next prepare the sauce by combining together the oyster’s sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and chicken broth.

Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water for about two minutes and then drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over high heat and add the olive oil.  Add the beef and stir-fry until no longer pink inside.

Add in the garlic and pour the sauce over top.  Finally, add in the broccoli and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors to blend. Right before it’s finished, add in mandarin orange slices and then serve with brown rice.

(Image by Halans)

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.

Your Lazy Sunday Morning Pancake Recipe

Posted on June 14, 2013

If you’re a fan of whipping up a batch of pancakes on a lazy Sunday morning and relaxing in bed while eating them, don’t think that you have to ditch this habit just because you’re on a diet.

Having a day of rest and relaxation is vital to the success of any good workout programme and as long as you fuel your body well on this day, you won’t have to risk weight re-gain from taking the time away from the gym.

And even better, you definitely do not have to say so-long to the comfort foods that you enjoy. Instead, you just have to look for ways to ensure they stay as healthy as possible so that they’ll serve your body well.

This healthy pancake recipe will do just that and transform the usually high in sugars and processed carbs recipe into one that’s full of complex carbs, proteins, and low in fat.

Ingredients

1/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup egg whites
½ scoop vanilla protein powder.
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. vanilla extract
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup sided strawberries
½ cup Greek yogurt

Whisk egg whites and then mix in oatmeal, stirring until well coated. Stir in the protein powder, baking powder, and vanilla extract.  After mixing, transfer to a hot skillet, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, and then cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.  Top with sliced strawberries and a dollop of Greek yogurt or smear with natural peanut butter and top with a sliced banana.

Whatever you prefer, get creative with this recipe and add you own unique touch while maintaining the nutrition that it has to offer.

(Image by Jack Thumm at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.

Why You Should Never Use Food As A Reward

Posted on June 10, 2013

As you go about setting your workout goals, it’s important that you do have some rewards in place. Rewards are going to help you realise the success that you’ve just had and give you something to look forward to each and every step along the way.

But, what should you be setting as rewards?

For many people, the thought of digging into a piece of cake, ordering up a pizza or going to that little French restaurant that they love so much is something that they’d definitely enjoy using as a reward for their hard efforts.

But is this really the best plan? Or is it just going to lead you astray? Let’s look at some reasons why food should not be used as a reward.

The Obvious – Potential Weight Gain

First, the obvious reason not to use food as a reward is due to the potential for weight gain. If you are just having a food reward once every two to three weeks this may not hinder you too much, but if it’s happening twice a week  this is going to be a problem in terms of your ability to keep losing weight.

The Achievement = Good Food Connection

Another problem with using food as a reward is the connection that will come from it.

If you use food as a reward, any time you start to do something good in life, you may think that you deserve to eat unhealthy foods because of it. This can then set you up for long-term weight problems if you are constantly eating bad foods whenever you are experiencing happiness, joy or achievement.

You don’t want to associate food with emotions as that is what drives emotional eating.

The Short Term Effect

Finally, food will only provide a short term effect. Try and choose rewards that last a little longer – a movie, a night out with a friend or a vacation. This will allow you greater enjoyment than the few minutes that you’d get from eating the bad food that you had been craving.

So keep these points in mind. Using food as a reward is never a good idea, so try and seek out alternate ideas that will serve you better over the long run.

(Image by  Sommia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.

What You Need To Know About Water Weight

Posted on June 5, 2013

As you go about your weight loss journey, one thing that you must be making sure you fully understand is water weight. Many people aren’t able to fully differentiate between water weight and fat weight, so as they move about their programme, they’re actually misled with the results that they’re seeing.

Let’s take a closer peek into what you must know about water weight so that you can be sure that this isn’t getting you confused as you go about your weight loss programme.

Water Fluctuations & The Female Menstrual Cycle

If you’re a woman, you likely know how this goes. One minute you’re looking leaner than ever and the next, you don’t know what happened. It’s perfectly normal to see your weight fluctuate by up to three to five pounds during this time, so try and recognise that this is in fact what’s going on and not get too worked up over it.

In a few days, the water weight will subside and you’ll be able to get back to your normal body weight and leanness again.

Water Fluctuations Due To Sodium Intake

Another cause of water weight is a high-salt meal. If you sat down to a big plate of nachos with salsa the night before or went out for Chinese food laden with soy sauce, there is a very good chance that you’ll wake up looking much heavier the next morning.

When you consume a high amount of sodium, this will cause the body to hold on to excess water, instantly increasing water retention.

Eat a low-salt diet to avoid this problem from occurring.

Water Fluctuations Due To Carb Intake

The last reason why you may see an increase in water weight is because of a sudden increase to your carb intake. If you were low carb dieting and then all of a sudden went on to consume a high carb meal, you’ll notice your weight shoots upwards.

It’s easy to let yourself think this is fat gain from the carbs, but really it’s just excess water being stored along with your muscle glycogen.

Keep your carbohydrate more constant if you want to avoid this problem.

So there you have the primary points to keep in mind regarding water weight. Don’t get too worked up over  it – it’s not an accurate representation of your progress.

(Image by Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.

Diet Shake Recipe – Video Blog

Posted on June 3, 2013

This video from LeanSecrets.com shows you how to make a great weight loss shake that will help you beat the hunger and stick to your diet. Drinking shakes as a snack within your diet plan can help to keep your energy levels up, prevent you from feeling hungry and stop you from giving in to temptation on your “bad” days. This is just one quick recipe you can use for a tasty shake.

www.howtoloseweight.co.uk

Have you downloaded our great FREE report yet? Plenty of other dieters have and they are now using this report to overcome the 5 most common obstacles which could stand in their way of losing weight. Click on the image below to find out how you too can overcome the obstacles holding you back and start your journey to the new slimmer, healthier you today…

About Louise Denny

Louise is a health and fitness writer, with a keen interest in seeking out natural health and beauty remedies to keep herself looking her best! As a journalism graduate with a specific background in online media, Louise writes for numerous online publications covering topics such as management skills, sales techniques, digital marketing strategies, health and fitness and fashion trends to name but a few.