« Older Entries

A Quick Look at Some of Today’s Most Effective Diets

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

mediaimage
The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.

Tags:

A Tik-King Time Bomb

Bright, shiny and almost invincible. This is how tik makes the user feel. Suddenly she’s the most attractive, confident, creative, fascinating woman and has boundless energy to tackle even the most menial chores.

In fact, even washing laundry seems like fun. Sleeping suddenly seems a complete waste of time and what’s even more amazing is how she can eat as much as she wants and still lose weight.

But it soon lives up to its title – ‘the ugliest drug there is’ – and before she knows it she can’t live without it. Soon the toxins seep through her skin and make it crawl and she starts scratching and picking her skin obsessively, so much so that bloody welts and sores
riddle her body. Her skin breaks out in the most awful acne, she looks anorexic and much older than her age, and her teeth start rotting. Deep, dark circles instantly ring her eyes from lack of sleep, and slowly but surely the paranoia and violent behavior that accompany this unique addiction start kicking in.

Previously the drug of choice among young men, tik is increasingly being abused by young women across all socioeconomic classes. Tik is currently affecting all suburbs across the globe, and over the past year there’s been a definite increase in female users.

This increase in female usage is particularly affecting schools as well as middle-class suburbs, where the male-to-female ratio of tik abuse is one to one. In fact, more females have experimented with tik than with dagga, heroin or mandrax. It seems the attraction is that it helps with weight loss and gives them a confidence boost. But what many of these young women don’t realize is that tik, methamphetamine (MA) or crystal meth, is known as one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. It’s highly addictive.

Over six months of use, 94% of those who smoke it become addicted, as do 72% who snort it. It is also the drug with the most negative side effects: it triggers violent and psychotic behavior, and is directly linked to increasing crime levels, sexual risk behavior and HIV transmission. Equally disturbing are its long-term effects, which include irreversible brain damage and even death.

The average user in the US is a rural, white middle-class, blue-collar worker in his/her early 30s, but increasingly middle-class women, the gay population and students are using it.

The Fallout

The high of tik is initially seductive because its duration is much longer than that of other drugs. It can last anything from four to 24 hours. The next closest high is from crack cocaine, which only lasts an hour or so. The high is absolutely fantastic. You feel like you but so much more so. It makes you confident and happy, as though nothing could get you down.

Tik affects the brain’s chemistry, specifically the release of the brain chemical dopamine, which is involved in motivation, the experience of pleasure and motor function. It’s been estimated that while cocaine causes dopamine levels to increase by 400%, tik causes a 500% increase.

There’s no substance on this planet that can give the user the same subjective experience as crystal meth does, and that experience is one of being God-like thanks to the dopamine effect.

And this is specifically why users become psychologically addicted to tik very quickly. But researchers have reported that as much as 50% of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged after prolonged exposure to low levels of methamphetamine, And researchers have found that serotonin-containing nerve cells may be damaged even more extensively.

MA ‘rewires’ the brain and it takes at least a year of treatment before the brain can return to a semblance of normality. For about a year, recovering addicts experience cognitive deficits such as an inability to concentrate or think clearly, as well as an inability to link what they’ve done to the consequences of their actions. An addict’s brain chemistry can return to normal over time but new research shows that although synapses regrow, they don’t necessarily reconnect in the same way they did before the addicts started to take meth.

Short-term side effects include tremors, insomnia, memory loss, increased blood pressure, decreased lung capacity and irregular heartbeats. Prolonged use can result in severe weight loss or anorexia, severe dermatological and dental problems, and mood disturbances. Fatalities aren’t common but tik abuse increases the risk of strokes and cardiac failure, and it has resulted in deaths.

Although tik users generally recover more successfully than heroin addicts do, tik is more dangerous because it induces psychotic episodes. It’s estimated that the prevalence of psychosis among regular MA users is 11 times higher than among the general population, and 23% of regular users will experience psychosis within a given year.

This psychotic behavior is characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

Women don’t tend to get as aggressive on tik as men do but they are more likely to self-mutilate. Selling drugs to support their habit is the most common type of crime MA users commit but some heavy users do resort to fraud, theft and violent crime. It’s also one of the few drugs that have a big impact on sexual risk behavior. Its intoxicating effects alter judgment and inhibition, and lead people to engage in unsafe sexual behavior. Long-term use increases the risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis C.

There isn’t a quick-fix solution when treating addicts. Traditional drug treatment doesn’t necessarily work and for years many thought it was untreatable. The difficulty is getting MA addicts to access treatment. Heroin and alcohol addicts get obviously sick and have serious withdrawal symptoms but meth addicts can function physically for longer and don’t really experience physical withdrawal. Their symptoms are more mental-health-related -depression, paranoia and aggression – and they’re often misdiagnosed as paranoid schizophrenics.

Relapses aren’t uncommon after treatment. Addiction isn’t a curable disease – an addict could be clean for years and then relapse suddenly. Addicts need constant support such as support groups, many for most of their lives.

A Growing Problem

Young women should be aware of the severe repercussions of tik use. Just because you’re being offered it in a supposedly safe environment, such as a middle-class home in an affluent suburb or an upmarket club, by friends or a good-looking guy, doesn’t make it less dangerous or more acceptable. It’s still the same dangerous drug. You, and nobody else, have to take responsibility for the far-reaching negative consequences of drug abuse.

Tags:

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.

mediaimage
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.

Tags: