Weight Loss Diets and Foods

Losing weight is about 80 percent diet

How important is diet and nutrition when it comes to losing weight and sculpting that sexy-licious physique you’re dreaming of? If you work out extra hard, add a few more reps or spend more time on the treadmill is that enough to get your butt into a smaller pair of pants? Not a chance. Ask any fitness pro or nutrition expert and you will hear that diet is anywhere from 70 to 90% responsible when it comes to transforming and improving that bod of yours (not to mention the health of your heart). Bummer eh? Well fear not my fellow fitness freaks, it’s really not that bad. Getting in tip top shape and still eating delicious foods is certainly possible, it just takes a little knowledge and a dash of creativity. Through years of trail and error, I’ve come up with some tips that will keep both your taste buds and your waistline happy.

Losing weight at the neighborhood pub

Just wait for it… it’s inevitable. Sure enough, every time I design a nutrition program for a client whether it’s for fat loss, muscle gain or a combination of the two, I always hear the same million dollar question. Three or four days into their program I receive an email asking “So what can I have for alcohol? Am I allowed to drink?” I expect it and I can totally appreciate it since after all, I’ve been known to guzzle sip a bottle glass or two of pinto grigio in my time. So what’s the harm in a little wobbly pop indulgence every now and then while you’re trying to shed some fat and tone up? How much is too much? What’s the best choice and which ones should stay behind the bar?

Healthy Weight Loss Diets Should Include Low Calorie Snacks

In order to be successful with a weight loss diet, it is imperative that you include healthy, low calorie snacks to your plan. We all enjoy snacking and just because you’ve decided to follow a healthy weight loss diet, doesn’t mean you have to give it up. You may however, need to adjust the amounts and types of munchies you consume. It’s easy to throw some change into the vending machine every afternoon in return for a bag of chips or a chocolate bar but you know as well as I do that of course, those are not at all healthy snacks.

Recovering From a Weekend of Binge Eating High Calorie, Fattening Foods

Well, it’s Monday again and if your weekend was anything like mine, it involved utter reckless abandon of your weight loss diet plan. My family and I celebrated my Mom’s birthday at my place this weekend, indulging in rich, delicious, high calorie, fattening foods. The homemade menu included baked pesto penne (with extra cheese of course), garlic cheese biscuits and chocolate orange cheesecake (I’m seeing a cheese pattern here) along with a vast selection of alcoholic beverages. Some may call it binge eating and drinking, but I just call it a really good party. Thankfully however, it doesn’t happen every weekend, because if it did I certainly wouldn’t be able to fit into my party dress and I doubt I’d be very impressive in my ‘birthday suit’.

A High Fiber Diet For Optimal Weight Loss

Consuming a high fiber diet is known to be optimal for weight loss yet it is often overlooked in many weight loss diets.

A high fiber diet incorporates a variety of plant foods including fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Fiber is a carbohydrate that cannot be absorbed or digested by the body, ultimately passing through the system unchanged and without being broken down into nutrients.

Tips on How to Lose Belly Fat

Without a doubt the number one physique related concern I am asked about is how to lose belly fat. I’m going to share some fitness and diet tips with you on how to get rid of stomach fat, but it really is not complicated stuff.

Belly fat is also known as a spare tire, love handles, a paunch or beer gut and of course my personal favorite, the muffin top. It can be stubborn, annoying and definitely frustrating. In some cases belly fat can also be a serious health risk as studies have shown that it increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain types of cancers.

Low Carb Diet Plans-The Best Way to Lose Weight Quickly?

A few years back, low carb diet plans were all the rage. Books like Atkins and South Beach were flying off shelves and claiming to be the best way to lose weight quickly. These days the novelty of low carb diets has somewhat worn off, but there seems to remain a confusion surrounding the role and importance that carbohydrates play in our overall well being.

I should preface this by stating that I am not a proponent of extreme low carb diet plans, and you shouldn’t be either.

Barring any specific specific condition or dietary intolerance such as Celiac disease, Crohn’s, Colitis, PKU or somehing of that nature, I always encourage balance, incorporating foods from all the food groups in a percentage that is optimal for health and physical performance.

Having stated that, I’ll explain the role that carbohydrates play in the proper functioning of our systems as well as highlighting the pros and cons of following a low carb diet plan.