When I was writing the ‘Combination Diet’ book someone asked me if writing a diet book was a wise decision. Their argument was that there are so many diet books out there written by big ‘celebrity status’ names and so called diet gurus, backed up by big companies and advertising campaigns. So they quite rightly asked ‘What makes you think that your book can compete with all these?’

I say a fair enough question and here is my answer. First I am not writing a book to compete with anybody. Secondly if all the weight problems were solved and covered by all these books and diets then why is obesity reaching epidemic levels? From my experience so far I can say that there is a considerable amount of people visiting weight loss websites every day and they all are looking for the same thing; a weight loss solution.

Will the combination diet be the answer to all weight problems?

To put it quite simply, No it will not. Each and every one of us is a unique oddity and we can’t believe that one simple thing will suit each and every one of the few trillion of us around the world. Yes there is such a thing as optimum nutrition or the best recommended diet pattern but let’s be totally honest it is not for everybody. There will always be an ‘X’ diet which works for ‘Z’ amount people and an ‘A’ diet which will suit ‘B’ amount of people.

Dieting is a personal thing; we all have different tastes, different lifestyles, different metabolism, different habits and preferences. To try and fit everybody in one box will be like setting up our self to fail.

What does the Combination Diet has to offer then?

Through our experience in the weight loss field, (the team who some of you may already know through the weight loss articles) we have seen that people are looking for answers. We gathered this experience and all the information you all have passed to us through the time with your contact, comments and questions and we decided to put the ‘Combination Diet’ together. So basically the project was inspired by what people have showed us they want and need. 

Why that diet regime? We looked at our scientific knowledge and we looked at what science says and we put together a healthy, balanced diet which aims to return weight loss results. Our no 1 goal was weight loss and our no 2 goal was health. Our philosophy was try to provide people with a solution which will be easy, practical and above all healthy. As you may know there are numerous ways and diets you can go about losing weight but there are not always healthy.

From the above, and to quote my own self, we thought that not everybody is the same and so the ‘Combination Diet’ had to offer flexibility. Indeed flexibility in terms of food choices and calories to be consumed is the no1 philosophy of the diet.

What else is different?

Weight loss is not always an easy job, as some of you may know. We did not want to just sell a diet to people but put together a lifelong solution. Therefore, we have created the ‘combination diet’ package. The book itself is packed with tips and guidance for every step of dieting whether being with following the ‘combination’ regime or whether being making a lifestyle change, or following any weight loss regime. In addition, we have added an exercise section to further help you tackle and improve abdominal condition.

But it doesn’t stop there…there is actually more added on to it. With buying the combination diet you are actually buying to a membership which entitles you to online services such as calorie counter, food and activities diaries and support from our experts. In other words you are not alone. We are there to guide you and help you in your weight loss steps. Our aim is to continuously update the members’ site with tips, menus, recipes and with whatever else you tell us you need.

More on the diet.

I was looking at the diet 2 days ago with one of my colleagues and I simply said tell me any comments. After going through the diet she said to me I could never eat tuna for breakfast, I would be sick, I don’t like salmon and I think I could only eat eggs for a couple of days. My response to her was ‘What do you like to eat?’ It turns out that she can only eat porridge and although she wants to lose her belly ready for the Christmas period she couldn’t give up her porridge.

I bring this example as I am sure a lot of people may think along similar ways. I would never in a million years want to create a diet which would be a torture for people. This is one main reason why the diet had to be flexible. The diet offers lists of menus for main meals and additional choices which you can combine with your main meals. In that respect you can chose what you want to eat, when you want to eat it and how much you want to eat. There will be choices which you don’t like at all, well then you don’t have to eat them.

The nutritional and calorie information which come with all the choices will further help you to set your own calorie range to follow every day. There is a step by step guide to help you determine how to set your own calorie range depending on how much weight you want to lose. Are you having difficulty to decide how or what to do, then ask us and we will help you.

To go back to my colleagues comments I have added a few weight loss tips to further take with you with the ‘Combination Diet’.

        Tip1.   You do not have to be rigid in following the combination diet. The menus provided are a guide. For some people the choices may suit them just fine for others it may not be all to their taste and preference.

        Tip2.   If the above is the case then make a list of the foods which is no absolute way that you can give up. For Stella it was porridge for breakfast, for you it may be something else. Once you done the list go through it and try to think if you can give it up for a few days, not at all, or if they could comfortably go to a ‘once a week’ category.

        Tip3.   Be realistic with your list. Well if your list includes I can’t give up on chips and pizza, be realistic that this kind of food will not lead to weight loss if eaten every day unless you starve all day just to have chips and pizza for dinner. Well that is unrealistic and unhealthy. If you are willing to eat chips and pizza once a week then this is more realistic and possible.

        Tip4.   Put foods which you can’t stop eating in small portions (bag or container etc). For example: Is it chocolate your biggest weakness? Cut the chocolate in small portions and store it in separate bags. Make an agreement with yourself as to when you will eat a portion of chocolate and stick to it. The agreement could be I will eat one portion a day, or I will eat it only when my friend come around for coffee, it can be as specific or as general as it suits you. Make sure you calculate the calories of a portion of the food of your choice and add it to your daily calorie intake.

        Tip5.   If you are like Stella and you can only have one thing for breakfast then don’t torture yourself trying to give it up. Try to make it as healthy as possible. In the case of Stella I would say that porridge can be high in sugars especially when adding syrup, sugar, jam etc for taste. Avoid the syrup and add a handful of nuts. Nuts can keep you feeling full for longer so you will not be getting the sugar cravings mid day. Or make sure you have a nice protein based snack or nuts if you do feel the mid day cravings. Use our food finder to calculate how many calories are in porridge and add it up. Adapt the diet to your needs and not your needs to the diet.

        Tip6.   Follow the principles of the diet for any other food changes. For example if you don’t like chicken and you prefer turkey then make sure you grill it and not fry it and again use the food finder in the site to find how many calories that food has.

        Tip7.   Be realistic with your weight loss goals and the diet results. Well is needless to say that if you do chose to have a small portion of chips with your dinner every day, because you cannot live without chips then you will also need to be more linear with your expectation. It could mean that losing that extra pound it may take a little bit longer. At the end of the day you will not be losing loads of weight by eating chips. The idea is that if keeping the chips will mean sticking to a diet then that is better than not losing weight at all or resulting to extreme and possibly unhealthy option (i.e. tape warms).

 Click here to find out more details about The Combination diet benefits for weight loss.

Article by H. Hagikalfa. Hara is also the writer of “The combination diet for abdominal fat”.

The raw food diet was voted second best weight loss diet according to a diet ranking contest performed by usnews.com health department. The diets were rated by a group of 22 experts that included nutritionists, dieticians, doctors, health professionals and weight loss researches. The study took about 6 months and examined 20 diets on how effective they are in losing weight in the short term, how easy they are to follow, how safe they are and how they can help you maintain your weight in the long term.

What is the raw food diet?

The raw food diet is similar to vegetarian diet and its roots go back to 1800 when a doctor with the name Maximillian Benner invented the first form of a raw diet. Since then it has evolved but the main idea of the raw food diet is that you consume mainly plant based foods and foods that are not processed, cooked or genetically altered. By adopting the raw food diet you can expect to eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, virgin olive oil and other natural and organic foods. There are more food choices and recipes than you can initially think that fall into the category of raw food and in accordance with this diet. It takes more time to prepare your raw food meals but once you get used to the habit of eating raw or nearly raw food you can speed up the process and invent your own ways to cook.

Can you lose weight with raw food diet?

Yes you can. If you follow the raw food diet for a couple of weeks or more you will lose weight because you will eat mainly fruits, vegetables and other items that are high in fibre and protein. These 2 components can generate fast weight loss results mainly because they can keep the feeling of fuller longer.

Is the raw food diet suitable for everyone?

We always encourage our readers to consult their doctor before engaging in drastic weight loss diets or techniques. The raw food diet restricts certain food items from your diet and this can generate adverse effects to people who are suffering from various diseases. The American Diabetic Association has also rated the raw food diet as inappropriate for infants and children.

The available research about the raw food diet does not expose any side effects but on the contrary it suggests that people who have followed the raw food diet successfully have managed to lose weight. It is no secret that a lot of celebrities are using the raw food diet to get fit before their appearances or get ready for their new movies. It should be noted though that it is not an easy diet to follow especially if you are new to dieting.

A final word

The raw food diet was voted among the best weight loss diets because it is guaranteed that you can lose weight. It can generate both short-term and long term results and it is safe to use provided that your doctor approves. On the negative side it is not easy to follow and you need to spend some time learning about what to eat and how to prepare your meals. If you are anxious to lose weight fast then you can try it out and come back to share your opinion and experience with our readers.

“I’m on a diet!” This is what we usually hear from people who want to lose weight. But what diet is effective in losing weight? Starvation diet is definitely a No! No! Our body needs food to produce energy so we can do our daily activities. The nutrients we get from food including fats and carbohydrates are important in maintaining the physiologic function of the body. However, these nutrients become bad for the body when they are taken in excess. The nutrients, if not converted to energy are stored in the body as fat deposits, thus the appearance of the undesirable belly fat and love handles. A balanced diet comprising all these nutrients as well as protein, vitamins and minerals, and calcium should be supplied to the body through the food we eat. This article shares some weight loss diet tips for men and women of all ages

The role of fat in a weight loss diet

Fats are an essential food nutrient because they provide twice the amount of energy than carbohydrates and proteins, and they help in protecting body organs and tissues and maintaining the body temperature.

Fats= 9 calories

Carbohydrates= 4 calories

Protein= 4 calories

CAUTION: Too much fat can be very harmful to the body. Excess fat do not only form the bulges on your body but it could also clog the arteries of the heart causing myocardial infarction or heart attack.

What is a low-fat diet?

Low- Fat diet has been promoted by the US Department of Health since the late 1970’s. But what does low- fat diet really mean?

Basically, there are three types of fat: The Saturated fat which is the Bad fat because it increases the blood cholesterol level, The Polyunsaturated fat that decreases the blood cholesterol level, and the Monounsaturated fat which decreases the Low- density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or the “bad cholesterol”.

Low- fat diet means: decreasing the consumption of food that contains saturated fat while increasing the consumption of food that contains polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. Food like most meat and dairy products, butter, and tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil should be avoided as they are high in saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat are usually found in plant food sources such as corn, soybean, safflower, and sunflower. Food sources for Monounsaturated fat includes olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and some fruits like avocado.

Carbohydrates are bad or good?

Carbohydrates provides real-time energy in the body and should account for 50- 60% of the total calories we take in everyday. However, with sedentary lifestyle, the calories you get from carbohydrates that are supposed to be converted to real-time energy are stored as fat deposits, thus you gain weight.

Low –carb diets are among the most popular weight loss diets. There are many variations like:

The Anabolic Diet which alternates low carb and periods of high carb eating

Carbohydrate addicts which serves 2 meals with no carbs and 1 meal of 1/3 carb a day

Ketogenic Diet which eliminates carbohydrate completely and compensates the caloric need with high fat and moderate protein intake.

But as per definition, having less than 50-60% of carb ratio in a serving is low carb diet. If your goal is to maintain your current weight, do take in moderate carb which is about 40-50% carb in your diet. And if you want to lose weight, you may go with low- carb diet which contains 25-39% carb. Lower than this is not really recommended as it could cause conditions like ketosis, presence of ketone bodies in the blood. Very high ketone level can make the blood acidic and may damage organs like the liver and the kidneys.

Some weight loss diet tips that can help eat healthier are:

• Instead of eating ice cream, have a low fat yogurt or sherbet.
• Use skim milk (fat- free milk) instead of whole milk.
• Instead of eating pasta alfredo (white sauce pasta) eat pasta marinara (red sauce pasta).
• You may substitute bacon with lean ham.
• Since the American Heart Association recommends avoiding coconut oil because it contains 85- 90% saturated fat, use olive oil or canola oil when cooking food.
• Chocoholics may eat dark chocolate which is rich in anti-oxidant rather than a milk chocolate.
• Use beef loin instead of brisket
• Instead of white bread eat whole grain bread such as wheat bread
• Snack on Peaches (61 calories/pc.), blackberries (62 calories/serving), and carrot sticks (52 calories/cup) instead of fried chips.

Being overweight or obese doesn’t only place a person at risk from developing diseases like diabetes, respiratory diseases, cancer, osteoarthritis and cardiovascular diseases but it could also affect one’s emotional and social life. People who are overweight and obese could suffer from low self-esteem, depression, and impaired body image. Because of this, more and more people are being conscious of their weight. Losing weight is a tough challenge; you must be really committed as lifestyle changes should be made.

In America Weight Loss has become an industry and every other day some new diet plan is announced. Various dieticians, medical doctors and others have jumped into the fray. Protagonists and antagonists of various diet plans fight it out with claims and counter-claims until some new diet plan comes along to divert the attention.

Naturally people get a little skeptical about these diet plans. However, there are certain marked departures from the popular versions of diets in Dr. Ian Smith’s Fat Smash Diet. Firstly Dr. Smith’s diet is not proposed as a quick fix for losing weight but is proposed as a lifestyle approach on healthy eating, eating filling foods; secondly it lays stress on regular exercise and does not rely only on low calorie low fat diet.

Fat Smash Diet And Celebrity Fit Club

Fat Smash Diet has come to sudden prominence because of the platform of VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club from which it got projected. This is a reality TV series based on an earlier British version. Eight overweight celebrities, split into two teams of four each, compete with each other as they try to lose weight. They are monitored and supervised by a team that includes a nutritionist, a psychologist, and a physical trainer. Dr. Smith was the nutritionist who put the competitors through his Fat Smash Diet.

Later Dr. Smith has published a book detailing the nutrition and fitness diet plan that he had used on the reality show. His diet plan has devised a weight loss plan based on scientific principles and is backed by research. This is an easy to follow diet plan; DR. Smith claims that his plan can be easily used by anybody, irrespective of whether the objective is to lose 10 lbs or 50.lbs.

Dr. Smith’s diet plan has four phases, each phase consists of 4 or 5 meals a day; the meals consist of raw, steamed, baked, or grilled food. In each phase a certain amount of exercises is a definite component.

Phase 1 of 9 days is to “detox” the mind and body, as Dr. Smith says. This phase consists of mostly vegetarian food with some egg and dairy products. 30 minutes of exercise for five days a week are necessary.

In phase 2 of 3 weeks duration more food options are allowed and cereals, lean meat and seafood is included in the diet. Exercise duration is increased to35 minutes per day for 5 days a week.

Phase 3 lasts for 4 weeks. More leniency in the food is given; Pasts, bread and desserts and a small scoop of ice cream or 2-3 cookies are allowed. Duration of exercises is increased to 40 minutes.

Phase 4 is a lifetime plan phase in which the dieter eats most foods and drinks he had previously enjoyed; even alcohol is permitted.

Dr. Smith’s plan gives long lists of foods you may enjoy while still being able to shed weight and it also gives a list of those you avoid.

DR. Smith’s fat Smash Diet gives much greater freedom to the dieter; he insists that his plan aims to change the dieter\’s \”relationship with food\”.

Ever since obesity has been termed as an epidemic, it has attracted attention throughout the world. In America weight loss has become an industry. The air is thick with discussions and counter-discussions about various diet plans being proposed by various people.

There is a 5-Factor Diet, Atkins Diet, Bob Greene’s Best Life Diet, South Beach Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, Anne Collin’s diet and now you have DASH diet and Fat Smash Diet and Size Zero Diet and …. it goes on!

Proponents of each of these diet plans make claims of how much weight you will lose and how rapidly you will lose weight. Some go to the extent of claiming that you will lose up to 10-12 lbs in a week whereas medical experts warn that such claims are ridiculous and weight loss of such proportions can come about only by losing water which is detrimental to the system. Moreover there is always the danger of gaining weight just as rapidly when you stop working on the plan.

Essentially all these plans boil down to a few basics! The body weight is contributed by fat, muscles, bones and water. Excess calorie intake is responsible for increased weight and so cut down the excess intake of calories. Increase metabolism so that stored fat can be burnt off; burn off the fat that is stored in the body by exercises and fat burning food. But do not starve the body of the essential nutrients.

Basically diet plans fall into three broad categories: the “fad diets”, those that are based on specially processed food and those that can be called as “natural diet” plans.

There is no clear definition of “fad diet”; it is very subjective. Fad diet is popularly believed to be a poor weight loss diet. A fad diet generally becomes very popular very quickly and falls out of favor just as quickly. Fad diets quite often claim very quick weight loss. Their claims for efficacy are generally not confirmed by any legitimate scientific studies. Often promoted by parties that publish books about the diet or those that sell some supplements or ingredients that are part of the fad diet, a fad diet may not achieve anything at all or at times may have an adverse effect on health.

The natural diet plan is based on use of food constituents that are normally in your diet; it recommends some of the constituents as being helpful and some others as being harmful from the point of view of weight loss. For example, it may recommend certain fish such as Sardines, herrings, etc as providing beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids or may recommend use of lean meat but not others such as pork; it may recommend low-fat skimmed milk but not the normal fresh milk. Natural diet is based on very clearly understood and recognized scientific knowledge.

The third category of diet plans mentioned above are based on use of specially processed food ingredients or supplements; this category is so highly commercialized that even if it has scientific basis at times lies on the boundary of fad diet plans.