Weight Loss Programs ...
Understanding Weight Loss Programs
LOW CARB | HIGH PROTEIN | BLOOD TYPE | ELIMINATION DIET | KETOGENIC DIET | GLYCEMIC | ORGANIC DIET
With so many weight loss programs on the market, making the right choice can become confusing. High Protein, Low carb, Detox diets, Calorie counting, how do you know what is the right approach and the best choice for you?
To make things easier, I have outlined a basic rundown of different weight loss program structures and how they assist in promoting weight loss.
Weight Loss Program - Calorie Restrictive Diets
Very low calorie weight loss program or diet (VLCD) is a diet with very or extremely low calorie consumption per day. It is defined medically as a diet of 800 kilocalories per day or less. VLCDs are formulated, nutritionally complete, liquid meals containing 800 calories or less per day. VLCDs also contain the recommended daily requirements for vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fatty acids and protein. Carbohydrate may be entirely absent, or substituted for a portion of the protein; this choice has important metabolic effects.
The VLCD products are usually a powder which is mixed with water or another low calorie liquid.
Weight Loss Programs - Extreme Diets
Extreme weight loss programs or diets are ad hoc systems not designed or supervised by medical professionals. Typically an extreme diet combines very low food intake with quirky food limitations and rules.
Weight Loss Programs - Alkaline Diets
The Alkaline diet or weight loss program (also known as the alkaline ash diet, alkaline acid diet and the acid alkaline diet) is a diet based on the theory that certain foods, when consumed, leave an alkaline residue, or ash. Minerals containing elements like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, are said to be the principal components of the ash. A food is thus classified as alkaline, acid or neutral according to the pH of the solution created with its ash in water.
Weight Loss Programs - Food Combining Diets
The food combining weight loss program or diet is based on the theory that different food groups are digested optimally when eaten in combinations.
Proteins (beans, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, poultry) and starches (grains, pasta, breads, cereal, rice, carrots, etc.) should be eaten at separate meals. Proteins can be eaten with vegetables and starches can be combined with vegetables.
Fruits should be eaten alone. Starches are thought to be absorbed best when they are eaten alone or with vegetables, because the pH of the digestive tract is alkaline. The digestion of proteins, however, requires stomach acid and if proteins and starches are combined, the digestive environment is neither acid or alkaline enough for either group to be absorbed well. Many proponents of the food combining diet believe that this can lead to health problems such as poor digestion.
Weight Loss Programs - Gluten Free Diets
A gluten-free diet or weight loss program is a diet completely free of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. Gluten is also used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often hidden under "maltodextrine", "dextrine", and "dextrose". A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.
Additionally, a gluten-free diet may exclude oats, however medical practitioners are divided on whether oats are an allergen to celiac disease sufferers or if they are cross-contaminated in milling facilities by other allergens.
Weight Loss Programs - Crash Diets
A crash diet or weight loss program is a diet which is extreme in its nutritional deprivations, typically severely restricting calorie intake. It is meant to achieve rapid weight loss and may differ from outright starvation only slightly. It is not meant to last for long periods of time, at most a few weeks. Importantly, the term specifically implies a lack of concern for proper nutrition. Contrary to the belief of many who start this sort of diet, this form of dieting is neither healthy nor largely successful in achieving long term weight loss as it provokes a slow down of the body's metabolic rate - the body seeks to conserve every calorie and so weight loss becomes increasingly difficult. Whilst some initial weight is often lost, the weight is usually regained quickly in the weeks that follow, as the individual reverts to their original pre-crash diet.
Weight Loss Programs - Elimination Diet
An elimination diet or weight loss program is a method of identifying foods that an individual cannot consume without adverse effects. Adverse effects may be due to food allergy, food intolerance, other physiological mechanisms (such as metabolic or toxins), or a combination of these. Elimination diets typically involve entirely removing a suspected food from the diet for a period of time from two weeks to two months, and waiting to determine whether symptoms resolve during that time period. In rare cases, a health professional may wish to use an oligoantiegenic diet to relieve a patient of symptoms they are experiencing. READ MORE
Weight Loss Programs - Fad diets
Food faddism and fad diets or weight loss programs usually refer to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short-term weight loss, usually with no concern for long-term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity
The term "food fad" may also be used with a positive connotation, namely, to describe the short term popularity among restaurants and consumers of an ingredient, dish, or preparation technique.
Weight Loss Programs - Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet or weight loss program is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fuelling brain function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state known as ketosis, leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures.READ MORE
Weight Loss Programs - Organic Food Diets
Organic foods are made in a way that complies with organic standards set by national governments and international organizations. In the United States, organic production is a system that is managed in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990 and regulations in Title 7, Part 205 of the Code of Federal Regulations to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.READ MORE
Weight Loss Programs - Vegetarian Diet
Vegetarianism involves the practice of following a diet that includes fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products or eggs. A vegetarian does not eat meat, including game, poultry, fish, crustacea and shellfish, and may also abstain from by-products of animal slaughter such as animal-derived rennet and gelatin.READ MORE
Weight Loss Programs - Vegan Diet
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use by human beings of non-human animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from the diet only.
The term was coined in England by Donald Watson, who founded the British Vegan Society in 1944, and in 1960 H. Jay Dinshah started the American Vegan Society, linking it to the Jainist and Buddhist concept of ahimsa, the avoidance of violence against living things. It is a small but growing movement. In a 2008 survey 0.5 percent in the United States said they were vegan, and in 2007 two percent self-identified as vegan in the UK. The number of vegan restaurants is increasing, and in certain endurance sports for instance, the Ironman triathlon and the Ultramarathon the top athletes are vegans.
Well-planned vegan diets have been found to offer protection against obesity, heart and renal diseases, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada regard such a diet as appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle, though they caution that poorly planned vegan diets can be deficient in Vitamin B12, iron, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Weight Loss Programs - Low Fat Diet
According to the USDA, a low-fat diet - as the name implies - is a diet that consists of little fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, which is thought to lead to increased blood cholesterol levels and heart attack. It is important to know that dietary fat is needed for good health, as fats supply energy and fatty acids, in addition to supplying fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.
However, in recent years the exact health benefits of a low-fat diet have been debated. A 2006 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association argued that a low-fat diet did not reduce the incidence of breast cancer. However, this study was criticized by several epidemiologists for its lack of validity (see "Criticisms" in the Women's Health Initiative article). Recently, the Nurses' Health Study from the Harvard School of Public Health reported from a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and found that a diet "with high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, moderate intake of legumes, nuts, and low-fat dairy products, and low intake of red and processed meats and sodium, was significantly associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in women." A 2002 Cochrane Review found low-fat diets to be no more effective than other weight loss diets in achieving lasting weight loss.
Weight Loss Programs - Liquid Diet
A clear or full liquid diet, or a diet containing no solid foods, is often prescribed for gastrointestinal illness or before or after certain types of surgery involving the mouth or gastrointestinal tract.
Weight Loss Programs - Low Glycemic Diet
The Low-Glycemic Index Diet was developed by Dr. David J. Jenkins, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto and later turned into a successful line of diet books by author and former president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Rick Gallop. According to the publishing company, Virgin Books, the G.I. Diet has sold over two million copies.
G.I. stands for Glycemic Index, a medical term used to measure the speed at which carbohydrates break down in the digestive system to form glucose. Glucose is the body's source of energy - it is the fuel that feeds your brain, muscles, and other organs. Glucose is set at 100, and all foods are indexed against that number. So foods that are quickly digested have a high G.I., and foods that are digested more slowly have a lower G.I. It's also possible to lower the GI of a meal with a few teaspoons of vinegar and the addition of fresh fruits and vegetables.
In spite of the common belief that table sugar contributes to the development of diabetes, it has medium GI that produces lower blood glucose levels than the equal amount of calories obtained from starch and some other carbohydrates. Leading international diabetes associations (e.g., Canadian Diabetes Association CDA) ) recommends that table sugar be actually part of the diabetic diet.READ MORE
Weight Loss Programs - Macrobiotic Diet
A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from "macro" (large) and "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Macrobiotics also addresses the manner of eating by recommending against overeating and requiring that food be chewed thoroughly before swallowing. Although it is frequently presented as a means of combating cancer, this has been disputed.
Weight Loss Programs - Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of coastal regions of southern Italy as well as Crete and other parts of Greece in the 1960s.
On November 17th, 2010, UNESCO recognized this diet pattern as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, thus reinforcing it not only as a fundamental part of their history and background, but also as a great contribution to the world.
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. In North Africa wine is traditionally avoided by Muslims. In both North Africa and the Levant, along with olive oil, sheep's tail fat and rendered butter (samna) are traditional staple fats.
The most commonly-understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented, amongst others, by Dr Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health from the mid-1990s on, including a book for the general public. 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.
The principal aspects of this diet include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, high consumption of unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, high consumption of vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat and meat products, and moderate wine consumption.
Olive oil is particularly characteristic of the Mediterranean diet. 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. 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.
Weight Loss Programs - MassAttack Diet
MassAttack weight loss program is committed to providing a compassionate, caring natural health care service that is dedicated to helping you in your efforts to better manage and effectively reverse your excess body weight. We want you to know we take this commitment seriously and value your choice to come on board our program.
How do we help you? In two ways:
First, by identifying the underlying causes of your weight gain and secondly, having you understand an underlying complication of your weight condition that few know much about - a disorder called fat cell sickness.
Medical research has now identified fat cell sickness as a serious condition that causes your metabolism to slow and your body to store fat at a rapid rate. An impossible combination for weight loss.
When people suffering from excess weight or obesity fail to fat cell sickness, the possibility of severe complications such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and sexual dysfunction can dramatically accelerate.
MassAttack is aware that knowledge is power in your efforts to transform your heath. Therefore, we strive to help you understand how fat cell sickness negatively affects your health.
Finally, by providing you with a comprehensive, effective system that will support you in reversing your condition. We understand that trying to better manage and reverse your condition without the right information and support can be a confusing, discouraging and sometimes overwhelming task. That is why we are here to help you every step of the way.
For many of you, this information is all you'll need to start to the process of transforming your health. Whether you choose to begin the System now or later, we urge you to use this comprehensive site to obtain information to aid your quest to effectively manage your weight issues. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to help!
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