Category Archives: HEALTHY LIVING

Determination and will power, while sweating it out in the gym, are two attributes that play a key role in achieving weight loss or having a fit body. But for attaining a fit body you need to follow a healthy diet. Hence, it becomes utmost necessary to adapt to certain healthy diets that work in order to gain maximum benefits to keep fit and make life enjoyable.

Health is vital and should be well nurtured to avoid any health problems. Good health determines our life and to remain healthy in the long run, focusing on it becomes extremely necessary. Living a joyous life is often mistaken as inculcating improper eating and drinking habits such as drinking alcohol, smoking and binging on street food. Such ways of living bring temporary pleasure, eventually resulting in poor health.

Investing some time in looking after our health can save us from many health risks and make our body strong, strengthen our immunity and keep us disease-free. One of the ways of achieving it is through healthy diets, which involve the right balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Healthy diets that work are designed to inculcate proper food habits, which train our body to consume balanced nutrients and drink adequate amount of water.

Types of Healthy Diets

Dieting does not always refer to depriving ourselves from food. Consumption of all nutrients at proper intervals of time can help in obtaining a healthy body and mind. Our poor eating habits sometimes make it hard to adapt to a healthy diet. Therefore, there are many fad diets that work fast, which aid in weight loss. The effects of these quick, healthy diets give out great results but last only for a short span of time. The healthy diets that work fast for women and men are giving many dieters a wide range of right eating patterns to choose from.

Atkins Diet
Dr. Robert Atkins first introduced Atkins Diet in the book named, ‘The New Diet Revolution’, which went on to become a very popular diet. Atkins Diet has four phases, which include planned intake of all the important nutrients, resulting into quick weight loss.
Phase 1: This is the first step towards weight loss and lasts up to 2 weeks. Atkins termed the first phase as Induction, which means taking an initiative towards weight loss. The objective of this phase is to turn your body from burning carbohydrates to burning fat, ultimately leading to weight loss. With a sudden change in the pattern of eating, weight loss might be quick or slow. In order to achieve the desired body, abide by the rules of Atkins Diet. To begin the process of fat burning, reduce the intake of carbohydrates to 20 grams each day by consuming low carb legumes, vitamins, proteins, minerals and other nutrients.
Phase 2: This phase is called Ongoing Weight Loss, wherein the body begins to adapt to the new diet pattern. Once the difficult phase of induction is over, the second phase allows you to include some more variety of nutrients with a controlled eating pattern. The objective is to keep the appetite in control and continue the weight loss process. This phase permits you to increase the carbohydrate level to 25 grams and includes seeds and nuts in the diet.
Phase 3: With the success of the previous two phases, this pre-maintenance level assesses the amount of carb intake. Here, there is a scope to experiment with some more variety of foods and to know what foods can be consumed. By this stage you will have lost enough weight and must have learned to keep the appetite well in control.
Phase 4: Known as the Lifetime Maintenance Phase, it involves taking care of the new diet and at the same time maintaining the weight. As the body has been successful in adapting to a new diet, it gives you the opportunity to now select the various constituents of food that you might like to add in the diet. However, it is important to keep the food habits in control and stay determined towards the new diet and maintaining a healthy body.

Sonoma Diet
Connie Guttersen, introduced the Sonoma Diet, which is among the popular fad diets that many undertake. It is divided into three stages which are collectively termed as Waves. This diet is specially designed towards healthy eating and lifestyle.
Wave 1: The duration of this first stage lasts up to 10 days. Here, weight loss is quick with a rapid change in the energy level and the overall well-being of a person. Wave 1 helps to reduce cravings for unwanted food and gradually turns us towards eating delicious and yet nutritious food. The Sonoma diet includes almonds, bell peppers, citrus fruits, grapes, olive oil, strawberries, whole grains, broccoli, blueberries, spinach, tomatoes and beans, which play a major role in achieving the target weight. They are known as the 12 power foods of the Sonoma diet. Add more vegetables, whole grains and lean meats to the diet to make it an enjoyable meal.
Wave 2: Once you have observed weight loss in Wave 1, this phase continues with the weight loss process. This weight loss is gradual and healthy. By the time one reaches Wave 2, the body has become familiar with healthy foods making it easier to stick to the diet. This stage brings in more choice of fruits and vegetables, improving the health and making the mind stable. This stage lasts till the time the target weight is accomplished.
Wave 3: After Wave 1 and 2 changes the approach towards eating, Wave 3 coaxes you to maintain the target weight. The body automatically rejects the intake of poor eating habits and welcomes you to the new and well planned eating pattern. Good eating habits have positive effects on the body and nurturing the health of the body becomes easy.

South Beach Diet
Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist, designed this diet for its long term healthy effects on the body. This diet works in three phases, which focuses on proper eating thus pushing towards a healthier lifestyle.
Phase 1: It’s a tough phase where, one can have proper meals, excluding the carbohydrates. It includes eating lean meats and vegetables. There is rapid weight loss in this phase due to a complete change in the type of food and diet pattern.
Phase 2: The weight loss continues while you allow some more food variety in the diet. However, the weight loss is slow. This phase continues till the required weight is lost.
Phase 3: Once the body has adjusted to the balanced diet, it is not hard to maintain the acquired health of body. Slowly introduce other food types but do not deviate from the sensible eating pattern that you have designed for your body.

Zone Diet
One can achieve proper hormonal balance by consuming well planned meals, which include balanced carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It allows us to enjoy three meals a day, including two snacks and yet help to lose weight. It is a low carbohydrate plan, which uses up the carbohydrates to gain more energy. The dieters have to keep a control on the amount of intake of calories which can be consumed at the time of eating meals and snacks. They must restrict themselves to having 500 calories during meals and up to 100 calories during snacks time. This diet has the ability to improve health and raise the energy levels. It helps in controlling cravings for readily available foods. The zone diet targets the excessive fat which is stored due to intake of too much of carbohydrates. Therefore, it includes proteins which help in releasing the carbohydrates, thus resulting in fat burn. Burning of fat results into balancing the intake of carbohydrates and proteins which causes the body to shed the piled up weight. There are many delicious recipes that fall under Zone diet to make it enjoyable and at the same time keep the dieter determined towards the weight loss program.

17 Day Diet
Dr. Mike Mareno developed the 17 Day Diet, which soon became one of the sought after diets among the dieters. This diet includes various adjustments in foods and helps to achieve adequate amount of weight loss. The 17 Day Diet includes four cycles termed as Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive. The constituents of food varies as sometimes one has to consume low carb foods or high carb foods during the diet process. This diet promises a loss of at least 10-12 pounds, cleansing the body from toxins and putting it into the habit of consuming healthy food.

The diets mentioned above mostly focus on quick weight loss, which prove to be appropriate for teens or young adults. However, in case of pregnancy, these diets are not recommended as the mother needs to be healthy enough to carry the weight of the baby and provide all the possible nutrients to the unborn child. It is wise to consult a dietitian/doctor in case of any health ailments to prevent from damaging your health further.

Energy is extremely necessary to run our day-to-day activities. To gain this energy, we eat food, which determines our overall health. No matter how complicated our lifestyle is, eating smartly can lead to feeling good, lighter and energetic. Hence, it is essential to choose a healthy and nutritious diet and follow it sincerely. Only dieting does not always prove successful in weight loss. The combination of healthy diets that work and exercise will lead us towards a smart and healthy way of living.