The UnDiet Weight Loss Guide » Blog Archives

Tag Archives: weight loss tips

Tips

Out of the Box Diets

Published by:

Eat like a caveman, lock your kitchen down at night and writing to an imagined pen pal. Depending on who you believe, these could be very unusual weight loss tips or they could turn out to be diets that work.

The Flintstones Diet. Can anybody say Yabadabadoo? In his book “The New Evolution Diet: What Our Paleolithic Ancestors Can Teach Us About Weight Loss, Fitness, and Aging” author and grandfather of the Paleo Movement, Arthur De Vany encourages modern day Janes and Joes to follow the dietary patterns of our ancestors.

The Paleo movement believes that in order to lose weight we must do as our ancestors do. This means that large amount of meat is eaten, avoiding modern food (bread included as agriculture wasn’t invented yet 40,000 years ago) and then fasting in between those meals just like how a regular cavemen would in between hunts.

As you can tell, this diet is not for the faint of heart as it requires a lot of self-discipline not to go and eat a burger, which by the way wasn’t around until 1880.

The Kitchen Lockdown Diet. And in James Beckerman’s, M.D book “The Flex Diet: Design-Your-Own Weight Loss Plan” that is just one of the more than 200 ways he tells you how you can lose weight.

The Flex diet is divided into three parts which are Today, Every Day and Your Way. In the first stage, followers of the diet are promised that they can lose at least five pounds in two weeks time, and the tips you followed for this stage you take to the next until the thrid stage wherein you already have developed your own intricate system of dieting.

It sounds too easy right? Think again. For the most part, Flexers for the most part of this diet are left to their own devices. Sure there area 200 ways on how to lose weight, but which one should you follow? Which combinations are right for you? How long until you’re confused at which tip you’re following again? Who knows.

The Love is the Answer Diet. Jean Fain, author of “The Self-Compassion Diet: A Step-by-Step Program to Lose Weight with Loving-Kindness” suggests that love can melt away those extra pounds.

According to Fain, the Self-Compassion Diet utilizes four proven psychological routes that can lead to weight loss, these are meditation, hypnosis, self-compassion and group support. Now I know what you’re thinking, how can a diet that tells someone to create an imaginary friend and write that imaginary friend a letter going to work? In an interview this is what Fain says,

Researchers have shown that hypnosis and meditation help dieters get a handle on the range of eating issues, but given the number of diets most Americans have under their belts or elasticized waist-bands, these less-traveled psychological routes may sound like dead ends. I encourage a healthy mix of skepticism and curiosity. Certainty only comes with time and experience.

If you want to know more about diets that work, fast weight loss tips and how to lose belly fat, just head on to http://losebellyfatmethods.com.

Tips

Fun Weight Loss Tips

Published by:

Who said that losing weight can’t be fun?  There are many different things you can do to enhance the time you spend trying to lose weight and become more active and healthy.  I’ll try to cover some more unique weight loss tips instead of the ones you have heard before.

My number one tip to get more active is to try geocaching.  If you are anything like me, the thought of mindlessly doing cardio at the gym, whether it is an aerobics class or a treadmill is terrible.  Even when I try to do it and watch television or read, I still can’t keep it going for long.  Geocaching makes outdoor exercise fun, and all you need is an inexpensive GPS system.   Basically it makes an ordinary trail walk or hike into an awesome treasure hunt which truly makes things exciting!  You can find really cool caches and great views, and even make some own yourself.

Another tip to make losing weight fun is to try and cook one awesome meal per week.  Incorporate different fat burning foods from around the world through use of different spices.  Spicy food is known to speed up your metabolism while you are in the digestive process.  So make it a treat for your family, friends, or coworkers and start up a great tradition.  You will look forward to your healthy cooking because of the different cultural foods you can experience.  Plus, you can always make extra and freeze them for multiple dinners or lunches.

Lastly, I am a big fan of setting goals.  For every ten pounds I lose I like to reward myself with a treat, and this treat is NEVER food.  One time though, the treat was a cooking demonstration/class but it was focused on healthy eating, not overindulgence.  After the weight is off you can treat yourself for other maintaining goals such as going to the gym consistently all month, or keeping your goal weight for 6 months, or successfully completing a marathon!

Uncategorized

Family Breakfast: Weight Loss Tips & A Healthy Diet For Children

Published by:

These weight loss tips are not only the quickest way to lose weight but are posted to help a parent who is trying to develop a healthy diet for children.

While eating nothing but Fruit in the morning is the best way to lose weight fast, if you find it too difficult or need a break now and then, don’t despair. As long as you eat nothing but fresh or frozen Fruit on most days you’re still off to a roaring good start. And if you’re concerned about your family’s health, relax, you don’t need to work hard to convince everybody to eat nothing but Fruit in the morning. If they like it, great – but it won’t be detrimental to their health (or weight loss) if they can’t live without their cereal. Eating nothing but Fruit in the morning until noon is a healthier way to live and a big boost to your weight loss goals but if your family isn’t buying it, let it go and work on putting into practice the weight loss tips outlined below to get them off to a healthier start in the morning.

You may eat Fruit with other foods, but with caution. Fruit must be eaten either alone, with other foods, or immediately following a meal or snack. Fruit eaten an hour after dinner will cause indigestion & weight gain. So you are allowed to eat Fruit with your meal or for dessert immediately following the meal, but wait 4 and 1/2 hours after eating a Protein meal and 2 and 1/2 hours after eating a Starch meal before eating Fruit again. If your family wants bananas or raisins in their oatmeal, let ’em. These Fruits actually help to digest Starches. I’ll be placing a chart in an upcoming Step showing which Fruits help to digest which types of food, but for now go ahead and have any Fruit with any other type of food.

Probably the most difficult part of implementing these weight loss tips for a healthy diet for your children is keeping your family happy without putting yourself in the position of preparing two completely different menus for each meal. You want them to start eating healthier, but you know you’re going to get complaints and grumblings. My advice, try fooling them rather than fighting them. To accomplish this trickery here are some suggestions for a Step-By-Step transitional breakfast plan. These tips will also work well for you if you’re like my dad (breakfast is his favorite meal) and having trouble eating nothing but Fruit in the morning.

When they sit down to breakfast have a bowl of fresh Fruit sitting at each family members place. Let them munch on that while you fix the breakfast they’re used to. If you really want to entice them, place a small bowl of one of the UnDiet Fruit Dips, Sweet Creme Fraiche Dip or Sweet Whipped Cream next to their fruit bowl.

One way to get them interested in an all-Fruit breakfast is to pour them a small glass when you make yourself a Fruit smoothie. To give them a really rich and creamy taste sensation you might try adding just a touch of heavy cream, some nondairy milk or a little sweetener such as honey, agave nectar or date sugar after pouring off your portion of the smoothie. The milk and Fruit sugar aren’t strictly forbidden for you on The UnDiet but since it’s two more steps – and quite a few more calories – I tend to skip them unless it’s one of those days where I just need something special. If they want more, or seem to like it, make a bigger glass for them next time and cut back on the rest of their breakfast. NOTE: when following any of the UnDiet Fruit Smoothie recipes you may now use soy/nut/rice/seed milk in place of Fruit juice if you prefer, it will not affect your weight loss.

Switch their frozen, canned or bottled juice for fresh juice, and don’t automatically serve a glass of milk with their breakfast. If they want it fine, but try serving up to 1/2 and 1/2 nondairy milk with the dairy milk. Keep upping the ratio of nondairy milk to dairy milk.

They may not ask for anything else, but if they do, see if you can get away with giving them more Fruit or veggies such as celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, and lettuce which digest well with Fruit. If your kids won’t touch a celery stick unless it’s accompanied by ranch dressing, make up one the UnDiet Veggie Dips to keep them happy.

If your family won’t eat Fruit and turn their noses up at celery sticks in the morning, serve fresh Fruit followed by one of the transition foods listed below.

UnDiet Transition Foods

  • Get them used to whole grains by making whole grain pancakes topped with pure maple syrup, or a little butter and/or a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice, or chopped, pureed or mashed Fruit.
    Try Grape Nuts (not the flakes – they have sugar in them).
  • Cut back on dairy and start getting them used to non-dairy products by serving rice/soy/nut/seed milk with their cereal. If they won’t touch the “weird” milk then mix 1:4 with dairy milk gradually cutting back on the dairy milk.
  • If they need sugar on their cereal (don’t just automatically serve it, let them ask for it), sprinkle on date or maple sugar. I would suggest just throwing out all the white sugar in your house. You don’t want to eat it, you don’t want to serve it to your family, and I would hope you wouldn’t want to serve it to your friends. I doubt anyone will even notice. If they ask why the sugar looks different just tell them it’s date or maple sugar, or if they’re really resistant tell them it’s brown sugar – well, it is brown and it is sugar. They’ll most likely shrug and keep eating, although they may use more than they would with white sugar as date/maple sugar isn’t as sweet as white sugar.
  • Whole grain toast with butter and/or honey, or sugar-free jam. Add a dash of cinnamon (not cinnamon sugar).
  • Whole grain zucchini or carrot bread made with pureed tofu (or soy egg-replacer) in place of eggs.
  • Oatmeal with any of the following stirred in: Fruit, cinnamon, honey, applesauce, maple syrup, sugar-free chocolate chips.

After they’ve been eating this way for a couple of weeks, make sure they have enough Fruit and transition foods but don’t replenish your pantry with sugary cereals and Pop Tarts or whatever it is they’re eating that you want to switch them from. Children take a simple “we’re out of it” way better than “you can’t have it”. If they take this without complaints you may be able to switch them completely to Fruit in the morning. If they still don’t like it, keep transitioning them and try again in a week or so.

UnDiet Feedback

Some of you have written me to tell me that you’re still hungry after having your Fruit in the morning. There are several things you can do that will help you to feel more full.

Bananas tend to be more filling. Add them to your Fruit bowl or make a Dirty Monkey.

I’ve also been making a raw applesauce which is basically pureeing 1 banana with 2 apples, that is very filling. For variation add vanilla, a very teenie bit of salt, and/or cinnamon or apple pie spice.

Get moving. After having your Fruit, do a mini workout. Sounds strange but I find I feel less hungry both during the workout and for the rest of the morning.

If all else fails go ahead and have one of the transition foods.

Batter Breads

It’s difficult to make whole grain batter breads that are a proper UnDiet combination if you’re strictly following food combining because these recipes require mixing eggs (Protein) & flour (Starch). One simple solution is to substitute 1/4 cup pureed tofu (or soy egg-replacer) for each egg and soy milk for any milk in your recipe. Go ahead and try it in your own recipes, you’ll be amazed. I’ve even made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner this way and the family LOVED it. Of course they didn’t know I’d made it with date sugar and tofu … Future “Weight Loss Tips: The UnDiet Step By Step” will have recipes and information on how to bake with tofu as an egg replacer. It’s really an incredible weight loss tip!

If you’re not ready to use tofu in place of eggs go ahead and use the eggs. The amount of Protein in relationship to the amount of Starch makes this an okay (not great, but okay) combination.

Important Information for Babies


Children under 18 months of age don’t have the enzyme necessary to break down starches, so you’ll want to give them only fresh Fruits and vegetables for breakfast until they’re at least 18 months old. Of course, run this by your pediatrician to make sure your child(ren) is getting the nutrition he/she needs. I know several doctors who recommend serving children this age banana milk (bananas pureed with water) in place of formula.

A Word About Protein

You don’t need to eat meat and dairy to get the protein your body needs. You receive enough protein from fresh Fruits and vegetables to satisfy your body’s protein needs. Fruits and veggies don’t actually contain protein, but they do contain the amino acids necessary for your body to build the protein it needs. Protein overload is a much more common occurrence than protein deficiency. You would have to work very hard to acquire a protein deficiency – starving yourself is really the only way to end up with a protein deficiency.

Weight Loss Tips & Tricks

You don’t need to tell your family they’re going on the UnDiet. When you’re changing something just tell them you’re trying out a new recipe. When you’re fazing something out tell them you’re out of the old food and use the UnDiet substitute for awhile. If they still complain, experiment until you find something they like.

Serve a variety of Fruits including some they’ve never tried before. Make a mental note of what gets devoured and what stays on the plate. One way to get kids to eat Fruit is to get them involved. Many Fruits are soft enough to be cut with a plastic knife. Give your kid(s) a peach and a plastic knife and step back.

Make Fruit fun by cutting it into thick slices and using cookie cutters to cut each slice into fun shapes.

Make up some Fruit With Attitude. It’s a little more work, but worth it if it will get your family to eat Fruit. Fruit With Attitude is also good to have on hand for after-school and after-work snacks.

Step-By-Step

1. Print out the following recipe pages:

2. Make a shopping list.

3. Go shopping.

4. Prepare anything you won’t want to fiddle with in the morning.

5. Serve fresh Fruit and/or juice first thing in the morning.

6. If necessary make up of one of the UnDiet Fruit Dips.

7. If necessary serve one or more of the transition foods.

Talk Back

I encourage you to comment on this Step with your questions, your challenges, your own tips and discoveries … Together we can all Step Up to the UnDiet Challenge and move closer to our health and weight loss goals.

Paleo

Lose Weight Fast with Paleo Dieting a Diet that Works?

Published by:

In search of diets that work to help lose weight quickly? Consider the Paleo diet. Paleo dieting is also referred to as the caveman diet, stone age diet, Paleolithic diet or hunter-gatherer diet. It is a nutritional diet based on eating natural plants and animals as they were eaten by our ancestors the cave men.

History

Based on our ancestors from the Paleolithic Age, it covers the period of human nutrition up to the Neolithic (agriculture) age. Paleo believers outline that most humans have been Paleolithic for over 2,500,000 years and have only been Neolithic for about 10,000 years.

Diet Facts

Since man kind has eaten meat and vegetables for millions of years and only recently developed the industrial techniques to extract nutrients from foods and process food for storage, Paleo followers suggest that we go back to the roots of eating in order to encourage healthy lifestyles.

Of course like many nutrition communities there are varying levels of Paleo. The majority agree on the following: eat whole natural foods specifically meat, seafood, vegetables (including root vegetables like yams and sweet potatoes and eliminate dairy, grains and process foods with refined sugars.

Stricter followers argue that fruit and nuts should also be eliminated as these would only have been available seasonally to hunters and gatherers. They eliminate legumes and vegetables that only became available in the Neolithic age like tomatoes and potatoes.

Latest Reading

“The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet” written by Robb Wolf a well known member of the primal/paleo community was recently released as an up-to-date reference of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle. The book offers weight loss tips for following a hunter/gatherer diet, with meal plans and tools to help the reader understand the concepts and theories of this community.

Critics

The diet implies that hunter and gatherers did not suffer from diseases plaguing our current civilization and scientists and nutritionists suggest this is due to the lack of calories in their diets and not what they were actually eating. In addition, there is no evidence that followers of this diet approach are actually mimicking the diets of people in Paleolithic eras as there is no accurate information to outline them.

Conclusion
This low-carb, non-dairy approach has many variations and books to follow. With the reduction of sugar and processed food, the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and the removal of most grains and dairy the Paleo Diet will help you lose weight fast.

Recipes Staying Young The Zone Tips

Explaining the Jennifer Anniston Diet Plan: Why It’s Better!

Published by:

We all have been fans of Hollywood celebrities that manage to keep fit and look good every time the camera catches up with them, whether it is on film or an awards show, a normal day at their favorite boutique or a stint at the beach. However, we get more wowed at the sight of older Hollywood stars, which even at their age still are able to carry themselves well. These people seem to be defying the effects of aging and even manage more to look better than their younger counterparts. One of these stars is Jennifer Aniston. This Friends celebrity has been able to maintain her body and looks even at the age of 40, which is why she has been one of the inspirations of countless young adults to be healthy.

One of the struggles and concerns of women everywhere has been to look for the appropriate weight loss tips and to find the quickest way to lose weight without necessarily having to alter so much of their current diet and lifestyle. Some dietary plans on the market are known to be very stringent which is why most cannot really keep up with their recommendations. However, Jennifer Aniston has managed to create her own lifestyle and health routine based on Dr. Barry Sears diet plan that is more friendly and doable for the ordinary woman. This Zone Diet or Jennifer Anniston diet plan is a healthy combination of incorporating lifestyle changes and the right type of foods for the body.

The Jennifer Anniston diet plan includes an intake of carbohydrates although done so in the right amounts, lean proteins and low-starch food products. It eases the body to take in only healthy food, with a focus on calcium and vitamin D. The diet also stresses the importance of eating 5 times a day and drinking lots of water. Even vegetarians can be on the Zone Diet. The average length of time that people lose weight depends on each person but certain changes can be seen in as early as two weeks into the routine.

It is important to note that any diet regimen will fail without the necessary efforts coming from those who want to unde-rgo a planned diet and it should be coupled with the proper examination to take into account all other health considerations. In no time, with the proper combination of commitment and dedication, one can be assured of looking as fabulous and being as healthy as Jennifer Aniston can.

The Zone Diet – recipes to try

Egg and Prosciutto

1 Wasa Cracker (1 sheet)
2 hard boiled eggs – NO YOLKS
2 oz. prosciutto
1 cup grapes
3 almonds

 

Lemon and Fennel Salad

1½ cups feta – reduced fat crumbled

4 bulbs fennel

1½ cups pears, cubed

2 tablespoons raisins (soaked)

2½ lemons

2 Tsp. Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1¼ cups white wine

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice the fennel. Cut and discard the ends from the lemons, and then cut them into thin slices. Put the olive oil into a skillet over medium high heat. When thge oil is hot, add the fennel and lemons and cook for about five minutes. Pour the white wine into the saucepan and cook until reduced by half. Barely cover the fennel and lemons with water, adding salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Cook for about 20 minutes or until fennel is al dente, then turn off heat, add the pear and let sit, covered, until cooled. Before serving, toss with the raisins softened in cold water and the feta cut into small cubes.

 

Turkey Tips with Asparagus

6 ounces turkey breast

2 bell peppers

3 cups asparagus

1 cup canned pineapple cubes in light syrup (rinsed/drained)

2 teaspoons Zone Extra Virgin Olive Oil

vegetable broth

salt

Break off and discard the woody ends from the asparagus. Slice the asparagus . Cut peppers into thin strips. Cut turkey breast into 6 cubes and sauté in oil in a skillet over medium high heat until browned. Remove turkey from skillet and keep warm. Sauté the vegetables in the remaining juices in the skillet, adding a bit of vegetable broth and salt. Cook until vegetables are softened. Transfer vegetables and turkey to a plate. Serve with the pineapple for dessert.

 

Uncategorized

Fruit First

Published by:

If you’re on a high-protein or low-carb diet plan then this Step isn’t for you. Fruit is too high in carbohydrates if you’re relying on your body’s metabolic reaction to a Protein Binge for weight loss. We’ll take a look at the Protein Binge Breakfast in a later issue which would be a more appropriate breakfast choice for you. That said, you should still be aware of the basics of Fruit First as we’ve found that when weight loss on a high protein diet plan stalls, carb loading will often kick you back into weight loss mode.

The single most effective step in successful weight loss, using the power of properly combining whole foods, has been shown to be the living Fruit breakfast. This step speeds along the process of eliminating the waste products that your body is still working to rid itself of from the previous day. It also ensures that you have at least one meal each day, that is nothing but living foods. We’ll talk more about living foods and their contribution towards weight loss in an upcoming UnDiet Step.

This Step is all about changing your breakfast habits. You’ll eat nothing but fresh or frozen Fruit, (no canned Fruit, because the canning process cooks the Fruit) until noon. During weight loss, go easy on the bananas, dried Fruit, and watermelons as these cause your insulin level to rise too high. Eat as much Fruit as you need to feel satisfied, either all in one sitting or staggered throughout the morning.

When you get up in the morning it’s good to start with an UnDiet compatible beverage such as a glass of water, a cup of herbal tea, water with fresh lemon or lime juice. Skip high-glycemic sweeteners and Fruit juice during weight loss. If it’s not morning without a cup of coffee in your hands, switch to decaf and use only nondairy milk, cream, half and half and/or Splenda, Sweet ‘N Low or Stevia if you must have sweetener in your java. A half hour later you might fix a bowl of fresh Fruit. An hour or two later you might have a Fruit shake. Whatever it takes to make you glad to wake up to another day on the UnDiet.

Note: Eating nothing but fresh and/or frozen Fruit in the morning until noon is one of the most important ways to achieve your weight loss and health goals. I realize though that there will be some mornings that through either circumstance or mood nothing but fresh Fruit is not possible. When that’s the case, go ahead and have a whole grain, sugar-free cereal or other UnDiet compatible breakfast food along with as much Fruit as possible before or with the meal, but not after the meal. Wait two hours after you’ve taken your last bite and have a large beverage. Continue enjoying UnDiet compatible beverages until lunch.

Tips & Tricks

If you don’t have time in the morning, or if you’re afraid you’ll lose your resolve when faced with a banana and a blender when what you really want is a bowl of Lucky Charms, blend up a Fruit shake the night before. I like to make up a big batch of Fruit shakes and then I have them for several days. It’s more difficult to make up a Fruit salad the day before as most cut Fruits turn brown after an hour or so. I do however wash grapes, cut up melons, strawberries, and citrus Fruits, putting them in baggies or airtight containers, as they keep very well for a couple of days this way. This also makes them easy to snack on when you want “just a little something”. You can also find pre-sliced apples in most grocery stores.

Step-By-Step

  1. Eat nothing but fresh or frozen Fruit until noon.
  2. Read through the recipes and print out any you want to make up:
  3. Make up a shopping list.
  4. Go shopping.
  5. Be prepared by cutting up Fruit and making shakes the day before or on the weekend.
  6. Keep sulfur-free dried Fruits on hand for when you’re in a hurry or especially hungry. If you’re having trouble feeling full, dried Fruit will make you feel full longer than fresh Fruit.
  7. For those of you who have not read through the blog and therefore don’t know what to eat during the rest of the day, go to The UnDiet Basic Guidelines. They’ll get you through your day as you continue to receive supplementary information through the UnDiet Steps.