It is possible. Fat has twice the calories as protein. Water doesn't have any calories. Finding things you enjoy eating that fill you up without piling on the calories is an important dieter's tool.
Everybody knows you can drink diet soda rather than the sugar filled kind. Switching to a diet brand or plan water is a good thing. Sugary drinks have around 10 teaspoons of sugar in each can!
Simply drinking more water during a meal helps you fell full quicker. A recent study funded by The Institute for Public Health and Water Research had middle aged folks drink 2 glasses of water before meals. The group that did so lost significantly more weight than the control group.
Salads can have very few calories. A garden salad made with fresh vegtables provides a large variety of vitamins, minerals as well as fiber, protein and other nutrients. Beware of rich dressings, bacon, cheese and other calorie rich ingredients often added by restaurants!
Fresh fruit and veggies are tasty, healthy and filling. Eating one apple is more filling and satisfying than drinking one glass of apple juice. The juice likely came from 2 or more apples but can have added sugar, is metabolised quickly and doesn't fill one up.
Protein helps one feel full. A glass of skim milk with your apple really helps stave off hunger and makes for a balanced, filling snack. Skinless pieces of chicken added to a salad turn a side dish into a nice lunch.
Never fill yourself with salty snacks or deserts. A small piece of chocolate is a wonderful taste treat at the end of a healthy dinner but a large candy bar is a terrible snack between meals.
Remember it is natural and OK to feel hungry between meals. Don't worry, another meal is coming soon. When it does eat a variety of healthy food and drink plenty of water. Food tastes better when you start out a little hungry!
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lose weight AND save money!
A recent article in the business pages discussed how various diet companies were lowering prices. That is good news for those of us who buy Nutrisystem foods or join Weight Watchers or their competitors.
Even with a discount buying packaged foods, like Nutrisystem, is very expensive. It works if you eat the suggested meals because you limit the calories you consume. That is half the battle! Increasing exercise is the other half.
Weight Watchers and other groups can be fun. Support groups can be very helpful. Rather than eat a pint of ice cream in front of TV you can call a friend and chat. That makes you happier as well as healthier!
To research the cost of losing weight we informally surveyed foods at a local super market. At first look dieting seems more expensive! Lower fat versions of ground beef cost much more than the fatty kind. Nice whole grain bread was available at a $2 discount for a net price of $2.49. Not bad! But that is still super expensive when compared to the store brand of bleached, bland, spongy white bread at a super bargain of only 99 cents for a loaf! Potatoes were only $2.99 for 10 pounds! When trying to save money nobody in their right minds would pay $2.59 for 5 pounds when for only 40 cents more you can get an extra 5 pounds.
When you look closer you realize that, in fact, you can save a large amount of money by eating better. Yes, we said better. Better tasting and healthier food can indeed be cheaper.
The key is to eat less meat and more vegetables. Go ahead and buy the 10 pounds of potatoes. Don't buy any mayonnaise, don't make potato salad. Well if you must then try German Potato Salad which uses vinegar rather than mayo. Buy the bananas. Buy apples. Buy lettuce and carrots. Make a vinaigrette salad dressing from scratch rather than buy bottled Caesar's or French. Not only is it both cheaper and healthier but it tastes better!
Yes, homemade dressing tastes better! Unfortunately it is possible that if you use the 5 star, extra virgin olive oil and prize winning balsamic vinegar you might not save any money. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!
Hamburgers need some fat for best taste. So buy the regular 20% fat kind rather than paying double for the 10% or even 4% fat varieties now available. The super lean ground beef just does not make a good hamburger. The key here is to eat one rather than two or if you only eat one, make a smaller one and have an extra pickle or peach. Add tomato slices, lettuce and ketchup (I like mustard.) Use the whole grain bread.
One huge savings is to eat more home made meals. Bring your own lunch to work. Find a friend, walk 10 minutes, and eat your sandwiches together. Have a crunchy apple for a snack. It very healthy to get fresh air, exercise and have a relaxing face to face chat with a real person. No friends at work? No problem, just invite a random co-worker.
When cooking your own meals you have much more control over what you eat. When you walk to a local picnic table at lunchtime you get exercise and are not rushed. That routine is so much healthier and less expensive than jumping into a car and hitting the local fast food drive-thru I just can't say it often enough. And wait, there's more! It is good for the environment too. :)
Please feel free to add comments - tell us what you do that both saves money and also enables you to eat good, healthy meals.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Even with a discount buying packaged foods, like Nutrisystem, is very expensive. It works if you eat the suggested meals because you limit the calories you consume. That is half the battle! Increasing exercise is the other half.
Weight Watchers and other groups can be fun. Support groups can be very helpful. Rather than eat a pint of ice cream in front of TV you can call a friend and chat. That makes you happier as well as healthier!
To research the cost of losing weight we informally surveyed foods at a local super market. At first look dieting seems more expensive! Lower fat versions of ground beef cost much more than the fatty kind. Nice whole grain bread was available at a $2 discount for a net price of $2.49. Not bad! But that is still super expensive when compared to the store brand of bleached, bland, spongy white bread at a super bargain of only 99 cents for a loaf! Potatoes were only $2.99 for 10 pounds! When trying to save money nobody in their right minds would pay $2.59 for 5 pounds when for only 40 cents more you can get an extra 5 pounds.
When you look closer you realize that, in fact, you can save a large amount of money by eating better. Yes, we said better. Better tasting and healthier food can indeed be cheaper.
The key is to eat less meat and more vegetables. Go ahead and buy the 10 pounds of potatoes. Don't buy any mayonnaise, don't make potato salad. Well if you must then try German Potato Salad which uses vinegar rather than mayo. Buy the bananas. Buy apples. Buy lettuce and carrots. Make a vinaigrette salad dressing from scratch rather than buy bottled Caesar's or French. Not only is it both cheaper and healthier but it tastes better!
Yes, homemade dressing tastes better! Unfortunately it is possible that if you use the 5 star, extra virgin olive oil and prize winning balsamic vinegar you might not save any money. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!
Hamburgers need some fat for best taste. So buy the regular 20% fat kind rather than paying double for the 10% or even 4% fat varieties now available. The super lean ground beef just does not make a good hamburger. The key here is to eat one rather than two or if you only eat one, make a smaller one and have an extra pickle or peach. Add tomato slices, lettuce and ketchup (I like mustard.) Use the whole grain bread.
One huge savings is to eat more home made meals. Bring your own lunch to work. Find a friend, walk 10 minutes, and eat your sandwiches together. Have a crunchy apple for a snack. It very healthy to get fresh air, exercise and have a relaxing face to face chat with a real person. No friends at work? No problem, just invite a random co-worker.
When cooking your own meals you have much more control over what you eat. When you walk to a local picnic table at lunchtime you get exercise and are not rushed. That routine is so much healthier and less expensive than jumping into a car and hitting the local fast food drive-thru I just can't say it often enough. And wait, there's more! It is good for the environment too. :)
Please feel free to add comments - tell us what you do that both saves money and also enables you to eat good, healthy meals.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Calcium for a longer life
Research at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden suggests middle aged men who take around 2 grams of calcium daily as part of their diet had significantly lower chances of dying than men who consumed the least calcium. This research was well done. It followed 23,000 men over a 10 year period. In general studies that involve large numbers of people over long time frames provide the most definitive results.
Women are frequently advised to take calcium supplements. After this research perhaps men will get that advice more often. We continue to suggest watching calcium intake for both men and women. We suggest getting as much calcium as possible from your diet. Take supplements only if you can't get calcium any other way. But do take supplements if you are lactose intolerant or just don't get enough calcium.
Since saturated fat is bad for you please try to drink low fat milk. You can gradually reduce the fat content. When changing slowly you adapt and don't feel deprived. People who are lactose intolerant can eat yoghurt and/or cheese.
Personally I feel full if I accompany a light lunch with a large glass of 1% milk. It fills me up much more than a glass of water. This observation is unscientific. Try it and see if it works for you. Please comment below if drinking milk helps you feel full.
Other foods have calcium so if you can't drink milk try eating more spinach, broccoli and that wonderful Japanese appetizer often found at sushi places: edamame (young soybeans in the pod).
A different scientific study suggests eating nuts daily reduces cholesterol. As we all know bad cholesterol (LDL) is associated with an increase in heart attack risk. This study was done at Loma Linda University in southern California. It is a survey of other studies. This kind of research is helpful and adds to our knowledge base. It also helps validate the original research.
The reason we brought up the nut research is almonds are a very good source of calcium so there are several reasons to eat my favorite nut!
Remember: get plenty of variety. Eat what you like in moderation. The more different kinds of food you like the better.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Women are frequently advised to take calcium supplements. After this research perhaps men will get that advice more often. We continue to suggest watching calcium intake for both men and women. We suggest getting as much calcium as possible from your diet. Take supplements only if you can't get calcium any other way. But do take supplements if you are lactose intolerant or just don't get enough calcium.
Since saturated fat is bad for you please try to drink low fat milk. You can gradually reduce the fat content. When changing slowly you adapt and don't feel deprived. People who are lactose intolerant can eat yoghurt and/or cheese.
Personally I feel full if I accompany a light lunch with a large glass of 1% milk. It fills me up much more than a glass of water. This observation is unscientific. Try it and see if it works for you. Please comment below if drinking milk helps you feel full.
Other foods have calcium so if you can't drink milk try eating more spinach, broccoli and that wonderful Japanese appetizer often found at sushi places: edamame (young soybeans in the pod).
A different scientific study suggests eating nuts daily reduces cholesterol. As we all know bad cholesterol (LDL) is associated with an increase in heart attack risk. This study was done at Loma Linda University in southern California. It is a survey of other studies. This kind of research is helpful and adds to our knowledge base. It also helps validate the original research.
The reason we brought up the nut research is almonds are a very good source of calcium so there are several reasons to eat my favorite nut!
Remember: get plenty of variety. Eat what you like in moderation. The more different kinds of food you like the better.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Biggest Loser & Jillian Michaels
Have you watched the "Biggest Loser"? We find it interesting that people will put themselves though what appears to be torture. Naturally they do it under doctor's supervision.
How about that Jillian? Wikipedia says she was an overweight teen. Her mom put her in a martial arts class which taught her to take care of her body. Boy she seems like a tough trainer. Now she is really commercializing her persona.
We first looked into Jillian and "Loser" after seeing the Jillian ads on this website. They are spending a lot of money on promotion. Hopefully people who sign up with her are not put through such a rigorous training program.
The show tries to introduce drama and an inappropriate time limit on losing weight. I guess many of the "reality" shows try to manufacture dramatic situations for entertainment purposes. I disapprove of anything that hurts people's feelings.
The shows do demonstrate that exercise is crucial to losing weight. One thing not mentioned is the commitment factor. Once you sign up for the show you have made a major commitment. When accepted you make another. When you first appear on TV you know millions of people are watching you and will judge you on your ability to fulfill your commitment.
You can do the same thing on your own. Well you won't win any prizes. But then again you won't be placed in a humiliating position. Just make a public commitment to lose weight. Then eat less and exercise more. Try all kinds of exercise - maybe you will find a few activities that you really enjoy. And you won’t have to hang from a ladder over a pool while watching your competitors fall into that pool.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
How about that Jillian? Wikipedia says she was an overweight teen. Her mom put her in a martial arts class which taught her to take care of her body. Boy she seems like a tough trainer. Now she is really commercializing her persona.
We first looked into Jillian and "Loser" after seeing the Jillian ads on this website. They are spending a lot of money on promotion. Hopefully people who sign up with her are not put through such a rigorous training program.
The show tries to introduce drama and an inappropriate time limit on losing weight. I guess many of the "reality" shows try to manufacture dramatic situations for entertainment purposes. I disapprove of anything that hurts people's feelings.
The shows do demonstrate that exercise is crucial to losing weight. One thing not mentioned is the commitment factor. Once you sign up for the show you have made a major commitment. When accepted you make another. When you first appear on TV you know millions of people are watching you and will judge you on your ability to fulfill your commitment.
You can do the same thing on your own. Well you won't win any prizes. But then again you won't be placed in a humiliating position. Just make a public commitment to lose weight. Then eat less and exercise more. Try all kinds of exercise - maybe you will find a few activities that you really enjoy. And you won’t have to hang from a ladder over a pool while watching your competitors fall into that pool.
bon appetit! ----- Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Chocolate Lovers: Good and Bad News
The European Heart Journal recently published results of a 10 year study on almost 20,000 people done by German researchers. The good news? Chocolate reduces the chance of heart attack and stroke by a significant percentage. The bad news? Sugar and saturated fat, which is found in large quantities in chocolate, are still bad for you.
Interestingly the useful amount of chocolate is small at 1/4 ounce daily. This reinforces the Diet Inn suggestion of eating a wide variety of food in small to moderate amounts.
The study raises the question of exactly what it is in chocolate that improves health. Further study will focus on flavonoids. These are more prevalent in dark chocolate.
So do eat chocolate! Remember: a few nibbles a day is all that is helpful. A small square of dark chocolate with a piece of fruit is a delicious and healthy dessert.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Interestingly the useful amount of chocolate is small at 1/4 ounce daily. This reinforces the Diet Inn suggestion of eating a wide variety of food in small to moderate amounts.
The study raises the question of exactly what it is in chocolate that improves health. Further study will focus on flavonoids. These are more prevalent in dark chocolate.
So do eat chocolate! Remember: a few nibbles a day is all that is helpful. A small square of dark chocolate with a piece of fruit is a delicious and healthy dessert.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, March 21, 2010
How healthy is the US?
With a historic health care bill being debated today (3/21/2010) as I write this I wanted to mention a few things about where the United States stands in terms of health care. Facts in this article are mostly from: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/.
The US currently spends more per person than any other country. Yet we rank about 30th among other countries in the world when measured on life expectancy from birth. US life expectancy is about 70 years while the #1 nation, Japan, is 76. It looks like the most important factor is the infant mortality rate which is about 6/1000 in the US vs. 3 or less for most of the higher ranking countries. Old age infections and poor child well being (when compared to other rich countries) also are important factors which can be inexpensively remedied.
There is a large gap between healthy and unhealthy states. The healthiest states are Hawaii, Utah and 3 New England states: Vermont (#1), Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The sickest are mostly southern states: South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The biggest two factors are rate of smoking and rate of obesity which are 22% and 33% respectively in the worst state Mississippi.
The state rankings have no correlation to spending with Hawaii providing the most at $220/person and New Hampshire the least at $59/person and Utah close behind at $60 both less than any of the 5 unhealthiest states.
In addition to smoking and obesity there is a strong correlation to number of people with insurance. We hope a health care bill moves forward today. Making health care available to 30 million additional Americans should go a long way to improving health care in America. We don't have answers to questions about costs but if 30 other countries can top the US in life expectancy for less cost there must be some answers out there.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
The US currently spends more per person than any other country. Yet we rank about 30th among other countries in the world when measured on life expectancy from birth. US life expectancy is about 70 years while the #1 nation, Japan, is 76. It looks like the most important factor is the infant mortality rate which is about 6/1000 in the US vs. 3 or less for most of the higher ranking countries. Old age infections and poor child well being (when compared to other rich countries) also are important factors which can be inexpensively remedied.
There is a large gap between healthy and unhealthy states. The healthiest states are Hawaii, Utah and 3 New England states: Vermont (#1), Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The sickest are mostly southern states: South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The biggest two factors are rate of smoking and rate of obesity which are 22% and 33% respectively in the worst state Mississippi.
The state rankings have no correlation to spending with Hawaii providing the most at $220/person and New Hampshire the least at $59/person and Utah close behind at $60 both less than any of the 5 unhealthiest states.
In addition to smoking and obesity there is a strong correlation to number of people with insurance. We hope a health care bill moves forward today. Making health care available to 30 million additional Americans should go a long way to improving health care in America. We don't have answers to questions about costs but if 30 other countries can top the US in life expectancy for less cost there must be some answers out there.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Go Easy on the Vitamins & Supplements
The best way to get nutrition is from eating balanced and varied meals. One can't always eat perfectly though, especially if dramatically reducing food input which happens with some diets. Some vitamins are not readily available in foods.
A multi-vitamin pill seems a cheap insurance policy. Mega doses of vitamins can be harmful and if not harmful are wasted money. So we recommend a basic multi-vitamin that contains 100% of the US recommendations.
Too much vitamin A can be harmful. Many people don't get anough vitamin D. D is produced by our skin when exposed to sunshine. People who live in the high latitudes likely don't get enough sun in winter to produce the optimal amount of D. Elsewhere people use sun screen to block the sun reducing skin cancer risk. There are studies suggesting the minimum recommendation of D is too low.
Don't take two multi-vitamins to get more D! That could mean taking too much of another vitamin. Try to get outside. Walking is good for you in many ways. If it isn't too cold you can expose some skin to the sun.
Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are beneficial for heart health among other things. Many people, especially those who don't eat fish, don't get enough. Fish oil soft gels or even spoonfuls of cod liver oil are a helpful suplement and a good idea for almost everybody. Fish oil contains some vitamin A and some D.
Women may take calcium supplements. Vitamin D is required by the body to metabolize the calcium. Any calcium supplement should also contain D. Take 1 with a meal. If your doctor wants you to take more than it is best to spread them out so taking one with each meal is better than taking two at the same time.
So there you have it. In our opinion almost everyone can take one regular multi-vitamin daily. People who eat fewer than 4 (or so) servings of fish weekly should take fish oil soft gels daily. Women should take a calcium (with D) supplement daily.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
A multi-vitamin pill seems a cheap insurance policy. Mega doses of vitamins can be harmful and if not harmful are wasted money. So we recommend a basic multi-vitamin that contains 100% of the US recommendations.
Too much vitamin A can be harmful. Many people don't get anough vitamin D. D is produced by our skin when exposed to sunshine. People who live in the high latitudes likely don't get enough sun in winter to produce the optimal amount of D. Elsewhere people use sun screen to block the sun reducing skin cancer risk. There are studies suggesting the minimum recommendation of D is too low.
Don't take two multi-vitamins to get more D! That could mean taking too much of another vitamin. Try to get outside. Walking is good for you in many ways. If it isn't too cold you can expose some skin to the sun.
Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are beneficial for heart health among other things. Many people, especially those who don't eat fish, don't get enough. Fish oil soft gels or even spoonfuls of cod liver oil are a helpful suplement and a good idea for almost everybody. Fish oil contains some vitamin A and some D.
Women may take calcium supplements. Vitamin D is required by the body to metabolize the calcium. Any calcium supplement should also contain D. Take 1 with a meal. If your doctor wants you to take more than it is best to spread them out so taking one with each meal is better than taking two at the same time.
So there you have it. In our opinion almost everyone can take one regular multi-vitamin daily. People who eat fewer than 4 (or so) servings of fish weekly should take fish oil soft gels daily. Women should take a calcium (with D) supplement daily.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Go Vegetarian - Save the World?
We recently spent some time with some Vegans. They were morally opposed to eating animal products of any sort. It is Lent which is a time when Catholics don't eat meat on Fridays and perhaps other days. Another fellow who is extremely concerned about the environment claims eating less beef will save the Earth's ecosystem. A financial adviser says eating less meat will save us money. From our point of view we see that meat has high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat which are bad for your health and weight.
With all these very different people and their very different arguments telling us we need to write about eating less meat we agreed to think about it. It didn't take much thought to concur. Regular Diet Inn readers know we advocate diversity in diet. Generally speaking too much or too little of any particular thing can be problematic.
Portions of meat served in restaurants are too large, often obscenely large. Three ounces of meat is a good amount. That is a piece of meat the size of a deck of playing cards. It is smaller than those quarter pounders at the fast food joints. One way of reducing your meat consumption is to serve smaller portions.
Meat has lots of nutrients; there are no better sources of protein. While we don't advocate totally giving up meat vegetarianism does work for some people. It is harder to ensure you have a good, balanced, nutritious diet. If you totally give up meat please fully research your nutrition needs and how your new diet will satisfy them.
We suggest adopting a vegetarian diet 1 day a week. We also suggest giving up meat at least 6 breakfasts a week and consuming minimal meat at lunchtime. Most people should eat at least 2 servings of fish weekly to get the minimum helpful amount of omega-3. Poultry is inexpensive and has less saturated fat than red meat especially if you remove the skin. We pencil in two poultry dinners a week. If you eat 1 beef or pork, 2 poultry, 2 fish and 1 veggie dinner a week that leaves one other meal free for whatever you like best.
Follow the above advice and you will not only eat much less beef than the average American but will have more variety and a healthier diet.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
With all these very different people and their very different arguments telling us we need to write about eating less meat we agreed to think about it. It didn't take much thought to concur. Regular Diet Inn readers know we advocate diversity in diet. Generally speaking too much or too little of any particular thing can be problematic.
Portions of meat served in restaurants are too large, often obscenely large. Three ounces of meat is a good amount. That is a piece of meat the size of a deck of playing cards. It is smaller than those quarter pounders at the fast food joints. One way of reducing your meat consumption is to serve smaller portions.
Meat has lots of nutrients; there are no better sources of protein. While we don't advocate totally giving up meat vegetarianism does work for some people. It is harder to ensure you have a good, balanced, nutritious diet. If you totally give up meat please fully research your nutrition needs and how your new diet will satisfy them.
We suggest adopting a vegetarian diet 1 day a week. We also suggest giving up meat at least 6 breakfasts a week and consuming minimal meat at lunchtime. Most people should eat at least 2 servings of fish weekly to get the minimum helpful amount of omega-3. Poultry is inexpensive and has less saturated fat than red meat especially if you remove the skin. We pencil in two poultry dinners a week. If you eat 1 beef or pork, 2 poultry, 2 fish and 1 veggie dinner a week that leaves one other meal free for whatever you like best.
Follow the above advice and you will not only eat much less beef than the average American but will have more variety and a healthier diet.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Diets: Fat Loss For Idiots
We looked into Fat Loss 4 Idiots (FL4I) at the request of a Diet Inn member.
Summary: Give FL4I money. Follow the FL4I rules, most of which are simple common sense. Follow the FL4I online meal planner. Supposedly lose almost a pound a day.
Pros: Paying attention to your diet and trying any change may make you more aware of what you eat. Some of the FL4I rules such as drink more water and eat more meals at home may help.
Cons: Your hard earned money is spent for dubious advice.
Bottom line: Avoid.
FL4I is a very heavily promoted website. There are dozens of associated blogs. Many claim to be critical of diets but appear to be purely FL4I promotional tools. The most fascinating site looks into several different diets. It recommends them with sponsored pointers to those websites. They continue by pointing out some negative with that method and suggest FL4I might be better. This website makes a promotional fee no matter which link you click.
The rules themselves are common sense like don't eat between meals, drink water, walk a bit and so on. The remaining rules are to eat 4 meals a day and to mix up your foods to confuse your metabolism.
Many statements made by FL4I don't make sense and are not found in mainstream nutritional research. They say things like "Using a Calorie Shifting diet, you induce your body to release more Fat Burning Hormones and Less Fat Storing Hormones." Nearly identical statements can be found on dozens of websites on almost as many different domain names all pointing back to the main FL4I site.
Other arguments like "Think low fat diets work? Why have low fat foods existed for years, yet the population is fatter now than it ever has been?" are meaningless. Though meaningless some people may accept these statements without thinking them through especially after seeing them repeated on several different sites.
From one of their websites: "The idea of this weight loss program is to eat 4 times a day, 2 1/2 hours apart. This where your metabolism kicks into gear and burns through the fat much faster. By changing your eating habits day by day, your meatabolism gets confused (Calorie Shifting) and that’s when you begin to lose weight."
It is not healthy to lose 9 pounds in 11 days. Following the FL4I diet plan for 11 days then take days off only to repeat doesn't sound like a sustainable diet to us.
The only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn. Don't try to confuse your metabolism. It is much easier to confuse your mind than your metabolism.
Our advice is to avoid the FL4I website. Keep you hands on your wallet whenever they are around.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Summary: Give FL4I money. Follow the FL4I rules, most of which are simple common sense. Follow the FL4I online meal planner. Supposedly lose almost a pound a day.
Pros: Paying attention to your diet and trying any change may make you more aware of what you eat. Some of the FL4I rules such as drink more water and eat more meals at home may help.
Cons: Your hard earned money is spent for dubious advice.
Bottom line: Avoid.
FL4I is a very heavily promoted website. There are dozens of associated blogs. Many claim to be critical of diets but appear to be purely FL4I promotional tools. The most fascinating site looks into several different diets. It recommends them with sponsored pointers to those websites. They continue by pointing out some negative with that method and suggest FL4I might be better. This website makes a promotional fee no matter which link you click.
The rules themselves are common sense like don't eat between meals, drink water, walk a bit and so on. The remaining rules are to eat 4 meals a day and to mix up your foods to confuse your metabolism.
Many statements made by FL4I don't make sense and are not found in mainstream nutritional research. They say things like "Using a Calorie Shifting diet, you induce your body to release more Fat Burning Hormones and Less Fat Storing Hormones." Nearly identical statements can be found on dozens of websites on almost as many different domain names all pointing back to the main FL4I site.
Other arguments like "Think low fat diets work? Why have low fat foods existed for years, yet the population is fatter now than it ever has been?" are meaningless. Though meaningless some people may accept these statements without thinking them through especially after seeing them repeated on several different sites.
From one of their websites: "The idea of this weight loss program is to eat 4 times a day, 2 1/2 hours apart. This where your metabolism kicks into gear and burns through the fat much faster. By changing your eating habits day by day, your meatabolism gets confused (Calorie Shifting) and that’s when you begin to lose weight."
It is not healthy to lose 9 pounds in 11 days. Following the FL4I diet plan for 11 days then take days off only to repeat doesn't sound like a sustainable diet to us.
The only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn. Don't try to confuse your metabolism. It is much easier to confuse your mind than your metabolism.
Our advice is to avoid the FL4I website. Keep you hands on your wallet whenever they are around.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
Enjoy life, but don't eat too much chocolate. It's most fun if you can find somebody to share your chocolate with. :)
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Friday, February 12, 2010
What changes will you make to lose weight?
Honestly, what are you willing to change to lose weight?
To lose weight you must take in fewer calories than you use. You can increase your activity to use more calories than before. You can eat fewer calories. Or you can do both.
To keep the weight off the changes you make must be permanent. Fasting won't cut it. Eating just one thing won't work. Those are not sustainable changes. Some reasonable suggestions are listed below.
Commit publicly to making at least one change. Tell your friends you don't eat more than one dessert per day, ever. Write your change on a post it note and post it on your mirror or refrigerator. Select your change from our poll. It may not be enough to simply tell yourself in your mind you will make the change; let it out, shout it out. Be proud of yourself, you are changing your lifestyle for the better.
I will exercise more every day.
I will eliminate all snacks except fruit/nuts between meals.
I will eat no meat at all at least 1 day each week.
I will eat more fish and poultry and less red meat.
I will eat more whole grains and less refined carbs.
I will eat the same foods as before only smaller portions.
I will drastically reduce my consumption of sweets & desserts.
I will make 2 or 3 of the above changes.
I will make 4 or more of the above changes.
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
To lose weight you must take in fewer calories than you use. You can increase your activity to use more calories than before. You can eat fewer calories. Or you can do both.
To keep the weight off the changes you make must be permanent. Fasting won't cut it. Eating just one thing won't work. Those are not sustainable changes. Some reasonable suggestions are listed below.
Commit publicly to making at least one change. Tell your friends you don't eat more than one dessert per day, ever. Write your change on a post it note and post it on your mirror or refrigerator. Select your change from our poll. It may not be enough to simply tell yourself in your mind you will make the change; let it out, shout it out. Be proud of yourself, you are changing your lifestyle for the better.
I will exercise more every day.
I will eliminate all snacks except fruit/nuts between meals.
I will eat no meat at all at least 1 day each week.
I will eat more fish and poultry and less red meat.
I will eat more whole grains and less refined carbs.
I will eat the same foods as before only smaller portions.
I will drastically reduce my consumption of sweets & desserts.
I will make 2 or 3 of the above changes.
I will make 4 or more of the above changes.
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Labels: Cheez-It vs Triscuit
Do you read labels on the food you buy? You should, there is a lot of information there. As an example let's compare two snack cracker labels: Big Cheez-It and Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil. In what follows I will always list the Cheez-It number first followed by the Triscuit number.
First the serving size is 30 grams vs. 28g. About the same. Since Cheez-Its are smaller we are comparing 13 of them to 6 Triscuits. These are small serving sizes, most people we know like to eat more than that if they get a chance. 150 calories doesn't seem that much more than 120 but the difference is in fat calories. Cheez-Its has 70 calories from fat while Triscuit has 35. Score 1 for Triscuit.
Neither has Trans Fat. Frankly it is hard to find Trans Fat any more. That is great news! It shows the manufacturers are responding to some combination of scientific evidence, consumer demand and government regulation. Tie.
Cheez-Its has 8 grams of Fat with 2 of them being Saturated which is the worst kind of fat outside of Trans Fat. Triscuit manages to keep Saturated fat to 1/2g. Cheez-It has more of good fats too, 3.5g Poly and 2g Mono with Triscuit at 2.5g and 1g. Neither has any cholesterol. The harm cause by Saturated fat outweighs the benefit of Poly and Mono unsaturated fats so score another for Triscuit.
Cheez-It has 250mg Sodium which is almost twice as much as the 130mg in Triscuit. Cheez-It has no Potassium while Triscuit has 110mg which is 3% of the recommended daily value. Both Sodium and Potassium are necessary nutrients. It is very easy to get too much Sodium and sometimes hard to get enough Potassium. Triscuit likely has an edge here.
Cheez-Its have 17g Carbohydrates compared to 20g for Triscuit. Fiber is <1g vs. 3g which makes the products equal in digestible carbs. Fiber is very good so advantage Triscuit.
First the serving size is 30 grams vs. 28g. About the same. Since Cheez-Its are smaller we are comparing 13 of them to 6 Triscuits. These are small serving sizes, most people we know like to eat more than that if they get a chance. 150 calories doesn't seem that much more than 120 but the difference is in fat calories. Cheez-Its has 70 calories from fat while Triscuit has 35. Score 1 for Triscuit.
Neither has Trans Fat. Frankly it is hard to find Trans Fat any more. That is great news! It shows the manufacturers are responding to some combination of scientific evidence, consumer demand and government regulation. Tie.
Cheez-Its has 8 grams of Fat with 2 of them being Saturated which is the worst kind of fat outside of Trans Fat. Triscuit manages to keep Saturated fat to 1/2g. Cheez-It has more of good fats too, 3.5g Poly and 2g Mono with Triscuit at 2.5g and 1g. Neither has any cholesterol. The harm cause by Saturated fat outweighs the benefit of Poly and Mono unsaturated fats so score another for Triscuit.
Cheez-It has 250mg Sodium which is almost twice as much as the 130mg in Triscuit. Cheez-It has no Potassium while Triscuit has 110mg which is 3% of the recommended daily value. Both Sodium and Potassium are necessary nutrients. It is very easy to get too much Sodium and sometimes hard to get enough Potassium. Triscuit likely has an edge here.
Cheez-Its have 17g Carbohydrates compared to 20g for Triscuit. Fiber is <1g vs. 3g which makes the products equal in digestible carbs. Fiber is very good so advantage Triscuit.
Protein is 3g each so a tie there.
Cheez-Its have 2% Vitamin A, 4% Calcium and 6% Iron with Triscuit containing 8% Iron and 10% Phosphorus daily requirement. These are small amounts but many of us don't get enough Calcium so advantage Cheez-It.
The ingredients section at the bottom is always telling. Ingredients are listed in order of quantity used. Cheez-Its is mostly made from enriched flour. This is a highly processed wheat flour with the bran and germ removed and some vitamins added. Triscuit uses whole grain wheat flour. The whole wheat explains Triscuit's better fiber numbers. Both use soybean oil but Cheez-Its also uses the less desirable Palm oil. These main ingredients are followed by salt, flavorings and preservatives with Cheez-Its having a longer list of unpronounceable ingredients. Score a big one for Triscuit.
Triscuit is the clear winner here. The use of whole grains with lower fat and salt and better oils creates a healthier snack that is likely to fill you up for longer.
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Monday, February 1, 2010
Diets: The Diet Inn Diet
Summary: Make small improvements to your diet and exercise routine, publicize your commitment, implement and repeat.
Pros: It really helps some people permanently lose weight.
Cons: The Diet Inn diet seems vague to some and too slow to others.
Small changes are doable. Making one change at a time is not daunting or drastic. If you are unable to make one change you can try others and will find some you are able to make. Once you have successfully changed one thing you know it is possible to change. Successful change is very empowering and will lead to achieving all your goals.
The secret is publicizing your commitment. Tell your friends and co-workers about your commitment. Writing it down helps too. State your goal on our forum: http://dietinn.com/forums/state-your-goal.
What changes help? ...
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Pros: It really helps some people permanently lose weight.
Cons: The Diet Inn diet seems vague to some and too slow to others.
Small changes are doable. Making one change at a time is not daunting or drastic. If you are unable to make one change you can try others and will find some you are able to make. Once you have successfully changed one thing you know it is possible to change. Successful change is very empowering and will lead to achieving all your goals.
The secret is publicizing your commitment. Tell your friends and co-workers about your commitment. Writing it down helps too. State your goal on our forum: http://dietinn.com/forums/state-your-goal.
What changes help? ...
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Miracle foods: which ones work?
Every day we see headlines that promise miracles if we eat a particular food. In the last week we read articles on WebMD that suggest "Blueberry juice may boost memory" and that "Green tea extract may treat uterine fibroids." Sometimes they claim to melt away the fat or otherwise help us lose weight effortlessly.
Are these foods miracles? No. The headlines usually cover themselves by using weasel words such as may, might and could. Some of these foods are interesting. They deserve further study. Perhaps one day an active ingredient will be isolated that will be proven to help disease or improve health.
Are these foods bad? No, not at all. The diversity in nutrients provided by different foods is truly amazing. When scientists analyze plants they often find new compounds and new molecules.
A food might appear to be a miracle if it provides a nutrient that is missing from the diet. British sailors of a few hundred years ago often got very sick during long voyages. When they reached shore they learned that limes would cure them. They had developed scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C, and the vitamin C in the limes cured them. That must have seemed a miracle!
Consider that we don't know everything about all foods. We don't know everything about the human body and how various natural nutrients affect it. Doesn't it make sense to eat a large variety of food?
At Diet Inn we are firm believers in variety. Too much of any one thing is often bad. A lack of an essential nutrient is bad. So we recommend eating a large variety of food, and as fresh and little processed as possible.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Are these foods miracles? No. The headlines usually cover themselves by using weasel words such as may, might and could. Some of these foods are interesting. They deserve further study. Perhaps one day an active ingredient will be isolated that will be proven to help disease or improve health.
Are these foods bad? No, not at all. The diversity in nutrients provided by different foods is truly amazing. When scientists analyze plants they often find new compounds and new molecules.
A food might appear to be a miracle if it provides a nutrient that is missing from the diet. British sailors of a few hundred years ago often got very sick during long voyages. When they reached shore they learned that limes would cure them. They had developed scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C, and the vitamin C in the limes cured them. That must have seemed a miracle!
Consider that we don't know everything about all foods. We don't know everything about the human body and how various natural nutrients affect it. Doesn't it make sense to eat a large variety of food?
At Diet Inn we are firm believers in variety. Too much of any one thing is often bad. A lack of an essential nutrient is bad. So we recommend eating a large variety of food, and as fresh and little processed as possible.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Friday, January 22, 2010
Do you want to lose weight?
The Diet Inn admin added a polling feature for me (thanks admin!) I want to learn more about our audience as we gain readers. Anyone, even anonymous web surfers, can respond to the polls.
Please visit Diet Inn and let me know if you want to lose weight. I'm trying to break the ice with an easy question. :) The poll is at the left side of the page. Please comment here (or register, log in and comment there) if you want me to ask a different question.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Please visit Diet Inn and let me know if you want to lose weight. I'm trying to break the ice with an easy question. :) The poll is at the left side of the page. Please comment here (or register, log in and comment there) if you want me to ask a different question.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Diets: The Low Fat Diet
Summary: Eat less fat. Exercise more. Since you already have more than enough fat eating less will help right?
Pros: Reducing the amount of harmful fat in your diet will improve your heart health.
Cons: Inadvertently reducing good fat can harm your heart health. Substituting refined carbohydrates for good fat can backfire and cause you to gain weight.
Saturated fats are strongly linked to various heart and artery problems. The evidence that trans fats are harmful is so strong they should be completely eliminated from your diet.
Saturated fats are found in animal products, with red meat and dairy products containing the most. Trans fat is a man made fat.
Reducing saturated fat and eliminating trans fat is a healthy move to make. Many people, maybe even most Americans, eat too much and will benefit from eating fewer saturated fats.
Several studies have been done to understand why people living in the Mediterranean region have long, healthy lives. It turns out fat, in the form of monounsaturated fat like that found in olive oil, improves heart health.
Studies of other cultures where lots of fish are eaten show that polyunsaturated fats increase levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) while lowering triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL). Fish contain omega fats while vegetable oils contain polyunsaturated fats.
How did it happen that so many people believe low fat diets are good for your heart?
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Pros: Reducing the amount of harmful fat in your diet will improve your heart health.
Cons: Inadvertently reducing good fat can harm your heart health. Substituting refined carbohydrates for good fat can backfire and cause you to gain weight.
Saturated fats are strongly linked to various heart and artery problems. The evidence that trans fats are harmful is so strong they should be completely eliminated from your diet.
Saturated fats are found in animal products, with red meat and dairy products containing the most. Trans fat is a man made fat.
Reducing saturated fat and eliminating trans fat is a healthy move to make. Many people, maybe even most Americans, eat too much and will benefit from eating fewer saturated fats.
Several studies have been done to understand why people living in the Mediterranean region have long, healthy lives. It turns out fat, in the form of monounsaturated fat like that found in olive oil, improves heart health.
Studies of other cultures where lots of fish are eaten show that polyunsaturated fats increase levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) while lowering triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL). Fish contain omega fats while vegetable oils contain polyunsaturated fats.
How did it happen that so many people believe low fat diets are good for your heart?
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Is your Diet sustainable?
Recently several people we met have tried a miracle diet. This involves getting daily injections of a hormone and going on a starvation diet of 500 calories daily.
Supposedly the hormone relieves hunger pangs and causes the body to metabolize its fat rather than muscle. Some of these "miracle diets" use HCG which is a hormone produced during pregnancy. Others use HGH, human growth hormone.
Even if the diet works exactly as advertised you have to ask yourself is it sustainable? Can you continue to inject hormones and eat 500 calories daily for the rest of your life?
Of course not. Once you lose the desired amount of weight you need to eat enough food to stabilize your weight. It is unhealthy to lose too much weight. Is it healthy to get injected with hormones the daily the rest of your life? We doubt that.
So what will you do when the diet is over? Maybe you have lost a lot of weight. You have not learned how to eat a healthy diet so you will go back to your old ways and will gain back everything you lost. It will happen, it has to happen.
The only way to permanently lose weight is to make sustainable changes to your diet. Changes you can make forever...
A word on 500 calorie/day diets.
If your Basel Metabolic Rate is 2250 cal/day and you only eat 500 you will lose 1/2 a pound every day. This will happen without hormones.
500 calories per day is not much food. Given that limit it is hard to eat a balanced diet with healthy amounts of good fats, carbohydrates, essential proteins, vitamins and minerals. Don't starve your body of essential nutrients! If you insist on starving yourself please talk with a doctor, he may talk you out of it or prescribe supplements.
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Supposedly the hormone relieves hunger pangs and causes the body to metabolize its fat rather than muscle. Some of these "miracle diets" use HCG which is a hormone produced during pregnancy. Others use HGH, human growth hormone.
Even if the diet works exactly as advertised you have to ask yourself is it sustainable? Can you continue to inject hormones and eat 500 calories daily for the rest of your life?
Of course not. Once you lose the desired amount of weight you need to eat enough food to stabilize your weight. It is unhealthy to lose too much weight. Is it healthy to get injected with hormones the daily the rest of your life? We doubt that.
So what will you do when the diet is over? Maybe you have lost a lot of weight. You have not learned how to eat a healthy diet so you will go back to your old ways and will gain back everything you lost. It will happen, it has to happen.
The only way to permanently lose weight is to make sustainable changes to your diet. Changes you can make forever...
A word on 500 calorie/day diets.
If your Basel Metabolic Rate is 2250 cal/day and you only eat 500 you will lose 1/2 a pound every day. This will happen without hormones.
500 calories per day is not much food. Given that limit it is hard to eat a balanced diet with healthy amounts of good fats, carbohydrates, essential proteins, vitamins and minerals. Don't starve your body of essential nutrients! If you insist on starving yourself please talk with a doctor, he may talk you out of it or prescribe supplements.
bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Diet Inn and the Slow Food Movement
We are asked if we support the Slow Food Movement. To answer that question we need to know what the Slow Food Movement is. We heard that Alice Waters, founder of one of the finest restaurants in the world Chez Panisse, supports the SFM (Slow Food Movement.)
On reading the introduction to her The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
Jeff Crump and Bettina Shormann do use the words SFM in the introduction to their magnificent cookbook Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm
Wikipedia says the SFM was founded in Italy to combat fast food. Most other references are along the same vein. Local, organic food is good. Fast food is bad.
We at Diet Inn are not dogmatic. We love local, organic, delicious food. We support local farmers and the local economy in general. We have also been known to eat a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and water purchased at a local fast food joint. We are not farmers or restaurant owners; we support people's efforts to lose weight. So we came up with our own definition of SFM which we wholeheartedly support.
Diet Inn suggests taking your time when eating. Chew each bite completely. Savor the full flavor available. Eat slowly.
bon appetit!
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Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn
Friday, January 8, 2010
Diets: Counting Calories
Summary: Calculate your BMR. Add up the calories in all the food you eat. Make sure you eat fewer calories than your BMR.
Pros: Eat fewer calories than your BMR and you WILL lose weight. You become aware of which foods have the most calories and what exactly is a reasonable portion.
Cons: Counting can be tedious for some people. Calories are calories, counting doesn't distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods.
The only way to lose weight is to create a Calorie Deficit. Every diet is designed to create a calorie deficit. Calorie counters keep track of everything they eat adding up all the calories. Keep the daily total to 500 calories less than your BMR (Basel Metabolism Rate) and you will lose 1/lb each week.
To start your calorie counting diet calculate your BMR (Calorie Deficit) then start counting calories. The following book, Calorie King, is very easy to follow and a must have for every calorie counter:
Keep Calorie King
bon appetit!
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To read the full article join us at: Diet Inn
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Recession's Silver Lining - Spending Less and Doing More
We read an article ("In Recession, Americans Doing More, Buying Less" by Damien Cave) in today's (1/3/2010) New York Times. They quote several polls and produce other evidence to support their headline. This is great news!
Whether to pay off debt, rebuild savings or to cope with reduced income Americans are buying fewer material things. The silver lining is they continue to pursue experiences such as visiting museums and outdoors activities.
The good news for the health of Americans is many are spending more time gardening and cooking. It is very healthy to grow and cook your own food. Nothing tastes better than a gourmet variety fruit or vegetable picked ripe then eaten that very same day.
Gardening is great exercise. It is good to get some sun and fresh air. It is good to see the connection between the earth, plants and the food you eat. It can also save you money. It is possible to grow food very economically and the time you spend gardening is time you are not at the mall.
Cooking a meal for your family or friends is healthy and rewarding. You won't add nearly as much salt or sugar as many restaurants do. You will likely serve more reasonable portions. Additionally the time spent with friends or family is nourishing for the soul. Cooking at home is also less expensive than visiting restaurants.
Join the crowd and start planning for this season's crops. This is the time of year when the seed catalogs arrive. If you don't already get them in the mail just ask, or order seeds/plants online.
bon appetit!
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To read the full article join us at: Diet Inn
Whether to pay off debt, rebuild savings or to cope with reduced income Americans are buying fewer material things. The silver lining is they continue to pursue experiences such as visiting museums and outdoors activities.
The good news for the health of Americans is many are spending more time gardening and cooking. It is very healthy to grow and cook your own food. Nothing tastes better than a gourmet variety fruit or vegetable picked ripe then eaten that very same day.
Gardening is great exercise. It is good to get some sun and fresh air. It is good to see the connection between the earth, plants and the food you eat. It can also save you money. It is possible to grow food very economically and the time you spend gardening is time you are not at the mall.
Cooking a meal for your family or friends is healthy and rewarding. You won't add nearly as much salt or sugar as many restaurants do. You will likely serve more reasonable portions. Additionally the time spent with friends or family is nourishing for the soul. Cooking at home is also less expensive than visiting restaurants.
Join the crowd and start planning for this season's crops. This is the time of year when the seed catalogs arrive. If you don't already get them in the mail just ask, or order seeds/plants online.
bon appetit!
-----
To read the full article join us at: Diet Inn
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