Entries Tagged 'fad diets' ↓
August 15th, 2008 — Book Review, calories, diet, exercise, fad diets, healthy eating, motivation, nutrition
Out of all the diet books we have ever seen, this one simply has the best cover. Nothing gets the point of the title across better than a pie-eyed dog staring at you over a bowl of what looks like very unappetizing cereal. The author of this book is the renowned Bradley Trevor Greive, who is a very big person in the gift book industry. It turns out that Greive is also a pretty big person in real life and he decided to write a book about his journey from 280 pounds to fit.
The sense of humor Greive has makes this one of the most entertaining books on the market. His chronicles of dieting and what he learned along the way will keep you enthralled and most likely, laughing quite a bit. His main premise is that dieting is pretty insane, especially when you're hungry, and he feels that he has found why so many diets just don't work - simply put - they're too mentally difficult to stick to.
As Greive found out, the best way to lose weight, and keep it off, is through an entire lifestyle change. It's not going to happen overnight, but if you keep at it, you will be successful. Our favorite piece of advice though was his best method of dieting - keep your mouth shut. As he put it, that's one of the best ways to reduce your caloric intake - even if it's not always going to work.
The tone of the book is very light but don't let that fool you. There is some really useful advice in here and it is definitely well worth the read. Through his engaging prose, Greive tries to open the reader's eyes to the fact that all of the diet fads and difficult diets in the world aren't going to help you until you make that step to get healthy first, and then lose weight.
Although technically there really was nothing new in this book - we all know how important it is to eat right and exercise - but the author managed to put all of these things into a fresh new perspective. He is a great motivator and we believe that this book has what it takes to actually change lives instead of offering false hope and a hefty cover price. Through Greive's mistakes and his humor, you may just find the inspiration you need to put his advice to good use.
Overall, we found this to be a fantastic read that was well worth our time. Entertaining books are just more fun to read and we were happy to report that we were indeed sad when it ended. This is the measure of a great book, and Greive hit all the right notes. If you're trying to lose weight or if you just want to get a bit healthier, we highly recommend this engaging book.
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August 1st, 2008 — Book Review, diet, fad diets, healthy eating, motivation
This is an incredible book by Judith Beck, the daughter of a famed researcher that revolutionized the mental health industry. Like father, like daughter, Beck is poised to make some big changes in the diet industry, using the same techniques. Beck's philosophy focuses on Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT. This is a term that means literally, changing the way you think and training your brain to produce certain results.
This method is incredibly powerful when applied to mental concerns, and has the potential to really change the way that most people think about dieting. If you're sick of trying fad diets, or you think that you will never be thin - this book needs to be read and put in a place of honor on your shelves. Our big thing is really lifestyle changes, and how powerful they can be. This book takes it to the next level and goes further into how to get your brain to work with you instead of against you.
The main premise of the book is that people who need to lose weight, or even those that have already lost weight and are trying to keep it off, do not think like thin people. Thin people don't beat themselves up over their food choices, they know when they're full, and they don't create vicious cycles that doom their diets to failure. In fact, they don't diet, because their brains are trained to control their appetites and their cravings.
This book will show you how to start thinking like a thin person and literally retrain your brain. Since hunger is only partially associated with your stomach, the brain is what you really need to be targeting, before you lose a pound. This book will put you on the path towards becoming thin, even if your body hasn't caught up yet. However, once you put the advice into action, it won't take long to get there.
By focusing on behavior that leads dieters into a vicious circle, Beck shows them how to break free. Willpower is rarely enough and it is all too easy to slide, especially when your body is so insistent. But, according to Beck, it's not really your body making those demands, it's your brain. Teach your brain to shut up, and you've got it made. That's really oversimplifying it, but that is the basic reason why so many diets fail. Our brains force them to fail by over thinking, triggering bad behaviors and sabotaging our best efforts.
We highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking to lose weight the healthy way. If you're stuck on fad diets, this will literally change your life and show you that there is a better way. Even if you're already thin but worried you might slip, this book will show you how to stay thin for the rest of your life and still get a lot of enjoyment out of your life.
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July 29th, 2008 — calories, detox, diet, exercise, fad diets, goals, healthy eating
When it comes to losing weight, chances are if you're trying fad diets and special detox programs, you're pretty fed up that the results never seem to last. Why is this? Well, most of us can only keep up with an extreme diet for so long. Once we've reached our goal weight, we can't wait to start eating "normally" again. The problem is, that "normal" eating is what caused all that weight gain in the first place. As soon as you go back to eating the same way you used to, those pounds come marching back on.
In order to successfully lose weight and keep it off, you're going to have to address your entire lifestyle. This means looking at what you eat, why you eat it and how much you exercise. Let's look at what you eat first. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional treat or cheat, most of us get into the habit of overindulging in the food we like, and making bad choices when it comes to picking foods.
We're naturally wired towards wanting foods that taste good and too often this means fast food, pizza and things that can be really bad for our health and our waist lines. In order to start making lifestyle changes, you've got to identity what you're eating and how you could be eating differently. The best way to do this is to keep a food diary for an entire week. Add up all of your calories when you're done and you'll probably be amazed at just how bad your diet really is.
Next, you'll need to address why you eat these things. Is it simply because they taste good? Healthy food can taste good too, but you'll need to find the recipes that appeal to you. Is it because you need comfort? It's best to find comfort in things that don't cause your weight to go up. For example, instead of indulging in an entire pizza because you've had a bad day, go do an activity that you get a lot of enjoyment out of, go shopping or go get a massage. By targeting the reasons behind your eating problem, you can start to make changes that will redirect all of that energy into a more healthy direction.
Lastly, you need to address how much exercise you actually get. Most of us really don't get enough and let's face it, few find exercise to be truly enjoyable. You need to rewire your thinking process and find exercises that you actually do enjoy. If you hate aerobics, don't torture yourself! Find exercises like walking or swimming that actually appeal to you. Set aside time every day and really apply yourself.
The results that you get will get you hooked and once you get past that initial stage of the agony and the inconvenience, chances are you're going to find that exercise really isn't that bad. With these kinds of changes, you can make a new life for yourself that you can enjoy for years to come.
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June 3rd, 2008 — fad diets, goals, healthy eating, hydration
We all know that fad diets are a bad idea and rarely work, but it is so easy to get swept away by their claims that many forget this. Who doesn't want to lose ten pounds in a few days? The problem is, these diets not only are not effective over the long term, but they can actually end up harming your body. It's no good being thin if you've wrecked your health in the process. Instead of picking on individual name diets, we're going to cover the techniques that need to be avoided for weight loss. New and very similar diets pop up all the time, so it's best to focus on their methods.
1. Lose ten pounds in a weekend with special drinks.
This is an incredibly popular diet that many people swear by. Yes, it works, and most see a weight loss of around 5 to 8 pounds. However, the reason that it works is that it sucks all of the water out of your system and basically acts like an incredibly powerful laxative. This diet is one that should be avoided simply because its side effects are so dangerous. Thousands of people have managed to become severely dehydrated as a result of these diets. In addition, since it's only water weight that you're losing, those pounds are going to creep right back on the minute you start eating normally again.
2. Starvation diets.
Although these diets produce almost instant results, they are incredibly damaging to your metabolism and your brain. When your body goes into starvation mode your metabolism actually slows down - it does not speed up. This means that once you return to eating normally, you're going to gain even more weight than before. Your body needs food, plain and simple. Your brain cannot function properly without the right kind of fuel. Starving yourself is the worst way to lose weight.
3. Diets that focus on one type of food.
Soup, cabbage, you name it, eating one food only is not a smart idea. Your body is built with an internal balancing system that requires the right percentage of fats, proteins and carbs. By depriving yourself of this balance, your body will eventually rebel and demand, usually through insanely strong cravings, the food that it needs. Again, you may see quick results initially, but they won't last long.
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