5 REASONS WHY ALL DIETS ARE RUBBISH.

I’m a fairly healthy person. I eat well, exercise regularly, don’t smoke and i drink in moderation but I do allow myself cheat days because, well, I just love food. I wish I didn’t enjoy food, but I do, I’m the definition of the word foodie and I really don’t think that will ever change. Tomorrow I’m jetting off to warmer climates for a week of relaxation and as I will be spending the majority of my time wandering around in a bikini I, like most other people, want to look good. I’m also very aware that we have 7 days of all inclusive bar and buffet access, so before we go I’ve been attempting to shift a few extra lbs in order to help me feel a bit more beautiful in my bandeau and less guilty for that 5th sugar laden mojito of the morning. But over the past two weeks of cutting back and ‘dieting’ I’ve ended up feeling more negative than positive and have come to the sweeping conclusion that all diets are rubbish.

Here are my reasons why:

1. Telling yourself you can’t eat something is like telling your brain not to think about polar bears. There, see – impossible.

Enforcing imaginary rules that certain foods are off limits will leave you a miserable shell of a womanwithin the first three hours of your diet especially when Sandra from accounting brings over a tray full of cakes for her birthday that everyone tucks into while you’re sat at your desk licking a Ryvita and wishing death upon them all. Allow yourself to eat whatever you want whenever you want, just ask yourself before you tuck in if you really do need it or want it and go from there. You’ll be surprised how strong your willpower is when it’s not being told what it can and can’t do by the diet police inside your brain.

2. Most ‘low fat’ ‘low calorie’ options are a complete jip.

Think you’re being a saint for eating that low fat chocolate muffin, or swapping your normal dinner for a low calorie ready meal you can count on one hand? Think again. Most of the ‘low fun’ alternatives are more than likely packed full of salt, sugar and other nasties to make up for the fact that their factory is a butter-free zone. And those low calorie meals for one? They’re all the size of a thimble when you peel back the film and leave you frantically sniffing that packet of digestives in the cupboard within minutes of putting your fork down. I say if you want the taste of your favourites then bloody well have them. I mean don’t pick up the phone to your local curry house and order the entire front side of the menu, but do ditch that ‘Be Good To Yourself’ child-size masala and whip up your own version with brown rice and zero fat yoghurt instead of cream. More than half the calories in a takeaway and it satisfies those cravings. It’ll also be filled with good stuff (no nasties) and it will actually fill you up unlike that depressing plastic-wrapped prison food sat in the chilled section of Sainsburys. 

3. Calorie counting apps make you miserable. Simple as.

I started using one (Nutracheck for those wondering) to keep track of how detrimental my ‘cheat days’ were to my overall weekly calorie total and it turns out, VERY. The problem was I then became addicted to counting everything that passed my lips on my app and it made me incredibly depressed. These apps can be really useful as a guide but don’t take them as gospel – I found myself on a number of occasions sat clutching the Chinese takeaway menu rocking backwards and forwards whispering that we don’t have to tell the app, It will be our little chow mein secret. Normal.

4. Diets turn all women completely mental. Fact.

The moment you say you’re on a diet it triggers the crazy lady switch in your brain and suddenly anyone else eating any type of food is out to get you. Have you ever noticed how loud people chew before? Walking through town at lunchtime with the sights and smells of freshly baked pasties, plump looking sandwiches in windows and that cake shop that you’re pretty sure was sent from the devil to test you becomes a marathon of unbridled self-hatred for wanting to shove your face into Greggs big chicken bakes and motorboat them before drowning in an oily, flaky, pastry mess. And heaven forbid your other half enjoys a beer or a piece of chocolate at any point, even when you’re not around. You become a bloodhound sniffing out the Peroni he had down the pub three days ago when you were at the gym and hating every bone in his body for it. Diets make us crazy. Bat.Sh*t.Crazy.

5. It’s all about the confidence anyway (who let Gok Wan in?)

The truth is, Aunty G had it right. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, how many curves you have or the ratio of wobble to slim – if you know you look hot, then you look hot. I know telling you that men don’t notice that cellulite on your bum or that little roll of fat between your boob and your armpit is about as useful as a fork in a sugar bowl (mmmm sugar) but it’s true! They’re going to be spending more time looking at how great your bum looks in those skinny jeans or how amazing your bazoomers are in that bra, stop obsessing and love yourself how you are. A woman walking across a bar or a beach bursting with inner confidence and that little ‘yeah, I’m bloody gorgeous’ wiggle in her walk is going to turn heads and make men feel things in their pants department whether she’s a size 8 or a size 18. That girl however who’s hiding her tummy, shoulders slumped with her head down and that ‘please don’t look at my *insert list of insecurities here*’ look on her face isn’t going to get any heads turning whether she’s got the perfect body or not. Wake up every morning, look in that mirror and tell yourself ‘God damn I am a fine specimen of a woman’ not ‘Oh dear lord look at the size of that muffin top I’m never eating again’ – it’s not healthy and it’s not cool. You’d be amazed at what a bit of confidence can do for you, suddenly that diet doesn’t seem so important any more.

So if you’re currently cutting back on the cals and feeling like the universe hates you please remember that you’re not alone – go to the kitchen and get yourself whatever you want because that chocolate bar isn’t going to kill you and life is way too short to feel this miserable! I’m officially banning the word diet, and voting for healthy lifestyle changes over a normal period of time and making it mandatory to love yourself how you are because ladies, we’re fabulous and no amount of weight is EVER going to change that. 

…now, where did I put those hot pants? 

Source:- http://www.xameliax.com/5reasonswhyalldietsarerubbish/

Men 'Need Tailored Weight-Loss Programmes'

Although fewer men join weight-loss programmes than women, they are more likely to stick with them – particularly if they are tailored to their needs, say researchers.

More men in the UK are overweight or obese than women but they are less likely to see their weight as a problem.

However, obesity increases the risk of a number of serious diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the universities of Aberdeen, Bournemouth and Stirling analysed data from around the world on weight-loss trials and studies that have included the views of men.

Their review of the evidence on obesity management is published by the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme.

The research team wanted to determine which programmes or services would be more appealing to overweight men and engage them in trying to lose weight.

Targeting weight-loss programmes to men

They found that the best results for men who achieved and maintained weight loss came from a combination of diet, physical activity and behaviour changes such as self-monitoring and setting themselves goals.

They highlighted several points, including these:

• Low-fat diets combined with exercise and following advice on behaviour changes is the best way for men to lose weight and can also help reduce the risk of serious diseases such as type-2 diabetes
• Obese men will lose more weight by eating less than by exercising on its own without dietary restriction
• There is no long-term evidence that any one particular calorie-reduction diet is better than another, though intermittent periods of very low calorie intake seemed to be more effective than regular steady dieting
• Compared with women, men preferred more factual-based information in business-like language on how to lose weight as well as more emphasis on physical activity programmes
• Group-based, men-only weight-management programmes showed benefit by providing moral support to men with similar health problems, with some individualised tailoring to their needs
• Obesity interventions in sports clubs – including football clubs – are very effective, with positive responses from men and a low dropout rate.

Tackling health problems

Researchers found that once middle-aged men realised they have a health problem that needs tackling – for example being told they are obese by a health professional – and are informed of the health benefits of losing weight, they are more likely to be motivated to shed the pounds.

Although some men were reluctant to join a group setting, the knock-on effect of having to account for their food choices to others seemed to help them stick to the programme.

That led the researchers to suggest that social settings, such as workplaces or sports clubs, may be better scenarios for weight-loss programmes geared towards men.

Based on their studies, the researchers are advocating men-specific weight-loss programmes.

Professor Alison Avenell of the University of Aberdeen has indicated that one of the main obstacles to men losing weight is that they see these programmes as being feminine activities. She says: "We looked at the outcomes of many previous studies which included men, as well as interviews with men, in order to find out more about how to design services and inform health policy … our findings suggest that men should be offered the opportunity to attend weight loss programmes that are different to programmes which are mainly attended by women.”

Dr Flora Douglas, from the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, adds: "Men prefer more factual information on how to lose weight and more emphasis on physical activity in weight loss programmes.

“Interventions delivered in social settings were preferred to those delivered in health-care settings. Group-based programmes showed benefits by facilitating support for men with similar health problems, and some individual tailoring of advice helped men. "

Source:- http://www.webmd.boots.com/men/news/20140613/men-need-tailored-weight-loss-programmes

The 7 Scariest Weight Loss Diets

You think that horror flick you watched or that haunted house you visited was scary? The most terrifying thing I've ever seen was not produced by Wes Craven or found in a theme park, it's what I see some people do to themselves to lose weight. Take a look at these SEVEN scary diets . . . but reader beware if you're easily grossed-out!

Feeding Tube Diet

It's called the KE diet, and it promises that you'll lose 20 pounds in 10 days. Sold to brides-to-be as a quick way to lose the last 10, 15 or 20 pounds before the wedding, it involves inserting a feeding tube into the nose that runs to the stomach.

The dieter ("victim?") is fed a slow, steady drip of protein and fat, adding up to 800 calories per day, and zero carbs. The pitch for this crazy program says that it's safe and doctor supervised, although the patient is not hospitalized during the diet -- they carry the food solution around with them.

According to ABC news, which originally broke the story about this nightmare on diet street, doctors charge $1500 for the 10 day plan. Side effects (in addition to shrinkage of your wallet) include fatigue, bad breath, constipation and strangers staring at the hose in your nose.

Tapeworm Diet

Even though this one is so creepy it could be an ideal way for a horror movie villain to slowly torture his victims to death, the tapeworm diet really has been used for weight loss (urban legend says Maria Callas did it). It came to public attention when the Tyra Banks show did a "gross-out" spot about the diet. Audience members squirmed as the doctor pulled a 15 foot tapeworm out of a jar live on camera.

Purchasing these parasites for weight loss is illegal in the USA and not approved by the FDA, but you can allegedly order (illegally) from countries like Venezuela or go to Mexico and pay a couple grand for beef tapeworm worm larvae.

After you consume the "worm egg pill" it hatches in your digestive tract, latches onto your intestinal wall and feeds off the energy and nutrients from the food you eat, growing larger and larger. After a few months, you return to the clinic for anti-parasitic medication that kills the worm. The dead creepy crawler then passes out your body (try to visualize that if you want to really gross yourself out).

Aside from that fact that it's vile and disgusting, what's wrong with this idea? On the mild end, the tapeworm can lead to pain, nausea and a bloated stomach. It can also compete with you for vital nutrients, leading to deficiencies or anemia. At the severe end, the hermaphroditic tapeworm can lay eggs inside you. Infestation of certain species can travel beyond the digestive tract into the circulation and can also lead to cysts in the liver, lungs, eyes and spinal cord or brain.

Using tapeworms for weight loss can be fatal. No source for the story was cited, but according to Spike TV's "1,000 Ways To Die" a woman lost 60 pounds after ingesting a tapeworm for weight loss. The worm grew to 20 feet then laid eggs, which burrowed through her intestinal wall and into her circulation where the infestation of worms promptly killed her.

Tongue Patch Diet

This is really twisted. I am not kidding -- this makes me think of one of those horror movies with the crazy doctors that perform sinister medical experiments.

According to an ABC news story, a doctor in Venezuela has done 800 of these procedures which involves sewing a patch of plastic mesh onto their tongues. The patch makes it difficult to eat or swallow -- it even causes pain if you try to eat with the patch attached.

A cosmetic surgeon in California brought the procedure to the United States after seeing it in Latin America. The doctor charges $2000 for the procedure and promises 18 to 20 pounds of weight loss in 30 days.

How do you get any nutrition or caloric sustenance? The procedure comes with an 800-calorie per day liquid diet of shakes and drinks until the patch comes off.

HCG Diet

Yes, I've written about this one before because it's my favorite diet to hate, but no list of horrifying diets would be complete without it. HCG is not a new one -- it's been around since the 1950′s, but there was a resurgence of the HCG diet over the last several years and it's still out there, promoted in books, on websites and even in doctors clinics. Those diabolical docs make big money selling this stuff.

The HCG protocol is a 500 calorie per day diet combined with injections of a drug called Human Chorionic Gonadatropin or HCG for short. What's creepy about this one? Aside from the required needles, HCG is actually a fertility drug which is extracted from pregnant women's urine.

It's one thing when a diet, drug or supplement has no research saying either way whether it works or not. But HCG has been shown in nearly a dozen controlled clinical trials to be no more effective than placebo, with some of these trials going back to the 1970′s.

Beware if you say something bad about HCG online. HCG true believers come out of the woodwork to defend it like crazed Orcs, grunting about how it worked for them. Well of course "it works." The HCG diet comes with a 500 calorie per day food plan. Do the math. The weight loss comes from the starvation level calorie deficit, not the HCG. Which means . . . 500 calories a day without the HCG will produce the same results, all else being equal.

The Cigarette (and nicotine) Diet

I was always shocked at how many bodybuilders smoke. On a regular basis, I would walk outside after a bodybuilding contest and to my astonishment see entire groups of competitors puffing away. Whether they continued to smoke because they felt it was easier to get lean, I don't know, but we've all heard about how people struggle with weight gain when they kick the smoking habit.

Well, one day it dawned on some genius that taking up smoking might help with weight loss and the cigarette diet was born. Years ago, they called this the "model's diet" which consisted mostly of cigarettes and water. Lung cancer for tight abs or a svelte runway model body. Sounds like a fair trade.

What you might not know is that today we have fitness models and bodybuilders adding nicotine on top of their drug stacks and contest prep gurus recommending nicotine supplements to their clients nonchalantly as if it were vitamin C. "Studies say nicotine may help with fat loss, it's a stimulant and doesn't cause cancer -- it's the cigarette smoke delivery system that causes cancer," the gurus proclaim.

Great, just what we all need -- more stimulants, potentially addictive. But moreover, I think the drug culture in bodybuilding and the never-ending desire and search for "something to take" is insane.

The Last Chance Diet

Thankfully, this one is not around anymore, but a little history lesson might be instructive (You know what they say about failing to learn from mistakes of history and being doomed to repeat them, right?)

Also known as the Prolinn diet, this plan was created by Roger Linn in the 1970's. Like so many other diets, Linn concocted a special drink. Some stories about the Last Chance diet say it was a "400 calorie liquid protein beverage" and while the 400 calories per day qualifies as a dangerous starvation diet by itself, the term "liquid protein" doesn't raise too many alarms for most people these days. But upon deeper investigation into the protein source, the gross part emerges.

This drink wasn't one of those yummy chocolate peanut butter whey protein smoothies you can get today down at your local Muscle Maker Grill. According to one diet review site, the liquid protein was made from "slaughterhouse leftover byproducts like crushed animal horns, hooves, hides, tendons and bones. Artificial flavors, enzymes and colors are added to make the drink more appealing."

Sound so crazy that no one in their right mind would try it? Well, it's estimated that between two and four million people did it. It is most infamously known today because 58 people died from heart attacks while on it. Whether it was the low nutritional quality of the drink or people starving themselves to death, either way, it killed them.

The Master Cleanse

The master cleanse diet may not seem horrible or gross like some of the others on this list, after all, it's just drinking lemon water for 10 days, right? (lemon water with maple syrup and cayenne pepper to be exact). What's scary about it is the number of people who have done it – surely in the millions – and how many followed it like sheep just because it became a popular celebrity-endorsed fad (brainwashed hordes qualifies as "scary" in my book).

Although this diet has been around since the 1940's, it hit the big time in 1976 with Stanley Burrough's book, "The Master Cleanser." After a few Hollywood celebs tried it, it blew up again and is still hugely popular on the internet. As with HCG, followers are like zombie hordes, screaming for brains if anyone dares to speak out against their sacred diet.

Why the rabid cult following? My guess is there's a health halo effect when "cleanse" and "detox" are mentioned in conjunction with a weight loss diet. In fact, some people say they do it to cleanse not to lose weight. Nevermind that cleansing and detoxing are scams (meaningless and conveniently vague terms as well), 600 calories per day is just another starvation diet.

Unlike protein-based liquid diets, the master cleanse is horrifically catabolic (I call it the muscle cannibalizing diet).

Some dieters are proud to have gone through this torture for up to 40 days. Does it work? Sure, if you like looking like a skeleton and being as weak as a kitten. This one is a real lemon. Try cleansing your refrigerator and cupboards of junk food instead.

Parting advice

I wrote this partly as Halloween week entertainment, but there are some serious lessons to be learned here. It's about realizing the lengths people will go to lose weight, and how easy it is to get swept up in a fad or look for a shortcut, even if it's harmful to your health (or downright scary!)

Fad diets aren't going away. Old ones will be recycled and new ones will be invented, and people who allow their emotions or social influence rather than critical thinking to control their behavior will continue to fall for them. Humans are emotional and impatient creatures, so the temptation to try a fad diet, or even something drastic, may always be there. Fortunately a few simple shifts in your outlook could keep you out of harm's way and on the right path.

First, make health your highest value and that alone will go a long way toward keeping you away from the next fad weight loss diet. Second, forget about weight loss and focus on burning fat and building muscle. It's not about how much you weigh, it's about what that weight consists of. Once you realize that, you'll automatically start avoiding crazy diet plans that cannibalize your lean body mass. Third, focus on getting fitter and stronger. You can lose weight by dieting, but no diet can make you fitter or stronger, only training can do that.

There's no such thing as a miracle diet, but proper nutrition combined with training and the right mindset is as close to a real miracle as you'll ever find.

© 2013 Tom Venuto, author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World

Author Bio
Tom Venuto, author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World, is a fat-loss expert, health and fitness writer, and steroid-free bodybuilder. Tom holds a degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). He is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO). 

Source:- http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/the-7-scariest-weight-loss-diets

How Exploring Your Past Can Help You Lose Weight Now

Very often diets just simply don't work. You start with the best intentions hoping to finally achieve your perfect weight. You have failed before but you know this time it will be a success. Yet, something happens and you either can't shift any kilos or, if you are successful, very quickly put the weight back on again.

What happens? It is possible that the reasons of your excessive weight are psychological and that you are unconsciously sabotaging yourself. If that is the case, a simple exploration of your past might help you get rid of these internal barriers. Ask yourself these 10 questions and try to answer them as honestly as you can. The better understanding of the roots of your behavior will help you achieve clarity, set clear goals and succeed at last!

1. How long ago have you decided that your weight was a problem?

Often our relationship with food changes as a reaction to an important life event. Understanding an emotional need behind your hunger will help you deal with the consequences.

2. Could you describe a typical mealtime in your family of origin?

Was the whole family eating together or people took their meals separately? Did you look forward to a family meal or was it to be endured?

3. Were you made to eat everything that was on your plate, even if you did not like the food? It is possible that you still keep doing that out of habit.

4. Were there any sayings about food that were popular in your family?

5. What was the attitude to fat/thin people in your family of origin?

6. Was it assumed that you look like someone in your family? (parent, uncle etc.) Very often children are given certain "roles" within the family that might be completely unrelated to the child's real character and even looks.

7. Was it a custom in your family to express love and care with food - nice meals, sweets and special treats?

8. Was anyone in your family struggling with weight issues? How were these problems talked about?

9. In your culture of origin, were large people considered healthier than thin people? In some cultures thinness is associated with illness, so you might be unconsciously putting on weight as a "health protection."

10. If you tried to lose weight as a young person, was your family helpful and understanding or unsupportive?

For more information on how psychotherapy can help you lose weight please contact http://www.annastorey-counselling.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_M_Storey

Only one in 100 dieters keeps the weight off

Some 34 million Britons embarked on diets last year - but an astonishing 99 per cent piled the weight they lost back on, it emerged yesterday.

Just 1 per cent - 340,000 slimmers - managed to stay trim for more than a year, according to a damning report on the weight-loss industry.

Research analysts Datamonitor, who conducted the study, accused the £10bn-a-year industry of making bogus promises to dieters.

And they called on the companies involved and the Government to make drastic changes to the way weight loss is sold to the public.

'The appallingly low success rate of diets reflects badly on the diet industry and this problem must be addressed,' said Datamonitor consumer expert Lawrence Gould.

'They give the impression that you can achieve dramatic results. But that is not the end of the story. Long-term effects are only possible with a change in lifestyle, diet and activity.'

Around one adult in five - 17 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women - is obese while about three in five are officially overweight.

According to the report, £10.3bn was spent on slimming products in 2002 - up from £9.5bn four years earlier.

Of seven major European countries surveyed, only Germany spent more at £12.9bn.

The lack of results means slimmers are losing faith in the industry and hold it in very low esteem, the report claims.

More than seven in ten believe it encourages unrealistic expectations, which has dented their confidence in their ability to lose weight permanently.

Women and men have different approaches to dieting, although both admit their main drive is to look better.

Women are more likely to go on a weight-loss regime and try a wide variety of plans and products. Most men claim they never diet.

Mr Gould said both industry and Government needed to provide a clear, coherent message on lifestyle change and nutrition.

'Healthy eating - as opposed to dieting - are the watchwords for any such campaign,' he said.

'The food and drinks industry have the influence and financial leverage necessary to produce coherent information campaigns to educate dieters on nutritional matters.

'A dieter may initially lose excess weight through a traditional slimming programme. But they should then be encouraged to move on to other products which will help them to develop and maintain healthy eating patterns.

'This approach should lead to higher dieting success rates, a better image for the diet industry and higher confidence among consumers.'

This article is from The Mail Online and is by SEAN POULTER, Daily Mail.  You can read the article here:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-164233/Only-100-dieters-keeps-weight-off.html