How to Change Your Diet

Well it was brought to my attention that I had put up what doesn’t work, but no link to what DOES work for dieting.  I was referring to Exteme Dieting and how it doesn’t work.   But what does work?!

I have a lot of info and tips around here about what does work. Just hit the Eating Habits section for more info. But I’ll put some basics here in one post, especially since it’s the beginning of the year and on so many minds.

Why Extreme Diets Don’t Work

I’ve seen a lot of extreme diets out there. My Mom thankfully was never into the extreme, only eat grapefruit stuff, but she did just about every diet plan out there. So I grew up observing each plan and how well it worked while she was on it.

Now I am a fitness trainer and a lot of them hitting their goals has to do with diet. So again, I talk to people that have done a lot of the extreme diets they read about that they swear worked for someone they know.

Extreme Diet Changes

As I was going through blog posts recently and looking at areas I’d like to update more, it became apparent that I’ve been less than personal on here lately. I have a personal blog that I deal with a lot of my health stuff on and I think it’s time to start migrating some of it here as well.

So I’ll jump in. For one thing, I advocate that everyone goes and checks with their doctor before making any major fitness or nutrition changes. Now that said, I also need to let you know that I am NOT a nutritionalist I just play one on tv. lol I’m a fitness trainer and I can make recommendations, but that is the extent of my legal abilities.

Low GI Diet for energy and weight loss

The low GI diet is not really just a diet but a very healthy and natural way of eating.  This is one healthy eating plan which many nutritionists are happy to endorse.

The basis of the low GI diet plan is to eat foods which have a low glycemic index.  These are foods which take time for your body to digest and keep blood sugar levels even throughout the day.  In return these steady blood sugar levels help reduce cravings and hunger pangs.

The Cactus Diet

The Cactus Diet

If you’re like me, you’re wary of taking any supplement that hasn’t been verified by independent research to be safe and effective.  But the urge to take pills becomes much stronger when you see commercials on TV and in other media showing people who have lost so much weight by taking herbal supplements or diet pills.  You’ve probably seen commercials recently selling Hoodia or Cactus diet supplements.  Before you start taking them, you should have all the information.

Low Carb Diets

The main thing I worry about with low carb diets are how we are trying to make our bodies adapt to something they weren’t made to do. Now I know that some of these diets are less restrictive and closer to healthy than others. I also have never gotten all the way through any of the low carb diet books, so I would love to hear back from anyone if I have incorrect info about a diet. I prefer to be informed rather than wrong.

The Low GI Diet Plan

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The Low GI Diet Plan

The low GI diet plan has soared in popularity over the last year. It seems that everyone is talking about low glycemic foods and replacing white carbs with healthier whole grains.

The basis of the Low GI diet plan is that you should eat the good for you carbs and whole grains such as whole wheat, seed and grainy breads. You are also advised to avoid high GI foods including potatoes (with the exception of baby potatoes) and rice.

The Dr. Phil Diet Plan

The Dr. Phil Diet Plan

Dr. Phil McGraw is a popular no-nonsense talk show host. His diet plan is based around healthy eating and changing your lifestyle. It is more geared towards emotional eaters and based around understanding the cycle of why we overeat.

The diet plan is easy to follow, no need to food combine or any strange menus. You’re encouraged to eat a wide variety of natural whole foods, lean protein and small amounts of the “good for you” fats.