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The Low-Carb diet and the Raw diet are two of the most popular diets of today. Why are diets so popular? When we decide to become healthier we usually want to change our diets first. Achieving our exercise goals can be hard if we feel sluggish and bloated from our diet. Many celebrities publicly announce going on a ‘low-carb’ or ‘raw diet” to quickly shed pounds before an event or movie role.

Popular diets are usually tried first because they are the first diets that we see on TV or in the news. We are more likely to try something if we know that it is popular because that means it must work then, right? However, it isn’t always true.

I want to take a look at two vastly different diets to give you an idea of their pros and cons. They have different philosophies and will affect your body differently. I believe that each have their advantages and disadvantages, but it’s important to remember that we must tailor a diet specifically to our bodies. Not every diet will work and not everyone will enjoy the same foods.

The Low-Carb Diet

The Low-Carb craze really began because of the Atkins Diet. Dr.Atkins was a cardiologist believed that carbohydrates were having negative effects on his patients. He was so convinced that he set out to write a diet book. Thus, the Atkins diet was born and became immensely popular in America.

One of the advantages to a low carb diet is that it is a very easy diet to follow. You only have to read the book to understand the diet. Many of the listed foods are easy to find and seem very delicious as well.

It seems like an proper diet for anyone who enjoys eating hearty food. Both men and women claim to enjoy eating this diet. Not only is it easy to find food to eat, but it is also affordable and the results come very quickly.

How the diet works:

The low-carb diet is all about restricting carbohydrates. Say goodbye to bread, pasta, wheat, rice, fruity drinks, desserts and more. Low-Carb advocated believe that carbohydrates are responsible for making people gain weight.

How the weight loss works: Our bodies run on carbohydrates because they are fuel for our bodies. Without carbohydrates, our bodies begin using fat to work.

Restrictions: Carbohydrates are restricted and closely monitored.

Typical Meal Plan:

Breakfast: Eggs, coffee, cheese and bacon.

Lunch: A salad with dark leafy greens and chicken.

Dinner: Your choice of meat with dairy and select vegetables.

Pros: Easy to eat. Very popular and accepted. The recipes are very easy to make as well. Lots of restaurants have low-carb options which makes eating out comfortable. It is relatively easy to find salad dressings and other sauces to eat with dinner too.

Cons: The Low-Carb diet is a short-term diet. You may lose weight initially, but many have reported gaining it back once they returned to a normal diet. The diet does not also claim to help with any other health ailments. There was also controversy after Dr.Atkins himself died and their were rumours of him having a heart attack.

Overall: The Low-Carb diet may work short-term, but I would recommend against long-term use. The diet doesn’t seem to have many health benefits and does not seem suitable for long-term. I do not recommend any diet that limits fresh fruit and vegetables and is high in fat.

Overall Rating for the Low-Carb Diet: C

The Raw Diet

The Raw/Living Foods diet has become more and more popular with recent times. Many celebrities seem to go on the raw diet or even juicing as a quick detox.

How the diet works:

A lot of the information around raw foods diet can seem very convincing. They state that heating food can destroy and damage the enzymes. Many people have reported losing weight and feeling more energized due to the nutrient rich diet.

How the weight loss works: Many processed and heavily salted foods can cause weight gain and bloated. Raw foods are easier on our digestive system and can help rid our body of toxins and fat.

Restrictions: Food cannot be heated above 104 °F

Typical Meal Plan

Breakfast: A fruit smoothie or juice. Raw nuts with a raw nut milk.

Lunch: Salad with raw nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Dinner: Raw pizza or lasagna. Zuccini spaghetti. Raw cheese or milk.

Pros: The raw diet seems to really transform people and their bodies. Testimonials report that people really feel happier and much healthier. The raw diet is also more environmentally friendly as many of the ingredients are natural and easy to get. Many people say that it is a lifestyle choice and make the change for long-term benefits.

Cons: The raw diet is sometimes seen as extremely limited. It would be difficult for people with an active social life as it is very restrictive. When dining out with friends you would have to stick to side salads and juices. Some people may think this way of eating as ‘extreme.’

Overall: I do believe the raw diet could work, but it is also difficult for people. It’s important to eat enough calories when eating a raw diet.

Some raw diets are very high in fat and salt which will not help our long-term health goals. A high fat diet can hinder athletic performance and make us feel groggy and tired. Eating a lot of fat will also make losing weight much harder.

I would recommend eating a high amount of fruit to sustain yourself.

Overall rating for the raw diet: B

Weight loss diets are very important for a person trying to lose weight. While physical activities like exercising, swimming etc. help in losing weight, the importance of a healthy diet cannot be ignored. Because if you’re not eating healthy, it can jeopardize your entire weight reduction program. If you’re consuming too much fat or calories while eating, you’re not going to achieve your goals no matter how much you exercise. It is for this reason that various weight loss diets have become so popular over the years.

The Atkins Diet: One of the most popular diets in the world The Atkins Diet tries to eliminate carbohydrates as much as possible from your diet. This is a very effective diet that allows consuming large quantities of protein and fat enriched foods while ensuring that it does not lead to gaining more weight. However, the Atkins Diet is not suitable for everybody and consulting a dietician is recommended to know if this kind of diet is suitable for your body.

The Grapefruit Diet: One of the best known diets for obese people, the advantages of this low-fat, low-calorie diet is enhanced by the inclusion of grape fruits in the diet. This diet is prescribed for persons having a body weight much higher than the average permissible limits.

The South Beach Diet: One of the most successful diets in the world, the South Beach Diet does not try to eliminate fat or carbohydrates from your diet. Instead, it tries to limit the amount of fat and carbohydrates that you’re going to take in your food. Working on the glycemic index the diet restricts your carbohydrate intake for the initial two week period and then re-introduces those carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. A person following the South Beach Diet should eat three healthy meals daily along with some healthy snacks.

The Cabbage Soup Diet: A highly effective weight loss diet, this keeps the carbohydrate levels in your food to a bare minimum. A person taking this diet for only a week is guaranteed to see effective results. The more amount of cabbage soup that you consume, the more fast and effective will be your weight loss results.

The Subway Diet: People who love eating sandwiches would love taking this diet. The low fat content of the Subway sandwiches will help you to lose weight effectively. So, stay slim while gorging on Subway sandwiches all day!

The Slim Fast Diet: A highly-effective and superior weight loss diet, it prescribes substituting slim-fast drinks as your breakfast and lunch, instead of taking your regular foods. However, one can eat a regular, healthy dinner while following this diet plan. The low-calorie Slim Fast shakes helps in losing weight extremely fast.

The Three Day Diet: A very effective diet plan, it lets you to lose weight quickly by eating a three day healthy diet prescribed by a dietician. However, you must following this diet strictly to see effective results.

The Beverly Hills Diet: The Beverly Hills Diet helps you to lose weight by taking advantage of the natural chemical reaction that takes place inside our body when food is consumed. A person following this diet has to be very strict in his eating habits as protein needs to go with proteins and carbohydrates with carbohydrates. Though very strict and restrictive in nature, the Beverly Hills Diet leads to a rapid weight loss.

The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet: This diet is a sensitive diet and hence it needs to be followed carefully. It is essentially a low-calorie diet that results in faster weight loss.

Negative Calorie Diet: One of the best weight loss diets it includes plenty of healthy vegetables in your diet to lose weight.

Following any one of these diets will definitely help you in losing weight more effectively as they are proven weight loss diets and have become immensely popular among thousands of people who have religiously followed them. However, before following any one of these diets, please seek expert medical advice which will help you to choose which one will be the most effective for your body to lose excess fat. To gain further knowledge about various weight reduction problems and their solutions you’ll need to read high quality e-books written by expert authors on the given subject.

So we have in our winners.

In a list of 35 popular diets for a study carried out by US News and World Report magazine the expert opinion of assembled experts gave us the verdict of The Biggest Loser diet and the DASH diet as being the best diet for diabetics, in both helping individuals to prevent the disease or for those who already have it, reversing it. But is there really a best of the best? Amongst these two champions, is there yet a champion still? I decided to do a step by step comparison in order to find out.

I compared two sample menus used by the panel assembled by and used by the US News experts. Whereas the Biggest Loser diet provided for Breakfast, snack, Lunch, Snack and dinner, the DASH diet only provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A comparison of their nutritional values shows that while the Biggest Loser diet provides 1,489 calories as against the recommended daily intake of between 1600 and 2000 (depending on age) for women and between 2000 to 2400 calories (also depending on age), the DASH diet provides on its 1500 calories and 2300 calories diet 2037 and 2062 mg respectively.

An assessment of which diets calorie provision places it closest to the recommended benchmark allotted to each age grade puts the DASH diet clearly ahead of the Biggest Loser diet. As such, the first point goes to the DASH diet. For the Biggest Loser diet whilst it provides about 25 percent of your days calories, the DASH diets 26 and 27 percent respectively for its 1500 mg and 2300 mg versions. This is against the recommended daily amount of between 20 to 35 percent on these scores.

Saturated fat, both diets have down to about 5 percent, although the DASH diets 2300 mg edges further with an additional percentage (at 6 percent). These both fall within the borders of the below 10 percent recommendation. On fats therefore, I score them evenly.

Both satisfy the requirement for total carbohydrates to make up between 45 to 65 percent of daily recommended caloric intake. The Biggest Loser diet at 50 percent whilst the DASH diet at 56 and 55 percent respectively. On that note I score these diets evenly also. Both in most part equally meet the standard for fiber, although the Biggest Losers 31g falls short of the 34g recommendation for men ages 19 to 30 years old.

Further since, a fiber rich diet has been noted as a key factor in the prevention and reversal and management of diabetes, the DASH diets higher figures-36 and 37 g to the biggest Loser 31 g in my opinion places the DASH diet on this score, ahead of the Biggest Loser diet.

For protein the recommended benchmark is between 10 to 35 percent of daily caloric intake. Both diets make the grade. The Biggest Loser diet at 30 percent whereas the DASH diet at the lower end of the mark at 18 percent. The reason for this latter figure pertaining to the DASH diet may be because of the avowed design of the diet to stop hypertension and thus the reduction of red meat. Nevertheless, one should note that red meat is not the only source of protein. There is white meat and protein rich legumes like beans. In addition, since a diabetic no matter which of the diet s/he is on, to make it effective, will need to complement that diet with exercise, a diet that assisting strength training through muscle health would be more advantageous. In this regard, point… goes to the Biggest Loser diet.

On Sodium or salt, the recommendation is under 2300mg and under 1500 mg for persons older than 51 years. Unfortunately, the Biggest Loser diet falls far short of this mark by being at 2904 mg clearly exceeding the limit. The DASH diet however meets it quite well at 1507 mg for its 1500mg menu and 2101 mg for its 2300 mg menu. On that score, the point in this category is awarded it.

Next considering Potassium. The Biggest Loser diet fails to meet the recommended daily amount of at least 4700 mg. It stands at 3460 mg as against the DASH diets 4855 mg (1500 mg diet) and 4909mg (2300mg diet). Once again, the DASH diet wins the category.

With regards to Calcium intake the Biggest Loser diet performs better. Slightly edging out the DASH diets performance of 1218 mg and 120 mg for its 1500mg and 2300 mg diet versions respectively, with its own of 1128 mg. However since they both make the grade and the Biggest Losers figure is only slightly better than that for the DASH diet, they shall be awarded even scores for this category.

For vitamin B-12 too, both diets meet the mark. The Biggest Loser diet with 6.3 mg to the recommended daily amount of 2.4 mg whereas the DASH diet 4.4 mg and 6.7 mg respectively as it pertains to that diets 1500 mcg and 2300 mcg diet.

With regards to Vitamin D however, both diets apparently fail to satisfy the daily recommended amount of 15 mcg. Thus whilst the DASH diet comes in at 11 mcg, the Biggest Loser diet edges it ever so slightly at 11.4mcg. However this is not enough for us to award the Biggest Loser diet a win for this category, especially since it did not meet the recommended daily amount.

As concerns recommended daily amounts, it should be noted that this appellation applies to adults 19 years and over and that it assumes them a sedentary lifestyle.

Nevertheless, the results are now all in. Having it that the DASH diet bests the Biggest Loser diet in the categories recommended daily caloric intake, provisions for fiber, sodium and potassium and the BIGGEST Loser diet only winning in the protein category and both being awarded even scores in the rest, it can clearly be seen that the DASH diet has carried the day. Furthermore, it can honestly be said to be not only the best diabetes diet but all things considered, premised on studies made and the fact that it was actually designed to help stop hypertension, it may just be for now, the best general purpose diet out there.

However having said this, it cannot be over-emphasized that diabetics and others should take care to consult their doctors first before embarking on any diet regimen or exercise.

On a final note, for Type 2 diabetics, since being overweight is a risk factor for developing diabetes and the BIGGEST Loser diet has an excellent track record for assisting people to lose weight it is my recommendation here that dietary standards of the DASH diet be coupled with the exercise regimen of the Biggest loser diet. As such the best aspects of these best popular diet programs can be synthesized into a program excellently suited for Type 2 diabetics and people in general.

Why do so many diets and fitness program send up in failure? What causes such an alarming rate? Is the program at fault?

Obesity is growing at an alarming rate. Thousands of people are making big plans to change their lifestyle. Diet plans are purchased Gym memberships paid for and yet within a couple of weeks they have given up on both the diet and exercise program! Yes they may not have cancelled the gym membership yet, as they mean to start exercising again soon, maybe!

So What Exactly Goes Wrong?

Why do so many people quit early on? It makes people believe that it is just not worthwhile dieting as they are doomed not to succeed. One of the main reasons for diets failing is because people expect to see results, ‘Fast’. They almost expect to miss a couple of meals and ‘Hey Presto’ as if by magic all of the weight will have miraculously gone.

People have come to expect instant results, a magic pill maybe. The problem is that there are no magic pills available as yet. Not seeing a diet through to its conclusion will result in the diet failing, even worse most people pile the extra pounds on.

MOTIVATION and common sense are needed to get results. Motivation that lasts, you have to have the right mindset. The right approach, the willpower.

Once you realize this and work on your motivation problems first you are more likely to reach your goals and your health and fitness lifestyle will be in the past. You have the motivation, deep inside you. You can do it. Maybe your family or friends will support you and cheer you on. This will help increase your motivation.

So when you hear of people failing with their diets and exercise programs, realize that it is not the program that is failing them. They are failing. Their motivation has failed them.

Motivation and Staying The Course

It is most likely that your motivation will be the deciding factor in your diet. You have to stay focused determined and motivated to the end. Getting support from family, friends and professionals will all help to keep you motivated but, at the end it really is up to you to change your lifestyle around.

If you are overweight or clinically obese and wanting to shed the weight, you have to take responsibility and stick to, ‘The Plan’. Eat the right diet, do not snack and follow a good exercise routine. You will also need a good eight hours of sleep each and every day as well.

Try keeping your mind focused on the desired end result. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do it. Think about the end results and how you will feel when you achieve your goal. Your efforts won’t seem as difficult then. It will be easier to stay motivated and focused on your goals if you start thinking like this. Become the person that you have always wanted to be. Succeed with your diet and you will probably find a more confident you waiting at the end. A person that knows that they can finish what they started. They can reach their goals.

Choose a Diet And Exercise Program That Suits You.

Do not just jump into a diet program blindfolded. Make sure to choose the right program as this will give you a huge advantage of reaching your goals.

The health and fitness industry have become saturated with weight loss programs, some good, some bad. The reason for this is because so many people are lacking the determination and fail miserably only to end up blaming the program.

They then move on to the next diet program expecting an, ‘Easy Fix’ and yes the same thing happens. Without the right mindset and the continued motivation people end up purchasing diet plan after diet plan. The diet industry is not going to let you into their secret. They do not want you to realize that it is you that is lacking the determination, the willpower to succeed, the hunger, the motivation. Yes it is a hard slog but it is worth it.

You know that. Trouble is, the diet industry wants to sell diets and sell diets they will. Thousands and thousands of pounds are being spent and if you are not careful, you will end up in this never ending vicious circle that is probably helping you to gain even more weight!

It can become complicated to find a diet and exercise plan that suits you. Researching for a viable dieting program that will help you reach your weight loss and fitness goals can take a time as there are so many available.

There are so many self confessed, ‘Experts’ out there that will lead you to dieting products that they know nothing about. They only know that they will receive a commission if they sell it!

One of the best things to do is to make sure that you research exactly what type of diet it is and does the exercise program suit you.

If you have any health problems or are obese you really do need to get sound advice from a doctor. He will may well be able to suggest a plan that will not only be good for you but, safe to follow!

Your local library might be able to help. They have dieting and exercise books on their shelves and if you take my tip, you will walk to the library if it is close enough and you are able to. This will be good exercise for you.

Researching both on and off line will give you a good idea of what to expect from a diet and workout plan. Remember do not let it scare you and stay motivated.

Online forums are a great place. You can talk to like minded people and get the support that you need to succeed. People will also be able to explain what diets they have tried and maybe recommend one. Be careful though. Some of the people on there are not after losing weight, they are simply there to peddle diet books that they are affiliated to! Most of them know nothing about the diet and have not tried it out for themselves. So be forewarned, stay diligent and do your homework. Do not just accept the advice off the first person that you interact with. Make a note and research the product further if possible.

Try and find out exactly what it takes to achieve your goals using the each program that you are researching. Think about what you will have to do, how much time you will have to devote, whether you are capable of doing what is expected of you, what equipment will you be expected to use, what kind of results should you expect and how soon can you expect results. Answering these questions will help you to decide on the right diet and exercise program for you.

One that has a better chance of succeeding, all you need to do is add yourself, your motivation and determination. Speaking with a qualified person will help to steer you in the right direction but again, don’t let their enthusiasm steer you in the wrong direction. The diet and exercise program may well be a great one but, if it includes foods that you do not like and exercises that you just can’t do, then its’ going to be useless for you. You are doomed before you start. So research, research and then have a good think about all of the programs benefits and minuses before making your final choice.

Easy Does It!

Do not rush into your new exercise program and overdo it. You will probably end up in pain or worse, you might injure yourself. You need to start at a slow pace. ‘Take it Easy’ and work your way up slowly over a few days or a couple of weeks maybe.

As your fitness levels increase along with your confidence you will soon be able to complete a full workout. Take advise from staff at the gym if possible. They are the experts. They are trained, so that they can offer good advice, so take note of it.

Work your way up to each level is the best way. Maybe you should start with a brisk walk for 20 to 30 minutes on your first day. Each week you can add five minutes to this until you reach your 1 hour bench mark. Starting at too difficult of a level will leave you believing that you can’t make it, that you can’t reach your goals. You will soon give up. So do not make the mistake of overdoing it.

The same goes for your diet as well. Don’t give up all of your favorite foods all at once. As this is liable to depress you and will cause massive cravings for unhealthy foods. Depression will also hinder your weight loss plan as when you are depressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is known as the stress hormone and will weaken your body and mind. This hormone could well dampen your enthusiasm and you will help you to give up your plan sooner.

You could start by treating yourself with a few of the unhealthy foods that you currently enjoy eating. Then slowly give one up each week until you end up with only your healthy diet remaining. Even if you are eating a perfectly strict diet, you should still treat yourself with one meal that you enjoy each week. We like to call it a treat meal. It is your treat, your reward for sticking to your diet and will give you something to look forward to.

You need to ease yourself into your new long term fitness program, you shouldn’t start drastically all at once. Start slowly and continually build up momentum. Soon your body will adapt and you will be able to perform the tougher workouts and adhere to the new size portions that your diet demands. This will help you to stay on the course and will not shock your body to its’ core.

Do not expect to simply lose fat from the areas that you want. You will most likely lose fat slowly and evenly from all over your body. Many people are under the illusion that focusing their exercise on a particular part of their body will cause all of the weight to come of from that ‘Spot’. This is not true.

I have seen males doing hundreds of crunches, concentrating on their ‘Six Pack’ day after day. Hour after hour in the hope that they will end up with a well sculpted ‘Six Pack’. Not so, you can Crunch none stop for 24 hours per day and it simply will not happen. Not until you have got your overall body fat down to around 10% or less. Try telling them, they won’t listen.

Make sure that you realise this and simply focus on other techniques that will help to burn the fat quicker. If you really want to look good in your swimwear you will need to concentrate on burning the fat and building lean muscle. Dieting without exercising may help you to lose weight but it gets rid of lean muscle as well as fat. The biggest problem with this is that when you stop dieting you will start to put weight on. This weight is all fat and not muscle. So you have lost good lean muscle only to end up replacing it with fat!

It can be a good thing to concentrate on different parts of your body each day. This will allow you to work out different parts of your body that have not had much exercise for a few days. This will allow parts of your body to rest whilst you are still exercising another part of your body!

It is so easy to overwork yourself and find that you are barely able to move the next day. This will cause you to quit your fitness program. Take it slow and avoid this problem. Realise that this is not the fault of the program it is the way that you have chosen to approach it.

Friends and Family

Keeping yourself motivated is the best way of ensuring that you stick with your chosen fitness program. What better way than getting a member of your family or a friend to join the gym and follow your fitness program as well.

Failing this you can make friends at the gymnasium. This way your new friend is already working out at the gym and much more likely to keep going, if they have already been a member for a reasonable time. This will increase your motivation and help you to focus even more on your exercise program.

If you exercise on your own you are more liable to get bored and disillusioned. Whereas working out with friends will encourage a bit of healthy competition. See who can lose the most weight and be accountable to each other. You won’t want to let your partner down and will find that you look forward to exercising with your friend/s.

Try and get your friends involved with your diet plan. Create a Buzz an interest and they will help to push you towards your goal. Do not worry if your friends want to mock you at first. This will still help you as long as you take their mockery in the right spirit. Use their teasing to build a raging fire inside you that makes you want to prove them wrong. Your friends will be keeping you motivated even when they don’t realize that they are doing it.

You will find that whilst you are around your friends you will put off eating the wrong foods and will want to further impress them with your diet.

Believe me friends can be a tremendous help when it comes to sticking to an exercise program. They help create a feeling in you that makes you want to stay with your health program even if they don’t comment on it.

Measuring Success

Keep a record of your results and how you have progressed as this will help to keep you highly motivated. Even if the results are minimal it will let you see that you are one step closer to attaining your goals and are becoming the person that you want to be.

Measure yourself at the beginning of a workout. Weigh yourself and work out your BMI. How far can you run before tiring? This will keep you up to date with how you are benefiting with your new lifestyle.

It will excite and motivate you if you can actually measure the benefits of your diet and fitness plan. You will not notice results each and every week. As time goes by and you lose weight it will slow down and eventually seem as though your weight loss has come to a standstill.

Treat yourself as a reward, this will help to keep you on track and motivated. Healthy treats will be best. You could reward yourself with a trip when you have lost a certain weight. Especially if it is a walking trip or includes some form of exercise.

Do not treat yourself with food. This could be disastrous, people often think of food when a treat is mentioned. Usually a unhealthy food treat. You need to distance yourself as far as possible from unhealthy food and try to stop thinking about it.

Looking in the mirror at a new you will soon have you motivated and you will be able to congratulate yourself. Taking photos will allow you to see how you look at different stages of your diet. You will soon realize that you are well on your way to reaching your goals.

A new smaller outfit will soon be needed and maybe a pair of jeans. This will keep your motivation all fired up. You will soon want to push even harder to reach your goals. Just make sure that you do not push too hard. Remember build on the pace slowly.

Of course you will have days when you feel a little down, ‘You can’t go on’! This is where your Motivation should kick in. Get down the gym and use your motivation to Motivate, Motivate you!

Most people do not stop exercising at the gym because it is to hard, they quit because they simply do not want to go to the gym. They can’t be bothered. Skip one day and you will skip another. Do not do it. Drag yourself down to the gym and complete those set exercises. You will feel better once you are there. You have got to break a lifelong habit. Make it your habit to exercise.

You will find that if you drag yourself down to the gym that you will probably end up d=completing a full workout and you will feel better within yourself. “Go on You can do it”!

Fitness Program Failure

Many people feel that the fitness program that they are following won’t work. They feel that maybe they will not attain the results that they want. These feelings can easily get you to give up your goals if you let them. You need to take a positive approach to your exercise program. Keep your mind focused on all of the benefits that your exercise program offers you. Giving up now will make it easier to give up next time. You will probably find yourself blaming the program and not yourself. Do not go down this road otherwise you may find yourself stuck with the belief that these programs do not work.

Just think about the benefits. The sexier body, the healthier heart and your improved physical status. This will help to keep you motivated all the way to the end.

You will find that a healthier you will have more confidence and you will begin to feel less lethargic. You will find that you can spend more quality time with people around you. Wouldn’t you like to see your children grow up. Even play a larger part in their life and maybe their children’s (Your Grandchildren) lives.

This all comes down to your perseverance and motivation. You want a healthier life. You want to look your best. You want to be a little more mobile.

DO NOT GIVE UP.

STAY FOCUSED.

STAY MOTIVATED

ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

NOBODY CAN STOP YOU. ONLY YOU!!

Follow your diet and your exercise program for long enough and let it become your way of life for as long as you can. Fight for your fitness and well being. Fight until, there is no fight left, until you can go on no longer. Achieve what you once believed impossible and take it even further.

Your family and friends will be amazed. Some may even be a little jealous and wish that they had the Grit and Determination to reach their goals.

The New You is Waiting for YOU…

Are You Right For The Keto Diet?

These days, it seems like everyone is talking about the ketogenic (in short, keto) diet – the very low-carbohydrate, moderate protein, high-fat eating plan that transforms your body into a fat-burning machine. Hollywood stars and professional athletes have publicly touted this diet’s benefits, from losing weight, lowering blood sugar, fighting inflammation, reducing cancer risk, increasing energy, to slowing down aging. So is keto something that you should consider taking on? The following will explain what this diet is all about, the pros and cons, as well as the problems to look out for.

What Is Keto?

Normally, the body uses glucose as the main source of fuel for energy. When you are on a keto diet and you are eating very few carbs with only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can be converted to carbs), your body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat. The liver produces ketones (a type of fatty acid) from fat. These ketones become a fuel source for the body, especially the brain which consumes plenty of energy and can run on either glucose or ketones.

When the body produces ketones, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis. Fasting is the easiest way to achieve ketosis. When you are fasting or eating very few carbs and only moderate amounts of protein, your body turns to burning stored fat for fuel. That is why people tend to lose more weight on the keto diet.

Benefits Of The Keto Diet

The keto diet is not new. It started being used in the 1920s as a medical therapy to treat epilepsy in children, but when anti-epileptic drugs came to the market, the diet fell into obscurity until recently. Given its success in reducing the number of seizures in epileptic patients, more and more research is being done on the ability of the diet to treat a range of neurologic disorders and other types of chronic illnesses.

Comparing Standard American, Paleo, & Keto Diets

(As a % of total caloric intake)

__________________________Carbs__________Protein_________Fat

Standard American Diet_____40-60%_________15-30%_________15-40%

Paleo Diet_________________20-40%_________20-35%_________25-50%

Keo Diet________________ __5-10%__________10-15%_________70-80%

The key distinction between the keto diet and the standard American or Paleo diets is that it contains far fewer carbs and much more fat. The keto diet results in ketosis with circulating ketones ranging from 0.5-5.0 mM. This can be measured using a home blood ketone monitor with ketone test strips. (Please know that testing ketones in urine is not accurate.)

How To Formulate A Keto Diet

Carbohydrates

For most people, to achieve ketosis (getting ketones above 0.5 mM) requires them to restrict carbs to somewhere between 20-50 grams (g)/day. The actual amount of carbs will vary from person to person. Generally, the more insulin resistant a person is, the more resistant they are to ketosis. Some insulin sensitive athletes exercising vigorously can consume more than 50 g/day and remain in ketosis, whereas individuals with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance may need to be closer to 20-30 g/day.

When calculating carbs, one is allowed to use net carbs, meaning total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. The concept of net carbs is to incorporate only carbs that increase blood sugar and insulin. Fiber does not have any metabolic or hormonal impact and so do most sugar alcohols. The exception is maltitol, which can have a non-trivial impact on blood sugar and insulin. Therefore, if maltitol is on the ingredient list, sugar alcohol should not be deducted from total carbs.

The level of carbs one can consume and remain in ketosis may also change over time depending on keto adaptation, weight loss, exercise habits, medications, etc. Therefore, one should measure his/her ketone levels on a routine basis.

In terms of the overall diet, carb-dense foods like pastas, cereals, potatoes, rice, beans, sugary sweets, sodas, juices, and beer are not suitable.

Most dairy products contain carbs in the form of lactose (milk sugar). However, some have less carbs and can be used regularly. These include hard cheeses (Parmesan, cheddar), soft, high-fat cheeses (Brie), full-fat cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and sour cream.

A carb level less than 50 g/day generally breaks down to the following:

Most people require at least half a gallon of total fluid per day. The best sources are filtered water, organic coffee and tea (regular and decaf, unsweetened), and unsweetened almond and coconut milk. Diet sodas and drinks are best avoided as they contain artificial sweeteners. If you drink red or white wine, limit to 1-2 glasses, the dryer the better. If you drink spirits, avoid the sweetened mixed drinks.

Protein

A keto diet is not a high protein diet. The reason is that protein increases insulin and can be converted to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis, hence, inhibiting ketosis. However, a keto diet should not be too low in protein either as it can lead to loss of muscle tissue and function.

The average adult requires about 0.8-1.5 g per kilogram (kg) of lean body mass per day. It is important to make the calculation based on lean body mass, not total body weight. The reason is because fat mass does not require protein to maintain, only the lean muscle mass.

For example, if an individual weighs 150 lbs (or 150/2.2 = 68.18 kg) and has a body fat content of 20% (or lean body mass of 80% = 68.18 kg x 0.8 = 54.55 kg), the protein requirement may range from 44 (= 54.55 x 0.8) to 82 (= 54.55 x 1.5) g/day.

Those who are insulin resistant or doing the keto diet for therapeutic reasons (cancer, epilepsy, etc.) should aim to be closer to the lower protein limit. The higher limit is for those who are very active or athletic. For everyone else who is using the keto diet for weight loss or other health benefits, the amount of daily protein can be somewhere in between.

Best sources of high quality protein include:

Having figured out the exact amounts of carbs and protein to eat, the rest of the diet comes from fat. A keto diet is necessarily high in fat. If sufficient fat is eaten, body weight is maintained. If weigh loss is desired, one should consume less dietary fat and rely on stored body fat for energy expenditure instead.

(As a % of total caloric intake)

_________________________Maintain Weight_______Lose Weight

Carbs____________________5-10%________________5-10%

Protein__________________10-15%_______________10-15%

Fat from diet_____________70-80%_______________35-40%

Fat from stored body fat___0%___________________35-40%

For individuals who consume 2,000 calories a day to maintain their weight, daily fat intakes range from about 156-178 g/day. For large or very active individuals with high energy requirements who are maintaining weight, fat intakes may even exceed 300 g/day.

Most people can tolerate high intakes of fat, but certain conditions such as gallbladder removal may affect the amount of fat that can be consumed at a single meal. In which case, more frequent meals or use of bile salts or pancreatic enzymes high in lipase may be helpful.

Avoid eating undesirable fats such as trans fat, highly refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils, as well as high amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.

Best foods to obtain high quality fats include:

MCT is a specific type of fat that is metabolized differently from regular long-chain fatty acids. The liver can use MCTs to rapidly produce energy, even before glucose, thus allowing an increased production of ketones.

Concentrated sources of MCT oil are available as supplements. Many people use them to help achieve ketosis. The only food that is uniquely high in MCTs is coconut oil. About two-thirds of the coconut fat is derived from MCT.

Who Should Be Cautious With A Keto Diet?

For most people, a keto diet is very safe. However, there are certain individuals who need to take special care and discuss with their doctors before going on such a diet.

Common Concerns With A Keto Diet

Is Keto Safe For Long-Term?

This is an area of some controversy. Though there have not been any studies indicating any adverse long-term effects of being on a keto diet, many experts now believe that the body may develop a “resistance” to the benefits of ketosis unless one regularly cycles in and out of it. In addition, eating a very high-fat diet in the long-term may not be suitable for all body types.

Cyclical keto diet

Once you are able to generate over 0.5 mM of ketones in the blood on a consistent basis, it is time to start reintroducing carbs back into the diet. Instead of eating merely 20-50 g of carbs/day, you may want to increase it to 100-150 g on those carb-feeding days. Typically, 2-3 times a week will be sufficient. Ideally, this is also done on strength training days on which you actually increase your protein intake.

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This approach of cycling may make the diet plan more acceptable to some people who are reluctant to permanently eliminate some of their favorite foods. However, it may also lower resolve and commitment to the keto diet or trigger binges in susceptible individuals.