A Diet For Everyone

Are you happy with your diet ? Does it include all the micro and macronutrients your body needs ? Most people would emphatically answer "NO" ! My diet isn't perfect either. I'm human just like you and yes, I do fall off the good diet train and ingest sinfully delicious highly caloric forbidden foods. Guess what ? You need to do that periodically. It actually helps you to maintain a healthy diet. Starvation and deprivation cause you to keep the weight because the body thinks it will never see food again. Feeding the body helps you to shed those unwanted pounds. Adding muscle will also wake up your metabolism and burn more calories. Why ? Because muscle burns more calories to maintain itself than fat. Drinking green tea and taking 1500 mg. of calcium will also help with weight loss and maintenance.

" Enough with the facts ! " You scream. "Show me this diet ! Will it work ?" Sure will ! Only if you are ready to make some small changes, are disciplined enough to say "NO" to yourself at times and have the perseverance to hang with the program for one month. So let's bring in Y.B. Fit, your personal diet consultant and get started.

Y. B. Fit: "Ok everybody, THIS IS IMPORTANT ! REMEMBER, BEFORE YOU START ANY DIET OR WORKOUT PROGRAM, CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND GET MEDICAL CLEARANCE. Now, lets get going. "

CMB Fitness: " Thanks for stating that Y.B. After all, some people need medical supervision on diets due to specific conditions.

" Most people do not take a long hard look at what they actually eat everyday. So, your first step in this diet plan is to write down everything and I mean everything you eat and drink for three days. "What does this allow you to do Y.B.?" "Find out whether you are eating too much or too little. Too many carbs and not enough protein and vegetables. And the biggest ones of all too much refined sugar and hydrogenated fats or trans fat which is bad. How much much caffeine is in your diet ? How much soda, milk or juice? Do you eat enough fruit for vitamin and fiber considerations? Are you getting the RDA of all essential nutrients ?"

"Now, what do I do with this diet analysis after three days, YB ? Lets analyze it together. Look at beverages first. Get rid of the soda even if it's diet. Substitute 100% fruit juice mixed with water or seltzer instead. Are you drinking milk? Get down at least two eight ounce glasses per day of low fat, skim or soy. If you have allergies or asthma choose soy over cows milk. I know the taste is tough to handle but I've seen a big difference in how I feel everyday. The addition of milk will also satisfy your calcium requirements naturally. Oh, and that cup of java; cut back to one to two cups per day. Try to substitute green tea in its place. It's high in antioxidants and provides that caffeine fix if you need it. Watch the sugar content in iced tea. Add extra water to cut the amount of sugar. One twelve ounce can will stretch into twenty-four to thirty ounces of tea. " "How do beer, wine and mixed drinks fit in? People have to give those up too?? " " No, people do not have to give that up!!! The key to good dieting is not abstinence, but everything in moderation. Your best choice for beers are the light or no carb types , check the labels. One glass of wine per day is actually good for you, as supported by recent studies. Mixed drinks contain the most calories. You make the decision here. If it looks like too much cut back." "I see too many carbs on this list. Too much!! That's why most Americans are overweight. What do you think YB?" "You are absolutely right! We eat too many carbs and their servings are too large. determine your activity level then eat enough carbs to support it. You need one serving at each meal. Carbs should also be present in your snack choices. You see, carbs break down into simple sugars which are converted to energy. If the body does not use all the converted energy, it is stored eventually as fat for later use. But you know what happens to later use, it ends up on your hips, stomach etc. So if you are a couch potato your energy requirements are very low, therefore cut down your carb intake. If you are a marathon runner you need to add extra carbs to support the extra energy requirements of training. And if you fall between these two examples, fuel your workout routine on the days you do so with an extra serving before and after dependent the amount of time you exercise. " "I hate whining, but do I have to give up desserts YB???" "To start, don't go cold turkey here. If you are constantly noshing on desserts all day, then you must cut back, but do so gradually. You can have dessert, think of it as a reward for a job well done after eating healthfully. Make it something to look forward to. Just don't have desserts after every meal. " "Gee, I don't see much in the way of protein on the list, YB? What's with that?" " You need to eat protein at every meal, at least three ounces. Three ounces looks like the size of a deck of cards. You need protein to rebuild your muscles and connective tissues. Include it in your snacks too. " "What about about the good, bad and alot of that ugly fat on this list YB? " "Putting it plain and simple: eat more of the good and really limit the bad and ugly fat. The good, happy fat is known as polyunsaturated, monosaturated or HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Monosaturated is the better of the good fats and is found in olive, flaxseed and canola oil. Polyunsaturated fats are found in nuts, seeds, corn, sunflower ,or safflower oil and fish. The good or happy fats are also found in: light ice cream, mayonnaise, flan, some margarines, gouda, parmesan, Romano, Roquefort, Port de Salut, fontina, pasteurized Swiss, feta, low fat milk, mungo beans, herring, sardines, bluefish, salmon, mackerel, anchovy, tuna, gefilte fish, oysters, whiting,, halibut, kidney beans, eggs, lamb ,ham, macadamia nuts. Vegetables such as: grape leaves, spinach, wakame (seaweed), cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, Boston and butterhead lettuce, arugula. Fruits such as: cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew, cherries, papaya, mango, litchis, bananas, blackberries. Breads and pasta such as: flax, wild rice, cinnamon toast crunch cereal, tapioca, arrowroot flour, white and long grain rice, rice cereals, sobs noodles, oat-bran bread, ginger-bread. The bad fat, otherwise known as saturated or LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol can be found in anything that contains: palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil. These are found in cookies, crackers, animal foods such as processed lunch meat, lard, shortening, bacon grease, cheese, whole milk products, butter and fatty cuts of meat. The ugly fat is known as trans fat. Trans fat is found in commercially baked chips, fast food cooking, crackers and are hydrogenated ( processed at high temperatures). My advice: eat good, happy fats, try to avoid fast food restaurants, read labels very carefully and limit chips, cookies, crackers.

"So, YB, the diet analysis is a rap. Now lets get to the serious stuff: this simple way to cut the weight and be happy doing it." " I need to say this and all dieters need to remember: losing weight is a behavior change. Choose the right balance of foods (protein, carbohydrates and fat), exercise and it's easy. Be disciplined and allow yourself the little rewards along the way. Be positive about the plan and the new you will emerge and stay that way."

The YB Fit Diet