Tuesday, April 13, 2010

What is the Atkins Grapefruit Diet?

By Frank Williams

The Atkins Grapefruit diet is a diet plan, not endorsed by the eponymous Dr. Atkins company, that plays on the popularity of the grapefruit diet and the Atkins diet name. However, a closer look into this diet shows that it may not be all it claims to be.

First off, it's very hard to any find information on the Atkins grapefruit diet plan at all. Smart people realize that when someone is perpetrating a deception, or a con, they will usually gloss over the facts. This is what the Atkins grapefruit diet seems to be doing in an attempt to get people to associate it with two supposedly effective diets.

Is the Atkins Grapefruit Diet part of the Atkins Diet or recommended by the late Dr. Atkins' firm? The answer is a resounding no! But, not only is there no mention of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet on the Atkins web site, there is just no fruit of any sort allowed in the list of allowed foods in the Atkins diet Induction phase either.

The induction phase includes the following foods: fish of all kinds; all fowl such as turkey and chicken; any shellfish; any meat such as beef or pork; eggs cooked in any style including fried; cheese; vegetables; herbs and spices; fats and oils; low carbohydrate beverages including diet soft drinks.

Please, notice one thing - that fruit does not feature on that list at all! Yes, later phases of the Atkins diet do allow small amounts of fruits such as cantaloupe and strawberries, and the pre-maintenance and maintenance phases do even allow small quantities of grapefruit, but when judged in comparison with the amount of Grapefruit advised on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet there is a massive difference.

The Atkins Grapefruit Diet suggests a cup of grapefruit juice or a cup of grapefruit sections, with 8 and 18 carbs respectively. Even the most generous phases of the Atkins diet suggests limiting consumption to below 8 carbs per day, with regard to grapefruit. That is a direct contradiction from one diet to the other.

Most sensible people would have a look at the Atkins website itself the moment they heard of the Atkins Grapefruit Diet and when they found no mention of that diet on their site, a red light would flash and an alarmbell would ring.

In general, please remember this: any plan that relies very heavily on one type of food, such as grapefruit in a grapefruit diet, is not healthy for any but extremely short periods. The Atkins Grapefruit Diet is not linked with the Atkins diet, and may interfere with the results of the Atkins diet, especially in its early phases.

About the Author:

This blog on weight loss is created by Howard Larrabee...For more in-depth info on dieting, exercise and weight loss, Click Here

Sunday, April 11, 2010

How To Break Free From Your Fitness Plateau

By Katherine Crawford, M.S.

A high level of adaptability is one of the most defining characteristics of your body. After all, this level of adaptation is how we became the top species on the planet.

The bad news is that this evolutionary trait can prevent you from reaching your fitness goals. But not all hope is lost here.

Thus, here is how to break free from your fitness plateau:

1. Switch things up: And this doesn't mean switch your exercise routine up, although this will help. You can prep yourself mentally by doing commonplace things differently. Take a different route to work, eat at different restaurants, exercise at different gyms, etc.

2. Evaluate the risk of not doing: Ask yourself what will happen if you do not push your limits. How long have you been stuck with the same body or the same level of fitness? How much more time are you willing to sacrifice?

3. Use your mind's eye for nervous system rehearsal: Going over the next steps mentally gives your nervous system a chance to test run things before actually having to do them. There is also a psychological benefit to doing this.

4. Keep your support network strong: This can help you during difficult times and can also help you increase motivation, especially if your support network has similar goals. The key here is to make sure you don't attach yourself to a network that has incongruous goals.

5. Run towards failure: Ironically, the more you fail the more likely you are to succeed. The main problem here, however, is that we are conditioned by society to avoid failure. In reality, you should embrace failure and constantly push your limits.

Being able to predict and avoid adaptation is critical for continual results with your fitness program. And if you follow the tips outlined in this article, you will be better prepared to avoid adaptation. Just remember that taking action on information is the most important ingredient. Because without action information is forgotten!

About the Author:

This blog on weight loss is created by Howard Larrabee...For more in-depth info on dieting, exercise and weight loss, Click Here