Ten Years Thinner -- Christine Lydon

This month's Woman's World has a diet --they have one every week-- that was created by Christine Lydon. It sounded reasonable.... So I went online and did a search for it because the Woman's World article was really quite skimpy with its details.

I found more information on a site at Health. It's very thorough in its coverage of the diet.

The Diet:

(Health, February 2008) For the next six weeks, follow these six simple guidelines.

For the next six weeks, you can create any meals you like as long as you follow these six simple guideline. That’s all—there’s no need to count calories or fat grams.

1. Eat protein and fruit and/or vegetables at every meal.
To supply all the amino acids you need to maximize muscle tone, have one of the following:

• 3 to 4 ounces of skinless poultry,
• lean beef (sirloin, tenderloin, or roast),
• or seafood (fresh, frozen, or canned, the latter packed in water;
• limit albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week because it contains more mercury than other types);
• or one egg or two to three egg whites.

(After you’ve completed the six-week plan, include a variety of vegetarian protein sources in your diet for a broader spectrum of nutrients.)

Also, have one serving per meal of any kind of fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, and/or legumes.

2. Snack on a half-cup of unsalted nuts or seeds plus fresh fruit, twice a day.
Yes, nuts are high in fat and calories. But they’re also great sources of protein, fiber, good fats, and antioxidants (to fight wrinkle-causing inflammation)—and, most importantly, they’ll fill you up.

Go for lower-cal nuts like almonds over higher-cal picks like Brazil nuts.

If you finish your last meal more than three hours before bedtime, eat a pre-sleep snack as well. Don’t like nuts or seeds? Try 2 tablespoons of organic nut butter instead.

3. Avoid dairy, soy, and grain products for the first three to four weeks.
These are the types of foods most likely to trigger food sensitivities, which may lead to bloating, low energy levels, and dry, unhealthy skin. “Food sensitivities cause a chronic state of low-grade inflammation that can hurt every system in your body, from your heart to your bones to your skin,” Lydon explains.

Beginning with week four, you can add up to 100 calories per meal of dairy or soy products (e.g., 7 ounces of low-fat milk or 4 ounces of tofu).

And starting with week five, you can also have up to 100 calories per meal of whole-grain-based foods (such as a slice of multigrain bread, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of whole-wheat pasta, or 1/3 cup of brown rice), potatoes, or sweet potatoes. If you notice symptoms like bloating after adding any of these foods, cut back again.

4. Cut out processed foods.
It’s best to do without cookies, chips, etc. for the entire six-week plan, and eat them in moderation after that. Why? Processed carbs contribute to inflammation and, thus, aging, Lydon says.

5. Drink 10 to 12 ounces of fluid every time you eat.
Go for water, sparkling water, or iced unsweetened green or herbal tea (add fresh lemon, lime, or berry juice for more flavor) instead of diet sodas. Good news: You can treat yourself to a cup or two of black coffee or tea a day.

6. Pop your vitamins.
Take a daily high-potency multivitamin for overall good health;

• cold-water fish oil (2 to 3 grams twice a day) to fight inflammation, reduce sun damage, and improve skin;
• calcium (350 to 500 milligrams twice a day) to build strong bones;
• and magnesium (200 to 400 milligrams twice a day) to help your body absorb the calcium.
• Also, be sure your multivitamin contains 5 micrograms of vitamin D to help with calcium absorption.

The Workout

Delta Diet

An art teacher who has a class where I work shared the following diet with me. As I remember it she told me, "My Aunt Edith used to work for Delta Airlines. They had to keep their weight down. Whenever she would get over the limit, she would use this diet and quickly get her weight back down."

I'm putting it here so I can have it where I can find it if I want to try it.

Also, I was reading on 3fatchicks that they'd done a survey of 4000 dieters to see which diet -- of all they had tried-- that they preferred. Want to know the result? Check it out.

Listen and Lose

By Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, RD

These six tips teach you to spot hunger and eat to stay satisfied--so you control calories and shed pounds without "dieting."


1. Learn to identify your spot on the hunger scale

Do you really know what hunger feels like? Before you can rein it in, you must learn to recognize the physical cues that signal a true need for nourishment. Prior to eating, use our hunger scale below to help figure out your true food needs:

• Starving

An uncomfortable, empty feeling that may be accompanied by light-headedness or jitteriness caused by low blood sugar levels from lack of food. Binge risk: high.

• Hungry

Your next meal is on your mind. If you don't eat within the hour, you enter dangerous "starving" territory.

• Moderately hungry

Your stomach may be growling, and you're planning how you'll put an end to that nagging feeling. This is optimal eating time.

• Satisfied

You're satiated, not full but not hungry either. You're relaxed and comfortable and can wait to nosh.

• Full

If you're still eating, it's more out of momentum than actual hunger. Your belly feels slightly bloated, and the food does not taste as good as it did in the first few bites.

• Stuffed

You feel uncomfortable and might even have mild heartburn from your stomach acids creeping back up into your esophagus.

To slim down: The best time to eat is when you are "moderately hungry" or "hungry"--when you hit either of these stages, you've used most of the energy from your last meal or snack but you haven't yet hit the point where you will be driven to binge.

2. Refuel every 4 hours

Still can't tell what true hunger feels like? Set your watch. Moderate to full-fledged hunger (our ideal window for eating) is most likely to hit 4 to 5 hours after a balanced meal.

Waiting too long to eat can send you on an emergency hunt for energy--and the willpower to make healthful choices plummets. When researchers in the United Kingdom asked workers to choose a snack just after lunch, 70% picked foods like candy bars and potato chips; the percentage shot up to 92% when workers chose snacks in the late afternoon.

"Regular eating keeps blood sugar and energy stable, which prevents you from feeling an extreme need for fuel," says Kate Geagan, RD, a Park City, UT-based registered dietitian.

To slim down: If you're feeling hungry between meals, a snack of 150 calories should help to hold you over. Here are a few ideas:

Munch on whole foods such as fruit and unsalted nuts--they tend to contain more fiber and water, so you fill up on fewer calories. Bonus: They're loaded with disease-fighting nutrients.

Avoid temptation by packing healthful, portable snacks such as string cheese and dried fruit in your purse, desk drawer, or glove compartment.


3. Eat breakfast without fail

A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition tracked the diets of nearly 900 adults and found that when people ate more fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the morning, they stayed satisfied and ate less over the course of the day than those who ate their bigger meals later on. Unfortunately, many Americans start off on an empty stomach: In one recent survey, consumers reported that even when they eat in the morning, the meal is a full breakfast only about one-third of the time.

To slim down: Eat fewer calories by eating more food:

Start dinner with a salad, or make it into your meal (be sure to include protein such as lean meat or beans).

Choose fresh fruit over dried. For around the same amount of calories, you can have a whole cup of grapes or a measly 3 tablespoons of raisins.



Boost the volume of a low-cal frozen dinner by adding extra veggies such as steamed broccoli or freshly chopped tomatoes and bagged baby spinach.



5. Munch fiber all day long

Fiber can help you feel full faster and for longer. Because the body processes a fiber-rich meal more slowly, it may help you stay satisfied long after eating. Fiber-packed foods are also higher in volume, which means they can fill you up so you eat fewer calories. One review recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association linked a high intake of cereal fiber with lower body mass index--and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

To slim down: Aim to get at least 25 g of fiber a day with these tips:

Include produce such as apples and carrots--naturally high in fiber--in each meal and snack.

Try replacing some or all of your regular bread, pasta, and rice with whole grain versions.


6. Include healthy protein at each meal

When researchers at Purdue University asked 46 dieting women to eat either 30% or 18% of their calories from protein, the high-protein eaters felt more satisfied and less hungry. Plus, over the course of 12 weeks, the women preserved more lean body mass, which includes calorie-burning muscle.

To slim down: Boost your protein intake with these ideas:

Have a serving of lean protein such as egg whites, chunk light tuna, or skinless chicken at each meal. A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand--not including your fingers. For more on sizing up protein portions, visit prevention.com/hand.

Build beans into your meals Black beans, chickpeas, and edamame (whole soybeans) are low in fat, high in fiber, and packed with protein.

Copyright 2007, Prevention By Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, RD

Detox Diets--More from Spark

The following is copied from Spark. I get emails from them regularly and this one was entitled: "The Truth about Detox Diets." I've heard a number of folks talking about doing a detox so my curiosity was piqued. When I read something and want to keep the information garnered in a handy location for future reference (on the subject on dieting), I put it here so I can find it easily.

Detox Diets: Helpful or Full of Hype?

Get the Truth about Detox Diets and Colon Cleansing

-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

There it was, posted on the SparkPeople message board: "Need encouragement for 21-day detox".

A member was feeling tired and run down. She had decided to cleanse and detox her body as well as jumpstart her weight loss program by using a special diet. By eating only fruits and veggies and drinking tea for the next 21 days, she was convinced that she would be ridding her body of damaging toxins. She was asking for feedback on her plan and support and encouragement during her 21-day detox adventure.

As the dietitian for SparkPeople, I could provide neither. On its own, a healthy body is designed to take care of toxins. Various detoxification programs, colon cleansing, and water irrigation devices are not needed and at times can be harmful or dangerous.

Most toxins reach the bloodstream when we swallow or inhale them. Others pass through our skin. Still others are released by dying cells or invading bacteria. The liver is the body’s purification plant. Toxins are filtered and removed from the blood and broken down in the liver before they can do harm. Toxins are also broken down by the kidneys and eliminated in the urine. Digestive acids and enzymes neutralize toxins which are then eliminated in the feces. Toxins can also be exhaled out of the body. The large intestine also contains hundreds of beneficial bacteria which also help to reduce toxin activity and side effects. As you can see, the body is designed to protect and cleanse itself. Here we'll discuss some of the most popular body cleansing programs: detox diets and colon cleansing.

Detoxification Diets, or detox diets for short, seem to be the current buzz word regarding health. According to these theories, by restricting certain foods and drinking specific beverages, you can clean and detoxify designated body systems. These programs can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Some people do report feelings of energy, lightness, better attention and focus, but this is likely a placebo effect—people believe they are doing something good for themselves.

Other people who detox may report large amounts of weight loss. This weight loss is primarily water loss and dehydration; it is not permanent weight (fat) loss. There is no medical evidence that detox diets actually remove toxins from the body. And although they are not necessarily unsafe, they are far from being nutritious and healthy for the body, and they are a terrible way to lose weight.

Colon Cleansing uses herbal ingredients, laxatives, enemas, colonics, and/or irrigation devices. These can disrupt the normal functioning and balance of the large intestine, resulting in electrolyte imbalances, diarrhea, dehydration and damage to the protective bacteria in the large intestine. Doctors don’t recommend colon cleansing for improved health and well-being or for the prevention of disease. The colon doesn’t need to be cleansed. In fact, the only appropriate use for colon cleansing is in preparation for a medical procedure used to examine the colon.

Rejuvenate Your Body the Healthy Way
Of course, eating fresh produce, drinking water, and exercising regularly will help you feel healthier and more energetic. But meeting your body's nutritional needs for protein, calcium and other nutrients is also important. Any "diet" that recommends eliminating certain food groups entirely is risky and nutritionally unbalanced. Since detox diets and colon cleansing lack medical evidence to prove they are successful (and can be dangerous), what can you do to improve your health and start losing weight? Enjoy a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. These are the best ways to revitalize and rejuvenate the body.

Include in your diet:

* Fresh fruits and vegetables. These are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, promoting a healthy body. Read The No-Excuses Appeal of Fruits & Veggies or Easy Ways to Eat 5 Fruits & Veggies Each Day for more tips.
* Whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. These "good" carbs meet your body's energy needs while providing more fiber, protein and vitamins than processed carbs like white bread. Skeptical? Check out The Truth about Carbohydrates to learn more.
* Lean meats and/or other healthy protein sources including beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy products. Protein plays several important roles in the body. Learn about all of them in our Reference Guide to Proteins.
* Low-fat dairy products or other calcium-rich foods. Calcium does more than strengthen bones. Get 15 Ways to Boost Your Calcium Intake.
* Adequate water and fluid intake. Water transports nutrients and helps rid the body of toxins. After all, Water is a Secret Ingredient for health.

In addition, the following practices will help your body perform at its best and reduce your risk of disease:

* Take part in moderate exercise all or most days of the week.
* Avoid smoking and inappropriate drug use.
* Get plenty of sleep every night and take steps to reduce stress and relax.
* If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

Remember, your body is designed to purify itself. When you are healthy—eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly—your liver and kidneys will do the job they're supposed to do. If you're feeling tired or are having trouble losing weight, talk to your health care provider. Using the steps above (and ruling out any underlying conditions) will help you feel your best. Your body will thank you! Article created on: 10/18/2006

What About Carbs?

The Million Dollar Question
How do you include carbohydrates in you diet in a safe, effective, and controlled way? The “Please KISS Me” (Please Keep It So Simple for Me) plan for carbohydrate control is a wonderful tool that only contains 3 simple rules:

RULE 1: Include the following in your diet:

* Fruits: 2-4 servings daily
* Vegetables: 3-5 servings daily
* Whole grain breads, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal, and brown rice: 6-11 servings daily
* Legumes, beans and peas: 1-2 servings daily
* Low-fat and non-fat dairy products: 3 servings daily

RULE 2: Limit the following to less than 2 servings daily:

* Fruit Juice
* Refined and processed white flour products (bread, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal)
* White rice
* French fries
* Fried vegetables

RULE 3: Eliminate the following from your diet or eat only on occasion:

* Sugary desserts, cookies, cakes, pies, candies
* Doughnuts and pastries
* Chips, cola and carbonated beverages
* Sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, molasses

That’s it! A simple, effective carbohydrate-controlling plan that, when combined with your SparkDiet, allows you to reap the countless benefits of complex carbohydrates and fiber while enhancing your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The long term result will be a healthy you!