Diet Meal Plans Q & A

William Brister asked:


In today’s world, diets have become a way of life. Popular diets have become the focus of talk shows, magazines and entertainment news where celebrities and their spokes-persons are continuously endorsing one diet or another. Whether it is to shed a few pounds, put on extra muscle mass or just simply to stay in shape, every individual is looking for a diet that is most suited for his or her body type.

Contrary to popular belief, a ‘diet’ is not eating only celery sticks, digestive crackers and drinking carrot juice all day long. In fact a healthy meal combining of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, cereals and lean meats, all in moderation would be considered an ideal diet as well as a good dietary habit. People lose weight over a few months time only to gain it back in no time at all. It has been established that the true secret of losing weight and to maintain that loss is to make some permanent changes to your eating and lifestyle habits.

The meal you eat is influenced by several factors that include how hungry you are, how long it has been since you have eaten your last meal, smell and taste of food as well as the genetics that shape your appetite. Perhaps, the most important is the feel of satisfaction that one derives after eating. You only feel full when the stomach sends the requisite signals to your brain. Satisfaction however, does not depend only on how much you eat but what kind of foods you choose to eat.

Although most people tend to overlook it, a healthy diet is a matter of common sense. When one is really looking to shed a few pounds, besides sacrificing excessive fried foods and desserts, all one needs to do is eat few calories per ounce of food ingested. Fruits, vegetables, soups, stews or whole grain cereals are some instances of such foods. They are full of fibre and have high water content which not only provide you your share of nutrients but leave you feeling satisfied without having broken the calorie bank.

There are several different kinds of diets to suit individual needs. The most popular are:

Atkins – The Atkins Diet, although extremely popular, is a move away from the conventional. Instead of an emphasis on the inclusion of a combination of different food types that typically make up a healthy, balanced diet, the Atkins approach is towards eating more of protein, fat and cutting down on carbohydrates. Although it represents a drastic lifestyle change, you can eat as much as you want as long as you keep to the restricted food groups. The diet has proven very effective and helped people achieve their weight loss goals, but whether, it is an healthy option in the long run, remains to be determined.

Jenny Craig - The Jenny Craig diet offers much more than just a weight loss program by including exercise, healthy meals and lifestyle change. With a great deal of support it inculcates counselling and prepared meals within your diet regimen. Moreover, along with prepared meals delivered home, it also offers vegetarian options. It may not however, be suitable for people who travel constantly and those who are cost conscious, because buying prepared meals on a daily basis may prove expensive. It however advocates the moving away from the prepared meal option after acquiring the weight loss results initially aimed at.

The Zone is similar to the Atkins Diet in that it emphasizes on increased protein intake and less carbohydrates. However, as compared to Atkins, you can eat greater amounts of carbohydrates with smaller portions. It is a more balanced approach and even allows the intake of vegetables. However, for people who like larger portions, variety and flexibility in their diets, the Zone can be restricting.

NutriSystems- The NutriSystems is an easy to follow plan which concentrates on low Glycemic index, good carbohydrates and optimal amounts of protein to keep your sugar levels stable as well as aims to keep you satisfied. The plan offers a NutriSystem meal, pre packaged and delivered on order which you supplement with different food items like fresh fruits, salads, dairy etc.

Weight Watchers- The Weight Watchers Diet believes that dieting is one part of long-term weight management. It does not tell people what they can or can’t eat. The goal is to help people make healthy eating decisions and encourage them to enjoy more physical activity, thereby losing weight safely and sensibly — and keeping it off. It gives information on food choices, recipes and meals as well as exercise plans. It has an online support network and weight loss tracker and progress chart to keep you motivated.

South Beach- The South Beach Diet is more like the Atkins Diet and restricts carbohydrates except for some good carbs which are allowed. What is an absolute no-no are food types like potatoes, fruit, bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beets, carrots and corn. Again it discourages fats but promotes the healthy ones. It is a diet for life. Eat normal foods in portions.

Fit Yummy Mummy!

Phil Tsang asked:


Don’t get what all the fuss is about with zone diet meal delivery? When so many top celebrities are endorsing the zone meal delivery you’ve got to wonder what all the hype is about. But let’s forget about its popularity for the moment and pitch it against the ‘worse’ alternative to prove its credibility.

Most people work more than 30 hours a week, but if you’re a professional or just a damn hard worker then you’re probably doing more like 60 hours a week. If this is the case then two things are probably suffering – your health and your well-being.

Having such a hectic and busy schedule is more likely to take up most of your waking hours, leaving you with little time to do even the simplest things in life such as cooking a nutritious and healthy meal. Being in this predicament will probably mean that you’re living on instant meals and fast-food. I guess things could be a lot worse – you could be going hungry, but even so, you’re putting your health at risk.

Cooking is a real chore for some, for others it’s like a science experiment gone bad. If you can’t cook a half decent meal without causing and insane amount of mess and poisoning yourself, then you’re probably in need of some help. You could get yourself some cooking lessons or get yourself some cookbooks to help you master the art of cooking, but if you really have no time to cook, either won’t be of much use.

So maybe you don’t really have a choice when it comes to your diet and health, perhaps fast food seems like the only option to take. Of course, if you’ve heard of the zone meal delivery, then it may have crossed your mind to give it a go, since it’s highly convenient and healthy to boot. The food you eat is far more important to your health than you think. It’s what fuels the body and helps it repair. Without a healthy diet you may find yourself more susceptible to illnesses and viruses. Your energy levels may also be low due to the poor quality of fuel.

You can only live on fast food for so long before it takes a real toll on your body and your health. Maybe you’ve noticed the pounds pack on already and you’re not feeling overly energetic these days. Too much bad fats and sugars is probably the cause, coupled with a lack of nutrition. Zone diet meal delivery avoids the bad fats and sugars and provides healthy yet delicious alternatives. What’s more, it’s not as expensive as you might think.

Don’t be fooled by thinking that fast food is cheap. If you eat out a few times a day and you’re a heavy snacker, then you’ll be doing both your waistline and your wallet a favor by trying out zone diet meal delivery. Just think, 5 delicious meals a day delivered straight to your door. You won’t have to touch a frying pan or even a microwave again.

Fit Yummy Mummy!

Anthony Lee asked:


Several diets were invented after people began seeing weight and fat loss results using the low carb approach. Although the selected foods, time of consumption and amount may vary, the main idea remains very clear: reduce intake of carbohydrates to reduce glucose absorption to reduce calories and fat. Here are some very popular meal plans.

The Atkins’ Diet

The Atkins’ Diet uses a system with a number of phases that help individuals lose extra weight. The philosophy indicates that people should restrict consumption of processed and refined carbohydrates like bread, pasta and starchy fruits and vegetables. It also encourages people to eat more nutritious and unprocessed foods and healthy supplements.

Phase 1 is the called the Induction Phase which lasts for 2 weeks. A maximum of 20 grams of carbohydrates is indicated during this phase. The limited carb intake will induce benign dietary ketosis leading to fat mobilization substance. Fat mobilization substance then expels and burns up unwanted body fat causing weight loss.

Phase 2 is called Ongoing Weight Loss which aims to continue burning fat. Phase 3 or Pre-Maintenance Diet Phase begins if the individual is already 5 to 10 pounds away from his or her ideal weight. The fourth and final phase is Maintenance Diet Phase wherein the individual continues to consume the right amount of type of carbohydrates that will maintain healthy and vibrant condition. The person at this stage should have a list of acceptable carbs.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet advocates eating 3 meals and 3 snacks daily. The person should never count calories or feel hungry. Phase 1 restricts whole grain carbohydrates but there is still no limit to calorie count. The person is advised to feel full but not stuffed. Phase 2 involves the addition of nuts, whole grains and fruits. Phase 3 has no food restrictions and is considered to be the maintenance plan that the person needs to follow to stay fit and healthy for life. The South Beach Diet aims to balance blood glucose levels, insulin and cholesterol through small frequent feedings of 6 meals and snacks everyday.

Compared to the Atkins’ Diet, most nutritionists prefer the South Beach Diet because it doesn’t restrict individuals from counting calories or feeling full. There is less risk for hunger pangs and glucose drops and spikes. It also involves proper timing of introduction of new foods to put less stress on glucose. People will then have an easier time shifting through the phases and reach their ideal weight.

Fit Yummy Mummy!

John Tenn asked:


There are many people who have sung the praises of the Zone Diet for its detail to frequent smaller portions and smaller meals being the big payoff overall. If you follow the diet guidelines as they are stated in the Zone program you will find that you can lose weight very quickly. However, staying in the Zone with this diet long term can be difficult.

There are more people who have read the books and information on the Zone Diet than probably have stuck to it and stayed in the Zone. There are short term dieters who have followed faithfully the teachings of this program and committed them to memory.

Pros to the Zone Diet include portion control. With this diet portion control and learning how much you should really eat at each meal can lead to training your mind and body to eat less but more often.

Another pro to this diet is reducing sugars which is something we all should do. This can aid you overall in your lifestyle by limiting how much sugar you intake daily. You can end up craving less sweets and sugars after having been on the diet program.

A double pro could be truly monitoring how much you eat and intake at each meal, and the sheer variety you can get from the Zone Diet program. You can take items from each column and mix and match them to plan your meals, set up menus and really get variety in your diet.

Some drawbacks to this diet are the restrictions and very small portions that you get to eat.

Another con to this diet is that many loose a bunch of weight short term, and go off of the diet program. They do find that they can be more apt to fall back into old habits and ways of eating easily. Not many have stayed with the Zone Diet over extremely long periods of time due to food variety limits.

Another con that some have commented on is the need to advance plan your meals and stick to a strict structured diet meal plan. This can be hard if you might be invited out to eat. Dining out is hard if not impossible.

Experts have stated another real drawback to this diet is that you do not get very much vegetable variety, and this diet lacks key vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to keep one healthy.

Before beginning any diet program and this includes the Zone Diet you should consult your doctor. The program and techniques in this diet limit key vitamins and minerals that may or may not be okay for you to limit.

For the short term your doctor may recommend it but may want you monitored. If you are given the green light by your doctor to continue a diet like this, keep in mind that you will probably want a vitamin and mineral supplement.

Fit Yummy Mummy!