There are dozens of sites that are more or less informative on the issues of weight loss and dieting and dozens more that pitch one diet program or another, or provide commercial content on several diets. There’s lots of money being devoted to web advertising to steer you to one diet or another, many of which have become names familiar in most households.

Of the informative sources, perhaps the most thorough on the issue of weight is the American Obesity Association (www.aoa.org) which treats the affliction as a disease and has extensive educational material available. Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) does an excellent job discussing the basics of dieting. Their material addresses types of diets (as opposed to brands); the relationship of exercise and dieting; how calories are counted and how they work; and some of the dangers inherent in misguided attempts at dieting.

Diets are also the core of a major American industry. Millions are spent annually on specialty diet programs – on books, prepared food programs, and hands-on therapy that involve both diet and exercise. If you’re looking for an analysis of the online resources for dieting, there’s a fairly extensive body of material at www.freedieting.com. The title itself illustrates the mercenary nature of most diet web sites; however it’s a place to start if you want to learn about the more popular online diet programs.

Freedieting.com provides recommendations on programs, rankings based on popularity, and lots of content on the ancillary items such as workout plans and calorie counters. It is unclear, however, what criteria their recommendations are based on: it could be advertising, or it could be truly objective analysis. Given the title of the site, it may be a combination of the two.

An openly commercial site that provides comparisons of fourteen online diet programs can be found at http://www.diet-plan-offers.com. While it’s clear that the programs found there paid for positioning, it provides you with an opportunity for some quick comparisons of diet program models.

In November the Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the FDA, announced two online tools to assist consumers in dieting. The tools are Make Your Calories Count, a Web-based learning program, and a new Nutrition Facts Label brochure. These tools combine an online diet program with a detailed explanation of how to use the nutritional facts posted on every food item sold publicly. It is the government’s attempt at countering the rising tide of obesity in this country and it is possibly the only truly cost-free program you’ll find online. You can find the details at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01508.html.

For an overall look at the health issues and diet programs, there is a good list of specific sites found at http://www.medsurfer.com/library/diet.htm. This page contains a list of web sites that are mostly products of government agencies or non-profit organizations. The sites address particular issues such as types of fats; nutrition guides and includes archival resources on dietary management.

There is a vast amount of information online about nutrition and dieting. There are also vast numbers of online diet programs, of various designs, that are paid services. If you are interested in an online diet and exercise program, choosing among them is the second biggest challenge you will face. The number one challenge, of course, will be mustering up the discipline to follow it.

In this article, I will dispel these falsehoods to clear the way for a clean mental slate upon which we will place the foundation of your new belief system.

– Myth Number One: In order to be strong and fit, I must have good genetics from my parents.

Reality Check: Good genetics is a widely misused term. In short, your genetics are what you make of them. While it is not possible for all men to look like Mr. Universe or all women to look like Miss America, we all possess a vast range of genetic variations.

Which end of your genetic range you exist in is mostly a function of your nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits.

– Myth Number Two: In order to become and stay fit, I have to spend 2 ½ hours at the gym every day.

Reality Check: This false notion has been around since the early days of fitness. Most people take their ‘lessons’ from other unqualified people who are not credentialed and experienced fitness pros. They mistakenly base their own perception about what they must do in order to get into shape on their observation of individuals who appear to be in peak health.

The sad reality is that millions of people spend more time exercising than necessary as a direct result of being exposed to the inappropriate belief that fitness success requires an unrealistic time commitment.

– Myth Number Three: I’m not a “fitness person’ and exercise just isn’t for me.

Reality Check: Taking care of yourself through realistic exercise and maintaining a solid foundation of healthy lifestyle habits should be a natural aspiration, not a daily burden. Your body, mind and spirit require exercise in order to function with vigor, strength and flexibility. Each of us has been blessed with the gift of life, so we must utilize our full potential instead of letting our bodies wither away, our minds become idle and our spirits become disheartened.

– Myth Number Four: I am not overweight and, therefore, I do not need to exercise.

Reality Check: First-rate fitness and health are not dependent upon weight. Although weight is a critical element in everyone’s fitness profile, it is only one factor and it cannot determine what a complete fitness profile may look like. There are numerous health parameters that cannot be seen without testing.

For instance, bone density, cholesterol and blood pressure, to name a few, can still be at potentially deadly levels, even if you are not overweight. The good news is, however, that proper nutritional and exercise habits can often reverse certain health conditions that result from lack of exercise or a poor diet.

– Myth Number Five: Exercise is too dangerous for me. I know a lot of people who have been injured as a result of exercising.

Reality Check: Most people start a fitness program without proper guidance and instruction. Quite often, the result of this blind action leads to pain and injuries, which are sometimes serious and long term. You can’t start your fitness quest by doing the same exercises you did many years ago or by imitating what you see other ‘unsure’ people doing.

Ideally, you should seek the assistance of a qualified fitness professional, especially if you are just starting an exercise program. Guidance is available in many forms ranging from books and DVDs to one-on-one personal consultation and training by a professional.

– Myth Number Six: If my calories are too low, my metabolism will shut down and stop me from losing weight and possibly cause me to gain weight.

Reality Check: Ponder this. Have you ever seen pictures or new segment videos of fat hunger-strike participants? The human body is capable of functioning with the consumption of far less calories than most people devour on a regular basis.

The equation is simple: If more calories are being burned for fuel than are being consumed, a caloric deficit occurs. Your body compensates for the deficit by honing in on the sources of fat storage. It is very rare that metabolic shutdown causes weight gain or the inability to lose body fat. This myth is more of a marketing tactic than a realistic weight-loss principle.

– Myth Number Seven: I’m too old to be in shape.

Reality Check: Being old is the best reason to be in shape. What most people dismiss as being side effects of aging can be stopped and often reversed through proper nutrition and exercise. To put this into perspective, being in shape as a mature adult does not mean partaking in next summer’s “hottest body’ contest at the beach (although there’s nothing wrong with doing that if you wish).

Rather, being in shape as a mature, wise adult means maintaining the highest possible level of physical, spiritual and mental independence

 

Hum! So you want me to find a diet were you can lose weight fast without dieting! YES please said Helen when can I get started! The wedding is in two mouths time. As you can probably tell Helen is a very expectant woman and a very busy one too! Helen is a busy mum with younger children as well as the daughter that is getting married; I jus about managed to get Helen to give me a day or two to find a solution to her problem! To find her a diet were she can lose weight fast without dieting, Hum! Not an easy one this?  

 

After talking with Helen I hit on the problem! Helen visits a lot of shops in her working day, as she is a merchandiser for a food company, and it turns out that our Helen! Has an addiction to chocolate bars and sweets in general! No wonder she was over weight and did not want to diet, she knows she would have to give up the sweet stuff! Ho and I forgot to mention the fast food lunches.

 

So how do I find Helen a diet where she can lose weight fast without dieting? I’ve got it! Simple I’m not going to find a diet at all! A diet is no good with all that sweet stuff and her reluctance to go to a gym. No diet is going to work, well not one that I could recommend anyway. The only way I know of how to lose weight fast without dieting would be some sort of way to re-train the brain! Now I know that sounds a bit strange but! It can be done. I know a few good NLP programs out there and I do know they work, I’ve recommended them for other women with grate successes

 

I contacted Helen and explained my recommendation to her; she was not to convinced to say the least! She thought I was going to recommend some sort of magic pill or something to help her lose weight fast without dieting! Now I don’t like pills or fat blockers as I don’t see them as being a permanent way of keeping your weight under control; I much prefer natural ways of losing weight. Anyway after much debate Helen agreed to give it ago! So I set her up with a suitable program that I and she felt comfortable with; the core of the program was a recording that you listened to for half an hour a day, theirs a bit more to the program she can do! But that’s as and when. Anyway at least it would fit in with her busy life style.

 

Two weeks on and Helen contacted me to let me know how she was getting on! And low and behold! Its working, Helen says she has hardly touched chocolate bars or sweets since she started and she is eating lighter lunches too! The weight is just dropping of she says. Helen also feels much better in herself and has more energy to see her though her busy days. So Yes you can lose weight fast without dieting.                    

    

If you spend a lot of time on the internet, an online dieting service may be for you.  They are fairly inexpensive to join, with low monthly fees that automatically charge to the credit card of your choice.  The program usually begins with a questionnaire to get an idea of where you are currently with your health, your preferences, and any conditions you may have that affect your diet and exercise ability.  As with any online business, be sure to do your homework and make sure it is a reputable company before handing over your credit card number.  Go online and find people who have tried the program and are satisfied or are still members.

Most online diet programs are structured the same way.  When you log in with your username and password, you are taken to a members’ area that gives you different options.  Here you can usually find personalized diet and exercise plans complete with shopping lists, as well as access to support through forums and other means.  These pages easily keep you organized, allowing you to focus on losing weight instead of where you put your shopping list or who you need to return a phone call to.  The forums are usually topical, allowing you to tailor discussions to your needs, be it diet pills or time management.

The most positive feedback about these online diet programs come from the sense of community one feels.  Through interactions with other members online or even in person, users report a feeling of belonging.  The advice they receive is from other people who have struggled with the same problem.  So if looking for the best hoodia supplement or what not to eat for breakfast, dieters are confident that the solutions they get are real world suggestions from people who have been there, done that.

You usually hear cravings and yo-yo dieting mentioned when a person loses a certain amount of weight, gains it back, and then loses it again, feeding into a vicious cycle of dieting ups and downs.

The cravings that come with yo-yo dieting can be quite a physically, as well as emotionally draining process.

Unhealthy Practices

There have been studies done on people who feed into the cravings and yo-yo diet, determining that these repeated cycles of weight loss and weight gain is an unhealthy practice. It results in the weakening of the body, as well as decrease in the functionality and strength of the body’s major organs, immune system and overall health of the individual.

Looking for a quick solution to a weight problem is more likely to end in diet failure – these quick fixes come in many forms.

When people starve themselves in order to lose weight, they are more likely to give into craving and yo-yo dieting.

Fad Diets

Another way cravings and yo-yo dieting come into play, is when a dieter chooses to follow a fad diet. Some of these diets involve eating one particular type of food group, such as grapefruits or cabbage soup, as well as eliminating major elements from a diet, such as avoiding carbs. The weight soon returns when the dieter abandons whatever strict regimen they were following, giving into cravings and yo-yo dieting patterns.

Depression and fatigue are factors that also contribute to the failure of a diet not based on healthy eating habits accompanied by regular exercise.

Once the weight creeps back, the dieter then resorts back to the quick fix for help. This pattern continues until the dieter has decided to follow a sensible diet and exercise plan, leaving behind the cravings and yo-yo dieting.

Lifelong Diet Plan

Dieters must learn how to commit to a lifelong plan to losing and maintaining their weight through healthy means. If a person is unwilling to make this sacrifice of watching what they eat, then they are more likely to fall victim to cravings and yo-yo dieting.

Giving into cravings and practicing yo-yo dieting can lead to detrimental effects on the overall health of an individual.

Cholesterol

A study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology stated that yo-yo dieters displayed low levels of the “good” cholesterol that prevents heart disease. It was also shown that women who had succumbed to their cravings and yo-yo dieted had the worst results. This was the case in women who had lost and regained at least 50 pounds.

Other complications arising from yo-yo dieting include the increased risk of developing gallstones, as well as a slight increase in a patient’s blood pressure.

Obesity

Even though the issues surrounding cravings and yo-yo dieting are disadvantageous to a person’s health, it is not worse than being an obese individual. Obesity increases a person’s risk for stroke, heart disease, diabetes, as well as cancer.

I think you will be very surprised if before you start your diet you keep a journal of what you eat and at what times. Do this for about a week. Then study your journal and see where you can cut back and find out at what times are you eating that could cause problems. If you find you are having a snack at 10 pm at night. Try bringing the time time in. You never what to eat to soon before you go to bed.

Buy Diet Food Prepared

What can make dieting hard to stick to is the preparation? Having the diet food available to you also means having to go shopping then come home and prepare your healthy meal. Now a days it seems everyone is so rushed with no time to spare. Would it not be easier to have your diet meal already prepared for you? There are a few diet nutrition food programs that will actually ship the food right to your door. Talk about convenience. I know of a few diets that deliver food, Atkins At Home, Diet To Your Door, Diet To Go, eDiets – Fresh Cuisine, Jenny Direct, Nutrisystem, Sunfare and Zone Chefs.

Smaller Plates To Help Lose Weight

Use smaller plates to help you lose weight. This will give you smaller portions but may fool the eyes. Never feel you have to finish everything on your plate. This does not mean you have to throw food out. You can store diet food for later. If you feel full, stop.

Snacks Ready To Eat

Have healthy snacks ready to eat. Instead of grabbing for the chips have carrot slices ready to grab. You will still get that sensation of crunchy with a more healthy nutritious choice.

Water, Water, Water

If you do some research regarding dieting one thing you will hear over and over is to drink plenty of water. Not only will water help to fill you up so you do not eat to much, but it is also great for your appearance. Water is the best beauty treatment. It flushes out the impurities and gives you great looking skin.

Drinking water can also improve muscle tone. Muscles having all the water they need contract easier. Drinking water can give you a more effective workout when you exercise.

You should drink at least 8 8 oz glasses of water a day and more if you are more than 25 pounds over weight. For every 25 lbs I would drink another 8 oz glass of water.

Keep water by you. Use a straw if that will help you drink more.

Good luck and stick with it. Take it day by day. I also recommend only weighing your self once a week. As always before you start any diet or exercise program check with your doctor first.