Millions are interested in diets, thousands have lost weight with their help. Many lost weight, but gained health problems. When it comes to weight loss it's important to stick to a reasonable diet and avoid painful starvation. Although extreme diets do help lose weight in a relatively short period of time, people using them put their bodies through a great deal of stress - not only do they become emotionally unstable while dieting (who can keep a calm mind in a starving body?), but also they usually gain their old weight back with interest, because it's almost an impossible task to live the rest of one's life on 1,000 calories a day. A healthy diet helps one to lose about seven to 10 pounds per month.
An Effective Way to Lose Weight Without Feeling Hungry
Here is an effective low carb diet that became popular all over the World in the 80s and got nicknamed "the Kremlin diet" as well as "an American astronaut's diet". During the Cold War, it was rumored to be developed by either KGB or CIA, but whoever invented it certainly did a good job. It is a relatively easy way to lose weight without starving oneself to death. The main principle of the diet is an almost unlimited amount of any kind of meat, chicken, fish, eggs or any other protein-based food, but strict limitation when it comes to carbs such as bread, rice, pasta. Not the most fun way to eat, but enough "fuel" keeps a dieter from feeling hungry.
The formula of the following diet is simple: protein plus fat minus carbs. It differs from most of the diets that demand low fat or non-fat meals. That does not mean of course that fat can be unlimited, but the high fat protein based foods (sausage, hot dog, brie cheese) should not comprise more than 30% of a daily diet.
As for the carbs, their amount is strictly limited to 45 grams a day when the diet is in progress. After the desired weight is achieved it's possible to go up to 70 -80 grams of carbs a day in order to maintain it. A piece of whole grain bread contains 15 grams of carbs, so does an average sized fruit as well as half a cup (not any cup, but a measuring cup - no compromises here) of rice or pasta. It is up to a dieter to choose which carb based food will be more satisfying. Having at least one fruit a day is highly recommended in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Chicken, turkey, fish (it is strongly recommended to include fish in the meals two to three times a week), beef, pork, veal and eggs are unlimited. Their job is to provide a body with enough "fuel" an to keep a dieter from starving. All the vegetables can be eaten in any amount desired ( they are very healthy and an excellent source of vitamins); the only exception are starchy vegetables such as beans, corn and potatoes, which contain carbs and should be a part of a daily count.
Dairy products are not completely carb-free, but usually contain a low amount of carbs. So most of the cheeses, milk, plain yogurt (not the sweetened fruit yogurts - they are a different story and are worth around 20 grams of carbs) would be a good choice and will bring some relieve the monotony of a meat based diet.
Juices, sodas and alcohol drinks are loaded with carbs, so it's important to watch not only eating, but also drinking habits. Sticking to teas and diet sodas would be a wise choice.
Sweets unfortunately are forbidden. There are no miracle diets, but one or two fruits a day and diet Jell-o with some whipped cream should keep a dieter from a complete misery. After the main amount of weight is lost it's okay to stray from a diet once a week and to have an ice cream or a piece of cake.
Signs That a Diet Works
Here are the signs that a diet agrees with a person and is working right:
- The dieter is not constantly suppressed by hunger and not haunted by the images of food day and night.
- The weight goes down. During the first weeks the process is faster, but as time goes by it becomes slower and slower.
- After the few weeks of dieting a person feels healthy and energetic. There are no mood swings or weakness.
- The way of eating helps a dieter to get as close as possible to his/her ideal weight and then to successfully maintain it.
Who Should And Who Should Not Try This Diet
The diet described above is meant for generally healthy but overweight people. Those who struggle with five stubborn pounds probably should try a more subtle diet with a bigger amount of carbs. People who are diagnosed with obesity and whose weight represents a medical condition should consult a doctor before starting any diet.
People who suffer from depression and anxiety should be very careful with this diet, as the low amount of carbs is likely to effect one's mood (not in a good way).
For those who have high cholesterol, blood pressure any kind of heart, liver or kidney diseases this diet can be life threatening.
Emotional eaters are not very likely to benefit from this diet. The fact that portion control is not a part of this eating plan makes common sense and healthy eating intuition critical.
During the first month of dieting most people will lose about 10 pounds. Then the weight loss slows down a bit. Loosing more than 15 pounds in a month is not recommended, as it causes too much stress for the body. Good luck!
Sources:
Resch, Elise and Tribole, Evelyn. Intuitive Eating. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks.1996.
Michailova, Irina. The Most Popular Diets.Moscow: Eskmo.2008.
Anna Inger - My name is Anna Inger. I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, spent most of my life in Israel and for the last few years I've been ...
