Tony G | Tony's Weight Loss Easy Plan | Weight Loss Diets and Diet Tips

Avoid these Common Mistakes for Weight Loss Diet Plans

April 5, 2011 By Tony G Leave a Comment

Diet Mistakes Before you want to lose weight with any new diet plans, it’s good to know some common mistakes that are preventing your weight loss and keeping you fat! Your weight loss experience may include time, efforts and money wasted on diet and exercise programs that are either useless, not experiencing significant results or simply gaining on more weight than before.

As you go along trying hard to lose weight, you wonder what went wrong and what can you do to succeed in losing weight? Well, thing is, you are not alone in this long weight loss battle; in fact your situation are typical.

Majority of folks out there are simply confused just what is healthy eating that will help them lose weight either on short or long term basis. So let me help you out abit with the following common mistakes that could hinder your weight loss goals.

Sugar – Is it Sweet or Sorrow

If refined sugar is being used as part of any diet plan to lose weight, your chance of losing weight is greatly reduced. Your body will get addicted to refined sugar and this type of sugar is one of the causes of obesity in the world. This type of processed sugar acts very similar to drug, causing your mind and body the highs and lows.

Most of us do not measure our sugar intake daily. Sugar is concealed and plenty in many seemingly healthy drinks, juices and soft drinks. Don’t be surprise to know that many of the labeled “healthy” drinks contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in an 8oz serving!

Artificial Sweeteners or Artificial Toxins?

“Ok Tony, you said refined sugar is bad, so how about we switch to artificial sweeteners?” you might ask. Well, artificial sweetener gimmicks often claim that refined sugar is unhealthy therefore switch to artificial sweeteners as replacement. These sweeteners are actually as bad or worse than regular sugar. Your body might even gain weight due to the imbalance of your body’s natural hormones caused by artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners go by different names: Aspartame, Sorbitol, Saccharin and Sucrotose. They have been linked to cancer, obesity and tumors. And some studies have shown that people who give up their daily intake of diet soda or drink, see themselves losing up to 10 lbs. soon after.

So, to effectively replacing sugar, good options would be Stevia or honey. Stevia is an all-natural sweetener Paraguayan plant, said to be 30 times sweeter than sugar in its unprocessed form.

Not all Carbs are Equal

Debates over how much carbohydrates intake when on diet plans to weight loss have been around for some time. Many people jump onto the hype of the latest Low Carb/High Fat Fad diets.

I don’t disagree that reducing Carbohydrates intake in your diet plans for weight loss is important. However, not all Carbs are equal, you would want to increase the good Carbs. Good Carbs with high fiber like Fruits and Vegetables can actually turn your body into a fat burning machine!

Consuming high starch Carbs like potatoes and rice after workouts is useful for you to develop a lean, muscular body.

The bad Carbs that we want to reduce are processed, refined wheat products and grains, because they are the real culprits in making people fat and unhealthy.

Missed my previous Weight Loss Tips?

Overcoming Weight Gain Issues For Happier And Healthier Life

Should Fat Be Included In Your Weight Loss Diet Plan?

Beginners guide to Mediterranean Diet Plan for Weight Loss

March 14, 2011 By Tony G Leave a Comment

Are you searching online for a Mediterranean Diet Plan for beginners? You will find the majority of plans are broken down on a week by week basis. You will then find that each week is further broken down into the main meals that you can consume and the healthy snacks that you can eat throughout the day.

If you find an exceptionally designed plan, the meal plan will also include detailed information about the amount of saturated fat, protein, calories, carbohydrates, fiber, cholesterol, and calcium your daily intake of foods will contain. The latter information will allow you to monitor your eating habits from every angle, and you will be able to ensure you are getting all of the nutrients and vitamins you require on a daily basis too.

A Mediterranean diet plan for beginners consist of an array of foods; you can consume certain vegetables, fruits, poultry, lamb, olive oils, dairy, grains, a bit of wine on occasion, and you can also consume fish. You will find that a Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners is filled with foods that have unsaturated fats and antioxidants too, that provides a healthy and balanced diet.

As you check out the various meal plans on offer, make sure you really like the recipes offered. If not, you can also substitute one acceptable food item for another, provided that the fat and calorie content are within the diet’s guidelines.

For example, if a diet plan recommends that you eat peaches and you really don’t like them, you can substitute the peaches for strawberries. If a meal offers you a fish recipe and you prefer poultry, that’s perfectly fine too. You will find that these diet plans are highly adaptable for your personal needs and likes.

A Mediterranean diet plan for beginners will include beverages too. You can consume water, diet colas, and diet ice teas. If you want more flavor in the iced teas you can use lemons to add additional flavoring. Flavored seltzers are also allowed and all beverages that are calorie free can be consumed when on the Mediterranean diet plan. It is recommended however, that you limit the consumption of coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages to no more than three full cups in a given day. You will also want to cut back on your use of sugars; an appropriate sugar substitute will suffice.

I hope this post will help you have a better understanding on the basics of Mediterranean Diet Plan. You may also check out our other articles on this topic in the archives on the right.

Sweet Weight Loss Diet without Sugar – Honey

Quick Raw Food Starter Tips you can start Today

Filed Under: Mediterranean Diet Plan Tagged With: balanced diet, diet food, diet plans, diet recipes, diet tips, diets, healthy diet, mediterranean diet, weight loss, weight loss diet

Have a Dessert while on a Weight Loss Diet Plan – With Recipe

March 11, 2011 By Tony G Leave a Comment

In my opinion, any diet that doesn’t allow for desserts, at least once in a while, is a diet that is doomed to fail. I know there are diets out there that are designed to help you get rid of sugar cravings and therefore ban sugar from your diet. But even if you are on a sugar free diet plan, either because you choose to be or because you need to be because of a health issue such as diabetes which makes avoiding sugar part of your everyday life, I think dessert should be part of every weight loss diet plan.

Dessert Why do I think that? Although I am not a health care professional or weight loss expert with a degree, I have gone on enough diets myself to know that I am the most successful when a diet has some ‘room for errors’ in it that allows me to have treats. And, I recently read about one well known fitness trainer who counsels people who are trying to lose weight and she says she builds a couple hundred calories in her daily diet set aside for treats. She says it helps her eat healthy the rest of the day.

Although some people can easily skip dessert, and may actually prefer not to have it, I am not one of those people. I don’t need to have a huge piece of something sweet, but in the evening I enjoy dessert and really feel deprived if I cannot have it.

Some healthy tips to follow about having dessert so you don’t wreck your weight loss diet:

If you are indulging in a decadent dessert, don’t eat the whole thing. You will be surprised how satisfying a few bits are. Share with someone or only take a small piece
In my opinion, for the most part, a little of something you really want is better than something you are not that hungry for. So if you really want some cheesecake, have a small piece of cheesecake. If you really want ice cream, have a small bowl of your favourite ice cream.
There are some very tasty sugar free candy available. My favourites are York Peppermint patties, Red Vines licorice, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, and any of the Godiva’s sugar free chocolate bars. Be careful though. Sugar free candy is typically not low calorie, it’s just sugar free. And too much of it can also easily upset your stomach.

Here are some ideas for delicious desserts that will satisfy your sweet tooth without wrecking your weight loss diet.

Baked apples. Use any baked apple recipe, but try either reducing the amount of sugar a little or substituting the sugar with Splenda for baking.
Fresh raspberries sweetened with Splenda and served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream (you decide if it’s going to be low fat, regular, or the frozen yogurt variety based on the calories you feel you feel comfortable having for the dessert).
Angel food cake is delicious without having a ton of calories. If you have a slice that is 1/12th of the cake, it’s about 160 calories. Add a serving of regular Cool Whip for another 25 calories or sugar free Cool Whip for another 20 calories and you have a delicious dessert under 200 calories.
Chocolate dipped strawberries. Dip fresh strawberries in dark, milk, or white chocolate; or use a combination of all three. Unless you go overboard on the chocolate, you should be able to have two chocolate dipped strawberries for around 100 calories.
Sugar free Jell-O pudding is 60 calories; 80 to 85 calories with a serving or sugar free or regular Cool Whip for an easy anytime dessert treats less than 100 calories.

5 Minute Sugar-Free Key Lime Pie Recipes

This is a very refreshing tart =)

1 (4 ounce) box lime sugar-free gelatin

1/4 cup boiling water

2 (8 ounce) containers Key lime yogurt

1 (8 ounce) container sugar-free Cool Whip

3 graham crackers (whole crushed)

Heat water in microwave in measuring cup until boiling
Add gelatin, stirring until dissolved
Pour gelatin into large bowl. Add yogurt, and whisk together until smooth then cool but not set
Add container of sugar-free Cool Whip; stir until smooth.
Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers over the baking pan then pour the filling over the ‘crust’ in a back and forth motion, or, to skip additional calories or carbs, serve in dessert cups minus the graham crackers

Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Garnish with additional sugar-free Cool Whip when serving.

Finding Healthy Diet Meals To Lose Weight Is Simple

Should Fat be Included in your Weight Loss Diet Plan?