[Grammarian-Bot]

I found this article throug Google. Need some expert's advise whether it's realistic or not?

Dieting is a major industry, with so many different plans and programs for sale. However, by living a healthy lifestyle, you don't need to take drastic measures to lose weight and indeed, you don't need to splash out on any fad diet plan. In this article we will look at the traditional pasta diet, which is a healthy and safe way to lose weight gradually.

The pasta diet, as the name would suggest, focuses mainly on a diet of pasta in different combinations. As well as being very cheap and easy to make, this diet is also very healthy, and can give you the necessary energy to undertake exercise as part of a larger weight loss program. The basic premise is that by cutting down other foods, and increasing frequency of meals, you can increase and train metabolic rate to process calories more efficiently. Additionally, this means any exercise undertaken will be more calorie-heavy, which will ultimately burn more calories to lose weight.

It is suggested that one pound in weight equates to 3000 calories. This means by running through an excess deficiency if calories, you lose weight. It is a simple calculation - burning more calories will burn weight. In order to increase the amount of calories burned through exercise, it is vital to increase metabolic rate. By choosing 5 to 6 meals a day of a smaller overall portion size, you can keep your metabolic rate ticking which will ultimately burn more calories.

To lose weight on the pasta diet, you should prepare 5 to 6 pasta meals every day. A good guideline to follow is two generous fistfuls of pasta per person. Additionally, you should avoid adding sauces other than chopped tomatoes and cheese. These should create healthy meals, which encourage the metabolism to run through more calories which should additionally aid healthy weight loss.

Whilst on the pasta diet it is crucial to exercise regularly. Because pasta is high in carbohydrates, failure to burn off these calories can actually lead to increasing weight. However, by exercising regularly, you will notice fantastic results very quickly, which will lead to an overall improvement in your health and appearance, as well as reducing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes.

One of the most important things to remember during any diet is to combine the specific requirements with a course of exercise. Only by combining the two will you see effective results which will last long term.

GB

[ISneezeFunny]

No.

Will you lose weight? Absolutely. Your body'll be missing its dire fats/proteins/vitamins.

You can actually eat fried chicken all day for a week and lose weight.

It's very unhealthy...

I really suggest good diet/exercise to lose weight.

[Credendovidis]

Let me pick this balloon immediately ! IT WON'T WORK !!! At least not on the longer term.

Losing weight means a negative result of the subtraction of calory intake less calory use each day.
A woman requires around 1500 calories (a male around 2000 calories) per day to stay on weight. That includes EVERYTHING that enters your mouth!!

Even a cup of tea without sugar without milk contains calories!!

One single pack of 500 gram of pasta contains 1790 calories (or 7600 Joules - the new unit of measure).
So 5 servings of 100 gram of pasta already exceeds your daily intake limit ! And that EXCLUDES the calories added by salt, sauces of whatever type, and ANYTHING ELSE you put into your mouth next to these 5 portions of pasta.

Even if you halve the portions - so to 50 grams of pasta each - and eat each day 6 such portions, you will guaranteed take in more energy than you consume, and therefore increase your weight.

And that intake I counted above excludes that of the essential and needed things like vitamins and other "musts" : you do NEED veggies, you do NEED proteins, and - yes - you do NEED some fat daily.

===

What you should do : make a list of EVERYTHING you eat and drink on a day. Including water (of which you should drink at least 2 liters each day).

Calculate from that list the total amount of calories entering your mouth.
See where you can reduce that intake. Out goes chocolade, out go cookies, out go alcohol, out goes sugar, out goes cola and any other sweet softdrinks, out goes any fat (there is much hidden fat in foodstuff - more than enough for your daily intake). Reduce intake of other carbohydrates , INCLUDING pasta!! And no more quarter pounder burgers with mayo and chips on the sideline ! Forget the existence of MacD and BurgerKing ! If you ever want to eat a burger : prepare it yourself ! KNOW what you eat !

In stay veggies and some limited amount of protein. Eat daily a salade of lettuce , tomatoes, and cucumber. Eat daily at least 3 pieces of different fruits. An apple a day... And that is only on the intake side!!

===

Now the outgoing side :

While you reduce the intake of energy, you now also have to increase the loss of energy inside your body, and the only way to do that is by burning up fats and carbs.

START EXERCIZING!! Use a bicycle instead of your car. Walk instead of using other means of transportation. Go to a gym. In your spare time take up a delivery job : start delivering mail or advertising stuff : besides that it uses energy, it also makes you fit.

Make a list of all the things you do on a daily basis, and see where you can change your habits to one in which you use more energy.

===

People who run a (half) marathon eat the day before a pasta meal to get a lot of extra energy in their body to consume the next day. But if you eat pasta and do not run that marathon, you add another pound or so to your body weight.

The problem with deiting is that most people have no idea how their body functions and how and why they keep gaining weight. Now : at least I gave you the basics of that.
It's up to you now to reduce that calory intake, and increase that calory consumption !

Success !

:)

[Grammarian-Bot]

So the weight loss mantra is reduce intake and increase burning.
I really don't have much knowledge about medical/biology that's why I don't know what protein, carbohydrates etc are. I am trying to loose some weight and that's why I am reading some stuff online.

Something About Protein:
So what I've learned so far is that we need to first reduce our consumption of proteins. Food stuff rich in protein are Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts.
Another useful information is that to know how much protein a person would need a day depends on his/her size, body, age etc. An easy way to calculate a decent intake of daily protein is to multiply your weight by 0.8 and then consume that amount of protein.
You must also take approximately 10 to 20 percent of your calories through proteins.


Now Fiber:
Not many people know much about fiber. Fiber is that part of plant food that is indigestible by humans. It passes through our digestive systems without being broken down and absorbed into our bloodstreams as other food components are.
Some benefits of fiber are;

- fiber bulks up our stool and tends to make people more “regular.”
- it lowers impact of sugars and starches on blood glucose.
- high fiber diet is associated with lower risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and diverticular disease.

There are three types of fiber.
- Insoluble
- Soluble
- Fermentable

Soluble Fiber - The type most useful for dieting is Soluble Fiber. What it does is that it absorbs and retains water forming a gel. This type of soluble fiber actually slows digestion down. Because of this, it has a tendency to stabilize blood glucose, and permit better absorption of nutrients. It tends to reduce blood cholesterol. It also increases satiety, so people aren't inclined to eat as much. Sources of soluble fiber include fruits, vegetables, flax, dry beans, peas, oatmeal, berries, some nuts and seeds, and some cereals such as oats.

Insoluble Fiber - Insoluble fiber is what we usually think of when we think “fiber” or “roughage”. Wheat bran and most vegetables are examples of sources of insoluble fiber. It is tough, and doesn't easily break down. Insoluble fiber tends to increase the “speed of transit” through our digestive systems, and increases regularity of bowel movements. Insoluble fiber is most frequently found in whole-grain products such as whole-wheat bread.

Fibers and Carbohydrates - Fibers are also helpful with carbohydrates. Although most fiber sources are carbohydrates, fiber doesn't raise blood glucosem so low carb diets don't “count” fiber. (Fiber can provide calories, but not as glucose, but as products of fermentation in the colon.) In fact, fiber helps to moderate the effect of “usable carbs” on the bloodstream, so it furthers the goals of low carb diets. To the extent that is creates satiety, it may also help prevent weight gain, and aid in weight loss.


Great Sources of Fiber - Our best fiber sources are fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Pears, blackberries, apples, peaches, oranges, bananas and raspberries are especially good sources. As for vegetables, it's hard to find one that isn't a good fiber source. Bran and oat cereals are well-known for fiber content, but other cereals made with whole grains, like shredded wheat, are also good choices. If you eat several servings of these foods everyday, you're likely getting adequate fiber. If not, your first step should be to add more of these to your diet. Why not just use supplements? After all, they do provide fiber that's similar to that from foods. And fiber is a good thing. But supplements won't fix an unhealthy diet. You would simply be adding one beneficial ingredient to a less-than-wonderful mix. The best advice is eat more high fiber foods. There are many web-based sources of information on the fiber content of foods. If you Google “fiber in foods” you get almost 16 million hits! Data can vary from one study to another, so values are not exact. If you eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains you don't have to worry about the numbers.

How Much Fiber Should a Person Eat? - Generally, recommendations for adults are between 25 and 40 grams per day, and that 20-30% of the total fiber intake be soluble fiber. Most people have a much lower fiber intake than is recommended. Researchers who study the diets of our prehistoric ancestors say that they ate upwards of 100 grams of fiber per day, so we probably can handle very high amounts of fiber without difficulty.




Now Carbohydrates:

One important thing about carbohydrates is that it's not our enemy. The amount of intake of carbohydrates determins whose side is it on. Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel. The energy can be released quickly and easily to fulfill immediate requirement within cells. Carbohydrates do not require oxygen to burn therefore they fuel most muscular contractions, meaning our carbohydrate intake is very important for regular exercise sessions. If carbohydrate stores are low exercise will seem like a real effort.

Sources of Carbohydrates - The best sources of carbohydrates—whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. Easily digested carbohydrates from white bread, white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed foods may contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, and promote diabetes and heart disease.

Tips to Choose Healthy Carbs - Carbohydrates are needed for good health, but too much of a good thing can cause problems. Avoid high-calorie foods liked pastries and candies -- stick to healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains for your carbohydrate intake.

Here's a few tips to control your carbohydrate intake.

* Choose fresh fruits instead of candy or cookies.
* Buy 100% whole grain bread and pasta instead of regular white bread and pasta.
* Eat lots of green and brightly colored vegetables every day.
* Substitute raw crunchy vegetables for greasy chips.
* Stay away from sugar-sweetened beverages. Drink water, herbal teas, and 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
* Start your meals with a healthy salad or broth-based soup -- this helps fill you up and makes it easier to skip the sugary dessert.


A couple of useful links:

Food calories list category
Number of calories in food category
Calorie content of Milk and Dairy
Calorie content of Fruits and Vegetables
Calorie content of Fats and Sugars
How many calories in common pizzas
How many calories in wine
How many Calories in Chicken Portions
Low calorie food list
List of high protein foods

GB

[Credendovidis]

So the weight loss mantra is reduce intake and increase burning.

Yes : that's it in a nutshell !

As to protein : here in the west we eat MUCH TOO MUCH protein ! Though great in early life, once we become adults, we still keep eating these excessive amounts of proteins, which cause overweight and also damage to our bodies !

As to fiber : you hardly can eat too much of it !

Great post, Grammarian-Bot !

:)

[Grammarian-Bot]

Yes : that's it in a nutshell !

As to protein : here in the west we eat MUCH TOO MUCH protein ! Though great in early life, once we become adults, we still keep eating these excessive amounts of proteins, which cause overweight and also damage to our bodies !

As to fiber : you hardly can eat too much of it !

Great post, Grammarian-Bot !

:)

Thanks. Well there is another important, though controversial, concept; it's called Negative Calorie. I would appreciate if someone shed some more light on this topic.

Negative Calorie
"All foods have some calories. No food is actually "negative calorie" food. BUT the overall effect of certain foods in our body is that of "negative calories". Negative calorie foods are foods, which use more calories to digest than the calories the foods actually contain!

Calories from these foods are much harder for the body to breakdown and process. In other words, the body has to work harder in order to extract calories from these foods. This gives these foods a tremendous natural fat-burning advantage.

A piece of dessert consisting of 400 calories may require only 150 calories to be digested by our body, resulting in a net gain of 250 calories which is added to our body fat! According to this theory, for example, if you eat 100 calories of a food that requires 150 calories to digest, then you've burnt an additional 50 calories simply by eating that food."

Here is a possible list of negative calorie foods:

APPLE
ASPARAGUS
BEANS
BEETS
BLUEBERRIES
BROCCOLI
CABBAGE
CARROTS
CAULIFLOWER
CELERY
CHILE
CRANBERRIES
CUCUMBERS
GARLIC
GRAPEFRUIT
GRAPEFRUIT
GREEN
LEMONS
LETTUCE
LIMES
MANGO
ONION
ORANGE
PAPAYA
PEACHES
PEPPERS
PINEAPPLE
RADISHES
RASPBERRIES
SPINACH
STRAWBERRIES
TANGERINES
TOMATOES
TURNIPS
ZUCCHINI


GB

[Credendovidis]

Negative Calorie food.

None of these foods on your list - except celery - have any scientific support for being "negative calorie food".
Celery with it's high cellulose content is generally agreed upon to consume very slightly more energy to digest than it provides. But that is the only foodstuff known to do that.
And celery with a white sauce on top backed in the oven - that's how most people like it - results in a positive calorie food again.

All others foods on your list are SUGGESTED to do the same as celery, but lack any support towards that claim.
Besides that : a balanced nutrition can not consist for more than a couple of percent of celery. So the small percentage of it's negative calorie effect will fall completely away against the rest of the calorie gain from the rest of the daily food intake.

There is only one certain way to lose weight : take less calories in than your body consumes. It is as simple as that ! If you do that by eating less or exercising more is up to your own decision, although the latter has the advantage that it helps to keep you fit !

:)