The "Could It Really be This Simple" Department

"Keep it Simple, Stupid" thinking I like to look for......!

 The No-S Diet: Keeping Dieting Simple

by Ali Hale

The No-S Diet is the simplest diet I've ever come across. It has just three rules:

• No snacks
• No seconds
• No sweets

Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S.
The author, Reinhard Engels, does explain those rules on his No S Diet site (and he's also recently writtena book on the No S Diet). So what exactly do the rules mean? And can it really work?

No snacks:
This is about "when" not "what" and means not eating between meals. You can eat whatever you want at mealtimes (including snack foods, such as chips, candy, and so on). Of course, since you're only allowed one plateful, you might want to go for something a bit more filling than empty junk food...
No seconds:
This means not going back for more: fill your plate once, and that's your lot! Particularly good for buffets, or if you tend to "graze" on leftovers.
No sweets:
This doesn't just refer to what we in the UK call "sweets" (candies) but covers anything which is mostly sugar. You need to use your common sense here: fruit is fine, of course, but ice-cream, full-sugar soda, etc is definitely out.

Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S:
All the rules are relaxed on Saturdays, Sundays and pre-designated Special days. But that doesn't mean you should start gorging as though you'll never see a bar of chocolate again - enjoy your treats, without feeling guilty at all, but don't go completely overboard.

Testimonials from those who've tried it insist that it does work. Enthusiasts highlight increased enjoyment of their food, an end to the "bloated" feeling after a meal, and greater appreciation of treats at the weekend.
For example, one successful No-S-Dieter wrote that:

No S avoids the pitfall of having to do things perfectly. I can choose the foods I like to eat, and am never very far from an s-day. "I can have chocolate at the weekend" is far more liveable with than, "When I reach my perfect weight, I can have some chocolate".

And I can certainly attest that being "good" during the week and relaxing at the weekend is a great way to lose weight or maintain your weight loss. For the past eighteen months, I've been following this sort of eating pattern, and recommend it on The Office Diet, as it tends to suit Monday-Friday, 9-5 workers well.

It allows planning ahead for some truly satisfying treats: I'd rather have a gorgeously gooey slab of chocolate cake at the weekend than have chocolate ice-cream for pudding every day...

So if you're feeling overwhelmed with complicated diet advice, or if you hate the thought of having to give up all your treats for an indeterminable period of time, why not give the No S Diet a try ... and let us know how you get on!

A Few Small Changes/Big Results?

Weight Loss Made Simple

By Natasha Vani, MSc., ATCP Once again your New Year’s resolution was to lose weight. You set your goals and started working toward them, but now, after less than a month, you find that you have fallen off your schedule more times than you have stuck with it. What are your reasons? Other than the common complaint of lack of time, let’s be honest—the most common reason is that watching your diet and exercising just seem like too much effort. What if I told you that you can lose weight with minor adjustments? What if I told you that people only fail when they try to make huge changes in their lives? Sit back and look at your goals. You probably told yourself something like this: No chocolate, no candy, no chips, no pop, no eating before bed and (of course) exercise, exercise, exercise! Well who truly follows that? Here’s what I want you to do: instead of feeling guilty every time you fall off your plan, follow these two simple rules and make minor adjustments. In doing so I guarantee you will achieve your goals.

The Rules Rule #1 Set a realistic weight loss goal. Do not attempt to lose more than 2 lbs of weight in a week. If you aim for more, you will fail to keep the weight off in the long term. Besides, 2 lbs per week is a solid 10 lbs of fat lost in less than a month and half. Not bad! Rule #2 Understand what 2 lbs per week means in terms of calories. Since 1 lb of pure fat equals 3,500 calories, 2 lbs equals 7,000 calories. So, each week you need to create a caloric deficit of 7,000 calories. Divide this by seven and you have 1,000 calories a day that you need to somehow get rid of. That may sound like a lot, but you know the best approach to losing weight is through diet and exercise, so, take 1,000 calories and divide it by two. Your new goal is twofold: a) to burn 500 calories a day through exercise, and b) to eat 500 calories less. I f this still sounds like too much, no problem, just aim to lose 1.5 or 1 lb per week. To lose 1 lb a week you only have to burn 250 calories a day through exercise and eat 250 calories less each day. Let’s assume you are aiming to lose one pound a week. The next step is to come up with activities you can do every day to burn 250 calories, as well as foods that you can eliminate or reduce to decrease your intake by 250 calories. For caloric information on various foods, visit the Truestar Food Trakker. To give you an idea, here are some common foods that contain roughly 250 calories: 1 muffin 1 bagel 1 chocolate bar 1 small bag of chips 500 ml of juice Here’s how to burn 250 calories in a nutshell: In the gym 35 minutes of cycling 30 minutes of rowing 30 minutes of cross training 30 minutes of stair climbing 90 minutes of weight training In the pool 35 minutes of light effort swimming 40 minutes of water aerobics Fun winter activities 45 minutes of skating 90 minutes of snowmobiling 35 minutes of snowshoeing 40 minutes of tobogganing 35 minutes of cross country skiing 55 minutes of downhill skiing General activities 1 hour of walking briskly 35 minutes of light running 45 minutes of dancing For other activities and the calories they burn, visit the Truestar CALObrator. One last tip to keep you going If you can’t exercise one day, don’t stress about it, simply eat a little less that day. And if the opposite is true, that is, you found indulge a little too much, just exercise a little harder. Finding and maintaining this balance of energy in versus energy out is the key to successful weight loss. Keep it simple and enjoy your triumph!

Simple is Good Common Sense!!

Every good weight loss program has to address both sides of the energy equation: calories consumed (diet) and calories burned (physical activity).





The great thing about aerobic physical activity like brisk walking is that a person can get fit while losing weight at the same time.


Fitness cannot be attained just by diet; in fact if much weight is lost by dieting alone, significant amounts of muscle will be lost as well as fat. That is a bad outcome for a person's metabolism.

Establishing the habit of walking every day and gradually working up to 60 to 90 minutes of daily brisk walking should produce both weight loss and a high level of fitness for adults. (Getting advance medical clearance for this activity is important for older adults and for anyone with a chronic medical condition.)


Sources:
nhlbi.nih.gov "Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity" (accessed February 12, 2010) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
health.gov/PAGuidelines "2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans" Chapter Two, (accessed February 12, 2010) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Mayo Clinic Diet, The Mayo Clinic, published 201

Read more at Suite101: Walk Every Day to Lose Weight: A Permanent Weight Loss Program for Adults http://weight-loss-methods.suite101.com/article.cfm/walk-every-day-to-lose-weight#ixzz0iaec3fWG