At-Home Weight Loss

Counting calories helps deliver results.

By Murrye-bernard

If you respond well to a prescribed meal plan and schedule, then an at home weight loss plan might be the right diet choice for you.

Types of At Home Weight Loss Programs

While it would be nice to pack up and head to a spa for a few weeks where all of your meals are prepared, every calorie pre-calculated for you and all your time is devoted to weight loss and exercise, the reality is that most of us are too busy or can't afford such a luxury. However, there are many dieting options you can follow at home. These weight loss strategies fall into two basic categories: self-administered diets and meal delivery programs.

Self-Administered Diets

For those who are disciplined, choosing and sticking to a diet plan can achieve great results. The tried-and-true method of restricting calories can be slow but delivers permanent results. This plan involves cutting back on calorie intake while burning extra calories through exercise. In order to stay on track, try keeping a food journal and using online calorie calculators to monitor your intake.

Low carb diets provide a little more structure, requiring the dieter to participate in several phases and choose foods from "approved" lists. Others find the lack of carbs makes them feel too weak and that the program is extremely limiting, especially for those who enjoy sweets. Low carb dieters spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen preparing meals. People who want instant results often turn to fad diets or fasting and detox programs, although many physicians advise against it. Such diets include the Cabbage Soup Diet, Grapefruit Diet or the Master Cleanse. Before embarking on any sort of diet plan, consult with your physician to make sure your body is healthy enough and so is your plan. If your diet isn't sustainable and you refuse to make permanent lifestyle changes, you will likely gain the weight back.

Meal Delivery Programs

Some people find that meal delivery programs are the easiest way for them to lose weight. While these plans are more expensive than buying and preparing your own food, they can be a great choice for those with extremely busy lifestyles or who don't like to cook. Meals are delivered directly to your door and you don't have to spend time shopping or reading labels. These programs take the guess work out of dieting. Some companies serve a single city or area, while others are national. Options include:

·         Bistro MD

·         Diet To Go

·         eDiets

·         Freshology

·         Jenny Craig at Home

·         Medifast

·         NutriSystem

·         Pure Foods

·         Zone Diet

Dieting Support

Losing weight at home can feel like a lonely, solitary endeavor. Without a support system in place, it's easy to slip up and tell yourself you'll try to be "good" tomorrow. Try these tips to stay on track:

·         Choose a 'diet buddy' with whom you can celebrate your successes, exercise with or call when you feel like giving up

·         Participate in online weight loss forums

·         Encourage your family to eat healthier so you won't be tempted by junk food at home

·         Reward yourself when you meet your goals

The type of at home weight loss program you choose will depend on your budget, lifestyle and the number of pounds you need to lose. Think about your goals and motivations and choose the plan that works best for you.

 

Apple Patch Diet

By Donna Sundblad

The Apple Patch Diet uses a transdermal patch to carry steady levels of an herbal weight loss supplement to the body over three days. That's right, the patch only needs to be changed once every three days, so a box of ten lasts an entire month.

Apple Patch Diet Not a Fad

The popular Apple Patch Diet entails sticking a transdermal patch (similar to a nicotine patch) to your skin. The patch's propriety herbal ingredients are said to be designed to help those who wear them to lose weight naturally. The Apple Patch Diet Company claims that their weight loss system is healthy and is not a fad or a crash diet. According to their promotional literature, their patch is different from other diet patches because the latest technology allows them to ensure the highest amounts of the active natural ingredients used to guarantee weight loss success. Weight loss is gradual, and while the patch works to diminish your appetite like a diet pill, it has several advantages over pills.

Apple Patch Advantages

·         Requires a single application every three days instead of several doses a day like diet pills

·         It is not a drug

·         Absorbed into the body slowly instead of in one big dose

·         A natural herbal patch (not been shown to have serious side effects)

How to Use the Patch

The transdermal patch can be worn on any part of the body, and stays in place while showering, swimming and working out without concern. Its unique adhesive keeps it in place so it can do its job to help keep your appetite controlled. You can forget about it until it is time to replace it. To be most effective, it is recommended that the patch be placed on a different part of the skin every third day. When choosing where to place the patch, avoid hairy areas; no sense inflicting needless pain and irritation when it comes time to remove the patch.

Apple Patch Ingredients

Each Apple Patch contains the highest amounts of proven herbs selected to help clients lose weight. These active ingredients include:

·         Fucus Vesiculosus - Rich in Iodine and an excellent stimulant of the thyroid gland.

·         Guarana - Increases alertness, reduces fatigue, and a potent diet suppressant

·         Garcinia Cambogia - contain a substance known as hydroxycitric acid which has been shows potential in its herbal weight loss capabilities

Restrictions

As with any over the counter product, it is always best to check with your doctor before using the Apple Patch. The Apple Patch is not recommended for the people who are:

·         Pregnant

·         Nursing

·         Diabetic

·         Have thyroid problems

·         Or any other medical condition

Buying the Apple Patch

While the Apple Patch cannot be purchased in stores, it is readily available online. Once you place your order, it should be shipped by USPS Priority Mail and reach you in 3-5 business days in the United States and 5-8 days for international orders. Each box contains 10 patches which is enough for one month.

Long Term Success

Like any diet, what you do after you've lost your weight with the Apple Patch will be up to you. If you return to the lifestyle and diet that caused you to gain weight in the first place then you will most likely gain your weight back. There is no conclusive scientific data which ties weight loss to the ingredients used in this diet supplement however, the three main ingredients have been scientifically studied and documented and have shown promising results in trials on animals.

 

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

Apple cider vinegar for health.]

By Deana Case

The apple cider vinegar diet is based on the idea that consuming a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar prior to meals curbs the appetite and reduces cravings. This idea was popularized in the 1950's by Dr. D.C. Jarvis in his book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health. Dr. Jarvis also believed that consuming apple cider vinegar would cause the body to burn fat instead of store it. Apple cider vinegar has also been used by people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and those following the alkaline acid diet. Studies on the efficacy of apple cider vinegar involving humans are limited.

Apple Cider Vinegar as a Dietary Supplement

ACV can be found in most health food stores and can often be found in the health supplement section of grocery stores. Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is a golden brown color and has cloudy sediment at the bottom of the bottle known as mother of vinegar. Mother of vinegar is rich in acetic acid, which is one of the main active ingredients in apple cider vinegar.

ACV with the mother.

Apple cider vinegar also contains malic, lactic, and citric acid. This high acid level is believed to aid in digestion and destroy harmful bacteria in the digestive system. It is also thought to help the body maintain a healthy alkaline level.

Apple cider vinegar is taken in liquid form by the teaspoon and also comes in pill and capsule form. There are no official guidelines regarding what the daily intake of apple cider vinegar should be. Many people take two teaspoons per day mixed with juice or water. When apple cider vinegar is taken in its pill form, 285 milligrams is the dosage commonly found in instructions which accompanysupplements.

Pill vs liquid

Obviously, apple cider vinegar in pill form is easier on the palate. However, because these pills are dietary supplements they are not tested for content or basic safety. In 2005, a study of eight different ACV supplements revealed that the labeling on the box did not reflect the ingredients in the supplements, a wide disparity of dosages and ingredients brought into question whether or not the supplements actually contained apple cider vinegar. If you are going to use apple cider vinegar as a dietary supplement, you may wish to use the liquid form to be sure of your dosage size, plus it is more economical.

Health Benefits of the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

Several different health conditions are thought to benefit from the apple cider vinegar diet. The proponents of this diet believe that consuming a certain amount of apple cider vinegar each day may alleviate symptoms of the following health conditions:

·         Obesity - thought to aid the body's ability to burn fat and stop cravings; people use apple cider vinegar as part of a weight loss plan. In 2005, a small study involving 11 people did find that those who had bread with vinegar before a meal felt more satisfied than those who only ate bread. More research needs to be done, but there is some indication ACV lowers the glycemic index.

·         High Cholesterol - a study performed in 2006 showed that rats who were given ACV had lowered cholesterol levels.

·         Alkaline Acid Balance - proponents of the alkaline diet believe that better health is achieved by keeping the body's alkaline level at 7.4 percent. Apple cider vinegar is an acid, but is thought to produce alkaline in the body when it is metabolized. ACV is often recommended as a supplement to an alkaline diet.

·         Diabetes - Several studies have shown that vinegar lowers blood glucose levels. Acetic acid present in ACV is believed to slow the digestion of starch. This digestive change lowers the glycemic index of starchy foods. All of these studies have been small and further research is needed to provide definitive results.

Risks and Considerations

Most of the recommended eating plans associated with this diet are based on low calorie meals. If you plan to use the apple cider vinegar diet for weight loss, you might want to consider just following the low calorie diet and exercising twenty minutes three times per week instead. Some of the reasons to consider skipping apple cider vinegar as a supplement are:

·         The acetic acid in ACV may damage tooth enamel, parts of the digestive tract, and the esophagus.

·         Excessive consumption of ACV has been known to have a negative affect on potassium and bone density levels.

·         Problems with drug interactions.

Before starting any diet plan to improve your health, speak with your physician about the plan and the goals you hope to achieve.