Atkins to the Zone Diet Reviews

Rotating carb intake to melt belly fat

2008-05-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend in the United States is just about here. And in America, that means the unofficial start to the summer is looming.

And all those favorite foods of yours - the hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, corn-on-the-cob with butter, sausages, brats, ribs...- they're all going to be proudly displayed for your consumption.

How do you plan on handling that?

Those programs that tell you "eat whatever you want and still lose weight" crack me up. I'm not going to be the guy to tell you it's ok to eat a gallon of ice cream to soothe your achin' tummy after slamming down those three corn dogs. Uh-uh.

Yes, you can still eat some of your favorite foods in moderation at certain times. It makes no sense whatsoever to deprive yourself of the foods you love. But can you eat whatever you want whenever you want and still look great naked? Please. You know the answer to that.

But if you're worried how that swimsuit of yours is going to fit this summer, well, I can tell you right now I've got a full-proof method to help you slide right in it.

Rotating your carb intake in just the right way - the proven scientific way - will cut up to 15 lbs off your frame in no time flat. It'll melt that flab right off your belly, butt and thighs.

Here comes summer. Are YOU ready?

Yours in health,

Jayson Hunter, RD, CSCS

PS - I couldn't keep the testimonials from flooding in if I tried. He's yet ANOTHER new one for my Carb Rotation Diet:

"I started the Carb Rotation Diet the beginning of March 2008. As a personal trainer and former bodybuilding competitor I have had a lot of experience with different nutritional programs. I really like your program because it is SO easy to follow.

I have lost 6 pounds and went down a size in just 5 weeks. And since I'm already in great shape thanks to my job, these results are outstanding!

Great stuff, thanks, Jayson!"

Phyllis Frost
Certified Fitness Consultant
28 Years of Experience

The contents of this article are not to be considered as medical advice. Always consult a physician before beginning or changing any fitness program.

Artificial sweeteners - good or bad?

2008-05-15T03:34:00.000-07:00

Forget almost everything you know about artificial sweeteners and weight gain...

Run a search on the Internet for "artificial sweeteners", and you’ll find plenty of claims that these products are responsible for everything from cancer and headaches to the impending destruction of the human race.

The popularity of low-carbohydrate diets has increased demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar foods. Check the shelves of your local supermarket, and you’ll find ice cream with no sugar added, sugar-free syrup, low-sugar cookies, diet soda and many other treats. However, many people are worried that their diet soda is giving them headaches, multiple sclerosis or increasing their risk of certain forms of cancer.

There are also reports that artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame (also known as NutraSweetT) or acesulfame-K will stimulate your appetite, leading to a gain in weight. Because they're widely used in many soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola or Sprite, many people are worried that artificially-sweetened soft drinks will lead to weight gain...

The rest of this report is available in the Members-Only Area. Subscribe to the Members-Only Area and you'll enjoy immediate access to a "secret vault" of expert knowledge and university-tested tips and tricks you can use to shed stubborn fat once and for all... get bigger biceps, broader shoulders, a bigger bench press... or strip away the fat from your belly to reveal a flat and attractive stomach. Click here now to join.

Set point to blame for weight loss plateau

2008-05-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

What is the body weight set point? Of course you do know what the set point means, just think of your refrigerator: it's the point you set to maintain the inside temperature you want.

To maintain the temperature you want, your refrigerator needs a few simple hardware gadgets.

1. a thermometer to measure the actual temperature in the refrigerator;
2. some wire to send the reading to the thermostat;
3. a motor to produce more cool air (if needed);
4. a controlling device that reads temperature information and compares it with the temperature you wanted.

If the actual temperature is not what you meant, one of two commands go to the motor: make more cool air or to stop doing it. There can always be outside disturbances in the system - you kid forgot to shut the refrigerator's door, or you switched on your AC- but the thermostat is designed to counteract them.

Though different in details, absolutely same parts make up the human body's thermostat.

As technical systems can control not only temperature but, say, humidity as well, human body's can control any parameter including blood sugar level, body fat, blood pressure and the like.
What is the body-weight set point?

Body-weight set point is Nature's idea of what amount of fat you need. The human body's "thermostat" for body fat does have same principal elements:

1. a "thermometer" for body fat ("lipometer") to measure the actual fat content in the body;

2. some "wire" ("chemosensory pathways", including those sensing Leptin) to send the reading to the "thermostat" ("Lipostat");

3. an "engine" to produce more fat (if needed);

4. a controlling device that reads fat information and compares it with the set fat Nature wanted.

If the fat reading is incorrect one of two commands go to the "engine": eat more or to stop eating.

As with your refrigerator, there can always be outside disturbances in the system but the system is designed to counteract them. We expend calories physical work, for body heat, to rebuild the body's tissues after damages or to renew them on regular basis, like skin tissue or mucous membranes do. It takes a lot of energy to produce immune bodies or blood cells, etc. A lot of energy goes into our fat deposits as energy reserves. To stay healthy, we need to maintain a certain, quite precise, percentage of body-weight as a fat deposit.

The only way to get calories is to eat. That is simple -- Thou shalt not overeat. Then where do our problems with weight come from? Researchers are making tremendous efforts to answer these questions. Is the system able to automatically regulate itself? What happens when one is allowed to eat as much as he or she is pleases? It depends.

Do we need to control our breathing?

2008-05-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

To Breathe or not to Breathe?
by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

"...look, everybody breathes in pure oxygen, but tries to breath out all kinds of filth!"

A. Raikin

Necessary as air means most necessary. Our breathing process is unique in many ways. Everyone knows how long a man can live without food, water and air. Without air -- almost no time. A few minutes, and brain cortex dies. Also unique is the availability of air: so far no one came up with a way to sell it. Finally, unique is the process's character which is almost automatic. Almost. That's the topic for today.

A man is sitting in a closed room and is doing something. The window is closed, the air conditioner is off. Oxygen is consumed, carbon dioxide is exhaled, thus increasing the CO2 concentration in the room. What happens?

None can say for sure! In a short period of time a number of following might change:

Breathing depth
Breathing frequency
Heart's contraction strength
Pulse
Blood flow velocity
Blood vessel resistance
Oxygen availability to tissues (how easily it is transferred from hemoglobin into tissues)

In a longer period of time, something else will change:

Lungs' vital capacity (how much air is taken in for the deepest breath)
Amount of hemoglobin
Amount of erythrocytes (red blood cells carrying oxygen)
Eritropeses (production of erythrocytes in bone marrow)

Your breathing function is affected by the combination of all these parameters which in turn are related to each other, how -- it's impossible to predict. Moreover, each time, random combination might "fall out." So when something changes in the oxygen availability to tissues or you change your breathing, your body brilliantly evades to compensate for those changes.

So do we need to control our breathing?

Seems that a healthy animal or a child has no need to. Some breathing techniques manuals instruct to uncover a baby and see how rhythmically it's stomach rises and falls. The chest barely moves. That type of breathing is called diaphragmal, because the diaphragm, a muscle between the chest and stomach is the one that makes the lungs expand and contract. That type of breathing is meant for quiet body state.

When an awakened baby cries, it is visible that the chest starts working to take in as much air as possible. It is an emergency breathing. It is meant for stress and hard physical efforts. In rest, the body functions' control is overrun by parasympathetic autonomous nervous system. In emergency cases -- it is taken over by a competitive nervous system, the sympathetic one. It increases body's work in order to escape a predator, chase a prey, or endure fear or rage. For example, the heart rate is increased, blood vessels contract to avoid losing too much blood in case of a wound, and so on. Functions that are not immediately needed, like intestinal movement, are slowed down.

Several US universities have developed the test predicting the development of premature babies. If the control of parasympathetic system is dominating, the prognosis is definitely better: the possibility of cerebral palsy, mental retardation and other typical pathologies of premature babies, is much less. Domination of the sympathetic nervous system, in babies as well as in adults, on the other hand provides for not so good a prediction. Of course, the body is more comfortable under the parasympathetic control, and the latter is dominant until something out of the ordinary happens.

Nevertheless, like in many other cases, we are deviating from the natural order of things. In this case, it is an abuse of the sympathetic system's services. Hence are the tendencies to high blood pressure, increased pulse, etc. Hence is the emergency type of breathing when it is not needed.

Try breathing as deep and as fast as you can. Soon, you will get dizzy and might even get a headache. Asthma victims might get an asthma attack. People with heart problems might get an anginaattack. It looks as though our body's in trouble and the weakest points fail first, which is natural.

There is a disease, panic attacks, a major symptom of which is a strong, uncontrollable fear and frantic hysterical breathing. Do you know how that panic attack is fought? It's hard to believe, but the victim is made to breathe into a paper bag (brown paper bag #4). What happens was recorded by placing a gas sensor inside the bag. After it is breathed in for a short time, the concentration of carbon dioxide inside increases. Then the attack stops. Turns out, not only the lack of oxygen but also the lack of carbon dioxide is harmful to the body. In the "Medline" there are many hundreds of clinical and experimental evidences on the harm of lack of carbon dioxide (hypocapnia), along with good effects of moderate hypercapnia.

Does taste contribute to weight gain?

2008-05-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Researchers say "probably"

There are multiple links between taste perceptions, taste preferences, food preferences, and food choices and the amount of food we eat.

The "set point" for the body weight seems to be determined by psychological factors

Palatability elevates body-weight set point

Particular sensory and nutrient combinations in foods can facilitate overeating

What can one do? There's how to outwit the body weight set point . Read these weight loss tips. What you really crave, can be not food at all. Why?<>In some respects, it has to do with endorphins. We often overeat to comfort ourselves during periods of stress, pain, or boredom - the situations that Endorphins are created to ease. Eating is only one of the ways to make them release into the blood. Besides, they can directly control eating: the less endorphins -- the worse overeating (Am. J. Psychiatry 148:1086-1090; 1992)<>

We know that eating will produce a pleasant sensation so we eat even all we need is to comfort ourselves. Some leading experts advise to ask oneself every time you feel the urge to open the refrigerator: "What is it I really need? A glass of water? A walk? A hug (to say the least)?" Some reveal engaging in even very exotic measures like laying on the bed of nails or holding the breath (to gain some carbon dioxide). The truth is, all these will increase endorphin level while only eating, especially when your body does not need it, will cause extra pounds of fat to collect in your body's stores.

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Waistline and body type

2008-05-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

What Your Waistline Can Tell Your Doctor

by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

And you thought narrow waist was only important for models!

The National Institutes of Health guidelines indicate that within each BMI category, the health risk increases in a graded fashion so that those with high waist circumference are at a greater health risk than those with narrower waistline. Why?

First of all, because the waist circumference, as simple as it is, tells a lot about body fat types, distribution, and harmful health effects. If you look at a picture of human skeleton, you’ll see that in the waist region there’s absolutely nothing below the ribcage but a spinal column — so it doesn’t make any sense to talk about waists of tall and short people as well as about large and small frames. Even bodybuilders with muscles bulging all over the body have narrow waists.

Another thing about the “apple” body shape is that the fat concentrated around the middle is a different, worse type of fat than the fat on thighs or upper trunk. People having the “apple” body shape are particularly prone to developing abnormal lipid profiles and insulin resistance. The cells here (adipocytes) are overly sensitive to stress, alcohol intake, and smoking.

When metabolic syndrome is present, the abdominal fat cells seem to have a high density of several important hormone receptors which stimulate fat storage and inhibit lipolysis, leading to further abdominal fat depositing — thus creating a vicious cycle. However, here’s the good news: these same fat cells are also very sensitive to dietary carbohydrate restriction. You might remember the South Beach diet’s slogan: “Belly fat goes first!” Indeed it goes first when the dieters cut down on refined carbohydrates.

An interesting thing about abdominal fat is that although a diet can reduce belly fat total volume, it fails to reduce the size of fat cells here, unless exercise is added to the equation, according to new research from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Another interesting thing was reported by researchers from the Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX. They put sedentary obese women on exercise programs of different intensities: 4, 8, or 12 kcal per one kilogram of body weight per week — and showed that although only the highest intensity was good for weight loss, any exercise intensity was good for shrinking the waistline.

Calories or Kcalories?

Let me explain the calorie numbers. Kcal in fact means 1000 calories, but since in popular literature we usually deal with 1000s of calories, people are used to thinking of them as just calories. However, technically they are so-called “big calories” or Calories with capital C.

To give you an idea what it takes to burn 12 kcal/kg/week, here’s an example. A man weighing 170 pounds (77 kg) and exercising at 12 kcal/kg/week burns 924 Calories every week and can do this by walking for almost three hours or running at 6 mph for one hour .

Sources

International Journal of Obesity, August 2006
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, May 2006

Atkins Recipes vs Banta Recipes

2008-05-12T05:06:00.000-07:00

Q: How are Banta Recipes different from Atkins Diet recipes?

A: One thing is, Dr. Atkins diet disregards the ketogenic properties of foods. Dieters are being encourage to watch only carbohydrate grams.

Meanwhile, to be a ketogenic food, it should meet a certain criterion called ketogenic ratio (we named it Fat Burning Index because this is what it's all about) which depends on not only carb grams but also on the exact proportion between carb, fat, and protein constituents of a food or meal.

The Fat Burning Index of a food is the only thing in the world that can predict whether or not the body will allow to burn its own fat after consuming this food. Here comes the true Negative Calorie Balance: you eat a food that results in less calories stored in your fat depots! To burn body's fat, a food should have Fat Burning Index above 1.5

Here are examples of Atkins recipes with LOW Fat Burning Index (below 1.5) which make them non-ketogenic foods promoting insulin release and blocking fat burning. Click here to see Banta Recipe samples with high Fat Burning Index

Recipe	Fat Burning Index ™	Carb grams
Cucumber, Mango and Black Bean Salad	0.11	9.5
Japanese Chicken Kabobs	0.45	13
Mexican-Style Oysters	0.58	22.9
Japanese-style Skewers	0.63	20.9
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Jalapeno-Mint-Ginger Sauce & Mango	0.68	20
Spinach Rolls	0.70	23
Pizzettes (Mini Toaster-Oven Pizzas)	0.71	4.5
Warm Scallop Salad	0.75	11
Divine Crab Cakes	0.76	8
Oysters in Muscat	0.78	21.9
Mussels in White Wine	0.79	12.9
Pork Satay	0.84	12
Portobello and Ricotta Crostini	0.94	5.5
Seared Scallops with Orange and Vermouth	0.98	11
Maple Chicken Strips	1.02	0
Leek Quiche	1.05	8
Mini Mexican Pizza Squares	1.08	4
Lidia's Barbeque Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto	1.09	2
Prosciutto Chicken Frittata	1.09	15
Oysters and Clams on Spinach	1.11	13
Shrimp with Fresh Herbs	1.12	5
Crab Cakes with Horseradish Cream	1.14	24
Shrimp Marinated in Lemon and Olive Oil	1.14	2.9
Gravlax and Smoked Salmon Terrine	1.17	18
Creole Shrimp Salad	1.18	1
Chicken and Beef Satays with Peanut Dipping Sauce	1.20	2.9
Atkins Garlic Toast Crisps	1.22	2
Shrimp Cocktail with Two Sauces	1.24	1.49
Smoked Irish Cod Roe Timbale	1.25	2.99
Crab Cakes	1.25	9
Goat Cheese Tart with Artichoke and Black Olive "Salsa"	1.27	28
Coconut Chicken Satays	1.32	3
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce	1.32	3.99
Scallops or Shrimp with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes	1.33	8.5
Baked Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage and Mozzarella	1.36	0.99
Lobster Salad with Curried Vinaigrette	1.37	15
Garlic Shrimp	1.39	4
Szechwan Sausage Wraps	1.39	11
Spinach-Artichoke Dip	1.42	5
Baked Artichoke-Parsley Cheese Squares	1.45	4.5
Grilled Lamb on Skewers	1.46	18
Goat Cheese Tart	1.47	21
Scallops Wrapped in Bacon	1.48	3.5
Salmon-Stuffed Zucchini	1.48	1
Spicy Maple Chicken Wings	1.48	3.2
Lemon-Ginger Shrimp	1.49	2.99

Here are examples of recipes from our collection, with Fat Burning Index ™ (above 1.5) which make them ketogenic foods inhibiting insulin release and promoting fat burning.

Recipe	Fat Burning Index ™	Carb grams
Caponata	1.57	4.00
Beef Roulades	1.58	8.00
Scallop Cocktail with Avocado	1.62	3.50
Atkins Red-Pepper Pancakes with Smoked Salmon	1.66	3.00
Bayonne Ham and Sheep's Milk Cheese Terrine	1.69	3.00
Pigs in A Blanket	1.70	4.00
Classic Gefilte Fish	1.70	5.00
Savory Nut Mix	1.73	7.50
Savory Meatballs	1.80	0.50
Popcorn Garlic Shrimp	1.81	1.50
Western Ham Roll-Ups	1.81	1.50
Smoky Chicken Wings	1.82	2.00
Garlic Dill Meatballs	1.82	1.50
Shrimp Boil with Spicy Butter Sauce	1.83	6.00
Baked Goat Cheese and Ricotta Custards	1.84	3.50
Grilled Chicken Paillards with Dijon Mustard Sauce	1.86	3.00
Herbed and Spicy Steak Tartare	1.87	2.00
Baked Eggplant Puree	1.88	2.50
Marinated Queso Fresco	1.89	3.00
Brie Cheese and Chicken Sandwiches	1.91	14.00
Nutty Meatballs	1.97	1.50
Beefsteak Tomato Stack	1.98	13.00
King Crab Dip	2.00	1.00
Baked Goat Cheese with Garden Lettuces	2.02	26.00
Barbeque Steak	2.02	7.00
Smoked Turkey and Cheddar Spread	2.04	2.00
Feta and Olive Meatballs	2.04	14.00
Deviled Eggs	2.05	2.00
Creamy Crab Dip	2.11	1.00
Cattle Ranch Beef Spread	2.15	3.00
Chicken Liver Pâté	2.21	1.20
Chicken Tenders in Tarragon Cream Sauce	2.23	2.00
Spicy Crab Dip	2.32	0.50
Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts	2.35	0.50
Prosciutto Pillows Stuffed with Goat Cheese	2.37	2.00
Cheese Straws	2.45	1.00
Guacamole	2.59	2.00
Marinated Goat Cheese with Fresh Oregano	2.61	1.00
Beef Carpaccio with Arugula and Caper Vinaigrette	2.71	1.00
Sweet and Spicy Nuts	2.93	2.50
Buffalo Chicken Wings	3.02	5.50
Sesame-Tofu Dip	3.18	1.50
Green Olives with Lemon and Rosemary	3.19	2.00
Black Olives with Lemon and Fennel	3.38	2.00
Chipotle Grilled Chicken Skewers	3.47	1.00
Italian Tuna Pâté	3.88	0.00
Chile Roasted Macadamia Nuts	4.09	2.50
Bagna Cauda	4.91	1.00
Satay Sauce	5.68	2.00

Click here to see more sample recipes with high Fat Burning Index

Potatoes: pros and cons

2008-05-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

One thing that makes potatoes a unique food is its extremely high Satiety Index. Calorie for calorie, potatoes gave the highest hunger satisfaction, seven times higher than the least-filling croissants and 30 percent higher than the 'next best' on the list, fish.

What is this satiety index?

It’s been less than two hours since your last meal. So, why do you feel this almost uncontrollable urge to snack? Researchers have been asking the same question for some time. In fact, virtually everyone who has tried to lose weight and suffered from severe hunger pangs finds it hard to believe that you can actually eat fewer calories while still feeling full.

You're about to discover a powerful tool known as the satiety index. Compiled by the same team of scientists responsible for popularizing the glycemic index, the satiety (pronounced sat-eye-a-tee) index tells you quickly and easily which foods keep you feeling fuller for...

The rest of this report is available in the Members-Only Area. Subscribe to the Members-Only Area and you'll enjoy immediate access to a "secret vault" of expert knowledge and university-tested tips and tricks you can use to shed stubborn fat once and for all... get bigger biceps, broader shoulders, a bigger bench press... or strip away the fat from your belly to reveal a flat and attractive stomach. Click here now to join.

If you're a member, you can click here to continue reading.

Nutritional values

Amount Per 1 potato with skin

Calories 22.04
Calories from Fat 0.342

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.038g		0%

	Saturated Fat 0.00988g	0%

	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0163g

	Monounsaturated Fat 0.00076g

Cholesterol 0mg		0%

Sodium 3.8mg		0%

Potassium 156.94mg		4%

Total Carbohydrate 4.73g		2%

	Dietary Fiber 0.95g	4%

Protein 0.977g		2%