A low calorie diet is just a generic term to describe a diet that involves reducing the amount of calories taken on by the body.

Typically, low calorie diets require a range of about 1000 to 1300 calories per day.

Although the principle is correct a huge proportion of low calorie diets do not actually specify which foods to eat and which not to - preference given to calorie counting during the course of the day.

Calories consumed provide fuel for the body. Consuming less calories during the course of the day, the body then burns stored fat as opposed to calories for its effective functioning.

A woman who has a busy and very active lifestyle will need on average 2300 calories per day with a man needing 300 to 400 more.

An individual who does not lead an active lifestyle will require on average 500 less per day.

Low calories diets should be complimented with foodstuffs from 3 different food groups to give a good balanced diet.

Carbohydrates

It is highly advised that at least half (50%) of your daily diet comprises of carbohydrates - carbohydrates provide energy.

Carbohydrates are typically found in: potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.

Fats

Fats are an essential part of your daily intake - at least a quarter of your daily diet should involve fats. Fats also provided our body with energy and also cause satiety (a feeling of fullness)

Proteins

Proteins are crucial and provide us with nutrients. Protein is responsible for growth, cell reproduction and all round functioning of our body.

Excluding any of the three food groups could cause more problems than it solves. Simply reducing the amount of food we consume is not advised over and above a balanced diet.

Tesco eDiets provided several diet plans tailored to providing you with a balanced diet that is not just centred around calorie reduction.

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You may have heard a thing or two about Acai or Acai berries in recent months. The media across the Atlantic is gripped with Acai hysteria and it is slowly filtering to the UK.

Oprah Winfrey gave Acai the Hoodia treatment and dedicated a part of her TV program to explaining the benefits of the Acai berry and how it can provide tremendous health benefits not just for weight loss for a host of other conditions.

Acai is the fruit of the Amazonian Palm and provide weight loss, rejuvenation and detoxifying properties to human health.

Stay Healthy With Acai

The Acai Berry is a natural, rich source of antioxidant-carrying anthocyanins that naturally help ward off free radical damage throughout the body which is important when you are trying to diet and keep fit.

Anthocyanins can also help promote cardiovascular health and cellular integrity.

Recent studies by Agrilife Research has shown that Acai berries can significantly promote an antioxidant effect in the blood.

More About Acai Berries here

So What Is Acai Berry Select

Acai Berry Select is proprietary formula that combines three powerful ingredients that work in hamony alongside the Acai ingredients. The other three ingredients are

• L-theanine - an amino acid that is exclusively found in tea. This amino acid can have relieve stress and have a calming effect on the brain.
• Chromium - helps support the blood sugar regulation. Acai Berry Select includes an additional 25% of your daily requirement.
• Green Tea Extract - a strong antioxidant component that helps fight the ageing effects of Free Radicals.

Technical Bit

By neutralizing these free radicals, anthocyanins from the Acai berry may actually serve to maintain the healthy function of numerous systems and organs.

Some of the anthocyanins that have been found in Acai include cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside-coumarate. Other phenolics include catechin and epi-catechin (the same compounds in green tea), quercetin derivatives and other flavonoids. I

t is likely that the synergistic effects of these compounds, as present in Acai fruit are responsible for its potent antioxidant activities.

Acai Selects provides the antioxidant power of Acai berries with the health-promoting and fat burning benefits of Green Tea.

Acai Can Energize

On e of the biggest issues facing somebody who is on a diet and trying consume less food is the constant feeling or fatigue, tiredness and lack of energy. Acai berries are rich in vitamins and nutrients that supply the body with energy

Can I Use Acai Berries With Other Slimming Supplements

Acai can compliment almost any other kind of supplement - if the supplement is drug based and via prescription always consult your GP before taking.

Where To Buy Acai Select

Can be purchased direct from the official Acai Berry Select website

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Any successful slimmer will confirm that losing weight does not come without sacrifice. Cutting back on certain foods or reducing food portions is an absolute neccessity.

It is a pity that a majority of foods that should be avoided are probably the most appealing. But - no gain without pain.

If you enjoy your food just that little bit too much and overindulgence is a word that befits your profile, you have to change.

There is little point staring into a full length mirror forlornly while the last remnants of the chicken bhuna you polished off for dinner still sits in your kitchen.

Here are some foods you should try to avoid

1. Take-aways - possibly the worst type of food to eat when trying to lose weight are burgers, kebabs, chips, pizza and other fried foods. Curry and Oriental take aways should be avoided as well
2. Chocolate - when popping into a petrol station keep your eyes firmly focused in front of you and don’t be tempted to sneak out with a Bounty bar , Twix or Mint Aero. If you simply have eat a chocolate bar, eat a Curly Wurly.
3. Sugar - by all means have a cup of tea or coffee, both have some fat burning qualities, but dont void the effect by heaping a couple of teaspoons of sugar in.
4. Biscuits - while on the subject of tea and coffee, remember biscuits are bad!!!
5. Cakes - chocolate eclairs taste lovely but they are poison you hear - poison.
6. White Bread - if you must have a bacon sarnie - make sure you remove the rind and wipe away any fat and use brown bread instead of white. Brown bread good, white bread bad.
7. Fizzy Drinks - such as coke, 7up, Pepsi and other sugar laden beverages.
8. Alcohol - beer, lager, wine basically all things that make you drunk will also make you fat.

Diet plans from Tesco Diets

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The principle behind the Reverse Diet is to plan your meals in reverse - dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.

But this does not necessarily mean tucking into cornflakes while dressed in evening attire, more a case of eating breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper. So, smaller portions as the day progresses.

Diet experts believe that calories taken on at the start of the day are burnt off easier than later on in the day as we are more mobile at the beginning of the day than at the end. By eating bigger portions when we awake we are least likely to put on weight.

Breakfast Like A King - Dinner like a pauper

History Of The Reverse Diet

Tricia Cunningham is the originator of the Reverse Diet - Tricia lost vast amounts of weight and trimmed her BMI considerably by eating her meals throughout the day in reverse.

A typical breakfast for Tricia would be rice and vegetables. While in the evening just a bowl of cereal or a slice of toast.

In conjuntion with nutritionist Heidi Skolnik, Tricia put her expertise into the best selling book that has become a huge hit with Hollywood A-listers.

The Reverse Diet Rules

There are three main rules

1. Start the day with a big breakfast

2. Eat a smaller lunch Finish the day with a tiny dinner

3. Eat a Small dinner

Of all the all the diets and diet plans in existence this has to be the easiest to follow - but how Tricia Cunningham managed to spin a complete book out of this principle is both amazing and profitable.

The book draws up meal plans and recipe ideas and if you don’t relish the idea of meat and potatoes for breakfast, just eat more of what you usually have in the morning and gradually reduce the amount you eat at each meal.

Is The Reverse Diet Plan Effective

The author claims that it was responsible for 162lbs of weight loss. Some of the A-list celebrities who are keen followers of the Reverse Diet include: Denise Van Outen, Angelina Jolie and Beyonce Knowles

The Pro’s

Reducing the size of you food portion before bedtime is a major positive, spending eight hours or so with a stomach full of food is not the healthiest of instances.

The Con’s

Who has time in the morning to prepare a large meal before the start of a busy schedule (apart from Beyonce et al)

Summary

Nothing rally can be gained form the buying the book - 200 pages of waffle to describe the reversal principle.

Other Diet Plans

Tesco DIet - £2.99 per week with a community of thousands. More about Tesco Diets

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Hoodia is found in many slimming pills and weight loss products and not just appetite suppressants.

Hoodia does tend to spark excitement when the ingredient is revealed in a new product aimed at the diet industry.

Now we have Hoodia Mint, a  new approach utilising the effect of Hoodia - and not a bad product too.

Chewable Hoodia tablets are pretty much en vogue at the moment and often billed as weight loss on the move.

What Are Hoodia Mints

the official Hoodia Mint Website makes the following statement

“In order to overcome the naturally bitter taste of Hoodia Gordonii in it’s original form, we have added a fresh minty taste to our tablets to allow even those unable to swallow standard tablets a way to benefit from Hoodia”

While this is partially true - most Hoodia products are in either in tablet or patch from - the taste is largely irrelevant. But in fairness to the producers of Hoodia mint is a unique approach and one that kind of works.

It is also claimed that using diet pills can have a stigma attached and so a disguising a Hoodia tablets what  is in essence, a sweet, can counteract that.

Hoodia Mints Ingredients

Just two ingredients: one is pretty obvious, the other is Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar substitute - it is a natural sweetener that is present in the fibres of many vegetables and fruits. Its inclusion in the formula is to provide the taste and nothing else

Hoodia Mints And Side Effects

Nothing reported and nothing is likely to be. Hoodia is natural substance and will not cause any adverse reaction

Does Hoodia Mint Work

Hoodia Mint is proving extremely popular and the association it has now has with Holland & Barrett is a plus point.

Where To Buy Hoodia Mint

As mentioned, Hoodia Mint can be purchased from Holland & Barrett Online

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The latest Proactol campaign and money off eVoucher is aimed at weight loss for a very specific reason. To look after your heart.

Interesting but worrying statistics reveal that nearly a million deaths are caused by heart attacks and cardiac related illness in the US - the UK has slightly proportionately lower figure but still higher than it should be.

A major cause of preventable heart related deaths are caused by obesity and being overweight.

So Proactol have decided to do something about it.

What Is Proactol

Proactol is a clinically proven fat binder that can bind or stop the digestion of over a quarter of fat from the food you eat. Unlike some other weight loss or weight control methods Proactol is a preventative measure rather deal with the resulting aftermath. More about Proactol

What Is The Proactol Special Promo

Special Offer: If you order Proacto today, they will give you a £11.60/$20.00 discount on all packages of 4 months and above. All you have to is click the activation evoucher code  HEART1 and input into  the e-voucher code section of the order page.

Where To Buy Proactol

Proactol is available direct from the official Proactol Website

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The Jenny Craig Diet or Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program is one of the most discussed diet plans on both sides of the Atlantic. The program started in  New Zealand and Australia and then went worldwide - thanks to the internet.

There have been many articles detailing the benefits that can received by joining the Jenny Craig Diet.  It has become very popular largely due to the mainstream media campaigns, such as television, radio and magazine advertisements.

There have been celebrity endorsements promoting the Jenny Craig Diet from Queen Latifah to Kirstie Alley, however the question by many looking for an effective diet to lose weight is simple- does it work? Are the endorsements geared toward profit or effect.

What is The Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program

Founded in 1983, Jenny Craig, Inc. is one of the largest and best known weight management service companies in the world. The Company can offer consumers a comprehensive weight management program that helps educate dieter about portion control, develop a healthy relationship with food, increase their energy level through simple activity as well as building more balance into their lives for optimal weight loss and well-being.

Kirtie Alley was the face and body of the Jenny Craig Weight Loss program …..

The latest celebrity to endorse the range of products is  ….Queen Latifah

How Does The Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program Work

From the start a dieter will be assigned a personal weight loss consultant. A member will then be advised to follow a specifically designed diet plan with meals coming from the company.

Before reaching mid point of their fitness goal, each member must purchase all meals, prepackaged and specifically designed, from the company.

Only by reaching this mid point will a member be then allowed to cook their own meals at a rate of three to four instances per week. All meals cooked at home will still need to follow the meals required and recipes included in the weight loss plan.

In addition to the prepackaged meals, that include full meals as well as snacks and desserts, members can also eat fruits and vegetables as well as low-fat dairy products that can be bought in stores. In addition to the pre-packaged meals and snacks or desserts, a member can eat fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products readily available to purchase on the high street.

Jenny Craig also promotes exercise and supplies motivational material.

Is The Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program Worth The Money

Most services that promote fitness, diet and exercise could be classed as worth the money as a small step has been taken to achieve a weight loss goal

However in the case of the Jenny Craig Weight Loss program it does rather feel as though you are part of a large corporation and are paying large corporation pricing.

Alternative Weight Loss Programs

Two of the better weight loss programs hail from the UK.

Gillian McKeith Interactive - A balanced weight loss plan from the queen of poo. Read more

Tesco Diet - a cost effective diet plan from the UK’s leading supermarket. Read more

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Cylaris is one of those products that has association with the dark side of the web. Cylaris along with the Viagra type products frequente our inboxes with alarming frequency.

The Cylaris promotional material is not shy when it comes to staking its claim. A clinical weight loss breakthrough and strongest diet pill ever are just two snippets from the official Cylaris website.

Dodgy promotional techniques aside - how does Cylaris stack up against the other weight loss products available to freely purchase.

What Is Cylaris

A weight loss formula that sits in its own category - a proprietary blend of ingredients that has a fair bias toward caffeine with some vitamins thrown in for good measure.

The ingredient that does stand out is Cissus Quadrangularis also known as veld grape. Veld grape is plant that is found in India and has been used by the population for centuries as a general health and well being supplement not specifically geared toward the slimmer or dieter.

The other ingredients that make up the Cylaris formula are Green Tea and Folic Acid

Side Effects Of Cylaris

The short or long term ramifications of taking Cylaris are largely unknown - however the possible side effects that could arise are.

• High Blood Pressure
• Anxiety
• Breathing Difficulties
• Seizures
• Irregular Heart Beat
• Allergic Reaction

These would be mainly due to the caffeine content within the formula.

Is Cylaris Effective - Does It Work

Or put another way - does Cylaris work for weight loss. The compound is vitamin and caffeine based, the official Cylaris website does state that many clinical trials have been performed and states that the findings were the result of an independent study. The results appear to have been undertaken in-house and have not much in terms of real unbiased clinical evidence.

Is Cylaris Recommended

Not Recommended

Alternative Diet Pills

Proactol - a non prescription fat binder that can stop the absorption of over a quarter of fat from being digested. More about Proactol

Xenical - a prescription only fat blocker that uses the same fat stopping methodology as Proactol. Xenical is a pharmaceutical weight loss medication. More about Xenical

Pure Hoodia - a natural appetite suppressant that can drastically reduce food cravings and stop binge eating - the number one cause for weight gain. More about Pure Hoodia

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Thermo Slim Extra is produced by Simply Natural and very much targeted to the UK dieter.

Thermo Slim Extra (plus metaboliser) is a natural herbal slimming supplement that raises the body’s metabolic rate (thermogenesis) whilst controlling and reducing appetite.

Whilst we are not in favour of combination slimming supplements that use more than one (or several) weight loss processes in one product, Thermo Slim seem to have an evenly balanced product

ThermoSlim contains a combination of minerals and herbs along with plant extracts which in conjunction break down the fat in the foods that we consume - so not entirely a fat burner

What Ingredients Are In Thermo Slim Extra

Three main ingredients with a dozen other than can described as filler ingredients

Pottassium Hydroxycitric acid, is the active ingredient extracted from the rind of  pumpkin-like fruit called Garcinia cambogia, from India and Southeast Asia. Slimming supplements and a wide variety of weight loss formulas, contain Garcinia extract to curb fat production and reduce appetite.

Chromium Amino Acid Chelate, Chromium is a key mineral used for slimming. After chromium enters our body , it combines with other elements to keep our metabolism tuned and efficient. It is Chelated for best absorption by our body.

Caffeine from Guarana Herb, Caffeine sourced from the Gurana plant serves as a gentle stimulant and is often added to weight loss products for effective weight loss.

Does Thermo Slim Cause Effects

Should not present any unwanted health issues if taken as prescribed.

Is Thermo Slim Extra Recommended

Not the strongest of slimming supplements it has to be said - more aimed towards boosting energy levels than weight loss.

Where To Buy Thermo Slim

Thermo Slim can be purchased online here

Other Slimming Pills To Consider

If you have a high BMI you may be eligible for a prescription only slimming tablet. Read about Xenical

Hoodia Gordonii is effective for reducing and suppressing appetite. More about Hoodia Gordonii

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Boots the chemist are broadening their range of slimming supplements with the latest being Apple Cider Tablets.

Apple cider  is a natural substance that seems to be beneficial to a whole host of human conditions and in particular, digestion and weight loss.

Apple cider shares in many ways to Aloe Vera in so much as it is completely natural compound and can aid human health in a variety of ways. More About Aloe Vera

Apple cider  has been used for medicinal purposes throughout the ages. The Babylonians first converted wine into vinegar 5000 years ago using date palms, grapes, and figs while believing vinegar had exceptional healing properties.

Apple Cider Tablets are a highly concentrated health formula that is combined with artichoke extract which can help maintain a healthy digestion.

Highly concentrated bio-available Apple Cider vinegar tablets combined with:

Artichoke Extract - May help maintain a healthy digestion.

Dandelion Extract -May help maintain normal body fluid balance.

Other ingredients include: Apple cider vinegar powder, stabilisers (cellulose), Cynara scolymus (globe artichoke), Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), anti-caking agent (vegetable magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide) Negligible energy, protein, carbohydrates and fat.

How To take Apple Cider Tablets

the best advice is to take 2 to 3 tablets at the beginning of the day with water.

Where To Buy Apple Cider Tablets

Available from Boots the Chemist

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