The F.A.S.T. Diet

Dieting is hard. Some diets are just so restrictive that they set us up for failure. Others are more reasonable, but making the lifestyle changes that are necessary to lose weight is no small task. We need lots of support to keep us motivated and see us through the tough times if we are to succeed.

Many weight loss programs are designed around this concept. Programs such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig organize weekly meetings where members can weigh in, socialize and get advice and support. But aside from those meetings, they are usually on their own. The F.A.S.T. Diet was designed to eliminate this problem.

Tony Dean came up with the idea for the F.A.S.T. Diet when he became determined to help his own family get into shape. He organized the family into two-person teams, and teammates provided support and accountability to one another. He developed nutrition and exercise plans based on each individual’s needs and arranged for personal trainers. Within a year, the family had lost a total of 500 pounds. Dean realized that he was onto something, so he wrote a book and started helping other groups set up similar programs.

How It Works

The diet and exercise plans in the F.A.S.T. Diet are not particularly unique. They involve tailoring calorie and nutritional needs to each participant and designing a workout routine that can be built upon each day. Dieters are asked to record everything they eat and drink, as well as their exercise numbers. This helps hold them accountable and assists in identifying problems that could hinder weight loss.

The diet component of the plan takes a rather old-school approach. Participants must calculate their basal metabolic rate (BMR) to figure out how many calories they must limit themselves to each day. They are also given a number of fat, protein and carbohydrate grams that they must not exceed. While tracking calories and nutrients is a lot of work, the good news is that there are no forbidden foods.

The exercise plan consists of a 30- to 60-minute workout each day. Participants may work out at the gym or on home fitness equipment, but it’s not necessary. Exercises that require no equipment such and walking can provide comparable results.

Personalized Support

In addition to writing The F.A.S.T. Diet and traveling to help large groups lose weight, Dean has set up an online diet and fitness plan. Members get one-on-one training and support, informative and motivational e-mails and phone calls and tools to help maintain their weight loss. Membership is more expensive than most online diet plans, but it also includes a much higher level of personal support.

The F.A.S.T. Diet is far from a quick fix, but it utilizes the support of close friends and family members to increase everyone’s chance at success. There’s just something about being accountable to a partner and a group that prevents failure from being an option. So if you and your family need to lose weight, the F.A.S.T. Diet could be just what you need.

The Step Diet

A common complaint about diets is that they’re just too complicated. Some diets forbid a long list of foods, others only allow a short list, and many require counting of every single calorie. It’s no wonder that people find them so hard to stick to.

For those of us who are tired of diets that leave us scratching our heads, there’s the Step Diet. It is based on a very simple principle: the more steps one takes in a day, the more calories he burns. By walking 10,000 steps each day, we can lose weight without a great deal of effort.

The rules of the Step Diet are laid out in a book of the same name by James O. Hill, Ph.D. Readers are asked to increase their daily number of steps by five hundred each week for 12 weeks. It even comes with a pedometer. The steps taken each day, at-rest calories burned and activity calories burned are converted into “MegaSteps,” and the dieter must work toward a daily goal of these MegaSteps.

The Step Diet is great for those who enjoy walking or can’t find the time to do other types of exercise, but is also flexible for those who prefer different activities. The book provides conversion charts for a number of activities, so they may be substituted for a certain number of steps.

Although it’s called a diet, the Step Diet really doesn’t require a great deal of change in what we eat. It simply recommends that we cut our food intake by 25 percent. This way we can eat the foods we love and still lose weight.

Cutting food intake by 25 percent could be achieved by counting calories, but if you use the simple rules of thumb provided in The Step Diet, that won’t be necessary. Instead, you prepare the food and put it on your plate as usual, but stop eating when one-quarter of it is left on your plate. At buffets, dieters are encouraged to never eat a portion larger than their fists.

In addition to eating less at each meal and becoming more active, most dieters need to address problems with their eating habits. This is addressed during the first week of the Step Diet program. In order to be successful, the dieter must become aware of problem areas and eat mindfully to avoid them.

The Step Diet even allows for a little splurging. If you burn extra calories on a given day, you are allowed to treat yourself to food that has the same number of calories. Since there are no forbidden foods, you can eat brownies, ice cream or anything else you like as long as you work it off.

If you hate diets, the Step Diet could be the weight loss plan you’ve been dreaming of. It’s one of the simplest diets out there, and it doesn’t require you to slave away at the gym. By making minor modifications to your diet and working more steps into your day, you can be well on your way to a slimmer and healthier body.

Couch to 5k Exercise Plan

It’s no secret that running is a highly beneficial form of exercise. It provides a great workout for weight loss, toning and cardiac health. But many of us can’t run across the front yard without getting winded. This often leads to the mistaken belief that we just can’t be successful runners.

The truth is, almost anyone who can walk can run for exercise. Those of us who are out of shape just need to build up slowly but steadily. Too many people try to run long distances at top speed when starting out, and that only leaves them out of breath and makes them more susceptible to injury. A better approach is found in the Couch to 5k exercise plan.

How Couch to 5k Works

Couch to 5k is designed with couch potatoes in mind. It starts us out at a slow pace, at first doing more walking than jogging. They work out at the same level for a week, then add a little more jogging to the workout. If the program is followed, one will be running 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) or 30 minutes after two months.

The Couch to 5k program is easy enough for anyone to follow. It only requires working out for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week. Each level begins with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, and progresses as follows:

* Week 1 – Alternate 1 minute of jogging and 1 1/2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

* Week 2 – Alternate 1 1/2 minutes of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

* Week 3 – Jog 200 yards (or 1 1/2 minutes), walk 200 yards (or 1 1/2 minutes), jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), and walk 400 yards (or 3 minutes). Repeat.

* Week 4 – Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), walk 1/8 mile (or 1 1/2 minutes), jog 1/2 mile or 5 minutes), walk 1/4 mile (or 2 1/2 minutes), jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), walk 1/8 mile (or 1 1/2 minutes), and jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes).

* Week 5 – Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes).

* Week 6 – Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes), walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), and jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes).

* Week 7 – Jog 2 1/2 miles (or 25 minutes).

* Week 8 – Jog 2 3/4 miles (or 28 minutes).

* Week 9 – Jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

Couch to 5k provides a way for even the most experienced couch potato to get fit. It requires no classes or special skills, just a pair of running shoes and some motivation. And by the time you reach your goal, chances are you’ll be ready to come up with all new fitness challenges for yourself.

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