Alternative diet plans. Are they really worth the effort? This article is aimed at giving you the skinny on just that topic. Some of us need structure to succeed at weight loss and most of these plans aim just for that.

Alternative Diet Plan – Weight Watchers

It is the ultimate brand name in structured, weight loss-oriented diets. Weight Watchers has been around since the 1960s, and boasts a legion of enthusiastic followers. The program is based on a points system. Every food is allotted a certain number of points, and you’re allowed to eat a certain number of points a day. It is quite similar to counting calories, but with a simpler method. When following this system to achieve a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories a day, you’ll lose two pounds a week if you are faithful and stick with tracking your points. No foods are off-limits, and the Weight Watchers website catalogs 40,000 foods with their point values (no points for fiber-loaded fruits and veggies, high points for things like candy).

The biggest benefit of Weight Watchers is the support network that encourages members to attend in-person meetings a few times a month. Of course this is how the company makes money. A monthly pass to attend unlimited in-person meetings is $39.95, which also includes access to their eTools, or you can pay as you go. Meetings are $12 – $15 per week, with a one-time $20 registration fee. To only follow the meetings online, a three-month plan is $65. Weight Watchers teaches their participants how to choose between nutritionally dense foods and those with little value. This is a long-term lesson that can stick with you, should you decide to leave the program. Exercise is encouraged, plus you get bonus points (that allow you to eat more) for enough activity.

Alternative Diet Plan – Jenny Craig

This definitely falls closer to “structured diet” than “alternative diet plan.” Jenny Craig is the easiest plan to follow. They send you a personalized meal and exercise plan, and assign a consultant to you for weekly one-on-one counseling sessions. While it’s easy to use, Jenny Craig can also be your most expensive dieting option. It’s a few hundred dollars for the initial registration fee, and each week of prepackaged meals costs $100 or more. However, you get half of your registration fee back if you stay within five pounds of your goal weight for one year, giving you a financial incentive. The portions are small, and some argue that Jenny Craig does all the thinking for you.

Alternative Diet Plan – The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet has gained a lot of traction in the last few years as Americans have begun to yearn for the simpler lifestyle once lead by the caveman. It’s an easy leap: processed foods and carb-obsessed eating patterns weren’t things that the cave dwellers had access to. Paleo Diet-enthusiasts say we should get back to our roots; if a caveman didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either. No more refined sugar, dairy, legumes, or grains; your entire plate should be filled with meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. The diet hasn’t been deeply researched, it’s extremely restrictive, and health experts generally discourage eating so much red meat. Though there’s no set exercise plan, Paleo dieters are encouraged to move as much as their hunter-gatherer ancestors.

Whatever plan you choose, consistency is the key to all of them. Have you tried any of these? If so, let us know in the comments how you did.

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Working out may increase your appetite for various foods but knowing when to eat and what to eat is crucial to your health goals. Nutrient timing is a scientific approach to ensure that your body gets the right nutrients at the right time of the day. There are three phases of nutrient timing. Each requires specific nutrient intake according to the workout phases. The three nutrient timing phases are the Energy Phase, Anabolic Phase, and Growth Phase.

The Three Stages of Nutrient Timing

The Energy Phase

The first stage is the Energy Phase which is just before and during the workout. During this time, most of your body is breaking down fuel. Most of your muscle glycogen (the body’s primary fuel) and insulin (blood sugar) is depleted. When you lack these nutrients during the energy phase, you might experience muscle weakness, fatigue, inability to produce more force or to complete more strenuous exercises.

The nutrients you need for the energy phase are proteins and carbohydrates. Pre-exercise intake of a protein-carbs combo is known to aid muscle recovery after exercises. Especially if your aim is muscle gain instead of fat loss, taking more carbs in the middle of your workouts is important.

The Anabolic Phase

The Anabolic Phase is the second stage. This happens within 45 minutes after your workout. During this time, your body is repairing and decreasing inflammation. Within 45 minutes post-exercise, the anabolic (building up) phase requires more carbs. This is to help your body cells absorb more glucose. The process also speeds up the recovery of your muscle glycogen.

You will not get the same favorable results when your carb intake happens 2-4 hours later. Nutrient timing maximizes the results of your workout and yields increased muscle endurance and strength during the anabolic phase.

The Growth Phase

The last phase is the Growth Phase which happens 18-20 hours post-exercise. The goal at this stage is to continue replenishing the muscle glycogen and to maintain the building up process. It is advised to have high-glycemic carbs intake during the remainder of the day up to 2 hours before going to bed.

Higher levels of carbohydrate and protein intake during the growth phase stimulates protein synthesis and glycogen storage. Another great benefit is the release of more serotonin for a more restful night.

Supplement Guides for Nutrient Timing

For the Energy Phase, you need a 4:1 carbohydrate-protein drink. Supplement your drink with leucine, vitamins C and E, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

For the Anabolic Phase, a 3:1 carbo-protein drink is what you need. Add leucine, vitamins C and E, and glutamine to your drink.

During the first 4 hours of the Growth Phase, you need to take in a 1:5 carbo-protein drink. Snacks like sports drink and energy bar, oatmeal and raisins, whole-grain toast and peanut butter, and nuts and apple are recommended.

Your diet for the rest of the day should include complex carbohydrates with less saturated fats. Examples are eggs, chicken, nuts, seafood, beans, and lean beef.

If you want your workouts to work for you, you need to work on your nutrient timing.

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The Keto diet is founded on the body’s natural ability to consume stored fats to fuel it in the absence of glucose. When there’s insufficient amount of carbohydrates in the body, blood sugar level drops and the body enters a state of ketosis. The body then produces components called “ketones” which come from fats broken down in the liver. The goal of the keto diet is to force the body to use this alternative energy source to improve fat loss.

Keto Diet Meal Plan

A typical keto diet meal requires food with low amounts of sugar, protein, and carbohydrates. With that, you should avoid sweet and starchy foods if you plan to pursue this diet plan.

Avoid consuming food with lots of carbs. The ideal amount you should consume per day is around 20g max. Pasta, potatoes, rice, and even bread – all of these are starchy and carry large amounts of carbohydrates which don’t contribute in any way to fat loss. The consumption of processed foods is also strongly discouraged in the diet.

Tea, coffee, and water are all allowed as long as you avoid putting in sweeteners or drinking sweetened versions of these beverages. Wine can also be consumed but in occasional amounts only.

There’s no cheat day on a keto diet. Taking a break from your diet can ruin the things you’ve built up for the last couple of weeks. When you take a break, your body will have to reset before it gets back to the state of ketosis which you don’t want to happen.

Below is a sample keto diet plan to get a good view of what you can eat.

You can see that we have planned this diet to be lower in red meat, but you do want as much protein as you can eat.

Keto diet requires long-term commitment to achieve its full effect. You can start with a 14-day or 30-day diet plan to prepare yourself for the long haul.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Since you’re limiting the consumption of sugary and starchy foods, it may cross your mind that you’re missing important nutrients your body needs. A carefully planned keto diet ensures every nutrient the body needs – potassium, sodium, protein, and other vitamins – are incorporated into your daily meals. Seek the help of your dietician to help determine the food and the amount you need to consume to keep a healthy balanced diet. Nutrient supplements are sometimes given by dieticians to fix imbalances.

There are, however, some temporary side effects which you may experience during the first few days of the diet. These are:

• Muscle cramping
• Temporary hair loss
• Palpitations
• Reduced physical ability

You’ll eventually recover from these in a few days after your body adapts to using the new energy source you’re requiring it to utilize.

Conclusion

Many are attracted to the keto diet plan because it shows significant and rapid fat loss results in just a few days. Aside from that, the diet stabilizes the blood sugar levels and it can improve your eating habits. However, it requires intense discipline to enable you to push through this long-term diet plan.

If you’re prepared to change your eating habits to achieve a healthy and lean body, the keto diet plan may be the appropriate option for you.

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My thoughts on losing weight are that it isn't easy, but it isn't rocket science either. I have written many articles on fat loss and the strategy is the same here. Consistency in the kitchen is the key here. You have to focus on changing your habits and then keeping consistent with your new habits.

Meal Planning

If you are focused on losing weight you must plan your meals. So many people complain about calorie counting because they skip the meal planning step. Meal planning makes it so your food is ready and your calories are already counted. That's right! When you meal prep you are also taking care of calorie counting. Think that through.

During meal prep you determine how much food to prepare and what food to prepare. That delivers a calorie count for you. Meal planning also helps you stick to your nutrition plan. You are less likely to binge eat if you have prepared your meals in advance. Think about how amazing it would be to just go to your refrigerator before work each morning and grab the meals for that day!

Goals

You need to have goals in order to determine the right mix of foods to eat. There are some guidelines that just work and those are where you should begin your journey. Set your goals so that you are eating 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fat. For a 2000 calorie diet that would mean 200 grams of protein and carbs and 45 grams of fat. Yes, you need fat to lose weight. Do your best to hit these macro goals and losing weight will become second nature.

Variety

Some people like variety while others do not care. I personally think keeping your eating regimen the same each day is the safest way to go. You know what you are putting into your body daily. It has to work. There are no variables. When you change things up too much with eating, the food profile changes and that changes how your body responds. I prefer to keep things the same with what I know works. Other people like variety when losing weight. I caution those people to be careful with their food choices. I suggest they examine what they are eating and make sure the food profile fits their goals.

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