It might be true, but why stop at chicken wings. For my experiment I used the following guidelines for a man and woman:

Man:     30 years old     5 feet 11 inches     200 pounds

Woman:     30 years old     5 feet 4 inches     150 pounds

At these numbers and with very little daily activity or exercise, a man will burn about 2269 calories per day and a woman will burn about 1664 calories per day.

With these numbers in mind and the fact that a person has to burn about 3500 calories to lose 1 pound, I came up with a couple of gimmick diets that might amaze you.

The Burger King Whopper Diet (for men)

1 Burger King Whopper (no cheese) - 670 calories, 40 grams of fat, 48 grams of carbs

Eat a Whopper for breakfast, lunch and supper for a grand total of  2010 calories.

You will then lose 1 pound of weight roughly every 13.5 days without any effort at all.

The Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Diet (for women)

1 Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich - 440 calories, 25 grams of fat, 48 grams of carbs

Eat a Chicken Club Sandwich for breakfast, lunch and supper for a grand total of  1320 calories.

You will then lose 1 pound of weight roughly every 10.5 days without any effort at all.

You might see a pattern emerging, I’m picking foods that fall within a specific guideline that on the cover indicate a positive result but in reality we all know better (remember the documentary Super Size Me).

Each diet may meet the proper calorie goals you have set for yourself, but in reality you are taking in almost 3 times the daily fat recommendation for an average person and for people trying to lose weight you are taking in almost 3 times the daily carb recommendation.

Speaking of carbs, let’s look at the Atkins Diet.

One of my favorite snacks used to be Pepperettes, I have since banned this from my refrigerator.

The Schneider’s European Style Pepperette Diet

1 Schneider’s European Style Pepperette – 130 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs

It has been said that to be successful in the Atkins Diet, a person should aim for 20 – 60 grams of carbs per day which works out to 20 pepperettes exactly on the high end. While I’m meeting one criteria, I am absolutely destroying others to the tune of 2600 calories and 180 grams of fat. In other words, the 30 year old man listed above would be gaining 1 pound every 10.5 days and taking in over 3 times the daily fat recommendation.

I’m sure by now that everyone is thinking there must be a point to this blog, especially since I am destroying every gimmick diet that I can think up. Well there is a reason and that is for everyone to make sure that they are utilizing a diet that has balance. Eventually, everything will always come down to calories but fat and carbs to name only a few are very important factors as well.

Somebody doing the Atkins Diet might be looking at the Schneider’s Pepperettes and thinking, “only 3 grams of carbs per stick! That’s perfect!”. They aren’t looking at the whole picture though.

Everyone needs to be careful about what they are putting into their bodies and make sure you educate yourself on some of the other nutritional information that is provided on food labels.

Most gimmick diets are overloading you on one item because it is a shortcut and this is why people are often unsuccessful in losing and then keeping off the weight.

The most important thing to remember is that too much of anything is NOT good for you.

Physically, I use mine on occassion, definitely not everyday, and I burn about 250 – 300 calories in a 20-25 minute range depending on the incline and speed levels.

Mentally, however, I use my treadmill every day. How do you use a treadmill mentally you say? It’s pretty easy actually.

Over the course of one’s life there are many indulgences and mine used to be Starbucks. A tall caramel macchiato in the morning sure got my engine running but it also cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 calories at a time.

Now if you are one of those people who have a Starbucks weakness, try running on the treadmill for 15 minutes before you go and fork over a fistfull of cash for your specialty coffee. Make sure to make a note of how many calories you burned in that treadmill session and then before you head over to Starbucks ask yourself if it is really worth it to almost nearly cancel out all the effort you just put in on the treadmill. Some might say that they are simply breaking even, 200 calories burned against 200 calories gained, and that might be fine if you are someone who is in decent shape.

The simple psychology behind what I’m saying is that you must recognize how hard you have to work to burn off the calories of something that is so easy to eat or drink. For me, giving up Starbucks was almost the equivalent of running on a treadmill for 15 minutes a day, without the cardio benefits of course. Now when I do run on the treadmill, it is actually a bonus calorie loss for me as opposed to those I mentioned above who prefer to break even in calories. There is a big difference in the approaches, one is losing weight and the other is maintaining weight.

If you are happy with your current health, then by all means continue breaking even and hope that your indulgences don’t soon increase and get the best of you. But if you are here reading this now, then at some point you must have searched for diet advice and losing weight is on your agenda.

Simply put, it is a numbers game.

On days where I don’t feel like doing a treadmill run, I’m appreciative of the fact that I was able to give up my daily ritual of a caramel macchiato. I lost nearly the equivalent calories by not adding them into my system in the first place.

Try a few runs and you’ll see what I mean. Even if you don’t eliminate your indulgence immediately, keep up with the running. Eventually you will get tired of cancelling out all your hard work. Don’t worry if you do break your indulgence and have an occassional relapse later, just make a promise to yourself to work extra hard on the treadmill those days to ensure that you more than cancel out those calories.

This is my first post in quite a while and the reason is because this site was getting very little traffic and it was basically a hobby for me. I started getting very busy in my every day life and before I knew it I was spending less and less time here.

However, a funny thing happened along the way. This site started producing visitors in my absence and I am getting a lot of hits every day.

So, with some new found enthusiasm and a new web host, I decided to take advantage and begin the first steps of a re-launch. This will be an active re-launch meaning that you will be able to access the site and blogs while I rework everything. The reason for this is because I want to be able to provide very good information here in helping people with their diets. So I want this info to be available all the time no matter what.

I will repost my previous blog entries very soon as I believe these were the reasons for the traffic increase over the past couple of years.

Also, I want everyone to remember that although the name of the site may suggest a fast method in losing weight, that is not the purpose here.

The quicker you lose weight, the quicker you will put it back on. When this happens it means that you are usually fluctuating in weight over short periods of time and this is very bad for your health.

Losing weight slowly and steadily is the healthiest method and requires the biggest committment. The more work you put into losing weight, the longer it will take to gain it back, IF you ever gain it back at all.

Thanks again for visiting and keep coming back to see new posts and better upgrades to the site.

The funny thing about the human body is that when it is starved for food it will take whatever you eat and immediately store it as fat. Skipping breakfast probably doesn’t sound like a good solution now does it?

The key to a healthy diet is having a nice breakfast to kickstart your day. Myself, I try to have a bigger breakfast so I can spend most of the day burning it off. This allows me to have a medium sized lunch and supper. I also like to have carbs for breakfast because it boosts my metabolism into higher gear. Now if you head out to an IHOP and load up on pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon and hashbrowns then that’s a different story. Have just enough to get you half way through your morning (until mid morning snack time) or all the way through your morning (until lunch time).

Another key for me is that I like to eat within 20 minutes of waking up mainly because at that point it has been 8 – 10 hours since I’ve last eaten. I get the energy I need right away rather than dragging my feet around for an hour or two before I eat. It also gets me in ‘task’ mode which means I’m ready to start getting things done that day because I have already completed one task in having a healthy breakfast. If I don’t have breakfast, then I find I sit around longer doing nothing.

All in all, I can’t see any reasoning that suggests having breakfast first thing in the morning is a bad thing. Try to make a point of eating right away when you wake up and after a few weeks it just becomes a habit. Make sure you also have the appropriate foods in your refrigerator or pantry to sustain having a healthy breakfast long term. Without that, you will eventually fall out of the routine and continue to struggle with weight issues.

After just 4 hours of not eating, your blood sugar level will drop and your cravings will be on the rise. So your next move is to the fridge to load up on whatever sugar and starch you can get your hands on. Why sugar and starch? Because people with low blood sugar will crave this the most and because you are absorbing all these carbohydrates, your blood sugar level will receive a quick boost. The only problem is that quickly rising blood sugar will cause your body to react and release a flood of insulin which not only tries to lower your blood sugar but will store anything you eat as fat, no matter what you are eating.

Are you ready for the scary part? Insulin tends to overshoot which means you will be experiencing low blood sugar again. That means another trip to the fridge to continue this vicious cycle. The only way to curtail this is to avoid the carbs which means avoiding soda, ice cream, chips, cookies or any other foods with added sugar. In the starch category you will want to limit your intake of pasta, bread and any other flour-based foods.

From this, you can see why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. By the time you wake up in the morning, you will have gone at least 7 hours without food. Do not let your body wait until lunch to get what it needs.

Below are some tips on how to control your cravings.

EAT REGULARLY
If you try to eat every 3 hours, this will keep your blood sugar levels consisten throughout the day and allow you to eat smaller meals without becoming hungry.

EAT PROTEIN
This will slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and help to prevent spikes in your blood sugar level. In other words, no cravings and no flood of insulin released from your pancreas.

EAT WHOLE GRAIN
If you eat carbs, then make sure it is 100% whole grain. Whole grains contain fiber which reduces the carbohydrate effect on your blood sugar.

Do you want to curb how much you indulge? Then use the following tips to help.

The Temptation
You have a function to attend to and lots of food will be served (ie. Christmas Party, Birthday Party, BBQ, etc)
The Fix
Curb your appetite for destruction by having a healthy snack prior to attending the gathering. Have some fruit and drink lots of water as this will tend to fill you up the most.
The Result
When you arrive at the function, you will be inclined to eat less as your appetite will not be in full force. And since you won’t be in starvation mode either, you will likely be more selective and make the healthier choices. If you went on an empty stomach you may be more inclined to binge on any kind of food to quench your appetite.

The Temptation
Your best friend calls you up on Saturday and wants to hit the bar scene
The Fix
Stay clear of the beer unless it is the low carb version. If low carb beer isn’t your thing then opt for a Screwdriver (1/2 cup OJ, 1 1/2 oz. Vodka) as it is packed with Vitamin C as well as low in fat and calories. Another alternative, try a Bloody Mary (1/2 cup tomato juice, 1 oz. Vodka, dashes of Worcestershire, Tabasco, Salt and Pepper and add a celery stalk). This is low fat and filled with vitamins and antioxidants.
The Result
Your calorie intake will be cut down to a third of what you would normally have and your vitamin intake will increase dramatically. If you eat the celery stalks in your Bloody Marys then you might be less inclined to go out for fast food after last call.

The Temptation
It’s the weekend, time to go grocery shopping as supplies are getting short.
The Fix
Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Everything will look good and you will make unhealthy choices. Try to go shortly after breakfast, lunch or supper.
The Result
Your decision making will be a lot healthier and mentally you will not be looking for junk food which is normally a quick fix for hunger. Take this opportunity to get the ingredients for your healthy alcoholic beverage selection also.

The Temptation
You don’t feel like making supper, time to order the pizza.
The Fix
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you should never ever order pizza again. As a matter of fact, if ordered properly you can cover all 4 major food groups in one slice. They key is not to over-order. Everyone always has left over pizza which likely means they over indulged. Try under-ordering next time and order a side salad which is usually an option. You could also just make your own salad and a few other healthier side options.
The Result
You will find yourself eating half the pizza you would normally eat and there won’t be any tempting left overs in the fridge the next day. The other great thing is that you have had your pizza fix to hold you over for a while and with no major damage done to your diet.

Someone once said, “most powerful is he who has himself in his own power”. This can apply to women also as long as all the male references are completely removed. For instance, it shouldn’t read “most powerful is she who has him in her own power”. You know what I mean.

Getting back on track here, basically this means that you have to have control over yourself. When you decide to skip breakfast to avoid calories and then head out to McDonald’s for a double Big Mac at lunch, then this is not self control. Self control is having a slice of whole wheat toast, a stick of cheese, half a grapefuit and a glass of orange juice for breakfast. Then for a snack before lunch, have some raisins or nuts. At lunch, head out for a nice salad with grilled chicken breast or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with a small touch of mayo. Putting it clearly, eat often in small portions. Keep your body in constant motion by never letting yourself starve and never letting yourself get too full.

You may have heard people say that you should have six meals a day, well that might be misleading a little. I would call it 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) and 3 snacks (brunch, lupper, prime time). Okay, now you think I’m crazy but seriously, you should find some healthly snacks that are low in calories and high in nutrients. Use these in between the major meals of the day. ’Brunch’ is between breakfast and lunch, ‘Lupper’ is between lunch and supper, and finally ‘Prime Time’ is a reminder that when you are watching TV and your shows are starting (around 8pm – 9pm), that this is your last chance before sleep to get a healthy snack in. Keep in mind, the snacks should never consist of anything that is calorie heavy, that means no scoop of ice cream and no slice of pizza.

If you can follow these guidelines and insert the proper food into each of the 3 meals and 3 snack times, this will help you avoid the cravings for items such as Big Macs, Whoppers, Tacos, etc. The other great benefit is that you are keeping yourself fueled all day consistently rather than having a big breakfast then tiring out before lunch, eating a big lunch then tiring out before supper, etc.

The only hard part is finding the right snacks. Once you know what they are, go get them and have them on hand. After that, it is a piece of cake. No pun intended.

South Beach Diet.

The 3 Day Diet.

The Zone.

The list goes on and on and on.

Unfortunately, so does your search for a diet that works if these are the ones you have been trying. If you are searching for a ‘3 day’ diet or even a ‘30 day diet’, the result is inevitable and you will be disappointed. The cold hard truth is that losing weight by means of exercise and healthier eating is a way of life. It isn’t something that you can achieve over a short period of time, it needs to be maintained and it needs to be done your way so that you can stick with it long term.

Now remember the key to what I just said and it is the number one rule: This is a way of life, this is a way of your life.

Now, if someone comes up to you and tells you exactly how they lost 50 pounds in 3 months, then take the advice. All the diets I mentioned at the beginning of this article, they all have valid concepts. The catch is to pick and choose which points of all these diets that you strongly believe you can stick with and integrate into your life the easiest. Customize the information you research into your very own diet. This will be the best diet you can ever possibly try.

Now, don’t let me fool you into thinking this will be easy. There will be some easy parts and there will be some difficult parts. The way you fight through the difficult parts will show exactly what kind of character and determination you have. There needs to be some motivation to help you through these times otherwise the effort will fade and again you will be disappointed. However, our number one rule applies here as well. The motivation you seek needs to be your motivation, not someone else’s idea of motivation. Again, this helps ensure that you stick with what you are trying.

Now, to get to some info that hopefully can help you get started in the right direction. Try different foods, see which ones make a difference. I can name a million things you should be eating that are healthy but like I said before, this would be me forcing my diet onto you. It needs to be your picks. Remember, low carb diets work but may not necessarily be the healthiest. What it all comes down to in the end is calories. You burn so many per day, so you can only eat so many. Figure this out, figure out your favorite foods that fall into what you want to accomplish and start making it happen.

Also, exercise is an important factor. It doesn’t matter what you do for exercise, do something. Don’t cheat yourself by walking for 20 minutes if you are far more capable of more. Again, this goes towards your character and determination. Give yourself 20 minutes a day for exercise and I mean every single day. Make it a habit and trust me, you will feel better and you will be motivated to eat better so you don’t waste that 20 minute a day effort.

Cheating. It happens. But it doesn’t have to cost you. If you are going to let yourself slip and have a bad eating day on the odd occassion, then don’t fight it and just let it happen. The catch is that in return, you are now going to step up your exercise time for that day. Nothing is free and neither is this. And don’t let the cheating be spur of the moment because then at the spur of the moment you may bail on the exercise. Plan it out and be devious. Pick one day every 2 weeks to exercise hard for a whole hour, then treat yourself within reason. Your body won’t bail on you and as you get healthier it will even respond harder to help you recover from those cheat days.

One last key before I leave you to your diet customizing, always eat in moderation. Don’t overdue it and know your limitations. Don’t eat out of boredom and try to only eat when you are hungry. It sounds funny but it isn’t, because if you are reading this then it means you must have searched for help in which case what I’m saying right now is probably hitting home pretty hard.

Good Luck.