According to MayoClinic.com, the key to finding a successful weight loss program is to take your personal goals, lifestyle and preferences into account. If you are seeking a short-term jump-start into sustainable life changes for lasting weight loss, a beach body diet might be a good choice. A number of weight loss programs claim to be beach body diet plans that can get you thin quickly, in time for an embarrassment-free appearance on the beach. While all the programs differ in some respects--for instance, some recommend dietary supplements that proponents claim can enhance your body's capacity to burn fat--all share a few key principles and suggested foods. Beach body diet programs have a number of advantages, but critics point out that these diets also share many disadvantages.
Aspects
All beach body diet plans are based on several basic principles. You are encouraged to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day; eat a high-protein food at every meal; eat carbohydrates with breakfast and lunch but none with dinner; keep your portion sizes small; eat slowly; include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in your meals; exercise daily for at least 30 to 40 minutes. When on the diet, you are strongly encouraged to never skip a meal and to avoid allowing yourself to eat more at one meal if you skipped or ate lightly at another meal. The Net Doctor website suggests that you imagine that your plate is divided into four equal portions to keep your meals balanced. Fill one-fourth of the plate with protein, one-fourth with carbohydrates and the remaining one-half with vegetables, fruits or salad.
Foods to Include
Choose low-fat sources of protein, such as chicken or turkey breast, tuna and other types of fish, lean cuts of beef, beans and egg whites. Focus on carbohydrates, such as whole grain breads and cereals and brown rice, that have a low glycemic index. Drink at least six glasses of water a day, including herbal teas, and try to consume a glass of unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice as a mid-morning snack.
Foods to Avoid
While on the beach body diet plan, avoid all baked goods made with sugar, including muffins, cookies or cakes, as well as any candies, sweets or ice cream. Do not eat at fast food restaurants and avoid all products made from white flour and processed meats such as salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, sausages and lunch meats. Although beach body diet plans don't forbid alcohol, they do recommend consuming no more than two drinks per week--equivalent to two glasses of wine, a pint of beer or two shots of hard alcohol--taken with food. Do not drink lattes or cappuccinos, and avoid all soda, coffee or tea. If you choose to drink coffee and tea, stop after two cups of unsugared black coffee or three cups of black tea.
Advantages
Nutrition expert Natalie Savona, in the "Beach Body Guide" published in the June 3, 2007, edition of the "Sunday Times," told the newspaper that the biggest advantage of following a beach body weight loss program is psychological. According to Savona, the plan's main purpose is to give dieters a pre-vacation boost of confidence by losing a few extra pounds. Supporters praise the diet for being based on sound nutritional principles. The foods recommended are low in sugar, high in fiber and emphasize eating a variety of foods from all the different food groups. In addition, following a beach body diet plan is simple, since no fat content measurements or calorie counts are required.
Disadvantages
Critics worry that people who follow beach body diet programs are not committed to making long-lasting lifestyle changes that can help them keep the weight off even after beach season is over. Additionally, dieters may place more emphasis on the eating rules of the plan and lax on the exercise. In this case, if they do stick to the plan, they will almost certainly lose weight, but they also run the risk of a flabby, thin, hardly beach-ready body at the end of their effort. Beach body diets are also extremely difficult to follow when eating out so they may not be suitable for all dieters.
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