The Mediterranean diet is not a diet per se. It is different than other dieting routines in that it has more to do with eating healthy, fresh, non-processed foods versus depriving oneself of fat and calories. The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating the right types foods as well as the right intake of each food group. There are so many food choices that it keeps you engaged and won’t bore you down the road. Furthermore, you can easily go out to a restaurant and find these foods on the menu. The key is knowing the right intake and keeping it “fresh.”

The “diet” is not a short term program. Rather, it is a lifestyle change which benefits you for the rest of your life. The main components to this “diet” are:

-High Consumption of non refined carbohydrates which varies based on your level of physical activity
-High consumption of fresh fruits and veggies
-Moderate consumption of beans, legumes and nuts
-Moderate consumption of olive oil as a monounsaturated fat source
-Low to Moderate consumption of dairy, fish, poultry, eggs and sweets
-Lower consumption of red meat
-Moderate consumption of wine, preferably red wine
-Consistent daily physical activity and an active lifestyle is also crucial to this diet

Not only will you notice the weight loss, you will also have more energy and feel great. If you have other unhealthy habits, like smoking, you will find more motivation and liekly be more successful in kicking the habit since you are making postive and rewarding changes that you can see and feel. Other likely health benefits include a reduction in blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and reduced risk of heart disease…Truly it reduces your risk of developing a whole host of chronic diseases.

It is important to note that you must be mindful of portion sizes. Some of the foods in this diet are high in fat and even if it is the good kind of fat, it must be consumed in moderation. In America, we are obsessed with “super sizing” our meals which can counteract all the good that this diet does. So you will need to really focus on this guideline of the diet in order to be successful. Again, it is a lifestyle change.

The other benefit of adapting this lifestyle is that we will pass it on to our children who will learn to have healthy relationships with food and make better choices in their food consumption. This can help us turn around the childhood obesity epidemic, which is increasing the number of chronic illnesses in our kids.

I know that it’s actually for people who has recently undergone surgery but my reliance on my research ability and my understanding of the human body – I have a BS Biology degree, made me resort to this drastic dieting technique allowing myself to be my own guinea pig.

How did I fare with this water diet?

For one month I only drank water and ate fruits. NOT! I ate beef, chicken, and egg but only once a week. And, I coupled with 1-hour shadow boxing and freestyle dancing every morning. YES, every single morning of that one month.

And as I’ve expected I’ve lost about 10 pounds in just one month, which I know is not a healthy number of pounds lost. But that’s actually how much I’ve lost.

Aside from the exercise, I’ve gotten rid of my other activities to avoid overworking my body.

After stopping the liquid therapy diet plus shadow boxing and freestyle dancing, what else should I expect? I gained back some weight.

So what’s the moral lesson of my story? No it’s not that I totally recommend water fasting to help you in your weight loss endeavor, since it may not work for you, or worse it can do you more harm than good. Since as taught my the experts, weight management is not a standardized process.

However, I’ve learned that definitely water can help one lose weight because aside from that experience, although it has turned into a yo-yo dieting thing, it still helped me lose weight without too much side effects as opposed to the other weight loss activities I did, which I’ll discuss some other time.

This is also the time to inform you on what may cause the wonder on how water helps one to lose weight. According to Peter Lindner’s Fat, Water Retention and You, when your water intake is too meager (below eight cups a day), aldosterone, a hormone that causes the body to hold on to every molecule of water and sodium it can will be secreted. This causes water retention, which is one source of weight gain.

Also, many mistake thirst for hunger. If you find yourself feeling pangs of hunger, try drinking water first. Weight management experts say that if it still doesn’t water down your cravings, then that’s the time you eat some healthy solid food.

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- Oat straw has long been used to curb addictions, and in the past, it was used for alcoholics, drug addicts, and heroin smokers. If you treat overeating as an addiction, then oat straw could probably help. Oat straw, however, should be taken in low doses, as it has not yet been studied extensively.

-Bodybuilders often use Cordyceps, a Chinese herb, to help them gain energy. Dieters use Cordyceps to increase energy for exercise, which can then lead to more lost weight. However, this property of Cordyceps can also make it dangerous to people with heart conditions.

- Ginseng is found in many health supplements, and can help counter weakness and fatigue. This allows you to exercise regularly and increase the frequency of exercise that you do. However, ginseng is also linked to increased blood pressure.

These are only a few herbs that can probably help you lose weight, so before plunging into any herbal regimen, consult with your doctor and make sure that you get his or her approval before taking anything. Always couple your weight loss herbs with a good diet and exercise. In the end, your health is your greatest priority, so watch what you eat before thinking of losing anything in the process.

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