The 7-Day Diet Plan for Weight Loss from 'The Biggest Loser

ust in case you need to hear this: You don't need to lose weight. Not to be happy. Not to fall in love. Not to get the job of your dreams. If you want to lose weight to get healthier? Great. Just know that body size isn't the end-all, be-all of determining your health. Feeling good and taking care of your body is the goal—and that can look like a lot of different things.

But if you want to make some healthy changes to your diet or if you want to lose some fat, committing to a diet plan can really help.

To help you get started, The Biggest Loser nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, R.D., designed this seven-day diet plan for weight loss, which is just like the one that helps the competitors slim down. With this easy-to-follow plan, you're sure to feel refreshed and lose weight (if you want to!) in no time. (Want a longer plan? Try the 30-Day Clean-ish Eating Challenge.

This is no deprivation diet: You'll eat three meals and two snacks daily, plus each dish packs a filling balance of 45 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 25 percent healthy fats. (More on that here: Everything to Know About Counting Your Macros) When it comes to drinks, Forberg recommends sticking to no- and low-cal picks like coffee, tea, and water.

And to accelerate weight loss and build a healthy and strong body, The Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper suggests doing 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise four times a week. (Also read this: How to Build Your Own Workout Routine for Weight Loss

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15 Tricks to Drop Up to 5 Pounds in a Week

1. Choose quality over quantity

If you expend more calories than you take in, you should lose weight," says Alicia Romano, RD, LDN, a clinical registered dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. But you don’t want to be so hyper focused on calories that you skip out on a wholesome diet, she says.

2. Track your diet.

First, remember that no food is inherently good or bad, Dr. Seltzer says. And if the idea of jotting down everything you eat in a day makes you feel guilty or anxious, just skip this entirely.

3. Focus on plants.

A 20-year study of more than 100,000 people, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found those who ate more whole grains instead of refined grains, incorporated more fruits and veggies than sweets, and preferred tea and coffee to sweetened drinks and juices, gained less weight long-term.

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How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science

That said, many diet plans leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied. These are major reasons why you might find it hard to stick to a diet.

However, not all diets have this effect. Low carb diets are effective for weight loss and may be easier to stick to than other diets.

1. Cut back on carbs

The most important part is to cut back on sugars and starches, or carbohydrates.

When you do that, your hunger levels go down, and you generally end up eating significantly fewer calories (1).

Instead of burning carbs for energy, your body now starts burning stored fat for energy.

Another benefit of cutting carbs is that it lowers insulin levels, causing the kidneys to shed excess sodium and water. This reduces bloating and unnecessary water weight (2, 3Trusted Source).

According to some dietitians, it’s not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) — sometimes more — in the first week of eating this way. This weight loss includes both body fat and water weight.

2. Eat protein, fat, and vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, fat source, and low carb vegetables.

As a general rule, try eating two to three meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a fourth meal.

Constructing your meals in this way should bring your carb intake down to around 20–50 grams per day.

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Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids are so Essential to our Health

The long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in the greatest abundance in fish and fish oil but also in some other foods as well, play a key role as components of cellular membranes. During the regular aging process, cell membranes become much more rigid. This can adversely effect the function of tissues throughout the body, including the brain.

Perhaps the top asset to the brain of them all is DHA, the principal polyunsaturated fat in the central nervous system. DHA is appears to have a very direct effect on brain chemistry, development and functioning. DHA is essential for both kids and adults, but DHA is as vital to a kid's diet as sitcoms are to prime time television. The top source of omega-3 fatty acids of them all is cold-water fish and fish oils, but omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in varying quantities in other foods such as certain vegetable oils walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, flaxseed and also eggs.

The bottom line is, Omega-3 fatty acids appear to protect the brain, which is why many physicians recommend taking an omega-3 supplement, usually fish oil because of it's high concentration of readily absorbed dha and epa (flax and other sources have to be converted in the body instead of being directly assimilated).

Even our President and Governer Shwarzenagger take omega-3 supplements. There have been a considerable amount of clinical research studies conducted related to the benefits of omega-3 dietary supplements (especially fish oil) in certain inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in people, including but not limited to arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and heart disease. This research goes back to 1970's Greenland and beyond. Some if not most of the placebo trials of fish oil in inflammatory conditions show substantial benefits such as for example a lessened disease activity and a lower overall requirement of various anti-inflammatory drugs.

The Number 1 Way For Obese People To Lose The Fat

The number one way for obese people to lose fat is the exact same for those that are only 20 pounds overweight. Strength training is the best way to cut through fat and burn through calories. There's no difference between strength training for the obese and strength training for everyone else.

When we strength train, we add lean muscle mass to our body. This lean muscle mass burns through 35-50 calories per pound of muscle every single day. Let's take a look at that number from a different point of view. If we have 5 pounds of lean muscle, that muscle will burn about 250 calories a day. Here comes the fun part. If we have 10 pounds of lean muscle mass, then our muscles burn about 500 calories a day. Hopefully you can see why adding lean muscle is the best way to lose fat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that we are obese if we have a BMI (body mass index) of 30.0 or greater. Being obese is not healthy. It leads to a host of diseases and illnesses. I'm almost positive you already knew that.

Obese and over weight people can use functional exercises to begin changing their health. Exercises like squats and bicep curls will help strengthen the muscles we use in everyday movements. Often these movements are difficult for obese people. Keep up your workout routine and you'll notice that getting in and out of the car, walking to the mailbox, going upstairs and simply lifting heavy boxes will all become less of a hassle.

The Obesity Solution Secret: How to Eat To Lose Fat

I used to interview elite bodybuilders on their training and eating for a living and did this for years and years. One reoccurring theme that kept popping up when talk turned to diet/nutrition was how much food top bodybuilders packed away on a daily basis. These men taught their bodies how to handle continually greater amounts of calories without becoming fat. Contrast this with the typical obese person who eats one meal a day and adds body fat at the drop of a hat. I am working with a crew of obese folks and having great success using modified bodybuilder eating tactics to help the obese lose body fat.

The first order of business for the obese is to establish a multiple meal schedule. The obvious advantage to this strategy is it divides the daily calories in smaller chunks. I require the obese person to eat every three hours and this usually works out to five feedings a day. Secondly we insist they clean up the food selections. Some foods are easily converted into body fat (sugar foods, manmade foods and saturated fat) and some foods are near impossible for the body to convert into fat (lean protein, fibrous carbohydrates). The body's metabolism kicks into high gear to digest protein and fiber - creates what is called the thermogenic effect of food. Body temperature actually increases when the digestive system is faced with the daunting task of breaking down hard to digest protein and fiber.

Multiple meals allow the body to deal with fewer calories at any one sitting and the repeated practice of eating 5-6 meals a day teaches the body to become adept at digesting and distributing food. Better to eat 3,000 "clean" calories a day divided into six five hundred-calorie daily meals than one 1,500 calorie mega-dirty fast-food meal.

The results are astounding when the obese buy into the approach. I have one male who has lost 40-pounds of bodyweight in 40 days while simultaneously adding 12-pounds of muscle. He started at 240 and yesterday he weighed 200. This is far more impressive because didn't lose muscle in the process, he added muscle in the process. This was no ex-jock loaded with muscle memory; this is a 48-year old man with zero weight training experience.

Obese folks who slash calories end up losing as much fat as muscle and end up as miniaturized versions of the old fat selves. This modified bodybuilder approach melts fat while simultaneously adding muscle: the obese person eats more and as a direct result feels energized and vibrant during the process. Contrast this with the calorie-slasher who feels deprived, denied and continually on the verge of a binge. A person who eats wholesome foods every three hours is far less likely to binge and blow their diet than some poor obese person subsisting on 1200 calories a day. The calorie starved obese individual has set their caloric ceiling set so low that eating a candy bar or a bowl of ice cream causes them to add five pounds in 24-hours.

Adding functional muscle and building strength allows the obese person to become mobile and adept at climbing steps, getting out of a low chair and powering their bulk around. Compare this to the calorie-slasher who actually weakens their already weak body. Those who depend on deprivation to trigger bodyweight loss weaken the immune system and continually contract colds and sickness.

Those who live on 1000 to 1500 calories a day live in a stressful psychological world of denial. A person who has elevated their metabolism and consumes 3,000 calories a day can absorb an occasional binge far, far better than a person starving; I allow my folks a cheat meal once a week: this allows them to feel psychologically free. The interesting thing about the cheat meal (not cheat day - cheat meal) is that by "being good" the other 6 7/8's of the time the sweets, fat and junk they crave and might eat are rejected by the body and classically results in diarrhea.

I train five obese folks I currently work with - one man and four women - and all are experiencing similarly spectacular results: all are losing unhealthy fat while building functional muscle and eating more food than they did before they commenced the process. This counterintuitive approach - eat more to lose fat - was torn right out of the playbook of champion bodybuilders and can be used to great effect by anyone interested in losing fat while adding muscle.

Hair Loss - Tips for Success

Billions of dollars will be spent on hair loss solutions this year. Much of this money will go to waste. Ineffective products and misleading advertising are only partially to blame. Many consumers are not using these hair loss products in an effective way. Fortunately there are a few simple ways that consumers can increase their chance of success. Following these guidelines will ensure that your money does not go to waste:

Start a Journal
People usually try several different hair loss products before they find something that works for them. Many use two or more products simultaneously. Keeping track of all this information can be frustrating and difficult. The best way to figure out what is working is to keep a journal detailing your progress. You should record all relevant information about the treatment process: when you started, the dosage, cost, and any side effects you experience. This documentation will tell you which products are effective, which ones are not, and allow you to make changes as you see fit.

Take Pictures
Noticing small changes in your hairline over time is extremely difficult. Taking pictures on a regular basis is the most effective ways to track your progress. Always photograph your head from the same angle, in similar lighting conditions. Use a digital camera for best results, most will automatically record the date and time for you. When combined with a treatment journal, these photos provide an invaluable tool that will allow you to judge the effectiveness of products you use.

Do Your Homework
The Internet is flooded with products claiming to cure and treat hair loss. Finding out which ones are legitimate can be a difficult task. When researching products online, beware of those that sound too good to be true. If the company has before and after pictures, examine them closely. If the images were shot from different angles, or in different lighting, be suspicious. These techniques are common camera tricks used to fool the eye, and the consumer. When a company claims their product has a "98% success rate", look for documentation of their clinical study. If the clinical information they provide is vague, or even missing altogether, be wary.