DIETS

The idea to get some knowledge about healthy diets seemed quite useful for most girls trying to lose some weight. We gathered the moon diet from Mihail,  the healthy way of life with great tips from Dora, the seven-day diet from Silvia, the healthy 7-day meal plan from Stela, the calories diet from Nadezhda,  FAQ about diets-Mihail...

1.                Nadezhda Aleksieva

Health is the most important thing in our lives. The main problem connected with it is overweight. This is serious most in the rich countries. But how we can prevent it?

First, we must start eat healthy. That’s mean more vegetables and fruits and less snacks and cakes.  Foods rich in protein and vitamins are also very important like milk, meat with less fat and legumes.

List of low calorie Bulgarian foods:

Curd – 58 kcal

Rice pudding – 250 kcal

Lentil soup – 150 kcal

Cow yogurt – 70 kcal

Mish-mash – 296 kcal

Sheep cheese – 302 kcal

Cow cheese – 286 kcal

Meatballs with tomato sauce – 400 kcal

Cheese (kashkaval) – 320 kcal

Potatoes “Ogreten” – 480 kcal

Kebab – 450 kcal

Second, we try drinks lots water. Aim is for 6-8 glasses for a day. Freshly squeezed juices and smoothies are also good choice.

Strawberry smoothie

1.            100g yogurt

2.            100ml milk

3.            80g strawberries

4.            1-2 tsp. honey

How to do it?

  Blend strawberries and milk together until strawberries are well blended. Then add yogurt and whip for just a little bit so smoothie remians thick.

Finally, it will be unhelpful, if we don’t do exercises. Swimming, football, basketball, jogging in parks or just do some exercises in our homes is very useful for our health.

1. Beginner Squat

Squats are one of the best leg exercises known to man… and woman! They require the full attention of your quads, hams, glutes, and calves and utilize smaller stabilizer muscles that really sculpt lean legs. This Beginner Squat is perfect for first-timers. Just be sure you use the chairs only for balance, not to hold your weight.

Step 1: Stand between two sturdy chairs with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Squat down, keeping your back straight, abs tight, chest up, and knees over your ankles, through a count of 10 seconds.

Step 3: At the MTP, hold for 2 seconds then return to the starting position through a count of 10 seconds.

Step 4: Without resting, repeat three times.

2. The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and is the third most effective move for targeting the rectus abdominis. What makes this move a bit more effective than crunches on the floor is that the legs are often involved in floor crunches. On the ball, the abs do more work, but you still involve the entire body to help stabilize you throughout the movement, a nice bonus that floor crunches don't always offer.

 How to:

 1.Lie on the ball, positioning it under the lower back.

2.Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.

3.Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.

 4.As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., the ball shouldn't roll).

5.Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps

3. Lateral Squat

Moving side to side in this lateral squat requires a lot of balance and hip stabilization – a job perfect for your gluteus medius. Remember, this muscle is positioned not where you consider your butt to be, but rather on the side of your hip. Be sure to keep your hips and shoulders in line and don’t allow your knee to drop forward over your toes.

Step 1: With your hands on your hips, stand with your feet about a foot wider than shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Through a count of 10 seconds, squat down to the side toward one leg, while keeping the opposite leg straight.

Step 3: At the MTP, hold for 2 seconds. Return to the starting position through a count of 10 seconds.

Step 4: Without resting, alternate sides. Perform 2 reps on each side, totaling 4 reps.

2.                Silvia Topchieva

This seven-day diet plan can be used as often as you like. If properly fallowed, it should clear your body of the toxins and it will make you feel better. After seven days you will be lighter with about 4 to 5 kg and you will feel more energetic.

SOUP:

- 1-2 cups chopped tomatoes

- 3 or more stalks of green onions

- 1 cup of beef broth

- 1 packet of chicken soup noodles

- 1 bunch of celery

- 2 cups of peas

- about a kg of carrots

- 2 green peppers

Spices, of course, are completely optional – Salt, pepper, parsley, chilies, etc. Cut down the veggies into small pieces and pour water. Boil for 10 min on high, then reduce the heat and let the vegetables boil. No more than 36 min.

This soup can be eaten anytime you feel hungry during the week. The soup won’t add any calories. The more you eat the more weight you will lose.


Day one:
You eat all kinds of fruits (with exception of bananas). The musk mellow and water mellow have fewer calories of all fruits. Today you should eat only frits and soup.

Day two:
You eat all kinds of vegetables. Eat fresh, cooked or canned vegetables until you are no longer hungry. Try eating more fresh vegetables and avoid corn and beans.

Day three:
Today you can eat the soup and all kinds of fruits and vegetables (without potatoes). If you have kept the diet for the first two days you should have lost 2-3 kilograms.

Day four:
Bananas and non-fat milk. You should eat at least 3 bananas, drink milk as much as possible and do not miss the soup. Bananas have a lot of calories and carbohydrates as do milk but on this day your body needs them to reduce the need for sweet things.

Day five:
Beef and tomatoes. For today you will need 250-300 gr. Veal and a glass of tomatoes or no more then 5 tomatoes. You should eat soup at least once.

Day six:
Beef and vegetables. You can eat veal and vegetables as much you want. You can eat 2-3 veal and of you want you may add vegetables (but not potatoes). You should eat soup at least once.

Day seven:
Brown rice, fruit juice (without added sugar) and vegetables. If you want you can add cooked vegetables to the rice. And don’t forget the soup!

If you have kept the diet by now you should be lighter with 4,5 - 8,5 kilograms. If are more lighter then that you should take two days of break before continuing with your diet again. This diet it’s quick. Its secret it’s that you burn more calories then you take. This clears your body and gives you new straight. This diet doesn’t allow using alcohol because it burs the fats in your body. Stop the diet 14 hours before drinking any alcohol.

You can eat the soup every time you feel hungry. You can replace the veal with chicken meat without the skin of course. You can also replace it with fish but only in one of the days. You will need the high protein level of the beef in the next days.

Do not take:
bread, alcohol, fuzzy drinks, fried foods

Recommendations:
Drink at least 3-5 glasses of water per day, all kinds of juices (without added sugar), milk and juice of cornels 

 3. Dora Koprivchina 

Healthy way of life

1.       Eating breakfast will help you refuel after a long night's sleep and start your day with more energy.Don't ruin your breakfast with high-fat and high-calorie foods. Choose some protein and fiber for your breakfast and it's a good time to eat some fresh fruit (I've also got more easy breakfast ideas):

o    One serving of oatmeal.

o    One-half cup strawberries.

o    A tablespoon or two chopped nuts.

o    A glass of orange juice.

2. A mid-morning snack is totally optional. If you eat a larger breakfast you may not feel hungry until lunchtime. However, if you're feeling a bit hungry and lunch is still two or three hours away, a light mid-morning snack will tide you over without adding a lot of calories:

o    One serving of plain yogurt mixed with one-half cupblueberries and a little honey.

o    Water or diet soda.

3.       Lunch is often something you eat at work or school, so here is an idea for a portable lunch you can pack and take with you:

o    A sandwich made with two slices of 100-percent whole grain bread, two or three ounces of lean turkey breast, a little mayonnaise or mustard, a tomato slice andlettuce.

o    One-half to one cup raw baby carrots<./li>

o    One can or bottle of sparkling water.

Or if you eat at a restaurant:

o    Order a vegetable salad with the dressing served on the side.

o    A cup of soup.

4.       A mid-afternoon snack is also optional. Keep it low in calories and eat just enough to keep you from feeling too hungry - dinner is just a couple of hours away.

o    One apple or one pluot and 12 walnuts.

o    A glass of milk.

5. Dinner is a time when it's easy to over-eat, especially if you haven't eaten much during the day, so watch your portion sizes. Mentally divide your plate into four quarters. One quarter is for your meat or protein source, one quarter is for a starchand the last two quarters are for green and colorful vegetables and/or a green salad:

o    One serving of baked or roasted chicken breast.

o    One small baked potato with salsa or low-fat sour cream.

o    Large portion of steamed asparagus.

o    One small 100-percent whole grain roll.

o    Small glass of white wine (optional - regular ordealcoholized wine.

6.       A light complex carbohydrate-rich evening snack may help you sleep, but avoid heavy, greasy foods or foods high in refined sugars.

o    Six whole grain crackers.

o    Two ounces of sliced cheese.

o    One piece of fresh fruit.

Tips: Drink water or non-fat milk instead of sugary sodas.

2 Choose 100-percent whole grain breads and cereals. At least half of your servings of breads and cereals should be whole grain.

3 Avoid highly processed lunch meats and sausages, which are high in saturated fat and calories.

4 Cut back on fatty red meats. Choose more fish and seafood or vegetarian protein sources like dry beans and soy (here's more about vegan and vegetarian protein combinations.

5 Increase your intake of brightly colored and dark green vegetables. Serve fresh fruits andberries for desserts.

4.    Mihail Icherenski

Moon diet.

The Moon diet is one of the most popular diets for quick, easy and healthy weight loss. It is a liquid diet that complies with the phases of the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter).

For it to be effective it has to be done four times a month, once every week. Begins when the moon enters into one of its phases and lasts 24 hours. Meanwhile, drink plenty of water - about 3-4 liters, tea - with honey, without sugar, fruit or vegetable juices. Milk and alcohol are not accepted.

With strict compliance with the diet you can lose 1 to 3 kg once a full moon, and fasting during the four phases of the moon will keep the lost weight.

During the other periods you have to eat balanced foods, the goal is during the increasing moon is not to overdo it with food, and while the moon gets smaller you can give in to some of your food temptations. Also you need to move actively, to sleep well and think positively. Avoid the intake of salt. The Moon diet cleans the body of toxins and the retained water.

If you difficulties with starvation then the moon diet is not for you.

Lunar calendar for 2013 showing the dates and times of the four phases of the moon in 2013.

New moon.	First quarter	Full moon	Last quarter
			January 5th, 2013 05:59:00
January 11, 2013 21:44:41	January 19, 2013 01:46:11	January 27, 2013 06:39:38	February 3, 2013 15:57:30
February 10, 2013 09:21:14	February 17, 2013 22:31:44	February 25, 2013 22:27:19	March 4, 2013 23:53:55
March 11, 2013 22:52:09	March 19, 2013 20:27:49	March 27, 2013 12:28:28	April 3, 2013 07:37:40
April 10, 2013 12:36:30	April 18, 2013 15:32:12	April 25, 2013 22:58:14	May 2, 2013 14:15:16
May 10, 2013 03:29:40	May 18, 2013 07:35:49	May 25, 2013 07:26:02	May 31, 2013 21:59:14
June 8, 2013 18:57:37	June 16, 2013 20:25:01	June 23, 2013 14:33:20	June 30, 2013 07:54:42
July 8, 2013 10:15:33	July 16th, 2013 06:19:35	July 22, 2013 21:16:37	July 29, 2013 20:44:34
August 7, 2013 00:51:57	August 14, 2013 13:57:12	August 21, 2013 04:45:43	August 28, 2013 12:36:12
September 5th, 2013 14:37:23	September 12, 2013 20:09:36	September 19, 2013 14:13:57	September 27, 2013 06:56:45
October 5, 2013 03:35:44	October 12, 2013 02:03:29	October 19, 2013 02:38:46	October 27, 2013 02:41:44
November 3, 2013 14:51:07	November 10th, 2013 07:58:17	November 17, 2013 17:16:53	November 25, 2013 21:29:00
December 3, 2013 02:23:30	December 9, 2013 17:12:56	December 17th, 2013 11:29:17	December 25, 2013 15:49:01

- Why do people get fat?

People put on weight when they take in more calories than they burn. If you think of food as fuel, the energy content of the fuel is measured in calories. A slice of bread, for example, has about 100 food calories. If you were to add up all the calories you consumed in a day -- breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks -- that's your energy input. Your body uses this energy for everything from breathing to moving around. Everyone is different, but over the course of a day, an "average" man expends something like 1800 calories and an "average" woman around 1500 calories.

It turns out that even a slight energy imbalance will, over time, have consequences. Eating only 50 calories a day more than you burn will over time translate into about one pound a year.

- How do diets work?

All diets work by restricting calories. Since simply telling people to eat smaller portions doesn't sell books, most commercial diet plans are built around a nutritional trick that makes it easier to restrict dietary intake. Food is made up of four basic components (so-called macronutrients): water, fats, protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, it follows that telling people to avoid fats or cut out carbs will automatically eliminate a lot of food choices. Low-carb diets, for example, are effective, because they remove an enormous number of potential foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc., from a person's diet.

- Which diets work best?

While all diet programs claim success, it turns out to be rather difficult to compare them scientifically. In order to control for all the differences between people that might affect the outcome -- from genes to exercise -- scientists must randomly assign subjects to competing diet programs. The different diet cohorts must then be followed for a reasonably long period, say a year, during which time they are checked closely for compliance.

Two studies published in the May 22, 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine attempted such a scientific comparison of low-fat diets and low-carb diets. The studies, which were plagued by high drop out rates (around 40 percent) both reported a small advantage at six months for low carb diets. By 12 months this advantage had disappeared.

- How are low-fat and low-carb diets supposed to work?

The theory behind low-fat diets is simple. Ounce for ounce, fats have twice as many calories as carbs and so (according to low-fat diet gurus) eating more carbs (including pasta, bread, potatoes) will "fill you up" with fewer calories. This makes perfect sense: On the face of it, fat should make you fat.

The theory behind low-carb diets is more complicated. While carbs are lower in calories, they are not as filling as fats. Moreover, say low carb diet gurus, carbs (especially higly processed starches like white bread, white rice and pasta) are rapidly converted to blood sugar, or glucose. This glucose triggers a surge in insulin (a hormone that moves glucose into muscle cells) that causes blood glucose levels to come crashing down. The gut and brain sends out new hunger signals, we eat more, the process repeats itself. Over time we put on weight. This metabolic roller coaster is avoided, experts agree, by diets high in fats and proteins and also by diets rich in slowly digested unrefined carbohydrates like brown bread and brown rice.

An ultra low-carb diet like the Atkins diet has its own metabolic consequences. When there is little or no glucose in the blood stream, fats are burned, producing substances called ketones. In the induction phase of an Atkins diet, so much fat is burned that the resulting ketones can actually be smelled in dieters' breath. (Note: Dietary ketosis, as it's called, is not to be confused with ketoacidosis, which is a life-threatening condition most often associated with uncontrolled insulin-deficient type 1 diabetes.)

- Do any diets work over the long term?

Very few people are able to keep weight off for more than a few months. While this issue is still being researched, most experts argue that 80 to 95 percent of dieters will regain any lost weight within a year. The most likely reason for this is that people eventually tire of a diet low in fat or carbs and return to their old eating habits.

- What are the health effects of different diets?

The relationship between diet and health has been very complicated to pin down. Long-term controlled experiments are more or less impractical. While scientists can observe with great accuracy everything a person eats over a few days, most diseases develop over years or decades. On the other hand, it is impossible to monitor precisely what a person eats over a period of 20 or 30 years.

One approach is to use large prospective studies. In the late '70s, Harvard began tracking the diets of hundreds of thousands of health professionals. The study participants regularly fill out food questionnaires and complicated formulas are used to convert the data into percentages of saturated fat, cholesterol and so on. The participants are also followed to see what diseases they contract. Then, after controlling for all possible confounders (such as smoking, for example), the scientists look for associations between dietary intake and disease.

The head of Harvard's Herculean effort in nutritional epidemiology is Walter Willett and colleagues found that not all fats are bad. Saturated fats and trans fats (those used in margarines and many baked goods) are associated with heart disease and stroke, but unsaturated vegetable and fish oils are positively good for us. Willett also found associations between excess consumption of refined carbohydrates and diseases like type 2 diabetes.

- Can a healthy diet help us avoid disease?

Absolutely. The Harvard studies indicate that the correct dietary choices (that's moderate consumption of lots of vegetables and fruits, good (unsaturated) fats and good (unrefined) carbs) in conjunction with regular exercise (and of course avoiding smoking) would prevent about 82 percent of heart attacks, about 70 percent of strokes, over 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, and over 70 percent of colon cancer. By comparison, the best statin drugs can reduce heart attacks by about 20 or 30 percent.

5.    Stela Vylcheva

Healthy Diet

(7-Day Meal Plan)

Day 1

Breakfast:

1 cup  milk

1 orange, medium

1 cup  cereal

Lunch:

Vegetable salad

1 slice of bread

1 chicken steak

Dinner:

1 cup tomato soup

1 slice of bread

Day 2

Breakfast:

1 cup  milk

1 cup  oatmeal

Lunch:

Potato salad

1 slice of bread

1 roast beef

Dinner:

Lettuce salad with tuna

1 slice of bread

Day 3

Breakfast:

1 cup  tea

1 cup  fruit salad

Lunch:

Vegetable salad

1 slice of bread

1 small portion lasagna

Dinner:

1 cup potato soup

1 slice of bread

Day 4

Breakfast:

1 slice of bread

1 tomato

Butter

Lunch:

Vegetable salad

1 chicken hamburger

Dinner:

1 portion risotto

 1 apple

Day 5

Breakfast:

250g yoghurt

½ cup oats

Lunch:

Vegetable salad

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 chicken meatballs

Dinner:

1 cup onion soup

1 slice of bread

Day 6

Breakfast:

1 cup  milk

1 banana

1 cup  cereal

Lunch:

Potato salad

1 portion white fish

Dinner:

1 omelette

1 tomato

1 slice of bread

Day 7

Breakfast:

1 cup tea

1 slice of bread

2 slices cheese

Lunch:

1 slice of bread

1 chicken steak with mushrooms

Dinner:

Vegetable salad

2 eggs

6.    Lili Chaneva

DIET

DAY 1:

Breakfast:    

·         One slice of bread

·         50gr of Bulgarian cheese

Lunch:        

·         Chicken fillet

·         Salad of choice

Dinner:       

·         Cottage cheese

·         Salad of choice

DAY 2:

Breakfast:

·         50gr of rice crackers

·         Freshly squeezed fruit juice

Lunch:

·         Beef stew

·         Salad of choice

Dinner:

·         Fish

·         Salad of choice

DAY 3:

Breakfast:      

·         Granola

·         400gr Bulgarian yoghurt

Lunch:

·         Omelet (3 eggs)

·         Salad of choice

Dinner:

·         Salad of choice

·         One slice of bread

DAY 4:

Breakfast:

·         Spaghetti

·         Freshly squeezed fruit juice

Lunch:

·         Fish

·         Salad of choice

Dinner:

·         Salad of choice

DAY 5:

Breakfast:

·         Oatmeal

·         400gr Bulgarian yoghurt

Lunch:

·         Boiled potatoes

·         Salad of choice

Dinner:

·         Chicken fillet

·         Salad of choice

7. Zornica Karidkova

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet: What It Is?

  The Mediterranean diet has long been considered 

 one of the healthiest diets on the planet - and rightfully so. For thousands of years, residents along the Mediterranean coast have enjoyed the delicious diet, leisurely dining, and engaging in regular physical activity. They don’t think of their eating habits as a diet plan; it’s simply a way of life that can lead to long, healthy lives with less chance of chronic disease.

A growing body of research continues to prove that eating a diet rich in plant foods and healthy fats is good for you. Studies show that following a Mediterranean diet protects against the development of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, some types of cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease -- and also leads to a longer lifespan.

The health effects of a Mediterranean diet have been studied extensively in the last 10 years, resulting in better science and more clinical evidence.

“There are numerous health benefits, the strongest and most profound evidence is the protection of cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, a researcher, cardiologist, associate professor, and codirector of the cardiovascular epidemiology program at Harvard School of Public Health.

Health benefits are not attributed to diet alone; it is the whole package, which includes the lifestyle of the people who live along the Mediterranean.

“In addition to the wide variety of delicious, nutrient-rich foods -- the protective effect of leisurely dining, family involvement, and physical activity make the Mediterranean diet even more powerful,” says Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, author of The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book.

What Is a Mediterranean Diet?

"The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle where good taste meets good health," says Sara Baer-Sinnott, president of Oldways, the nonprofit food and nutrition group that first introduced the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993.

There is no single Mediterranean diet. Instead, each region across Europe -- from Spain to the Middle East -- customizes the basic diet to take advantage of food availability and cultural preferences.

Similarities include a reliance on plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, olives, and olive oil along with some cheese, yogurt, fish, poultry, eggs, and wine. These foods form the basis of the plan and provide thousands of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that work together to protect against chronic disease.

Most of the foods on the plan are fresh, seasonal whole foods - they're not processed. Preparation methods tend to be simple; foods are rarely deep-fried.

Only small amounts of saturated fat, sodium, sweets, and meat are part of the plan.

The Mediterranean lifestyle also includes leisurely dining and regular physical activity, which are an important part of the equation.