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There are a lot of people who consider the P90X diet to actually be a traditional way to lose weight. It is not. In this review, you’re going to find out exactly how this plan works and if it’s truly something that can benefit you. 

A breakdown of the P90X diet:

This is a supplementary diet that you use in accordance with the P90X workout. There are 3 phases that it consists of which change every 30 days. The overall program lasts for 90 days. With each phase you change the proportions of the food types you eat. While there are limits on what you can/cannot eat, for the most part, this diet is broken down into eating fats/protein/carbs in a specific combination.

Understanding the TRUE purpose of the plan:

One VERY important thing people do not understand about this diet is that its meant to help fuel and build muscle, not provide weight loss. In fact, many times people who start the P90X plan which includes both the workout & diet are shocked to see that they gain weight instead of losing it.

This is actually muscle mass increasing which for the record does not mean bulky. With the P90X program, you get lean results. But the main point here is that muscle weights more than fat and as you go through the program and diet, your body will start to build muscle. This will increase your overall weight and make you look more toned. As for fat, this program is perfect for getting rid of it, but remember you will basically be substituting fat for muscle gain (lean) which means if you see weight gain, don’t worry, it’s a good thing. 

Breaking down each phase of the diet:

Believe it or not, but most of the results you get from P90X will actually come from the diet, NOT the workout so if you’re going to do this program, make absolutely sure you do this diet correctly. Your results depend on it!

Protein, fats & carbs are what will make up nearly 100% of all your foods during the P90X program. Remember there are 3 phases, 30 days long. As you cross each phase, your workout habits will change and the new phase you’ll be following will be designed to fit in with it. So let’s break it down:

1. The first phase is called the Fat Shredder phase.

Usually depending on your starting weight, you’ll be eating anywhere from 2,000-3,000 calories (yep that much!) every single day. Now when it comes to foods, you have to make sure your protein, fats & carbs are within this ratio: 50, 20, 30.

2. The second phase is called Energy booster.

For the most part the same rules apply in terms of daily calories. The only thing that changes here is how you eat the protein, fats & carbs. It’s going to change to 40, 20, 40.  You’re going to eat a little less protein and more carbs here. 

Remember with each phase also comes a new workout phase with P90X. In the second phase, you’re going to pick things up in the workout and focus more on cardio and the increased carb intake will help your body burn more fat prior to and after each workout.

3. The third and last phase is called Endurance Maximizer.

This one is basically the same thing as phase 2, but even more focus than before on carb consumption. Again same rules apply to how many calories you can eat, but when you line up the protein, fat, carb eating proportions, it should look like this: 20, 20, 60.

This means more than half your daily foods will basically be carbs. Keep in mind that you’re also going to be entering the final workout phase of the workout as well and with so many carbs being consumed, you should burn a lot of fat.

Some things to note: Not all carbs are bad, especially if they are eaten at the right times. During the P90X workout a pre & post workout meal is essential for maximizing results and through this plan, you are getting just that. If you don’t see such great results during the first phase, don’t worry, it’s going to show and remember, weight gain with P90X is muscle gain, not fat gain!

Pros: 

• Endorses healthy eating.
• Great suppliment to the workout plan.
• Helps burn  a lot fat (if you complete the workouts as well).
• Great diet for toning up and building muscle (lean).

Cons:

• Not a diet for weight loss! 
• Not ideal for people who don’t intend to do the workout. 
• Might not be suitable for everyone. Consult with a doctor before trying.

P90X diet Score:

2.5 stars out of 5. Pretty solid diet, but only meant to be used with the workout. Not a suitable plan for traditional dieters. See #1 rated diet.

How diets are rated on this website.

Conclusion on the P90X diet:

So many who try P90X do so because they want to lose weight neglecting the fact that this program is not a weight loss program. It is a fat loss program/muscle building program which as you already read will likely make you weight more if you don’t have that much fat to lose to begin with. 

But it’s NOT a bad thing. If you see the before/after pictures of so many who do it, they look absolutely fantastic. But I’d venture to say many of these people probably weight more and that’s only because their muscle mass increased. Muscle mass increase as long as it’s toned is fine to looks sexy, unless bulky is what you’re going for. Either way P90X is mean to get get lean results. If you want to diet in a P90X format, I would recommend doing the paleo diet instead because there are a lot of similarities between them.

As for the subject of the P90X diet, if you’re going to do P90X, do NOT try to limit your calorie intake thinking you’re going to get better results. The workout burns up a lot of calories and this is why you need to supplement the workouts with a lot of food. Some people say the results you get from P90X are anywhere 70%-80% based entirely on the diet! 

Can you do the P90X diet on it’s own without the workout? Yes, but it’s not going to come even close to a short term fix. This diet is designed to work with the workout and vice versa. One without the other will likely get you bad results, unless you hire a personal trainer. 

So if the P90X diet for you? It depends…

If you’re aiming to get into shape, tone up, do the P90X program with the diet. 

If you just want to lose weight, this is not the diet for you. I recommend this program instead.

So many people do P90X because they believe it’s a weight loss program and that’s the biggest misconception about it. The diet plan isn’t really a traditional diet either. It’s just an eating plan. 

I hope this review of the P90X has better helped you understand if it’s for you! You can always leave any questions/comments below if you like. 

The Paleo diet is one of the easiest diets to understand, but hardest to maintain. This review is going to provide you with everything you need to know about it, from which foods you’re allowed to eat, to guidelines to help you get better results from it.

Understanding the Paleo Diet & how it works:

If there was one way to explain the Paleo diet, it would be this: Its basically adopting the same eating habits of the caveman. That’s it. We’re talking pre-agriculture days which means: No bread, grains, sugar, salt, flour (as well as foods made from those ingredients), pasta, condiments, artificial sweeteners.

Instead you focus on all natural foods you could basically hunt & gather, which equats to basically fruits, vegetables, meat and drinking water. This is the broad idea, but I’ll provide a specific food list further down below to clarify. 

This plan goes by other names, most commonly:

• The Caveman diet
• Stone Age diet
• Paleolithic diet
• Hunter gatherer diet

Either way, the basic rule of thumb when on this plan is this: If the food you want to eat is something cavemen would have eaten, then you’re good to go. If you have doubts of the food you chose is not something that existed in those days, then don’t eat/drink it.

Paleo Diet Criticism:

There are basically 3 arguments naysayers of the Paleo diet pose:

1. It is nearly impossible to adopt this kind of lifestyle especially in today’s world where non Paleo foods are all around us. This is for the most part true. This is a lot and by that I mean most people who do this diet, only try it for a short amount of time to lose the weight, then return back to their regular eating habits. Honestly, this varies based on individuals. If you feel that there’s no way you’ll be able to eat the way cavemen did, then the Paleo diet isn’t the plan for you. A lot of people don’t go over 30 days when doing it.

2. Cavemen didn’t live very long. A lot of critics claim that because they didn’t live very long, the main reason was their diet. This is probably not true since back in those days most of the time they died early because of 2 main reasons:

• Threat of being killed by other cavemen, animals.
• Harsh environments. We’re talking cold, hot, difficulty finding food, ect…

I’d venture to say those 2 reasons are more so the cause for a short life in cavemen. Whereas the diet is something that is actually quite healthy. You’re basically eating everything natural intended you to eat, which is quite logical if you think about it. 

3. There aren’t enough carbs! As you’ll find out below, most of your foods will not provide you with enough carbs. But it is said that because you don’t consume too many carbs (which leads to weight gain eventually), your body will burn stored fat in your body to make up for the difference, meaning you will lose weight. 

Guidelines:

The good thing about the Paleo diet is that there is portion control or calorie counting involved. This is because the cavemen never worried about what they ate and many of the foods on their list were very high satiety foods, meaning they kept them full for longer than others.

But as a basic guideline, you can eat as much as you want, but it’s recommended to never get to a 100%. It’s actually one of the 5 most important rules to losing weight right now that’s listed on this website. See the other 4.

What about cheat days? It’s going to happen sooner or later and the basic rule here is if you’re doing the Paleo diet for the short term which is anywhere from a week to a month, then you shouldn’t have any cheat days so as not to inhibit results.

But if you’re someone who is adopting the Paleo diet and doing it for the long haul and even for the rest of your life, then you can cheat a day a week, although it’s not recommended. 

Try this diet and cheat every other day while losing weight.

Paleo Diet Meal Plans & Food List:

• Meat: Turkey, chicken, duck, pig. Note: Make sure it’s grass fed.

• Fish: Any kind of fish as long as it’s not raised on the farm. A lot of fish today have artificial additives to their foods and even color. 
• Vegetables: Eat any vegetables you want. Nothing fried though. As an addition: Sweet potatoes & yam are also allowed. 
• Eggs. 
• Oils: Coconut, olive and even avocado, hazelnut, walnut oil.
• Nuts: Technically you can eat any kind of nuts, but I personally recommend walnuts as they carry the most benefits.
• Fruits: Ok this is important since this is where you’ll be getting your sugar from. Anything organic will do. 
• What about other sweets? Raw honey, organic maple syrup, but very rarely allowed. Maybe once a week.

Any room for dairy? This is a tricky question. Some Paleo users say it’s ok since milk was technically available in the stone age, but others advise against it. If you can’t go without any dairy, use only milk and make sure it’s organic. 

What about drinks?

As with the dairy question, drinks also become a tricky question to answer. In theory only water is allowed, but if you can also add:

• Herbal tea.
• Any fruit drinks as long as it’s organic/fresh squeezed.
• People ask about wine since it is technically berries. Most Paleo people would say no.

Pros:

• Very healthy approach to dieting.
• Provides weight loss & health benefits.
• More energy & stamina. 
• Short/long term weight loss results. 
• This plan is utilized in many fitness diets and helps get lean results.

Cons:

• Not easy to complete. 
• Difficult to maintain especially in western world.
• Not a lot of carbs allowed.

Paleo Diet Score:

3.5 stars out of 5. Very healthy diet, but not easy to adjust to in the long run. See #1 rated diet. 

Personal experiences & conclusions with the Paleo Diet:

Though I’ve never done it, I have 2 friends who have. Both saw results, but in the end it was difficult to maintain. For them it was a month long experience, after which they got back into the regular way of eating. 

One of my friends weighed nearly 400 pounds. After doing the Paleo diet, he lost nearly 50 pounds and this was over the course of 3 months. Unfortunately he went right back into the old habit of things. 

The other friend only did it for a month and looked great. She didn’t weight a lot to begin with, but after the diet, the difference was VERY noticeable. She too went back to a regular way of eating after she was done.

This isn’t uncommon in people who try this plan. The truth is it works, very well, but maintenance is difficult especially if you live in the western world where we are dominated by unhealthy foods/habits. This isn’t an excuse to not try Paleo, but it’s just something to keep in mind. Not many people are able to keep at this diet for the long run, but it can deliver some incredible health & weight loss benefits if you do. 

I would certainly recommend this diet to anyone simply because it works and is very healthy. But on the flip side be prepared for difficulty maintaining it in the long run. My personal advice would be to try the #1 rated diet on this website as an alternative.

It also uses many of the foods in Paleo but is a lot more flexible because it allows many foods which would otherwise be a no-no in not just Paleo but other diets to be used. It’s also a lot short (11 days) and allows for 3 cheat days after each time you do it and results are long term. Learn more.

If you’ve been on the Paleo diet or have any questions, simply leave a comment below.

A lot of misconceptions surround raspberry ketones. The biggest questions people have is:

• Do they really work?
• Are they safe?
• Any side effects?
• Is it just another hyped product?

Sparing any suspense, the answer is yes they do work, but most of the benefits marketers claim they have are exaggerated, by a lot. So are raspeberry ketones worth your time? I would say no and there are a lot of reasons for this as you’re about to find out.

Raspeberry ketones: What they are, how they work & more…

Raspberry ketones are found in raspberries. It is said they can help you lose weight because when eaten, they help the body produce a protein which helps improve metabolism and get rid of fat.

In small amounts, raspberry ketones aren’t enough to provide substantial results, but if taken in pill form, where there is a large amount, you can get results, although studies haven’t really proved this.

To put it into perspective, in order to get the benefits of 1 miligram of raspberry ketones, you would have to eat  a little over 2 pounds of raspberries. Though there isn’t a set amount, it is said in order to get the most benefits, you would have to consume about 200 mg a day, which is over 400 raspberries. I doubt anyone can do that.

Weight loss results:

This actually varies, but one of the people who made the product famous, Dr.OZ said that in addition to healthy eating (Close to 1,000 calories a day) as well as exercise, you would be able to see results.

Truth be told, this doesn’t prove that you can get great weight loss results from using raspberry ketones because everyone knows healthy eating & exercise will lead to a large bulk of results, plus eating 1,000 calories a day will do it, so what’s the point of the raspberry ketones if that’s the case?

Well this is where the argument of them helping break down fat comes into play. And this is where there is evidence to back it up, but it’s not very concrete…

When they first came out, the only hard evidence of them working were results based on mice studies. 2 groups were given the same amount of meals in order to make them gain weight, but one was given the raspberry ketones supplement. The mice which received it did not gain any weight, while the group that didn’t, gained weight.

And it’s a well known fact that studies done with mice do not exactly mean the same results will happen for humans. The only thing we can go by in addition to this is results from people and that gets mixed reviews as well.

• Some report seeing great results.
• Some report seeing mild results.
• Some report not seeing any results.

In fact you’re reading this and have already used raspberry ketones, I’d love to hear your results and what you think about it. 

Are there any health benefits?

It is said that in addition to weight loss, raspberry ketones also help provide more energy, they contain a lot of vitamins A & E as well as antioxidants. For the most part this is true, since raspberries do in fact carry these properties.

What about side effects?

There are a number of side effects you may experience. Some include:

• Increased body temperature. This happens if you overdose on raspberry ketones. Stay within the suggested usage to prevent this.
• Nausea. 
• If you are taking any medications, ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to try it.
• It’s not yet been proven to be safe for breastfeeding/pregnant women. 

Other than the slight health benefits which you would get from eating normal raspberries, this isn’t a good product for losing weight. It’s really hyped just like Garcinina Cambogia Extract. 

See a real diet solution that lets you cheat every other day.

Pros:

• Does have good health benefits. 
• Endorsed by Dr.OZ.
• Helps block fat.
• Some say it did help them lose weight.

Cons: 

• Weight loss results vary. 
• There are side effects.
• Not enough studies done to prove it’s claims.

Raspberry Ketones Score:

2 stars out of 5. Raspberry ketones do work, but nowhere near as advertised. Better alternatives available. See #1 rated diet.

Conclusions on Raspberry Ketones:

I honestly can’t recommend them. There’s way too many unanswered questions. In theory, a lot of what is claimed about this product is true. In fact raspberries do carry a lot of health benefits. 

But time and time again the same formula for weight loss “miracles” repeats itself:

• Feature a weight loss approach as a miracle on popular TV shows.
• Tell the audience how amazing it is, how it’s from another country, special/super food, ect…

This is usually enough to trigger millions to buy it. But as I investigate these products more and more, many times I find the same things…

• They don’t have a lot of research to back up it’s claims.
• You don’t really lose that much weight. It’s really more hype than not.

Such is the case with Raspberry ketones. I’ve seen it happen before as well, most recently with Garcinia cambogia extract. And people without doing much research on it just buy it over and over. All of these products have 1 thing in common:

They are expensive. Buying them over and over which is what happens most of the time will end up costing you a lot in the long run. It can definitely work for you, but from the research I’ve done, there’s a huge difference between what’s advertised and what’s real.

This is why I gave it 2 stars. There are better alternatives which have more evidence to back up their claims. I would strongly recommend in the future doing a lot of research on products like raspberry ketones and anything else that’s out/will be out. 

You can try them out and see how they work. That will likely be the best evidence you need, but I would instead say save your money, do research prior to buying products that are said to be miracles and uncover the real truth on your own. Most of the time products that are hailed as being amazing are done so be sold to you. And even those people who don’t see results from them eventually forget about it, then a new product comes out and the same cycle repeats itself. This is what I’m trying to prevent.

Do you think Raspberry Ketones are hyped or the real deal? Leave your thoughts below!

It is very difficult to find an unbiased review of Skinny Fiber, but here you’ll find out if it really does work or if it’s a scam. I am not promoting it so I have no personal agenda in recommending it. The goal of this review is to give you the facts and let you decide. 

What is Skinny Fiber?

It is basically a “diet” pill that blends together several “all natural” ingredients that are meant to block fat, increase metabolism and curb hunger. Skinny Fiber is not really a fiber supplement contrary to popular belief. There are 3 main ingredients that it’s composed of:

1. Gluccomannan: Basically a plan which contains a lot of fiber. The purpose of this ingredient is to help suppress appetite. When ingested, the Skinny Fiber pill expands in the stomach, giving you the impression that you are full which makes you eat less and thus lose weight.

Additionally gluccomannan has been said to hold health benefits and helps with conditions such as constipation, high cholesterol and even acne. There is however debate on this and no official conclusive evidence to support it. 

2. Caralluma: A plant that is of the cactus family. It is also believed to help with hunger suppression as well as being a natural fat blocker. 

3. Cha de Burge: This is a tree which grows a red fruit that is often used in Brazil for tea and even as a coffee substitute. It is also used to help improve metabolism and with cellulite. Many diet pills in Brazil utilize the Cha de Burge ingredient in their products which does give it a lot credibility. It also provides energy and helps retain water in the body. 

When put together, you get the Skinny Fiber product which consists of pills that you take about 30 minutes prior to eating. In addition to making you feel fuller, it is also said that it helps block fat and raise your metabolism, improves energy and mood. 

But on the flip side, there are no concrete studies being done to support this product. There is really only speculation and a he said, she said type argument. However, one thing that is concrete is the ingredients mentioned above which Skinny Fiber contains which have been proven to work, though some countries have labeled them illegal to use in supplements. 

What are people saying about it? 

It’s difficult to find unbiased reviews on this product. I’ve been doing A LOT of research on it and still can’t find much concrete numbers to support/not support Skinny Fiber. Usually the reviews I find fall into 3 categories:

A) People who promote them. You’ll usually find people raving about it and linking to some dealer. I’d be very careful as these reviews are obviously biased and aimed to sell you the product.

B) People who have tried them and have mixed reviews. Some say it works. Some say it didn’t work for them. So results do vary, that much is certain. One thing that is common is that no exercise is needed when taking Skinny Fiber. 

C) People who have NOT tried it, but speculate it’s dangerous, safe, healthy, expensive, ect… I try to steer clear of speculation so the only really evidence I could find was reviews from people, though that could still be debatable…

Pros:

• A lot of positive reviews. 
• People do say they have lost weight, although results vary.
• Some users have claimed health improvements after using Skinny Fiber.
• Does contain ingredients that are used for weight/health benefits.

Cons:

• Very expensive. A bottle of Skinny Fiber will run you about $60.
• No real studies to support the product.
• There have been people who have said they lost nothing with it.
• A lot of fraudulent vendors. If you’re going to buy this product, do it from their main website. Amazon does not allow them to be sold. The ones sold there are not the authentic Skinny Fiber.
• May not be suitable for those taking medication. Consult with your doctor first before trying.

Skinny Fiber Score:

2.5 stars out of 5. It does work, but there’s way too many “if’s” and not enough evidence to recommend this diet. See #1 rated diet.

Skinny Fiber: Worth the risk?

Everyone who wants to lose weight is constantly looking for that miracle pill or fast approach to losing weight. Skinny Fiber is the new thing that promises this. And while there are a lot of people who say it works, many of those reviews are from those who are promoting the product, which questions the legitimacy of the review/s. 

What is good about this product is the ingredients mentioned above which have been used in other countries for medicinal purposes as well as helping with weight loss issues. Sold separately, you’d have to pay a lot more for each of these ingredients than if you were to purchase Skinny Fiber which has all of them in one.

This does give credibility to Skinny Fiber, but at the same time there are other ingredients not mentioned about this product which may be questionable. Although it is said to be all natural, that wording is very broad and doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.

What is certain about this product is that there’s way too many uncertainties to say whether it’s worth using or not. Yes it does work and you can definitely lose weight. But then comes the questions…

• What happens when you stop taking it? Does the weight all come back? Technically it should. 
• Where are the studies that support this product? Since it’s still new, we need more time to see if it’s truly the real deal. 
• Is it safe? Healthy? Ect…

There’s just way too many unanswered questions. The only concrete thing we can truly say about Skinny Fiber is that it’s expensive ($60). Certainly for one bottle it may be worth it, but it does add up quickly and people who have reported positive results say they’ve taken it for months. Skinny Fiber’s main website does offer package deals for this product, but it’s still going to cost you a lot in the long run.

My personal opinion…

There’s just way too many unanswered questions about this product that leave me wondering if it’s worth recommending and in the end, the uncertainty does not lead me to recommend it. In the past, a lot of products that have been marketed as miracles turned out to be hyped, time and time again. Perfect example: Garcinia Cambogia extract. 

In my experience if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. And the fact that it’s expensive is more so a red flag to me. I would recommend giving this product more time to develop and see if it’s truly safe to try.

You can still go ahead and do it, but I personally don’t recommend it. I would instead recommend this diet. It’s truly natural and doesn’t involve taking any questionable products. You can eat as much as you want and lose a lot of weight. 

If you believe Skinny Fiber is the real deal or hyped, you can share your thoughts below. All the best!

A lot of people make New Years resolutions to lose weight and while many do accomplish this goal, in the end most of these people fail because they aren’t able to maintain their results. This is really a major fault most diets have, but through the following method, you’ll likely never have to worry about this again.

If you’re looking to lose weight and maintain your results, whether for New Years or just in general, then a dieting technique known as calorie shifting should be more than enough to get you there. This is a method of eating which pretty much violates every known dieting “rule” ever created. 

When you begin your resolution to lose weight on January 1st, start by doing the following things:

1. Eat more often everyday. By often, this means anywhere from 4-7 meals a day.

2. Drink more filtered water daily. 8 glasses is the recommended amount. 

3. Eat 2-3 hours apart. 

4. Make sure each meal you eat has a different amount of calories. Usually by eating 2-3 hours apart, you’ll feel fuller/less fuller each time you eat so you won’t have to worry about this.

5. Only eat until you’re almost full. 

Most of these tips are more than enough to get you going on your quest to lose weight after New Years. In fact calorie shifting is what you’ll be doing if you follow all 5 tips. What exactly is it though?

It’s just a form of “random” eating where you just keep mixing up the order/amount of what/how you eat. This approach in spite of seeming chaotic is actually beneficial because it will make your body increase it’s metabolism. Done properly, this way of eating can get you to lose a pound a day, sometimes more.

Ideally you should avoid eating anything that is unhealthy. By unhealthy, this means any sort of fast foods or meals with ingredients such as white sugar, white salt & white flour in it. More details. 

This form of abstaining will provide extra benefits in that it will help the body stop taking in foods that damage it’s health, thereby helping functions such as digestion, circulation, metabolism, fat burning, sleep. Improvements in those fields will also lead to not just short term weight loss, but long term results as well. 

It isn’t easy to stop eating the foods we love so much, so instead of quitting it cold turkey like most people do, try lessening the amount you eat and substituting the difference with healthier foods. Gradually increase the amount of healthy foods you eat and decrease the amount of unhealthy foods you eat. You should do this in 1-2 week intervals. 

As for calorie shifting, this can be done either way. This guide to calorie shifting is most recommended if you want to experience the most flexibility and best results. Either way, if you implement just calorie shifting, abstaining from unhealthy foods or best of all, both, you’ll not only lose weight and full fill (no pun intended!) your New Year’s resolution, but you’ll probably never have to diet again. 

Do you a successful way of losing weight after New Year’s you’d like to share? If so, let us know!