When you are on a weight loss program you may find it a little boring. These diet shake recipes will help spice things up with the added benefit of helping you lose pounds.

Shakes and smoothies are great to make in the summer months due to the plentiful supply of fresh fruit. Adding low fat yogurt makes them even more tempting. But you can still partake in the winter. All you have to do is use frozen fruit which has just as few calories and tastes almost as good.

So what recipes would be recommended? I love mango as it is very refreshing when you are feeling hot and bothered. I whizz up some mango, mandarin oranges and some ice. I then add a low fat yogurt and if I am feeling hungry some protein powder. Yummy!

Occasionally I will use a banana instead of the yogurt although I have been known to use both. Cranberry juice is an excellent tonic for your kidneys. Blend some with apple juice, strawberries, blueberries and a banana to make a delicious healthy breakfast.

If I am craving chocolate, I will add some unsweetened high quality cocoa powder to my shake although obviously I cannot do this every day! Unfortunately you cannot survive purely on diet shakes. In order to lose pounds and keep that slimmer figure you need to eat healthily and exercise more. But you should have fun doing it. Any activity that gets you moving is good for you. Think about what you love doing and do more of it. He will love you for it!

Think about your diet as well and see what changes you can implement to cut your calorie intake. White breads, pasta and rice are all bad for us dieters as they contain hidden sources of sugar. So swop them over to the brown variety. You may have to do this gradually as your palate will have to get used to the new taste. Also be aware that you need to cook brown rice and pasta for longer than the other varieties otherwise you will end up eating them raw like I did. Yuck!

Experiment with your food. We all get stuck in a diet rut where we eat the same type of foods day in and day out. So now it is time to broaden your horizons. Try out a new fruit or vegetable every week. You could also try cooking in a different way. For example if you always fry steak why not try grilling instead. Or steam your fish? Simple changes are great as you will lose pounds with very little effort.

There are some foods that are high in soluble fiber meaning they fill you up but have few calories. These include Brussels sprouts, mangoes, peas, dried apricots, sprouts and spring greens. Adding a couple of these to your meals will help you eat less and so reduce your waistline.

At the end of the day, tasty diet shake recipes are easy to find but can only be part of the overall weight loss program.

There is no real weight loss program comprising solely of cottage cheese, diets like this are unhealthy. Any plan based on just eating one food group is destined to fail even before you start. The boredom factor will also set in leading you into temptation.

Cottage cheese is a good diet food compared with some other cheese as it contains fewer calories while still providing protein. But you cannot survive on one food alone. When you are trying to lose pounds, it is very tempting to flit from one plan to another but at the end of the day this will not help you. So how can you find the best diet for you?

You should look for one containing the following elements:

1) When you look at the rules, you feel you have a good chance of sticking to them. This is perhaps the most important element of a successful program. If calorie counting and weighing foods is not your thing, then it doesn't matter if it works for thousands of people, you will fail. Some people need the support of a group so would do better joining weight loss classes and following their regime. Others prefer to go it alone.

2) The diet should promise slow and steady results. This will give you a much better chance of keeping the pounds you have lost at bay.

3) There should be no forbidden food groups. For example, some "fad diets" will not let you eat carbohydrates. The problem is that as soon as someone says you can't have it, you will want it. We need to eat as wide and varied a diet as possible to get all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals our body needs.

4) Regular exercise should be part of the program. People think you can lose excess pounds simply by dieting, and others think that going to the gym is sufficient but to be really successful you need a combination of both.

You can reduce your calorie intake without depriving yourself of your favorite foods by making different choices. For example if you love cottage cheese, you could try the version made with skimmed milk. Instead of eating the whole candy bar, have a square of very good quality chocolate once in a while as a treat. Start every meal with a fruit or vegetable juice or a salad. Reduce your portion size by 10% and you probably won't even notice.

Don't go on a crash diet. Not only do they not work but they can cause you to lose lean muscle. Muscle burns fat so you are shooting yourself in the foot. Any weight you lose will be regained and you may even end up weighing more. If you want to kick start your diet, you could try following a detox program for a week or ten days. Drinking water, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables combined with brown rice, whole meal cereals, and eating bio yogurt will help to detoxify your system.

You will lose pounds and feel better although perhaps not initially. This will help you get better results than following a cottage cheese diet alone.

The fat smash diet plan is quite a well known book written by Ian Smith. It became famous when Celebrity Fit Club was all the rage on TV. It is supposed to be a 90 day program and promises that you will not have to count calories and you will not end up feeling hungry. Sounds good doesn't it?

So what does this diet involve and more importantly does it work? The good news is that this weight loss program encompasses all the things a good one should. It doesn't promise that you will lose pounds without effort and you do not have to avoid whole food groups. In order to lose excess weight, you need to follow a healthy eating plan combined with moderate exercise. That is the basis of Ian Smith's approach. He also strongly encourages you to get support from your family and friends. This is a great idea as you will sometimes struggle to stay focused and committed. It is a lot easier to put the pounds on than take them off!

Far too often, a regime either focuses on the food or the activities but you need both to succeed. The Fat Smash approach is to undergo a detox first. Although the experts disagree as to whether we actually need to detoxify our bodies, it certainly helps by giving you an initial burst of motivation as you watch the pounds fall off. This part of the regime lasts for nine days during which you may feel rather miserable. It is a good idea to start at a time when you can rest more as you may suffer headaches, nausea and tiredness. So if it is a busy time at work, postpone following Mr Smith until later.

The regime is divided into four parts. The first is the detox during which you will eat mainly fruit and vegetables. There is quite a Japanese flavor to some of the dishes so if you have a store locally, you will find plenty of the suggested items on sale there e.g. Miso Soup, Tofu, Seaweed etc. Phase 2 allows you to eat a wider variety of foods such as lean meat, eggs, shellfish etc. Phase 3 reintroduces wheat, bread, pasta and thankfully some deserts while phase 4 allows you to eat some pizza and other fast foods. At all times, he recommends that you eat little and often. This is a great way to boost your metabolism rate helping you to lose pounds faster.

Ian suggests various activities you could try in order to get the recommended amounts of exercise. It is pretty pointless not to follow his advice as otherwise the system will not work. All in all this seems to be a good weight loss program and most of those who stick with his schedule will lose weight. The main criticism of the course is the way the Fat Smash Diet Plan book was written. But if you can tone up and slim down, does that really matter?