Change brings questions, and Diet Designs specializes in providing the answers that can turn hopes and dreams into daily realities. Years of helping an amazingly diverse array of individuals achieve their goals for health have revealed the questions that most commonly arise at the start. Here are our top ten, answered by diet designer Carrie Wiatt. How much weight will I lose per week? Will I be hungry, and if so for how long? Will my energy level drop? Do I have to do complicated food combinations or count calories? What is the food ratio? Do I have to give up foods I love or eat those I don't? Can I go to restaurants and social events and still follow the program? What if I'm under stress or too busy to worry about my diet? What type of exercise do you recommend? What will I do after the program? 1. How much weight will I lose per week? Everybody's different, both in terms of biochemistry and adapting to a new lifestyle, but most people should expect to lose about two pounds per week on the Diet Designs programs. I'm not talking about losing temporary water weight or critical muscle mass, which are common results of many fad diets. This is about peeling off two solid pounds of body fat each week – an awesome accomplishment, but achievable if you follow the plan we calibrate personally for you. 2. Will I be hungry, and if so for how long? No! One of the most common responses from people starting on the Diet Designs programs is "I can't believe how much food there is!" By combining low-density calories with high-density nutrients and properly spacing meals and snacks to stabilize blood sugar, Diet Designs plans fully satisfy hunger all day long even while burning fat. Many people experience less hunger than with their usual high-calorie eating habits. 3. Will my energy level drop? Just the opposite. Healthy eating actually unlocks more energy from your food, fueling cells for all-day performance. If you've experienced mental or physical fatigue on weight loss diets in the past, the calories, nutrient mix, or schedule may have been mismatched to your needs. You can expect increased energy for work, play, family, even exercise when eating the Diet Designs way. 4. Do I have to do complicated food combinations or count calories? Absolutely not. You can think of your Diet Designs program as something like a computer program. Your diet takes care of the calculating for you, based on the personal information you provide to us when you enroll. As for food combinations, nutritional evidence shows that the only mix that matters is what you eat over a 24-hour period (except in the case of very specific medical conditions). Anyone who suggests otherwise is speaking outside the realm of science, and if not actually sabotaging your health is certainly needlessly complicating your life. 5. What is the food ratio? The Diet Designs proportions are based on the comprehensive body of research in nutrition and eating behavior, including adjustment for personal preferences, goals, and biological variables. Our goal is to optimize both your health and your satisfaction so that you'll stick with good habits for life. Each custom plan provides a balance of 50-60% carbohydrate, 20-25% protein, 20-25% fat, and a maximum dose of micronutrients – vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants – required to enhance energy, slow aging, and fight disease. 6. Do I have to give up foods I love or eat those I don't? No. I founded Diet Designs to help people discover that the pleasures of food and the rewards of a healthy lifestyle go together, and this is achieved by a diet customized to your preferences. When you enroll in a Diet Designs program, we ask you which foods you like and which ones you don't to ensure that every meal is pure pleasure. With flexible menus and our acclaimed recipes for favorite dishes from homestyle to gourmet, our diets are designed to please your palate every single time. 7. Can I go to restaurants and social events and still follow the program? You bet! With our base in Hollywood, Diet Designs is grounded in serving people who dine out as a way of life. An enlightened lifestyle is about making more of every day, and our comprehensive guidelines for restaurant and social dining enable you to take your healthy eating habits anywhere you go. 8. What if I'm under stress or too busy to worry about my diet? Great question! – and the answer is very important in today's high-speed times: It's when you're stressed or busy that you need a healthy diet most. By boosting your energy supply and counteracting the physiological effects of the stress response, the Diet Designs eating plans can actually help you stress less. Furthermore, each program is designed for simplicity, handling the math and helping you serve up meals on a tight schedule. 9. What type of exercise do you recommend? Our programs include weekly exercise plans developed to work with the diet for optimal fat burning, a motivational mood boost – and fun! We mix aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility work for the full-body conditioning recommended by exercise physiologists. The plan is structured in a progressive framework shown to be most effective in helping people lose weight and keep it off. You choose what you want to do-so whether you prefer to walk or roller blade, break out the resistance bands or take a yoga class, you'll find a workout that moves you toward your health and weight loss goals. 10. What will I do after the program? Just keep enjoying life! The Diet Designs program permanently transforms your relationship with food to make your enlightened lifestyle easy and lasting. When you reach your weight loss goals, you have the option of selecting from any of our maintenance programs to support the transition to the new, lifelong you. DietDesigns.com is always here with all the resources you need to stay on track and take advantage of the latest discoveries in living well. We're your partner on the journey. I hope you'll join us.