Losing Weight - Is There Anything Left to Eat?

Every few years, a new study comes out with disturbing news about something we shouldn't be eating. It can be very frustrating to figure out what is on the approved list when the "do not eat" list is so long.

Image via Wikipedia For example, the vegetarian philosophy may include warnings about how animals are raised, leaving us to eat meat and animal products that are full of chemicals.   ...Not to mention the miserable conditions forced on the animals during growth and then slaughter.

Environmentalists point out how the land is being rendered toxic with yet more chemicals to force crops to grow faster, larger and in greater quantity. It doesn't take long before the land is not capable of supporting a crop, and so more chemicals are brought in. Soon, the vegetables, fruits and other foods grown in it are toxic, too, along with new genetic properties that are not healthy for anyone who eats them.

Image via WikipediaSo what's left? Well, a new study just out says that coffee isn't the villain anymore, and we are even encouraged to drink more of it!

I guess I'll just have my morning coffee for breakfast, and then my lunch coffee, and then coffee for supper. Everything else is poisonous and will only give you cancer, heart trouble, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and bad skin!


I hope taking vitamins is OK. Oh, wait. There are a lot of warnings about those, too.

Three Popular Diets Reviewed

I just added a page of reviews for three currently popular diets. Here's the link to get there quickly:

Better Weight Loss News Diet Reviews

If you have any information on a diet program or product, good or bad, leave a comment and I'll be happy to add it to the reviews!

I've been on a lot of diets myself over the years, but it's hard to review too many at once. It can take up to a year with each one to accumulate useful information. It's more helpful to get opinions from real people who have actual experience with a product or program, than to rely on what a company says about its own product.

Fast Food Best Practices

If you like fast food on your lunch hour, or on the way home from work or school with the kids, here are some ways to minimize the harm these foods can do.

McDonald's
Instead of this - 6-piece Chicken McNuggets with Ranch dressing and a large order of French fries
Order this - Same McNuggets, but without the Ranch (use Barbecue instead) and cut the fries down to the medium size. But if you want to do even better, get their Cobb Salad with grilled chicken. And use a low-fat vinaigrette dressing instead of anything creamy.

Burger King
Instead of this - A whopper with cheese and a salad
Order this - Order a regular hamburger from the kids' menu. This alone will cut out about 500 calories because they are smaller. But if you want something even better, get the Tender Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Refuse any creamy sauces, and ask for extra lettuce and tomato.

Wendy's
Instead of this - Baked potato slathered with sour cream, butter, cheese, and bacon, with a chocolate Frosty milkshake on the side.
Order this - Put chili, broccoli and low fat sour cream on the potato instead. That cuts out a lot of the fat and calories, but you can do better. Cut out the sour cream completely, and have plain chocolate milk instead of a shake.

Kentucky Fried Chicken
Instead of this - Extra Crispy Chicken Breast with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.
Order this - Get a wing and a leg, Original Recipe, as these have fewer calories than the breast meat. Or, have the Honey BBQ chicken sandwich, with potatoes and NO gravy, with green beans and corn on the cob on the side. Eat your vegetables!

Subway
Instead of this - Any subway sandwich with all the toppings.
Order this - Get it on a wheat roll, and use all the veggie toppings you like. Just forget the cheese, mayo and the bag of chips that comes with it. A good choice overall would be the Veggie Delite or the Turkey Breast sandwich. Also, order from the "6 Grams of Fat or Less" section of their menu.

Taco Bell
Instead of this - Fried tacos with beef and cheese
Order this - Always go for tacos with the soft shell. They haven't been fried. Also, avoid the cheese and ask for salsa instead. And no, don't get any sour cream or guacamole either.

As long as you order carefully, you can still eat out with your friends at the fast food places.

Are Fad Diets Safe?

The problem with fad diets is that their fat-reducing effect is temporary and results in quick regain of weight. What is worse is that most of these diets are harmful in many ways.

Fad diets are not as new as they might seem at first. These date back to the mid 19th century when an obese Londoner was prescribed such a diet on an experimental basis. Now, after a century and a half, fad diets have become popular among people with weight problems. Teens and young adults especially flock to fad diets for an answer to their weight problems.

Fad diets often promote the idea of completely cutting out carbohydrates. It is the low intake of carbohydrates that brings about rapid weight loss. However, it is a water loss. With loss of glycogen, the large amount of water stored in it is also lost and body weight drops. The fats are still there and as the fad diets are given up, the body regains its proportion of water lost. Weight is put back on faster than it was lost.

Normally, carbohydrates remain the source of energy for work. With fad diets, the carbs may be so low that so the body starts using the stored fat, breaking it down. This may appear beneficial, but in fact, it is not. In the absence of carbs, fats cannot be completely oxidized and put to work. Hence, the body feels fatigued and weak. In addition, the ketone molecules resulting from the fat breakdown accumulate in the blood and are excreted from the body by urination, causing dehydration.

Given the harmful health effects of fad diets, it is important for us to recognize and beware of these diet plans. Watch out for diets that:

· Promise quick weight loss
· Publicize before and after pictures
· Present weight-loss testimonials
· Tend to limit natural food choices
· Require a large sum of money

Fad diets may be popular, but they can hurt your body. Be careful with any diet or exercise program and ask your health professional to be sure it is safe.

7 Ways to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain

You know you're going to do it... but with all those holiday treats right there in front of you, how can you avoid eating too much? Probably the hardest challenge is learning to say no when your favorite Aunt Martha hints that her feelings will be hurt if you don't clean your plate at her big feast.

You can exercise some restraint now, or you can simply exercise more later, at the gym.

However, try following these 5 tips for a little help during your holiday challenge:

1. Eat a healthy snack before you go to the office party. If you arrive hungry, the chances are much greater that you will eat too much. Skipping a meal earlier in the day to make room for the goodies won't help either, because this strategy usually just increases your appetite.

2. If going with a friend, strike a deal to keep each other from eating too much.

3. If the party is a potluck buffet, be sure to bring a dish you like that is healthy, and perhaps low-fat or low-calorie. That way, if the food table is packed with guilty pleasures, there will be at least one dish you can safely enjoy.

4. Use little or no toppings, sauces or gravies. The foods they "enhance" are usually just as tasty without them; or use a very small amount, just enough to capture the flavor.

5. Use a smaller plate. Even if you don't actually trick yourself into thinking there is more food, you won't be able to pile more on there anyway.

6. Drink a lot of water, especially the fizzy kind. Carbonation can help make you feel full faster.

7. If you simply must overindulge in Aunt Martha's holiday plum pudding, go ahead. Just cut back on the other dishes, especially those you can eat any time during the year, such as apple pie, chips 'n' dip, and brownies with fudge topping.

Slim Seduction Diet Pills - a Warning

Watch out for this diet pill: Slim Seduction. The "hook" is that you not only will lose weight, but will have more energy, especially increased libido. Hence, the name, Slim Seduction.

The before and after photos are compelling, as many of the subjects are of average appearance and aren’t made up to look like celebrities. Nor are they standing in provocative poses. Some shapely specimens are pictured, but I didn’t feel it was overwhelming.

Plus, they promise a free bottle to get you started.

So, I ordered the "free" bottle, followed directions, and indeed felt more energy right away. I felt motivated to exercise and to get more done during my routine work day. At the end of my day, I still felt energized and cheerfully managed most of my household chores after working all day at my job.

I did not notice any weight loss, however. No change there, and the libido thing is not an issue for me. However, I was willing to stick with it, since the product is manufactured from natural ingredients, mostly herbs. I know it takes time to lose weight without jeopardizing your health. So I was ready to follow the 12-week plan.

Now this is where you need to be aware of their guarantee, along with that so-called "free trial" period. You need to closely read the fine print, because in effect, there really is no free trial. In fact, this is the first time I have encountered a company that penalizes you for sticking with the program. Conversely, if you quit early, you are rewarded for doing so, and will not be charged for the first bottle of product. But three weeks is too soon to know if it’s really helping. Some free trial. Plus, there have been reports of people being charged anyway.

I am one of them. Last week, I got a nasty surprise... a bill! And it was for 50 bucks. I called the company. They assured me it was part of their "terms and conditions" and that my credit card has been charged that amount. But, they said, future bottles of product were only 40 dollars and would "auto-ship" every month, to assure freshness.

I was livid. I accused them of sneaky tactics. The representative argued that the terms are clearly stated on their web site. Well, not really. First, you must find the link to click. Then you must be willing to wade through tiny text and ambiguous terminology. I looked, but I still could not find language that describes what they call "clearly stated terms."

So I canceled my order for future participation. I refuse to tolerate what I still consider to be sneaky tactics.

I believe I might have benefited from this product and the weight loss program. But I will not tolerate their sales and marketing techniques to gouge a higher price out of me for the first month as my penalty for choosing to stay with their program.

I recommend doing a search online for Diet Pill Reviews, or simply, "Slim Seduction," before choosing any product. I found Slim Seduction rated very high... on more than one list of products to stay away from... far, far away. Their ingredients are fine, but have been found to be in such small amounts, they hardly qualify as "effective."

Buyer beware!

Binge Eating - Get Help for This Eating Disorder

A number of very dangerous eating disorders exist that affect many people, regardless of age, race, gender, and economic status. While you may hear a lot in the news about anorexia and bulimia, one of the lesser-known weight loss disasters sweeping the nation is binge eating. This is very bad for the body and can cause heart disease, diabetes, and a number of other medical conditions, which actually could result in death. Therefore, it is important to learn about binge eating and to seek help immediately if you think this could be a problem for you or someone you care about.

Binge eating is basically a form of overeating at its worst. There are times when we all overindulge in our favorite foods, such as during a holiday or when eating out at a restaurant. However, a binge eater faces overeating problems more than a few times a week. These people often find themselves overweight and unhappy, which can make the situation worse.

Binge eaters often overeat to the point of making themselves feel sick. In many cases, they will eat thousands of calories in one sitting, and many of the foods they are eating are not very nutritional and usually include comfort foods, such as sweets or junk foods. At times, they may also have a problem with alcohol. In one day, a binge eater may consume more than the normal person eats in a week.

Unlike people who are suffering from bulimia, binge eaters do not induce vomiting in order to rid themselves of the food they’ve eaten. Therefore, they tend to be quite overweight. In some cases, they may eat non-stop for an entire day, but then spend the next three or four days starving themselves and exercising vigorously in order to stay at the same weight, if possible.

This eating disorder goes hand in hand with a number of other physical diseases, and often affects one's mental and emotional well-being. Those who suffer from this problem are unnaturally obsessed about their body weight and may experience depression because of it, regardless of whether they are overweight or not. Binge eating is not only dangerous for the victim, but can affect everyone in his or her life. If you or someone you know is suffering from this disease, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. This is not a healthy dietary lifestyle.