June 2010 Blog Posts

Many of us track our calories and use that tracking as a way to gauge if we are consuming less than we are burning. Calorie counting is arguably one of the most important variables in weight loss itself (well, counting fewer calories...after consuming fewer calories than in your previous lifestyle). But what is the best way to track your calories, and is there one way that's better than another? I've always had a hard time tracking calories, mostly because I've never stuck to one system. I went out once and bought a little notebook that I was going to carry around with...

Many schools across the country have changed their curriculum to include specialized programs that focus on childhood obesity and how to avoid it. But a new study has found that programs like these do not seem to be helping with early onset obesity. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and found that the specialized obesity programs had no effect on the weight loss of most of the middle school students who participated. Forty two schools were monitored over a period of three years. The programs included having healthier lunch programs, more stimulating physical education programs, and...

As adults, most of us are conscious about our weight and when we gain it and when we lose it. But while some teens are concerned about gaining weight, others are worried about other things. Well a new study found that teens who graze throughout the day on snacks are less likely to gain excessive weight or become obese. 5,800 teenagers were studied, and those who snacked throughout the day were 60% less likely to become obese. Check out the ABC footage about the study here. When I was a teenager, I don't even think I could have snacked if I wanted to...

As adults, most of us are conscious about our weight and when we gain it and when we lose it. But while some teens are concerned about gaining weight, others are worried about other things. Well a new study found that teens who graze throughout the day on snacks are less likely to gain excessive weight or become obese. 5,800 teenagers were studied, and those who snacked throughout the day were 60% less likely to become obese. Check out the ABC footage about the study here. When I was a teenager, I don't even think I could have snacked if I wanted to...

'Tis the season for beaches and bikinis and summer vacations. But when you're on a weight loss path, the thought of going away and possibly being separated from the weight loss routine you've finally sunken into can be somewhat freighting. Still, there are a few ways you can continue to lose weight away from your natural habitat. Washington Post blogger Jennifer LaRue Huget is planning a trip to Italy and asked her readers for some advice on how to maintain weight loss on vacation. One tip a reader had was to drink sparkling water with meals. The reader explained that drinking sparkling water...

If any of you are regular "Today Show" followers like me, you will have caught this morning's segment, "Why Diets Fail." Personally, I think we know why SOME diets fail, but I don't think it's safe to assume ALL diets fail, because if they have the power to get someone motivated to lose the weight, then they are not failures at all. SOME diets do fail, however, in fact most, for a few basic reasons that were outlined in the segment. The first reason diets fail, according to the segment, is because people aren't fully committed. Sometimes, we get excited and wrapped...

The day I started paying attention to my weight was the day I started hearing how bad carbs are for weight loss. We're constantly told that if we cut our carb intake, we will inevitably lose weight. AND it's actually true. Your body takes a longer time to burn carbs than protein. Some try eliminating carbs altogether, however, and fail at weight loss. Another fundamental diet practice is to go on a low-fat diet, where you consume less fatty foods, in hopes that you are eating less that needs to be burned. This also seems to make sense, although some foods...

Once upon a time, America's favorite personal trainer needed some training herself. Jillian Michaels says she gained a great deal of weight after her parents divorce when she was 12. Now 36, Michaels says her weight loss journey began with karate. I haven't taken karate since I was 9 years old and wouldn't know how good of a workout it is, but Jillian apparently swears by it. Her maintenance plan, she says, now consists of five 30-minute workouts per week, serious calorie control and not eating processed foods. Check out this article about Jillian's weight loss struggle and how she overcame it: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20008054-10391698.html BONUS: For all...

Superman and Batman are usually the two that first come to mind when you think of "hero." They're the kind of hero that saves the pretty girl from the bad guy when she's hanging off the side of a building about to fall to her death. As I thought about heroes and how much we grow up admiring them, I thought about who my weight loss hero is. Who, in the realm of weight loss is someone I look to for inspiration? Someone who achieved unbelievable feats and truly saved a life (their own)? I would have to say that my weight loss...

You've heard of the cookie diet...and I bet when you heard of it, you thought it sounded as ridiculous as I did. Well here's one to top even that. The Ice Cube Diet. Before you go on thinking "How the heck can someone lose weight from ice cubes!?" let me explain what it's all about. The ice cubes are not those that you would pour the water from your kitchen sink and stick in your freezer in a tray. These cubes are pre-frozen, packed in dry ice, and shipped to the customer when they are purchased. The ice cubes are also not...

You've seen some of the crazy things contestants on NBC's hit show The Biggest Loser do to loseweight. They go through obstacle courses, run marathons and spend endless hours working every drop of sweat out of themselves to drop sometimes over 100-lb. by the season's finale only a few short months after they begin their weight loss journey. But the part that is not shown on camera is what we want to know the most-what are these contestants EATING to drop so much weight? Health and Fitness Times decided to share this little slice of information with us, documenting a few quick need-to-know...

The NJ lady who's trying to beat the world record to become the fattest woman in the world is back in the news, I have blogged about Donna Simpson before as her story is a popular one in the world of weight loss right now. Simpson currently weighs 600 lbs. and is a mother of two. Her only purpose in reaching this goal is to beat the world record and be known for gaining a tremendous amount of weight. Simpson has publicly said she hopes to gain a reality television show out of all the publicity she has gained throughout...

My boss recently approached me to show me his new ticket to weight loss: an app on his iPhone. The app, appropriately called "Lose it" allows you to keep a log of your full calorie intake for days at a time while also telling you how many calories you should be consuming and burning each day. You can set goals for how much you want to lose in the app also. There is also a place in the app where you enter your exercise for that day. What is most interesting about the app is that it finds the non-conventional...

I walked past a mirror today and really looked at what I saw. Do you ever do that? Really sit there and look at what you see in the mirror? It's quite fascinating. What's fascinating about it mostly is how we never seem to look like what we think we do. Or maybe it's just me. Anyways, as I was walking down the street, past myself in the mirror, I wondered if I look the way I feel in terms of my weight. When I was thinner, I think that I felt smaller, and when I put on the weight, I...

We all find motivation to lose weight in different ways. For some of us, it's a major event that we want to look good for (wedding days, graduations, etc.) or maybe we just want to be healthier. For some of us, we just want to lose weight to lose weight and look and feel better. Some of us don't need motivating. But some of us do. And some employers want to help. According to this article from MSN, some employers are offering their employees monetary compensation, up to $500 per year sometimes, as an incentive to lose weight. Why, you ask? Because there is...

Your mind, that is? The loud screaming, obnoxious Jillian Michaels hardly took a break between the end of this season's Biggest Loser last week and this week's premiere of her own show, Losing it with Jillian. For those of you unfamiliar with Jillian Michaels, she is one of the trainers on the NBC show, The Biggest Loser, a gameshow where morbidly obese contestants aim to lose more weight than their contestants to improve their life, win some serious cash and be crowned "The Biggest Loser." On that show, contestants spend several months on a secluded ranch where they can spend nearly all day...

Your mind, that is? The loud screaming, obnoxious Jillian Michaels hardly took a break between the end of this season's Biggest Loser last week and this week's premiere of her own show, Losing it with Jillian. For those of you unfamiliar with Jillian Michaels, she is one of the trainers on the NBC show, The Biggest Loser, a gameshow where morbidly obese contestants aim to lose more weight than their contestants to improve their life, win some serious cash and be crowned "The Biggest Loser." On that show, contestants spend several months on a secluded ranch where they can spend nearly all day...