Weight Loss Info Center

With the recent Kimkins controversy, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about fad diets.  In my opinion, fad diets are nothing but a way to prey on desperate folks to take their hard-earned money.  Fad diets might work at first, but once the diet is stopped, the weight usually comes back pretty quickly.  Oftentimes, when weight is lost quickly, it’s not fat but water and muscle, and the weight that is gained back is usually fat.

So how do you spot a fad diet?  There’s really no one way to spot a fad, but there are a couple of things to watch out for when looking at diet plans:

• Promises of a quick fix/fast weight loss instead of lifestyle change
• Elimination of one of the five food groups
• Requires severe calorie restriction
• Statements and recommendations that don’t jive with scientific studies
• Claims or testimonials that are too good to be true (for example:  “I lost 30 lbs. in 2 weeks!”)

I’m sure I’ve missed something that should be on the above list.   The best thing to keep in mind about healthy and long-term weight loss is that it’s all about changing one’s lifestyle, eating healthy and being active.  There are no “quick fixes” or “miracles” when it comes to permanent weight loss.

Bookmark It

Yes, says nutritionist Brenda Watson, author of the new bestseller The Fiber35 Diet: Nature’s Weight Loss Secret.  According to Watson, upping your fiber intake is as close to a “weight loss bullet” as you can get.

An average dieter only gets about 11 grams of fiber per day, but according to Mayo Clinic, women should be taking in at least 21 to 25 grams per day.  Watson found that 35 is the “magic number” for weight loss; eat 35 grams per day and watch the pounds melt away.  Fiber is a great aid in weight loss because it helps you feel full and also triggers release of CCK, a hormone found in our bodies that naturally suppresses appetite.

So how do you get the extra fiber?  Fruits and veggies, of course, plus whole grain breads, high-fiber cereals (such as Kashi), and you can always add a fiber supplement to boost your fiber intake if you find yourself missing the 35 grams per day mark.

To read more about The Fiber35 Diet and sign up for the free newsletter, visit:  www.fiber35diet.com

Bookmark It

I had posted earlier this month my thoughts on the Kimkin’s Diet.  I found something interesting over at 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet that I feel the need to share.  It gives the real lowdown on everything Kimkin’s.  If you’re thinking about investing in (or even reading at the Low Carb Friends forum in order to get the basics of the diet so you can do it), please check out Kimkins: Anatomy of a Diet Scam from the weight loss experts at 3FatChicks.com.

<!–adsense–>

Bookmark It

I know, I know, weight loss is not supposed to be easy.  It takes blood, sweat and tears, right?  Not always.

I have been feeling under the weather again this week.  Well, it’s more than under the weather, but I won’t bore you with all the details.  Since I have been sick (again), I haven’t really had the energy to put into working out with Tony Horton and doing P90X.  Seriously, P90X takes energy and stamina and I just didn’t have it.  However, I found myself really missing my workouts.  So I got out my handy-dandy pedometer, blew the dust off, and snapped it on my waist band.  It didn’t surprise me that the first day I wore it, I only had around 3,500 steps.  I mean how can someone who is sick on the couch all day actually wrack up any steps? 

It just so happened that another mom I have become friends with and hang out with 4 times a week at cheerleading practice had been to the doctor and he told her that she needed to lose some weight.  So on the second day of wearing my pedometer, she suggested we walk around the field a few times.  I didn’t have a lot of energy, but I wanted to do something, so I decided to give it as much as I could.  My total steps at the end of that day were 7,300.  Okay, getting better.

We walked again Wednesday and my total steps at the end of that day were 11,500.  Awesome because I had been aiming for 10,000!  Now, since I have been sick, I really haven’t watched what I ate all that much this week, and actually even went to Applebee’s yesterday for lunch out with my mom and I probably had the worst lunch ever as far as fried foods, high fat, and loads of calories. 

I measured my waist yesterday and was down a 1/2 inch, and even though I don’t normally weigh myself and just go by how my clothes feel and the inches lost, I decided to jump on the scale this morning just to see where I’m at.  I’ve actually lost 4 lbs. since being at the doctor last Friday!  So 4 lbs. in one week just wearing my trusty pedometer and aiming to get at least 10,000 steps.

How cool is that?

To find out more about pedometers and weight loss and how to get started counting your steps, check out Will Walking with a Pedometer Help Me Lose Weight from the experts at Ivillage.

<!–adsense–>

Bookmark It