"3 Day Diet"

The 3 Day Diet is a scheme that combines certain foods that are supposed to create a desired reaction in your digestive system and boost your metabolism for fat burning. The regimen must be followed precisely with exact portions for optimum "results." The plan does not mention or recommend exercise. The regimen lasts for three days, then repeated after two days off the diet.

The basics:

The 3 Day Diet must be eaten exactly as specified and dieters must not over-eat or under-eat otherwise you won't get your promised 10 pound weight loss.

Day 1

Breakfast
Coffee or tea (artificial sweetener optional)
1/2 grapefruit or fruit juice
1 piece of toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Lunch

Coffee or tea
1/2 cup tuna
1 piece toast
Dinner

3 ounces lean meat or chicken
1 cup green beans
1 cup carrots
1 apple
1 cup vanilla ice cream
Day 2

Breakfast

Coffee or tea
1 egg
1/2 banana
1 piece toast
Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna
8 regular saltine crackers
Dinner

2 beef franks
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 banana
1/2 cup regular ice cream
Day 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea
5 regular saltine crackers
1 ounce cheddar cheese
1 apple
Lunch

Black coffee or tea
1 boiled egg
1 piece toast
Dinner

1 cup tuna
1 cup carrots
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup melon
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
4 cups of water or diet soda are to be consummed as well.

This is a classic low calorie starvation diet and water loss scheme which is going to lead to temporary weight loss. You will probably gain the weight back quick and end up adding some additional weight as is common in fad diets. The 3 Day Diet is no miracle and certainly no solution to your weight problems.

With so many weight loss options available, it's hard to know what to do. The reality of popular diet products and programs is that few work in the long term because they don't focus on the sustainable strategies of balanced nutrition, exercise and personal motivation. But don't be discouraged, there are good plans out there that can help you achieve your goals.

Frank Mulligan: Resolutionary approach to weight loss

In past New Year’s resolution columns regarding waist management, I’ve advocated one key rule to avoid failure: Aim low.

For instance, don’t commit to running a marathon in under three hours moments after the New Year’s Eve ball atop Times Square has made its annual descent.

Instead, pledge to pick up the pace a little when you make your daily trek to the office vending machine for a bag of original flavor Bugles.

Likewise, don’t swear you’ll eat the recommended nine servings of fresh fruit and vegetables each and every day.

Instead, promise you won’t remove the lettuce and tomato from your Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich at the drive-thru.

This way you can avoid the bitter, though calorie-free taste of resolution failure by the second week in February.

But this year I came across a New Year’s resolution primer put out by a health organization with the stated goal of helping the weight-challenged join the svelte set.

It was filled with bravado. There was no molly coddling here, and it fired me with a new zeal. While I won’t follow any of its precepts, I will write a tuck-your-tummy-in New Year’s resolution column with a whole new tough-guy, somewhat psychotic tone.

So here are four steps guaranteed to have results, though they may be wholly unintended.

· Call yourself names.

Suggested monikers include Chub Scout, the fifth Teletubby, or “human Jumbotron.” These reminders will help keep you committed to your goals. There will be no compromise. Mercy is for the weak.

· Encourage others to make fun of you, even strangers.

Suggested opening lines might be, “Boy, I sure look fat today,” or, “Boy, I’m sure overweight to the point of deserving the derision of my peers,” or “I know the location of every all-you-can-eat buffet within a 75-mile radius.”

· Strike yourself with a club.

Science has proven over and over that negative conditioning works with a capital W. You whack yourself in the head six or seven times with a T-ball bat, regulation police billy club, or lead-filled blackjack and suddenly that Twinkie doesn’t look quite so alluring.

· Put a contract out on yourself.

Contact an organized crime syndicate that’s convenient to your home or office and make arrangements with one of their “hit men” to “teach you a little lesson” if you don’t reach certain weight-loss goals. These can range in severity from “throwing you a beating” to breaking a limb such as an arm or leg or even to the point where you become part of the loadbearing wall at a new stadium or highway overpass.

The consequences should depend on your level of commitment.

The top 10 healthiest diets in America

If losing weight is at the top of your resolution list, you're not alone. An estimated 80 million Americans go on diets every year, spending more than $30 billion annually on programs and products.
Relax -- some diets are more about burning calories than counting calories.

Relax -- some diets are more about burning calories than counting calories.

That's a lot of money, a lot of advice, and a lot of emotional investment. So, which diets really work -- and work safely? To find the weight-loss programs with that golden balance of nutrition, calorie-control, motivation, and activity, Health harnessed a panel of experts to put more than 60 well-known diets to the test and narrow them down to the top 10. Here's the list:

• The Structure House Weight Loss Plan (Fireside)

Don't recognize this plan? That's because for more than 30 years its author, Gerard J. Musante, PhD, has been working quietly and very successfully running the actual Structure House, a Durham, North Carolina-based residential treatment center for obese adults. That's a lot of time spent with patients and a lot of attention paid to the broad factors that affect weight loss -- particularly the relationship people have with food.

But can an excellent residential program transfer to an effective at-home plan? The answer, according to our experts (meet them at right), is a resounding "yes," which is how this below-the-radar plan grabbed highest honors from its better-known rivals. iReport.com: Tell us about your New Year's resolutions

With top-shelf scores on every aspect of healthy weight-loss, Structure House won an "outstanding!" from obesity expert Tim Church, MD, on its exercise component (often a weak spot in diet programs). And several panelists raved about the plan's motivational components. "It focuses on the 'why' behind overeating," says registered dietitian Maureen Callahan, "and helps dieters learn to put their lives in balance."
Health Library

* MayoClinic.com: Keep the weight off permanently
* MayoClinic.com: Feel full on fewer calories

Health's Senior Food and Nutrition Editor Frances Largeman-Roth agrees: "This book takes a holistic approach to weight loss, asking you to fill your life with things other than food -- outdoor activities and time with friends and family, for instance. Plus, the recipes, such as Balsamic Dijon Chicken and Classic Pesto, won high marks for tastiness, another factor in long-term weight-loss success. Health.com: Lose weight on fast food--- really!

• The Step Diet (Workman Publishing)

We all know that walking 10,000 steps a day can really make a huge difference healthwise. But now we also know that the diet inspired by this fundamental, healthy approach to movement and activity is a big winner. And it even comes with a pedometer, a device that studies have shown can be a huge motivator for staying active and losing weight.

Our panelists agree that establishing a lifestyle regimen that combines intentional walking with spur-of-the-moment step-building (parking farther away, taking the stairs) is a healthy, all-ages, all-levels-of-fitness diet prescription. "This is more about calories burned than calories cut," Health's Frances Largeman-Roth says. Health.com: 5 tips to keep office snacking from derailing your diet

The nutritional approach of the Step Diet, devised by weight-control experts from the University of Colorado, is profoundly simple: Cut food intake to 75 percent of what you currently eat. "This plan is for people who like things simple," nutrition expert Christine Palumbo says. "Simply cut back on what you normally eat." With suggestions (not hard-core regimens) for making healthy meals and a food diary for building mindfulness, this plan can work well for dieters who like to have daily control and choices.

Our panelists also noted that the cut in calories combined with the steady increase in activity can lead to a safe, healthy rate of weight loss and a naturally active lifestyle. "This is a doable, concrete approach to adding daily physical activity and losing pounds," dietitian and fitness expert Samantha Heller says.

• Weight Watchers

It's a classic for a reason. It works.

And over the years, this gold-standard weight-loss program that harnesses the power of group support to help motivate dieters has kept up with science, not to mention changing lifestyles. For this aspect, Weight Watchers earned the highest motivational marks (including several perfect scores) from our panel of experts, who also lauded the plan's overall healthy weight-loss pace and exercise component.

Most noteworthy: Weight Watchers, while maintaining its meetings-based system, has added an online version for those dieters who, in the words of panelist Largeman-Roth, "aren't into group hugs." Health.com: Diet tricks the stars use to stay thin

What's more, dieters following the program can choose from two distinct weight-loss approaches. The first, Weight Watcher's famous points-based Flex Plan, which is packed with major education on making wise and healthy food choices, gets kudos for providing both motivation and a simple framework for success. The second, the Core Plan, focuses dieters on eating nutritious, satisfying foods--without counting calories.

The Weight Watchers program offers strategies that will work for every dieter. And the support specifically for men was a real bonus, as was the ability to get tasty, already-prepared (and points counted) meals at your local grocery store.

• The EatingWell Diet (The Countryman Press)

This new entry into the field in 2007 has built beautifully on the latest understanding of the broad approach necessary for effective weight loss. Author Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD, developed the fundamentals of the EatingWell Diet at the University of Vermont, where she chairs the department of nutrition and food science. The focus on behavioral changes--including finding and facing eating triggers, eating and shopping mindfully, and cultivating regular, joyful exercise habits--combined with a 28-day mix-and-match menus gained the highest overall rankings on calorie-intake and weight-loss-rate criteria from our panelists. Health.com: Reviews of more than 40 popular diets

"Hallelujah," says registered dietitian Maureen Callahan. "Here's a diet plan that tells the truth about weight loss. Dieters lose about 21 pounds in six months, or about a pound a week. This kind of steady weight loss is the real thing, the kind that stays off." Another nifty extra: a Diet Food Diary that includes a calorie-count chart.

• The Volumetrics Eating Plan (Harper Collins)

Nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, has tapped into a fundamental human quality: We like to feel full. This may sound obvious, but it's based, in fact, on extensive work Rolls has done as director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Pennsylvania State University. Rolls says you'll eat better and lose weight if you focus on the energy density of foods. And her Volumetrics plan explains how low-density foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as soups and stews, fill you up without overloading you with calories.

This diet scored highest for its safe weight-loss-rate and nutritional components because it's "based on sound nutrition principles and overall healthy food choices," judge Samantha Heller says. And our panelists found the plan's 150-plus recipes appealing. Another plus, judge Christine Palumbo says, is Volumetric's creative approach of showing photos of low- and high-density foods side by side -- a simple way to help dieters visualize good choices.

Though exercise plays a secondary role in the Volumetrics plan, it is required. And a guide for logging 30 to 60 minutes of daily activity provides motivation. But Health's Frances Largeman-Roth wondered if some dieters would need more exercise challenges and support.

• The Best Life Diet (Simon & Schuster)

Bob Greene is forever linked with superstar (and dieter) Oprah Winfrey. And his high-profile guide, which offers a sane, healthy approach to overall lifestyle changes, earned consistently high marks from our experts. Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, who looked at the motivational elements of each diet, was impressed by the realistic goals embraced by the Best Life plan, as well as the weekly menus and recipes offered on its Web site (which also features message-board support groups, a good source of dieting motivation).

Best Life has three phases that each dieter is encouraged to embark upon at his or her own pace, a strategy that leads to slimming, nutritional eating and increased physical activity. Dietitian Christine Palumbo gave this staged approach a perfect 10: "For people who like to ease into lifestyle changes in order to get used to them oh-so-gradually," she says, "this is a good bet."

Greene doesn't advocate keeping strict track of calories, which may make the Best Life more challenging for rule-loving dieters, yet panelists applauded his holistic approach to healthy eating. "He's emphasizing healthy foods in reasonable portions," nutrition expert Maureen Callahan says.

"Dieters shouldn't feel deprived on this plan," Health's Frances Largeman-Roth says. "However, the fact that this diet doesn't have 'magic' foods or promise rapid results may make it less attractive to dieters looking for a silver bullet." And that may be its best recommendation of all.

• The Solution (Collins)

"This program excels at helping people figure out why they're overeating," Callahan says, "and that's what's going to keep the weight off." Squarely facing the emotional and behavioral underpinnings of overeating, dietitian Laurel Mellin's method is based on The Shapedown Program, a successful weight-management plan she created for overweight children and adolescents in the late 1970s. Mellin views obesity not so much in terms of diet and exercise but as another expression of the interaction of mind, body, and lifestyle. And The Solution, designed for dieters of all ages, targets five root causes of weight problems: unbalanced eating, low energy, body shame, setting ineffective limits, and weak self-nurturing skills.

The food aspects of this program center on four "light" lists--grains, proteins, milk foods, and fruit and vegetables. And Mellin's guidelines and food suggestions got high marks on healthy balance from our panelists. Largeman-Roth liked the variety of the plan, as well as its overall moderation. And Palumbo awarded it a hat-trick of perfect 10s in all nutritional aspects.

• You: On a Diet (Free Press)

"No wonder Dr. Oz is Oprah's favorite doctor!" Palumbo raves, hailing the friendly diet book that is the centerpiece of the "You" docs Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizen's mini-empire of healthy lifestyle guides and products (including a very interactive Web site). This diet, Palumbo adds, "teaches and motivates about weight (and waist) loss with a sense of good humor and fun."

Indeed, the book offers a lot of education amidst the menu plans, which include recipes for Stuffed Whole Wheat Pizza, Grilled Peanut Shrimp with Sesame Snow Peas, and Sweet Beet and Gorgonzola Salad. Panelist Samantha Heller praised its easy-to-understand nutrition information, while Dr. Rajapaksa gave points for its good explanations of how the body works. The weight-loss trajectory centers on cutting about 500 calories per day, and panelists liked the easy calculations that help readers figure out their own calorie needs.

Palumbo also credited the plan with adding to the healthy (but not terribly exciting) 30 minutes of daily walking some equally valuable recommendations of stretching, metabolism boosting, muscle building, and strength training. Added benefit: Illustrations show how to do the exercises sans a trip to the gym.

• The Sonoma Diet (Meredith Books)

There's an undercurrent of celebration in this best-selling diet that continues to inspire with delicious recipes using staples of Mediterranean eating: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and nuts.

Dietitian and PhD Connie Guttersen's plan opens with a strident 10-day jump-start phase called "Wave One," designed to purge habits of eating sugar and highly processed foods, which judges Maureen Callahan and Samantha Heller caution may be a little too calorie-restrictive for some beginning dieters. But subsequent phases--active weight loss and maintenance--garnered high marks from our panel. Exercise is encouraged but not actively prescribed, a missed opportunity in the minds of several judges.

Overall, our panelists loved the creative recipes and menus. And they applauded the plate-and-bowl approach to portion control, a hallmark of long-term, sustainable eating habits. "This diet teaches you to eat slowly and savor your meals," judge Palumbo says.

• The Spectrum (Ballantine)

Famous in the 1990s for advocating a program to combat heart disease, Dr. Dean Ornish, MD, has been criticized for prescribing nutritional edicts that are just too hard to sustain. The Spectrum, Ornish's newest diet, both broadens and softens his program by moving along four separate paths to health--nutrition, exercise, stress management, and personal relationships.

Our panelists liked the plan's holistic approach, particularly rewarding its counsel on reducing stress and giving it high marks for including a meditation DVD with the book. And our nutrition judges were glad to see that Ornish has tempered his tough stance on fats to a more sustainable level, but one panelist feels he's still too strict. "There's no reason not to eat nuts, seeds, and avocados; use maple syrup and honey; or have a glass of wine, periodically," panelist Heller says. She notes, though, that Ornish's whole-body approach, which includes a vegetarian lifestyle, stress management, and exercise, is on target in terms of health, disease prevention, and reaching a healthy weight.

Judge Palumbo awarded Ornish's plan some of her highest scores. "This 'diet' plan addresses the lifestyle diseases of the 21st century," she says, "such as diabetes, certain cancers, and cardiovascular disease. This book is ideal for people who are looking for an intelligent, thoughtful, science-based weight-loss program."

FDA flags some weight-loss pills, says "stop taking them"

Ingredients used in more than 25 products marketed for weight loss may contain controlled substances, anti-seizure medication and a suspected cancer-causing agent, the FDA has warned.

The products, which are also marketed as dietary supplements, are available on the Web and in retail stores. Though they are promoted as "natural," they may contain potentially harmful ingredients not listed on product labels, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The products have not been approved by the FDA, are illegal and could be harmful to consumers, including prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages. Some of the products may cause high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, heart attack and stroke.

"The FDA advises consumers who have used any of these products to stop taking them and consult their healthcare professional immediately," the FDA said in a news release.

The FDA is currently seeking a recall of the products.

The tainted products are:

Fatloss Slimming

Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet

7 Day Herbal Slim

999 Fitness Essence

Imelda Perfect Slim

Perfect Slim

ProSlim Plus

Slim Express 360

Superslim

Venom Hyperdrive 3.0

2 Day Diet

5x Imelda Perfect Slimming

8 Factor Diet

Extrim Plus

Lida DaiDaihua

Perfect Slim 5x

Royal Slimming Formula

Slimtech

TripleSlim

3x Slimming Power

3 Day Diet

7 Diet Day/Night Formula

GMP

Miaozi Slim Capsules

Phyto Shape

Slim 3 in 1

Somotrim

Zhen de Shou

Surgeon In U.S. Takes Fat From Patients To Power His Car

Washington (dbTechno) - A surgeon in the U.S. has reportedly been taking fat from patients, and using that fat to help power his car.

U.S. surgeon Dr. Craig Alan Bittner has reportedly come out and admitted that he used fat to make his car go, just as if it was loaded with gas.

He took the fat from patients during liposuction procedures which were carried out in Beverly Hills, California.

Many of his patients have filed lawsuits against the U.S. surgeon. The lawsuits were due to claims that he allowed assistants and girlfriends to carry out the procedures for him.

This was despite the fact that the assistants and love interests did not have a medical livense of a ny kind.

He has since ended his practice, but has stated on his web site that the majority of his patients asked that he “use theihr fat for fuel.”

He now claims he has “more fat than I can use,” and that it could actually save the Earth.

An inquiry into the U.S. surgeon is now in the works. It is believed that one gallon of gas is equal to one gallon of fat in terms of having the power to run cars.

Diet rich in beans, nuts better for blood sugar control: study

People with Type 2 diabetes who eat a diet rich in nuts, beans and lentils lower their risk of medical complications and achieve better control of blood sugar levels

In Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. David Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto and his colleagues report that people who were randomly assigned to follow a so-called low-glycemic-index diet for six months showed lower blood glucose levels and higher healthy cholesterol levels than those who ate a diet rich in cereals.

The research attempts to resolve the question of the best way for people with Type 2 diabetes to avoid dangerously large, quick spikes in blood sugar. One theory has been that a diet with a low glycemic index - that is, foods that are digested more slowly and release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly - would be better for blood-sugar levels.

In the St. Michael's study, roughly half the 210 participants were fed such a diet, which included includes beans, peas, lentils and nuts, as well as pasta, rice boiled briefly, large-flake oatmeal, oat bran and pumpernickel, rye, pita, quinoa and flaxseed breads.

A second group was fed a high-cereal diet that included whole-grain breads and cereals, brown rice, potatoes with skins and whole-wheat bread and crackers. The high-cereal diet did not contain nuts, beans or lentils, which are among the foods with the lowest glycemic indexes.

Both groups were encouraged to eat three servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables. Nearly 83 per cent of all participants were overweight and their average age was 60. All participants were treated with at least one medication to lower their high blood sugar levels, but they did not take insulin injections.

The researchers found that hemoglobin A1c - a measure of blood glucose levels - decreased by 0.5 per cent on average in the low-glycemic index diet, and they speculate that such a reduction corresponds to a 10 per cent to 12 per cent drop in cardiovascular complications among diabetics. By comparison, those on the high-cereal fibre diet experienced an average 0.18 per cent fall in hemoglobin A1c, known as HbA1c.

"Diet may play a role in controlling both blood glucose and cardiovascular risk factors at the same time," Jenkins said.

"Healthy" or HDL cholesterol levels were also raised in the low-glycemic-index diet by an average 1.7 milligrams per decilitre of blood, but they decreased by 0.2 mg/dL in the high-cereal diet, the researchers found.

"These data have important implications for the treatment of diabetes where the goal has been tight glycemic control to avoid complications. The reduction in HbA1c was modest, but we think it has clinical relevance," the study's authors write.

The researchers suggest that people with Type 2 diabetes consider following a low-glycemic-index diet to keep the disease in check - especially since drugs have often failed to show a significant reduction in the higher rates of heart attacks and strokes seen among diabetics.

"So I think what this does," said Jenkins, "is this now gives another tool ... for getting the blood glucose levels down, which is tremendously important to stop diabetics from going blind, losing their kidneys and succumbing to other problems."

About 60,000 new cases of Type 2 diabetes are diagnosed each year in Canada.

Heavy snorers, sleep apnea sufferers burn more calories: study

Heavy snorers burn far more calories as they sleep than quiet types, but they may be too drowsy during the day to lose any weight, a new study reveals.

Sleepers who suffer from the worst forms of sleep apnea and breathing problems burn up to 2,000 calories a night as they toss and turn.

That's 375 calories more than quiet sleepers shed during their sleepy time - the equivalent of a half-hour workout.

"I used to joke that sleep apnea was free exercise at night," Professor John Stradling, a British sleep expert told the BBC. "It's nice to have that confirmed."

The study of 212 sleepers was conducted by researcher Dr. Eric Kezirian of the University of California, San Francisco.

It's published Tuesday in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Snorers may burn more energy because they rarely lapse into low-energy deep sleep or because they get a jolt of calorie-burning adrenaline each time their sleep is interupted by their breathing problems.

Researchers cautioned that the study does not indicate that nighttime snufflers will lose any weight as a result of the extra calorie loss.

In fact, other studies have shown a link between sleep problems and obesity.

That's because poor sleepers on average tend to eat too much and exercise less than deep sleepers.

"We also know that sleep deprivation increases appetite and decreases willpower," Stradling said.

Eggs safe for heart, promote weight loss

In a recent study, eating two eggs for breakfast, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helped overweight or obese adults lose 65 percent more weight and reduce their body mass index (BMIs) by 61 percent...

If you 're really fond of eggs, then you need not worry about relishing one too many. An egg a day's contribution to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy adults is just one percent, according to a new study funded by an industry body.

Poor diet, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity contribute a whopping 30-40 percent to heart disease risk, depending on gender.

The study, funded by the Egg Nutrition Centre and published online in Risk Analysis, substantiates decades of research challenging the myth that the cholesterol in eggs is linked to increased heart disease risk.

This study adds to more than 30 years of research showing that healthy adults can eat eggs without significantly affecting their risk of heart disease.

Moreover, the study authors noted that their analysis did not adjust for the health promoting benefits of eggs which may, in fact, decrease heart disease risk.

For example, research has found that overweight men who eat eggs while on a carbohydrate-restricted diet have a significant increase in their HDL levels ("good" cholesterol) compared to men who do not eat eggs.

In a recent study, eating two eggs for breakfast, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helped overweight or obese adults lose 65 percent more weight and reduce their body mass index (BMIs) by 61 percent more than those eating a bagel breakfast of equal calories.

The study evaluated the risk of heart disease associated with egg consumption, compared to modifiable lifestyle risk factors like smoking, poor diet, being overweight or obese, and physical inactivity.

The authors used data from the 1999-2000 and 2001-2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) to categorise the US adult population into various groups based on modifiable lifestyle risks.

These populations account for 85 percent of all US males aged 25 and older and 86 percent of US females ages 25 and older.

The study found that the consumption of one egg per day contributes less than one percent of heart disease risk. Unavoidable risk factors like genetics and treatable risk factors like hypertension and diabetes accounted for 60 to 70 percent.

According to the authors, the NHANES data show that very few Americans are leading lifestyles that may reduce the risk of heart disease: only three percent males and six percent of females have none of the modifiable lifestyle risk factors that were investigated.

In addition, the study found no significant differences between the HDL and LDL cholesterol levels of the egg and bagel eaters.

Eggs are an excellent source of choline. A 2008 study concluded that a diet rich in choline and betaine, a nutrient related to choline, is associated with lower concentrations of homocysteine in the blood.

High blood levels of homocysteine are indicative of chronic inflammation, which has been associated with cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and dementia.

Eggs offer a number of beneficial nutrients. One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of choline and selenium and a good source of high-quality protein, vitamin B12, phosphorus and riboflavin.

Besides providing one of the most affordable sources of all-natural, high-quality protein, eggs provide a valuable source of energy and help maintain and build the muscle tissue needed for strength.

Hormones May Be Slowing Your Fat Loss

Have you ever wondered if hormones could be in your way of losing weight or just slowing you down in life? Did you know that there is a relatively large group of people, women and men aged between late 20s and 50s, who find it difficult to lose weight because they are hormonally `stressed` or imbalanced? Hormonal imbalance is very high particularly if stress is prominent in your daily life and your diet includes everyday meats and poulty which is laden with hormones and chemicals, or meats, cooked in microvaves and stored in plastics, all a by-product of living in chemically laden 21st century, unless you actually make a concerted effort to stave off the chemicals. Yet, there is more to understand here and it is to do with biochemical stress.

So what does that mean exactly?

Biochemical stress is a by-product of our 21st century western society where there is an over-use of chemicals in foods, household products, pesticides, added hormones in chickens and antibiotics in meats (unless it is organic or free range). If you have been overtraining, feeling stressed, regularly consuming protein sources that are laden with hormones, growth hormones and antibiotics (eggs, chicken, meat poultry) then you may be a candidate for oestrogen dominance.

What is oestrogen?
Oestrogen is important for the maintenance of normal brain function and development of nerve cells in both males and females. It is a steroidal hormone produced that stimulates the development of secondary sexual characteristics and, in women, induces menstruation. If the balance between oestrogen and progesterone gets disrupted in any way, oestrogen dominance then results, creating a number of common symptoms that get overlooked as hormonal imbalance between the two hormones - oestrogen and progesterone.

What is oestrogen dominance?
Oestrogen dominance is a condition that occurs when there is not enough progesterone (foundational hormone in all vertebrates) due to too much stress on the organics, consumption of chemicals and adrenal exhaustion (which at least 85 per cent of the population suffers at some stage). All of these give rise to higher levels of oestrogen in relation to progesterone. Even men, due to depletion of testosterone from overtraining and consumption of commercial chemically laden chickens, can start to develop weight gain around their middle region, due to excess oestrogen in relation to those foundational hormones (testosterone and progesterone).

What are some typical symptoms of oestrogen dominance?

Water retention and bloating
Weight gain
Cellulite in women
Abdominal fat in men even stretch marks
Loss of energy
Decreases libido
Headaches
Inability to lose weight no matter what
Higher per cent of fat storage and more.
What is the safest way to balance oestrogen dominance?
When oestrogen becomes the dominant hormone it can potentially become toxic to the body; and the need for progesterone to balance it is increased. Therefore progesterone has a balancing or mitigating effect on oestrogen. Oestrogen dominance, therefore, can be overcome with its counter-hormone - progesterone. By simply withdrawing oestrogen and replacing it with more progesterone, hormonal balance takes place much more naturally over weeks and months, especially if the use of hormone-laden meats and chickens are reduced from your overall diet.

So what is progesterone?
Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by both men and women. In women, it is made in the corpus luteum of the ovary and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. In men, it is produced in adrenal and testicular tissue. Progesterone receptors are present in men, women and children of all ages; therefore progesterone is a fundamental hormone. It is essential for life to all vertebrates: fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals, including humans. It has countless functions in both males and females of all ages including regulating blood sugar, developing intelligence, building bones, enhancing brain activity and much more. Our bodies make it all the time.

Why is this important?
Progesterone is made in our body from cholesterol and is the essential raw material from which our body makes many of the other steroid hormones, including cortisol and testosterone. Progesterone is converted by the adrenal glands into other hormones such as cortisone, oestrogen, testosterone and others. It is involved in reproduction but not being exclusively a sex hormone it does not impart any secondary sexual characteristics. Research has shown that women with good progesterone levels had less than a fifth of the amount of breast cancer, and less than a tenth of all the cancers that occurred in women who were low in progesterone. These outcomes suggest that having a normal level of progesterone protected women from nine-tenths of all cancers that might otherwise have occurred.

Getting progesterone back into your body
Natural progesterone or bio-identical progesterone is routinely used in fertility clinics around the globe to help sustain pregnancy in high-risk situations. Please note, bio-identical progesterone is not the wild yam creams that are touted as progesterone replacements.

How did bio-identical progesterone cream come about?
In 1943 Russell Marker made progesterone cream from the plant steroid diosgenin. He used the Mexican wild yam (dioscorea villosa) as a source plant; however, diosgenin has now been found in many other plants, including the spice fenugreek and the soya bean.

There is much confusion in the minds of both the public and the professions between progesterone on the one hand, and the progestins or progestogens and `yam extracts` on the other. Progesterone is a natural hormone made by the body and which is now being made from the plant extract diosgenin. Progestogen, on the other hand, is a synthetic hormone (with a molecular structure that differs from that of progesterone) used by the drug companies in oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in preference (for commercial reasons) to the natural hormone. The contraindications, precautions, and adverse reactions of these synthetics make horrifying reading.

Many people confuse natural bio-identical progesterone with yam extracts and yam creams, which do not contain progesterone. The yam creams can have a beneficial adaptogenic effect on the body but, unlike progesterone, they cannot correct hormonal imbalances such as excessive levels of estrogen or estrogen dominance.

A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (June 1999) states that `In order to obtain the proper (effective) serum levels with use of a progesterone cream, the cream needs to have an adequate amount of progesterone in it [at least 30 milligrams per gram]. Many over the counter creams in US have little [for example, 5 milligrams per ounce] or none at all. In addition, the creams that are made from Mexican yams are not metabolised to progesterone by women.`

If natural progesterone has so many benefits, why don`t physicians routinely prescribe it?
Progesterone cream is currently being used by thousands of women in the western world to ensure they maintain progesterone balance. The speed with which the cream relieves symptoms varies depending upon both the health problem itself and the quality of the cream being used. Some women find relief within five days, while in others it can take three months or longer; the reversal of osteoporosis, however, could take six months.

In summary, oestrogen dominance is becoming much more common in our western society because of the use of chemicals, pesticides added to our foods, and hormones given to our livestock and the use of plastics. There exists a very simple test without the need for blood, urine or saliva samples that can help you identify if you are oestrogen dominant and to what extent. It just might just shed some more light on your current weight loss battle, especially if you have been over-training and struggling to lose weight and/or gain lean muscle tissue.

Oprah's Weight Gain

The latest issue of Oprah Winfrey's O magazine is all about her recent weight gain. Oprah laments her 40 pound weight gain over the last few years - that sees her current weight at over 200 pounds. She blames an out of control schedule with food as comfort.



Oprah has devoted a large portion of her air time to the subject of health and weight loss. She's tried various techniques, endorsed diets, books, and programs that went on to sell in the millions.

What's a viewing audience to do? Feel bemused, disappointed, annoyed, sympathetic? Or reach for another packet of Oreo's and change the channel?

If Oprah can't maintain her weight - with personal chefs, trainers and who knows what else at her disposal - then what hope is there for the average Jo?

Tom Venuto gives his advice:

Oprah must first take personal responsibility and make the commitment to be accountable to herself. Then, she must become accountable to others. [...] She needs to tell her audience and fans NOT to let her off the hook and her fans need to play their part and agree that they WON'T let her off the hook.

Yeah maybe - but I don't know if I'd be comfortable with giving a million people permission to tell me what to do every other day.

Here's the reality: we're all average Jo's. We may idolize those with wealth, fame, and influence - but they have the same frail bodies and emotional flaws as we do.

When Oprah passes (as we all will one day) - what should she be remembered for: her constant obsession with yo-yo weight, or her wide-ranging contributions to the betterment of humanity?

Set appropriate goals for yourself and stop comparing with others.

Weight can be kept off no matter how it's lost

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese people who have lost substantial amounts of weight without surgery can do just as well at maintaining the healthier weight as their peers who lost weight via gastric surgery. That's the finding of the first study to compare the two strategies.

However, people who go the non-surgical route may have to work harder to keep the weight off, Dr. Dale S. Bond of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and colleagues found.

Bariatric surgery is agreed to be the most reliable way for very obese people, meaning those more than 100 pounds overweight or with a body mass index of 40 or greater, to lose weight long-term, Bond and colleagues write in the International Journal of Obesity. While recent research has shown intensive behavioral interventions can also help, their long-term effectiveness is unknown.

To investigate, the researchers compared 105 people who had undergone bariatric surgery to 210 individuals who had lost weight non-surgically. All had dropped roughly 56 kilograms (123 pounds), and had kept at least 13.5 kg (about 30 pounds) off for an average of 5.5 years. About two-thirds of the non-surgical weight loss patients had formal help with their efforts, while the rest said they had no professional assistance.

In the one to two years after starting the study, both groups gained an average of roughly 4 pounds a year. Most people in both groups maintained their original weight loss within about 11 pounds.

Those who had undergone surgery ate more fat and more fast food and were less active than those who had lost weight without surgery, the investigators found.

The only factor that predicted whether or not a person would keep the weight off was their level of disinhibition, or loss of ability to control their impulses, at the study's outset, as well as any increases in disinhibition over the following year.

The researchers conclude: "Designing methods to increase resistance to cues that trigger overeating among individuals who have achieved large weight losses through bariatric or non-surgical methods may assist in preventing weight gain."

SOURCE: International Journal of Obesity, online December 2, 2008.

Women who cut dietary fat lose weight: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Post-menopausal women who cut their fat intake and eat more high-fiber, high-carbohydrate foods such as fruits and whole grains tend to lose weight, not gain it as some diet books claim, a study said on Tuesday.

Some popular diet plans have blamed high-carbohydrate diets for expanding waistlines and the explosion of obesity rates.

The seven-year study involved 19,000 women who followed a low-fat diet without any weight-loss goals. In the first year, they shed an average of 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg) and maintained a modest weight loss in succeeding years.

"A low-fat dietary pattern may help attenuate the tendency for weight gain commonly observed in post-menopausal women," said the study published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results "demonstrate that long-term recommendations to achieve a diet lower in total and saturated fat with increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and without focus on weight loss, do not cause weight gain," wrote lead author Barbara Howard of the MedStar Research Institute in Washington.

Recommendations to cut dietary fat are usually aimed at reducing the risks of heart disease and cancer associated with being overweight, the report said.

Source: REUTERS

Study: Extra Pounds Can Mean Early Death

A study by the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., has suggested people who are moderately overweight have an increased risk of premature death.

The institute studied 500,000 members of AARP for 10 years and found that among the 186,000 who had never smoked, those who weighed in as moderately overweight between the ages of 50 and 60 were 20 to 40 percent more likely to die within 10 years than those of average weight, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

These findings are very important, the institute's Michael Leitzmann told The Washington Post. A substantial proportion of the population in the U.S. is overweight. So if overweight is related to premature death, that's very important to public health.

Leitzmann said the findings are especially important for baby boomers, many of whom are at the age where weight gain can be critical.

What we need to do is try to encourage people to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight gain, he said.

Source: United Press International

Social Status Linked to Weight, Study Says

CHICAGO -- Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds.

Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular.

The girls in the study were still growing -- their average age was 15 -- and all of them gained some weight. However, those who rated themselves low in popularity were 69 percent more likely than other girls to increase their body mass index by two units, the equivalent of gaining about 11 excess pounds.

Girls who put themselves on the higher rungs of popularity also gained some excess weight, but less -- about 61/2pounds.

Both groups, on average, fell within ranges considered normal. But a gain of two BMI units over two years is more than the typical weight gain for adolescent girls, the researchers said.

"How girls feel about themselves should be part of all obesity prevention strategies," said the study's lead author, Adina Lemeshow.

The research used data from an ongoing study used frequently by scientists studying childhood obesity.

Weight and height data were reported by the girls themselves rather than getting weighed and measured by doctors; that's a weakness in the study that the researchers acknowledged.

The researchers took into account the girls' weight and BMI at the start of the study, along with their diet, household income, race/ethnicity and whether they'd reached puberty -- and still found the link.

"The reason this paper is so important is it has broader implications beyond weight gain. Subjective social status is not just an uncomfortable experience you grow out of, but can have important health consequences." said Clea McNeely of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

, who was not involved in the research but wrote an accompanying editorial.

Experts know little about how to intervene in teenagers' peer groups to improve health, McNeely said, but when adults set standards in schools, students treat one another with more respect.

Teenagers may give grown-ups "bored looks," she said, but "adults are still the most important influential figures in their lives."

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Weight Loss Can Be Maintained

A new study comparing the long-term results of weight loss with and without gastric surgery found no difference in the ability of obese people to maintain their weight loss.

However, Dr. Dale S. Bond of Brown University and his team found that those who lose weight without surgery may have to work harder to maintain their results.

Bariatric surgery is widely believed to be the most reliable way for extremely obese people, those with a body mass index greater than 40 or more than 100 pounds overweight or, to lose weight long-term, wrote Bond and colleagues in a report about the study.

Although recent research indicates rigorous behavioral interventions can also help, their long-term effectiveness is not yet known.

So Bond and his team set out to investigate the long-term results. Their study compared 105 people who had received bariatric surgery to 210 individuals who had lost weight non-surgically. All had lost about 123 pounds and had kept off roughly 30 pounds for an average of five and a half years. Two-thirds of the non-surgical patients had formal assistance with their efforts, while the remainder had no professional assistance.

One to two years after the study began, both groups had gained an average of about 4 pounds a year, with most maintaining their original weight loss to within 11 pounds. The researchers also found that participants who had undergone surgery ate more fat and fast food, and were also less active, than those who had lost weight without surgery.

The participants’ level of disinhibition, or loss of ability to control their impulses, at the study's outset, along with any increases in disinhibition over the following year, were the only factors that predicted whether a person would maintain their weight loss, the study found.

"Designing methods to increase resistance to cues that trigger overeating among individuals who have achieved large weight losses through bariatric or non-surgical methods may assist in preventing weight gain,” the researchers concluded.

Thank you, Oprah: The truth about weight loss

Oprah, thank you for sharing your pain, shame and guilt. You are not alone! It’s time for society to realize that weight loss and maintenance are not only physically challenging, but EMOTIONALLY charged as well.

Close to two-thirds of the adult American population are overweight or obese (obesity is defined as 50+ pounds overweight). This means that 133.6 million, or 66%, of our nation’s adults are suffering with extra pounds. Of that group, 35 million women (33.2%) and 28.6 million men (29.5%) are obese. In addition, there are approximately 15 million people that are morbidly obese (100+ pounds overweight) or super morbidly obese (200+ pounds).

We thank you, Oprah, for admitting that your depression has been caused by your tendency to put yourself last on your list of priorities. Success, money, and fame do not equate to spiritual and emotional inner peace. Personal struggle is part of the human condition no matter who you are or what you do. We all have our struggles. As I always say, it’s not the size of the problem but the size of the feeling. Even someone as prolific as Oprah can be dismayed to find that their life is out of “balance.” All or nothing thinking such as, “I’m on the perfect weight loss track” or “I just can’t do it” will only result is failed attempts and a lack of inner peace.

Though Oprah may have never wished to be the poster-person of weight loss dos and don’ts, she has become living proof that there is no single diet or exercise guru in the world that can fix you. You must come to terms with yourself, the motivation behind your desire to lose weight, and the necessary lifestyle changes you’ll need to make. Tackle weight loss as you would any other goal you’d like to attain. Losing weight is no different than going to college, slaving through an unpaid internship, taking menial jobs in order to open bigger and better doors, and working on your relationships with your spouse and children. Success takes hard work. Achieving anything you want from life requires conscious intention and action. There is no secret solution. There is no quick fix. Do you want a life of mediocrity? It’s your choice and yours alone.

Oprah is a perfect example of the emotional energy it takes to cope with being overweight. The emotional hardships can shave days off your life. When Oprah describes all of the time and energy she has spent hiding her increasing weight gain, how she constantly beat herself up over her guilt, and how her growing unhappiness caused her social withdrawals, we can all relate.

Oprah’s emotional excuses became her way of life. Her all or nothing thinking has been apparent not only in her physical life, but in her professional career. Her decision making has not only affected her emotions, but her physical health as well. Extra pounds combined with your genetic predisposition (which can account for 20-40% of weight gain) are in direct proportion to the emotional weight you carry.

America, we are in denial and it is time to wake up. As a therapist working with those that are overweight and obese, as well as my own personal experience, has led me to the conclusion that weight loss is first and foremost emotional. We eat for comfort. We eat to numb ourselves. We eat to avoid work or self-care. We eat to blame. We eat to hold ourselves back from our true selves. We eat to hold on to our anger. We eat because we are afraid to say, “No.”

How many hours, days, weeks, even months have you spent thinking about your weight loss while your life is passing you by? How much emotional energy are you spending thinking about what you want to eat, what you should or shouldn’t eat, how much you ate, or where you’ll eat? How much time do you waste worrying that people are watching you eat, judging your portion size and appearance? Do you refuse to look at your body in the mirror? Do you have a food buddy? Do you hide food? How many times a day do you lie to yourself when you say “I just like food”?

Your Emotional DNA is made up of your body type, lifestyle, genetic predisposition, culture, race, values, and life experiences. Are you trying to fit into your jeans from college? Are you struggling to reach the “healthy weight” displayed on the unrealistic chart in your doctor’s office, which hasn’t been updated since the day it was created? Do you remember how thin you got on a certain diet and are battling to get back there? You need to set a realistic goal weight to compliment your Emotional DNA. Otherwise, you will be doomed to a life of constant yo-yoing, frustration, and disappointment.

Ask yourself: What would replace the drama in your life if you were at your ideal weight? What is your life’s purpose? Do you have a vision for your life? Do you think that your only problem is your weight and that the rest of your life is just fine?

We must have a realistic view of our lives. To gain perspective, write your own obituary. If you were to die today, what is your perception of you and your life? Next, write a second obituary as if your life were different. What would your life be like if, as Oprah and I have both said so many times, you truly learned to love yourself? Now, take action.

Weight loss and weight loss maintenance are about replacing the drama in your life with the Four C’s: Courage, Conviction, Curiosity, and Commitment. It is about Excuse Free Living. It is about finding your inner voice, your dreams, your spiritual energy and connections to others, and leaving perfectionism at the door.

Make it an “Excuse Free Life” and always remember, it’s not the size of the problem but the size of the feeling.

Weight Loss: The 10 Holiday Commandments

Ho, Ho - Hold on there! I know ... it's easy to throw your hands up in the air and say, "It's okay. It's the holidays. I'll straighten up and eat right in January."

But will you get a handle on things come the New Year? And if you do, how much damage will you have suffered?

Make a conscious choice.
Think it through. How will the Scales of Injustice register post holiday? Up, down, sideways? Do you want to lose weight? Maintain? Is it okay to gain a pound or two? There's no right or wrong answer. It's your choice.

Face the food, head on.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain or just stay healthy, to get you through this holiday season Our Lady wants you to keep her Top Ten Holiday Commandments in mind. 10 commandments printout 2008.pdf. Sometimes a simple reminder is all you need.

The Our Lady of Weight Loss Ten Holiday Commandments

Thou shalt honor thy body and believe in thyself.
Be kind, loving and forgiving to yourself, first and foremost - always.

Thou shalt never leave home hungry.
Eat something before the party. A salad, some fruit, even an egg will do. And plenty of water and/or seltzer.

Thou shalt stay clear of the buffet table.
Get away from the food. Why torture yourself? Socialize - have a fun conversation!

Thou shalt not deny thyself a treat or two now and then.
Fill up your plate with Our Lady approved foods, and leave a little space for your favorite treat. Too much denial isn't a good thing.

Thou shalt recycle food gifts.
Quick, fast - before you change your mind. Give the candy, the cakes, the food away.

Thou shalt keep thy hands busy.
Try knitting, crocheting, cutting & pasting, needlepoint, draw, write - anything to keep your hands busy. Give your creations as gifts!

Thou shalt stay clear of sweat pants.
Wear snug clothing. No room for expansion, no sweats please!

Thou shalt walk - a lot!
Ask Santa for a pedometer for Christmas. And then use it!

Thou shalt drink enough Holy Water to frighten Noah and map out all the restrooms in thy village.
Drink up - water that is.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's plate.

Spread the word ... NOT the icing!

Weight loss can have many benefits

Last week, the local TOPS organization invited me to speak. If you are not familiar with it, TOPS (which stands for Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) is a nonprofit self-help group for people who want to lose weight. This group meets at Brazosport Regional Health System every Monday night. What a fun, positive and enthusiastic bunch of folks! I had a blast.

Body weight can depend on many factors, such as bone density, muscle mass and water retention, so it is not a reliable indicator of how healthy a person is. Fitness is about how healthy someone is and not about how much he or she weighs. A chick can be skinny as a twig, but that doesn’t mean she’s healthy. A big ol’ linebacker might be lugging around a gut the size of a Volkswagen, but he’s still an athlete and is arguably healthier than the average Joe who watches the games on Monday nights. That said, most people are overweight because they have excess fat stored on their bodies. A person’s goal for weight loss should be to get fitter, not just to lose weight.

As I told the TOPS group, susceptibility to heart disease and diabetes, two of the country’s biggest killers, rises significantly when one is overweight. But there are more benefits to weight loss than just lowering the risk of disease. The group seemed interested in the topic of my last column, which was about weight gain during the holidays. It’s a real problem and it’s hard to combat.

I told the group about my mother’s ongoing struggles with her weight. She has been undergoing radiation treatments on her cheek for a persistent skin cancer. As a result, her sense of taste has been out of whack and she hasn’t been able to eat. She lost 35 pounds in just a few months. And she complained about it!

I said, “Mom, you have high blood pressure and are borderline diabetic. This is a good thing.” She sighed, “I know.” But she missed the undeniable pleasure of meals. One of the joys in life — food — had become really unpleasant. About 20 years ago, she fell and broke her ankle and it never healed properly. She has had pain and swelling for many years. I asked her how her ankle felt and she seemed surprised. “It doesn’t hurt at all,” she said. “Even with the weather change, which usually makes it ache, it’s not hurting.”

On top of that, she said she’s been checking her blood sugar and blood pressure regularly, and both have been very good since her weight loss. She has been able to reduce her medication significantly. (Never do this without a doctor’s permission.) That convinced her she wants to keep the weight off.

This is not uncommon. Improvement in chronic conditions is often enhanced by weight loss.

Some members of the TOPS group wondered how to exercise when one has health problems, such as chronic pain. I always advocate walking for beginners because it’s something almost everyone can do, and it’s cheap. But not everyone can walk comfortably. In those cases, I suggest yoga, water aerobics or swimming. These either have very little impact on joints or can be modified to make them easier. If in doubt, there are many wonderful local professionals who can help you find a program or activity that suits you. And there are friendly, supportive nonprofit groups like TOPS to help you reach your goals.

I see so many people, like my mother, who have given their whole lives for everyone else and have never thought about themselves. They believe it is selfish to spend money on exercise programs or to allocate time for taking care of their own needs. This holiday season, look around at your family and friends. Whether they appreciate you or not, they need you. You must be at your best and healthiest for the people you love.

This year, why not give them — and yourself — the gift of a healthier you?