Topic: diets

Pippa Middleton’s Pilates Teacher To Publish Workout And Diet Book

Pippa Middleton's Pilates Teacher To Publish Workout And Diet Book

Pippa Middleton‘s body has become iconic–for better or worse–and it’s no secret that she works hard to get it. The Duchess’ sister revealed months ago that she turned to pilates, in addition to her regular gym training, to get into shape for the royal wedding last spring, but now her instructor has signed a deal to get the plan that made her fit as a Princess out to the masses. Margot Campbell, whose Pilates on the Go website is filled with Pippa’s adulations, signed a deal with lifestyle publisher Hodder to publish a pilates, aerobics, and diet program for the masses. More »

Why And How To Break Your Sugar Addiction

Why And How To Break Your Sugar Addiction

Just think how our eating habits have evolved with our busy lifestyle. We shovel in a fast bite at our desk and inhale dinner while standing over the kitchen counter, so we can spend more time on work and errands. We also eat late at night in front of the TV, or even skip meals altogether. Then, think about our food choices: Packaged, processed convenience foods loaded with hidden salt, fat and sugar. (And in the dog days of summer, you may have even opted for a dinner of popsicles or ice cream.) These foods not only do a number on our waistline; they wreak havoc on our hormones. More »

Meatless Monday: 6 Superfood-Packed Vegetarian Recipes

Meatless Monday: 6 Superfood-Packed Vegetarian Recipes

A recent study reminded us that when it comes to weight loss and health, it’s not as simple as calories in, calories out; what we eat is pretty important, too. We know to avoid fried potatoes and sugary sodas, but we should all be fueling up on nutrient-rich calories, not just the diet version of our favorite processed foods. That’s why for this week’s Meatless Monday, we found vegetarian recipes that are packed with superfoods to help you stay slim, young, and healthy without feeling calorie-deprived. More »

Study Says You Should Cut These 5 ‘Bad’ Foods Now

Study Says You Should Cut These 5 'Bad' Foods Now

The takeaways from Harvard’s mega-study on the best and worst foods for weight-loss may not be groundbreaking, but I think that’s kind of the point—the study measured small lifestyle and diet changes (the kind we could all easily make) and the kind of impact these they have in the long-term.

Yes, we all know potato chips aren’t exactly apples. But I am kind of surprised to find out that they’re the food most corresponded with weight gain. Is this because potato chips are independently extra bad for you, or because of the associations between potato chips and a certain kind of diet or lifestyle? We don’t know. But I still might think twice next time I’m about to eat some. More »

Avoiding Weight Regain After Dieting: The Stress Effect

Avoiding Weight Regain After Dieting: The Stress Effect

Researchers have known for years that physical stress is detrimental to our health and well-being. It is only recently, however, that psychological stress has become linked to a number of health complaints. In fact, a study conducted by researcher Paula Rhode, PhD and her colleagues revealed that higher stress and depression were linked with weight regain, typically due to seeking comfort from food, especially calories from fat.

How we handle stress is up to us, but it could make a difference in weight loss success. More »

I Was Orthorexic, And I Didn’t Even Know It

I Was Orthorexic, And I Didn’t Even Know It

Sometimes there’s a thin line between healthy and unhealthy behavior. And one day in my early twenties, I realized I’d stepped over it. I suffered from anorexia after college—back then I obsessively monitored food labels to make sure my meals added up to less than 800 calories per day. I’d left that nonsense behind years ago. But there I was standing alone in a Martha’s Vineyard grocery store aisle, agonizing over the nutritional content of various tortilla wraps while my friends breezed by, talking and laughing and loading their communal cart with burgers and chips and macaroni.

Sure, instead of obsessing over calorie and fat content I was carefully examining the ingredient

lists of each brand. But it still felt disturbingly familiar.

Was it? More »

New Meal Replacement Drink Not a Solution For Weight Loss

New Meal Replacement Drink Not a Solution For Weight Loss

A new Dutch study developed by the team at Unilever Research and Development found that those consuming a replacement meal shake containing gelling alginate felt full for longer than volunteers drinking the shake without alginate. Oh, this is new? I’ve been drinking that drink for years, it’s called ANYTHING WITH CAFFEINE. According to the study, the alginate, which is a dietary fiber (and sounds a little too much like “algae” for my palette) , expands only under gastric conditions, thereby making it easy to swallow and a preferred treatment for curbing hunger. My question is, if you’re practicing healthy eating habits, why are you worried about curbing your hunger? More »

Ditch the Diet: 3 Hormones That Make Us Fat – And How to Turn Them Into Lasting Weight Loss

Ditch the Diet: 3 Hormones That Make Us Fat – And How to Turn Them Into Lasting Weight Loss

Our hormones control almost every aspect of our daily lives, from our reproductive functions and our appearance to our sleep, and even the way we store and burn fat. No matter how a hormonal imbalance manifests itself on the outside, the internal reality remains the same – any and all hormonal imbalances lead to difficulty losing weight and an increased risk of obesity. Unfortunately, the most common imbalances cannot be solved by dieting alone. In fact, they can prevent successful fat loss, even when great diet and exercise plans are in place.

Most of us experience the very subtle symptoms of a hormonal imbalance every day. These are things like feeling tired after eating, having difficulty falling asleep, or waking up each night between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Or maybe you notice that you don’t wake up as fresh and bright as you used to, or you’re having food cravings every day at 3 p.m. Another sign of a hormonal imbalance is that you’ve walked into a room and can’t remember what you’re there for, or you can’t recall someone’s name as quickly as you used to. (Worried yet?) Changes in libido, mood, memory, focus, food cravings, sleep habits: All of these are signs of a hormonal imbalance – and the ones I most commonly see in my practice. More »

Exclusive Video Interview: Celebrity Fit Club‘s Dr. Ian Smith on Why “Diet” Is a Bad Word

Exclusive Video Interview: Celebrity Fit Club's Dr. Ian Smith on Why "Diet" Is a Bad Word

You may know Dr. Ian Smith as the medical and diet expert from VH1′s Celebrity Fit Club, but he’s also the creator and founder of The 50 Million Pound Challenge, and a medical contributor to ABC’s Rachael Ray. Plus, Dr. Smith is the author of eight health-related books, including his latest that was just released this week – Eat: The Effortless Weight Loss Solution. (Let’s face it: This is one busy man.) Today I had a chance to interview Dr. Smith via video about if weight loss can ever really be effortless; his recent appointment by President Obama to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition; why “diet” is really a bad word; and more. Check it out: More »

Dear Gym: Can Your Speakers Please Blast Better Music?

Dear Gym: Can Your Speakers Please Blast Better Music?

Hi Gym. It’s me again, The Fitness Facist. Usually, I’m very glad to be a member of you, but today there’s an important issue that we really need to discuss. Sorry, are you having trouble hearing me? Yes, of course you are. Because the music you’re blasting is just too damn loud. And no, I’m not a 90-year-old great-grandma wagging my finger at that confounded “rock-and-roll” music. I’m only in my 30s, and I’m your member, ‘member?

Now, I know you can’t really control the music that your fitness instructors choose for their aerobics/spinning/body conditioning classes. And I understand that the music for those classes usually needs to be absurdly loud, so as to MOTIVATE! the participants. (But, while we’re on the subject, can we just agree that 99% of personal trainers/fitness instructors have terrible taste in music — at least when it comes to the so-called music they choose to inflict upon us during class? I can’t give you specific song titles; they’re all uniformly hard and uninspiring to listen to, regardless of the volume. It’s weird that what some people consider motivational, others find utterly unlistenable. Oh, and is having distinctly awful taste in music a pre-requisite for hiring your fitness instructors? Just curious.) More »

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