PETA has one great marketing team; they’ve clothed Cloris Leachman in a dress made of cabbage leaves and de-clothed Alicia Silverstone for a controversial nude PETA ad. However, their latest ad campaign on a Jackonsville Florida billboard doesn’t involve any celebrities but it has meat-lovers in a frenzy. The ad implies that obese women are like whales and if they go vegetarian they will be thin. The text reads as: Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian.

Scott Johnson, a local reporter with WJXT interviewed the PETA representative Ashley Byrne and she claims that the ad is a humorous way to grab people’s attention. She said,

“People are bombarded with ads for foods that make them fat and unhealthy. PETA’s ad campaign is empowering for consumers because it highlights that a vegetarian diet is the best way to battle the bulge.”

Celeb Diet Doc
The PETA folks are off base here. What’s making people fat are vegan and vegetarian refined carbs such as sugar, cakes, cookies, bread, crackers, soda etc.

Obesity is caused by consuming too many processed foods, NOT by meat consumption. It is the very reason Atkins has been successful because it eliminates the greatest source of refined calories in the Western diet and that is refined carbs. So if you consume a vegetarian or vegan diet that is primarily refined carbs you’re consuming a junk food diet and you’ll likely be overweight.

The correct answer is to consume more unrefined fruits and veggies. This is the key to weight loss, better health and saving the “whales.” And by the way that’s where Atkins gets it wrong too, because he considered a carb a carb and limited fruit consumption in his diet, mistakenly believing that fruit causes weight gain. Pure rubbish. Whole unrefined fruits will lead to weight loss and better health.

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Fat Loss 4 Idiots has become a best selling diet program on the internet. I think this is in large part because it gets confused with the “Dummies” and “Idiot” series of books. You know “Weight Loss for Dummies”, “Wine for Dummies”, “Dating for Dummies”, “Skiing for Idiots”, “Dieting for Idiots” and the list goes on. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is not associated with either the “Dummies” or “Idiot” series of books. In fact, you can’t tell who is behind this product at all. That being said, here’s my review…

Fat Loss 4 Idiots consists of a short handbook (45 pages) and an online diet generator. It includes 10 simple rules to follow for weight loss. The first one is to rotate your carbs and protein meals. On the plus side the Fat Loss 4 Idiots is a simple plan that is very easy to understand. However, it’s incomplete in many respects. The online generator gives general guidelines. There are no recipes. While Fat Loss 4 Idiots claims to work by calorie-shifting (carbs and protein), it really is a low carb, high-protein diet. In addition it does giving a glaring piece of bad advice and that is to use fructose as a sweetener. Found in processed foods, refined fructose will cause an elevation of triglycerides and “fatty liver” so my suggestion is to stay away. However, please understand that fruits contain fructose and are healthy for you. It’s processed and refined fructose that is the problem (found in sugar and high fructose corn syrup).

In short, for those looking for a super simple plan with general guidelines to follow you may find Fat Loss 4 Idiots useful. If you’re a savy consumer (and not an idiot) you’re likely to be disappointed. However, if you’re looking for a fool-proof diet and weight loss program with a lifestyle behavior program based on people who have averaged over 65 pounds of fat loss, I recommend that you look into the  OMG Fat Loss Program.

Click Here to visit Fat Loss 4 Idiots

OMG Fat Loss includes fool-proof diet and fitness strategies you can implement right away to get rid of all you unwanted fat, in addition to a lifestyle behavioral program that will the keep the fat off. It is by far the most value for the money, comprehensive and simple guide you’ll find both online and offline.

It uses the most clinically proven successful weight loss strategies of people who have on average permanently lost over 65 pounds of weight. Why do I know it will work for you? You’ll be interested to know this program has been clinically tested and refined with my own clients and patients.  So, you can be assured that OMG Fat Loss is a practical guide to permanent weight loss for real-world, busy people whether they are eating out, cooking at home, or shopping at the grocery store.

The key to long term and permanent fat loss
Without a lifestyle change you’re highly susceptible to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. On OMG you’ll be making small changes to your lifestyle in just 21 days, that will produce big changes in the way your clothes fit, your outlook on life, and the way others perceive you. And remember these are the same lifestyle changes that helped these Biggest Fat Loss Losers lose over 65 pounds, so you know they work.

With OMG you’ll be putting your weight loss on auto-pilot and losing weight like its second nature, because it is!

As part of the OMG you’ll also discover:

• A food ranking system that is 780% more effective for weight loss than low carb, low fat, high fiber and high protein.
• My best fat burning recipes that come straight from my popular weight-loss cooking classes. You’ll also learn how to make your favorite recipes without sacrificing flavor.. Hint: It has nothing to do with cutting out the fat, or using artificial sweetners such as Splenda. This is real food!
• How to shop for the foods that will help you lose weight. Most of these foods are not even marketed as weight loss foods, so you’ll be saving money as you lose weight.. while avoiding the expense and the ineffective “diet” foods that are probably making you fat in the first place.
• Simple strategies that will have you losing weight even when you eat out.  Over 20,000 restuarant menu items ranked by my OMG food ranking system
• A prepared meal plan that will save you up to $368 per month off of Jenny Craig and NutriSystem.

Still not convinced?
When you go to OMG Fat Loss you’ll see a video of a client of mine who lost 67 pounds on OMG. Her name is Michael and she was a typical yo- yo dieter who tried and failed multiple diet programs including Atkins and Weight Watchers before finding lasting success with OMG. See the video and you’ll also get a valuable tip on a lifestyle change you can easily do right now that will help you lose the weight for good!

It’s your time to shine!

Best,

Marc Lawrence M.D
Board Certified Physician Nutrition Specialist

Click Here To Visit OMG Fat Loss

The Truth about Abs is authored by Mike Geary who is a personal trainer and nutritionist. I’m going to spill the beans and let you in on the secret to great abs. It starts with nutrition! So forget the crazy ab machines and routines. It’s what you put in your mouth that counts. As a physician who has reviewed hundreds of diet and weight loss programs, in addition to thousands of clinical and scientific studies, I was actually quite impressed by the nutritional information found in Truth About Abs. For the most part it was right on. There were a few inaccuracies (dairy for weight loss, soy is fattening etc) but overall I think the nutritional information was spot on and a welcome relief to a lot of the rubbish you find in many diet and weight loss books.

The real strength of Truth about Abs is the exercise and fitness section. Mike Geary knows his stuff when it comes to developing a pair of six packs in the shortest time possible using a few simple and effective routines. While I think the Truth About Abs strength is the exercise and fitness section it also points to a weakness. While the Truth About Abs has a simple meal plan outline, there are no recipes for you to follow his plan in a straight forward way at home. So while the information is sound, Mike leaves it up to you as far as implementing his dietary information.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fool-proof fitness and workout routine with some sound nutritional information I highly recommend Truth About Abs. However if you’re looking for a diet plan you can easily follow at home along with a lifestyle behavior modification program and an exercise program that will have you burning fat without breaking a sweat, I recommend that you look into OMG Fat Loss.

Click Here To Visit The Truth About Abs

How did Gwyneth Paltrow get the new curves she’s seen sporting on the December cover of Gotham Magazine? Paltrow, whose latest film, Two Lovers, comes out in February, says she owes it all to celebrity trainer and friend Tracy Anderson. The pair have been working together for 2 years, since shortly after the birth of Paltrow’s son Moses.

“It got me to really move my body again. Especially doing the dance aerobics and sweating out all those hormones,” says Paltrow, who boasts that she lost 11 inches in the first 10 days of working out with Anderson. So what is it that makes Anderson’s workouts different from other celebrity trainers? According to Paltrow, she uses a new and more versatile kind of Pilates machine that guarantees results. She also designs a custom exercise program for each client. “A certain number of arm, abdominal, and leg exercises, all done on the machine” and that changes every 10 days”, says Paltrow.

Anderson got her start as a dancer but gained weight in her teens and then again years later with the birth of her son. “I’ve been a dancer since I was three. At 19, I started packing on weight”40 pounds, actually.” No matter how much she exercised, she just couldn’t lose the weight. The only time I could ever lose weight was if I literally ate two steamed chicken breasts a day or something insane like that, she says.

That weight gain prompted the trainer to start doing research of her own into what it takes to get and keep a sculpted body. It took ten years for her to perfect the new training techniques she uses to transform her clients’ bodies.
She says one of the most important things she discovered is that a person’s body should be challenged in different ways. “People don’t understand that they’re completely a result of how they exercise,” she says and adds that she wants her clients exercising for a minimum of one hour, six days a week. Everybody should take a day off.
Anderson now devotes most of her time to the research and development of her exercise method while on the road with clients, including Madonna, whom she met through buddy Paltrow.

Early next year, Anderson will open her first NYC gym, the Tracy Anderson Method, where she’ll offer her exercise system and products. In the meantime, she has three DVDs available, The Tracy Anderson Method Presents: Dance Cardio Workout, Mat Workout, and Post-Pregnancy Workout.

http://www.gotham-magazine.com/

Jessica Alba has lost 25 lbs of the 40 pregnancy lbs she gained, just six weeks after giving birth to daughter Honor, on June 7.  Jessica revealed she “lost the tummy just breast feeding.” With the help of her trainer Ramona Braganza Jessica has a diet and exercise plan to shed the rest…

Jessica Alba’s Diet
She’s following Braganza’s 3-2-1 meal plan 3 meals, 2 snacks and 1 liter of water a day. Jessica is aiming for 1,800  to 2,000 calories a day allowing for an extra 500 calories for breast feeding.

Breakfast
Hard-boiled eggs or scrambled egg whites with toast.

Lunch
Salads with chicken or lean fish.

Dinner
Lean meats and veggies

Snacks
fruits, veggies and low fat cheeses.

Drinks
Jessica drinks 2-3 liters a day according to her trainer. Apparently Jessica also lover Vitamin Water XXX because of the antioxidants from acaiberries, blueberries and pomegranates.

Jessica Alba Workouts
Jessica workouts with Braganza 6 times a week for hour long sessions. Each session combines 3 – 10 minute sessions of cardio, 2 – 10 minutes sets of circuit training and 1 – 10 minute set of core work.

My Analysis…
Her diet of fruits and veggies are the best way to power her slim down. Jessica looks fab and is well on her way to getting her pre-pregnancy figure…

I want to clarify the water issue as it relates to weight loss. You should drink water to hydrate your body. Drinking more water will not help with weight loss. In fact there are no studies that show drinking more water results in greater weight loss.

So how much should you drink? Here’s the deal.. drink enough water so your urine is light yellow in color, not clear and not overly dark. Picking some arbritrary number of glasses you need to drink is misguided. It depends on many factors including exercise, weight, height, diet, enviroment etc.  For instance the more processed foods you consumed the more water you need to drink. Conversely, the more whole fruits and veggies you consumed (which contain high concentrations of water) the less water you need to drink.

Skip the Vitamin Water XXX… at 50 calories per 8 oz, along with the processed fructose it’s not healthy and will cause weight gain. Go with water which has zero calories, is healthier and free!

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Christina Applegate, 36, recently underwent bilateral mastectomies for early stage breast cancer. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early with the use of MRI. The star of “Samantha Who?” had tested positive for the BRCA1 breast cancer gene, a risk marker for breast cancer, so she opted for for having both breasts removed to prevent recurrence.

Christina Applegate’s breast cancer battle highlights a growing concern for many American women. Risk Factors for developing breast cancer include:

Advancing age
Genetics: in Christina’s case she was at increased risk having tested positive for the BRCA1gene.
Radiation exposure
Early menses
Late menopause
Never pregnant or having your first child at a later age
Caucasian
Hormone therapy
Birth Control Pills
Smoking

Some dietary risk factors for breast cancer include alcohol. Women who drink more than one glass a day have a 20% higher risk of breast cancer. What is not often discussed is the disturbing link between animal protein and in particular dairy to higher rates of breast cancer. In fact hormone sensitive tumors including breast and prostate cancer are associated with higher dairy intake. A higher soy intake has been often used to explain why Asian cultures have lower rates of breast cancer than the US.  I would disagree with this assessment.  I believe it is the higher consumption of animal protein and dairy in the Western diet that is largely responsible for the differences we see.

Christina Applegate is set to undergo reconstructive surgery and remains upbeat telling ABC news that “I’m going to have the best boobs in the nursing home.”  I wish her well…

P.S. Christina will be be appearing with Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron and others on a one-hour television special “Stand Up To Cancer”  to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

As you may have guessed, I’m not a fan of Atkins. There’s a lot of misinformation about this diet that a recent study helped clarify… and frankly validates my own beliefs about this controversial diet. First let me first say you will lose weight on Atkins and your cholesterol levels will go down. Sounds good right? Well don’t be fooled.

Consider this. Cholesterol levels will go down as a result of any weight loss period. You could be drinking motor oil to lose weight and your cholesterol will go down so don’t think for a second Atkins is healthy.

A recent study presented at the American Heart Association, corrected for this cholesterol “weight loss” lowering effect. This study involved 18 people, each of whom were put on three different diets for month, and they were carefully monitored so they had no weight loss. The three diets were: Atkins with 50% of calories as fat, South Beach with 30% calories as fat and the Ornish diet with 10% fat.

Atkins was decidedly the worst diet. LDL or bad cholesterol went up by 7% on Atkins, while it decreased by 7% on the Ornish diet and by 10% on the South Beach diet. Not only that, but markers for inflammation went up by 30-45% on the Atkins diet whereas on the South Beach and Ornish diets they were either unchanged or decrease by 15-20%. Inflammation is a marker for accelerated aging and high levels of inflammation are associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, dementia to name just a few chronic diseases that plague Western society.

Atkins has so many devotees because it’s easy to follow in our overly processed food world. It will result in weight loss because by cutting out refined carbs such as white flour products (cakes, cookies, breads etc) you’re essentially cutting calories. However by consuming a diet high in animal protein that’s low in fruits and veggies you’re putting your health at risk. The cholesterol lowering effect of Atkins is an illusion. It’s due to weight loss, not the diet. When you factor the weight loss out, Atkins causes your cholesterol and inflammatory markers to go up.

If you can get past all the shock-jock language such as – you’re a gluttonous pig – you need to exercise you lazy shit – don’t be a pussy – you’ll find that Skinny Bitch offers some good dietary advice. I frankly wasn’t expecting much in the way of sound nutritional advice from the authors who are proudly skinny bitches themselves. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin are both former models, with Kim holding a degree in holistic nutrition.

First it should be mentioned that these skinny bitches are vegans and Peta supporters which helps explains their anti-meat stance. But instead of blindly discarding “meat as evil,” they point out some of the negative health consequences of an animal based diet. They correctly point out that a diet high in animal protein is associated with heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. They also debunk dairy. As I have written earlier, dairy does not aid with weight loss. Do you really think that a pro-growth substance like dairy, created to make a calf double in size, is going to help you lose weight? Dairy consumption is, like other animal protein sources, associated with osteoporosis and a higher fracture rate. Dairy was never meant for human consumption, which is why 90% of the world is lactose intolerant. I also agree with their other nutritional recommendations to avoid refined carbs (white flour and sugar products), go organic, and eat more whole unprocessed fruits and veggies.

Consumption of animal products can be part of a healthy diet, but in much lower amounts that consumed by the average American. The form of Omega -3 fatty acids found in fish, which is absent from a vegan diet, have proven benefits against heart disease and stroke with possible benefits against dementia, depression, asthma, and several forms of cancer. I would like to make clear that the plant-based form of Omega – 3 is not the same as that found in animal sources and they should not be considered as equivalent. Getting your omega 3 from flax seed is not the same as getting it from fish. Our body converts only about 5% the plant-based version of Omega 3 (ALA) to the longer chain animal form (DHA and EPA). While there is evidence that plant based Omega 3 is also beneficial in its own right, the majority of evidence for health benefits is from the animal form.

What the authors got completely wrong, however, is their advice on “detoxing” and fasting. They claim that fasting “is a powerful tool for cleansing, flushing, detoxifying and maintaining your body, and healing illnesses, both minor and major.” The authors mistakenly attribute symptoms of fasting such as “headaches, weakness, nausea, cramping, stomach pains, sweating, a swollen tongue, bad breath” as a “good thing” because the body is “digesting and expelling poisons, toxins, and bad cells – and it feels crappy.” Hello! Do you think that symptoms of headaches, weakness, nausea, cramping and the like are a good thing? It’s your body’s way of telling you that fasting is a really bad idea. There is no “detox” in fasts. In fact, fasts cause a build up of toxins because, nutritionally deprived, your body is getting sick. Any notion that practitioners feel their bodies are being “detoxed” by a fast is probably some form of fast-induced delirium. If you want to “detox” your body, eat more fruits and veggies to help rev up the most important detoxifying organ in your body which is your liver.

The authors also claim that fasting “has been used as a healthy method of weight loss. ” Another piece of bad advice. Fasting will result in weight loss because you’re basically starving yourself. But very low calorie diets also result in a substantial loss of metabolically active muscle which causes your metabolism to crash. So when you go off your crazy fast, your body has become a finely tuned fat making machine. You have just starved your body, and with your wreaked metabolism it will convert more calories into fat, so you regain weight but now you have become proportionally fatter. Welcome to the world of yo- yo dieting.

While their misguided advice on fasting and detoxing prevents me from being more enthusiastic about their book, their bad girl “skinny bitches” approach to dieting makes Skinny Bitch an entertaining read.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan is written by Barbara Rolls a leading authority on weight management and eating behavior at Penn State University. She is best known for her work on “energy density” which is simply calories per given weight of food. What’s so important about energy density you ask? It is the key to understanding how you can eat more and weigh less. Sound too good to be true?

Volumetric Diet Plan
The Volumetric diet plan is all about eating low energy density foods. Since we eat about the same amount of food per day, filling up on low cal, high volume foods will curb your hunger as you lose weight. Hence the term Volumetrics! It’s an eat more, weigh less strategy. So what are these low density foods that are going to make you lose weight? Before I get to that let’s talk first about how to calculate energy density. First look on the nutrition facts panel and locate the number of calories per serving as well as the serving size. For example looking at a can of chick peas in my kitchen I see that it has a serving size of 125 grams and and 124 calories per serving. This gives an energy density of about 1. This is good as foods with an energy density less than 1 will help you lose weight. Foods such as crackers, that have an energy density of 4.5 have four and half times as many calories as the chick pea example. This is not so good and you need to careful about portion control here.

How to eat more weigh less
So here now is the secret to losing weight. Eat more unprocessed fruits and veggies! Fruits and veggies have a low energy density and are great for weight loss because they contain a lot of water per weight. The more water a food contains the lower the energy density. Lowering the fat content will also lower the energy density, but it will not have as dramatic effect as water does. As an example, grapes weigh in at only 50 calories per cup but the dried version, raisins, weigh in at 400 calories per cup! The lesson here is that the more refined and processed a food is, the higher the energy density and the more likely we are to gain weight. Please see my earlier post on what happens to the calorie content of corn as it gets dried pulverized and fried. Corn’s calorie content for a 4 ounce serving sky rockets from 90 calories for boiled corn to 627 calories for corn chips!

The energy density concept highlights what we have known all along about weight loss. More fruits and veggies, less refined products are the key to sustainable weight loss. To get you started on your “weigh” to weight loss, Volumetrics offers 125 low energy density recipes packed with veggies and fruits. In a field littered with false promises of quick and easy weight loss, Volumetrics delivers. It’s a well written, well organized book that offers practical and effective strategies for weight loss.