Jillian Michaels Sued – Is it Fair or Greedy People Trying to Make a Quick Buck?

Jillian Michaels is the famous trainer on the hit show “The Biggest Loser.” She is known for her tough, no-nonsense attitude and difficult, but effective, exercise programs. Michaels often stresses the importance of healthy diet and exercise as the best way to lose weight. She also endorses several weight loss products that are available at major retailers.

Michaels is being sued over a product called “Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control.” The packaging of these diet pills states, “Two Capsules Before Main Meals and You Lose Weight … That’s It!” However, a woman named Christie Christensen of Lake Elsinore, Calif., begs to differ.  She purchased these pills, but claims she didn’t lose any weight or have a decreased appetite after taking the diet pills for one month.

Our Haiti Releif Efforts

Update 2/1/2010: Although we weren’t able to raise a tremendous amount of money, I would like to thank everyone who participated in our program.  We will be dividing and donating $153.00.

With the devastation that struck Haiti on January 12th, we are doing everything we can to help.  From now until Jan. 31 (or longer if needed), we will be donating 100% of the commissions made from some of the reviews on our website.

We will make our donations to the following organizations:

Follow Us on Twitter and Get a Copy of the Every Other Day Diet

Happy Holidays everyone!

We are buying and giving away 10 copies of the ebook The Every Other Day Diet.  The EODD diet comes with the e-book which is valued at $39.95 and dozens of other bonus material.  The premise of the diet is calorie shifting and is designed to optimize the metabolism so the body burns calories more efficiently.  Want to know how you can participate?  keep reading!

• First, follow us on twitter between now and Dec. 31st.  Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Jan. 1.  If you are already following us on twitter, simply re-tweet this post to be eligible.

A Great Diet Solution

photo credit: somegeekintn

The “Smart Choice” Program Was Not Smart Enough

Last month, FDA investigators halted the Smart Choice program.   The program,  just launched this summer, was designed to help consumers make better food choices by reading a handy little information box on the front of food packages.  Americans generally find detailed label reading too confusing and not informative enough.  This program hoped to make it simple with just one tiny box, assuring the shopper “this food is a good choice”.  Groups of highly-renowned science, health, and educational organizations spent years deciding  on the appropriate criteria and finally thought they had the answer.  They all got together to establish the “Smart Choice Program” for easy understanding of foods that are “good for you” with this simple label.  The problem is, it’s not simple at all.

The Raw Foods Diet

If you’ve ever heard of the “Raw Foods Diet” you may have wondered what types of foods are included in this regimen, and what are the benefits of eating this way.  Technically, raw foods include any food that has not been heated to more than 118 degrees F.  What is not included: products that are cooked, roasted, fried, baked, or even pasteurized.  Think of all the foods you eat that are not then “raw” when you eat them: pasta, bread, cereal, cookies, eggs, meat (although raw meat technically is allowed by certain raw food advocates), roasted nuts, and pasteurized milk, just to name a few.

The Realize Band: A Method of Surgical Weight Loss

Perhaps you have heard of surgical weight loss methods and want to know more about some of these procedures and if they would work for you.  Many people have had good success with different types of gastric surgery.  They all work by making your stomach smaller, forcing you to eat less every day at every meal.  Some are more invasive than others; some are more permanent.  Today I’ll give you the details on the Realize Band: a less-invasive form of surgical intervention that is also reversible.

A New Sweetener on the Market: Sun Crystals

As a registered dietitian, I sometimes get the heads up on new products from the manufacturers before they even hit the market!  Here is one I just received in the mail that looks like a great new sweetener.  You should be seeing  Sun Crystals, an all natural sweetener, on the shelves in your local supermarket soon.

This product is made using a combination of cane sugar and the naturally sweet stevia plant.  The result is crystals that appear like pure sugar, but contain fewer calories, provide fewer grams of carbohydrates, and have a lower impact on raising blood sugar level in people with diabetes.

The Gluten Free Diet

Many people are jumping on the “Gluten Free” bandwagon, anticipating it will have beneficial effects like promoting weight loss or even ‘cleansing’ effects.  In reality, the gluten free diet is necessary–and helpful–only for people who have a true allergy to gluten, which is a diagnosable and treatable condition called Celiac Sprue.

34 Must Read Weight Loss Sites and Blogs

Over the years I’ve stumbled across several websites and blogs that serve as great sources of information and motivation.  After a year of reading most of these websites I decided to compile a list of 34 must read websites and blogs.  They are in no specific order but I’m 100% sure that at least one of the sites listed will serve its purpose of keeping you motivated and loaded with great information.

News, Tips, and Informational Websites

Lawsuit Leaves Denny’s a Little Salty

Did you know that food items at your local Denny’s can contain up to 5,690 milligrams of sodium (more than 2 times the daily recommended amount)?  I sure didn’t until I read the article from the LA Times.  A man from New Jersey (with an apparent problem with blood pressure) along with help from The Center for Science in the Public interest filed the lawsuit after the man discovered his food contained enough sodium to damage a small animal (not really–just an exaggeration).  But seriously, some of the meals at Denny’s contains more than two days worth of recommended sodium!  The goal of the lawsuit is to force Denny’s to list the sodium content of their food items along with some type of disclaimer about the risk of high blood pressure.  There were also negotiations between Denny’s and the CSPI to lower sodium content in the meals.

Old Weight Loss Scams Continue

common scams

Too-good-to-be-true easy weight loss promises have been around for over a hundred years.  Here are some common themes to pills, powders, potions, and teas.

Lose weight, eat whatever you want, and no exercise!  Burn fat while you sleep! Whatever is contained in these pills is not going to help you lose weight.  Sometimes there are ingredients like caffeine that help dampen the appetite in some people.  If you’ve ever purchased one of these “diet pills” you may have noticed the package insert that explains how you can lose weight.  Then again you may have thrown that part away.  It says, “here is a sample 1200 calorie diet for you to follow.  If you follow this diet [and take these pills] you can lose up to 10 pounds in 4 weeks (results not typical)”.  Of course you can eat whatever you like … but you can’t have more than one bite of it!

The Cookie Diet, Revisited

I have had so many inquiries about the various forms of The Cookie Diet, I did a little research last week to find out what I need to know to pass along the reliable information you need about this weight loss plan.  So here goes:

Congress Questions Quality of Bottled Water

I can distinctly remember the freedom of drinking water from the hose outside on a hot summer day during the 1980’s.  I can also remember the uncomfortable feeling of squeezing my head under a faucet to quench a late night thirst.  Here we are a decade and a half later and over half of all Americans (54 percent) drink bottled water mainly because it is perceived to be a safer and healthier alternative to faucet water.   But Congress was recently introduced to two new studies that questioned the regulation of  bottled water and if it was indeed safer than faucet water.

Money May Not Motivate Weight Loss

A recent post at The New York Times discussed a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research that revealed most people won’t accept money as a motivator to lose weight because… it is just too hard.  The study involved 2,407 overweight individuals that got divided into three groups.  Group A would receive $60 for maintaining a 5% weight loss for one year. Group B paid $100 which would be returned with bonuses for those who lost 5% of their body weight or more.  Group C was offered $20 for staying on the program for 1 year.

Smelling Your Way to a Thinner You?

For those of us who diet regularly, we know what a delicious aroma in the air can do to our hunger and our sanity.  The smell of cookies baking in the oven, fast food smells when we’re out running errands, and the smell of a neighborhood barbecue can be the temptation that causes our willpower to crumble into pieces.  But what if I told you that enhancing your ability to smell will cause you to eat less and enjoy your food more– all while losing weight?

Study links High Carb Foods to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

Doctors often talk about how a healthy diet leads to a healthy heart,  but never had a way to visually show patients exactly how a poor diet increases the risk for death caused by heart attack and heart disease.  That was until a historic study was released by Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center.  The study involved separating 56 healthy individuals into 4 groups.  Each group was given different types of carbohydrate rich foods so doctors could monitor the elasticity of their arteries using a new method called “brachial reactive testing”

Vinegar for Fat Loss? Maybe it Can Do it All!

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A week before my daughter was due my wife and I noticed an incredibly foul smell coming from one of the bedrooms in our house.  Upon further investigation we discovered the source — a cup of spilled milk under the bed and into the carpet.  The smell was beyond horrible and after throwing a variety of chemicals at the stench, nothing worked.   That was until my father recommended a dose of water mixed with vinegar.  After two treatments the smell was 100% gone.  Amazing!

The Fat Acceptance Movement

For several decades there has been a movement, and even an association–The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance–to influence our society to stop being prejudiced against fat people.  Yes, they do call themselves fat, and there’s a carefully thought out reason for this: labeling a person as “overweight” or “obese” lends more credence to the condition because of the clinical and scientific sound of the title.

The Pistachio Principle: Calorie Reduction Without Restriction

A professor at Eastern Illinois University has come up with an exciting new approach to weight loss through his studies on the habits of pistachio-eaters.  In his research, Dr. James Painter (a registered dietitian himself) noted that when people chose pistachios in the shells for a snack (removing the shells as they munch), they ate fewer than people who choose to eat pistachios which were already shelled.  It seems there is an effect regarding the impression one has of how much he has eaten, since it takes longer to eat pistachios when you are taking the time to shell them as well.

Dr. Ian’s 1000 – The 4 Day Diet Just Got Serious

Dr. Ian Smith has “raised the stakes” and issued a challenge to those determined to reach a healthier weight in the New Year.  What’s the challenge you ask?  Dr. Smith has taken on the ambitious goal of  helping 1000 people lose weight at the same time using nothing more than the free community forum at the 50 Million Pound Challenge website and a copy of his new book The 4 Day Diet.  The group is aptly named Dr. Ian’s 1000.

Carb Restricting Diets Affect Memory?

A new study shows that eliminating carbs from your diet will not only trim your waistline, but could leave your memory a little lighter as well.

The study, performed by Tufts University, included 19 women who were closely monitored after starting a very low-carb diet similar to the Atkins Diet.  Several short-term and long-term memory tests were conducted prior to starting the diet.  Results revealed that in the weeks to follow, the no-carb group performed significantly worse in memory tests than others following a low calorie program.

How Much is a Serving?

You might be trying hard to watch your weight, even going as far as counting calories:  But when you try to figure out what a serving size is, this is a stumbling block for many people.  Sometimes portions are listed in ounces or cups, and how are we supposed to know what an ounce of almonds translates to in actual nuts, or what a cup of pasta looks like on our plate? Fortunately there are some visuals that can be helpful.  Anything from  a CD to a baseball can be used to help figure out what a reasonable portion size is.  If you are familiar with the size of your fist, you can easily eye some of the food portions that will help you control your calorie intake.  Here are a few great ideas to help you estimate portion sizes: – A pancake serving (100 calories) is the side of a compact disc.

What Behaviors Lead to Weight Loss?

One way to predict who will be successful losing weight is to study people who have been successful and see what they have in common. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found some key behaviors people practiced which increased their odds of keeping off the weight.  You might try some of these to increase your own chances of getting the weight off and keeping it off.