FitSugar

Test Your Knowledge of Fad Diets

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:08 -0800

It seems like every day a new diet makes the news. Some of these fads can sound promising because they're veiled in medical and health jargon or carry the backing of a celebrity or doctor. But reading between the lines reveals that regardless of the details, these diets are generally not healthy because they lack balance and are very restrictive.

Many of them are just plain kooky too - it's as if they're trying to outweird one another. How well do you know your trendy diets? Take my quiz and find out.

Take the quiz

Weekend Reading: Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels

FitSugar — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

The key to mastering your metabolism, according to the new book by Jillian Michaels? Hormones! But not in the way you normally think of hormones.

In Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones For a Hot and Healthy Body!, the Biggest Loser trainer explains how the myriad hormones that make up your endocrine system - including cortisol, ghrelin, testosterone, and leptin - work to keep your body healthy and balanced.

One of the new anti-diet books, this incredibly detailed guide combines personal memoir, serious science, and healthy eating recommendations to shed light on how artificial additives and other external factors can sabotage our weight-loss efforts. The book starts out incredibly academic, defining the various hormones and how they work; it was too much scientific jargon for me. But after wading through that I learned a lot. To find out what, read more.

Michaels's basic premise is that the toxins in processed foods, nonorganic produce, prescription medications, and the environment can throw our hormones out of whack, wreaking havoc on our systems. She writes, "Any and every body function you can imagine is controlled by your hormones." Her "three diet secrets" divide the book into three phases: removing these toxins from your life, replacing them with healthy foods, and rebalancing your hormones through diet, sleep, and exercise.

She offers a strict and simple meal plan that involves eating every four hours and tells you how to look at all the labels in your pantry and toss out the really bad stuff. She also acknowledges that we can't eat perfectly all the time and offers suggestions for good but not great foods. Along the way, she adds personal touches, like memories of being an overweight kid and confessing that she hates to exercise (which I have a hard time believing).

I like how the book offers different reasons for eating healthy than the ones we're used to hearing. It really made me think about how bad junk food really is and how every decision about what we put in our bodies has a ripple effect. This certainly isn't a book you can absorb with a quick skim; it's very dense with information. But I learned a great deal reading it and plan to return to it as a reference.

Trend Alert: Antidiet Diet Books

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Move over, Atkins and South Beach: antidiet books are the new diet books. Lately I've noticed a slew of what might be called weight management, rather than weight loss, books landing on my desk, reinforcing the ever-growing sentiment that diets, at least in the traditional sense, don't work. But changing your eating habits does.

People like Maria Langer, who I heard interviewed on NPR the other day, are admitting that the diet books they bought over the years turned out to be a waste of money. But the publishing industry is filling the void with books about how to stop dieting and keep off the weight, among them Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting by Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel and The Big Skinny, an instructive memoir from a woman who learned to keep off the pounds without dieting. For more on the trend, read more.

Other very recent additions include The Skinny by Louis J. Aronne and Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels (stay tuned for more on that), both of which purport that managing your body's chemistry and metabolism is far more effective than dieting. Similarly, some of my favorite food books of the past year, including The Daily Fix by Alexa Fishback, have focused not on short-term fixes but on changing your eating habits for the better, for good.

I'd even put in this category Michael Pollan's books The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, which have changed many people's eating habits more than any old diet book could. What's your favorite antidiet diet book?

No-Carb Diets Could Crash Your Brain's Memory

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:30:00 -0800

As far as fad diets go, the low-carbohydrate train has enjoyed a prolonged ride when compared to its more trendy counterparts. Some dieters shun carbs because their bodies respond by shedding pounds, but new research shows they could also be sacrificing some very important brain power.

The brain converts carbohydrates to glucose for proper functionality, and severely restricting carb intake can limit our ability to remember. Nineteen women were put on either a very low-carb diet or the low-calorie diet recommended by the American Dietetic Association, and after just one week the low-carb dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than the women following the ADA diet.

While low-carb participants consumed almost no carbohydrates during the first week, limited carbs were introduced during the second week and their memories showed improvement with the revised diet. The study's co-author Holly A. Taylor, PhD commented on the bottom line, saying, "Although this study only tracked dieting participants for three weeks, the data suggest that diets can affect more than just weight."

Have you noticed that some diets affect your brain's ability to function properly?

Source

Reality Check: Seth Rogen's Diet "Secret"

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Wondering how Zack and Miri Make a Porno star Seth Rogen suddenly got slim? The actor says it's "the lamest answer ever," but I think it's actually the best answer. On Friday, during an radio interview on KIIS-FM, Rogen told host Ryan Seacrest: "I exercised and I dieted." What a novel idea, right?

At a time when everyone is dying to hear celebs' slimdown secrets, it's refreshing to hear this down-to-earth actor admit that he did it the old-fashioned way. There is no miracle pill, but the closest thing we have to a surefire weight-loss strategy is exercising more and eating less. To see how Rogen's girlfriend feels about his new look, read more.

Rogen not only looks leaner, but he also looks healthier. Though he claims he doesn't care how he looks or feels, certainly something motivated him to start eating better (perhaps an upcoming role in a movie). Apparently, that something isn't his girlfriend of four years, Lauren Miller. Rogen told Seacreast:

"She's stuck by me through thick and thin - literally," Rogen said. "She claims she doesn't like me any more now than when I was heavier, but I think that's completely not true."

Could you say the same of your significant other? Any Seth Rogen fans out there: Are you glad to see him looking healthier?

Source

Weekend Reading: Ten Years Thinner

FitSugar — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0800

If you search hard enough, you can find a diet/exercise book that tells you what you want to hear. I have found this to be true for both gardening and child rearing, and now I know it to be true in the quest for a healthier, fitter, thinner body.

The contrast between Ten Years Thinner ($26) and The Thrive Diet is a case in point. Ten Years Thinner, written by Christine Lydon, M.D., argues that lean animal protein and strength training are the key components to looking and feeling your best. On the other hand, The Thrive Diet asserts that vegan, and even raw food, along with endurance training is where you will find your wealth of health. I have only read these books, and haven't followed either plan, but the contrast is fascinating to me. Both books lay out their plans convincingly, and discuss how their diets combat the negative impact of inflammation while increasing your energy levels. It just boils down to finding a plan you think you can follow for the long haul.

Want to hear the details about Ten Years Thinner? Then read more.

The diet plan in Ten Years Thinner starts with eliminating certain foods and gradually adding them back into your diet over the course of six weeks. The first two weeks you avoid legumes, soy based food, dairy, grains and high glycemic index foods like potatoes, fruit juice and alcohol. Each subsequent week you reintroduce these forbidden foods, so in the end no food groups are completely off limits. Although you are encouraged to eat as little grains as possible as well as alcohol.

Workout wise the focus is strength training in daily 20 minute sessions, for four consecutive days followed by a rest day. The workouts are designed to get your heart rate up and create a post workout metabolism calorie burn too. The cool thing is that the exercise plan requires no gym time; you can do the workouts in the comfort of your own home with hand weights, a mat, a step stool and a pillow. The book includes a handful of recipes and workouts to follow. The tone of the book is, of course, up beat and friendly even though Lydon does mention that she went to Yale for medical school a few too many times in the introduction. The information is detailed and easy to follow. If you do decide to follow this plan you can find online support here in the form of active forums.

If you are curious and want to check out the book for yourself it is available at Amazon for $17.16, $8 off the cover price.

Source

When Was the First Time You Tried Dieting?

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

We've all had that moment when we think, "I'm going to go on a diet." It's always interesting to me to hear at what age my friends started dieting and why. Even more than that, I am always shocked at the young ages women started to diet.

So...

If you're up for it, I'd love to hear what made you want to start a diet, so share with us in the comments section below.

Source

5 Reasons Your Diet Could Be Less Than Perfect

FitSugar — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

With the large amount of diets out there it is hard to decipher what's legitimate and what's not. I've come up with five things to look out for when evaluating your current diet. Your diet is more than likely less than stellar if it:

Does not promote variety.
Does not promote healthy eating and exercise.
Does not allow you to eat solid foods.
Requires a membership of some sort, which requires more money.
Promises rapid or unbelievable results.
*Bonus: Requires that you buy special pills/supplements.

Have any more tips to add to the list? Then add them in the comments section below.

How Well Do You Know Popular Diets?

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0700

With all the diets out there, it's hard to keep track of what's what. So let's test your diet smarts in this quiz.

Take the quiz

Healthy Dose Link Time!!!!!!

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:45:00 -0700

HealthBolt says if you want to help the planet go old school and eat PBJ instead of an all-American all-beef patty.

Complete Running Network celebrates the power of Title IX with a great ad by Nike.

About: Yoga continues her love of summer bugs with Locust pose. It is great way to strengthen your back.

Back in Skinny Jeans congratulates Dean Karnazes on his ESPY award. He is that crazy and an inspirational ultra-marathoner.

Suffering from the Monday blues? Yoga Coffee Outlook has a list of 25 things you can do to improve your mood.

Fitness Fixation works on breaking the habit of "fat talking." It's a great habit to break.

fitPod wants you to celebrate your sudden moves. This new playlist could be the musical motivation you're looking to accompany your plyometric workout.

That's Fit has the skinny on eating sugar and going blind. Macular degeneration is serious business.

About: Low Fat Cooking teaches you the art of creating simple, low fat desserts. Check out this recipe for broiled nectarines with sour cream.

Leslie at The Weighting Game poses the question Do diets work? Her perspective is truly interesting, check it out.

iFit&Healthy shares details of Hilary Duff's diet.

The Skinny Website shares celeb quotes on body image. Jordin Sparks has a level head on her shoulders and Jessica Alba relies on Spanxs just like the rest of us.

Looking for a new way to incorporate summer veggies into your life? Try YumSugar's inspired side: zucchini and pecorino salad.