“100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories” is a list from America On The Move, a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to improving “…health and quality of life by promoting healthful eating and active living among individuals, families, communities and society. ”  As they put it:

Our research shows that small, specific changes in food and physical activity behaviors can have a positive effect on health and effectively stop weight gain.  AOM provides free web-based programs, tools, and resources to individuals, families, groups and communities of all types and sizes.

As I’ve written before, a lot can be accomplished through small, progressive changes, vs. trying to overhaul an entire lifestyle overnight.  Cutting a little here, and making small changes there can help prevent weight gain, as well as set the stage for future weight loss success.  There are lots of tips and tools on the AOM site, so it’s definitely worth a look.

A short while ago I received an e-mail offering an invitation to purchase one or more of a small number of remaining bottles of BetaFuel. BetaFuel is distributed by MarqiLife and Brock Felt (who appears as an “unbiased customer” in the before and after shots featured on the BetaFuel web site. You can also see Brock’s pictures featured on the NiteTrim product site as well). 

BetaFuel happens to be an ephedra-based product, containing 10 mg of ephedra derived from Ma Huang.

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I have to admit, this New York Times article made me want to bang my head my head against my keyboard.

So it stands to reason that weight-loss shows are now a part of the television landscape, spanning NBC, the Style Network and Discovery Health, as common as crime procedurals, soap operas or talk shows. (All television genres have signature moments. On westerns it’s the cattle stampede; on weight-loss shows it’s the weigh-in, presented in slow motion and in black and white.)

These fat-reduction spectacles are embedded in a mixed message that mirrors a broader cultural clash of appearance and appetite — and our obsession with both. Against a loop of talk shows and made-for-TV dramas about eating disorders, Americans are goaded into ever more drastic and extreme expectations of physical perfection on prime time, while their path is mined with Double Croissan’wich specials at Burger King and Olive Garden “Tour of Italy” triptychs (lasagna, chicken parmigiana and fettuccine Alfredo). On “Today” a homily on sensible dieting from the Joy Fit Club is followed by instructions in a following segment for hibiscus margaritas and churros — deep-fried, sugar-dipped Mexican crullers. On the WE network’s show “The Secret Lives of Women,” a tribute to three women’s hard-won journey to extreme weight loss is interrupted by an ad for Baskin-Robbins Oreo sundae.

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For some reason I decided to go check out some of UltimateFatBurner.com’s competitors today; you know - the thinly disguised product promotion sites masquerading as unbiased “review” sites. Not really sure why I decided to do this; some perverse desire to raise my blood pressure, I guess.

Anyhow, if you’re subscribed to UltimateFatBurner.com’s newsfeed you’ll be aware that many of the products I have reviewed lately feature 1 or more patented weight loss ingredients in their overall formulas. Retailers are using these patented ingredients as part of their overall marketing strategy, capitalizing on the common misconception that “patented” means proven and effective (one product claims its blend of clinically proven and patented weight loss ingredients outperforms prescription weight loss drugs).

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Paul and I had an e-mail exchange concerning his recent review of a diet supp called “Prescopodene“.  He sent me a link to the site - to me, it looked just like dozens of other internet supp sites I’ve seen.  Y’know, the hottie in a bikini; claims of scientific validation; big, eye-catching display fonts, testimonials - the usual stuff.  And - of course - there was a picture of a smiling doctor, next to a product recommendation from a “Dr. Robert Johnson, Ph.D.”  It turned out that the pic of the doctor actually came from a stock photo archive like this one.  We both had a good laugh about it, as it was such a transparent tactic.

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Over the last few months, Elissa and I have been blogging about growing obesity crisis as it pertains to children. As detailed here and here, children are increasingly vulnerable to advertising for junk food (on which the major players spend zillions of dollars), and they are also spending more and more time in front of the tube.  

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Are eggs healthy or unhealthy?  For years, doctors and dieticians told us that eggs should be avoided or severely limited, as they were loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol.  That attitude has softened in recent years, after researchers determined that there’s no clear cut association between egg consumption and cardiovascular risk for healthy individuals.  Still, eggs haven’t been given a pass: one recent study, for example, found an association between increased egg consumption and mortality.  Mainstream professionals are still cautious, and conventional medical advice remains fairly discouraging.

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A recent study (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(14):1550-1559) revealed what at first glance appears like very sobering news; an hour of exercise per day is required to maintain a 10% weight loss. Obviously, this emphasizes that losing weight is very much a lifetime venture. Eating healthy, watching your calories and exercising is not something you are ever going to “forget about”, especially if you have a job that requires minimal physical effort or are relatively inactive during the day.

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Not when it comes to snack foods, methinks…

I’ve been seeing these more and more…chips, pretzels, cookies and the like, sold in boxes of “100 calorie” packages. Nabisco, for example, has a variety of products packaged this way.  These are allegedly designed for more “sensible snacking” - as they make it easier to monitor your intake, and avoid eating too much.

Right?

Maybe not.  According to two studies pending publication in the October, 2008 Journal of Consumer Research, smaller packages may encourage MORE munching, not less.

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…according to a hot-off-the presses study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the dueling weight-loss techniques…Average weight loss for those in the low-carb group was 10.3 pounds after two years. Those in the Mediterranean diet lost 10 pounds, and those on the low-fat regimen dropped 6.5.

More surprising were the measures of cholesterol. Critics have long acknowledged that an Atkins-style diet could help people lose weight but feared that over the long term, it may drive up cholesterol because it allows more fat.

But the low-carb approach seemed to trigger the most improvement in several cholesterol measures, including the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, the “good” cholesterol. For example, someone with total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 50 would have a ratio of 4 to 1. The optimum ratio is 3.5 to 1, according to the American Heart Association.

Doctors see that ratio as a sign of a patient’s risk for hardening of the arteries. “You want that low,” Stampfer said.

The ratio declined by 20 percent in people on the low-carb diet, compared to 16 percent in those on the Mediterranean and 12 percent in low-fat dieters.

The full study can be found at the New England Journal of Medicine site.

One of the things I’ve noticed about many people’s fat loss efforts, is how negative they are.  There’s a long list of “don’ts;” tiny portions of plain, drab food and punishing workouts.  It’s all about hardship and deprivation.  If you’re “good,” that means you have the stern discipline and moral fiber to tough it out, and can bask in the awe of your family, friends and colleagues.  And if you’re like everyone else (i.e., “bad”), you crash and burn within a few short weeks, gain whatever you lost back, and either a) beat on yourself for being weak; b) decide your excess weight is due to some extrinsic factor, like “toxins” or “parasites” and go off in search of various ”placebo“ cures; or c) eventually give it all up, decide you’re genetically programmed to be overweight, and join the “Fat Acceptance” movement.

It doesn’t have to be this way…

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I’d be tempted to file this study in the “duuuuuhhhh” category, as keeping a food journal is something I’ve done for every fat loss diet I’ve ever been on since I was 14 years old…and it’s something both Paul and I have discussed before.  But it bears repeating.  And it’s good to see this sort of practical advice confirmed scientifically. 

With all the handy-dandy online tools and software available now, there’s really no excuse now not to do this.  I don’t know of any better way to raise awareness of what you’re eating than this one, simple step.

An anti-obesity device that could - conceivably - replace weight loss surgery will be tested on volunteers at sites across the US.

In its St. Paul lab, EnteroMedics, Inc. has created an implant device that looks very much like a pacemaker. It takes advantage of the way our brain communicates with our stomach and the rest of the digestive system through the vagus nerve.

The device is implanted in the abdomen with wire leads connected to the vagus nerve just above the stomach. Small electrical impulses, spaced five minutes apart during waking hours, have already been proven to reduce hunger signals to the brain.

Preliminary results with this therapy, known as “intermittent vagal blocking” or VBLOC, were recently published in the journal “Surgery.”  According to the abstract, the mean weight loss among the 31 subjects was 14.2% after 6 months, with decreased calorie intake, “earlier satiation” and “reduced hunger.”

Although the surgery has been described as “minimally invasive” - it should be noted that there were 3 adverse events that required hospitalization.

This isn’t the first or only pacemaker system under investigation.  A somewhat different device, which employs “gastric contractility modulation” to increase satiety and feelings of fullness, has been used successfully in Europe and is currently being studied in the US.

Chris Coleson’s 80+ pound weight loss hit the news cycle recently.  The former 276 pounder now weighs in at a relatively svelte 190 lbs. and has dropped 14 pants sizes: his waist went from 50 inches to 36 inches.

That’s pretty impressive, although what he did was less newsworthy than how he did it. 

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Here’s a suggestion for losing weight…

Unplug the TV.

Or, if you want to live a little more dangerously, pull a “Keith Richards,” and heave it off the balcony (checking first for innocent civilians below), or empty a couple of shells of double-ought buck into it from a safe distance away (the living room?). Whatever you do, it’s time to bid good riddance to this benevolent monster.

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Over the last 20 years, portion sizes have expanded…and Americans have expanded right along with them. What’s the peril in larger portions?  A number of studies have now shown that - when people have more food in front of them - they eat more…without feeling fuller either.  As noted in this publication by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

A study by Rolls et al. tested how adults responded to meals on different days of four different portion sizes of macaroni and cheese. They found that the bigger the portion, the more participants ate. Participants consumed 30% more energy (162 cal) when offered the largest portion (1000g) compared to the smallest portion (500g). They also reported similar ratings of hunger and fullness after each meal despite the intake differences. After the study, only 45% of the subjects reported noticing that there were differences in the size of the portions served.

A cup of coffee has 0 calories.  Even with creamer and a couple teaspoons of sugar, it’s under 75 calories.  But a “Vente”  (20 oz.) ”Caramel Macchiato” from Starbucks will cost you 300 calories!

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If you’re considering getting a spa body wrap done to “tone and firm” your body, read this first.

The LA Times has a nice little photo montage, illustrating the “thin” line between eating a 1600 calorie weight loss diet vs. a fat-inducing 3000 calorie one.  Now, in my view, the line really isn’t that thin…the difference between the meals is pretty obvious.  The 1600 calorie day meals are all low fat and high in fiber: veggies or fruits are featured in each meal.  What I find interesting about the 3000 calorie day, is that - from a sheer “bulk food” perspective, the amount of food really isn’t that large - it’s just that the foods are indifferently chosen and contain a lot of “hidden” calories from fat and sugar. 

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I’ve been aware of the “Fat Acceptance” (FA) movement for some time now…on occasion, I’ve dropped in to look around on sites like BigFatBlog or Fatshionista.  Sometimes it feels like visiting another planet — I have a hard time getting into these people’s heads.  But believe it or not — I’m sympathetic to some of the points FA activists make, especially as they pertain to women’s self/body image. 

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Over the last few weeks we’ve been talking about trends in food consumption and the parents’ role in teen weight loss. These discussions got me thinking about a 2007 New England Journal of Medicine study that showed — get this — that obesity is contagious! (You may be thinking this is ridiculous, but this was a pretty major study, following 12,000 people over the course of 32 years. And the NEJM is no “rag” either).  

Yep, believe it or not, people are more likely to become obese when a friend becomes so. 57% more likely in fact. According to the principle investigator in the study, Dr. Nicholas Christakis, one probable reason for this is that friends “affect your perception of fatness.” It appears that if you surround yourself with people who are overweight, this state becomes acceptable to you.

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