Guest blogger,

Over several years I gained weight by overeating and being inactive. I slept poorly, was stressed out and had headaches daily. My energy level was lower than ever. The calories I needed to feel full kept increasing and my largest sizes became snug. Finally one day I had enough. I became committed to get back in shape. 

I reduced my caloric intake to 1,200 per day. My diet included dairy, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), fresh fruits and veggies, fiber-rich foods and a gallon of water every day. Drinking water before and during eating helped me feel full. Over time it was hard to finish the small portions on the diet.

I started with three days a week of low impact exercises and then I began using an elliptical machine. During the last two last months of my diet, I took up running, which had a major impact. A friend encouraged me to sign up for a race to benefit a charity. While skeptical, I committed to the 5k and had a decent run-time for a novice runner. I was elated and signed up for the Indy-Mini. I have also registered for additional races this fall. I love running. Like the wind in my sails, it energizes me and helps me to mentally process my thoughts, emotions and actions. Unlike a machine you can’t just quit, you have to walk back to where you started. There’s something about running that keeps drawing me back.

I lost more than 20 pounds and seven inches off my waist. I’m down three sizes and hope to lose another by spring. I love being in shape again. The best part is that all of my smaller sizes fit me again. This summer was the first time I wore a bikini in years. I’m ecstatic at my progress and I’m surpassing my goals. I never want to go back to that stressed-out couch potato that I let myself become.

My advice to anyone out there who wants to lose weight is to stop seeing your weight as happening to you. You CAN take control. You can do anything.

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How One Woman Achieved Weight Loss Success

In a new weekly series that will launch on Saturday, November 28th, I’m going to feature specific vitamins and provide an overview as to why you need it, what it does for your body and where you can get it.

More and more people are deficient and with busy schedules you can start to feel even more run down especially heading into the holiday season.

Here a couple of tips to get you started:

1) Eat whole foods like grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts.
2) Take a multi-vitamin, but consult with your doctor or nutritionist first.
3) Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
4) Start your day with a wholesome breakfast.

Tune in every Saturday through January 2, with the series kicking off November 28th!

Check out some top-level tips already blogged about by the DietsInReview.com staff such as the benefits of Vitamin D and how Vitamin K can help to fight diabetes.

Sign up for Amy’s monthly Natural Health Newsletter.

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Vitamin guide from A to Zinc – Series Kick-off

In 2009, the International Food Information Council Foundation conducted the fourth annual, Food & Health Survey, a analysis of Americans’ attitudes towards food, nutrition and health. Before Dr. Wansink presented us his sage advice for how to navigate our way through the food-filled holidays, he discussed a few of his key findings from the 2009 survey. Below are the most salient highlights:

• Twenty-five percent of Americans said that they are active for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.
• The top motivators for being active are to lose weight followed by to improve appearance.
• Forty percent of Americans do not use any resources to improve their diet – no pills, no special diet books, no hypnosis.
• At any given time, 53 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight.
• For those looking to lose weight, 71 percent are trying to change the amount of food they eat, 65 percent are trying to change what kinds of food they eat and less than 20 percent are counting calories.
• The biggest barrier to staying on track with weight loss goals is not seeing results quick enough (44 percent) followed by lack of will power (43 percent).

So before you sit down to your holiday meal, Dr. Wansink recommends to be aware of the following open invitations for overeating.

• Large portion sizes can cause us to eat more, even if we don’t really like the taste of the food being offered. His studies have shown that the larger the portion size, the more we eat. Therefore, prevent mindless overeating by using measuring devices to control how much you eat, ask yourself if you’re truly hungry for the food in front of you or whether you’re just eating because it’s there and use smaller plates and serving dishes.
• Keep tabs of just how hungry you are. Most of us think we are full when our plate is clean. But being a member of the clean plate club is not doing any favors for our expanding waistlines. Instead, pause every few minutes in between forkfuls of stuffing and sweet potatoes to determine just how satiated you are. Stop when you feel content or about 80 percent full.
• Don’t fall for diet-sabotaging mental rationalizations. From “I made it, I deserve it,” to “pre-loading” on appetizers, nuts, or turkey samples and to the “happy host,” who eats to please, mentally prepare yourself by thinking about what you are going to eat and how much you are going to eat beforehand so that you’ll feel satisfied over what you ate and proud over your self-control once all the dishes have been served, cleaned and put away.

Happy Holidays!

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Prevent Holiday Weight Gain & Avoid Mindless Eating

Four Ways To Celebrate with Thanks Instead of Turkey  

This holiday, focus on appreciating the people around you and giving to those less fortunate than you with four simple but powerful gestures.

Learn about the Hungry Girl’s Healthy Holiday Tips                                                               

Lisa Lillien, the colorful and creative soul behind the Hungry Girl, shares with us some of her most fool-proof cooking tips and advice for a guilt-free but delicious Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Fitness Tips and a Thanksgiving Workout

Fearful that your Thanksgiving buffet will pack on the pounds? From a Thanksgiving workout that will supercharge your metabolism to learning about five fitness tips to keep the pounds off, we have what you need to keep your holidays healthy and fun.

Avoid the Thanksgiving Day Food Coma

Learn what hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in putting you in a near catatonic food coma and a few ways to avoid this post Thanksgiving meal slumber.

Low-Fat Diets Improve Mood

Just as you’re about to dig into that third slice of pumpkin pie, keep in mind the new research that illustrates a low-fat diet may help with long-term mood improvement.

Prevention’s New 400-Calorie Fix

Even though Prevention Magazine’s new diet book, the 400-Calorie Fix has not yet been released, we have a sneak peek into what this simple calorie-counting diet plan involves.

New Diet Reviews – Now with more than 1000 published!

• 400 Calorie Fix                                                                                                      
• The Conscious Cook
• Vibro Belt
• StepGym
• Liposom
• Appesat
• Adios
• Lipobind
• Dynaslim

New Diet Videos and Diet Slideshows

• Video: Ellie Krieger’s Stuffed Turkey Breast
• Video: How to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving
• Video: Mike Morelli’s Biggest Loser Recap Episode 10
• Slideshow: Rebecca Meyer’s Biggest Loser Journey
• Slideshow: Biggest Loser Season 8 Makeover
   

Stay connected with DietsInReview.com:

• Free Newsletter Sign-up
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Weight Loss News In Review – Week of November 15

This guest blog was written exclusively for

With an estimated 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association offers an online tool that helps people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

My Health Advisor takes into account a person’s specific risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors like access to health care, to determine their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The online calculator immediately reflects and readjusts a person’s risk outcome based on small changes they make in their lives, such as losing five or ten pounds, quitting smoking or taking a daily aspirin.

Unlike other online health calculators, My Health Advisor uses the powerful and unique health simulation program, Archimedes. Archimedes pulls together large amounts of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about a person’s health risks. The software creates a virtual reality in which all relevant factors that can impact a person’s health in the real world match the factors in the simulated world. To further ensure accurate assessments, the results have been compared directly with real-life clinical trial results and have a nearly perfect correlation with the outcomes of actual patients.

Results from a 2008 Omnibus survey conducted by the Association indicate that the majority of adults ages 40 and older are at risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, those surveyed do not acknowledge their control over developing these conditions, and see little motivation to lose weight and lead healthier lives.

“Type 2 diabetes is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices. With 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year and heart disease and stroke accounting for two out of three diabetes-related deaths, the need to educate people about and accurately assess their risk of developing these diseases is at an all time high,” said Peter Sheehan, M.D., CheckUp America committee chair. My Health Advisor is an extremely powerful tool that we can use to help people not only understand their risk, but take proactive steps to a healthier life.”

Users of My Health Advisor benefit from a customized risk assessment and personalized prevention tips for living healthier lives and taking action to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening diseases. Clinicians can also use My Health Advisor with their patients to develop prevention plans with their patients. 

For more information on My Health Advisor and to access the online calculator, visit CheckUpAmerica.

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Online Calculator Estimates Diabetes Risk

The latest video craze is thanks to the Wii and complimentary games like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. These “exergames” have made fitness enjoyable by allowing physical activity to be fun, challenging, and adventurous. These fitness video games are great for improving eye-hand coordination, balance, stability, and stamina; all of which you can do at the gym as well.

Although the sweaty gym or health club may not be the most enjoyable place to spend an hour or so of your day, the benefits are endless. I understand that driving to the gym is an inconvenience and full of germs and people you may not want to talk to, but suck it up and hit it hard!

I strongly believe there is no substitute for exercise itself. Although “exergames” do a good job, exercise cannot be imitated. Cardiovascular training can be done anywhere and everywhere, but there is no exception for weight training. Weight training has been proven to increase bone density and lean muscle mass, improve posture, and reduce the risk of future injuries, which is not something you’ll be able to accomplish with your video game.

As a fitness expert, I encourage you to proceed with your normal workout routines (cardio and weight training) and let the digital workout world be an added benefit to your physically active lifestyle. In other words, don’t rely on video games to get your physical activity, use them for fun and additional exercise.

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Gym Workouts More Beneficial than Fitness Video Games

According to a recent article in The New York Times, exercise not just enhances mood and reduces anxiety but scientists are on the groundbreaking cusp of understanding the physiological processes that enable you to feel that amazing workout high after a long run or trek on the treadmill.

We have long known that exercise enables the growth of new brain cells. But at an October meeting for the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, researchers from Princeton University revealed a startling revelation: In response to exercise, brains are calmer and more able to respond to stressful stimuli than brains that have not been exposed to regular exercise.

While the research was conducted on rats, the study does hold powerful implications for the far-reaching benefits of exercise in humans.

According to The New York Times, rats whose oxidative-stress levels had been artificially increased with injections of certain chemicals were extremely anxious when faced with unfamiliar terrain during laboratory testing. But rats that had exercised, even if they had received the oxidizing chemical, were relatively nonchalant under stress.

“It looks more and more like the positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they’re more equipped to handle stress in other forms,” says Michael Hopkins, a graduate student affiliated with the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory at Dartmouth.

So if you find yourself this week waiting in an airport line 200 people deep or with a houseful of ungrateful and cranky relatives, show your nervous system some love and move your body. Even if it’s just a brisk walk around the block as the pumpkin pie cools or an early a.m. fitness fix at the gym before the rest of your household wakes, you will feel much better prepared to handle daily stress with a little movement under your bum.

And hey, your bum will probably benefit too!

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Exercise Makes You Less Anxious and Reduces Stress

But could there be something else going on that has nothing to do with how the food is prepared or the portion size you choose? Heck yeah. Is your diet diva going to tell you? Absolutely.

It’s called food “complexity” and “taste satiety.” Basically, you overeat at Thanksgiving because you are eating mindlessly. You’re not taking the time to intentionally slow down, serve yourself a small amount of food, and enjoy and savor each bite. If you did this, you’d get full well before you hit the 1,500 calorie mark, maybe even before hitting 1,000 calories.

When you have too many choices of foods, it’s hard for your taste buds to feel “satisfied.” They are unpacking all the tastes and flavors of the stuffing and then here comes a bite of potatoes and while they’re working on that they got a hit of turkey and cranberries. So as you pack on the calories the “taste satiety” signals stay low and you keep eating. You may even go for seconds because the brain is like “hey, I loooooooooooved that stuffing and I want more.” Meanwhile, you cleaned your first plate 15 minutes into the meal.

Now, I’m not advocating for boring Thanksgiving meals, but I do think it is possible to get all the pleasure and enjoyment out of Thanksgiving with healthy foods, eaten in the right portions. Remember that the holiday is about the people and the only thing that should be stuffed is the turkey.

If you want to try to overcome the “taste satiety” challenge, I’d suggest making sure there is a nice, healthy low-calorie green salad to include on your plate, take 3-4 ounces of turkey (no skin) and choose between mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and rolls. If you take small amounts of each, you might not get that “satisfied” feeling the tastebuds want. Don’t feel bad about passing on some of the items. There are always leftovers!

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Is Your Thanksgiving Buffet too Complex?

As modern day Americans, we do not have to be concerned about weather conditions making food unavailable. We have 24-hour grocery stores and shelves stocked with options. We can be thankful for this every day. As a result, our Thanksgiving celebrations can be more than feasts. This is particularly dangerous for those who are trying to alter their approach to food.

While overeating can make one sluggish, disappointed in one’s self, and unhappy with appearance, giving thanks will help you focus on the positive things in life and improve outlook and mood. This year, instead of recognizing the day by raising your fork, try one (or all) of these tips.

1. Give Back – Serve at a soup kitchen or shelter or make a donation to your favorite charity (the Fatherless Foundation is mine). Giving to others can give you perspective on just how blessed you are.

2. Focus on Your Family – This year my family gathering will be missing members that have died in the last year, at least one of which was not expected when we gathered last year at the same time. Certain members of the family will need our hugs, comfort, and distraction, and I will be investing in them. I am very thankful for my family and would rather have a conversation with one of the kids and make sure all is well with them than watch any Cowboys game.

3. Write Thank You notes – Have you personally thanked the people who have made a difference in your life in the last year? Be the first of the holiday season and make sure your message stands out by sending Thanksgiving thank you cards rather than Christmas or holiday cards. This is a fabulous idea for business owners.

4. Make Your List and Check it Twice – Before you make your gift list and think about those things you want or how much money you are going to spend, focus on the blessings you already have and list all the things for which you are thankful. Review this list frequently to maintain a positive attitude.

If you try one (or all) of these tips, even if you run out of pumpkin pie or your team never sees the end zone, you will likely have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Four Ways to Celebrate with Thanks Instead of Turkey

There are more examples where that came from. The New York Daily News spotlights 36 of their favorite “fat-letes.” Here are a few interesting examples:

• Emanuel “Tiny” Yarbrough is a sumo wrestler from Rahway, New Jersey. He weighs about 800 pounds, and holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest athlete.

• Prince Fielder is the first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, and son of another portly slugger, Cecil Fielder. He’s a vegetarian, so that does away with the myth that a meatless diet is a free ticket to thinness.

• Babe Ruth is the most famous heavy slugger of all time. When not downing hot dogs between at-bats in the dugout, he was adding to his heaping home run totals.

• Eddy Curry of the New York Knicks stands at a startling 6′11″. He’s got 285 pounds on that frame, and his fitness habits are questionable, which is why you’ll find him with a trainer this next off-season trying to get in shape.

• John Daly is a master at golf, but health he is not. Between a serious smoking habit and a love of bar food and drinks, this 300-pound pro is actually down about 40 pounds since his Lap-Band surgery this year.

Check out the other pudgy athletes in this pictorial at the New York Daily News.

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Male Athletes with Weight Problems