If you think overweight teens are in their state of health because of their out-of-control calorie intake, think again. A new study from the University of North Carolina of Medicine suggests that older children who are overweight may be consuming fewer calories than their peers at healthier weights.

To conduct the study, researchers analyzed the diet reports of more than 19,000 children ages 1 to 17. They categorized the children based on weight, and children under the age of 2 were categorized based on weight-for-length percentile.

Researchers then looked at the correlation between age and weight category on calorie intake. What they found was that younger, overweight children consume more calories than their healthier peers. However, in the case of older children, those who are overweight actually consume fewer calories than their healthier peers.

These findings led researchers to believe that children who become overweight at a young age tend to remain overweight, regardless of calorie intake fluctuation. 
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Scientist have made some tall claims before, but this newest one may top the list. A recent study shows that starving or fasting off and on can boost brain power, help weight loss, and ultimately help one live longer.

This research was performed by the National Institute for Aging. They based their study off of an animal study. In the animal study, lab animals were given the bare minimum of calories required to sustain them. Results showed these animals lived twice as long as those fed more calories.

After the animal study, humans were tested. This type of diet was found to protect the heart, circulatory system, Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases.

Another angle of the study showed how the diet effected insulin production, the regulator of sugar. In the animal test, regular lab mice were compared to fasting lab mice. Those who fasted on alternate days needed to produce less insulin. Higher insulin production is associated with lower brain power and the risk of diabetes.

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There are lots of celebrity fitness gurus these days. Many people become famous because of their famous clients. For celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, it may have been her clients that made her famous, but now it seems her questionable methods are what’s making headlines.

Up and coming star, Emma Stone, was recently interviewed giving her negative opinion about Anderson. The co-star of 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man spoke to US Magazine in June.

“That diet, have you seen it?” Stone says of Anderson’s suggestions. “It’s like: Eat this diet, which is a palm-size piece of chicken and some beans, and work out two hours a day for the rest of your life.”

Is this statement factual? Is the raving success of the Tracy Anderson Method simply due to an amazingly low calorie intake and an incredibly high daily caloric burn? These rules would gain results, for a short time, but not necessarily health or long term success.

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Life isn’t fair and nowhere is that more evident than the findings from a new study. It appears that obese people who begin a diet with drastic changes will often do more harm than good.

“When obese persons reduce their food intake too drastically, their bodies appear to resist their weight loss efforts. They may have to work harder and go slower in order to outsmart their brain chemistry,” said Gregory G. Freund, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a member of University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

Freund makes a point of telling people to not start their dieting with a cleansing day, since this seems to trigger changes in the immune system that counter weight loss efforts. The fast-start approach to dieting may also bring on brain chemistry changes that significantly alter mood and motivation levels.
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The Baby Food Diet has taken Hollywood by storm but as more Americans who want to lose weight are jumping on the jarred, pureed food bandwagon, nutrition experts and parents are questioning whether the diet is safe and effective.

“Meeting adequate nutritional needs while following a diet that promotes eating small portions of low calorie pureed foods isn’t so easy,” said Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com and mother of three. “Jars of baby food vary from 15 to 100 calories so it can really be up to the dieter to mix and match various food groups to meet dietary needs.”

While eating baby food alone can put a person at risk for certain vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, there are variations to the diet that can make it healthier, more accessible and more sustainable.

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