Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
(CBS 5) Converts to the paleolithic diet trend claim they are shedding pounds and repairing damage done to their health by eliminating a number of common items in their former diet.
Bay Area blogger and paleo diet enthusiast Tara Grant said she lost more than 100 pounds in 2011 following the diet today, shes even slimmer. Ive lost about 15 more pounds, I dont even weigh myself anymore, said Grant. And Ive never felt better.
Grant is part of a growing trend of Caveman Converts who swap processed foods, dairy and sugar for meat, fish, poultry, nuts and seeds, and fruits and vegetables galore.
Complete HealthWatch Coverage Of The Paleo Diet
Its an elimination diet that has also worked for Tennessee neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Kruse. Seven years ago, Kruse tipped the scales at 357 pounds. He changed what he ate and saw dramatic results. Within three months I lost 77 pounds, said Kruse,and within 11 months I had lost 133 pounds.
Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, was a top endurance athlete in the late 70s and early 80s. A marathoner and triathlete, Sisson was training really hard, putting in a lot of miles and following the conventional wisdom of the time carbohydrate loading taking in about 1,000 grams of carbs a day, mostly complex carbohydrates, mostly based on a grain-based diet.
Sisson said the combination of the diet and the training was actually killing him.
I was one of the fittest people on the planet, I was the picture of health and inside I was falling apart, said Sisson. I had irritable bowel syndrome, I had chronic respiratory tract infections six or eight times a year, I had osteoarthritis in my feet, I had chronic tendonitis in my hips, I was a wreck.
Sisson quit competing and began researching the types of food he was eating and how his body responded to them. I saw that much of what I was eating was pro-inflammatory, was causing systemic inflammation throughout my body.
So Sisson changed what he ate. Six to 11 servings a day is the base of the food pyramid, I cut those out entirely, said Sisson, (and) replaced it then with fruits, veggies, and meat. He said its not even lean meats. If I have a 2-pound ribeye steak and I cant finish it, I cut out the lean parts and give it to my dog, and I finish the fat, joked Sisson.
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HealthWatch: Going ‘Paleo’ Means Cutting Out Common Items From Diet
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
TAMPA, Fla., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --BalanceDiet Company is pleased to announce that its clients can now take advantage of an exclusive genetic fat test to obtain personalized diet and fitness recommendations as part of their complete lifestyle program. The weight management genetic test was a key component of the services offered by Results Weight Loss, which BalanceDiet recently acquired, and the company has subsequently introduced the genetic fat test at all of its BalanceDiet Centers nationwide as well as through its BalanceDiet At Home program.
Interleukin Genetics developed the genetic test panel used within the BalanceDiet program. Researchers pinpointed certain genes - specifically, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - that influence an individual's genetic tendencies related to metabolism, fat absorption and storage, and responsiveness to various exercise intensities(1).
The science behind the genetic fat test is supported by a clinical study conducted by Interleukin Genetics and Stanford University. This study examined weight loss for women who were on a diet that was consistent with their genotype category versus another group who were on diets not suitable for their genetic pattern. The findings revealed that subjects on a genotype-appropriate diet had 2.5 times greater weight loss than the other study subjects - losing an average of 13.2 pounds and 2.6 inches versus an average of only 4.6 pounds and 1.2 inches for those on a genotype-inappropriate diet(2).
"Genetic fat testing is an important addition to BalanceDiet's portfolio of services, and the former Results clients who have joined our family are living proof that genotype-based diet and fitness plans really do work. Our existing BalanceDiet customers have expressed great enthusiasm and interest in the weight management genetic test, and we are excited to implement it as part of our lifestyle program," said Pam Powderly, RD, LD/N, Corporate Dietician for BalanceDiet.
Powderly noted that the results of the test will be used to tailor diet and wellness programs that are designed to maximize clients' weight loss and exercise benefits. "The genetic test determines the client's diet and exercise identity, which shows whether they are a 'carb reducer,' a 'fat trimmer,' or a 'better balancer,'" she explained. "With this information, we can then personalize the client's weight loss and exercise program based on their genetic profile to set them up for the greatest possible success with their unique plan."
For many clients, the genetic fat test has been a critical first step to achieving their transformation goals and a vital part of their weight-loss success stories. Tampa resident Karen M. recently retired from the Air Force and sought to lose the weight that had crept up on her during her time in the service. After following a weight loss plan customized for her genotype, she lost more than 25 pounds in five months. "[The program] provided me with the knowledge, means, and motivation to lose [the weight] and return me to the size 6 I was 20 years ago," she stated. "Becoming healthier literally every day is phenomenal and incredibly motivating."
Existing and new clients may register for the weight management genetic test at any of the BalanceDiet Centers nationwide or via BalanceDiet At Home (1-800-WEIGHT-LOSS). The test costs $179 and consists of a simple, painless cheek swab sample. The price also includes a follow-up consultation with a BalanceDiet lifestyle expert.
View the Bay News 9 BalanceDiet "Fighting Fat" video for more details. Learn about BalanceDiet - including locations, services, products, and BalanceDiet franchise opportunities - at http://www.GoBalanceDiet.com.
About BalanceDiet | elements fitness
BalanceDiet is part of the elements family of healthy lifestyle brands, including award-winning fitness, weight-loss, media, and product companies. Founded by wellness visionary Christopher Palumbo, BalanceDiet holds a unique place in the women's diet and fitness market with exclusive genetic-testing technology, patents on proprietary weight-loss products and supplements, a stylish, upscale wellness experience, and an array of online tools and services. Before launching elements and BalanceDiet, Palumbo earned recognition for his work with World Gym, where he created a concept store that now serves as the model for the company's fitness centers worldwide. Today, BalanceDiet is a popular and fast-growing wellness brand with more than 30 locations throughout the United States in addition to the BalanceDiet At Home service offered direct to consumers. The company is expanding internationally and expects to have 40 ground-based operations by year-end, with additional franchise opportunities available. For more information on BalanceDiet, please visit http://www.GoBalanceDiet.com.
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
May 15, 2012
Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com
You are what you eat. This is a well known phrase that has been mentioned many times in discussions related to health and nutrition. A new report discusses how the combinations of what you eat can affect your consumption, and also how the diet choices you made as a child could affect the diet choices you make as an adult.
Two researchers, T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon (UO) and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University (MSU), recently found that water could change the way that people eat. Their research findings were published recently in the journal Appetite. Appetite is an international research journal that focuses on the cultural, sensory, and physiological influences on diet choices as well as the consumption of particular foods and drinks.
The article by Cornwell and McAlister discussed separate studies. In one study, 60 young adults from the U.S., who were between the ages of 19 and 23, were surveyed on their pairings of food and beverages. The other experiment revolved around 75 U.S children, who were between the ages of three and five, and their consumption of certain beverages and vegetables. These preschoolers were examined on different days with different situations involving drinks served with vegetables.
The scientists found that older participants liked consuming salty foods and soda together instead of having soda with vegetables. Preschoolers tended to eat more raw vegetables, like carrots or red peppers, when these foods were served with water rather than a sugary drink. The findings in the report showed that people are influenced by diet choices that they make when theyre younger. They also tend to eat out of habit more than anything else.
Our taste preferences are heavily influenced by repeated exposure to particular foods and drinks, explained Cornwell, the Edwin E. & June Woldt Cone Professor of Marketing in the Lundquist College of Business at UO, in a prepared statement. This begins early through exposure to meals served at home and by meal combinations offered by many restaurants. Our simple recommendation is to serve water with all meals. Restaurants easily could use water as their default drink in kids meal combos and charge extra for other drink alternatives.
With these studies, McAlister believes that serving water with meals could help change dietary choices and could become helpful in combating the nations obesity epidemic. In the past years, there has been a rise in the number of young adults who have diabetes and also a general increase in the cost of health care. Furthermore, Cornwell stated that drinking water during meals could reduce dehydration, addressing the issue of dehydration that has been seen in 75 percent of adults in the U.S. She believes that, at a young age, children relate sweet, high-calorie drinks like sodas to fatty, high-calorie foods like French fries.
While this combining seems as normal as rainfall in Northwest winters, when we look cross-culturally we can see that food-and-drink combinations are developed preferences, continued Cornwell in the statement. If the drink on the table sets the odds against both adults and children eating their vegetables, then perhaps it is time to change that drink, and replace it with water.
The report findings show how diet choices made early on could impact a persons nutrition choices later on.
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Diet Choices Influenced By Food Combinations And Past History
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
LOS ANGELES, May 15 (UPI) -- A diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain and hampers memory and learning, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, said.
Fernando Gomez-Pinilla of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said high-fructose corn syrup -- an inexpensive liquid six times sweeter than cane sugar -- is commonly added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments and baby food.
Gomez-Pinilla and study co-author Rahul Agrawal, a UCLA visiting postdoctoral fellow from India, studied two groups of rats that each consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks. The second group also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which protects against damage to the synapses -- the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning.
The animals were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twice daily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The scientists placed visual landmarks in the maze to help the rats learn and remember the way.
Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats' ability to recall the route and escape the maze.
"The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids," Gomez-Pinilla said. "The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
The findings were published in the Journal of Physiology.
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
By Joe Palazzolo
A battle of the anti-bulge is underway in Texas, where U.K. weight loss company Slimming World is suing rival Weight Watchers to protect itsmarketingclaims that its diet is better.
Slimming World, which has been around from more than 40 years, bills itself as the U.K.s top weight loss organization and its largest. The company first entered the U.S. in 2010, marketing itselfasan easier-to-follow, more scientifically advancedservice than New York-based Weight Watchers.
Weight Watchers sent an April 11 letter to Slimming World accusing the company of making false representations about its services and threatening to sue if it didnt retract them, according toSlimming World, which responded to the threat by filing a lawsuitFriday in federal district court in Sherman, Texas. (Slimming Worlds U.S. unit is based in nearbyLewisville.)
The lawsuit seeks to block legal action by Weight Watchers by having a federal judge declare its marketing statements true.
Rather than requiring members to count points or calories, Slimming World allows members to eat all they want of certain categories of healthy foods. The diet steers members tofoods low in energy density, which provide fewer calories per gram than foods with higher energy density, meaning you can eat a larger portion for the same amount of calories.The complaint describes Weight Watcherss point-controlled dieting as old fashioned.
A spokeswoman for Slimming World declined to comment, saying the company would let the complaint speak for itself. Weight Watchers didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Weight Watchers spokeswoman said that lawsuit waswithout merit and that the company intends to vigorously contest it.
Slimming World Complaint
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Weight-Loss Company Runs to Court over Marketing Claims
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:11 am
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire -05/16/12)- Thanks to two recent studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers and surgeons have established a tangible link between bariatric surgery and the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Doctors with the Bluepoint Surgical Group, a team of bariatric surgeons in Northern, VA and Washington, DC, say the new findings suggest weight loss procedures are the most effective therapies for type 2 diabetes in obese and morbidly obese patients and should be considered sooner and more often by patients battling with the disease. The Bluepoint Surgical Group says it is encouraged by the results of these trials and hopes they help patients find the most successful treatments for type 2 diabetes on their return to a healthier life.
As the first head-to-head studies to compare bariatric surgery versus medical therapy, The New England Journal of Medicine reports that bariatric surgery procedures such as gastric banding or gastric sleeve have proven to be superior to medical treatment such as pharmaceuticals in producing the remission of type 2 diabetes. One study, conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, shows within one year type 2 diabetes remission rates with bariatric surgery were 40%, compared to 12% for patients treated with the best pharmacotherapy available. A similar two-year study from the Catholic University of Rome, Italy and New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center experienced remission rates of about 85% for bariatric surgery (75% gastric bypass, 95% biliopancreatic diversion) and zero for medical therapy in patients with BMI greater than 35. Dr. Amir Moazzez and Dr. Denis Halmi of the Bluepoint Surgical Group say they have seen similar results from their patients who have undergone surgical treatment through weight loss surgery in Washington, DC.
Dr. Halmi and the rest of the Bluepoint Surgical Group say the implications of the two studies will have enormous effects on the future of diabetes treatment. While weight loss surgery procedures have always been known to produce significant results in life expectancy (89% improvement according to the latest study from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery), he says patients are also able to reduce the risk of more serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and now diabetes, a correlation he is eager to explore both at his practice and through further research.
"Research like this helps patients make informed decisions about bariatric surgery. The article here adds credence to the fact that the surgery does more for the patient than just aid in weight loss, if often times reduces other life-threatening conditions the patient may have," says Dr. Halmi.
Because of the gravity of the decision to undergo weight loss surgery, the Bluepoint Surgical Group strongly urges patients to consult with a board-certified and experienced bariatric surgeon before deciding on a procedure, whether it be a gastric bypass or revisional bariatric surgery. Dr. Halmi says through partnership with a dedicated and knowledgeable practice, patients can make a serious difference in their lives. Now equipped with further evidence pointing towards the benefits of bariatric procedures, he adds that he is excited about the future of weight loss surgery and hopes to continue pursuing the highest quality care for his patients in eliminating both type 2 diabetes and obesity.
About Denis J. Halmi, MD, FACS
Dr. Denis Halmi completed his surgical residency at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. Board-certified in general surgery, he has completed over 1,500 gastric bypass surgeries and over 100 laparoscopic gastric bands. Dr. Halmi is the Medical Director of the Weight Loss Surgery Center at Potomac Hospital and a designated Center of Excellence Surgeon by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
About the Bluepoint Surgical Group
As a Designated Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons, the Bluepoint Surgical Group is comprised of a team of bariatric, general, and laparoscopic surgeons focusing on a range of procedures including colon/rectal surgery, weight loss procedures, and several plastic surgery options. Doctors with the practice have performed over 2000 weight loss operations and also offer long term weight management assistance programs through dietary education, nutritional counseling, and support groups.
The Bluepoint Surgical Group has three locations in the Washington, DC area: 3620 Joseph Siewick Drive Suite 200 in Fairfax, VA, reachable at (703) 620-3211; 2280 Opitz Blvd Suite 320 in Woodbridge, VA, reachable at (703) 878-7610; and 125 Hospital Center Blvd Suite 207 in Stafford, VA, reachable at (540) 318-6135. It can also be contacted online via the website bluepointgroup.com or the Bluepoint Surgical Group Facebook page.
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Washington, DC Weight Loss Surgeons Discuss New Link Between Obesity Surgery and Diabetes Treatment
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
Posted at: 05/15/2012 9:42 PM | Updated at: 05/15/2012 10:28 PM By: Heather Mills, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, or obese. As you know, that can lead to lots of health problems down the road.
While that should be enough to scare us into making better choices, sometimes it's just our vanity that convinces us to make changes.
With swimsuit season right around the corner, KOB Eyewitness News 4 set out to compare two very talked about diets to see what you're really getting.
We've all heard it before, calories in, calories out. "You didn't put it on overnight. You're not going to take it off overnight," said Weight Watchers meeting leader Carlyn Chiado.
In case you haven't heard this before, Natalie Furst, a dietitian with Lovelace Hospital says all those "fad" diets, like low-carb and fat-free, aren't sustainable long-term. It's simple, she says. "It's how much they're eating, not just what they're eating."
But, there are programs out there designed to enact lifestyle changes. So how do they stack up? We looked into Weight Watchers and the HCG Diet. Both programs tout lifestyle changes and both have been around about 50 years.
Weight Watchers is a points-based system. "Weight Watchers gives you so many choices and it's up to you to pick which choice works for you," said Chiado. She says the program also offers accountability with weekly meetings. "It teaches you to eat and live beyond these walls."
The goal is to lose about 1/2 pound to two pounds a week. The cost comes out to about $10 a week, depending on which program you choose.
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The latest craze in rapid weight loss
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
Talk about a weighty vote of confidence: The second season of ABC's summer series Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition doesn't launch until June 3, but ABC has already given the show a third-season pickup (15 two-hour episodes) to air in summer 2013.
The early order comes out of production necessity. Each episode chronicles one person's journey over an entire year, which means the show needed to start shooting Season 3 this spring to meet next year's airdate. "In my mind, this is a huge franchise that has been on the air for a while, but in reality, only eight episodes have aired so far," says executive producer JD Roth.
Roth is proud of Season 2 and says the strength of the stories convinced ABC to pick up Season 3. Motivational trainer Chris Powell is back as host, and Walmart has joined as a sponsor. In expanding the show to two hours, Roth says, "we can let the story breathe. There's much more storytelling now."
A handful of people featured in Season 2 have signed on to appear as weight-loss "ambassadors" next year, including Tony, a man who ballooned to 400 pounds while working in a fast-food restaurant and who disappeared for a time during taping because he became homeless. "He was worried that we'd kick him off the show if we knew," Roth says.
Another participant who's back as an adviser on Season 3 is Jacqui, who came to the show at 360 pounds. Roth, a veteran of The Biggest Loser, says, "She's the greatest transformation I've ever seen for any show I've done." That's totally Extreme.
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Exclusive: ABC Orders Third Season of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition
Posted: May 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
Youve heard it before. Eat right, exercise, and BAM! Youre healthy. Right?
Not so fast.
According to a 2003 Baylor University study, more than 90 percent of Americans will be overweight by 2032 if we continue with our current trend.
The truth is far more complicated. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is difficult because we live in a society centered on food often fast food and high fructose corn syrup, to name a few culprits.
That makes staying at an ideal weight a not so easy task.
Instead, here are a few tools you may not have read on those headlines in the magazines at the grocery store checkout aisle. These tools helped the author drop more 80 pounds in six months, so stick them in your tool belt and try them out.
1. Choose your words mindfully
When you lose something, what do you want to do?
Thats right. You want to find it.
Loss connotes regret. We lose our keys, our car in the parking lot and our cell phones in the unlikeliest of spots. When getting rid of extra weight, think about shedding, releasing or dismissing the pounds.
Original post:
Weight-loss tips not often brought up
Posted: May 13, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Public release date: 11-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Fredrik Nystrm fredrik.nystrom@lio.se 46-736-569-303 Linkping University
People with Type 2 diabetes are usually advised to keep a low-fat diet. Now, a study at Linkping University shows that food with a lot of fat and few carbohydrates could have a better effect on blood sugar levels and blood lipids.
The results of a two-year dietary study led by Hans Guldbrand, general practitioner, and Fredrik Nystrm, professor of Internal Medicine, are being published in the prestigious journal Diabetologia. 61 patients were included in the study of Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes. They were randomized into two groups, where they followed either a low-carbohydrate (high fat) diet or a low-fat diet.
In both groups, the participants lost approximately 4 kg on average. In addition, a clear improvement in the glycaemic control was seen in the low-carbohydrate group after six months. Their average blood sugar level dropped from 58.5 to 53.7 mmol/mol (the unit for average blood glucose). This means that the intensity of the treatment for diabetes could also be reduced, and the amounts of insulin were lowered by 30%.
Despite the increased fat intake with a larger portion of saturated fatty acids, their lipoproteins did not get worse. Quite the contrary the HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, content increased on the high fat diet.
No statistically certain improvements, either of the glycaemic controls or the lipoproteins, were seen in the low-fat group, despite the weight loss.
"You could ask yourself if it really is good to recommend a low-fat diet to patients with diabetes, if despite their weight loss they get neither better lipoproteins nor blood glucose levels," Nystrm says.
In the low-carbohydrate diet, 50% of the energy came from fat, 20% from carbohydrates, and 30% from protein. For the low-fat group the distribution was 30% from fat, 55-60% from carbohydrates, and 10-15% from protein, which corresponds to the diet recommended by the Swedish National Food Agency.
The participants were recruited from two primary health care centres and met for four group meetings during the first year of the study. All 61 participants remained in the study for the follow-up.
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High-fat diet lowered blood sugar and improved blood lipids in diabetics
