Category Archives: Lose Weight Fast

New Zealand consumers face a long wait before they know if they can get a weight-loss pill which has been approved in the United States. It is the first to be given the legislative nod by US health regulators in 13 years.

Anti-obesity pill Belviq was designed to block appetite signals in the brain, making patients feel fuller with smaller amounts of food.

Manufacturer Arena Pharmaceutical is targeting adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, or those with a BMI of 27 who also have high blood pressure, type-two diabetes or high cholesterol.

BMI estimates how much body fat a person has by dividing weight by height squared. A healthy BMI score is between 18.5 and 26.

In the United States, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the safety of the drug in three trials lasting between 52 and 104 weeks. It involved more than 8000 overweight people.

Those who took Belviq for up to 12 months lost three to four percent more of their body weight than those who took a placebo. Possible side effects included migraines, depression and memory lapses.

Medsafe has not received an application for consent to distribute Belviq in New Zealand, Ministry of Health media advisor Anna Chalmers said.

Before a medicine is approved here an application must be lodged outlining its safety, quality and efficacy.

How long it took to be approved depended on how quickly the applicant addressed deficiencies or concerns raised, she said.

It would then have to be considered for funding by Pharmac, the government drug-buying agency.

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Anti-obesity pill won't hit NZ yet

By Dr. Emily Coatney-Smith, Contributing Writer Updated 7:41 AM Monday, July 2, 2012

Now that we have covered the rising concern for obesity in our pet population, we can explore weight loss in our pets.

Dogs

First, find an appropriate calorie food and then feed the correct amount. There is an unbelievable variety ofcompanies with just as many types of foods.And most brands do not give the exact calories or exact percentages for the protein, fat or fiber content. With a little investigating that information can be obtained directly from the company on its website. Once the right food is found, then the amount of food should be calculated based on the calories of the food and the weight of the dog. The dog should be fed for its ideal weight, not its current weight. Second, limit the treats and human food that are given throughout the day. Find lower- calorie treats and breakthem into smaller pieces.

Third, it is very hard to just rely on food management to control their weight.

Walking helps, but so does more strenuous exercise like playing fetch or playing with other dogs.

Cats

Weight control is much more difficult in cats because rarely can you get a cat to exercise,especially as it gets older. Some cats love to chase laser lights or feather toys, so those might work.

It also can be difficult when there are multiple cats in one house. Onecat may need to lose weight.Another cat may only need to maintain weight. And yet another cat may havetrouble gaining weight. So just leaving one food out for all the cats is a bad idea, as the cat that needs to lose weight will be the one eating the most.

Restrict calories, but also find the right type of food. Some cats do better with a high-protein, low-carbohydrate food, while others do better with a high-fiber diet.

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Helping pets slim down a weighty matter

After 13 suspenseful years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a pill that could help to fight the US obesity epidemic.

Belviq (lorcaserin) is no wonder drug, but it can help people to lose about 34% of their body weight when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. The drug has been approved for use by obese people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, and for a subset of overweight people (with a BMI of more than 27) who have health conditions such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

Its a start in the right direction, says Abraham Thomas, head of endocrinology at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, who chairs the FDAs Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. We dont have the tools to really treat obesity.

People with a high body mass index who lose weight reduce the risk of health problems such as diabetes or heart disease.

Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./Blend Images/Corbis

Developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals of San Diego, California, Belviq faced a high bar for safety. In 1997, the weight-loss drug fenfluramine was pulled from the market for causing heart-valve problems. In the past two years, the FDA has rejected a total ofthree obesity drugs because of concerns over safety or lack of efficacy. The FDA advisory committee recommended in March that all obesity drugs should go through tests for cardiovascular risks, which would extend already lengthy clinical trials.

The FDA had already rejected Arenas first application for approval of Belviq in September 2010 because the compound seemed to produce tumours in rats and because the company could not statistically rule out an increase in the risk of heart-valve problems. Similar to fenfluramine, Belviq suppresses food cravings by mimicking the effects of serotonin in the brain, making people eat less and feel full. However, Belviq seems to activate only the serotonin 2C receptor in the brain, not the serotonin 2B receptor that is present in heart muscle.

The FDAs turnaround this week came after Arena performed echocardiograms in nearly 8,000 people to measure heart-valve function, which revealed that there was no increase in heart-valve abnormalities among those taking the drug. The firm has agreed to run six post-marketing studies, including a long-term cardiovascular trial, and patients with congestive heart failure are advised not to take the drug.

I felt the benefits outweighed the risk, says Ida Johnson Spruill, the consumer representative on the FDA advisory committee and a diabetes specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. One-third of adults in the United States are obese, so regulators must balance the risks of a new weight-loss drug with the health consequences of obesity, including rising diabetes rates.

Compared to the placebo, Belviqs efficacy is about the same as that of orlistat, which was first approved in 1999 and blocks the uptake of fat calories. A 90-kilogram patient on Belviq loses, on average, an extra 3 kilograms (67 pounds) or so after a year. The good minimum weight loss would be in the 1015-pound range, notes endocrinologist Peter Savage of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, That doesnt mean that people who lose 58 pounds dont do well.

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Weight-loss drug wins US approval

(PRWEB) July 02, 2012

With summer moving into full swing, people everywhere are hoping to slim down in order to fit into the skin-bearing items of these hot months. As a weight loss authority, Weight Loss Guide has developed a list of the best ways to lose weight this summer.

Weight Loss Guide's 5 Best Ways to Lose Weight this Summer

1. Take advantage of the delicious fruits and vegetables of summer. Stroll around your local farmers' market for fresh options and a bit of exercise. Blueberries, squash, corn and greens all are at their peak during the summer months.

2. Enjoy the beautiful weather and get outside. There are a number of great ways to exercise that are not only fun, but also effective. Try jogging on the beach, playing soccer, going on a bike ride or even taking a morning outdoor yoga class.

3. Try out the hCG diet. This popular weight loss trend can help you lose weight fast and feel more comfortable in the swimsuits, tank tops and shorts of summer. When the diet guidelines are followed exactly, users report losing an average of 1-2 pounds per day without exercise.

4. Take before and after pictures in your swimsuit. When you can see how your hard work is paying off, it's easy to stay motivated and keep on track. Anytime you feel like cheating, this is a great way to show yourself how far youve come.

5. Reward your efforts with a weekend on the shore. Make a goal for yourself and treat yourself to a special trip once you reach your goal weight.

Editor's Notes: Weight Loss Guide rates and ranks diet pills and weight loss products to determine the top choices in a variety of categories. Weight Loss Guide was launched in 1998 and has since become an online weight loss and wellness authority.

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Weight Loss Guide Tips: Best Ways to Lose Weight this Summer

Poway, CA (PRWEB) June 30, 2012

Vishy Dadsetan, the owner of X5 Fitness Camp, a San Diego weight loss camp in Poway, CA shares five workout tips for brides to be.

According to Dadsetan, the following workout tips could help new brides to lose weight for their wedding day and keep it off long after the wedding.

Workout Tip for Brides #1 - Build Lean Muscle: Put the fear of getting bulky and muscle-bound aside and work on adding lean muscle. RMR (resting metabolic rate) indicates how much calories body burns while resting. Increase in lean muscles means higher resting metabolic rate and burning more stubborn fat 24/7. Strength training with focus on getting stronger is one of the best ways to add lean muscles.

Cool head tip - Allow an at least one-day rest between strength-training workouts.

Workout Tip for Brides #2- Get The Whole Body Involved: Think of the muscles in the body as a fat-burning army with many divisions. Some divisions are small and some large. The larger divisions destroy more fat and they do it quicker. Getting the whole army and all its divisions involved burns the most fat.

Whole body movements work best by getting glutes, thighs, lats and chest involved. Burpees are a great example of how to get glutes, thighs and chest involved.

Cool head tip Pay attention to pain and any joint limitations. Stiff ankles and wrist can destroy exercise form and cause injury. Also, many of my clients come to me with either knee, low back or shoulder injuries, which require individualized exercise modification.

Workout Tip for Brides #3- Mix In High Intensity Interval Training: Burning fat needs oxygen. The more oxygen gets inside the body the more fat the body burns. A high-intensity round increases bodys need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage. Body will continue asking for oxygen and burning fat after the high-intensity round ends. A high-intensity round cannot be sustained more than about a minute. Most people can sustain it for less than 30 seconds before they need rest. So a high intensity interval training includes an almost max effort for around 30 seconds followed by an active rest period of 30 to 90 seconds.

Cool head tip Build up aerobic capacity, strong ligaments, tendons and muscles to be able to handle high intensity interval training. Injury is bad enough, but before wedding, an injury could be close to a disaster.

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San Diego Weight Loss Trainer Reveals Top 5 Workout Tips for Brides to Be

By Joy Bauer, TODAY nutrition expert

Cutting-edge research from Boston Childrens Hospital suggests that the type of diet you eat may affect your metabolism, a finding that has important implications for weight maintenance. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week, the study looked at three popular diets (low-carb, low-glycemic, and low-fat) to see which combination of fat, carbs, and protein was the best for people trying to maintain a previous weight loss.

Kent Gilbert / AP file

Low-glycemic carbs like beans, lentils, and non-starchy vegetables take a long time for the body to absorb and appear to be more effective at satisfying hunger.

Because decreases in metabolism can contribute to weight regain, the researchers aimed to see which eating plan worked best with the bodys internal mechanisms to rev up dieters calorie burn and help them keep the weight off.

The low-glycemic diet emerged as the top-performing plan, giving people a significant metabolic boost without causing undesirable side effects. Participants burned approximately 125 more calories per day while following the low-glycemic plan compared to when eating a low-fat diet. While the low-carb diet had an even better effect on metabolism than the low-glycemic plan, the low-carb diet also produced the highest levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) and CRP (a marker of inflammation). These factors may raise the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

The low-glycemic diet offered a happy medium. It helped stabilize blood sugar and metabolism, and also had a beneficial impact on inflammation, stress hormones, and other heart-health markers.

Which type of diet do you think works best for you?

186757

Low-fat

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Low-fat, low-carb, or low-glycemic? Study shows which is best to keep weight off

by Wendy Rigby / KENS 5

kens5.com

Posted on June 29, 2012 at 4:05 PM

SANANTONIO -- Doctors have a new warning for people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery. The popular weight loss procedure can put you at greater risk of becoming an alcoholic.

Weight loss surgery is an incredibly helpful medical tool for obese patients. By surgically shrinking the stomachs size and limiting calorie intake, people are able to lose large amounts of weight and get healthy.

But a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed people who have the most common type of obesity surgery - gastric bypass - have double the risk of excessive drinking than those who had less drastic weight loss surgeries. The surgery can change the way the body metabolizes and digests alcohol.

In that difference in absorption, alcohol itself is actually absorbed a little bit more quickly and more readily, said UT Medicine bariatric surgeon Dr. Richard Peterson.

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Gastric bypass tied to increased risk of alcoholism

Jessica Simpson has denied claims that Weight Watchers is pressuring her to lose her baby weight quickly.

Simpson, who welcomed her first child on May 1, reportedly signed a multi-million dollar deal with Weight Watchers to be the weight loss program's newest spokesmodel. She has been spotted several times over the past month working out with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, but denies that she is being pushed to drop the pounds.

The new mom Tweeted on June 27, "Just so everyone knows...Weight Watchers hasn't put ANY pressure on me! I'm trying to be as healthy as I can be for myself and I feel great!"

Simpson announced on May 30 that she would be the newest spokes model for the Weight Watchers weight loss program. She Tweeted, "So excited to be a part of the @WeightWatchers family!"

The 31-year-old singer and her fiance Eric Johnson welcomed their daughter Maxwell Drew on May 1 and she told the magazine that "life has completely changed."

She posted a busty photo of herself walking with Maxwell in a stroller on Twitter on June 22.

Simpson was rudely mocked for putting on too much weight during her pregnancy and in April, slammed tabloid reports that said she had already welcomed her child.

(Copyright 2012 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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Jessica Simpson denies pressure from Weight Watchers

There seems to be no end to the variety of diets for losing weight. The Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet are just a few of the weight loss strategies that have gained popularity in recent years. Despite all that variety, all diets come back to one core principle. Theres no getting around it: To lose weight , youve got to eat less, said Dr George Blackburn of Harvard Medical School in his book Break Through Your Set Point (HarperCollins, 2007.) All weight loss programmes limit calories one way or another. Calories, the basic units of energy, are at the heart of weight loss.

Weight gain happens when you take in more than you expend, and weight loss happens when you use more than you consume. How much weight a person gains or loses also has a lot to do with the individuals metabolismthe process by which the bodys cells convert the calories from food into energy for bodily functions such as breathing.

How your metabolism affects your weight

The bodys metabolism is responsible for the majority of calories a person uses. However, metabolism occurs at different rates from person to person. It tends to slow with age, due to the wearing down of cells in the body. As metabolism slows, people who continue to eat the same number of calories will gain weight because the energy is not used as quickly. As many people age, their amount of physical activity also tends to decrease, and weight gain becomes even more likely.

By dieting, people limit the calories they take in and can avoid that weight gain. Many diets focus on eliminating one group of foods entirely. The Atkins diet, for example, severely limits carbohydrates. Other diets focus on limiting fats. Fat contains about twice as many calories as an equal amount of carbohydrates or proteins. But the evidence suggests people need to consider limiting both fats and carbohydrates to lose weight. Forcing scientists or the public into the jurors box to decide whether fat or carbohydrate contributes more to obesity is like debating whether tornadoes are worse than hurricanes, said Kelly Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen, of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, in their book Food Fight (McGraw-Hill, 2004.) People consume too many calories, which is the key to the obesity problem.

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By: Matthew Perrone | Associated Press, NBC-17 Published: June 27, 2012 Updated: June 27, 2012 - 4:36 PM

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical's anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weightloss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade.

Despite only achieving modest weightloss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA's endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments.

The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.

The FDA denied approval for Arena's drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans.

Dr. Ronald Sha, medical director at Duke Diet and Fitness Center, said the FDA sets the bar high, which should hopefully mean the drug is safe.

The FDA realizes that as soon as theres a weight loss medicine approved, two-thirds of American adults are going to want to take it and the FDA realizes that if only a tiny fraction of a percentage of people have side effects, thats thousands of people who have side effects," he said

Still, he's not ready to prescribe it. He wants to wait a few months after it's on the market before allowing his patients to take it.

"There have been a large number of weight loss medicines approved in this country that have subsequently been taken off the market after theyve been found to have unpleasant side effects, so I think itd be wise to just wait and see if its completely safe," he said.

"The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition," said FDA's drug center director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement.

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Dr. Ronald Sha comments: FDA clears first new weight-loss pill in 13 years