Special to The T&D The Times and Democrat | Posted: Friday, March 16, 2012 2:00 am |

S.C. States Brooks Health Centers annual Minority Community Health Summit on Saturday, March 24, will feature Dr. Ian Smith, a weight loss guru who is the host of his own nationally syndicated radio show, HealthWatch.

The theme of this years summit is: It takes a Village to Fight Health Disparities: Believe in a Healthy Blood Pressure. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of M. Maceo Nance Jr. Hall on the university campus. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

According to http://www.cdc.govhttp://www.cdc.gov>, the top 10 health disparities that affect minorities are: heart disease; cancer; stroke; diabetes; unintentional injury; homicide; chronic lower respiratory disease; HIV/AIDS); nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney; and septicemia, a multiplication of the bacteria in the bloodstream producing a powerful toxin.

The summit will address some of those health challenges and examine current efforts to improve access to quality health care in the Orangeburg area.

Pinkey Carter, director of the Brooks Health Center, said the mission of the summit is to educate our students and the local community so that we can fight health disparities among our campus community.

Throughout the Minority Community Health Summit, an array of health disparity workshops will take place, such as: Diabetes: Its More than Sugar, Lets Get Moving, Lips, Hips and Fingertips: You are what you eat, Basic HIV 101: Understanding and protecting yourself and Believe in a Healthy Blood Pressure.

Smith will be the speaker for the summit. He has served as the medical/diet expert for six seasons on VH1s highly-rated Celebrity Fit Club, the creator and founder of the 50 Million Pound Challenge and the Makeover Mile, and as medical contributor on the nationally syndicated television show, Rachael Ray. Smith is also the host of HealthWatch on American Urban Radio Networks. He is the former medical correspondent for NBC News and for News Channel 4 where he filed reports for NBCs Nightly News and the Today show as well as WNBCs news broadcasts. Smith has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, The Tyra Banks Show, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360 and Showbiz Tonight.

He was recently appointed by President Obama to the Presidents Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. He has also written for various publications, including Time, Newsweek, Mens Health and the New York Daily News, and has been featured in publications including People, Essence, Ebony, University of Chicago Medicine on the Midway, Cosmopolitan and Black Enterprise.

Smiths work has been honored by several organizations, such as the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, for his coverage on the momentous events on Sept. 11, 2001. He is very active in charitable causes, currently a national advisory board member for The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. He has also served on the boards of the American Council on Exercise, the New York Mission Society, the Prevent Cancer Foundation and the New York Council for the Humanities.

Read more:
Weight loss guru to speak at SCSU March 24

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

RETROFIT LLC (retrofitme.com) the data-driven weight loss program for data-driven people announced today that the company completed a $2 million financing round led by I2A Fund, New World Ventures, and FireStarter Fund, in addition to the $700,000 previously raised in late 2011. A number of prominent business leaders committed to defeating the nations obesity epidemic also participated in the financing.

Although the obesity epidemic has reached crisis proportions in the United States, there has been almost no disruptive thinking in the weight loss industry. RETROFITs data-driven nutrition, fitness, and counseling program promises to change that. The approach is intensive without being invasive and the results are promising. Over 90% of all clients report positive weight-loss results, with an average of 1.1 pounds lost per week, said Stuart Larkins, Managing Director, I2A Fund. We see great potential in RETROFITs revolutionary model.

The capital infusion will be used in RETROFITs ongoing efforts to ensure that our customers realize long-term weight loss success, said CEO Jeff Hyman. Our mission is to free the healthy person within all of us. We achieve this through a blend of sustainable behavior change, data analysis, and personalized support.

Our program marries advanced internet technology with direct one-on-one counseling by a team of nutrition, fitness, and behavior professionals, Hyman said. It is an optimal solution for busy people whose schedules and responsibilities have made achieving healthy weight levels so challenging. We are committed to turning the tide on the obesity epidemic.

During the 12-month program, RETROFIT clients follow a personalized nutrition and fitness plan; attend weekly Skype video meetings with a private team of registered dieticians, behavior coaches, exercise physiologists; and use advanced wireless devices to track weight, body composition, physical activity, and sleep patterns from home.

Clients receive ongoing communication and reinforcement from their personal professional advisors that helps new habits stick. Its a very different approach and our clients love it, Tucker Toft-Dupuy, one of Retrofits 40 Wellness Experts, shares. Our Wellness Experts love it too. I get the high impact expert interaction of my peers and we work together to change peoples lives for good. Nothing could be more exciting.

Retrofit markets its innovative service directly to consumers, through employers, and physicians.

The investment group includes:

Lon Chow, General Partner, Apex Venture Partners Brian Jacobs, General Partner, Emergence Capital Partners Renee LaBran, Partner, Rustic Canyon Fontis Partners Matt Ocko - Partner, Three Kingdoms Capital Partners Shaun Abrahamson - Partner, EigenValue Fund Matt Dickinson - Partner, Growth Angels Larry Levy, Chairman, Levy Restaurants Dan Malven, Chairman, Analyte Health Sridhar Murthy - CEO, Analyte Health Jai Shekhawat, CEO, Fieldglass Ancelmo Lopes, CEO, Ameritox James Roberts, CEO, Chamberlain Group Jerry Acuff - CEO, DeltaPoint Jeff Hughes - CEO, BizLab Tom Peterson - CEO, Social Leverage Brian Spaly - CEO, Trunk Club Howard Lindzon - CEO, StockTwits Dan Clifford - CEO, AnswerLab Matt Gray, President, G Bar David Rosenblatt, Vice Chairman, Arava Power Bob Brinker - Publisher, Brinker Advisory Services

Read more:
RETROFIT Raises $2.7 Million From Three Leading Chicago Venture Funds and Angels

THURSDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- An electronic diary program helped improve overweight and obese adults' adherence to a weight-loss regimen, according to a new study.

The study included 210 overweight or obese adults who were asked to keep track of aspects of weight-loss treatment such as attendance at group sessions and energy and exercise goals.

The participants kept track using either a paper diary, a personal digital assistant (PDA) without feedback, or a PDA with a program that provided personalized dietary and exercise feedback messages.

The participants who received the feedback messages (one per day on diet and one every other day on exercise) were more successful in attending group sessions, meeting daily calorie goals, meeting daily fat-intake goals, reaching weekly exercise goals and monitoring their eating and exercise.

After six months, people in the group that received feedback messages saw weight loss of more than 5 percent. After 24 months, however, weight loss was similar in all three groups, according to the study, which is scheduled to be presented Thursday at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in San Diego.

"The results suggest that using an electronic diary improves treatment adherence," study author Lora Burke, a professor of nursing and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, said in an AHA news release.

"Over time, participants' adherence declined, particularly in the later phase as contact frequency declined and subsequently ended," she said. "Adherence in the paper-diary group declined more than in the device groups."

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about weight loss.

Here is the original post:
Electronic Diary Helped Obese Adults Stick to Weight-Loss Plan

01-10-2011 11:37 Click Here: FatLossPresentation.itared.com how to lose body fat, better body, body fat, exercises to get a better body quickly, lose body fat, weight loss diet, lose weight diet, fad diets, Weight loss, diet, diet plan, free weight loss, quick weight loss, Carbs, carbohydrates, calories,...

More here:
Weight Loss Transformation - Before

01-10-2011 11:39 Click Here: FatLossPresentation.itared.com Weight Loss, fat loss, how to lose weight fast, how to lose body fat, better body, body fat, exercises to get a better body quickly, lose body fat, weight loss diet, lose weight diet, fad diets, Weight loss, diet, diet plan, free weight loss,...

See the original post:
Extreme weight loss: Weight Loss - fat loss - how to lose weight fast and easy - Video

01-10-2011 11:42 Click Here: FatLossPresentation.itared.com how to lose weight fast, fat loss, weight loss, how to lose body fat, better body, body fat, fast weight loss, weight loss tips, lose weight fast, exercises to get a better body quickly, lose body fat, weight loss diet, lose weight diet, fad...

Original post:
Weight Loss - Body Transformation - how to lose weight fast - How to Lose 20 Pound and More - Video

Imagine your BFF discovering the fountain of youth and, like a true girlfriend, shes not keeping it to herself.

You have to bring it here! Rose Marie Delgado urged her daughter, Ines Prieto, over three years ago.

Delgado wasnt referring to some magic beauty serum but to a swimwear brand that claims to make you lose 10 pounds in 10 seconds (the amount of time it takes to put it on, Prieto explains), and which may well be the fountain of youth equivalent for many women.

Prieto runs the 12-year-old multi-brand boutique called Itsie-bitsie, and her mom, who loves the sun and water, was a longtime fan and user of Miraclesuit, the American swimwear line.

You dont have to wear a cover-up when youre wearing one, Delgado swears. Because it holds everything in, I dont get self-conscious. I just walk around in them.

Miraclesuit styles are shirred, draped or pleated strategically to conceal problem areas and enhance ones assets. After all, not everyone has a perpetually waif-like 18-year-old bod, and only a handful are brave enough to go under the knife to get one.

Apart from its slimming benefits, Prieto says, a Miraclesuit doesnt lose its shape even after many washes, perhaps owing to its unique fabric called Miratex, which has three times more spandex than most swimsuits.

My mom has had them for years20 years!and she still has them. Her mother nods in affirmation.

Exclusive distribution

THE 2012 COLLECTION of Miraclesuit offers a vast range of stylesfrom tankinis to two-piece, pin-up girl style.

See the rest here:
Weight-loss wonder: Beauty serum? No, a swimsuit

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese people who went through a weight-management program based at community health centers lost and kept off a couple more pounds than those who didn't do the program, in a new study.

They were also more likely to have their blood pressure under control up to two years out, researchers reported this week.

The participants were largely minorities and poor -- representing the Americans most affected by obesity and obesity-related health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, and some of the hardest to reach with prevention efforts.

In part because of those demographics, the new report is "encouraging," said Sara Bleich, an obesity researcher from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore who wasn't involved in the new study.

"Typically what happens (in weight-management programs) is there's a lot of initial weight loss, and people gain it back pretty quickly," she told Reuters Health.

"A real positive to (this study) is the fact that we are seeing sustained weight loss, even though it is modest. That sort of sustained weight loss has the potential to reverse or alleviate a whole host of health problems."

The trial was conducted at three Boston community health centers. Close to 400 adults who were obese and being treated for high blood pressure were randomly assigned to get their usual care -- including a healthy weight booklet -- or to go through a goal-setting weight management program.

In the program, participants set small objectives for behavior changes, such as limiting TV watching, walking a certain amount each day and not drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. They received regular calls from community health educators over the two-year study to discuss their goals and progress, and were able to get feedback on a website or through "robocalls."

People in the weight management group also saw their primary care doctors once to discuss weight-related behavior changes and were invited to optional monthly group support sessions at the community health center.

More than 80 percent of the participants were black or Hispanic and the majority didn't have more than a high school degree or household income above $25,000. They were in their mid-fifties, on average, and started the study with an average weight of 220 pounds.

Original post:
Program helps at-risk adults keep the weight off

March 15, 2012

A study published in the journal Obesity reveals that parents of obese children can lead by example in regards to a childs weight loss. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Minnesota conducted the research and found that when parents lost weight, their children were more likely to follow suit.

We looked at things such as parenting skills and styles, or changing the home food environment, and how they impacted a childs weight, said Kerri N. Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at UC San Diego and Rady Childrens Hospital-San Diego. The number one way in which parents can help an obese child lose weight? Lose weight themselves. In this study, it was the most important predictor of child weight loss.

The statistics are somewhat shocking. According to recent data, 31 percent of United States children are overweight or obese. This percentage equates to nearly 4 to 5 million children. Doctors define obesity to be 20% over normal weight. This means if a childs normal weight is 100 pounds, then weighing 120 pounds would put them in the obese category.

Parents looking to encourage healthy eating habits are fighting an uphill battle. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention have conducted studies that show popular fast food restaurants are often located in close proximity to schools. Of the 1,292 schools and 613 fast food restaurants included in the study, 35% of the schools were within a five minute walk of a fast food restaurant. More than 80% of schools had at least one fast food restaurant within a ten minute walk.

In order to combat childhood obesity, doctors recommend treatment programs that include both the parent and the child in order to combine nutrition education with exercise and behavior therapy techniques.

Parents are the most significant people in a childs environment, serving as the first and most important teachers, said Boutelle They play a significant role in any weight-loss program for children, and this study confirms the importance of their example in establishing healthy eating and exercise behaviors for their kids.

While conducting research for this study, the doctors looked at eighty parent-child groups with an obese child between the ages of 8 to 12. These groups participated for 5 months in either parent-only or parent-plus-child treatment programs.

The researchers then focused on evaluating the effectiveness on three types of parenting skills taught during family-based behavioral treatment for childhood obesity and the subsequent impact on the childs weight. Parents either modeled behavior to promote their own weight loss, changed the food environment at home, or changed their parenting style and techniques, limiting when and what the child could eat and encouraging them to exercise and be active.

After looking at the data from these studies, the researchers found that the only consistent predictor of a childs weight loss was the parents weight loss and drop in BMI. This new research confirms previously published research.

Read the original post:
Parents Of Obese Children Encouraged To Begin With Their Own Weight Loss Journey

(PRWEB) March 16, 2012

As the American obesity epidemic appears to be growing exponentially the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 35.7% of adult Americans are obese it is becoming evident that not everything written about weight loss is true. Confusion surrounding misleading claims and false information has led many men and women to become discouraged and give up on their weight loss goals altogether. Upon the realization that there are many conflicting ideas about losing weight, Weight Loss Guide has set out to ascertain the truth about weight loss from the abundance of myths and exaggerations.

Top 5 Weight Loss Diet Myths

1. Fast Weight Loss is Possible with Starvation Diets

2. The Only Way to Lose Weight is with a Weight Loss Diet and Exercise

3. Everyone Should Eat About 2,000 Calories per Day

4. Salad is Always a Healthy Meal Option

5. Vegetarian Diets Always Promote Weight Loss

To view Weight Loss Guide's top picks, or to read through their vast catalogue of weight loss articles, please visit WeightLossGuide.com.

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.

The rest is here:
Weight Loss Guide Reveals Top 5 Weight Loss Diet Myths