Tune In: Kirstie Alley on The Oprah Show
Tune in this Thursday, February 25 to The Oprah Show when Kirstie Alley pulls up a seat next to Oprah to discuss her new television reality series, Kirstie Alley’s Big Life.
Last year, Kirstie discussed her 75-pound weight regain on Oprah and also hinted at her new weight loss product company, which was still in the works.
Today, the former Jenny Craig spokesperson is back, a bit slimmer and much more motivated as she once again carries the very public torch for women all around the country who have cycled through the weight loss and weight gain battle numerous times.
Oprah’s cameras give you a sneak peak inside Kirstie’s Big Life series, which will premiere on March 21 on A&E.
Check your local listings for exact show times.
Also read:
- Call 1-800 Kirstie
- Kirstie Alley Discusses Her Weight Gain on Oprah
- Kirstie Alley to Star in a New Weight Loss Show
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Ruby Recap Season 3 Episode 2: The Search for Her Missing Childhood
I must confess that until this week’s episode, I have only seen Ruby sporadically, and usually only parts of each episode that I stumbled upon. My first impression was that she was so sweet. She has the stereotypical Southern charm, and such a sweet disposition that you can’t help root for her.
Ruby’s show is a 180 from The Biggest Loser, in that it doesn’t share the same combative nature or personalities that are antagonistic. It’s not a competition, rather a sort of open diary as you watch Ruby go through daily struggles and triumphs.
The early drama in season three of Ruby is her struggle with repressed childhood memories – her entire first 13 years. This episode, she and her friends took a road trip to her childhood home in Mississippi. The interesting twist is that she is facing her demons in more ways than one. Not only is she investigating her mysterious childhood, but Mississippi is also the heaviest state in the country, and in Ruby’s case, filled with dietary landmines.
“Happiness is eating,” says Ruby about her fellow Southerners’ view of life. And that’s the challenge she faced in her travels. She faced enablers and other obese people, one after another. The owner of an all-you-can-eat buffet said that her restaurant has healthy food… and you don’t know whether she believed it, was purposely deceptive, or just being coy. Another lady espoused the healthy antioxidants in chocolate while dangling a milk chocolate dessert of some sort under Ruby’s nose.
Then there was a friend of a friend who was 500 pounds. And it’s nothing short of jaw-dropping when you hear the level of denial he is in. He starts his conversation with Ruby saying that he doesn’t eat too much food, just the wrong food. Then he proceeds to say that on any given day he eats 6-7 eggs and a pack of bacon… for breakfast.
The show culminated with Ruby hiring a private investigator to search for the mysterious Dr. Duke, someone she trusted as a child. Her PI turned up well over 200 potential candidates. Whether or not the doctor holds any clues to Ruby’s mysterious childhood, we’ll have to wait for future episodes.
Learn more about Ruby here on DietsInReview.com, including more about her OurLife Health diet and videos from previous seasons.
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
Ruby Recap Season 3 Episode 2: The Search for Her Missing Childhood
Trump New York Debuts Kids Fitness Programs
I rarely travel with my children, but when I do, I’m often left looking for something for them to “do,” an activity to allow them to get moving and be active, a way to enjoy some exercise and fitness and avoiding sitting in the room watching cruddy television. When I travel, I always find the gym and take advantage of all the activities, so why shouldn’t my kids have the same options?
If I was lucky enough to be able to stay at Trump Towers New York, I think I’d be one of the first to take advantage of their newest exercise program geared toward kids ages six and up. After all, getting kids moving should be a primary focus for all of us, for creating good habits that will last a life time.
From the press release: “We are pleased to debut our new kids’ fitness curriculum at a time when the health of this country’s children has moved to the forefront with First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move‘ campaign,” commented Trump International Hotel & Tower New York’s own First Lady, General Manager Suzie Mills. “We deliver Five-Star service to every guest, no matter his or her age, and these additions provide an invigorating and enriching dimension to the existing Trump Kids program.”
The four programs range from swimming to boxing, Wii sports to weight training. Now, I don’t expect that one or even a handful of visits will be enough to start a child on the road to a lifetime exercise – but as a part of a daily routine, I think that the hotel chain deserves props for moving in the right direction. Ideally, I’d love to see every hotel, every school, every club, every location that kids can be found at doing everything that they can to help America’s children develop healthy habits.
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
DASH Your Way to a Healthier Heart
February is American Heart Month. It’s a time to bring awareness to heart disease and stroke, the number one killer in the United States, so you and the people you love don’t become a statistic.
Many people are not aware of the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), recommended by the National Institutes of Health.
In recent DASH studies, adding fruits, vegetables and dairy products lowered blood pressure readings – even when the sodium was as high as 3000 mg per day! Every millimeter the blood pressure falls reduces the risk of heart attack and strokes for people with high blood pressure. So believe it, small changes will get you big results. Your everyday decisions matter.
The DASH “diet” is based on an eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and low-fat or non-fat dairy. The eating plan follows heart healthy guidelines to limit saturated fat and cholesterol. It focuses on increasing intake of foods rich in nutrients that are expected to lower blood pressure, mainly minerals (like potassium, calcium, and magnesium), protein, and fiber.
The DASH Nutrition Numbers
- Total fat 27% of calories
- Saturated fat 6% of calories
- Protein 18% of calories
- Carbohydrate 55% of calories
- Sodium 1500-2,300 mg
- Potassium 4,700 mg
- Calcium 1,250 mg
- Magnesium 500 mg
- Cholesterol 150 mg
- Fiber 30 g
Before you get out your calculators or press the panic button, follow these simple tips to get started:
- Record what you eat on paper or use an online program
- Make half your plate veggies with lunch and dinner
- Eat a piece of fruit with breakfast and lunch
- Eat a variety of foods, animal- and vegetable-based proteins
- Don’t eat between meals, unless you feel hungry; Try to go for a high-protein, low-fat foods like low-fat cottage cheese with red pepper strips
- Cut way back on eating meals you didn’t make unless you know the sodium content
- Limit full-fat cheese and fatty meats (sources of saturated fat)
If you want some more help, a dietitian can evaluate your eating habits and make recommendations in line with DASH. You should also search the Internet for DASH-friendly recipes.
The DASH eating plan has been proven to lower blood pressure in just two weeks. Best response came in people whose blood pressure was only moderately high, including those with pre-hypertension. For people with more severe hypertension, who may not be able to eliminate medication, the DASH diet can help improve response to medication.
If you know someone who would benefit from this information on preventing heart disease, please share it. This article is part of a series on simple things everyone can do to keep their heart healthy and strong.
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
Tune In: Change Your Brain Change Your Body on the Rachael Ray Show
Tune in this Monday, February 22 to the Rachael Ray Show to find if those extra pounds you’ve been carrying around have nothing to do with will power, but rather with how your brain operates?
One overweight viewer is letting Rachael Ray’s doctor scan her brain and the results may surprise you.
Dr. Daniel Amen’s Change Your Brain, Change Your Weight is an online questionnaire to help predict the areas of strengths and vulnerabilities of the brain that can strengthen or weaken your ability to lose weight. Change Your Brain, Change Your Weight is a great start to helping you evaluate the health and well-being of your brain and body.
Plus, former Olympian Summer Sanders reports from British Columbia with an exclusive look at how the world’s top athletes eat at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Check your local listings for exact show times.
Also Read:
Change Your Brain, Change Your BodyObesity Leads to Fewer Brain CellsHealthy Brains Come from Healthy FoodObesity May All Be in the Head
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
Tune In: Change Your Brain Change Your Body on the Rachael Ray Show
The Perfect 10 Diet and Dr. Michael Aziz on The Doctors
One of the newest and most buzzed about new weight loss books released this year is The Perfect 10 Diet by Dr. Michael Aziz. In the book Aziz suggests he can help readers lose 14 pounds in just 21 days by following his weight loss plan that focuses less on the haves and haves nots of dieting and more on stabilizing 10 key hormone levels.
You can see Dr. Aziz today on The Doctors, where he’s discussing The Perfect 10 Diet and how you can implement this into your own life to balance hormones and get your weight under control.
Some of the pros and cons of The Perfect 10 Diet include:
PRO
Promotes the eating of real food- Debunks popular diet myths and fad diets
- If followed correctly, weight loss and improved health can follow
- Focuses on a clean-eating meal plan that includes fresh and natural foods in their pure form
- Outlines a lifetime plan for eating
- Includes recipes
- Promotes exercise
CON
- Strict vegetarians may have a hard time following the diet
- Similar to other low-carb diets
You can learn more in our full review of The Perfect 10 Diet.
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
The Safety and Dangers of HCG Diet Clinics
hCG therapy is a highly controversial practice for those who want to lose weight. While many have found success with shedding pounds by receiving hCG injections, the FDA has only authorized their use for infertility and reproductive issues.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that supports the normal development of an egg in a woman’s ovary, during ovulation. When hCG is injected into the body, it literally tricks the body into thinking it’s pregnant, thereby mobilizing certain hormones and fat stores, using glycogen, fat, and protein in the process for fuel.
But the FDA has not approved the use of hCG for weight loss treatment, obesity therapy or determined that the use of hCG contributes to an individual’s loss of body fat.
The FDA, in combination with the National Institute of Health and the manufacturers of hCG, have gone on the record stating that “hCG has no known affect on fat mobilization, reducing appetite or sense of hunger, or body fat distribution,” and also put forth that “hCG has not been demonstrated to be an effective adjunct therapy in the treatment of obesity and does not increase fat losses beyond that resulting from caloric restriction.”
Aside from those warnings, hCG clinics are popping up all over the country. Many of them are run by medical doctors, while a number of them are run by a non-medical staff.
Since DietsInReview.com recognizes that it is your choice to select a weight loss plan that matches your goals and lifestyle, it is our mission to provide you with objective information so that you can be make the safest and healthiest decision for your health. Here is what we found regarding the availability, protocol and access to hCG.
hCG can take the form of a cream, which is self-administered, and it is also available in an injection form. Since hCG is a prescribed drug, it should only be administered by a medical doctor; if it’s not or if you’re getting it from some other non-medical source, such as an online source, you might be risking your health.
When administered in a health clinic, typical beginning protocol is 26 days of 26 injections. Individuals must come in to the office or clinic daily to receive their injection. Most doctors who specialize in this will limit the number of the injections given at 40 years of age because the body appears to develop hCG immunity rendering them ineffective. Also, menstruating women should not receive any injections during their period, but the strict 500-calorie diet is still followed.
Just like with any product or service on the Internet, you can practically find and purchase anything. hCG kits, injections, and clinics are no different. Doing quick searches will yield a plethora of websites and clinics that claim to sell you or administer the hCG injections or the cream.
Like with any supplement or product, it is important to speak with your primary care medical doctor before beginning any new treatment plan.
Also Read:
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3 Ways to Find Weight Loss Motivation
Those who are very familiar with me and my work know that I have lots of cooking tips and tricks up my sleeve, along with some pretty unique recipes. They also know that I have a deep love for the decadent. Recently, I sent out a “Call for Questions” as part of my monthly newsletter (sign up for free at DevinAlexander.com if you haven’t already)—I wanted my readers to tell me what questions they wanted to me to answer and/or write about in upcoming newsletters and blogs. While I was open to any and all cooking questions, inquiries about my 55-pound weight loss and maintenance, and even questions about my personal tastes, etc., what I did not expect was to receive literally thousands of emails from people asking, “How do you stay motivated?”. I kid you not, though I’m most known for cooking, over 80% of the questions were about motivation.
Since motivation has been on my mind almost non-stop this week and so many people seek “answers,” it seems obvious that this should be the topic of this week’s blog.
I’ve found motivation in tons of places over the years. Being a busy person, like so many of you, I admit that it truly is easy to lose. And I know that motivation is a very personal thing. What motivates one person just might not motivate another. But there are definitely a few key actions that have helped me over the years. Here are the top three:
1. Bye Bye Boy Ts: Many years ago, I used to live in Boy Ts and men’s flannel or oxford shirts. It was my subconscious way of hiding my body. I didn’t like it so I just hid it. Then I resolved to forever get rid of all tees that weren’t made for a woman (replacements didn’t need to be tight, just have shape) and to stop wearing men’s clothing period (unless I was actually at my boyfriend’s wearing his—we all know that can be sexy). It forced me to resolve that I was going to take care of myself and be proud of how I presented myself to the world—that “reminder” of what I actually looked like helped me make better food choices that were a lot less harmful to my figure.
2. Create Buddy-Hood: Truth be told, I’m almost NEVER able to get myself to the gym by myself. When I have a bit of extra cash, I hire a trainer. When I don’t, I make workout “appointments” – whether it be selecting a class at a local gym that I actually put on my calendar or just “booking” a reliable friend, I know that I will keep the appointment when it’s with someone else. And, as extra motivation, it never hurts if your workout buddy is either a) a hot member of the opposite sex (why is it that great eye-candy makes workouts go so much faster?) or b) someone who inspires you in some way so you finish your workout mentally refreshed as well as physically.
3. Get a BodyBugg or other calorie-monitoring device. I find my BodyBugg to be insanely helpful in keeping me motivated. I can’t help but feel guilty about not burning enough calories in a day if I have an ever-present band around my arm reminding me that I strive to be my prettiest (most fit) self!
Hopefully, one of these tips will speak to you and get you moving. If number three appeals most, be sure to check back here because I’m soon going to be giving a BodyBugg away on DietsInReview.com. If one of these other tips helps, great. If not, be sure to start following my free monthly newsletter (I’m going to have a guest “Loser” (as in Biggest Loser contestant) or trainer sharing more motivation each month starting with March’s newsletter!)
Happy Cooking…and Moving!
Devin
Read more from Chef Devin:
Essential Kitchen Tools for Healthy Cooking
How to Stock a Healthy Kitchen
Recipe: Boneless Buffalo Strips
Chef Devin Alexander is the author of several healthy cookbooks, including The Most Decadent Diet Ever! and The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
Why Kristin Davis, Courtney Cox and Donna Karan Love the Tracy Anderson Method
Hollywood stars are gorgeous and fit and seemingly fabulous in every way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No matter how much we hate them for it, we’re still constantly curious about how exactly they go back getting “those arms” or “that butt.”
A few darlings of the Hollywood set have opened up about using star fitness trainer Tracy Anderson to whip them in to shape. Via Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP newsletter, a long-time follower of Anderson’s workout method, Kristin Davis, co-starring in May 28’s “Sex and the City 2,” Courtney Cox, of ABC’s “Cougar Town,” and fashion designer and philanthropist Donna Karan explain why the Tracy Anderson Method works for them.
The best news? With her DVD series, which the stars use too, you can work on your Hollywood body at home.
Courtney Cox says her fitness philosophy “is to be active in life and enjoy what I am doing. I have always loved exercise and feel that being active is important to maintain not only physical health but mental health as well.” She started using the Method when she saw the results friends were enjoying. Courtney says during each of her hour-and-a-half Method workouts she is challenged mentally and physically. Using the Method, Courtney says “I have seen amazing results that I never thought were possible. My butt has lifted, my arms are sculpted, and my skin is tight and actually clings to the muscle again.”
As for Kristin Davis, her fitness philosophy involves thinking healthy and seeking exercises that don’t bore her to death. Kristin became intrigued by Tracy when she saw “how strong she looked without being bulky,” and then learned that she shared a philosophy with Tracy that women shouldn’t use heavier weights than three pounds. “The thing that I am most impressed with about Tracy’s Method is that it really does elongate and tone muscle,” Kristin tells Goop, “I’ll notice that when I rest my hand on my leg, I feel a muscle in a place that used to be soft. And that amazes me.”
Fashionista and long-time yogi Donna Karan says her fitness philosophy “incorporates mind, body and soul.” She learned about Tracy Anderson through a friend, and found that she and Tracy “shared the same passions about women and their bodies;” with Donna trying to dress them beautifully and Tracy helping them re-sculpt their bodies. She enjoys using the Method for herself because she claims it’s never boring, she sees results and it keeps her mind and body engaged.
Also Read:
Gwyneth Paltrow’s New Year’s Butt by trainer Tracy Anderson
Post from: Diets in Review Blog
Why Kristin Davis, Courtney Cox and Donna Karan Love the Tracy Anderson Method
Marcia Cross Partners with Kaboom! to Promote Playgrounds
Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross, mom to three-year-old twins, has teamed up in conjunction with Mott’s to work with Kaboom.org, a charity that helps to encourage kids to spend more time outdoors. Kaboom!, whose vision is to have a playground within walking distance of every child in America, donates funds to help make this dream possible for communities.
Founded in 1995, the organization works with communities to create safe playgrounds, skate parks, ice rinks and even to renovate aging athletic fields. Community members create videos explaining the need for a playground and can be awarded up to $5,000 in funding. In addition, the Kaboom! website offers knowledge and experience to anyone interested through online toolkits, training and technical assistance.
Cross feels that this partnership is necessary for kids, and she’s urging moms everywhere to get their kids to a playground for a fun time. She feels lucky that her girls don’t need any encouragement, adding, “I just open up the gates and let (Eden and Savannah) go.”
Why not take a few minutes yourself and join your kids on the playground – weather permitting, of course! Monkey bars, swinging, sliding – all have benefits to kids of every age! Use Kaboom! to find a playspace near you!
Also Read:
Desperate Housewife has Healthy Body Image
NFL Fights Childhood Obesity with Fuel Up to Play 60
Burning Calories is Child’s Play
Post from: Diets in Review Blog