“This study suggests that when people are trying to lose weight, they should try to get the right amount of sleep and reduce their stress. Some people may just need to cut back on their schedules and get to bed earlier. Others may find that exercise can reduce stress and help them sleep. For some people, mind/body techniques such as meditation also might be helpful.”

– Charles Elder, MD, MPH, an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research [via ScienceDaily].

Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, getting plenty of sleep and doing what you can to reduce your stress level is an essential part of good health.

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A recent research study found that the combination of diet and exercise is most effective in reducing body weight, body fat and waist circumference. This study, recently published in Obesity, focused on sedentary women ages 50 to 75. Women were randomly assigned to four groups: exercise only, diet only, exercise and diet and no intervention.

“This study shows that you get the biggest bang for your buck by combining a healthy weight-loss diet — which in this case meant reducing calories by cutting fat intake and boosting the consumption of low-calorie foods — with regular, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.”

– Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., research study lead

This once again confirms that you should improve your eating habits AND participate in regular exercise to reach your weight goal and boost your health.

An interesting tidbit from this study: Women who achieved the most success kept a food journal and prepared more meals at home.

This shouldn’t be new to you, but if you want to make changes to your overall health (and weight), focus on eating healthy foods, stay within your body’s daily calorie needs and get plenty of exercise.

Source:

ScienceDaily: Diet Plus Exercise Is More Effective for Weight Loss Than Either Method Alone

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Bottom line: It doesn’t work and you shouldn’t waste your money. There are healthier ways to lose weight and get more fit.

Read more from USA Today.

Read my posts on HCG.

I can’t wait for all the spammers and pro-HCG crowd to leave comments.

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“We are presenting results of the first randomized controlled intervention trial demonstrating that increased water consumption is an effective weight loss strategy.”

“People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It’s a simple way to facilitate weight management.”

– Brenda Davy, senior author of this study.

I guess it turns out that water is good for you and can help you lose weight.

Read the full article from Science Daily.

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According to this CNN.com article, Drew Carey eliminated most carbohydrates** from his diet and did cardio exercise on a regular basis. 

Congrats to him for making changes and getting healthier.  Hopefully people can take note that changes are possible.  I suppose the excuse can be made that he as all the money and time in the world to do make it happen.  Don’t make that excuse.  You can make it happen too. 

**Side Note**

It bugs me when people say they eliminated “carbs”  when they’re still eating fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables have carbohydrates and are good for you.  All carbs are not the enemy; all carbohydrates are not created equal. 

Good sources of carbohydrates, like fruits and vegetables, should be part of a healthy weight-loss eating plan.

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I even saw a billboard along the freeway last Sunday that claimed HCG is “the healthy way to lose weight.” 

I still get comments on my old HCG post about how HCG is the best thing that ever happened to the commenter.  I always respond or think the same thing… I never said it doesn’t work (how could it not help you lose weight, you only eat 500 calories/day), I said IT IS NOT A HEALTHY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

You didn’t wake up one morning 20, 40 or 100 pounds overweight so why do you expect a miracle injection or pill to help you lose the weight almost overnight?

But what do I know.  Here’s what other experts say:

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) for Fat Loss: “Fallacy and Hazard” – By Travis Saunders at Obesity Panacea

HCG Worthless as Weight-Loss Aid – Dr. Stephen Barrett at Diet Scam Watch

$5 Million Fine for Bogus Weight Loss Claims – By Dr. Yoni Freedhoff at Weighty Matters

Here’s another link to my post on HCG that has links to other studies and expert opinions.

Sadly, no one really cares about health anymore.  For consumers, it’s all about the “quick fix.”  For marketers, it’s all about pushing the “hot” product that sells.

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We’ve all heard the advice “eat slower” about a thousand times.  It’s pretty good advice.

It takes about 20 minutes for our brain to realize we are full.  The faster we eat, the more food we get down in those 20 minutes.  Before we realize it, we’ve eaten way too much. 

“In those first 20 minutes, you can pretty much eat as much as you want. Twenty minutes later, you’ll hope you hadn’t. But it’s too late.”

– Dr. Arya Sharma, scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network

Ok, so yeah, we know we should eat slower, but how do we do it? Here are some suggestions from Dr. Sharma:

• Use smaller plates and utensils

• Chew 30 times before swallowing

• Lay down fork after each bite

• Don’t eat while watching TV or while at the computer

I need to do better at this too.  My wife is always telling me to slow down and that the food isn’t going to run away.  I’m gonna start trying to eat slower.  Might be good for all of us. 

[Source: Eat Like a Snail].

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A study out of Louisiana State Univeristy took a look at the benefits of losing weight by diet only or by a combination of diet and exercise.  They found:

“Both the diet and diet plus exercise groups lost the same amount of weight, pounds of fat, and belly fat.  The diet plus exercise group increased fitness level by 22% with no change in the diet or control groups.”

“Total and bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) decreased significantly in the diet plus exercise group only.   Good cholesterol levels increased significantly in all three groups including the control group.  However, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity improved in the diet plus exercise group only.”

– via Cooper Institute Blog Fitness vs Fatness: Diet vs Exercise for Weight Loss

Click the link to read more details about the study they reported on. 

The bottom line is creating better eating habits AND regular exercise will help you not only lose weight, but also create good physiological changes to your body. 

We all need to eat better and get plenty of exercise.  No pill can do it for us. 

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Well, looks like we found the answer to our health problems.  Wow, Zantrex-3 promises rapid weight loss, incredible energy, and everything a person could ever want, right?  Nope.

I saw this ad on TV and grabbed a pic.  Sigh.  Yet another ad for another product that claims to quick-fix all of our health problems without “diet or exercise!” 

On the product’s webiste they have “proof” that it works by documenting a “clinical study.”  Here’s what the “clinical study” found:

“Subjects using the proven active formula in Zantrex-3, for a little over 6 weeks, experienced an average weight-loss of a whopping 11.2 pounds – 1,696% more weight loss than the placebo group…and that’s without having to follow any prescribed diet plan or supervised exercise program!”

Great.  Sign me up.  Sadly, I know people will buy this product. They will fail miserably, become more discouraged about their health, and start all over again with a new product.  Sad world. 

Oh, and as for that “It’s great to be thin” line on the ad: Remember, thin/skinny does not always = healthy.

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I follow Gale Bernhardt on Twitter and she posted this the other day.  Here’s the link the to article posted in the tweet. 

Great advice.  Registering for something means you are committed.  It will motivate you.  Try it.  I promise, it works. 

Find a good event (anything will do), register, and get moving.  You’ll be happy you did.

What event(s) are you doing this year? 

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