Getting the weight off fast is so desirable that many of us are willing to sacrifice health and ignore common sense in the hope that some new weight loss program or scheme will work. This pipe dream can unfortunately outweigh the negative consequences. So let’s examine the downside of dieting.

What Is An Unhealthy Weight Loss Program?

• Any weight loss program that is not nutritionally sound;
• One that works against what the body naturally needs like vitamins, minerals, and a minimum number of calories a day;
• One that requires you to go without eating (for example, fasting or meal replacement drinks);
• One that puts your body into an unnatural state, such as starvation or ketosis.

Your body can only lose a few pounds a week on a consistent basis. If you lose more than that initially, it’s likely just water loss. So any weight loss program that promises you will lose five pounds a week, or 25 pounds in 3 weeks, is guaranteeing you will be losing water and muscle mass not fat.

Almost every popular weight loss program out there falls into one of the following diet categories: low calorie diets, meal replacement drinks, packaged foods, unbalanced nutrients, and ketosis diets. Let’s see how they stack up.

LOW CALORIE DIETS
Whenever you drastically reduce your calories, the body enters an unnatural state and its defenses kick in. So when calories drop below, say, 1000 calories a day, your metabolism will shut down in an effort to conserve energy. And weight loss with a sluggish metabolism is very difficult.

Your body will start using muscle tissue to provide energy, which again leads to a decrease in the metabolism. Taken to an extreme, the body will break down its vital parts (such as the heart muscle) trying to meet its energy needs.

In addition to these drawbacks, trying to maintain the weight loss over time is nearly impossible because your body is now used to making do with very few calories. Going back to “normal” eating causes the weight to pile back on.

For this reason, low cal weight loss programs rarely work over the long haul.

MEAL REPLACEMENT DRINKS
One of the most unnatural things for your body is to go without solid food, which is what meal replacement plans ask it to do. Some people think that dieting will be easier if they aren’t confronted with daily food choices and the pounds will just fall off. This may be true while they are on the liquid diet. But what about afterwards?

Where will the good eating habits come from after you’ve lost the weight? This is something that takes time, practice and knowledge. Dieters need to establish a healthy attitude towards a life-long eating plan. And no “fad” weight loss program or liquid lunch can help you with that.

Getting hooked on meal replacements can become a destructive way to view food. It often leads dieters to fear food or binge to “feed” their cravings after a long period of deprivation. And that’s just the psychological side of the equation.

The lack of fiber in such weight loss programs can be a threat to good physical health. And when the body is denied enough solid food, the intestines go into overdrive absorbing calories and nutrients. This helps you during the diet period, but later it makes it much easier to regain the weight.

Another yo-yo weight loss program that hurts you in the end.

UNBALANCED NUTRIENT PLAN
Be cautious about any weight loss program that has strict rules about good foods and bad foods. Sure, high fat and high sugar foods might be considered bad for the waistline, but moderation not abstinence is key to success.

Why? Because eating the same foods every day (say, grapefruit or high protein meals) is going to result in two things: nutritional imbalance and boredom.

All foods are made up of the same nutrients in different amounts: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. It is the right proportion of these nutrients that will bring about weight loss – not the avoidance of “bad” foods and the consumption of only “good” or magical foods.

In the world of dieting, no one food or nutrient group is magical. Variety and moderation are the keys to a healthy diet and a successful weight loss program.

PACKAGED FOODS
To stay at your ideal body weight, you have to learn how to make proper food choices. By following a packaged food weight loss program you are postponing the inevitable, and spending plenty of $$$ in the process.

Another problem with this kind of weight loss program is that the foods provided are not always healthy. Read the package label and you will see chemicals, preservatives, sodium, sugar and saturated fats. And when all you can eat is packaged food, how do you plan meals with other people? Going out to restaurants and parties and enjoying family meals becomes a big hassle.

Your weight loss program then becomes a burden, not only to you, but to those around you.

KETOSIS DIETS
Ketosis has been defined as: “An abnormal condition marked by excessive production of ketone bodies. Often caused by high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet.”

Atkins and certain other weight loss programs are based on the principle of restricting carbohydrates to the point that the body enters into ketosis. On the surface, a ketogenic diet seems to work for two reasons: First, you’ll lose large amounts of weight, which is very pleasing to the dieter. Secondly, you don’t experience hunger.

But there are serious drawbacks. Your weight goes down due to water loss (which occurs when you restrict carbohydrates) and a loss of lean muscle tissue. This is NOT true, lasting weight loss.

The loss of appetite comes from having ketones building up in the body, which can harm your health. Side effects of a ketosis weight loss program can include fatigue, kidney stones, gout, and muscle loss. The longer you follow such a diet, the greater the risk to your health.

Clearly not a wise choice of weight loss program, not for the short term or the long.

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRE
There are always new weight loss programs coming onto the market and going in and out of style. To evaluate if a weight loss program is healthy and sensible for you, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the plan nutritionally sound?
• Will it help improve my weight, metabolism, cholesterol level, blood pressure, energy level, and general ealth?
• Will I be eating real food and not have to buy special formulas, drinks, etc?
• Will I be eating a wide variety of foods rather than just a few “diet” foods?
• Am I allowed to have some treats and eat my favorite foods?
• Can I eat out in restaurants, have a glass of wine with dinner, or some dessert?
• Can I follow this weight loss program without it interfering with my lifestyle?
• Can I lose weight without feeling hungry?
• Will l develop eating habits for life-long weight control with this weight loss program?
• Is this the last diet I will ever need to finally reach and maintain my ideal weight?

When it comes to weight loss you may secretly be your own worst enemy. Before we get started on that, let’s look at the fact that accomplishing any goal, large or small, requires a mind that is clearly focused on the desired end.

What does that mean? It means turning self-talk into a positive advantage and using your rational mind to help fuel and motivate your efforts. After all, the choice is yours: let your mind sabotage your efforts or let it help inspire better eating habits and encourage healthy weight-loss outcomes.

If you’ve tried losing weight or a weight loss program before, and have found it to be an uphill battle in which you lose a few pounds only to gain back several more, then it’s time to break the psychological cycle that may be holding you back from your goal.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CYCLE OF WEIGHT GAIN
In a world where thin is in, it’s not unusual for people who are overweight to carry the burden of lower self-esteem. Add to that the social stigma or prejudice that overweight individuals encounter and a psychological cycle for weight gain can be set in motion or unhealthy eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia) can develop. People, overweight as well as thin, often eat in response to stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety. This stress-induced or emotional eating can lead to weight gain which in turn leads to lower self-esteem, depression, and anxiety which leads to more stress-based eating and additional weight gain. It’s easy to see how one can become trapped in a dangerous downward spiral and vicious cycle.

Compounding the problem is the fact that individuals who are overweight have less energy, and therefore find it harder to be active, so the risk of gaining weight again increases. A cycle of inactivity and further weight gain can develop: the less active person gains weight and so becomes less active, thereby gaining more weight and so on. Also, life stresses, which are normally alleviated through exercise, start building up which triggers more stress-based eating.

Individuals who try to lose weight and fail may feel depressed, frustrated and even guilty or ashamed and may rely on comfort foods as a way to feel better. The same is true of those who succeed in losing weight, only to gain it back. Anxiety, depression and guilt can produce a feeling of hopelessness that hinders efforts to lose weight.

This is why getting on the right weight loss program is CRUCIAL for successful weight loss. Whether it’s a weight loss diet that you’ve imposed on yourself or a program designed for your body, follow the next seven steps to break the psychological cycle of weight loss.

SEVEN STEPS TO BREAKING THE CYCLE
1. Stop Diet Deprivation. Diets and weight loss programs that put severe restrictions on what you can eat oftentimes arouse binge eating. While you may hold out for a while, one day you’ll decide depriving yourself is not worth it, or you can’t take it anymore, and you dig into the refrigerator, freezer or snack cabinet with a vengeance. Allow yourself small indulgences that are satisfying and will help you avoid harmful binging.

2. Plan Ahead. What if you should slip? The best way to avoid slipping is through pre-planning. So, if you’re off to a backyard barbecue or family gathering decide ahead of time what your plan is. Eat something healthy and filling before you go out and then allow yourself a few special treats at the party, but exercise portion control. If you know that Aunt Mary is making your favorite dessert, plan on having a small slice and savor it. Managing your weight and enjoying life should go hand in hand.

3. Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals. To avoid the frustration of failing, don’t overstress yourself with unrealistic weight loss goals. You gained weight slowly over time and it will take some time to gradually lose that weight. Slow, but sure is the best approach.

4. Choose Healthy Outlets for Emotions. Instead of opening the refrigerator when you’re upset, how about phoning a friend, or take a walk. Discover something that makes you feel calmer or happier – something other than food or alcohol. Do yoga, dance around your living room, meditate or go out bowling with a friend.

5. Stop Harboring Hurts. Work through issues that are upsetting you. Talk to a therapist or even a friend. Don’t let hurts, even old wounds or patterns that reach back into your childhood, affect you and your relationship with food.

6. Remember Why You’re Dieting. It helps to stop and remember why you’re dieting in the first place. Is it to have more energy, look and feel better, alleviate health problems or increase your self esteem? Keeping the goal in mind is critical to your weight loss success.

7. Use Your Mind to Break the Cycle. The fact is you can do it. It’s all in your mind – the power to lose the weight rests with you. Believe you can succeed and you will succeed. If you want to put an end to the psychological cycle of weight gain, start by turning all of your negative self talk into positive affirmations. That’s the best way to break the cycle.

Instead of saying: “Look at that fat belly. It just won’t go away.” Think positive: “Yes, my belly is fat now, but it won’t always be. I plan to be fit, not fat. I’m heading to the gym after work today.”

Keep your goal in mind at all times. Write down your positive affirmations and put up visual reminders of what you want to attain – that dress you want to buy, that seaside resort you’re longing to visit this year, or even a picture the happy person you want to be again. It’s all within reach if you set your mind to it, keep active, exercise, and prepare healthy menus that you enjoy.

Use these seven steps to create a mental turnaround and break through the psychological barriers that are holding you back. If you do, you’ll have the power to achieve permanent weight loss – something that will truly change your future and your life.

What’s the big deal? In addition to her age – the average female figure contestant is about 28 – she’s a mom of four: Max, 7, and triplets Hank, Sam, and Sophia, 6. She also employed a rather unusual workout regimen for a competitive figure contestant.

“I gained 25 pounds in college,” says Johnson, “mostly because I’ve always hated cardio. Weights I would do, but I just wouldn’t do anything aerobic.”

When Max arrived, Johnson knew it was going to be even harder to lose weight unless she faced her cardio phobia. That’s when she found a local women’s-only fitness center whose philosophy combined strength training and cardio.

“I belonged to a serious weight-lifting gym and I had doubts,” says Johnson, “But I knew I would never realize my dream unless I changed tactics, so I quit my gym and jumped right in.”

Johnson checked her progress against a friend who was training for the same event. “She lifted weights and did cardio two to three hours a day, six days a week. I did my 30-minute workout, three to five days a week, and nothing else. Our results were comparable.”

Research supports Johnson’s experience. Addressing the American College of Sports Medicine recently, Dr. Richard Kreider presented the results of the 2008 Curves/Avon Fitness Study, which tracked 43,000 women through the 30-day challenge. Participants worked out at Curves three times a week and were encouraged to walk an additional 120 minutes a week. The women saw considerable decreases in weight, body fat, inches, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. “It’s possible to make significant improvements with this type of program,” says Kreider.

Johnson took multivitamins and followed her gym’s eating plan. She loved the flexibility, meal plans and recipes. “I make the chili all the time,” she says.

“People think you have to work out for hours a day to get really fit,” says Johnson, “but I’ve proven to myself that’s not true. As a mom of four, I don’t have time even if I wanted to. And the good news is, if I give it my all during those 30 minutes, I don’t have to.”

Megan’s Favorite Cozy Comfort Chili

“I make this in batches of 25 servings and freeze in one-cup portions,” says Johnson. “Take one out, reheat, top with cheese and enjoy.”

Ingredients:
Garlic, to taste
Onion, to taste
Celery, to taste
Bell Pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon oil
3 ounces 95 percent lean ground beef
1/2 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup black beans, cooked
1/4 cup pinto beans, cooked
1/4 cup kidney beans, cooked
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese

Directions:
Saute your favorite vegetables and spices (you can use unlimited amounts of them) in oil. Add lean ground beef and cook through. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice, black, pinto and kidney beans. Stir and cook until bubbly. Top with 1 ounce (1/4 cup) shredded low fat cheese.

Recipe from the “Curves Fitness & Weight Management Plan.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Weight lifting and strength training have long been key elements to any successful fitness program. Simply doing cardiovascular activities alone will not get you the long term results you seek. And remember, permanent weight loss is not about the short term gratification of fitting into new jeans, but rather long term lifestyle changes that lead to a longer lasting, healthier life. Now that we have gotten past that, lets explore the true benefits of strength training, how to start correctly, and the impact it will have on your life-long fitness.

The benefits of strength training. Strength training helps build muscle mass, define muscle tone, and ultimately burn more fat. Yes, you have heard that a million times, but do you truly believe it? Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of chips weighs the same as a pound of bricks – they are both one pound. It just takes a lot more chips to equal a pound than bricks. Relevance? A pound of muscle looks a lot nicer on your body than a pound of fat. You are leaner, toned, and can feel confident knowing that you are doing the best you can for your body. While cardiovascular activities such as walking, cycling, and running are important, adding a strength training component to your workout will help burn excess fat long after you actually leave the gym. Now that’s truly a plus!

A good strength training workout for weight loss should consist of lighter weights and more repetitions. First and foremost, however, you must always consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. It is highly advantageous to go to a local gym and register for a one-week trial membership. Most clubs such as Powerhouse Gym or your local YMCA, give free trials and sessions with a personal trainer. In these tough economic times, you may want to learn from a pro in during the trial, and if you like, join the gym, if not, take your knowledge and apply it at home. Once you have learned the basics, remain consistent. Start with three 20 minute sessions each week. As your body gets stronger, increase the variety of exercises, amount of weight, then vary the number of repetitions. Please see the links section for more resources on weight lifting.

The lifelong benefits of strength training are immeasurable. You have the choice of being sedentary and immobile, which could be due in part to not properly taking care of and exercising your body, or being active and on the go because you took the time out for yourself and your health. Strength training now can help build good muscle density which will protect you against fractures and breaks in your retirement years. But don’t think weight lifting is just for the younger generation. Even seniors just starting out can reap the fruits of strength training, if you just start now!

Author: PeTika Tave an Examiner from Jacksonville. You can see PeTika’s articles on PeTika’s Home Page

You really don’t want to expose those extra pounds to the world, but you do want to put on your swimsuit and feel OK about it. A crash diet seems to be your only option, but aren’t crash diets unhealthy – not to mention ineffective – after the first week? Not if you approach them correctly.

Despite what many nutritionists have preached for years, low-calorie diets can be healthy if you do them right, and can work wonders on pounds and inches in just a few weeks.

Clinical experience shows that somebody with a serious commitment to weight loss can lose up to 20 pounds – and two to three dress sizes – in two months. That’s a lot of weight, and an enormous change in appearance for most of us.

Best of all, if a crash diet is done right (and you make permanent changes to how you eat) it can yield results that will stand the test of time just as well as those slow and careful, long-term diets that emphasise depressingly incremental drops in weight.

Conventional wisdom says that rapid weight loss leads to rapid weight regain, but a new generation of science is showing that slow isn’t necessarily better.

In fact, fast weight loss – if achieved with a healthy, caloriecutting food-based diet – can bring long-term success equivalent to the more gradual weight-loss programmes, which is reason for procrastinators everywhere to rejoice. In fact, for some people, healthy crash dieting may work even better than a diet that lasts all year.

A recent study from my laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, found that the slow and careful approach seems to be sustainable only by those dieters who are not sidetracked by rich food, party snacks and other common food challenges in daily life.

So where does exercise fit into all of this? The drumbeat of get moving to lose weight has become so loud that almost everyone blames his or her weight problem on not spending enough time working out.

The food we are putting in our mouths seems to take a back seat.

But a look at the evidence doesn’t support the hype.

‘Exercise doesn’t necessarily make you thin’
National surveys show that people who do manual jobs – construction, farming and domestic work – are often heavier than people who sit in front of a computer screen all day.

Indeed, physically strenuous jobs carry a 30 per cent increased risk of obesity in the U.S. when compared with office jobs.

Of course, comparisons like this don’t factor in social class, or whether you eat chocolate or take a run after work, but that’s the whole point – compared with factors like what we snack on, hard manual labour just doesn’t make as much of a difference.

Even if your day is spent shovelling gravel, you’re still going to develop a pot belly if you lunch on pizza and fizzy drinks every day.

This is not to say exercise is bad – exercise is, of course, important for maintaining health, strength and vitality. But when it comes to weight loss, it doesn’t seem to be the panacea that it is often made out to be. And the evidence isn’t just anecdotal.

My laboratory summarised 36 years of published studies on exercise and weight, conducted between 1969 and 2005, and found that adding even an hour of exercise per day results in an average fat loss of just six pounds over the course of several months – hardly the benefit one would expect from all that work.

There are steps you can take to accomplish this. It’s much easier to push LDL down than to push HDL up, but it’s well worth the effort to strive to do both. A November study published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal found that increasing HDL levels in patients who are also aggressively lowering their LDL levels can reduce cardiovascular risk. An HDL level of 60 milligrams per deciliter or higher is believed to help protect against heart disease. Women’s risk for heart disease rises significantly at HDL levels below 47 mg/dL; men are at particular risk if their HDL level falls below 37 mg/dL.

For LDL, a reading of 190 mg/dL or higher is considered to be very high, 160 to 189 is considered to be high, and 130 to 159 is considered to be borderline high. A level of 100 to 129 is considered to be near optimal; less than 100 is considered optimal for most people. But for those who are at very high risk for heart disease or have a history of heart trouble, a reading of less than 70 is preferred.

Depending on your cholesterol levels, successfully reaching your target levels will probably take a combination of medication and lifestyle and dietary changes. Among the changes you’ll have to make: Stop smoking, work out, lose weight, and eat well, the PMJ study suggests.

If you’re up to the task, here are 10 ways to lower your LDL and raise your HDL:

1. Taking a statin can lower LDL by 10 percent (at the lowest dose) to 55 percent (at the highest dose), says Robert H. Eckel, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado-Denver and past president of the American Heart Association. A small percentage of people who take statins experience severe myopathy, which is muscle discomfort or weakness. (Consider 7 reasons statin users shouldn’t dismiss muscle pain.) Statins also bump up HDL, typically by 5 to 10 percent (that’s only 2 to 4 mg/dL, not enough to make much of a difference). Other types of cholesterol-lowering medications are sometimes prescribed in combination with statins.

2. A cholesterol absorption inhibitor would be a likely next step for those who can’t take statins because of side effects, Eckel says. There is only one such drug—ezetimibe (Zetia). A 2003 study in the journal Pharmacotherapy found that when given alone or in combination with other cholesterol-lowering medications, ezetimibe reduced LDL by 15 to 20 percent and raised HDL, but, as with a statin, not by much—2.5 to 5 percent.

3. Bile acid sequestrants can decrease LDL by about 10 to 20 percent, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. When combined with a statin, these medications can lower LDL by more than 40 percent. Medications in this class—cholestyramine, colestipol, and colesevelam—come in pill or powder form. The powder must be mixed with water or juice before being taken. These drugs offer an added benefit for diabetics: Recent research has shown they help to lower blood glucose levels.

4. Nicotinic acid, also known as niacin, is a water-soluble B vitamin that lowers LDL by 10 to 20 percent and is the only drug that can have a real impact on HDL, says Eckel. According to the NHLBI, it can lift HDL levels by 15 to 35 percent. A study published this month in Current Medical Research and Opinion says that niacin and fibrates (explained below) are underutilized—either alone or in combination with statins—to treat low HDL and high triglycerides (a kind of fat in the blood). Because most people who take niacin experience flushing of the skin and a warm feeling, particularly on the face, neck, and ears, up to half of those taking the medication choose to stop it, according to the Mayo Clinic.

5. Fibrates are mostly effective at lowering triglycerides and in heightening HDL levels, according to NHLBI. These drugs usually lower LDL by 10 to 20 percent, Eckel says. For those who take this type of medication, HDL increases are usually in the neighborhood of a modest 10 to 15 percent.

In its just-released report of annual health spending figures, published in the journal Health Affairs, the federal government confirmed that chronic illness accounts for 75 percent of all health spending. Yet exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can significantly reduce your risks for chronic illness and your medical bills.

“To put that in financial terms, for every dollar you spend on wellness, you can save as much as five dollars or more on illness,” says Dr. Richard Kreider, director of the exercise and sport nutrition laboratory at Texas A&M University. He has studied the effectiveness of the Curves women’s fitness program for the past five years.

“The women in our studies have been able to lose weight, gain muscle strength, raise metabolism, and make significant medical improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate and aerobic fitness,” Kreider says. “Many of them no longer suffer from the chronic conditions that cost them so much money for medications and doctor visits.”

This can add up to a bundle of savings. The Health Affairs report shows that the average annual out-of-pocket expense for someone with cancer is $8,411, but the good news is that regular exercise can help you avoid the disease and the costs associated with it. A major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research published in 2007 found that obesity plays a key role in increasing the risk for many cancers — including breast cancer — by as much as 60 percent. And a study just published in the journal Cancer found that obesity increased women’s risk for ovarian cancer by a whopping 80 percent.

The benefits go beyond reducing the risk of cancer. A recent landmark study by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota found that people who went to the gym at least eight times a month had significantly lower healthcare costs than those who did not. These frequent gym attendees had:

• 39 percent fewer emergency room visits
• 41 percent fewer hospital admissions
• 18 percent lower overall claims costs

The research, then, is clear. “Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can save not only your life, but your money as well,” says Kreider. “Your health is your most precious asset, and not taking care of it is going to cost you more in the long run.”

So how can you get to the gym without breaking the bank? Many clubs are offering great deals on memberships because of the economy. Also, check with your health insurance provider to see if they have a wellness program that offers rebates on dues and membership fees. Some fitness centers, like Curves, have partnered with major health insurance and third-party providers, including Healthways SilverSneakers, AARP and Blue Cross Blue Shield, to make the cost of membership even more affordable. To learn more, visit www.curves.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

The drug, alli, is a lower dose version of the same medication which doctors prescribe to obese people, but can be purchased over the counter after a brief consultation with a pharmacist.

alli increases the weight lost achieved through a low calorie diet by 50 per cent, so those who would lose two pounds in a week following a low-fat diet would lose three pounds if they took Alli three times a day.

Alli capsules, a new clinically proven over-the-counter weight loss aid produced by GlaxoSmithKline

Experts have said the drug will be useful in giving people a kick start to their weight loss but it is not a magic pill, has some unpleasant side effects and should not be seen as a quick fix.

Tam Fry, chairman of the Child Growth Foundation and board member of the National Obesity Forum, warned that there is ‘huge potential’ for the drug to be misused and said under no circumstances should it be given to children.

He said: “Adults could get alli by going through the consultation themselves and give it to their children and that is totally wrong, there is huge potential for that to happen.”

The drug prevents the absorption of around 25 per cent of fat in food and carries it from the body, so there is concern that if children took it they would lose vital vitamin D which is needed for healthy bones.

alli, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is licensed for adults with a body mass index (divide weight by height squared) of 28 or more. It contains 60mg of orlistat, which is the name of the higher dose prescription-only version.

Glenys Jones, who holds a degree and masters in nutrition and works at the Medical Research Council’s Human Nutrition Research centre at Cambridge University, said: “It is not a magic pill, if you don’t make the changes it won’t do it for you. You must follow a low-fat diet with it and by doing that some people will become more aware of what they are eating and make the changes needed to sustain the weight loss. We need to make sure that pharmacists are properly trained to make sure people have the right BMI and receive the advice about healthy eating and exercise as well as the side effects.”

She said it should be used for at least three months which made it quite expensive.

A spokesman for the National Pharmacy Association said pharmacists have been through ‘robust’ training from GlaxoSmithKline.

John Turk, NPA Chief Executive said: “Our members report that many people seek advice from pharmacists on how best they can lose weight. By making orlistat a pharmacy medicine, pharmacists now have a new way of encouraging safe, steady and sustained weight loss in the general public.”

James Hallatt, General Manager GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare UK, said: “Obesity and overweight are a major concern of our society and people need help. alli offers a clinically proven way to help people lose weight. alli is not a magic bullet – users must be committed to weight loss; alli, when added to a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet, can help people lose 50% more weight than dieting alone. alli launched in the US in June 2007 and has been well received by millions of people, we are very excited about the opportunity to help overweight people in the UK achieve their weight loss goals.”

by Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Telegraph.co.uk

Scientists for years have been studying the relationship between a persons genetic make-up and their ability to gain and lose weight.

As the research progresses it won’t be too far off that you will be able to obtain a genetic profile and then have a dietary plan personally designed for optimal health and weight loss to fit your profile.

Geneticist Jose Ordovas says that current research is uncovering the complex interactions between diet and a person’s DNA, which could in future lead to “more personalised advice about what to eat and drink to stave off heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions”.

While some nutritionists have been quick to label the theory “another gimmick”, two recent landmark studies have found that an individual’s genes do have a lot to do with how their bodies react to certain foods.

One study of 32,000 people by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometic Traits, discovered six genes that were linked to appetite control and obesity, five of which are active in the brain.

Dr. Peter D’Adamo a naturopathic physician (aka diet guru), is already practising this method and is gaining a loyal following, even from perpetual dieter Opray Winfrey.

Dr. D’Adamo explained that an individual’s DNA is unique, and that is why a “one size fits all diet” is ineffective.

In Dr. D’Adamo’s latest book, The GenoType Diet (Broadway), loosely based on his bestseller, Eat Right For Your (blood) Type (Putnam Adult), he suggests that eating certain foods based on your genetic make-up is the key to staying trim and healthy and living a long life.

He has identified six basic gene types and provides a customised food plan for each one, emphasising the foods and supplements that “will work best” for weight loss and health.

“Most significantly, it decides which foods will help you lose weight and achieve vitality, and which illnesses you’re most at risk of,” Dr D’Adamo says.

So which genotype are you?

The Hunter
Tall and thin, full of nervous energy and prone to allergies and asthma.
Eat: Meat-rich, low-gluten foods.
Superfoods: Beef, lamb, salmon, hard cheese, wild/brownrice, artichokes, broccoli, grapefruit.
Avoid: Nuts, grains, wheat, sugary foods, soft cheese.

The Teacher
Strong and sinewy, with great stamina.
Eat: White meat and fish.
Superfoods: Turkey, white fish, black beans, peanuts, peas, tofu, flaxseeds, .
Avoid: Sugary food, white carbohydrates, red meat.

The Explorer
Muscular, broad shoulders, narrow hips and low body fat.
Eat: Legumes, liver, beans, cheese and meat.
Superfoods: Liver, lamb, ricotta, mozzarella, lentils, parsnips, ginger, raspberries.
Avoid: Alcohol and caffeine.

The Gatherer
Full-figured, gains weight easily, has trouble processing alcohol and caffeine.
Eat: High-protein, low-GI.
Superfoods: Liver, lamb, ricotta, mozzarella, lentils, parsnips, ginger, raspberries.
Avoid: Fried and microwaved food.

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle was created by Tom Venuto, a respected fat loss expert, natural bodybuilder, and personal trainer. He hasn’t just pumped out yet another “fad diet program” into an already over-saturated and over-hyped market, he has simply put together one of the most complete, detailed, and precise guides to fat loss you will ever read.

What makes it so different from other weight loss publications on the market?
First and foremost, it’s not a “weight loss” program – it’s a “fat loss” program. This may seem like semantics, but once you’ve read the first three chapters, you will have no doubts that pursuing “weight loss” is not only wrong, but may be the reason that you’ve failed to reach and maintain your ideal body weight in the past. Burn The Fat explains exactly why it’s fat you must lose, not “weight” (which includes muscle, lean tissue and water) and then goes on to show you exactly how to do it.

Secondly, what makes Burn The Fat different from most of the other weight loss programs is the attention to detail paid to each and every element of successful, healthy, permanent fat loss. Burn The Fat cuts through all the lies, myths and fallacies surrounding what can be a very confusing subject, and is one of the most detailed books about fat loss ever written. When you read through Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, (or better yet, “studying it”), you will learn more about fat loss than you could ever imagine.

“Is this a low carb diet? A high protein diet? A high fat diet? what type of program IS it???” The truth is that Burn the Fat is none of these – with the information in this book, you will be able to:

• easily determine your own ideal protein, carb and fat ratios.
• analyze your body type (are you an endomorph, ectomorph, or mesomorph?)
• determine your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, or the amount of “maintenance” calories your body requires every day), and
• find out whether you are carb tolerant or carb intolerant.

This personalized or individualized approach makes perfect sense because each and every one of us is a unique individual and no two people are exactly alike in terms of body physiology and personal goals.

If there is any drawback to the Burn The Fat eBook, it’s that it contains so much information (340 pages), that some readers may find it a bit overwhelming. However, even though you might be a bit intimidated at first, the good part is that it will be worth the effort, because this will probably be the last book that you ever have to buy on the subject.

Who will benefit most from Burn the Fat?
In the broadest sense, anyone and everyone who needs to lose weight will benefit from Burn The Fat. Although it was written by a bodybuilder, this book is certainly NOT just for bodybuilders.

You won’t find any “30 lbs. in 30 days” miracles claims here. It’s all about intelligent eating choices, planning, hard work and lifestyle change. As Burn The Fat author Tom Venuto says,… “Burn the Fat is simple, but it’s not easy.”

Initially, some people thought that Burn the Fat was priced a little on the high side because $39.95 might seem like a fair chunk of money for an eBook download. However, after they saw the amount of information contained within Burn The Fat’s 340 pages, along with the special bonus eBooks and reports that come with it, they said it was not only worth the $39.95, but many times that amount.

If you are looking for a quick fix solution to fat loss or a “magic bullet” offered by the likes of body wraps, fat burning pills, diet shakes, or “fat-burning” creams and gels then Burn the Fat is probably not for you.

On the other hand, if you are tired of “spinning your wheels” and going nowhere, want the truth about fat loss and are ready and willing to put in the hard work and discipline and make the lifestyle changes necessary to get a fat free body, then Burn The Fat will be one of the best investments you have ever made.

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle sells for $39.95, which is very reasonable for the information contained within Burn The Fat’s 340 pages, along with the special bonus eBooks and reports that come with it. There is a secure page from which to make your purchase and your credit card information is fully encrypted and secure. Tom Venuto also offers an 8-WEEK, NO-RISK, UNCONDITIONAL 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!, which is good if you were to buy this book and decided after a few weeks that it is not something you want to follow then you can get a refund – however I believe that is very unlikely.

I originally purchased Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle in February 2005 and to be honest, it is the one book that I always use and refer to and for this reason I highly recommend Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle to anyone wanting to lose fat. Click here to learn more about Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.