Beverly International Lean Out Fat Burner Review:

Beverly International claims their Lean Out fat burner is the "optimum lipotropic formula in the world," and that it should be in everyone's diet. No surprise there. Retailers don't make money when their products gather dust; ergo, almost every weight loss product in the world boasts the most amazing, revolutionary, ground-breaking formula (and so on and so on and so on) and you must have it in your possession.

That said, what's the story with Beverly International's Lean Out?

First and foremost, this is an "old-school" formula. Lipotropics (ingredients that facilitate the conversion of fats into other useful products) have been used in weight loss supplements for years (to little effect) and the other foundational ingredients of this formula —carnitine and chromium—are no strangers either.

It's rare you see them trumped up to the extreme anymore, simply because the existing clinical data doesn't support such claims, and it's easy to refute them.

With that said, let's take a closer look at the formula. In addition to a couple of B-Vitamins (B12, Biotin) Lean Out contains...

1) Inositol (1000 mg): A well known lipotropic, inositol is involved in nutrient transfer at the cellular level. It also facilitates communication between nerve cells and helps to transport fats throughout the body.

2) Choline Bitartrate (1000 mg): Choline serves a number of vital functions, including maintaining the structure/function of cell membranes, normalizing homocysteine levels (via a metabolite, betaine), and serving as a precursor for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important to learning and memory. It plays a vital role in maintaining proper fat metabolism by the liver.

In one study, it was shown that choline supplementation reversed fatty liver disease—something that can occur when the liver has an inability to process fats properly. Other studies show it has no particular effects on exercise performance.

3) Chromium (200 mcg Chromium Picolinate): Because chromium plays a vital role in insulin function, it's a smart addition to any weight loss supplement. Clinical evidence documenting chromium's role in weight loss is contradictory. Some show a modest effect, some show no effect, and others even call the robustness and methodology of the studies into question.

4) DL-Methionine (1000 mg): This ingredient aids in fat metabolism and acts as an antioxidant.

5) L-Carnitine (600 mg): The advertising for Lean Out makes much out of Carnitine's role in fat burning, due to its ability to faciliate the transport of fatty acids to the mitochondria of the cell (the mitochondria is the cell's "furnace"). The problem with L-carnitine is that while it looks good in theory, clinical evidence validating its effectiveness is contradictory and inconclusive.

Additionally, any positive effect is only realized with a very large, multi-gram dosage. Rather bafflingly, the Lean Out advertising copy notes this—something I found pretty ironic, considering their own product delivers approximately a mere one third to one-sixth of an "effective" dosage in a 4-tablet daily serving. By the retailer's own admission then, this product contains nowhere near an effective dose of carnitine. An odd advertising strategy, to say the least.

6) Betaine HCL (100 mg): A naturally-occurring nutrient/metabolite with therapeutic applications; it can be used to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, for instance.

7) Coenzyme Q10 (10 mg): A potent antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10 has been used experimentally to treat mitochondrial diseases.

So there you have it. Beverly International's Lean Out in a nutshell.

In theory, taking supplemental lipotropics ensures you have plenty of the raw materials on hand to properly metabolize fat and improve your body's efficiency of such.

In practice though, I've never read anything—either clinical or anecdotal—to suggest supplementation provides any more than the subtlest of effects.

And that makes sense, since anyone focused on eating properly is likely to be obtaining more than adequate amounts of all lipotropics directly from the diet.

That doesn't leave Lean Out with much else to offer; a sprinkling of carnitine, some chromium, a few B vitamins, and a few milligrams of betaine and coenzyme Q10. And at $28 for a month's supply, it's a bit difficult to recommend just as a simple experiment.

Am I wrong? Why not share your own experiences with this product...

Have you used Beverly International's Lean Out? Share your comments
and read Lean Out testimonials / user reviews, click here!

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5) To watch our video on deceptive billing practices, click here!
6) To read the review of our recommended diet program, click here!
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Anabolic Addiction Phenom V1 Fat Burner Review:

Anabolic Addition's Phenom V1 is a popular fat burner and claims to enhance your mood, suppress your appetite, and elevate your metabolism for increased calorie and fat burning. It does this, apparently, without the shakes, jitters and anxiety common to other weight loss supplements on the market.
Of course, this is all marketing 101. The proof, as always, is in the pudding. Or in this case, the ingredient profile. So what does Phenom V1 contain that makes it able to accomplish this?
Good question. A two capsule daily serving of Phenom V1 contains 200 mg of chromium, plus a 1560 mg proprietary blend of the following...
Cocoa-theobromine: Theobromine is a xanthine, structurally related to caffeine and also demonstrating stimulant effects, although it is less potent than its chemical cousin. And while clinical studies demonstrate caffeine's modest thermogenic effects (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97), no such evidence exists for theobromine. Cha de Bugre: Normally added to fat burners and weight loss supplements for its appetite suppressant qualities, there is exactly ZERO published data showing this ingredient does anything. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests it does offer a mild appetite suppressing effect, so it may offer some benefit here. Hoodia: Another ingredient lauded for its supposed appetite-suppressing qualities, there is also no evidence hoodia works as claimed. Also, issues with soaring worldwide demand, an "endangered species status" and long growing period means it's very likely the majority of hoodia products on the market are counterfeit. See the full hoodia review for more details. Guarana: An antioxidant, diuretic and source of natural caffeine, guarana is a common ingredient in weight loss supplements. Green tea (50% extract): Green tea shows some real benefits for weight loss, but only if it's present in a potent enough dosage, and standardized for the optimal amounts of critical polyphenols (i.e., EGCG). We don't know if this is the case here.
The green tea in Phenom V1 is standardized for 50%, but for what exactly is not revealed (green tea is often used as a natural caffeine source). And since it's listed fifth on the ingredients list, it's impossible to determine whether there's enough ingredient here to be effective, even if it is standardized for the proper constituents.
Caffeine Anhydrous: As discussed earlier, caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant with established, albeit mild, thermogenic properties (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97). Maca: In animal experiments, has been shown to improve memory/learning and depression. Banaba (usually standardized for Corosolic acid): Traditionally, Banaba was used as a natural cure for diabetes in the Philippines. To date, several credible studies validate Banaba's ability to lower blood glucose levels, therefore providing some benefit to those with non-insulin dependent diabetes, as well as overweight or obese individuals. (Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2006 Aug;73(2):174-7. Epub 2006 Mar 23 , J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Jul;87(1):115-7 , J Nutr. 2001 Sep;131(9):2242-7)
There's also some early preliminary evidence to suggest another chemical component of Banaba (called valoneaic acid dilactone) may be a potent alpha-amylase inhibitor (Yakugaku Zasshi. 2003 Jul;123(7):599-605.) Amylase is the enzyme required for the proper break-down of carbohydrates into glucose. If Banaba were indeed an effective amylase inhibitor, it would also give it "carb blocking" properties as well.
Guggulsterone: Often added to weight loss supplements for its thyroid stimulating qualities. Evidence shows a positive effect for dieters, although it is evident guggulsterones are not a weight loss miracle. Glucomannan: Clinical evidence shows glucomannan (a konjac-derived fiber supplement) can aid in weight loss, and reduce blood sugar levels. Only one problem; in order to be effective, glucomannan needs to be consumed in large doses (i.e., multi-gram). With only 1560 mg and 11 other ingredients present in this formula, we can be certain this constitutes little more than label dressing in this formula. L-Theanine: An amino acid found in green tea, theanine is a common ingredient in sleep-promoting products. Magnolia Bark (1.5% Extract): Often used in weight loss supplements to improve mood and reduce the potential for stress-related eating. There is no published evidence to validate this claim, however.
As you can see, the effects of a great number of ingredients in this formula have been exaggerated by the manufacturer.
On top of that, the proprietary nature of this formula makes it impossible to assess the true value of this product.
Ingredients like green tea, banaba, guggulsterones and caffeine may be present in dosages potent enough to elicit some effect. But we can't tell for sure.
Others, like Glucomannan, are definitely not.
In the end, this formula would definitely benefit from some trimming down—drop the ingredients that have little or no supporting evidence or need to be present in dosages too large to be effective in this product, and focus on the winners.
Have you used Anabolic Addition's Phenom V1? Share your
comments and read Phenom V1 testimonials / user reviews, click here! UltimateFatBurner.com Recommended Quick Links: 1) For a listing of popular women's fat burner reviews, click here!
2) For a listing of popular "unisex" fat burner reviews, click here!
3) To see which products we recommend, click here!
4) To read what our visitors say about us, click here!
5) To watch our video on deceptive billing practices, click here!
6) To read the review of our recommended diet program, click here!
7) For an introduction to fat burners; what they are, what they do, and what you absolutely need to know about them, click here! To find a specific product review, use the search function on the top right hand side of this page.


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Avesil Fat Burner Review: Is Avesil "Clinically Proven?

According to the product advertising, Avesil is "a safe, effective weight control formula made from ingredients supported by substantial published scientific research." The advanced new formula claims users can use Avesil to boost energy, reduce appetite, burn fat and lose weight.
Let's take a look at the product's ingredients to see if any published scientific research backs these claims. There 4 primary ingredients (Avesil also contains minimal amounts of calcium and potassium)...
1) Chromium polynicotinate: Chromium plays an important part in insulin function—it helps insulin regulate blood sugar levels. It's also involved in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism.
As such, its presence in any weight loss product is beneficial. However, the clinical studies that have been performed on chromium have been contradictory; some showing it has a subtle effect, and others showing it has no effect at all (see the full review of chromium for more information and accompanying clinical references).
2) Garcinia cambogia fruit extract (standardized for 900 mg of SuperCitrimax): A single serving of Avesil provides 900 mg of SuperCitrimax. A full day's dosage (2,700 mg) is pretty darn close to the amount used in one positive clinical study—it used 2800 mg (see J Med. 2004;35(1-6):33-48).
That's good.
Don't get too excited though; if you check the study, you'll see that individuals participating were restricted to 2,000 calories per day. They also walked 30 minutes per day, 5 days out of 7.
Total weight lost?
An average of 5.4% in bodyweight over the course of 8 weeks.
A two hundred pound man would have lost 10.8 lbs., or 1.35 lbs. per week.
That's well within the realms—actually probably less— than what you can expect to accomplish on your own with a more rigorous training program and a slightly more restrictive diet.
In other words, the limited clinical data on SuperCitrimax indicates it helps, but certainly not in any dramatic fashion.
3) Green tea extract: There's a growing body of evidence that green tea offers benefits to dieters and those who wish to lose weight. Clinical studies indicate it elevates the metabolism, inhibits the action of the enzyme amalyse, in addition to providing numerous other benefits (see the full review of green tea here for more information and accompanying clinical references).
Most studies show that it is the action of one essential catechin, EGCG, in combination with caffeine that provides the bulk of these benefits. Unfortunately, the Avesil web site does not reveal what their green tea extract is standardized for, so it's impossible to assess the value it adds to this formula.
4) Caffeine: A well known thermogenic with clinically demonstrated benefits for weight loss (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97), although some data indicates it offers greater benefits to lean individuals that those who are overweight (see Am J Physiol. 1995 Oct;269(4 Pt 1):E671-8).
As you can see, Avesil boasts a moderately useful, but not particularly revolutionary formula. And yes, some of the ingredients are backed by some published clinical research—although we can't be sure if several are included at dosages that correlate with the referenced study data. And of course, no clinical studies have been performed on the Avesil formula itself.
With that said, let's discuss why I highly recommend you avoid this product...
First, it is outrageously expensive—$89.95 for a one month's supply. There's nothing in this formula to justify this price. For example, at a reputable online retailer like BodyBuilding.com you could buy super-potent versions of every ingredient in the Avesil formula for under $40, and stack them together to make your own fat burner...
The combination of the SuperCitrimax and the green tea referenced just above would provide you with the majority of the benefits of this product for less than one third of the cost.
Second, there is no way to order this product other than through the "free trial" offer presented on the web site. We highly recommend you do not do business with any company utilizing this "business practice."
In this case, the retailers send you a 30-day trial of the product, but only give you 14 days to try it (they don't say whether or not that 14-day period starts on the day you order the product. If this is the case, you'll have much less time to sample the product, considering the time it takes for the product to ship and arrive at its destination).
If you do not cancel your order within the 14-day grace period, your credit card will be charged $89.95 on a recurring monthly basis. Although I've yet to receive any comments about the billing practices of Avesil, product feedback to this site and Real-Customer-Comments.com make us extremely wary of any company using the free trial offer (we created a video on the whole "free trial" scam to make it even easier for you to avoid it—click here to watch the video!)
Retailers claim to be happy to honor cancellation requests, but feedback to this site indicate this is the exception, rather than the rule.
There is simply no good reason to adopt such a strategy.
For example, why send out a 30-day free trial sample, and only allow 14-days for customers to experiment with the product? In our experience, most people who receive a 30-day trial assume they have a full 30-days to try the product and end up being added to the recurring billing program. And most miss the "terms and conditions" of these offers, although it is certainly displayed clearly enough on the Avesil web site, last time I checked.
Nevertheless, the combination of outrageous cost, ordinary formula and "free trial" offer means this is one product we definitely recommend you avoid.
To leave your own feedback on Avesil
please click here! (you can read existing customer comments here too!) UltimateFatBurner.com Recommended Quick Links: 1) For a listing of popular women's fat burner reviews, click here!
2) For a listing of popular "unisex" fat burner reviews, click here!
3) To see which products we recommend, click here!
4) To read what our visitors say about us, click here!
5) To watch our video on deceptive billing practices, click here!
6) To read the review of our recommended diet program, click here!
7) For an introduction to fat burners; what they are, what they do, and what you absolutely need to know about them, click here! To find a specific product review, use the search function on the top right hand side of this page.


Back to UltimateFatBurner.com: Reviews of Fat Burners, Diet Supplements and Weight Loss Programs!
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Betting on Weight Loss

Photo by: Dave Bradley Photography/Getty Images (tile); Skip ODonnell/istockphoto (scale); DNY59/istockphoto (handle); Nicholas Campbell/istockphoto (cherries)

I'm not the gambling type — Texas hold 'em, firehouse bingo, and glitzy casinos thrill me about as much as a week-old bologna sandwich. But when a major family reunion loomed recently, the prospect of greeting relatives and old friends and smiling for the camera inspired me to ante up and make a weight-loss bet.

Hoping to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks, I needed a worthy opponent. I couldn't imagine betting against my women friends — we've always encouraged one another as exercise buddies and comrades ordering lunch salads with dressing on the side. So I asked my husband. Dan and I have kept up a fierce Scrabble rivalry for 18 years, and we wager at the drop of a hat on everything from local political races to how soon a traffic light will turn green. He agreed in seconds, and was taunting me about his own weight-loss prowess within minutes. Game on.

We set weekly goals (1 pound for me, 1 1/2 for Dan — men burn calories more easily because they have more muscle mass), scheduled weigh-ins on Monday mornings, and deliberated over prizes. (Foot rubs and morning coffee in bed won out over cash.) But when the wager began, so did the sabotage. In week 1, Dan brought home my favorite chocolate-covered coconut-cream candy. (I tossed it in the freezer.) I couldn't bring myself to retaliate, but secretly, I strategized. In week 2, I stopped popping popcorn for our family's Sunday movie nights because — I'd learned in week 1 — it boosted my weight the next morning.

There were technical difficulties: Our 11-year-old bathroom scale got trashed by week 3, replaced with an unflappably accurate digital model. There were agonizing defeats, like the week I gained three pounds of utterly unfair water weight. And there was a little good-natured trash talking: "This coffee in bed sure tastes good when you're slim like me...."

Ten weeks later, I had lost 8 pounds. Dan dropped 5. I won! My jeans fit better. My waist was smaller. I loved walking into our family party in my slim black pants and sheer ruffled blouse over a camisole. My final prize? An extra-long foot rub with my favorite lemon-scented balm.

Ah, victory is sweet.

Diet bets are popping up everywhere — online, in gyms, at weight-loss classes, and as informal wagers among friends, spouses, and coworkers. They're big because they work. A multicenter study of 57 dieters found those who stood to lose money if they didn't succeed in shedding weight were about five times as likely to reach their goal as those with no financial stake in the outcome. Half of the bettors dropped 16 pounds in 16 weeks, compared with just 10.5 percent of the no-wager group. And in a study of more than 200 dieters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, those who were told they'd pocket $14 for every 1 percent of body weight they shed were nearly five and a half times as likely to take off 5 percent of their body weight as participants not offered cash.

Putting money, ego, and bragging rights on the line is a potent formula for keeping up your motivation. "If eating chocolate cake tonight means you'll lose $10 or $50 at your next weigh-in, dessert suddenly isn't very attractive," notes Dean Karlan, Ph.D., a Yale University behavioral economist. After losing 40 pounds in a personal bet with a friend, Karlan went on to found stickk.com, one of the first online weight-loss betting sites. "When there's something big at stake, you can't say, 'Oh, I'll eat less next week. I'll work out longer tomorrow.' You have to stay on track all the time, because doing the wrong thing would be very expensive."

Nobody wants to lose a bet. "More than anything I didn't want to be beaten by my opponents and feel embarrassed," admits Amy Orr, 32, of Brooklyn, who dropped 61 pounds in a series of bets with friends and even her former husband. "I've been on every diet out there — Atkins, Weight Watchers, raw foods — you name it. None worked as well as this."

Wagering on weight loss might even set off feel-good fireworks in the brain. In brain-scan studies at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard researchers found that gambling lit up the same little gray cells activated by morphine and cocaine.

Then there's the accountability factor. "Checking in with somebody every week is definitely going to help you stay on course," says New York City diet expert and registered dietitian Elisa Zied, M.S., R.D. "It's competitive in a playful way."

The extra ka-ching doesn't hurt, either. "Some people are definitely in it to win the money," says wellness coach Lisa Sallin of Thousand Oaks, CA, who runs 12-week healthy-weight-loss challenges. About $25 of each participant's $39 course fee goes into a pot. The winner gets half; second place earns 30 percent; third, 20. And we're not talking pocket change: "The winner in my biggest group dropped 13 percent of his body weight and took home $200," says Sallin.

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5 Inspiring Weight-Loss Success Stories

"I brought my family together"
Farredeh Baughcum, 30, Monroe, GA
Lbs. lost: 44
Current weight: 143 lbs.
Height: 5'9"
My story: I got married in 2002. It should have been a happy time, but a year before, my mother was assaulted by a man she'd been seeing. In the course of an argument, he'd shoved her and broken her neck, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. I hadn't wanted her to visit him that day, and although I was pleased she was able to come to my wedding — making her wheelchair debut — I was filled with anger and fear and worry. Although the attack may not have been the direct cause of my weight gain, I'm sure, deep down, it led me to eat. The pounds piled on, especially after I had my daughters in 2005 and 2006, and my mother came to live with us. My weight climbed to 187 pounds.
Click! As Christmas 2007 approached, I was making a family calendar when I came across a photo of me in a bathing suit taken on summer vacation. I was horrified and promptly deleted it. (Thank God for digital!) But I couldn't forget the image, so in January, when my best friend, Lindsay, invited me to a Weight Watchers meeting, I went. At first, I thought I wasn't going to go crazy trying to lose weight, but the meeting leader, Jan, was amazingly motivating, and I thought, I'm going to do this. I set my goal at 168, started counting points, and lost my first five pounds in three weeks. When I hit my target, I decided to keep going, and lost a total of 44 pounds. By September, when my husband brought my fall clothes up from the basement, nothing fit, and I had to buy all new outfits. It was fabulous!
The turnaround: As I got fit, my mother and I began to get along much better. Exercise eased my anger about the assault, and soon I was helping her work out, too, using resistance bands and weights to strengthen her upper body. My girls join us now, blasting music and dancing. In fact, it's changed how the whole family interacts. We used to watch TV together. Now my husband and I take the girls on hikes. I exercise eight to 10 hours a week, combining weights and cardio. I even ran a 10K race to celebrate my 30th birthday last July. When I'm training, and get tired and feel like quitting, I remember my mom in her wheelchair. I think how much she'd like to be able to run. It pushes me through that last mile.
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What if you drink (soup) more than your usual calorie intake per day

by Marie
(Ontario, Canada)

If your daily calorie intake is about 1800/a day and you drink your cabbage soup and the additional "allowed food" up to that amount, doesn't it void the whole diet concept? Therefore wouldn't it be false to say that we can "drink as much soup as we want". OR "the more you drink the more you lose"?

Hi Marie - thank you for this great question!

There are several aspects to consider: A calorie is not a calorie. Once a calorie enters your body, it's easier to turn food fat into body fat than it is to turn carbohydrate into body fat.

Nutritionists rattle off the 4-7-9 rule: A gram of carbohydrate or protein has 4 calories - a gram of alcohol contains 7 - and a gram of fat has even 9 calories.

But there is more. Jean-Pierre Flatt (University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester) explains that you pay higher energy costs for handling and storage of carbohydrates: 3 % to store fat as fat, 7 % to store carbohydrate as carbohydrate (in a form called glycogen), and 23 % to convert carbohydrate to fat.
What does this mean for the cabbage soup diet? For the cabbage soup (high in carbohydrates, low in fat and protein) your body needs more energy to digest it than it gets from the cabbage soup itself. That?s why often the expression "the more soup you drink the more pounds you lose" can be read in that context. And of course the healthy and purifying cleansing effect of the cabbage soup should also be taken into account.

It?s not only hard to convert carbohydrates into fat, your body seems even reluctant to do this.

Flatt, Jequier, fed young healthy people 700 grams of carbohydrate - that makes 2,800 calories. The result was a glycogen (carbohydrate) storage. He had then to give an enormous amount of carbohydrate to really see a net increase in fat storage.

Many researchers for weight loss now agree that if any diet is going to help take and keep weight off, it has to be low in fat.

Another aspect is that eating the cabbage soup at the beginning of a meal signals the brain to cut off appetit. But to achieve your calorie limit of 1800 calories per day you?ll have to consume at least 12 portions/12 cups/3 liters of cabbage soup = 1200 calories and e.g. at least 12 portions/12 cups/3 kg of vegetables = 600 calories. Try it and you?ll see, it is not very easy to consume such a high food quantity.

All the best,
Gabriela

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Recipes for Veggie Dishes for Cabbage Soup Diet

by melissa
(Lexington, ky)

Hi, does anyone have any suggestions for creative vegetable dishes for the veggie day? I know we are very limited in what we can have, but if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Are we able to use a minimal amount of fat free half-n-half? I wanted to make smashed cauliflower and the recipe calls for a dash of fat free half-n-half, cooked cauliflower and salt and pepper.

Also, is a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar ok to use on veggie day for a salad? Thanks.

Dear Melissa,
a minimal amount of fat free half-n-half for your
cauliflower dish is ok on the cabbage soup diet week. You may have per day 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 table spoon vinegar in addition. But please limit your sodium intake.

For a delicious vegetable recipe try "vegetables in a wok".

All the best,
Gabriela

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banana replacement options

by Celia
(Alresford)

I really find Bananas difficult to eat-is there a replacement fruit i can use on Banana day?

Dear Celia,

you may try papayas (pawpaws) instead of bananas.
Other banana replacement options for the day 4 of the cabbage soup diet are apricots or kiwis.

All the best,
Gabriela

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The Twinkie Diet: Eat Junk Food and Lose Weight?

It's been dubbed "the Twinkie diet" by the media: Mark Haub, a professor in Kansas State University's Department of Human Nutrition, has been surviving on junk food for the past month.

And, he's lost weight.

This might seem to fly in the face of conventional nutritional wisdom. After all, junk food results in weight gain, right?

Haub started the "Twinkie Diet" on 25th August. Since then, he's been eating mostly swiss cake rolls, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, Peanut Butter Oreos, and hot dogs.

As well as the junk food, Haub has milk (for protein), and vegetables (for vitamins) with dinner.

By sticking to 1,800 calories a day - around 600-800 fewer than he'd need to maintain weight - Haub lost 10lbs in the first three weeks of his "diet".

It shouldn't come as such as surprise. After all, you could lose weight eating two candy bars a day: it's the calories-in verses calories-out which matter.

Haub isn't doing this because he's a junk-food addict - he admits missing salads and blue cheese. He's trying to open up debate about how people on a low income can't eat healthily (on the diet, his food costs have dropped to around $5/day):

It's unrealistic in some areas of society to expect that you can find fresh broccoli, tomatoes at a price that is affordable. If somebody can get their nutrients from a supplement and then they get their fuel from whatever is available, does it matter that they're not getting fruits and vegetables and whole grains? Is that okay?

Of course, there are big nutritional questions to be asked about a diet which relies so heavily on sugary, salty, processed products. Nutrition is about a lot more than calories. Plus, most folks on a junk food diet would find themselves so hungry (due to sugar crashes and lack of fiber) that they'd be hard-pressed to stick to a calorie restriction.

What do you think? Is Haub's experiment an important one in a world where processed, packaged foods are often much cheaper than fresh ones? Or is this a dangerous way to diet?

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American's Still Not Eating Enough Veg: Your Solutions?

We all know that vegetables are good for us. So, why is it that the world over, refrigerators contain a sad mess of limp, wilting vegetables week after week?

Are we just to busy to cook these days?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have issued their behavioral study on America's fruit and vegetable consumption, and the results are pretty bleak.

Only 26 percent of American adults eat vegetables three, or more, times per day.

This is actually less than half of what public health officials had hoped for.

But, according to Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst for the market research company, NPD Group:

There is nothing you can say that will get people to eat more veggies.

I wholeheartedly don't agree with Harry, but I suppose some of the main issues hindering people, include:

TasteExpenseHassle -- i.e. you can grab a banana and go, but veg is less convenientHow to cook them

For some, eating vegetables is always going to be less fun than a bag of potato chips, but how can this issue be solved?

What would you say/do to get the nation eating more vegetables? Have you been successful in encouraging someone in your own family to have a healthier diet? Share your tips below...

Photo source: damil

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Drinking Milk Helps Weight Loss

We've got all sorts of things for weight loss: pills, diet books, surgery, and even vibrating machines you strap around your belly. But, who would have thought the answer would be as simple as drinking milk.

A new study claims consuming milk and calcium helped people lose more weight, regardless of diet.

But, before you go out and buy your own personal dairy cow, take a look at who sponsored the study.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, experts found study participants (300 overweight men and women, ages 40 to 65, on either a low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carb diet) with the highest dairy calcium intake, 12 ounces of milk - equal to 580 milligrams of dairy calcium - lost 12 pounds at the end of two years, regardless of the diet style.

On the flipside, people with the lowest dairy calcium intake, 150 milligrams of dairy calcium, about half a glass of milk, only lost seven pounds.

The magic might not just be in the milk or the calcium. The researchers say vitamin D levels were higher in the people who lost the most weight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that acts like a hormone, and helps facilitate calcium absorption. Other sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and algae supplements.

But, the research has a fatal, and sadly all too common flaw, it was supported by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Research Foundation, i.e. a fad diet company. Atkins advocates a high-fat diet for weight-loss, eating foods like bacon, steak, eggs, and of course milk, so you've got to raise an eyebrow. It's the same as a cigarette maker backing research that claims inhaling tobacco smoke actually improves lung health. Fail.

When a fad diet, activist group, or pharmaceutical company sponsors a study the findings can't be trusted. It's like a mafia don buying a judge.

Image credit: [ henning ]

View the original article here

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

In past years it was thought that cardiovascular exercise, such as running, was the best way to burn fat. However, nowadays experts have switched their beliefs to a more intense workout, such as weightlifting for the best results when trying to lose weight. Resistance workouts get the body working quickly and burning fat even quicker. Exercises that involve the whole body, such as dead lifts, squats, or lunges make your whole core work hard.

Not only will you lose weight from these core workouts, you will also be building muscle on top. All workouts are also accompanied by a diet when on a weight loss plan. If you are trying to build muscle, you would want to incorporate a lot more protein into your diet than you normally would eat. Proteins such as egg whites in the morning, and chicken throughout the rest of your day is healthy and low in fat. You can also take protein supplement shakes that are loaded with beneficial protein for when you muscles are rebuilding after an intense workout.

If muscle gain is not part of your goal, you may want to stick to a more cardiovascular workout. Cardio and healthy eating will more than do the job for healthy weight loss. it is important to note that if you do go the cardio route, you should not just jog at a continuous pace, but do a type of interval training where you run at different intensity levels for the most effective weight loss.

Finally, as I have stressed in most of the articles on this blog, you should set realistic goals for yourself and figure out where you want to be. Weight loss and health is not something that is short term, you must continue some type of diet and exercise to maintain the weight that you lose as well. Do not get discouraged in your weight loss routine as well.

Tags: Adam, Adam Waters, body building, Exercise, lifting weights, strength training, Tom Venuto, weight loss plan

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 14:28 and is filed under Fastest Fat Loss Ever. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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Can YOU Lose 2 Pounds per Week Safely?

Losing weight has become the task of many people around the world today. It is possible to lose weight very quickly, through diet and exercise, but is there a point were excessive weight loss can become bad for the body? the answer here is most definitely yes.

The most weight you should be losing per week is just about 2 pounds. The body has to be able to adapt to the weight you are losing and needs time to compensate. Also, a lot of uneducated weight loss hopefuls end up starving themselves because they end up cutting more calories than they should. These “starvation” diets work initially but when they return to their old eating habits, the “dieters” quickly shoot back up to their old weight and oftentimes, they surpass the weight they were at before they started the diet. Cutting calories by that much and making a habit of it can also lead to certain eating disorders such as anorexia.

The best way to lose 2 pounds a week effectively and healthily is by trying to cut your caloric intake by 1000 calories per day. Since 3500 calories equals 1 pound of fat, 7000 calories is 2 pounds that you would have no eaten throughout your week. This, combined with eating the right food and doing regular exercise should get you to the 2 pounds per week that you have been trying to work towards. If you have just started your workouts and dieting, take it slow. Don’t try to just jump into a strict diet with a hard workout regimen because you WILL burn yourself out. Take it slow, set goals for yourself, and stick to something you know you can do and then work towards making the major changes once you know you can do it.

Tags: eating disorders, food, starvation, Weight Loss

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 13:48 and is filed under 2 Pounds per Week Rule. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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How to Lose Weight

Losing weight is really not as hard as everyone thinks. There are a few things that anyone can change in there diet that can make a huge difference when trying to lose weight. Here is a small list of a few things you can do to better your health and start to burn off some fat.

1) Set goals for yourself. Having a goal or something to work towards can give you the drive needed to either get started on your weight loss program or even push you to the next level.

2) Eat a hardy and full breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of your day because it gives you the energy and vitamins needed to push your through your day. It will also jump start your metabolism for the day and get you burning calories.

3) Drink water! Drinking water is a very healthy replacement for any soft drink or sugary juices. You will want to drink at least the minimum 8 glasses a day to help clean out the inside of your body. Drinking water all day can actually deter you from snaking as well as speed up your metabolic rates throughout the day.

4) Be aware of how much you are eating. Make sure that you know exactly what it is that you are eating and how many calories that your are consuming throughout the day. Remember that 3,500 calories is exactly 1 pound of fat - they can add up quickly.

5) Exercise! Exercise is an essential part of any weight loss routine. You must have some type of daily exercise to lose weight effectively and healthily. Remember that any exercise is better than none, so if all you can do is walk, do it!

Tags: drink water, energy, Exercise, food journal, How to Lose Weight, setting goals, wrong diets

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 07:53 and is filed under How to Lose Weight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Jogging and Weight Loss

It is commonly known fact that exercise is needed for healthy weight loss. Exercise does not necessarily mean lifting weights either. There are many ways to get the cardiovascular exercise you need including walking, running, jogging, swimming, or even your favorite sport. Today, I plan to cover jogging because there are certain ways that jogging can help you, but if done improperly, can actually be a detriment to your work out.

Jogging, how most people do it, is actually bad for losing fat. The reason being that when you jog for long distances it starts to eat away at your muscle for energy rather than your fat. This is a common problem for most long distance joggers. Also, when you break down muscle like this, it can actually slow down your metabolic rates and you can actually gain weight in the end.

The best way to job is to do it in intervals. An example routine would be to run at high intensity for about 10-15 seconds, which will raise your heart rate. After that you slow down to a walk or slow jog for about 20-30 seconds. Repeat that for about 20 minutes and you will be burning fat and preserving, and most likely gaining, muscle. If possible, try to avoid jogging for long periods of time - Don’t go for more than 20 minutes.

Remember that any exercise you do is going to be beneficial to you in some way or another. Just get out and try to have fun with your work out or maybe even join your favorite recreational sports league if a jogging routine like this doesn’t work for you.

Tags: energy, favorite recreational sports, jogging, swimming, Weight Loss

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 07:17 and is filed under Running to Lose Weight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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Weight Loss: Exercise and Diet

Weight loss is something that does not just happen because you signed up and semi-stick to a diet plan that you saw on t.v.. To effectively and healthily lose weight, it takes a combination of both diet and exercise, as well as dedication and hard work.

To begin, you will want to re-evaluate your current diet. You will want to drop most of the fatty foods you are eating and go for the healthy ones. For meats, you will want to stick to the less fatty ones such as chicken, but all types are a good source of protein. You may also want to eat some nuts or peanut butter for protein.

In addition to protein you need fruits and vegetables. As long as you eat them the right way which is by steaming them, there is a lot to gain from having them in your diet. In fact, with all the vitamins and nutrients in each of them they are very important to your diet. But there are some that are much better at helping you lose weight. Some of them include fruits, such as, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries (have tons of antioxidants), watermelon, pears, plums and cantaloupe. There are more, but these are the more popular, and all of these taste great, so you are bound to find something you like.

As for vegetables, dark green vegetables, carrots, lettuce, spinach, artichokes, cucumbers and tomatoes all help you burn fat fastest. Another great part of adding fruits and vegetables to your diet is that many of these fruits and vegetables are negative calorie foods. Negative calorie foods are just foods that take your body more calories to burn than gained by eating them, it is only good to have up to 10 of these foods a day.

Finally, you MUST include some type of exercise to go along with your diet. Whether it be walking, running, swimming, or even some type of sport, you have to do something daily to keep your heart rate up and keep you losing weight healthily. I recommend going to see a nutritionist and a personal trainer to get an idea of the things that you can be doing for exercise.

Tags: food tips, fruit, nutritionist and a personal trainer, veggies

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 08:18 and is filed under Weight Loss Exercise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Interview With Ben Davis: "My 120 Pound Journey"

In January of 2009, a young man by the name of Ben Davis had had enough. He was 358lbs, and his weight was taking its toll on his health and his personal life. Then one day he started to run...
If you haven't seen this incredibly inspiring video, do yourself a favor and watch it. Then watch it again, and share it with others. Ben Davis' journey is a true testament of the human spirit and what one can accomplish with dedication, hard work (and some nipple band aids!)
Here's the video:

Determined to get into the head of such a determined and fearless human being, I caught up with Ben Davis, and had the privilege of picking his brain about his amazing journey.
MH: Hello Ben!
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this.
BD: It's my pleasure; I'm honored.
MH: I was really struck by the line in the video that says "and then I got inspired". Was there a moment/event/epiphany that occurred that sparked you into action? Describe if you can what the turning point was.
BD: There was absolutely a moment for me. It was Christmas of '08. I was spending the break with my grandmother in Massachusetts. She's always been a big supporter of me, but has always been concerned with my health and obesity. Throughout my life, she had always offered me advice and tips on how to become healthy, but where I appreciated it, I had also always kind of dismissed it. Then, this particular Christmas, in one of our many conversations she just asked me if I was happy. At the time, I just nonchalantly told her I was. Later that night, though, I started to think about it, and realized I wasn't happy. I also had the luxury of being able to pinpoint my sadness to my obesity.
So the next morning was Christmas and, being the irresponsible grandchild, I hadn't gotten her a gift. I woke up early and made the website. I wrote the address on a card for her and told her it was my commitment to her, that it was finally time to get my life together. She loved it.

MH: When you decided you were going to start running, did you have a specific goal in mind? Did you ever imagine when you started this journey less than 2 years ago that you would have undergone such a drastic transformation?
BD: There wasn't really any goals at first other than, "lose weight, get fit." But I knew running would be a means to that end, so my brother, Jed, and I signed up for a 5K to kind of kickstart us and give us something to work towards. He had about 50 pounds to lose (and has, by the way) so it was a perfect time for us both to be getting our act together.
But finishing the 5K 17 days later lit a fire in me. I loved the race atmosphere and loved seeing my times improve, so I never looked back.

MH: People start these kinds of endeavors all the time with the best of intentions, but very few of them accomplish what you did. What was it that kept you going, Ben?
BD: A few things, actually. First of all, the fear of going back to the dark place of depression. I knew how sad I was back then and never wanted to go back. I actually wrote a letter to my future self on the blog. It basically said, "Dude, if you're thinking of giving up, just remember, you've never been as happy as you are now. Keep going." And any time I would have a bad run or eat bad for a week, I would remember that letter and keep going.
Second thing was the running scene and the constant races. Having races and goals for those races really keeps the motivation up. I probably wouldn't have been successful if I had gone in just trying to have random workouts each day. With races, you're always kind of on a set schedule, training wise, and always wanting to improve your times, so you're always motivated to keep hitting the track.
MH: You've accomplished such an amazing feat to this point. What are some of your personal and athletic goals for the future?
Being bigger, I'm not really built for speed. I'm more into the long distance, endurance stuff like triathlons and long road races, so my goals are more marathonish type things. Of course, it would be fantastic to run a marathon in all 50 states. That's one of our big goals. More Ironmans, no doubt. And recently we've been toying with the idea of a 100-miler, but nothing set on that. The main goal, though, is to keep going. Just keep doing it. If nothing else, just make sure to stay with it.
MH: Lastly, what message do you have for people out there who may find themselves in a situation similar to yours of 2 years ago?
BD: My four commandments!
1. Be public
If you keep this to yourself, it will be easy to quit. The thing about having a health problem/addiction, is that the natural impulse is to hide it and keep it secret that you're trying to better yourself. But, it's also easier to quit if it's just you that knows about it.
And here's a secret: Unlike some addictions like alcoholism or drug use that are hideable, obesity is different. People know you're obese. It's not your little secret; you're not fooling anyone (no matter how much black or vertical lines you wear). So if you want to change, tell people. It seems embarrassing, I know. And it's hard, but you'll find that the people that love and care about you are going to be excited for you.
2. Get involved in something official
The feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself will keep you motivated to keep going. Join a local fitness movement (running club, cycling group, weight watchers, etc...) If you have a group of people with likeminded goals, you'll keep coming back. As a bonus, if you join a running club, you'll have official races (Crazy scary, at first, but really no big deal) that you can work toward to keep you having goals. Get involved. You won't regret it.
3. Do something that you enjoy
Running isn't for everyone, so don't do it if you don't want to. Do you enjoy rollerblading? Good. Do that, but do it enough for it to work. Love cycling? Perfect. Did you swim in high school and kind of wish you could get back into it? Great.
If you hate what you're doing, you won't be doing it for very long. If I had said at the beginning, "I'm going to get really freaking good at doing the elliptical," BenDoesLife would have lasted two weeks. Find something that works for you and kill it. You can do it.
4. Be a smarter eater
And I don't mean you have to find a popular name-brand diet thing. If you want to, fine, but they aren't for everyone. But you have to eat better and, more importantly, smarter. Are you and your friends going out for pizza? Ok. Have two slices instead of seven (which was my number of choice.) Want something easy for breakfast? Toast an English muffin rather than a Pop-Tart.
And, if nothing else, learn portion control. Our portion sizes are completely out of whack these days, and what you think is a small meal is probably still more than you should be eating. It's going to take a month or two before you're used to the smaller portions but you'll get there, and it's imperative that you do. Give it time.
MH: Well, Ben I'm sure I speak for many when I wish you a very heartfelt congratulations and all the best in your future pursuits.
Be sure to check out Ben's blog - documenting his continuing journey and sharing thoughts, tips and other musings.
View the original article here

Drinking Milk Helps Weight Loss

We've got all sorts of things for weight loss: pills, diet books, surgery, and even vibrating machines you strap around your belly. But, who would have thought the answer would be as simple as drinking milk.

A new study claims consuming milk and calcium helped people lose more weight, regardless of diet.

But, before you go out and buy your own personal dairy cow, take a look at who sponsored the study.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, experts found study participants (300 overweight men and women, ages 40 to 65, on either a low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carb diet) with the highest dairy calcium intake, 12 ounces of milk - equal to 580 milligrams of dairy calcium - lost 12 pounds at the end of two years, regardless of the diet style.

On the flipside, people with the lowest dairy calcium intake, 150 milligrams of dairy calcium, about half a glass of milk, only lost seven pounds.

The magic might not just be in the milk or the calcium. The researchers say vitamin D levels were higher in the people who lost the most weight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that acts like a hormone, and helps facilitate calcium absorption. Other sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and algae supplements.

But, the research has a fatal, and sadly all too common flaw, it was supported by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Research Foundation, i.e. a fad diet company. Atkins advocates a high-fat diet for weight-loss, eating foods like bacon, steak, eggs, and of course milk, so you've got to raise an eyebrow. It's the same as a cigarette maker backing research that claims inhaling tobacco smoke actually improves lung health. Fail.

When a fad diet, activist group, or pharmaceutical company sponsors a study the findings can't be trusted. It's like a mafia don buying a judge.

Image credit: [ henning ]

View the original article here