ThinkSlim

Straight Up

I picked up a book ("Flip the Switch") yesterday in a second-hand book store which had an interesting theory. It was saying that a group of Australian gastroenterologists had shown that people stay hungrier when they're reclining or slumping than when they sit up straight or walk tall. It seems that standing and sitting properly stretches appetite sensors in the stomach and allows them to work properly.

And I thought it was just standing properly that made you look like you lost 10lbs - not that it actually helped you to achieve it in reality!

Actually I can see the truth in the theory - what makes you feel like eating? Slumping on the sofa or sitting up straight tall and proud. It's a kind of body awareness thing which is always a good thing when you're trying to lose weight. Slumping seems to pass the message to your brain that your body really doesn't matter so you might as well feed it junk.

Too Bored to Lose Weight

According to the International Journal of Obesity (April 07) Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have been investigating the link between personality and our ability to lose weight. It seems that lean people and those able to lose weight have a lower boredom threshold than others.

This is significant because losing weight on a classic diet or weight loss program generally means keeping up an exercise routine and eating a more limited range of foods.

If you get easily bored with a diet or exercise routine it probably meansd making an extra effort to keep things varied. Try different activities rather than deciding to go jogging five times a week and make sure that you seek out and experiment with as many new recipes and food combinations as possible while sticking to whatever guidelines you are following.

It just takes a little imagination to pep up your weight loss efforts and it will be worth it to achieve success.

In addition, if you have a habit of using food to releve boredom rather than to satisfy hunger this is going to have a huge effect on your weight - so think about how to keep yourself occupied - and if you have a particularly boring task you have to do challenge yourself to get through it as fast as possible rather than turning to food. If you absolutely must eat - nibble of raw veggies!

technorati tags:boredom+with+dieting, eating+due+to+boredom

More on Alli from Kimkins

With results like these for so many on her low carb diet it's no wonder Kimmer of Kimkins diet fame is critical of the new over the counter diet drug Alli which needs to be accompanied by a low-fat diet.

She says in her blog entry that on top of the worry of soiling yourself with a "greasy anal discharge" it appears that the drug only blocks 25% of dietary fat - it's basically half-strength Orlistat.

And you need to be on a low-fat diet and exercise routine for weight loss to happen at all - same as with any of those wonder pills.

Now get this, Kimmer has calculated that if you have a modest fat comsumption of 30g a day you will save precisely 68 calories a day by taking Alli - hardly worth the worry of not being able to reach the bathroom on time or the $60 a month price tag.

I still say you're better to change your habits into healthier ones you can live with for the rest of your life and spend that hard-earned $60 on something else entirely.

technorati tags:Kimkins, Alli+diet+drug, kimkims, kimmer, orlistat

Changing Habits is the Only Way to Keep Weight Off

I just read an article by Julia Harvey talking about the almost unbelievable statistic that half of gastric bypass patients put the weight back on.

Now these people wanted to change their shape so badly that they were willing to undergo life-threatening surgery to lose weight.

But they weren't wiling to change their eating and exercise habits to avoid it.

So it's no wonder that they are unwilling to change them either to avoid putting the weight back on after the surgery.

If I could only make you see one thing it's this : there are no magic pills, patches or procedures which will let you eat and do whatever you want without putting on weight.

Either you have habits which allow the weight to drop off and keep you slim forever or you have habits which will ultimately keep you fat no matter what temporary diet you follow to lose weight now and again.

It's your choice and you can make it today if you want - it's up to you whether you want to be slim or struggle with diets all your life.

technorati tags:keeping+weight+off, gastric+bypass, regain+weight, healthy+habits

Would I take Diet Drug Alli? Not on Your Life

The first FDA-approved diet drug to be available over the counter has hit the shelves in the US. It's called Alli and it's a fat-blocker - it works by preventing some of the fat in your meals from being digested - it passes right through you.

And therein lies the problem with all these fat-blocker type drugs - they are not a way to eat all the fat you want because the more fat you eat the more you are in danger of soiling yourself - lovely!

With that hanging over your head it sure would put a blocker on your visions of a happy eat all you want social dinner.

On the other hand it just may help you think twice about eating those french fries. And in tests those taking the drug have lost 50% more weight than those  not taking it when combined with diet and exercise (presumably the same diet and exercise).

Me? I would rather continue eating healthily and not pump my system full of drugs to strengthen my willpower - feeling fantastic and being slim is motivation enough thank you very much. There's no way I would want to live my life wearing dark clothes and carrying a change of clothing "just in case" - as the manufacturers advise. I would also rather spend my $60 a month of delicious fresh foods or a gym membership - but that's just me.

Alli is disappearing off the shelves as fast as they can be stocked. It makes me sad that people deny themselves the fantastic feeling of losing weight under their own steam by eating healthily and moving their bodies and would rather take a pill with pretty unpleasant side effects.

WIStv.com Columbia, SC: Diet drug "Alli" comes to store shelves

technorati tags:Diet+drug+Alli, fat+blocker, oover+the+counter+diet+drug, FDA+approved+diet+drug

The Thyroid Diet: Is Your Thyroid to Blame?

About 1 in 7 women (and a large number of men) will suffer a thyroid condition at some point in their lives which will cause them to pile on the pounds faster than they ever thought possible and make it pretty much impossible to lose weight. These conditions tend to go undiagnosed for years as many of the symptoms are those found in the general public - putting on weight, feeling tired and so on.

If you have really tried to lose weight and you're finding it impossible despite eating a limited number of calories and taking exercise then take a look at the Thyroid Diet by Mary L. Shomon. She has a thyroid condition herself and  explains in clear English and in great depth all about the condition and the various ways to manage it. Unfortunately it's not a simple case of taking a medication for your condition to resolve the problem with your weight but Mary explains all the strategies which will help as well as those which won't.

The book version I read is available at Amazon.co.uk or there's a version under a different cover on Amazon.com (see below)

The Kimkims Diet

Everyone is still raving about the Kimkims diet created by Kimmer - that's her in the before and after picture - and to be honest (though I have to say I don't like diets) the results are spectacular if you can stomach the diet.

It is a particularly effective variation of Atkins low-carb diet so if that diet was not for you neither will this one be - but if you got on Ok with Atkins it might be worth giving it a go if you want fast weight loss results.

Just make sure that in the long run you change your habits and get out of that endless dieting one minute/eating normally and putting on weight the next yo-yo pattern.

Exercise to Eat Less

This BBC news report explains how a study by Surrey University and Imperial College London showed that exercise leads you to eat less by reducing your appetite rather than more.

A group of exercisers in the study not only used more calories by exercising but also automtically ate less at their next meal than a control group which took no exercise.

Mind you, this only works if you eat according to your appetite. So many of us have forgotten what appetie is and simply eat because food is there or because we feel we deserve it after exercising so hard...

It's too easy to reward yourself with more food than you worked off, so be careful with this.

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Exercise after eating' diet tip

technorati tags:exercise, appetite+control, weight+loss, diet

The NIL Diet

I love this entry about the NIL diet on the Manchester Evening News blog. For once you really can't go wrong with it - a true back to basics diet that will improve your health as well as your weight and bank balance.

The NIL diet doesn't means starving yourself as in eating nothing it all - NIL stands for "no ingredients list". So you choose foods which has - well - no ingredients - it's in its purest form.  No additives, no preservatives, no ready meals - just pure fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, pulses, grains, nuts, seeds, juices etc.

It needn't be boring because you can cook to your heart's content - and there is a huge variety in all natural foods. Give it a  go for a week and see how much better you feel.

Best advice I've read about diets for a long time.

How to Lose 2 Stone (28lbs) in 8 weeks

I've just been reading Fitness Training by Barry Davies who served with the SAS ( British Special Air Service) for 18 years. The training for the SAS is so mentally and physically tough that many drop out during the iduction period. So I didn't expect his advice for losing weight to be an easy route to take.

And it's true, the routine that Barry provides in the book for losing two stone in a couple of months is pretty tough. The diet does not sound so bad - it's pretty normal healthy food. Most people would feel quite well on it and not get too hungry.

But the exercise regime is something else. Although it does build up gradually over the weeks, by week 8 you are walking 5 miles both morning and evening five days a week, in addition to doing steps, sit-ups and press-ups at both ends of the day.

And there lies the problem for most people - lack of time - even if the willpower is there.

However, if you would be able to devote the time and are not afraid of a tough routine that will get you fit and strong without joining a gym as well as take your weight right down you could check out the book too.

I'm sorry i won't be joining you - the SAS would be too tough for me :)