Healthy Recipes For The New Year!!!

I never thought that I would live to hear someone talk about the link between food and disease on national television. So I thought I was dreaming when I turned on "The Today Show" and heard nutritonist Joy Bauer, author of "The 90/10 Weight Loss Cookbook," preach the gospel of fighting inflammation with bromelain from pineapple and the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids in Salmon in these awesome recipes and their ingredients. Pineapple Cheese Pancakes; Makes 15 pancakes Super foods ingredients: Low-fat cottage cheese provides ample calcium, which helps maintain strong bones and manage high blood pressure. Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which has been shown to reduce muscle and tissue inflammation and may also aid in digestion. I was fortunate to be exposed to the biochemical pathways of the essential fatty acids, bromelain, tumeric, ginger some 14 years ago. Its so nice to see it has only taken this long to become mainstream!!!!! Here's another great book or the book of books on omega-3 fats as well as recipes. The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutritional Program Based on the Diet of the Island of Crete (Paperback)by Artemis P. Simopoulos, Jo Robinson

Americans Work Hard, But Don't Play Hard Enough

Americans seem to have mastered working hard but they are having a difficult time playing hard enough.

Accoridng to a recent report from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) Americans aren't sweating enough.

Most U.S. adults failed to exercise at the minimum recommended level in 2003, according to a federal government study released on Thursday that suggested America's "couch potatoes" are still in recline.

Only 45.9 percent of those aged 18 and over met the U.S. government's recommendation of at least 30 minutes of brisk walking or other moderate exercise five days a week or at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the report.

The 4 Most Common Weight Loss Methods. Too Bad None Of Them Work. The Doctor Tells You What Works If Weight Loss Is Your Resolution This New Year!

Everyone who listens knows that Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy is the funniest weight loss and fitness radio show on the internet.

This week the Doctor gives you the skinny on the 4 most common weight loss methods and why they don't works and what you should do instead.

Here are his tips.

#4. If you're thinking about joining a gym and you've never done it before then you'll have better results if you find a partner to help you lose weight instead. #3. Before you spend thousands of dollars on a treadmill or another large piece of exercise equipment spend fifty bucks on a heart rate monitor which will help you a lot more. #2. Don't add another diet book to your diet book collection just eat smaller portions 25% less per meal should do it. #1. I know you're tempted to try those diet pills, the commercials are very persuasive. Don't do it. diet pills don't address the behaviors that cuased you to put on the weight in the first place. Try to modify one behavior that's causing you to put on weight instead!

Check out our podcast of our radio show here. In additon to the tips, you'll hear a hilarious interview with Stephanie Triplett of the Mommy Chronicles radio show and book. She is awesome and her book and radio show are awesome. If you are a mom click here to learn more about the Mommy Chronicles.

Also a special thank you to Dale Basescu and Jocelyn Harrison our other guests last night. Dale was a world class triathlete and is currently an actor and Jocelyn is an executive at Star 94 one of Atlanta's top radio stations. They shared some strategies about how people at different fitness levels can work out together.

Daily Weigh-In May Help Dieters Lose Weight...Or Their Minds

Hot off the presses....a new study suggests that weighing yourself each day may be help you lose more weight or control your weight more effectively than weekly or less frequent weighing. Researcher Jennifer A. Linde, PhD, and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota found that daily weigh-ins may serve the same function as keeping track of daily food intake and exercise. The study examined more than 3000 people for two years and their self-weighing practices. Out of the more than 3000 people studies, 1800 were either obese or overweight and were enrolled in a weight loss program. Here's what they found:

In both the weight loss and weight control groups, people who weighed themselves daily lost more weight than those who weighed less frequently.

Daily weighers in the weight loss group lost twice as much weight as weekly weighers -- an average of 12 pounds vs. 6, Linde says. People who never weighed on their own gained about 4 pounds.

Should I weigh myself everyday based on these finding?

Absolutely not! Daily weighing is not for everyone especially those who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. There is also some data to suggest that daily weighing is not recommended for people who are clinically depressed. Focusing on weight on a daily basis can also discourage dieters from continuing on their regimen due to fluctuations in water retention, hormonal changes, and just plain different times of the day for weighing.

I recommend weekly weigh-ins. You should wear the same kind of clothes, eat the same kind of meal, and weigh in at about the same time.

Is This The New CSI Weight Loss Program? Just Go To The Supermarket, Check Your DNA , Get Your Customized Diet, Lose Weight!

Checking your DNA used to be only for the "CSI" teams, but not anymore. You will soon be able to go to the supermarket, buy a $99 DNA Test Kit, Meet with a dietician courtesy of the store, and map out an eating program that can be customized to meet your genetic predispositions and manage your health. Maybe with this kit Grissom can drop a few pounds.

The DNA, diet and lifestyle assessment kits are produced by Sciona Inc., a Colorado-based company under the brand name "Cellf" and are currently available to test five individual conditions: Antioxidants, Bone Health, Heart Health, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance.

All you have to do is take a simple cheek swab, and send the sample along with a diet and lifestyle questionnaire to the lab in Colorado. The consumer will receive a personalized and confidential nutrition and health assessment based on their genetic profile in less than a month.

I know on CSI they get their results a heckuva lot faster.

The objective is to be able to actually tailor your diet not just to specific health conditions but even to genetic predispositions for certain illnesses. Sounds like a great concept, right?

The future of "Nutrigenetics," connecting genetic predispositions with what we eat is here!

However, we are still in its infancy stage. Some analyses have trouble being reproduced and that many genes may alter the risk of a particular disease. We are talking about thousands upon thousands of alterations in the genetic code that could make a difference in the results. If you look at numerous cancers, numerous genes, and numerous antioxidants, you have thousands of possibilities.

The technology and the studies are just not there yet. I believe they are coming though. So If you want to do the five tests and spend $500 to see where you stand, I recommend you wait for a year or two, save some money, and buy a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables and eat them like there's no tomorrow.

Chances are the results will recommend you adhere to this kind of diet anyway!!! Read all about it here.

The Five Best Last Minute Gifts For The Person Trying To Lose Weight Or Get In Shape

Last night's radio show was awesome. We had not one guest but two. We had the General manager of Gold's Gym and the creators of the Eat It Trivia Game. Check out our podcast for all the laughs.

This week the doctor shared his five best last minute gifts for the person trying to lose weight or get in shape in 2006. Here they are: #1. A month of sessions with a personal trainer #2. a heart rate monitor #3. A fitness membership-but remember to fit the gym to the perosnality of the person #4. Dance lessons or group exercise classes #5. Gift certificate for new athletic shoes. Here's a bonus gift idea from the Fat Guy if you really want to motivate your spouse tell him/her you want to go to your high school reunion or you want to renew your wedding vows.

Listen to the entire podcast of our one hour radio show here.

And also check out our new website here to subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Is Hoodia The Magic Weight Loss Drug We've All Been Waiting For? Doctor Fitness Weighs In...

On November 21, 2004 Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes" did a segment on a bitter tasting cactus-like plant from South Africa called Hoodia. The reason why Hoodia received this amazing attention was because of its potential on weight loss. No, it doesn't melt fat away or get rid of toxic chemicals that build up in the body or any other bogus weight loss claim.

South African scientists discovered that it contained a previously unknown molecule, which they named P57 which affected the part of the brain, the hypothalamus, to profoundly curb hunger.

How is the research on this product and where can you get it? Studies are spotty at best, but what little research is out there, shows promise. However, If you are looking to purchase it over the internet, you better think twice! A report from the British Broadcasting Corporation, which sent a correspondent to the Kalahari Desert, the only place in the world where Hoodia grows, to cover the Hoodia story. As part of his research, the reporter had the leading brand of Hoodia gordonii available on the internet tested: it contained no discernible Hoodia.

The BBC correspondent reported that he tried the real thing in the Kalahari – he ate a piece of Hoodia about the size of half a banana. He said the plant had an unpleasant taste, but he wasn’t hungry for dinner that day or breakfast the next morning. Later, he ate lunch but without much appetite or pleasure. He reported that his appetite returned about 24 hours after eating Hoodia. Lesley Stahl from 60 minutes had a very similar experience.

The bottom line on Hoodia right now is that it is too early to tell if it is safe. It seems that if you can somehow find the real plant that it may curb your appetite. But can it be processed into a supplement that is available at your health food store or even better from an internet email ad right now. I doubt it!!!

Here's why i doubt it. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with a British company Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out of trying to make a weight loss drug from Hoodia.

Now why would a huge corporation like Pfizer stop trying to make a miracle weight loss drug if they really could? They have the expertise and the R&D budgets right. They can't do it but some guy selling supplements out of his basement can? I don't think so. Stay tuned for more info on Hoodia!

Five Things You Should Do To Safely Exercise This Winter. And The One Thing You Should Never Do.

On this weeks Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy podcast we give you the skinny on the 5 things you should do in order to safely exercise in cold weather and the 1 thing you should never do. Here's the five things you should do.

5. Cover you head, ears, hands and feet.
4. Where thin layers that you can shed.
3. Stay hydrated.
2. Wear sweatproof sunscreen and lip balm if you are doing activites in the snow
1. Wear superlight fabrics that wick moisture away but still keep you warm.

Here's the one thing you shouldn't do.

1. Don't wear cotton. It's too absorbant and doesn't wick your sweat away from your skin.

Check out the podcast of our radio show here and listen to the funniest show about weight loss on the air.

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The Skinny on Artificial Sweeteners!

There are many different kinds of artificial sweeteners on the market today. The latest one to hit the market is call Splenda or its chemical name of sucralose. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998. Unlike other sugar substitutes, Splenda doesn't have an aftertaste. Since it is made from sugar, it seems to be safe for the time being.

But the real question is are people losing weight from drinking beverages with artificial sweeteners? Absolutely not!!! Remember there is only 15 calories in a tablespoon of sugar, a relatively small amount.

Sweet n' Low, another sugar substitute which has been around for almost 100 years, has had a long history of negative press in regards to its safety. Its chemical name is known as Saccharin and is made from a petroleum derivative. There were studies done in the late 70's on rats showing increase incidence of cancer. However, these studies were not able to be duplicated on monkeys and in 2000, the FDA dropped any warning of health safety from the product. There is some anecdotal evidence of causing headaches. Equal is another sugar substitute made of two Amino Acids, Aspartame and Phenylalanine. There are some individual that are at risk using this product because they lack the enzyme to metabolize Phenylalanine and can be susceptible to a condition known as PKU or Phenylketonuria. (Read more) www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3840760/

THE TOP 8 HOLIDAY SURVIVAL TIPS

If you are like most Americans, depression is rapidly setting in due to the fact that your normal every day clothes are becoming very snug. No, it is not the dryer or the dry cleaner. It is the added weight gain that started around Halloween and is now in full bloom as the new year is upon us.
Here are 5 tips that will forever change you and you will be able to avoid the added 10lbs. From the holidays:
1. Write down your goal. Be specific. If you want to lose 40 lbs. Or 4% body fat or size 4 jeans, write it down. Post it somewhere where you can see it everyday like on the fridge or your bathroom mirror. Writing down goals elevates your intention and increases your rate of success.
2. Make your goal a top priority. I like to call this a non-negotiable priority. The same commitment that you make to your family and children should be made to yourself and your goal. The goal has to be in the top 3 priorities for you to be successful.
3. Tell 10 people about your goal. The really increases your rate of success because you don't want other people to keep asking about the goal that you didn't achieve. This adds a greater level of accountability.
4. Decrease calorie intake by 25%. This means always leave 1/4 of your plate full and save it for next time or later that day.
5. Stop the all or nothing mentality. Think of your weight loss plan as a process that is always being tweaked. Just because you had a big dinner or a bad week doesn't mean you can't start today by working on each meal as it comes.
6. Reconnect with your friends or family members To Exercise. Studies upon studies show that the best way to stay compliant to exercise is by having a partner. If you have an overweight child, this is a perfect time to start going for evening walks with them!!!
7. Listen to you hunger, but don't think you are dying from starvation. It is okay to be hungry, but stay away from the feast or famine syndrome. If you haven't eaten all day take your time, eat slowly and walk away and come back to the table.
8. Plan your activities as well as your meals. The old saying is quite true that if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. We all know the holidays becomes a very hectic time so be flexible with plans but make sure you take the time to fit in a workout even if it is a small one and plan your meals even if it means you have to eat out more frequently. Pick places that you can make healthier choices.

Kellogg Is At Least Trying!

In an effort to reduce Trans Fatty Acid content in it's products, Kelloggs will start using oils made from genetically modified soybeans known as Vistive. Trans Fats have been linked to increasing the risk of heart disease, but I wouldn't celebrate just yet. The jury is still not out on genetically modified foods and we still do not know the long-term effects from using them. Try some olive oil, Kelloggs! (Read More)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-12-09-kellogg-fat_x.htm

Intuitive Weight Loss Sounds Nice, But........

Steven Hawks is a Health Science professor at BYU. He lost 50 pounds on his "Intuitive Eating Diet." The main focus is to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. He surrounds himself with lots of goodies so he never feels deprived. No restrictions, no problem right? Wrong!!!! People eat for many reasons and to simplify it with a blanket of self-disclipline and awareness and your weight problem is solved, is quite misleading!!!!http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10297653/

Is Sponge Bob Making Your Kid Fat? Or Are You?

Once again some scientists are pressuring the government to prevent cartoon characters from selling junk food to kids. How many of these kids that eat Sponge Bob snacks pay for them with their own money? Last time I checked most parents still pick up the tab for feeding their children.

When will this end? There are two issues and both involve parenting or more accurately lack of parenting. #1. When will parents get a backbone and tell their kids "no you can't have the unhelathy snack I don't care if Sponge Bob, Sideshow Bob or Bob Newhart is on the package." And #2 Why are we so quick to have the government to come in and do the dirty work for us parents? I don't think Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin envisioned an America that regulates kid's snacks.

Read all about it here.

Get Real, Dr. Phil!!!!

I'm a big fan of Dr. Phil....but when he dipped his toes in the supplement game he dropped several notches on my ladder. Now it seems that he is being sued for fraudulent claims surrounding The Shape Up pills he was pushing in relation to his "best selling book: The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom." Once you sign off by lending your name to a product, you better pay close attention to the marketing campaign, Dr. Phil!!!!
(Read More Here)

The 4 Critical Things You Must Do If You Want To Lose Weight In 2006

On this weeks Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy radio show we gave our listeners the skinny on the 4 critical things you must do if you want to lose weight in 2006.

Click here to listen to the podcast of our show

Read on for the 4 tips.

#4. Set a specific goal with a date attached, write it down and tell 10 people.
#3. Do some physical activity for at least 5 minutes each day. It doesn't have to be exercise per se, it could be walking or even dancing.
#2. Eat less at every meal. Leave at least 25% of the food on your plate (this applies to full calorie drinks as well)
#1. Find a partner. Having someone to watch your back and support you through this difficult challenge of losing weight is essential for success. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who also wants to lose weight. Find him or her - partner up - and you will lose weight in 2006!

If you like our blog you'll love our newsletter please check out the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy website to subscribe and you'll get weekly tips delivered right into your email box.

Your Car Gets Preventive Maintenance...How About You?

Here's an interesting article about aging gracefully.

Included are tips about sleep, nutrition and hydration. There's also some good stuff about your body's warning signal that maybe something is wrong. That warning signal is called pain!

Read all about how you can feel younger longer here.