Weight Watchers Points Plus

Weight Watchers have overhauled their points system and come up with a completely new program - called Points Plus (or Pro Points in the UK).

The previous Points formula (started in 1997) took into account Calories, Fiber grams and Fat grams. The PointsPlus formula uses Protein, Carbohydrate, Fiber, and Fat grams.

Weight Watchers have spent a number of years testing the new program (at the Medical University of South Carolina among other places). According to Weight Watchers the trials resulted in "an improvement in behaviors that help people maintain weight loss and a reduction in the desire to eat when there's no physical hunger or need for food." (src).

Critics of the previous Points formula claimed that it did not accurately differentiate between more nutritionally dense foods, and "empty calories". This is due to the heavy weighting of Calories over other nutrient measures.

When we have a 100-calorie apple in one hand and a 100-calorie pack of cookies in the other, and we view them as being "the same" because the calories are the same, it says everything that needs to be said about the limitations of just using calories in guiding food choices.

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Poll: The Fresh Diet Fires Carnie Wilson

It is no secret that singer Carnie Wilson has had a very public struggle with her weight.

She even underwent gastric bypass surgery 1999 but gained some of the weight back.

Earlier this year became spokesperson for The Fresh Diet, but they recently fired her for not losing weight and cheating on the plan by eating cheesecake.

The Fresh Diet is a diet delivery company that delivers a days worth of gourmet, portion controlled meals and snacks to your door fresh daily. A plan for a women averages around 1200 to 1300 Calories per day.

According to The Fresh Diet, Carnie Wilson (as a side business) was making and selling cheesecakes and instead of losing weight on their plan, she actually gained weight. She did lose 19 pounds on The Fresh Diet before starting her cheesecake company but then gained it all back and more.

Do diet companies place too high of expectations on celebrities and set them up for failure? I wonder if The Fresh Diet kicks customers out of their program if they fall off the wagon or if they help them regain their focus?

Maybe The Fresh Diet could have handled this differently? What do you think? Participate in the poll and comments below.

Source: Blogging With the Stars

Was it right for The Fresh Diet to fire Carnie Wilson?

Yes No View results

Celebrities diet delivery Diet Marketing 15 Comments Spectra on 30 Nov 2010

While I do think some of those diet companies are a little bit restrictive (especially all of them that require you to purchase food from them and eat only what they tell you to), if they hire a spokesperson to follow the plan, I think the spokesperson SHOULD be following the plan and not be starting a cheesecake company and gaining the weight back. It portrays the company in a bad light and they don't want that, so I think it's fair for them to hire/fire whoever they want.

Reply jessialba7 on 30 Nov 2010

u r right

Reply O. on 30 Nov 2010

You have a point. Would this company kick a customer out? I read on AOL that a woman wasn't allowed to work for Weight Watchers because of her BMI. It didn't matter that she went from a dress size 24 to 12 on THEIR diet.

I will say that I am a big fan of diet meal delivery companies or companies that can provide most of your food.

Reply Berzerker on 30 Nov 2010

Serves her right; I can't feel sympathy for her when I and so many people I know struggle to find work, and it sounds like everything was perfectly set up for her, yet she threw it all away.

Reply Duane on 1 Dec 2010

I'm not a fan of any of these diets, just money grabs as far as I'm concerned, but she was the face of the company and it was her job to represent them well. She did not so they turfed her. Good for them.

Customers though? No way! Do you really think they care if a regular customer loses weight? What makes them any different from the others? As long as the money keeps rolling in and people are gullible enough to keep paying. Weight loss shouldn't cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Reply Spectra on 1 Dec 2010

Yeah, I'm fairly sure most meal-delivery companies actually RELY on their customers being non-compliant with the diet. That way, they keep getting people's money because the people don't think the diet is failing; they figure THEY are failing because they cheat by eating ice cream or cheesecake that isn't on the plan.

Reply O. on 1 Dec 2010

As someone who has dealt with emotional eating for over a decade....

I started Jenny Craig meal delivery two months before what ended up being the most trying time of my life... my mom's cancer battle...

And I came out of it 28 pounds lighter.

Without good tasting and convenient meal deliver to take care of most of my food for me...given my history... I would have gained 28 pounds this year.

Reply Duane on 2 Dec 2010

Sorry about your mom, I've lost people to cancer too.
Delivered meals or not, it still came down to you. As an emotional eater myself, I know it doesn't matter if you have good foods in your home or delivered to you, you still have to make the choice to eat them and nothing else. Granted, having the meals delivered made it easier for you as far as less preparation goes (I'm sure time was a factor), but you still had to decide to eat them instead of stopping by a fast food place or chowing down on candy bars or chips.
Whether people use a store bought diet or do it themselves, what it comes down to is the person. No diet can make you stick to it. You have to make you stick to it. Glad to hear you had success though! Good stuff!

Reply O. on 2 Dec 2010

Thanks, she is alive and doing ok so far.

I think people are getting "meal replacement" and "meal delivery" mixed up.

Yes I would call meal replacements a gimmick because they have you consuming special shakes or bars all day long instead of real food.

Meal delivery is more like having a combination of your own personal nutritionist and chef.

It is for the most part real food. Some plans do have a shake or a bar as an option. But it is real food specially portioned or engineered for weight loss. The dieter doesn't have to cook or figure out menu plans or measure.

I was in no mood to deal with all that planning and often couldn't as I was running off to hospitals and nursing homes all the time.

When the dieter is on their own thats another story. My advice would be to pay attention to the portions they are giving you because that is what things will look like when you make your own food.

Reply Duane on 3 Dec 2010

No confusion between meal replacement and meal delivery. I think you misunderstood me.

You can have your meals delivered and they're a nice portion size and whatnot, but its up to the person to eat that and only that. That's where its up to the person to make the decision about what they eat. You can eat your delivered meal but who's stopping you from snacking on something else later? Or from stopping by a fast food restaurant?

What I'm saying is that in the end, it comes down to the person themself. They either stick with their store bought diet (Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, etc.) and follow it religiously or they do it themselves. It isn't hard to eat better at home or less for that matter. After all, you have to do it eventually don't you? Whether you originally use a diet plan or created your own, at some point its up to you to maintain your weight loss. I don't see why people would pay hundreds and thousands of dollars on a store bought diet unless they have lots of disposable income and have bought into the illusion of these diet plans, which sadly so many have.

Reply Ann on 1 Dec 2010

Obviously it's ridiculous to compare this to them kicking out a customer who doesn't lose weight. They can't make the customer follow the program, but they were PAYING her to do it, and she didn't. Which means they can stop paying her. I'm sure they would still welcome her as a customer, but they shouldn't have to pay her for a service she isn't performing.

Reply Cate Jones on 1 Dec 2010

When committing to a diet company, you have to commit to the plan for a proper expectation to be set. It makes absolutely no sense for anyone to gain weight on a program that has them publicly representing a weight loss program.

Reply NEMO on 1 Dec 2010

They contracted with her to do a job - the job was to follow the program and lose weight....she failed to do her job, thus was fired. What's the problem?

A paying customer - the company won't kick out of a program for non-compliance, the customer is paying, it's their dime and if they don't follow the program, their loss of their money for not following the program - but as long as they're paying, I don't see why the company would kick them out...you're not comparing apples to apples.

Reply Dennis Blair Fort Collins Personal Trainer on 4 Dec 2010

What? Ugh. Just another "diet" company trying to gain traction in a crowded market.

Reply Mizzj on 7 Dec 2010

Carnie Wilson made a commitment to this company and should have stuck to it. This was a career boost but at the same time she should have took it as an incenative to help her loose and/or maintain her weight.

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7 Surprising Secrets of Successful Weight Loss

Ever wanted to know the techniques and tricks used by those who successfully lost weight, and kept it off?

Thanks to a scintillating survey conducted by popular weight loss site SparkPeople - we've now got some road-tested tips to give you the best chance at managing weight.

As part of an updated paperback version of the bestselling book The Spark, (new edition here), the authors at Sparkpeople undertook a comprehensive survey of over 2,000 members. Why do 50% of people report losing momentum within 2 weeks of starting a diet? And why do 18% fizz out within just 3 days?

The answer is the 'strong start'. These strong starters lost twice as much weight in the first two weeks, and were five times more likely to reach goals than the false starters.

Secrets of the Strong StartTrack Food and Calories
Both strong and false starters ranked "food tracking" as the one action that made the biggest difference in their programs. 82% of strong starters tracked food every day vs. 65% of false starters, and strong starters were twice as likely to track their calories.Don't put certain foods off limits
Strong starters were less likely to label foods "good" or "bad" and forsake certain foods, and were three times more likely to use portion control techniques that supported consumption of unhealthier foods in moderation.Spend LESS time exercising
On average, strong starters exercised for 30 minutes during the first two weeks; false starters for 60 minutes, suggesting that false starters burned themselves out.Focus on both diet and exercise
74 percent of false starters made both fitness and dietary changes from the outset, compared to 50 percent offalse starters.Engage more with others/have a support network
Strong starters were more than twice as likely to communicate with other members online.Weigh yourself weekly, not daily
Most strong starters weighed themselves weekly, while the majority of false starters did so daily.Focus first and foremost on developing healthy habits, not losing weight
Most strong starters viewed their #1 goal as "building a strong foundation of healthy habits." A majority of false starters made losing 3-4 pounds in their first two weeks their #1 goal, which backfired.Note that these methods worked for many people - but we are all individuals and is it important to find out what works for you.

A big thanks to Sparkpeople and the folks and DailySpark for allowing us to publish this. Diets Tips and Tools Weight Loss Tips 19 Comments Spectra on 1 Dec 2010

I was a "strong starter" when I lost weight and I am a "success story", having kept off 90 lbs for almost 10 years now. Some of the habits that I got into were: food tracking (you'd be surprised at how much food you "forget" you ate), weighing every two weeks (sometimes only once a month, actually), not working out a whole lot at the beginning (I started with walking, then I worked my way up from there), and focusing on diet AND exercise. I basically followed the WW plan, but I didn't go to the "weigh ins" and figured that if I followed the program for a month, I'd probably lose weight because I was not eating all the junk I had been eating before. I went a whole month without weighing at the beginning and I lost something like 15 lbs that first month. That was a great motivation to keep going, even though that wasn't my primary goal.

Reply ecardsfun9 on 1 Dec 2010

I like it

Reply Yuji Tai on 1 Dec 2010

Hi

No.4 should be '74 percent of strong starters made both fitness and dietary changes from the outset, compared to 50 percent of false starters.'?

Please erase this comment after it is emended.

Reply O. on 1 Dec 2010

One thing that has helped me stay on track is making things seem as "normal" as possible.

I was never good at tip #1, food journaling, because I wouldn't normally do that in my daily life. I could never even stick to using a daily planner.

So instead, I made a "blueprint" of what a typical day on my diet was supposed to look like. How many calories to eat when, when to add a protein or a dairy product, etc.

Then I stuck it on my fridge. So when it is meal time, instead of taking the time to writing things down at every meal everyday, I glance up at the fridge to make sure I am on track, and that's all the effort it takes!

Reply Andrea on 7 Dec 2010

I really like this approach 0. I was a food diary tracker in the beginning, but I think your approach is really smart!

Reply Kori on 7 Dec 2010

I have to agree-that is an awesome way of looking at it-keeping things normal is good in our minds and good tends to stick

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 2 Dec 2010

This is excellent. I really like the balanced approach to weight loss that's being highlighted here.

Reply Family Help on 2 Dec 2010

Hi Jim,

Something you said about spending less time exercise really got me. I definitely have to agree with you on that. You just to commit yourself to start a little then eventually move to a higher level. Spending a dramatic time during first days of exercise are just not very effective.

Reply Tom on 2 Dec 2010

Yes, combining exercise with dieting is great advice. However, I think it's wise to first determine the real goal. Are trying to just lose weight, or is your goal a lean, trim, and toned body? Losing weight does not guarantee a fit body, only less weight. True, for some, that might be all that is needed. For others, losing weight means to curb intake while working your body to tone your muscles. So, if you first determine exactly what your goal is, you will likely increase your chances of success.

Reply bijou on 2 Dec 2010

All good points, except I disagree with #3. When I first decided to lose weight, I went to the gym 5-6 times a week, for 2 hours at a time. This helped me tremendously because it made such a difference in how I felt and results were definitely palpable. However, I also had the benefit of being in my last semester of college with a light course load. Now I only go to the gym 3 times a week.

I still track calories religiously and I stay away from weighing myself mainly because any 3-digit number freaks me out and I don't need the mental distress. As long as my clothes fit comfortably, I know I'm doing okay.

Reply Spectra on 2 Dec 2010

3 digit numbers freak you out on the scale? You must be really really small if you're used to weighing less than 100 lbs.

Reply bijou on 3 Dec 2010

I'm not used to it...I just like the idea of maintaining my lowest weight, which I think was 98 lbs. I hover between that and 103.

Reply Jim F. on 2 Dec 2010

12 hours per week at the gym is a large amount of time, and for many of us, many other things in life are far more important than exercise.

I think the study determined that many who started off with great intentions tended to fall off the wagon quickly, rather than those who start with exercise times that were far more likely to be sustainable over the long term.

Reply bijou on 3 Dec 2010

I agree that many times, slow and steady wins the race.

Reply http://claudia12841.eliteweightlosspackage.com on 2 Dec 2010

I like it, I think is great to switch from diets and work out just to have a mentaly positive and work everyday with out thoughts and that always help me to improve my energy level.

Reply Dan on 3 Dec 2010

I really didn't really lose weight that well until I started to ride my bike to work everyday. I was riding sporadically, and maybe losing some weight, but then I would plateau and then gain the weight back. Possibly exercising everyday doesn't work if someone is cutting their caloric intake down too much at the same time. It is probably better just to temper caloric intake and then increase exercise. I lost about twenty additional pounds by exercising without doing a food journal, but once I did both, I lost weight rather quickly, even though I seldom ate fewer than 2000 calories. I also weigh myself everyday and realize that fluctuations can be because of water weight loss. Also, I don't deprive myself of treats, but try to eat these only after I eat all the nutritious foods, as well as budgeting for them within the calorie budget. I also try to eat sweets that have nutritional value, such as Clif bars and dark chocolate. Putting healthy habits first is also important.

Reply Dr. Thomas L Halton on 3 Dec 2010

Great article!
I use a lot of these principles with my weight loss clients.
The one I don't agree with is #3. I have found that daily exercise of 30 minutes or less has not resulted in significant weight loss. My clients shoot for a bit more each day, just around 40 minutes. The rest are pretty much spot on!

Reply Yeast Free Living on 6 Dec 2010

This is a great list. I think number 4 and 7 are the most important. I know so many people that have been on a "diet" forever but don't lose the weight they want to lose because they don't exercise. I have been most successful dropping pounds when I made the goal healthy lifestyle change and not just losing weight.

Reply Doug on 6 Dec 2010

These 7 points are absolutely SPOT-ON.

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Video Exposes Horrible Conditions at Embattled Egg Farm

Earlier this month, Jackson, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods Inc., recalled 24,000 dozen eggs purchased from Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC, of Croton, Ohio, over possible salmonella contamination.

After routine sampling, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified Cal-Maine that eggs tested positive for salmonella, spurring the immediate recall.

And now, a Humane Society video taken by an undercover investigator working at the Cal-Maine farm in Waelder, Texas, reveals rampant animal abuse and food-safety violations.

The video is very graphic; lots of dead birds, overcrowded cages, eggs covered in blood, poop, and broken eggs, and - as you can see in the screen capture - a dead bird lying on the conveyor belt as eggs roll by.

The Humane Society says Cal-Maine is the biggest egg producer in North America, and is been cited for infractions before. Previously Cal-Maine recalled 288,000 eggs after the FDA found salmonella enteritidis on test samples.

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U.S. Sweet Potatoes All the Rage in Europe

Great Britain gave us Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and John Lennon, so now we're returning the favor... sending the Brits all our sweet potatoes.

While the U.S. dollar sinks deeper into the toilet, American sweet potato exports, between 2005 and 2009, have more than doubled, reaching $51.4 million. Great Britain is the major buyer.

Wow, I can't picture our sophisticated tea-sipping neighbors to the east, cooking up those disgusting sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top. My word!

American sweet potatoes are becoming very popular in Europe. In Ireland - yes, Ireland, the holy land for spuds - sweet potato imports from the United States are up $125,000. Not a lot? It was zero in 2005.

People from the South are going to laugh at this, but for a long time supermarkets in Europe branded sweet potatoes as in "exotic" vegetable. So, why is sweet potato mania now taking Europe by storm? One answer is kind of funny.

Food safety is a big deal in Europe, and size matters. Luckily new equipment has helped American farmers grow more uniform looking sweet potatoes, making them more acceptable by European standards. Just like the Brits, so concerned with keeping up appearances.

The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission - no really, there's actually a potato commission - says increased marketing efforts and promotions in European supermarkets have also increased demand overseas.

I'm happy to see this. I think good trade relations between countries is necessary for global prosperity. Plus, sweet potatoes are so good, they're one of my favorite foods; baked, roasted, French fried, whatever! Just not with marshmallows, that way wreaks of mental illness. Sorry.

Now, if you want to add some class to your holiday meal, and not the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, try Mama Pugliese's sweet potato recipe.

Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup

3 to 4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch thick slices
1/4 cup natural maple syrup
2 tbsp soy or almond milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
Sprinkle of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray. Add all of the ingredients on to a baking dish. Toss well to mix and coat potatoes. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover, turn gently, and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Image credit: DisneyLiving

Food potatoes recipes 12 Comments Anya on 4 Dec 2010

Well I can tell you that your neighbours look on the American sweet potatoes with marshmallows with a kind of awed horrer...

We love sweet potato & prawn cakes with a soy dressing and a salad on the side. Not a hint of sweetener in the whole dish. Or plain old mash with a dash of nutmeg. One thing we often do is make a curry dish without meat using sweet potato - a sweet potato rendang is heavenly - cuts the calorie count of the dish and tastes oh so good!! I'm currently trying to grow my own :)

btw its "reeks havoc" not "wreaks havoc" ...

Reply Berzerker on 4 Dec 2010

It's funny, I've always had my sweet potatoes boiled, with a bit of cinnamon - That's it. And about a year ago someone told me people put all of this syrup and marshmallows and crap on them and I thought "Why would you ruin perfectly good food like that?" I've been looking into growing my own, but the Okinawa kind - Much better flavor.

Reply lana on 5 Dec 2010

Same. Cinnamon was something new for me. I always had it baked with the skin on. Never had it with sugar syrups or marshmallows. That just seems gross to me.

Reply Mehitabel on 4 Dec 2010

Uh no, it's "wreaks" havoc, not "reeks".

Reply O. on 4 Dec 2010

My parents are from the South and I never liked sweet potatoes!

All my life I have seen them covet the groceries from back home that they missed. Bringing tons with them back to California after a visit and later being able to find items here.

They grww up eating sugar cane syrup on their pancakes instead of maple or maple flavored syrup. The stuff looks like motor oil and smells gross. Out here they sometimes resort to buying dark corn syrup but won't eat maple unless it is at a restaurant.

Other favorites like grits and cornmeal are easy to find everywhere now. And of course there is the current national obsession with the southern favorite red velvet cake.

It's nice to know that the love for southern food has spread to other countries. They need to watch their waistlines though!.

Reply juliamako3 on 4 Dec 2010

u r right

Reply mehitabel on 4 Dec 2010

Sweet potatoes? Europe can have them.

Reply dwayneyao3 on 5 Dec 2010

is it sweet potate

Reply Alexie on 5 Dec 2010

I live in Germany and I use sweet potatoes a lot - either mashed up with some curry powder, or as a roasted vegetable. It's a really good food.

Never, never, never with marshmallows.

Yech.

Reply Spectra on 5 Dec 2010

I love sweet potatoes! I don't like them with a ton of sugar and other garbage on them; I prefer mine to be just baked with a little salt and pepper and olive oil on them. Mmmm :)

Reply richardb10 on 5 Dec 2010

this is good

Reply bijou on 6 Dec 2010

I love sweet potatoes! I too don't understand why you would sweeten a naturally sweet food. Marshmallows on sweet potatoes (yuck!), sugar on strawberries, etc. The sweetness of sweet potatoes is palpable even when you put salt on them! They're delicious.

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Sesame Street Goes Healthy

The last few years have been a whirlwind for the Cookie Monster. From having to dispel tabloid rumors about his name being changed to the "Vegetable Monster," to his recent run in the limelight, which centered on an aggressive campaign to host Saturday Night Live.

Although the cookie monster will not be changing the name on his birth certificate, the Sesame Street executives are trying to do their part when it comes to promoting healthy eating, with a specific aim to nourish those who don't meet basic nutritional needs.

Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of content design for the education, research and outreach department of Sesame Workshop, said:We found there were really very few resources engaging young children and helping them engage not only in healthy habits but also in knowing that as a family they're not alone in this.

The program provides families with an educational kit, including;

A video featuring four new Muppets, the "Super foods" - Banana, cheese, whole-grain roll and broccoli. Elmo and friends, including real families, as they try new foods, learn about healthy snacks and discover the importance of sharing a meal together.

The superfoods (although not official Sesame Street cast members) sing and dance, encouraging children to try new healthy foods. The 400,000 kits will be distributed to lower income families and segments will air on the show this month (December 2010). You can watch the video segments here.

While this latest campaign is more focal and extensive, Sesame Street and specifically the oft-criticized cookie glutton have actually been promoting healthier eating for a while. To wit, in 1987, the Cookie Monster rapped about healthy food.

More recently, "Hoots" the owl waxed poetic to the Cookie Monster about cookies being a "sometimes food".

The burning question remains, however, will campaigns like this have a noticeable impact on the foods children eat?

Celebrities Teens and Kids cartoons sesame street 5 Comments Camp Shane on 8 Dec 2010

This is definitely a step in the right direction for children. Children start out watching television at such a young age and are so influenced by the media. This is why the advertising of junk-food is so influential on what kids want. A program such as this one will teach children more about proper nutrition and healthy food. At Camp Shane weight loss camp for children (www.campshane.com) and Shane Diet Resorts weight loss program for adults (www.shanedietresorts.com), nutrition is a top priority because we know how effective it can be on the overall healthy lifestyle. The younger you can begin this healthy lifestyle and maintain it, the better!

Reply jack9black on 8 Dec 2010

wow nice

Reply Duane on 8 Dec 2010

This is not going to make one bit of difference. For starters, it comes down to the parents plain and simple. If they don't provide healthy foods and keep the junk out of the home, then its all for not.

Second, junk food and fast food advertising far outweighs the little bit of media attention healthy alternatives get so its a losing battle. Kids can watch a few minutes of healthy Sesame Street characters going on about carrots and broccoli but then will spend the rest of the day being bombarded with ads for McDonalds, Pizza Hut, sugar laden cereals, chips, candy, etc.

Third, many of us grew up watching Sesame Street and I'm sure the Cookie Monster's cookie addiction didn't turn us into cookie craving freaks. Just more hyperbole.

Bottom line, focus on the parents. They're the ones who control the food.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 8 Dec 2010

Duane, I have to agree with you! While I'm happy to see healthy eating getting a bit of positive coverage, I also watched Sesame Street as a child, and the Cookie Monster is certainly not to blame for my own love of cookies!!

Reply Laura on 8 Dec 2010

Cheese? A super food? It may be dairy but it's SUPER high in calories! No wonder so many Americans are overweight...

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Stability Ball For The Abs?

1j ingJuly 26, 2010 at 7:17 pm

I really like your website and I find it very useful, I want to add that I use the swiss bal for clients and myself for warmups and sophisticated complex movements to loosen problems from car accidents or surgery where the body is confused or needs its own body weight to organize itself on its own terms, ie self balancing one’s own weight in full range motions of twists and turns. This is more like dance training or gymnastic or contact improve, pilates, style training. This is of course not high end bodybuilding. Instabilty training is more for recruiting groups of muscle as warm ups or warm downs or for people who find yoga too static. Like comparing yoga to bodybuilding, not right or wrong, but very useful for very specific goals. You are very right that instability ball training or balance boards, do not focus force for heavy weight lifting into the peak contraction. I would just the opposite happens, the instability recruits thousands of tiny muscles of the spine, occiput, and rib cage and coordinates them with the standard core muscle groups in sports training. When i have clients with back pain, if they first warm up slowly with short situps and then increase to full range situps over the whole ball , then normal crunches and bodybuilding exercise can happen without back pain.

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And The Winner Is…..Low Carb

I wanted to share this little video with you.

I believe it’s from 2008 when the results of a study on 3 diets had just been published.

The diets were:

Low CarbLow FatMediterranean

The clip is from Good Morning America (I think).

I’m not offering this clip as proof of anything (I didn’t think the study was that great). It’s simply something interesting to watch. I’ve covered the effectiveness and safety of low-carb nutrition already on this blog and plan on doing more in the future. Stay tuned!

Of note is the girl’s quote at 27-30 seconds. Watch it first and I’ll tell you why I thought it was interesting.

So the quote I was talking about above was “Low-fat, ‘cuz you need carbs“. The girl was asked which of the 3 diets she would do.

The truth is that protein is ESSENTIAL. There are of course ESSENTIAL fatty acids. And carbs…….they’re not ESSENTIAL. Carbohydrate is the one macronutrient in the human diet you could knock out and still live a perfectly healthy life.

I say this of course to emphasize a point, NOT to recommend a ZERO carb diet. I don’t.

I do recommend either cycling your carb intake or taking a glycemic-controlled approach like GLAD. A permanently high carb diet means chronically elevated insulin and running the risk not only fat-gain, but heart disease and type 2 diabetes in the long term.

Stay Healthy!

Mark

P.S. If anyone out there has any more footage of Dr. Atkins on TV, I’d like to see it. There was an appearance on Larry King that I’ve never seen and doesn’t seem to be on YouTube. If you have any links etc. let me know.

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Which Weight Lifting Accessories?

Straight Bar Cable Attachment with center swivel. Again, the center swivel will create a smoother, more consistent resistance throughout the full range of motion. Using this mostly for cable preacher curls.

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5 Reasons Why Water Aids Fat Loss

Related posts:The Science Of Fat LossWhat Drew Carey Can Teach You About Fat Loss!Real Female Muscle! Interview With Myra Marshall (with pics)Cheapest NO Xplode Ever! How To Make Your Own

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The Best Way To Gain Muscle Mass

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You must drill this into your mind once and for all: muscle growth is a DEFENSE MECHANISM. The training you perform must be seen as a THREAT by the body so that it not just compensates for what you did, but OVERcompensates and puts more muscle back than was there before the workout.

The Best Way To Gain Muscle

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How Much Muscle Can A Hardgainer Gain in 4 Weeks on THT? (pics)

Related posts:How To Make Your BEST Muscle Gains In The Next 4 Weeks! (for FREE)How Did This Guy Gain 3 Inches On His Arms In 8 Weeks?How To FLOOR Moms By Lifting Up Your Shirt! (with pics…)Guy Torches Fat & Builds Muscle…Here’s The PicsThe Best Way To Gain Muscle Mass

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You’re Screwing Up Your Potential For Muscle Growth By Making This 1 Mistake

MuscleHack

You’re Screwing Up Your Potential For Muscle Growth By Making This 1 Mistakeby Mark McManus on October 20, 2010

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Even Preschoolers Want To Be Thin

Girls as young as three are already "emotionally invested" in being thin, according to a small study of 55 preschoolers.

I really didn't expect kids this young to even notice what weight someone was. But then again, our culture has become obsessed with body image, so does this really surprise anyone?

The girls behavior indicated they did not even want to be friends with someone who was "fat". Given the extent of our current obesity epidemic, that is particularly worrying. I mean, what kind of relationships will today's children form in later years with an attitude like this at such a young age?

Let's take a closer look at the study: Researchers had the preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) look at three figures, identical in every way except for their body size -- thin, average and fat. The children had to associate each of 12 adjectives (six positive and six negative) with a figure.Researchers then said: "Point to the girl that you think is/has ____." Positive descriptors included: nice, smart, friends, neat, cute and quiet. The negative descriptors were: mean, stupid, no friends, sloppy, ugly and loud.Then the girls were presented with nine figures, three of each body type, and they had to circle the three they would most like to play with, and one they would want as a best friend. The children were significantly more likely to choose the thin figure over the other two for a best friend. Similar results showed up for their circle of friends to play with.

They also played a game of Chutes and Ladders, or Candy Land, where they had to choose game pieces, designed for the task, varying only in body type (thin, average, and fat). Lead researcher Jennifer Harriger, of Pepperdine University in Malibu, said this:

Interestingly, several participants were reluctant to even touch the fat game piece... For example, one child selected the thin piece as the girl she wanted to 'be' to play the game. When I presented her with the fat piece and asked her if she was willing to switch, she crinkled her nose and she reached around my hand, avoiding touching the fat piece altogether, picked up the average-size piece and said, 'No, I won't switch with you, but I will be this one instead.'... Other participants made comments such as, "I hate her, she has a fat stomach," or "She is fat. I don't want to be that one." (LiveScience)So, what can we do to remedy this problem?Here are a few suggestions to help your child develop a healthy body image:Eat together at mealtimes -- families who eat together are less likely to suffer from eating issues.Don't make comments about your own weight, or the weight of others. So, no talking about how fat your stomach is, or how you really shouldn't be eating this piece of cake.Encourage your children for what they do, not what they look like.Make the focus on improving their health, not losing weight.Be a role model -- eat healthy foods and take some exercise.Limit your child's exposure to mainstream media, which tends to have a strong emphasis on thin models, or an unhealthy focus on body image.Help your children find something they can take pride in -- having a sense of accomplishment helps improve self-esteem.

I read a comment from one reader on this topic who said, "Do people really think this is bad? We're constantly told about the childhood obesity epidemic, and now we think it's bad because they want to be thin?"

What are your thoughts on this reader's attitude? Do you agree?

Image source: Colodio

Body Image body image childhood obesity 19 Comments Spectra on 19 Nov 2010

I think it's a little bit obsessive for us to worry about what little kids think of their bodies. Honestly, as a kid, I didn't care about my body but I also didn't want to be fat. I think there was one kid in my kindergarten class that was overweight and I do remember thinking that I didn't want to look like that girl. But I never really thought much about my own body--I was able to do pretty much every physical activity any other kid could do. I was not a fat kid; I was maybe a little on the stocky side, but that's still true for me.

The best thing we can do as a society is to feed our kids wholesome, nutritious foods and keep them active so they don't HAVE to worry about being the fat kid. I don't know about you, but when I was 4, I didn't have much choice in what I ate for meals/snacks. My parents chose well, I suppose. We also need to limit kids' exposure to media relating to weight/size. I think a lot of kids probably inadvertently get exposed to some of these ideas by watching "The Biggest Loser" with their parents, etc. Part of being a parent is to raise your kids in a way so that they don't get fat to begin with.

Reply Sara on 19 Nov 2010

It scares me because while my daughter isn't overweight, she is built differently. It is obvious even now. She is taller and with a larger bone structure and more musculature than all the other little girls. She is not even three but it is obvious. It has her benefits playing, in that she can play with older children and boys and hold her own. She is the most active little girl I have ever seen and eats healthfully... but she will never be thin. She is just not built to be thin. Not fat, perhaps, but definitely large... I hate to think of her being possibly discriminated against for being different in appearance, despite her sweet and friendly personality, over something she has no control over.

Of course, overweight toddlers have no control over it either. Only their parents.

Ahh, raising healthy, happy children who take care of themselves but know their value extends far beyond appearance and like themselves and that it's okay to be different... seems so difficult sometimes!

Reply O. on 19 Nov 2010

You had better have the talk with your daughter now Sara. I had posted here a couple of days ago about how any woman who is not "petite" whether they are really fat or not ( Khloe Kardashian, Serena Williams) is being called "fat" none the less.

You should teach your daughter that she has got to hold her own because until men can go to a supermarket and get a can of "Tall Fast" it's not going to get any better.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 23 Nov 2010

Hi Sara,
I often feel a bit overwhelmed by raising a child too. But, I believe leading by example is one of the most influential things you can do for your child's future health and happiness.

Reply Diet Today on 19 Nov 2010

Research shows that kids who grow up overweight fight it all their lives.

Reply Jen on 22 Nov 2010

I have to agree, part of being a parent is to raise your kids in a way so that they don't get fat to begin with.

They get their awareness from parents.

Jen

Reply Abraxus on 23 Nov 2010

These children who were studied have all learned to be judgmental and mean to others from their parents. People who don't fit the mold their perfect parents want are rejected, ridiculed and have comments made about them that kids know are bad and don't want made about them. The reason kids care about being thin is because other people are pushing that on them and their parents are NOT doing their job in helping their child to accept everyone for their individual differences. I fee sorry for these kids because my daughter isn't going to be one of them and she is one of the happiest children I have ever seen and she already shows great empathy for others when they are bullied, etc. She isn't fat either, or thin, she is at what her doctor calls a perfect weight for her age and size. I am ashamed of some parents that I meet for the pressure they put on their kids and the example they set for what behavior is acceptable.

Reply richards89 on 22 Nov 2010

this is nice

Reply bijou on 22 Nov 2010

This comes as no surprise. As a 3-year-old in the mid eighties, I was acutely aware that a) I did not look like Miss America and b) that looking like Miss America was a very desirable thing. I couldn't even read at three years old yet I knew I was chubby. I carry that sense of inadequacy until this day - I still avoid watching beauty pageants because they trigger a cascade of self-loathing.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 23 Nov 2010

Bijou,
Do you have children of your own now? I'm just wondering does your experience as a child make you do or say things differently to prevent them having the same feelings as you did?

Reply bijou on 23 Nov 2010

No, I don't have kids, and probably won't have them for at least a few years. When I do have them, I plan on not commenting on people's (my own and everyone else's) body sizes at all - just serving them healthy wholesome real food (not "kid" food) and emphasizing exercise as a lifestyle. However, now that I think of it, I don't remember my own mother ever saying anything about my 3-year-old body (though she probably did comment as I got older). I was just watching TV and self-awareness kicked in. Some people may suggest banning TV from kids, but that only works for so long. Aside from leading by example, I suppose the most I can do is correct any misperceptions they may have about body weight and shape as they grow up.

Reply anonomous on 22 Nov 2010

I am very thin and was very thin growing up, so i was one of the more popular kids. However i accepted everyone - despite thier weight - into my group. The "fat kids" were always welcome, epecially sice they tended to be nicer than the "cute kids". I cannot believe our children would be more than welcoming to those kids who are over weight. This is truly a shock.

Reply MJ on 23 Nov 2010

Did they take into account what the children choosing looked like themselves ?
Little one tend to identify with dolls, figures and other children who are similar to them.
I didn't see this mentioned, I think this is an important variable, it actually changes the whole study.

Reply anonymous on 23 Nov 2010

This is a very poorly put together study. It completely discounts kids' abilities to take other factors into account. Kids are smarter than most adults give them credit for.

Reply Julia on 25 Nov 2010

I was always very thin (still am) and was not popular as a young child. I was actually teased for being "skinny" a good bit. So being thin doesn't guarantee popularity either.

Reply malak on 27 Nov 2010

but i know people that dont like girls that that skinny they say it makes them look like a skeleton. thats mean and i wouldnt want anyone to call me that.

Reply Barry on 25 Nov 2010

Everybody seems to have some whiney mumbo-jumbo about the pressures of body image, etc. If you had a choice, wouldn't you rather have your kids be skinny than fat? Being fat is unhealthy both physically and mentally. I'm 41 and when I was a kid we might have had one "fat" kid in the classroom. As I see it, people that accept obesity are indirectly promoting it.

Reply Sandy on 27 Nov 2010

I have a vivid memory of my four-year-old birthday party--thin little me and three thin friends held my bedroom door shut, refusing to let the fat girl out to play with us, because she was fat. I honestly don't think I had learned this from my parents--it was some sort of sick instinct, fueled by gang-mentality. I am so ashamed whenever I think of it. Karma got me back by making me gain about 50 pounds after the birth of my children that seems to be stuck on me forever.

Reply Rob on 29 Nov 2010

Being thin is nice, but worrying about it at that age is sad to me. Make it a lifestyle as an adult and be a good example. The site that has helped me the most - and pennies a day: www.gregsworkout.com

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Cheerios Commercial In The Middle Of a Soap Opera

I don't like marketing. Mind you, I have a degree in it, so I understand the beast. But I still don't like it. Advertising techniques are either deceptive cons or ridiculous mini-movies that have little to do with the product being sold.

That's why this makes me mad. Commercial breaks are fine. Networks need to make money. I get that. But this is an actual advertisement for Cheerios cereal built into the script of a soap opera. No, it's not a spoof.

Watching that clip actually made me violent. Next time I see a box of Cheerios I may thrash it. Listen, I know that soap operas are lame and horrible, I don't even watch them. But, they are an art form - kind of.

Some creative person toiled over a script, trying his best to make you love these characters and relate to the drama, then some network suit walks in to the writer's room - fresh off a yacht ride - and says, "I got a very cost effective idea, let's sell out and put commercials in the actual dialogue."

I'm sorry, it's sickening. It reduces television programs - again, someone's art - to a mindless formula for good advertising. It's soulless.

At least when Wayne's World did it, it was funny. And actually poked fun at how ridiculous product-placement can be.

Now, I'm smart enough to know why networks are doing this. With DVR systems you can zip past a commercial, making advertisers less willing to dish out big bucks for ad time, but still, it sets a dangerous precedence.

What's next? You'll be watching the latest John Tavolta movie, when he suddenly turns to the camera and tells you how great Acme Toupees are? "Acme Toupees, four out of five Thetan level eights recommend it."

Image credit: DaysOfOurCheerios

Big Business Weird advertising cereal 12 Comments jriley on 20 Nov 2010

but arent they called soap operas cause they used to advertise soap... ? art has always had patrons. whoa, did i just use art and soap opera in the same paragraph?

now if this was the news or Lie to Me, then id be upset!

Reply heidimont2 on 20 Nov 2010

u are right

Reply Duane on 20 Nov 2010

Wow. Just wow. So blatant. Who talks like that? That's definitely gonna take you out of the scene, so much for suspension of disbelief.

I hate having marketing in my face constantly. It encompasses everything. Not to mention those rotten telemarketing phone calls. Grrr....

Reply Lana on 20 Nov 2010

That's really annoying. That would make me use me DVR to fast forward through that stupid dialogue.
On another note, Duane, I sometimes talk like that about food. Usually it will be because I just discovered some new healthy food that I must tell people about. I will come home from the grocery store and say to my boyfriend "OMG I found these baked whole wheat high fiber tortilla chips! Only ____cals and look how much fiber!" lol So some people do actually talk like that.

Reply Gina on 20 Nov 2010

I don't mind a little product placement but a full commercial is too much.

Reply Mike Howard on 20 Nov 2010

It's ridiculous - I've seen it become more and more prominent in movies over the years (I get it, movie characters only use mac laptops).

I'm a James Bond film fan but it's just gotten absurd "Hold on a second, M - I must check my O-mega timepiece to verify". And sorry ad placement people - I don't believe for a second that bond would go from an Astin Martin to a ford.

I love the Waynes' world spot - brought back a lot of memories.

Reply ps on 20 Nov 2010

That really is over the top. I have a solution.. change the channel! The Wayne's world one is a rip though....

Reply Spectra on 20 Nov 2010

It really is getting pretty bad. We watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and the Coors product placement is pretty blatant throughout the show. But product placement has been around for decades--remember how big Reeses' Pieces got after they were featured in "E.T."? But I will agree--the Cheerios spot in the soap opera IS a bit over the top.

Reply Mike Howard on 20 Nov 2010

Yes the ET reeses pieces was pretty bold for its time. Funny story is it was supposed to be M&M's and the mars brothers said "no way" (they are notorious for being "jerks"). The rest as they say is history.

I remember the first terminator had a very prominent "nike" placement too. Back to the future as well (Pepsi - likely the influence of Michael J. Fox).

Useless trivia is my forte : )

Reply Berzerker on 20 Nov 2010

I could only stomach 1:34 of that, and that was because I was hoping to watch the semi-hot guy take off his shirt. I've never considered television art, and I always thought television's main agenda was to sell products, but that soap opera clip was the most shameless product endorsement I've ever seen. Does this mean I need to stick to only books and foreign films for ad-free "wholesome" entertainment? Hehe, "wholesome"...cheerios.

Reply waynenew89 on 21 Nov 2010

you are probably right

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 23 Nov 2010

That made me cringe! I'm with ps above, change the channel, or better still chuck the TV altogether :)

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Sugary Drinks Raise Gout Risk

Before you have a Coke and a smile, consider this. That sugary-sweet beverage may increase your risk of a painful inflammatory condition called gout.

If you're a Howard Stern fan, you'll remember show hillbilly and drunk, Richard "Its My Favorite" Christy, got gout and he could barely put weight on his smelly foot.

And a new study has found drinking too many sugary drinks, like orange juice and soda, may raise your risk of gout.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, experts found women who drank two or more cans of non-diet soda per day were more than twice as likely to develop gout, compared to women who rarely drank soda.

Causes of gout vary; medical conditions like high uric acid, metabolic syndrome, and high blood pressure may lead to gout, so can lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and lack of exercise. Genetics are also a factor.

In the study, women drinking orange juice each day also faced an increased risk of gout, similar to soda. Drinking one soda per day increased gout risk by 74%, and drinking 6 ounces of orange juice raised gout risk by 41%.

However, the researchers insist the overall risk of developing gout is very low. Over a 22 year period, only 1% of the 79,000 study participants got gout.

Symptoms of gout may include redness and swollen joints, usually in the feet and big toes, resulting in pain, fatigue, and high fever. An acute outbreak of gout will usually resolve within 5 to 7 days, but medications, like steroids, are often used to relieve symptoms.

Go ahead, read about gout. You'll find out developing gout has a lot to do with your diet, i.e. a bad diet. And since so many Americans eat horribly these days, it's no surprise gout is the latest of our diet-related woes.

Recently a commercial for Uloric, a new gout medication, started airing on television. Initially, I was shocked to see it, but then again, if you look at how people eat and today's obesity epidemic, it's not surprising.

At first, I thought the Uloric ad, with its giant green potion, was an advertisement for World of Warcraft. Plus five to true shot aura!

Image credit: Comedy Central

Health advertising exercise gout Juice Drinks soda 2 Comments Spectra on 21 Nov 2010

It's interesting that gout is making a comeback. It used to be considered a disease that royalty got, probably because back in the day it was the kings and lords and dukes that never had to labor in the fields and couldn't afford rich food. I'm not terribly worried about gout--I eat very little sugar in general and I eat a lot of veggies and fruits. You know, peasant food.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Funny whenever you watch some Hollywood movie that shows a glamorous babe, she's always munching on grapes.

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Wendy's Introduce "Gourmet" Fries

In an attempt to capture a new segment of the market, Wendy's has introduced a new take on fast-food: "natural-cut fries with sea salt."

You can imagine the same wording on a fancy restaurant menu. The fries even sound healthy. But are they?

Sadly, no. Wendy's new fries contain considerably more sodium and slightly more calories than the standard ones.

As NPR reports:
Wendy's confirmed to us that the new medium sized fry goes from 350 milligrams to 500 milligrams.

The recommended daily limit on sodium is 2,400 milligrams, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt. These fries would account for over a fifth of that.

The word "natural" in the fries' name isn't regulated by the government. It sounds healthy, but is essentially meaningless. Other words like "pure" and "fresh" are often used in a similar way. And even legitimate claims like "fat-free" are often misapplied to products which are unhealthy in other ways.

What's the upshot for dieters?

Well, if you're going to eat fries, you may find that you prefer the new gourmet ones (which cost the same as standard fries), and perhaps you'll be satisfied with a medium portion rather than a large one. But don't kid yourself that these fries are a healthy option.

Fast Food fries salt and sodium Wendy's 16 Comments RickInMiami on 22 Nov 2010

Who do you trust? The fries are still put into oil frozen that cools the oil that needs to be reheated to fry temperature. This cooling and reheating breaks down the oil releasing free radicals. Gourmet or natural they are still processed. Too bad it's another empty example of business trying to pander to the trend.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

My arteries are screaming for free radicals. Ok, I just want any excuse to gorge myself on burgers and fries!

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

As far as I can remember, Wendy's was the first fast food burger restaurant to offer alternatives to fried sides.

First it was the chili, baked potatoes, and salad bar which were all pretty unheard of in that industry.

Later on, I think they were the first to have large and small prepackaged salads. They also added fruit platers at one time and followed McDonalds putting yogurt on the menu.

Most recently, it was offering these sides as an alternative to fries on the value menu without an additional charge.

I went to them alot when I first started to try to "cut back" and change my fast food habits.

Reply Spectra on 22 Nov 2010

It's just like the people who go out and buy "organic" cookies and cakes and stuff because they are organic, so they must be somehow "healthier" than any other kind of cookie. Fries are fries...they're deep fried potatoes; they shouldn't be masquerading as a health food.

Reply Suds on 22 Nov 2010

I think the "natural" word on there is supposed to fool people into thinking "healthy" even though it refers to the cut of the fries and that's it.
And the Campbell's low sodium soup advertises that it's made with sea salt so people are going to now associate sea salt with low sodium.
Spectra- organic cookies must be the new Snackwells. Everyone gorged themselves on Snackwells years ago because they were "low fat" and who cares how many calories were in them, right?

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Oh god I'm stuffed.

Reply Bonnie on 22 Nov 2010

I think this is a way of cashing in on the 'foodie' craze. You're not just eating french fries - you're going the luxury route by eating gourmet fries with sea salt!

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

Oh I love that comment Bonnie! I hate foodies. It's like they (American ones) hate their own heritage.

Eating sea horses in China is "trendy" but eating mac and cheese is seen as "common". How do we know sea horses isn't the "common" snack in China and not gourmet?

I like gourmet, I like Kraft mac and cheese, I can make my own homemade mac and cheese. It's all good on different occasions.

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

I liked Wendy's original fries. They were pretty much the only other fast food fries that tasted anything close to McDonald"s awsome fries.

I mean how many places do you see people ordering ONLY fries? Mickey D's.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Dude there's something wondrously chemical in Mickey D's fries. It's made in New Jersey.

Reply O. on 23 Nov 2010

You are so right! McDonald's fries have magical powers I swear.

Reply rupertgr10 on 22 Nov 2010

I am dying to taste them

Reply Jim F. on 23 Nov 2010

They look tasty enough...

Reply blob on 25 Nov 2010

Hooray for salt Mr Bloomberg! Seasoned, sea salt, it's all so good. Sometimes I enjoy a salt tablet before ingesting to ensure water retention. I also installed a salt lick at the dinner table to make sure I get enough.

Reply peter on 27 Nov 2010

To much salt is bad for you.One day you will pay the price.

Reply SueK24 on 28 Nov 2010

"But don't kid yourself that these fries are a healthy option."

Well said Ali. Fries are still fried potatoes, which are not a good choice for a healthy diet, regardless of what type of oil is used or what kind of salt is sprinkled on top.

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Diabetes to Triple in the U.S. by 2050

America, "land of the free" - yeah, free to eat whatever we want, which isn't exactly doing us any favors. Obesity epidemic, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes... lots of diabetes.

And if we don't kick our unhealthy habits, it's going to get a lot worse.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn if we continue to eat poorly and avoid exercise, one third of Americans will have diabetes by 2050.

Officials at the CDC studied census numbers and data on current diabetes trends, and made models to project future spikes in diabetes. Researchers say unless Americans change their lifestyles, diabetes could become even more common in the United States over the next 40 years.

The new report claims over the next 40 years the prevalence of total diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, could jump from 1 in 10 adults to between 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 3 adults by 2050.

A spokesperson for the CDC said, "These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type-2 diabetes."

It's only 2010 and the U.S. is already mired in diabetes. In 2007, the American Diabetes Association estimated 17.9 million people were diagnosed with diabetes, with potentially another 5.7 million undiagnosed cases.

The CDC's current figures are no better. They estimate 24 million U.S. adults have diabetes, with type-2 diabetes being the most common. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and obesity are major risk factors for type-2 diabetes.

But hey, the rest of the world is in bad shape, too. The World Health Organization reports 220 million people have diabetes worldwide. World fail.

Image credit: Bektvel

Health diabetes obesity 7 Comments NEMO on 23 Nov 2010

Worldwide - 5.9% of adults have diabetes

Highest Prevalence (% of population):

Island of Nauru - 30% of population has diabetes
UAE - 18.7% of population has diabetes
Bahrain & Qatar - 17% of population has diabetes
Saudi Arabia - 16.7% of population has diabetes

Highest incidence of diabetes (number in population):

#1 - India
#2 - China
#3 - USA
#4 - Japan
#5 - Pakistan
#6 - Germany
#7 - Russia
#8 - Brazil
#9 - Mexico
#10 - Egypt

Reply Berzerker on 23 Nov 2010

Highest incidence of diabetes (number in population):
#1 - India
#2 - China

So...Not percentage wise? Maybe I misread, Because any idiot can tell you that India and China each have a population of over one billion people, so saying there are more diabetics in India or China than in the US is kind of a big fat "Duh" - More people! Aren't you glad this idiot told you that?

Reply NEMO on 23 Nov 2010

You didn't misread - I specifically noted the two methods of measure of population with diabetes currently in the world. What I find interesting is the percentage of population stats - the middle east has a very high percentage in their populations!

Reply Ryan on 23 Nov 2010

Hah, the FDA/USDA have taken great measures to make sure we haven't been free to eat what we want.

Reply Spectra on 23 Nov 2010

It's not surprising to me at all. Diabetes-related problems account for about 25-30% of our lab's business. Our company's president actually said that he expects an increase in business for us as diabetes becomes more prevalent. My mother-in-law is a type 2 diabetic and is starting to experience kidney failure related to her condition. Her doctor has told her to at least try to exercise, but she refuses to do it. I don't get it--many type 2 diabetics can be almost symptom-free if they alter their diet and get exercise. You'd think that would be the slap in the face they needed to get themselves in gear, but apparently that isn't the case.

Reply ps on 23 Nov 2010

NYC today has a type 2 diabetes epidemic. Over 12% of the population. Of that 12% over 75% are on the lower socio-economic strata. We have porkers yelling for their right to eat like pigs and then have them ask for handouts to treat their self induced illnesses. Then the FDA is under assault by the "American Beverage Council" and industrial food processors. Tax processed crap the liquor and tobacco is taxed while actually apllying the cash to treatment. And by the way to the factoid posters above, islands such as Tonga and others in the Pacific have the highest obesity rates. Type 2 diabetes is close behind.

Reply kitekrazy on 23 Nov 2010

The up side is that sugar free products will be more affordable.

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What Are You Doing to Get Through the 2010 Holidays Unscathed? [Forum]

What Are You Doing to Get Through the 2010 Holidays Unscathed? By RickInMiami on Nov 23, 2010 6

It's that time of the year. Starting off this week with a BIG meal for Thanksgiving. What plans have you in place to make sure that your first New Year's resolution doesn't involve weight loss? Now's the time to be thinking about it. How about you?

RICK

Exercise & Fitness   6 Comments

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3 Ways to Avoid Overdoing it This Holiday Season

Can a single meal trigger a heart attack?

According to researchers, a huge meal similar to what many eat at Thanksgiving or Christmas, can actually set the stage for a heart attack, in those at risk for heart disease.

The study of 1,986 heart attack patients in 2000, suggested that an unusually large meal quadrupled the chance of having a heart attack within the next two hours.

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez said this,
Overeating should be considered as a heart attack trigger, much in the same way as extreme physical activities and severe anger episodes may cause an MI... People at risk for a heart attack should be careful not only about the total caloric intake they eat every day, but the size of individual meals as well.

So, if you tend to eat way to much at this time of year, here are 3 ways avoid overdoing it this holiday season:

1. Downsize Your Serveware
Most people will eat everything that is pilled onto their plates, regardless of whether it's more than they need to feel satisfied. So, eating from a salad plate is a good way to control this.

Studies have also shown that people eat as much as 56 percent more when they serve themselves from a one-gallon bowl, rather than a half-gallon one. So, if you plan to serve your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner from large bowls in the centre of the table, try using smaller serving dishes, as a way to encourage everyone to eat a little less.

This idea works with glassware, too. Large gobblet-shaped glasses can hold up to one third of a bottle of wine. However, people fail to realize just how much alcohol they are consuming from these supersized glasses.

If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to just one small glass of wine. As for juices and soft drinks, they are simply empty calories -- you would be better sticking with water, and saving up the calories for something tastier later on.

2. Portion Control
As an extra way to check that your food portions aren't too big, here are some guidelines: fill half your dinner plate with non-starchy vegetables, then one quarter with starchy carbs, and one quarter with lean meat, or alternatives.

3. Indulge -- but just a little!
Personally, I enjoy dessert way too much to avoid it. If you are the same, pass on the drinks pre-dinner, the bread roll and butter with your entree, and also that extra scoop of potatoes at dinner. Then you can easily enjoy a small piece of cheesecake, guilt-free and without too much sacrifice.

If all else fails, and you end up eating enough to feed a tiny country, get back on the healthy eating handwagon right away, and then get some exercise. There's no point slacking off just because it's the holidays. When you do that, you set yourself up for a long slippery road back to where you were pre-vacation. It's not worth it!

So, what are your tips for surviving the holiday season without gaining those dreaded extra pounds?

Image source: falconreid

Food 24 Comments Berzerker on 24 Nov 2010

Could always try fasting for Thanksgiving - By giving up food for the day (Or at least most of), it makes you realize what you take for granted, and thus feel truly thankful. I've told several people this and they either ignore me or think I'm crazy - Figures.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

That would certainly be a unique way to approach the holiday. I don't fancy it personally, though!

Reply Berzerker on 25 Nov 2010

It's more of an ascetic approach, I'll agree. I guess I forget that other people have families and their family members probably wouldn't go for it. I don't mean to "whip out the violins" or anything, but I have no family left.

Reply Spectra on 24 Nov 2010

I don't plan on overdoing it at all this year. I usually do what I normally do--fill about half the plate with salad and take a tiny serving of all of my absolute favorites (green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, turkey, and a little bit of cranberry sauce). I share a piece of pie with my husband and drink a cup of coffee with cream and sugar for dessert. It's a nice meal, but I don't pig out or anything.

Reply Dennis Blair Fort Collins Personal Trainer on 24 Nov 2010

You know, why is it that every year these common sense tips are always offered but never followed? We always hear about portion control, but since it is the holidays, we just tell ourselves it will be okay!

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Yes, and then wonder where all the extra fat came from!

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

Yeah tell it our poor, overstressed bodies that it's a holiday.

Reply Bethany on 24 Nov 2010

Love the site's new look!

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Me too!! :)

Reply Jim F. on 25 Nov 2010

Thanks Bethany! Looking forward to your contributions.

Reply Auden C on 24 Nov 2010

Is it really that terrible to indulge for one day, especially if it is a cherished holiday? If you do not want to, more power to you. But for those dieters who love partaking in a family meal, or specifically enjoy Thanksgiving, why not have one day where you can have both cocktails and a slice of cheesecake? Think of it as your 'free' day. Checking the anxiety at the door will go a long way towards your mental health, and towards finding a balanced approach to eating, as opposed to cycles of binging and restriction. Maybe reduce calories in the days leading up if you are that concerned. For me, what has always worked is allowing myself to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas but showing restraint at the endless procession of holiday parties. 6 weeks of fudge trays, rhubarb pies, mashed potatoes, egg nog, etc. is what kills most people's waistlines, I think, not a slice of pumpkin pie and an extra scoop of mashed potatoes one day a year.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

No I don't think it is. But, overdoing it can send some people off on a downward spiral. And, the reality is that for many people the overeating is constant from Thanksgiving right through to New Year, with so many parties and family get togethers.

These tips can be applied all over the holiday season, not just on one day of the year.

Reply Larry Scott on 25 Nov 2010

Thanks for the nice article. I think that weight gain is the major concern of most people during this festive season. One simple way to avoid overeating during the holiday season is to firstly opt for veggies and healthy salads. It will ensure that you will eat less of high calorie foods on your second trip to the kitchen. Also, try to exercise a bit more to burn off the extra calories that you consumed during the holidays.

Reply blob on 25 Nov 2010

exercise does little for weight loss...but it might make you feel better.

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

So what are the details of the study? 2000 perfectly healthy people had heart attacks after having an "unusually large meal"? Or were it high-risk people who had this meal and that's what triggered it? Really if you're gonna have sensationalist articles like this, please back it up with more concrete facts.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Hi ArrowSmith,
I've added a bit more detail to the article. The findings were reported at one of the American Heart Association's Scientific meetings. I've linked to the Medscape Medical News coverage of it in the article now. They reported that people at risk for heart disease were 4 times more likely than others to suffer a MI after eating a large meal.

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

You would think those people would be extra careful with portion control.

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

Another way to avoid overindulging at social meals is to focus on good conversation and only eat a very tiny portion. Eat like a bird and talk like Joan Rivers, someone once told me.

Reply Spectra on 25 Nov 2010

That's pretty good advice, actually. It's hard to eat a lot when you are talking nonstop.

Reply blob on 25 Nov 2010

eat like a pig, roll over and down some alka seltzer...it works for me.

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

You mean roll over and die after a massive coronary?

Reply O. on 25 Nov 2010

What I have been doing at Thanksgiving for a number of years now is using boxed side dishes (mashed potatoes, stove top stuffing, rice a roni) and jared gravy.

If you don't mind non homemade it is not just fast and easy to prepare, but I find it easy to reduce the fat without affecting the flavor too much. The jared gravy is real low in fat, which was a surprise to me.

Reply Nutrition Nut on 26 Nov 2010

This is so difficult to do - as much as I try throughout the Holidays. My only solution is not to worry about it on the actual holiday (day itself) and then limit my diet more around the previous and following days.

Reply ArrowSmith on 27 Nov 2010

So you don't care about the heart attack risk factor going WAY up after a 2000 calorie meal? GO ahead and bust that gut!

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Aerobic and Strength Training Good for Diabetes Control

Diabetes is a pretty big deal -- with rising obesity it has become the epidemic of this century. 23.6 million children and adults in the United States alone are affected (7.8% of the population). Add another 57 million (give or take) who have pre-diabetes, and we have a crisis on our hands that is projected to triple by 2050, and cost over 3.3 trillion (with a "T") by 2020.

It's now pretty common sense that exercise does improve blood sugar control in type II diabetics, however most studies focus on singular exercise interventions.

But, a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the effectiveness of both aerobic, strength training, and combined aerobics and strength training protocols when it comes to haemoglobin A1c levels (a measure of how much sugar is sticking to cells and hence a good predictor of long term elevated blood glucose). Here are the details.

Study Parameters262 men and women with type II diabetesAverage age 56 years9 month exercise programAverage Hemoglobin A1c levels 7.7% (normal levels are 4-5.9%)41 participants were assigned to the non-exercise control group; 73 to resistance training sessions; 72 to aerobic exercise sessions; and 76 to combined aerobic and resistance training.Study Results

Hba1c Levels

- 0.34% combo group- 0.16% strength training only- 0.24% aerobic training only

The control group actually increased its use of diabetes medications, while the combination training group decreased its diabetes medication use.

Weight Loss

All exercise groups reduced waist circumference (.75-1.1 inches)The resistance training group lost an average of 3.1 lbs of fat massThe combo group lost an average of 3.7 lbs of fat massFor Best Results: Diversify

If I could describe your diabetes action plan in the most basic of terms it would be clean up your diet, move, and lift. In other words, do a combo and stop ordering combos!

Make better nutritional choices by drastically reducing refined/liquid carbs and overall calories, strength train at least two times per week, and get your heart rate going through cardio activity and/or metabolic strength training. Also, keep yourself moving when you aren't doing the above.

Image credit: stevendepolo

Science cardio diabetes strength training 4 Comments xenastar on 25 Nov 2010

maintaining your weight into healthy range will help also help you to control your diabetes

Reply Spectra on 25 Nov 2010

This is very true--my MIL is diabetic and never exercises. But I know another woman who also has type 2 diabetes and is off all her meds because she walks/jogs and lifts weights regularly. It can make a huge difference. That's part of why I stay active--diabetes runs in my family and I plan to avoid it at all costs.

Reply derekje201 on 25 Nov 2010

you are right

Reply Larry Scott on 28 Nov 2010

Hi, there. I loved your post. Research studies have proved that a workout routine that combines both aerobic and non aerobic exercises (such as strength training) can go a long way in controlling and preventing diabetes. Aerobic exercises are known to increase insulin sensitivity and if combined with a healthy diet, it reduces body fat and thus helps to restore the normal glucose metabolism. Strength training, on the other hand, increases the ability of the muscles to store glucose. It also helps to reduce the percentage of body fat.

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Sarah Palin to Destroy "Big Government" With Cookies

Sarah Palin, ex-beauty queen and avid caribou hunter, hates big government. So, the "hockey mom" is mounting a revolution... with cookies.

As First Lady Michelle Obama goes around advocating more fruits and vegetables in public schools, Sarah Palin is visiting schools to pass out cookies.

Michelle is fronting a plan by the United States Surgeon General to improve cafeteria food, push physical education, and to bring more supermarkets to low-income communities.

But Sarah Palin has other ideas. Earlier this month, "Mama Grizzly" stopped by a school in Pennsylvania with dozens of cookies, a gesture obviously in protest to Michelle Obama's campaign for better nutrition.

"Who should be making the decisions what you eat and school choice and everything else?" Palin asked the students. "Should it be government, or should it be the parents?"

This is so silly. If Sarah Palin wants to drop by a school and hand out cookies, that's cool. I hated school, so a free cookie would have brightened up my day. But to make it some sort of political statement is dumb.

Pressuring schools to improve food is not a "political battleground." It's a no-brainer. People should be happy government is finally addressing an issue it has a decent chance of fixing.

But listen, this whole idea of "let the parents decide" isn't working. American kids are fat and getting fatter. So, either our children are a bunch of cement heads, or we have lazy parents who are too busy voting for Dancing With the Stars to teach their kids good eating habits. I say the parents stink.

Now I'm not suggesting the federal government tell you what you can and cannot eat in your own home. That's an idiotic notion. But, if a public school says no to junk food, like cookies, then that's the rule, period.

Reforming school lunch is not an attack on civil liberties. It's about healthier kids. But if you think it's un-American for your child to eat lunch without cookies, then pack them some.

Image credit: Ohio River

Food Weird cookies government junk food school school lunches 35 Comments New York Museum on 26 Nov 2010

Mrs. Palin is not interested in improving nutrition for the nation's children. She wants to be president no matter the cost. If it means more diabetes so be it!!! You betcha!

Reply Duane on 26 Nov 2010

The only reason Palin appears to be popular is because she's the only one keeping her name in the news. Her real popularity numbers are quite small, this circus will never reach the White House. Just stop paying attention to her and she'll go away.

Reply Bonnie on 26 Nov 2010

Amen, Duane: every time Palin opens her mouth (or tweets, or whatever) the media goes nuts. It's like raising kids - the behavior that gets the most attention is the behavior that gets reinforced.

What is she going to do next - go to schools and tell kids to stop playing at recess and sit on their behinds because the government wants to encourage more exercise for children?

Reply blob on 27 Nov 2010

The left can't stop paying attention to her as she rides this wave to megabank city. I'm not a Palin fan, but she certainly has a way of bouncing back which drives that certain segment nuts.

Not only that, they keep hammering her on that intelligence factor, yet she keeps getting stronger. I wouldn't discount her out, and she's a queen with the one liners.

She held her own against Biden in the VP debates and many people felt she won the second half of that debate. This woman gets torn to shreds and she fights back strong. I find it funny that the left and the right fear her.

More power to her.

Reply Duane on 27 Nov 2010

Don't know what debate you watched, but I didn't see her winning against Biden. And Biden's hardly a master debater. Hokey one liners and simple quotes anybody could toss around (Joe six pack?). When pressed on issues, her ignorance shines and if she's in the spotlight in a presidential race, she won't be able to get away with her simplistic country bumpkin responses.
I don't think the left fears her, with the exception of a few hardcore fans, most Americans won't vote for her, they can see she isn't remotely qualified. She's benefitting from our celebrity obsessed society where anybody can be famous for a while. I think she's more of a curiousity right now, like a car accident you can't help but watch. It'll pass and we'll all be the better for it.

Reply blob on 28 Nov 2010

And Biden's who they put in the vp spot? Mr Gaffmaster Flash. Pressed on issues, she'll do just fine, as she did against her republican opponents in Alaska.

I'd also say she is as remotely qualified as the fellah who can't seem to get his message out without a teleprompter, who has trouble speaking off the cuff utilizing all all that wasted airspace with stuttering, aahhs, and ummmms (basic speech 101), and can't help but blather on for fifteen minutes on a question that should take a couple.

What a load of hot air and you don't think she can win? Maybe not, but I'm not seeing much from either side.

At least she can stand up for herself when I can't seem to get what the great orator stands for on anything. He abandoned the left, he floats around confusing everyone and the rest of the planet just laughs at him.

I think James Carville got it right when he said something about if Hillary gave him one of hers they'd both have a pair.

I'll go eat some cookies now and hope Mrs O can do a better job than Mr. Communicator.

Reply Duane on 28 Nov 2010

I'll agree, Biden's no prize either. But Palin against her opponents in Alaska? Bumpkins up there. A gold mine for Jerry Springer. And she gave up on her state halfway through her term. Lots of corruption, but then again, there's corruption everywhere in politics.

Obama wasn't ready for the job, but then again, nobody was going to be able to fix what's wrong right now. 2 unwinnable wars, global recession mostly caused by greed, the guy didn't stand a chance. Too bad, he seems nice.

Reply Natalie on 27 Nov 2010

One can only hope!

Reply Nutrition Nut on 26 Nov 2010

Unfortunately Sarah Palin is focused on using the warm and fuzzy American icons or stereotypes to help her image - not, our national health!

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

How does Sarah Palin want to hurt kids by keeping the yoke of government off our backs? Sarah Palin stands for FREEDOM.

Reply Nutrition Nut on 26 Nov 2010

The point is not the yoke of government - it is image building by a political machine.

Reply Mehitabel on 29 Nov 2010

Sarah Palin stands for Sarah Palin.

Reply Lestamore on 26 Nov 2010

To be honest, I was my middle school student body vice president, and this was pretty much my campaign strategy. Those kids with cookies in hand would probably totally vote for her now.

Maybe that is her plan... make new little republicans with the persuasive power of butter and sugar.

Reply Duane on 26 Nov 2010

Nah, they'll be too fat to get to the polling stations.

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

You're so bigoted.

Reply Duane on 27 Nov 2010

This coming from the right. HAHA!

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

Reforming school lunch is not an attack on civil liberties. It's about healthier kids. But if you think it's un-American for your child to eat lunch without cookies, then pack them some.

Except some of you would be for banning that too.

Reply Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese on 28 Nov 2010

Well, if that news came out, I'd rail against it too.

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

Sarah Palin is a great American. Yup.

Reply Spectra on 26 Nov 2010

She's such a media-whore. I most definitely think she pulled this stunt to get attention from the American public and could care less about the nutrition of this country's children. Of course it's the parents' resposibility to feed their kids properly but yes, most parents are lazy and it might not be a bad idea to at least regulate what is offered to the kids at school so they aren't eating crap 24/7.

Reply carolbur89 on 26 Nov 2010

I like her

Reply Ellobern on 26 Nov 2010

I hate her.

Reply Ryan on 26 Nov 2010

The real solution is to repeal public education and let parents/private schools decide how to best handle this problem.

Reply Berzerker on 26 Nov 2010

So...She's trying to make a political statement denouncing big government by telling kids to eat junk...Um, hasn't junk food made the so-called big government quite a bit of money?

Reply ArrowSmith on 27 Nov 2010

How is she telling kids to eat junk? She's simply making a statement that government should butt OUT of parenting. I mean look at how fit Palin's kids are.. Errr, don't look at Bristol that's not Sarah's fault.

Reply Berzerker on 27 Nov 2010

It was nice of her to bring cookies until she had to make it about Michelle Obama, and turn it into a political statement; She insinuated it herself, not me.

Reply kitekrazy on 27 Nov 2010

Well doesn't this bring out the fascism, left wing insanity, communist, socialist out of 90% of the diet bloggers, author not excluded.

Brain food is missing out of a lot of people's diet.

Reply ArrowSmith on 27 Nov 2010

Too much veggies and not enough organ meats. More offal, more brain power.

Reply Berzerker on 27 Nov 2010

As a tofu munching, Portlander currently learning Swedish (The language of the commies) Let it be known we are organizing and we are coming for your junk food, your guns and...Your white women! Only country music and gay-bashing can save you now!

Reply Duane on 28 Nov 2010

Hmmmm, so if you're not a hard right winger you're a commie. Interesting. Cold war ended 20 years ago, time to get with the times.

Reply Mehitabel on 29 Nov 2010

Anyone have McCarthy on speed dial??

Reply EuropeanGirl on 28 Nov 2010

Intelligent people here in Europe know she has a very low IQ and that Americans would never vote for her. but please, do something with her so she disappears, because many Europeans that don't know much about America, think that all Amercians are such idiots and make jokes about you. Sarah Palin being on tv and on the internet all the time isn't good for you!

Reply Ninja Techniques on 28 Nov 2010

I won't comment as to whether or not she'd be good as president, but passing out cookies at a school isn't a good idea

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Huge Chocolate Christmas Tree Created in France

Christmas: traditionally a time for festive decorations, and festive gluttony. Both have been combined by Patrick Roger, a French chocolatier, who has created a ten-meter (32-foot) Christmas tree... made out of chocolate.

The tree took a month to create and weighs four tons.

Mr Roger spoke of the difficulties involved, and said:
To achieve this kind of architecture - because this really is a piece of architecture - we used a sort of cavity inside to make the chocolate solid enough, because there is very strong vertical pressure.

The tree will be dismantled and given away in return for donations during France's Telethon (a charity event supporting neuromuscular disease research), which runs on December 3rd and 4th.

With four thousand kilos of chocolate, the giant tree contains over 20 million calories - that's over 25 years' worth of calories for an average person.

Image: The Telegraph's video

Weird chocolate Christmas 1 Comments Anya on 29 Nov 2010

Yes. And? I guess this must be a slow news day on the diet front. It's a piece of chocolate art made to raise money... it is not a statement of health or diet for petes sake.

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