25 Extreme Diets

RNCentral has compiled a list of the 25 most ridiculous and ineffective popular diets.

Though I agree most of these are not good for long term weight loss, I think the South Beach Diet and the Macrobiotic Diet shouldn't be on this list. If most people ate as prescribed in these diets, their daily choice of snacks and meals would be much healthier than the average persons daily food consumption.

Check out their list of the top extreme diets.

The macrobiotic meal above consists of brown rice, kale and brocolli.

Losing It with Valerie Bertinelli

Valerie Bertinelli became the new spokesperson for Jenny Craig last year. She's successfully lost her excess weight and has written a book about it. At her peak she weighed 170 pounds. She was able to get down to 132 pounds. Her height is 5'2" and she'll be 48 years old in a couple of months.

In her book Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Timeshe talks about how depression fed her weight gain. She would try to alleviate her depression with junk food.

See her heartfelt story here.

See more about the link between depression and diet here.

Reducing Belly Fat with Whole Grains

There's an interesting article on CBS News today about eating whole grains to reduce your belly fat. A study found that of two groups who were put on reduced calories, those who ate whole grains versus refined grains lost more fat and significantly more fat around their belly area.

Now what are whole grains? I know that white rice and white bread are not whole grains.

But if you asked me if breads labeled with the words "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" were whole grain foods, I would have said yes before I read this article!

Whole grains include brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat. (But many more too, see their list).

The article recommends you look at the ingredients for the fiber content. If the bread shows a high daily value percentage of fiber content (%DV) then it's much more likely the bread contains whole grains. Color by itself is not an indicator of whole grains. Breads are dyed brown with molasses or other added ingredients.

See more about belly fat and the benefits of whole grains here.

My Husband Makes Me Fat

My eating habits are quite different than they would be if I was single. My husband is a meat and potatoes man. He also loves bread, deli meats and fatty spaghetti. He definitely does not like grated carrot salad or tofu or yogurt. He is slim by the way, and always has been. (He burns off a lot of calories as his work is physical).

If I served brown rice and fish or lentil soup for dinner more than once a month there would be some kind of revolt in this household. I'm just kidding that he makes me fat. But I am quite sure I'd lose 15 pounds quite quickly if I lived on my own.

That's why it was refreshing to read Siditty's take on meals and marriage. She refuses to eat like her husband. If he doesn't want what she's making, he can help himself to his preferred food in the fridge. She tried eating like him for a while, but gained a lot of weight. Now they eat completely different meals.

It's refreshing to read this, but I don't think I could pull it off around here...

She also writes;

My husband grew up in a household of overweight people. His mother, stepfather, and his brothers were all overweight. His mother and stepfather both had gastric bypass. My husband and his brother lost weight on Atkins. The husband at one time was overweight and lost over 80 pounds and now he is uber hot and stuff, but he has been gaining weight as of recent due to reverting back to his old diet. His diet consists of nothing but carbs and fat. Pizza or pizza rolls every night for dinner. Cereal for breakfast, wendy's or some other restaurant for lunch, and miscellaneous junk food throughout the day.

See her interesting story here.

Does Clutter Make Me Fat?

Peter Walsh says too much clutter in our homes is making us fat.

He is getting lots of promotion from Oprah for his new book; Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

Clutter is the fat in our homes. He says diets don't work because they only focus on food. But it's not about the pounds, it's about the life you want to live. Here's a telling and emotional clip from Oprah's show where one fat family does a de-clutter;



Um, I think I will start with my fridge. There is a lot of clutter in there! Then I'll move to my closets and shelving. Next is the laundry room and my filing cabinet. Then I have to tackle all the no-longer-used toys and my kitchen cupboards. This will all take many days, one hour a day, but I can already envision myself feeling better. Spring cleaning here we come.

Ron Lester Talks Weight Loss Surgery

Ron Lester has lost almost 350 pounds. He used to weigh 508. He chose the weight loss surgery route. About seven years ago he went in for a gastric bypass surgery operation. Since then in his early and mid thirties, he has undergone 17 plastic surgeries to remove his excess skin.

Lester was interviewed this morning on the Today Show. He's also featured today on the Inside Edition at 4:30pm on CBS. Lastly, you can catch him on the newstands this week in People Magazine, page 105.

He's got a website at Ron Lester Online. Here you can see a video bio of his acting history and hear about his weight loss journey. (Check his videos page for more good bio perspectives.) He's best known for his role in the film Varsity Blues but he is finding it difficult to change identities in Hollywood now. He has had to change agents as he is is no longer the 'new John Candy' and he needs to find new roles that suit his new identity.

From Size 30 to Size 4

Lynne used to wear a size 30 or even 32. She now wears sizes 4 and 6. She weighed 296 pounds in January 2005 and got down to her goal weight of 129 pounds by March 2007. She is 5'5" tall.

Her first step was to join a Weight Watchers online group. Months later she started walking one mile a day around a track. Now she's a vegetarian and works out five days a week.

About exercise she says;

The best part about exercise when I started is that my weight-loss went into high gear. I started posting 2+-pound losses almost every week for the first six weeks. Even after that, my losses were usually in the 1- to 2-pound range. Because of exercise, I have a flat stomach (even though I have some loose skin), strong arms, toned legs, and a buttload of energy every day.

She also has an online support group on her blog for other people who'd like to lose weight and are seeking online support and friendship.

It's hard to believe she's a grandmother. See more amazing before and after photos at her site.