Is the Price Right!?

I am in a hotel and The Price is Right is on in the background. The Price is Right...or is it?

What price are we willing to pay to "eat the foods we LOVE?"

Yesterday I visited a beloved extended family member in the hospital, he is just coming to after ONE month post surgery. He had many complications and was sedated for many weeks.

I have to think the reason for his complications stem from his excess weight, at least 100 lbs of excess weight.

Today I met someone who had bypass surgery and lost 50 pounds AFTER having it, saying that he didn't want to let the weight kill him after getting a second chance w/ successful heart surgery.

The taste of a piece of chocolate, bite of cheesecake, a scoop of ice cream may seemingly taste SOOOO good when you eat it, but what about AFTER?

Rarely do I met a person who doesn't regret having 'given in', eaten something they knew they shouldn't have or binged. But, we usually deal with it AFTER the fact--by dieting and trying to repair the damage done.

Not to be the bearer of a gloom and doom message but we have to start thinking about what the bite here, taste there and "just one" is doing to the INSIDE of our bodies, more than the dismay later over the effects it leaves on the outside.

300,000 people died last year directly related to being overweight/obese and another 2.6 million people lost their lives prematurely indirectly due to their obesity/overweight issues.

We can and MUST do better!

What do you consume on a regular basis that you KNOW you shouldn't?

That is your "vice" and you need to bust it!

We can live long, healthy and fulfilling lives without soft drinks, without fast foods and by moving our bodies!

I watch American Idol last night and they airred a Coca-Cola ad that said for every bottle opened, 12,000 bubbles were born. How touching.

For every bottle opened per day, 15 pounds a year are GAINED.

Is the price right? Are you willing to pay the price?

Julia

If you are interested in my help in losing weight, use the coupon code "sparkpeople" and save $50 off of the $197 price for my 26-week; 50 pounds OFF guaranteed program! What are you weighting for? www.ViceBustingDiet.com

Metabolic Syndrome - is it real?

The syndrome that is being talked about in more medical circles and is just beginning to be discussed in mainstream media is also known as Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome. This is a syndrome that is "marked by rising tryglicerides in the blood, by elevated blood pressure, by increased insulin resistance - a laundry list of symptoms that seem to join forces to end men's lives," as is described in BestLife magazine.

This article goes on to say that the research is piling up and suggests a host of heart and blood related ailments on are on the rise and are closely connected. According to the National Institute of Health, some 75 million Americans may have this condition.

Now here is the kicker that I want people to know - the extra fat that has created many health problems for millions of Americans is now responsible for more problems than we previously thought. Researchers are now showing that fat acts as like "another endocrine organ in the body, with biologically active molecules...that effecct the body's sensitivity to process blood sugar."

There is only one way that you can treat such a condition: diet and exercise. You have to get your heart and lungs pumping and in shape; you have to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, lean meats and fish. There is no room for sugar-filled or high-fructose corn syrup-filled liquids; and no room for fast foods or potato chips or doughnuts. The bottom line is that the number of unhealthy foods available to us is so prevalent that the # of people with diet vices is growing... and it's going unnoticed by most.

When you see a full line of cars waiting in the drive-thru for their burger and fries, instinctively most people think that it must be ok or acceptable to do the same, and the next thing you know there is an exponential growth of people doing the same thing. Apply that to burgers, fries, soda, hot dogs, chips, cookies, candy, or anything that was not made to be ingested for the health of the human body, and you've got a serious threat to the existence of a healthy mankind.

You've got to live with a daily dose of fruits and vegetables (and we also recommend a source for getting the nutrients from fruits and vegetables), healthy high-grain bread, lean meat, fish, plenty of water. You've got to bust out of your life any soft drinks, fast food, chips, pizza, cookies, cake, ice cream or any other regularly consumed unhealthy items.

Start your journey toward a healthier lifestyle. Just do one thing better today - or this week - than you did yesterday or last week. Do that each week and you'll find you're 10X the healthier person in just a few short months!

Carpe Diet!

Medications that Cause Weight Gain?

Is it hard to believe that many medications could cause weight gain? When the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) has two pages of side effects for most drugs, is it no wonder that weight gain would be one of them? If you didn't know, the medications you are taking may be hurting you more than helping - in many ways. While some are very necessary and maybe your ailment or problem is the exception, too often most of us are victims of the 'over-prescribed.'

One of my friends who is a physician - a Radiation Oncologist - agrees that most medical doctors have one hand on the prescription pad and one on the door, meaning their so busy it's what drug is needed for this problem and on to the next patient. You really have to be careful about what it is you're taking and whether it is actually necessary.

Weight gain is just one of many side effects of many drugs, and if you're not sure why you've put on an extra 10 or more pounds, then also look at what medications you might be taking.

For those of you who want to start on a healthy lifestyle and get to a healthy weight, start here!.

Carpe Diet!

The Fittest and Fattest Cities

This years tally of last year's heaviest and slimmest cities is in. The winners take home fitness, stamina, a healthier heart, less sickness, more productivity, and happier lives...all due to their healthier and fitter liftestyles relative to the majority of Americans who are not.

The city that placed at the top - Albuquerque, NM. (More results from CBSnews.com as published in Men's Fitness Mag). A place where the outdoors offers much to do in a climate with great appeal, Albuquerque can be proud of the high degree of health that is enjoyed by it's residents. Rounding out the top ten are two cities in Colorado with entirely different climates than Albuquerque - Denver and Colorado Springs, in close proximity to one another. I suppose that Colorado has a lot of great outdoor activities as well. Either way, the people who choose to live healthy are going to have a ripple effect on those who live near them... and in turn, they will live healthy. Or it could be said that those with healthy lifestyles move to places where there are plenty of things to do to fulfill their active-seeking lifestyles.

On the other side, the fattest city is reportedly Las Vegas. And why not, considering they have the most high-end restaurants per square mile than any other place in the world, and as much of everything you want to consume as your heart (or wallet) desires. Look at the number of cities from Texas that are in the top 10 - San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, El Paso... wow! I guess the high fat steak and fries are the diet of the rich oilmen and women of Texas. I don't know, but there must be some commonality to what's being served in the star state.

You can have a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy good foods. It's the consumption of the bad foods on a regular basis that puts us on the heavy end. Look at your own diet and decide if your eating and drinking what Mother Nature has provided, or most of what your eating and drinking is man-made. Soft drinks, fast food, packaged foods (most), sweets, muffins (most), breads (most), lots of starches... those are going to put the weight on and clog your arteries eventually. Start with drinking more water than any other beverage, and eventually making it 90% of your beverage intake. Go from there and you'll find a major difference in your health. And maybe next year your community can be in the top 10 fittest in the country!

Carpe Diet!
Start on the weight loss diet plan that will build a healthy lifestyle: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Lies, Fries and alibis from McDonald's...I'm NOT lovin' it!

Dear julia,

Due to a rare and virtually unheard of medical condition, it is critical that you excuse julia for arriving at work late today and that you never whisper a word of this tardiness to anyone. julia suffers from an unfortunate ailment known as chris farley syndrome, which is marked by profuse swelling of the butt and an insatiable urge to eat like a cow. In this case, we found the patient deliriously jogging and mumbling in spanish. julia should also be kept away from staples for at least a week, for obvious reasons. Of course any mention of this condition could cause an adverse reaction and completely undermine the hours of coke therapy we've already completed. Please contact my office if julia has more symptoms or you notice julia beginning to die. In any case, you should expect julia soon.

Is this funny?

Please, allow me to explain. I ran across a banner today that said "Are you morning impaired?". My answer; YES! I am the first to admit that until I get my smoothie, read my emails and get settled in, I am NOT a great "morning person", so I was interested in seeing what this was all about, it said to go to http://www.morningimpaired.com/ .

Imagine my surprise and shock when I learned it was a McDonald's site!

I would like for you to stop reading and take a look at it, then come back and let's discuss!

OK..there is NO cure for being morning impaired..but can fight it??

Then, our attorney Mark Markham tells us that our coworkers say late nights of partying have us in trouble with our boss, and thank goodness he has our 'heiny covered' with the excuse generator 3000! That is what generated the email I got that actually looks like a doctor's prescription!

Cute. Clever. Perhaps a novel way for employees to waste time at their computuers rather than working (my personal favorite for that is MonkEMail from Career Builder) but I can't help but ask, regardless of what a clever marketing idea this may be; is there an excuse for eating McDonald's in the first place?

This picture is of my THREE year old Happy Meal. (Yes, you read that correctly, it is NOT my 3-year old's happy meal but A Happy Meal that is 3 years old!!--I kid you not!!!!)

I used to spend a lot of time talking to people at my live seminars about the dangers of fast food, but now I save myself a lot of unnecessary words just by pulling out my 3 year old Happy Meal and letting the folks see for themselves why it may not be such a good idea to consume McDonald's food--it's neither "happy" nor a meal for starters!

When I was recently in NYC for a taping of the Oprah & Friends XM program of Dr. Mehmet Oz, I brought my Happy Meal for him, along with a 3 week old sliced russet potato. He couldn't believe that my Happy Meal was 3 years old and had NO mold, NO mildew, NO rot, NO deterioration--it was just hard but still smells like McDonald's AND your fingers still get greasy and salty to the touch when you hold the french fries! YUCK!!!!

Clearly, regardless of what attorney Mark Markham is spewing, there is NO excuse for eating ANYTHING that McDonald's is selling! Unless of course, you are looking to die early and unhealthy! I am sure your real doctor can write you a note that your boss may buy if you need to be 10 minutes late for work because you need a few minutes to whip up a more healthful breakfast and improve your health, productivity and longevity!

Coca-Cola's Enviga may make you GAIN weight?

Stop the presses! Just as Coca-Cola and Nestle gear up for the big launch of their fat burningSuper-Uber "Enviga" calorie burning drink; now we know the rest of the study!

For Immediate Release:
Monday, February 12, 2007

Enviga Study Casts Doubt on Calorie Burning & Weight-Loss Claims
Companies' Own Study Shows Many People May Expend Less Energy-- Not More-- After Drinking New Beverage

WASHINGTON—Coca-Cola and Nestlé have claimed that an unpublished Swiss study shows that their new green-tea-flavored soda Enviga burns more calories than it provides, resulting in what sounds like a dieter's Holy Grail: "negative calories." Given the size of the study (just 31 young, lean subjects), its duration (only 72 hours), and the funding of the study (Nestlé itself!), the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) was skeptical enough to file suit in federal court against the companies earlier this month. But the full study, published today in the journal Obesity, shows that there's even less foundation for the weight-loss properties than Enviga's makers imply in their marketing materials.

In the study, 31 young men and women ate strict calorie-controlled diets and drank the equivalent of three cans of Enviga each day for three days. Participants spent the third day in a special chamber that measured how many calories they burned. Most expended slightly more calories after drinking Enviga, but Coca-Cola and Nestlé didn’t disclose publicly that the drink's ingredients had the opposite effect in a significant number of the study participants. Six of the 31 participants actually burned up to 10 percent fewer calories after three days of consuming the ingredients in Enviga.

“If you follow Coke's and Nestlé's logic, then about one in five consumers will eventually get fatter from drinking Enviga every day,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. "They've been withholding this information from their customers."

The long-term impact of Enviga isn't clear, either. Outside the carefully controlled environment of the laboratory, some people might eat more food or engage in less physical activity and thus negate the benefit of any extra calories expended, according to Schardt.

The scientists who conducted Coca-Cola's and Nestlé's research seem to agree that the companies' claims are premature. In the study published today they concluded that "more long-term studies would be necessary" to confirm the benefit of a drink like Enviga for weight control. Coke and Nestlé evidently couldn't wait for that, according to CSPI.

Coca-Cola spokespeople have maintained that Enviga isn't marketed as a weight-loss product, while simultaneously claiming that Enviga is "much smarter than fads, quick-fixes, and crash diets," and that it keeps "those extra calories from building up." One Coke official seemed to suggest that Enviga can actually replace some physical activity. "I can choose to walk up the stairs or I can choose to have a can of Enviga," Helen Falco, Coke's director of nutrition and health policy, told USA Today.

The editors of Obesity today issued a press release that pointedly states that the Enviga study should not serve as a foundation for weight-control claims.

"Increasing metabolism is not the same as causing weight loss or prevention of weight gain," said Eric Ravussin, professor at the PenningtonBiomedicalResearch Center and president of the Obesity Society. "Increases in metabolic rate may be easily offset by increased energy consumption or decreases in energy expenditure. Far more extensive studies are needed before any claim for efficacy in human weight management can or should be made on the basis of this study."

Enviga consists of carbonated water, calcium, concentrated green tea extract, unspecified "natural flavors," caffeine, phosphoric acid, and the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The company says its green tea extracts are high in an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG.

In addition to being the target of a CSPI lawsuit, Enviga is the subject of an investigation launched by the office of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. He has demanded any studies that the companies have that relate to its weight-loss claims, which he said might just be "voodoo nutrition." ____

They may call it "voodoo" but I call it Doo-Doo!

How can Coca-Cola and Nestle executives do this and sleep at night? We live in a day and age where last year 300,000 people died DIRECTLY due to being overweight and 2.6 million lost their lives prematurely indirectly due to their weight.

I was once a 300+ pound woman and I can promise every board member, scientist and marketing person at Coca-Cola and Nestle that IF they created a drink that actually drinking it would help us lose weight, even though it may cost $1500 a year; that we would buy it and drink it often. But, to lie to us and sell us something that in 6 out of 31 cases might actually help us gain more weight? I for one, if that happened to me, would kick your #*#.

I hope someone does! I am just one voice, but I am willing to be there are millions out there who agree with me! It is just plain dumb, irresponsible and a lie to suggest that ANYONE would be better off drinking Enviga than walking up a flight of stairs! Folks, just bust your vices before they bust you! Today and today ONLY take me up on my offer and order my 26-week program to help you bust your vices and I will give you a FREE copy of my book that correctly addresses Coca-Cola and most of their products as the #1 diet vice causing the Obesity Pandemic--and you can get started with a FREE 30 minute "one on one" phone consult with me personally! I will Invigorate you and save you the waste of time and money of Enviga! http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Coca Cola "Vice" SuperBowl Ad--finally a product from Coca-Cola that lives up to it's claim!

What the heck is in the water coolers at Coca-Cola headquarters?

First, they give us the boneheaded "Drink, Choose and Live" campaign that to win "Sing Like an Idol" among other prizes, actually required the consumption of 4160 12 pks of Coke, 49,920 12 ounce cans, for a whopping 7, 238,400 calories which would add 2068 pounds on the typical human body and one would have to consume 151 12 ounce cans a day to keep pace with their supply over the course of the contest; note to self--DON'T try this one at home kids, after nearing 75 cans you would develop hyponatremia; your kidney's would quit and you would die! OOPSY, someone at Coca-Cola overlooked a few factoids and the silly matter of HUMAN HEALTH!

Anywho, I digress, meanwhile back at Coke headquarters the rest of the management team was putting their head together and came up with Enviga! Ah, sounds so uplifting, invigorating and tempting...AND it burns more calories than you consume! Yes, that's right folks, a workout in a can, a diet in a beverage--a Miracle cure to save you from the fat of the land and deliver you the body of your dreams!

For $1,500 a year in Enviga purcahses (and this time you are actually suppossed to DRINK what you buy vs the "DRINK, choose, live" campaign where Coca-Cola meant BUY, choose and LIVE!)

Thank goodness that someone is looking out for us! The Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Coca-Cola. (wonder if they will call these folks publicity hungry like they did me? I am sure Cokes' sassy mouthpieces will come up with some clever what to cast the blame on these folks while trying to make themselves look like the saviors of the Obesity Pandemic!)

Enviga consists of carbonated water, calcium, concentrated green tea extract, various “natural flavors,” and ingredients typically found in diet soda, such as caffeine (three diet colas’ worth), phosphoric acid, and the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The company says its green tea extracts are high in an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG.

Many of Enviga’s claims are based on a 72-hour Nestlé-funded study of 31 people who were given a drink containing amounts of EGCG and caffeine equivalent to three cans of Enviga. On average, those subjects expended more energy, according to an abstract of the unpublished study. In any event, none of the 31 were overweight or obese—in fact all were quite lean to begin with. In other words, the company’s test may have detected some slight evidence that it increases calorie burning slightly—but only in a short-term test of thin people who were given a strictly controlled diet. And when the study was presented at a conference of the Obesity Society (publishers of the journal Obesity and also known as NAASO), the society disputed the study’s conclusions, insisting “it is improper to state or imply that the results of this study supports any weight loss” claim.

No test of Enviga lasted more than three days. One European study found that EGCG and caffeine did not increase energy expenditure after one month and did not help people lose weight. One longer-term Japanese study did show that a tea fortified with EGCG and caffeine helped people lose more weight than a control tea, but then again, the study was conducted by a tea company and the subjects of the study were 38 of that company’s male employees.

Enviga costs between $1.29 and $1.49 per can, and the company suggests that the maximum effect is gained by drinking three cans a day, or about $1,500 worth of the soda per year.

“There is no clear evidence that what’s in Enviga will help you control your weight,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. “You’d be much better off giving up non-diet soda, which costs nothing to do, or by joining a gym, which is typically less expensive than paying for 3 cans of Enviga a day.”

CSPI will be represented by its litigation director Stephen Gardner, and by Mark Cuker and Michael J. Quirk from the firm of Williams Cuker Berezofsky, based in Cherry Hill, N.J.

“This deceptive marketing campaign needs to be nipped in the bud before many more millions of Americans get ripped off,” said Cuker. “Enviga burns more money than calories.”

CSPI’s litigation unit, formed in 2004, seeks to stop deceptive labeling or marketing campaigns or other practices that harm consumers’ health. It’s a strategy that helped spur KFC to drop artificial trans fats for deep-frying, and has resulted in improved labeling of products made by Tropicana, Quaker, Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, and Cadbury-Schweppes. CSPI is soon likely to file a major lawsuit aimed at stopping Kellogg and Viacom (parent of the Nickelodeon television channel) from marketing junk food to young children.

“If the Food and Drug Administration were at all credible, major corporations like Coca-Cola and Nestlé wouldn’t try to take consumers to the cleaners like this,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “Imagine—two of the companies partly responsible for the general fattening of America are now urging us to pay them $4 a day to slim down with Enviga. The chutzpah!”

don't you just LOVE that comment!

Article from ABC News:

Dr. David Katz, ABC News medical contributor and associate professor at Yale University's School of Public Health, said Enviga's calorie burning claims are based on insufficient research.

"It's putting marketing hype ahead of science," Katz said. "The science here is not ready for primetime. There is a hint in animal research and in very early studies that EGCG can boost metabolism a little bit, but we don't know if that contributes to weight control."

And finally, yesterday during the SuperBowl, the boneheads in the Coca-Cola executive box did another misstep! I am going to be very arrogant and assume that this ad was a direct message to me, but they actually ran an ad called "Coca Cola VICE"! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16566275/

The commerical shows a SKINNY guy drinking Coke running around doing random acts of "kindness"--giving others Coke, putting out fires and spinning protesters around and the song playing in the background is saying "you are going to be remembered for the things you say and do" and "give a little love, it all comes back to you"

Well, they got it right this time. YOU are going to be remembered for the things YOU say and DO Coca-Cola. YOU gave us Coke that IS the #1 diet vice that is responsible for the global Obesity Pandemic and you WILL be remembered for it.

You gave us Enviga that is nothing short of a rip-off con-artist-like SCAM and you WILL be remembered for it.

1st Week of Pregnancy, Diet Effects Baby's Health

The answer seems obvious. You're pregnant, you eat fast food and drink soft drinks... your baby starts life overweight and predisposed to being obese because of your habits.

A study done with sheep has shown that the mother's nutrition and the environment of an embryo in the first few days of life – even before implantation in the uterus – can set the scene for later disease, such as heart disease and diabetes. There's no reason not to believe this doesn't hold true across all species of life with gestation periods. More on this study...

It bears the question, 'how many women know they are pregnant the first week of life'? This study would provide an excellent argument for eating healthy and living healthy all of the time, not just when you find out you're pregnant. There are some simple steps you can take to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle if you struggle to live at a healthy weight...or live healthy at all. Don't wait until you feel you have some 'important reasons' to get busy living healthy . YOU are an important reason, so start now.

Carpe Diet!

A Cure or Some Relief for Aids

This reported in Daily Times - a news resource for Pakistan...

Iran unveils herbal remedy against AIDS

TEHRAN: Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani on Saturday announced that Iran’s scientists have produced a herbal medicine that boosts the human immunity system against the HIV/AIDS virus. “The herbal-based medication, called IMOD, serves to control the AIDS virus and increases the body’s immunity,” Baqeri Lankarani was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA. “It is not a medication to kill the virus, it rather can be used besides other anti-retroviral drugs,” Baqeri Lankarani said on state radio. The drug, made after five years of research, has been tested on 200 patients, IRNA said, adding that it is considered the fifth generation of medications helping control the HIV/AIDS virus. “This is a substance good for both AIDS patients and those who carry the virus without showing the symptoms,” the director of the project, Muhammad Farhadi, told state television. Farhadi said the medication would now be tested on some 3,000 to 5,000 Iranian patients in the next year to monitor its efficacy. Health Minister Baqeri Lankarani said that the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Iran stands at around 14,000 while 1,700 people have died of the disease. Last June, Iranian officials warned about the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS infections in the country.

Gambian president says he can cure Aids (same source)

Comments: An herbal remedy sounds like another way of saying 'a healthy diet'. I would have to believe that this 'remedy' would be full of nutrients that most people are missing in their diet, as well as some that are natural but not normally consumed. But a diet which is lacking in nature's nutrients is a going to be show up by way of a compromised immune system. Even if this herbal remedy does strengthen the immune system, why wouldn't this 'remedy' be marketed to help improve the health of all citizens? Sounds hopeful for AIDS/HIV patients, while good for anyone desiring a stronger immune system and healthier body.

The Power of Antioxidants

More studies and more research keep pointing to the antioxidant power that comes from a healthy diet in supporting health and avoiding sickness... and prolonging a healthy life! It comes as no surprise that the degree of health and absence of disease that an individual experiences in their lifetime is in direct correlation to their diet.

A diet full of fruits and vegetables is the best way to support a fit figure, and also provides the antioxidant power to keep you from getting sick. Even Cherries are now being touted as a great 'super food' by The Cherry Institute, which is a campaign that some will view as nothing more than a marketing ploy, but in truth the Institute is taking the greatest benefit of cherry consumption and exploiting it for higher sales. Not so bad when you consider the positive benefits.

Every fruit and vegetable provides health benefits. Our outlook toward fruits and vegetables has changed from necessity to benefits, as if to say that we have a choice in the matter. We don't, if you want to be healthy, that is. You need the nutrients from a range of fruits and vegetables. And if it's your weight your trying to control, you need a plan to make the transition to eating and living heathier.

Carpe Diet!

Trigger Foods May Ruin Diet

At 290 pounds, Julia Havey was morbidly obese and desperate to lose weight. “I tried diet after diet and pill after pill,” she recalls. “But nothing worked.” Her turning point came after a cruel comment from a stranger while shopping. When she got home, she vowed to get serious about her health, and she knew that meant getting rid of the food most responsible for her weight gain – ice cream. Could a trigger food lurking in your home be keeping you from your goal weight, too?

“At my heaviest, I used to eat half a gallon of ice cream a night,” Havey admits. But she hasn’t had a bite of it since 1994. Now, 130 pounds lighter, Havey was the “Master Motivator” to 14 million readers at eDiets, has now joined the leader in online weight loss, SparkPeople.com, find her team at http://teams.sparkpeople.com/vicebusting and author of The Vice-Busting Diet (St. Martin’s, 2006). Let her experience help you overcome your own diet vice once and for all.

What is a Diet Vice?
According to Havey, a diet vice is any habitual action that keeps you from reaching a healthy weight. You may even have multiple vices. Maybe it’s a habit, like serving yourself huge portions or snacking after dinner. Or maybe it’s a single food, like chocolate or chips, that’s wreaking havoc on your waistline.

Fast food and soda are two major diet vices in America, in Havey’s opinion. But even if you’re a water-drinking, Big Mac-shunning, health-conscious consumer, you may not be in the clear. Diet vices are different for everyone, and not all are junk food. If you can you eat the whole jumbo-sized bag, carton or box of anything in one sitting, it qualifies as a trigger food.

Deprived and Depressed

Once you’ve identified your trigger food – be it potatoes, pie or root beer – how can you resist it? Give it up forever. “It’s easier to go without a food you can’t control than to try to have it in moderation,” says Havey.

If you think your life will be miserable without chocolate, crackers or fast food, ask yourself this: How miserable does this food make me now? Is it preventing me from looking good, having energy and feeling confident?

“Deprivation is not living without certain foods but living with them and being deprived of your true health and happiness,” Havey says. Trigger foods may make you happy temporarily, but if they make you sad in the long-term, it doesn’t make sense to keep them in your life.

Havey promises that if you eliminate your trigger food altogether – whether you implement other diet and exercise goals or not – you’ll lose weight. Not only will you curb calories, but you’ll avoid the binge the food usually inspires.

Painless Elimination
If you’re used to eating huge quantities of a certain food, living without it probably seems impossible. But, actually, giving up the food entirely will eventually make you crave it less. To help you along the way, follow these tips:

Make healthy substitutions
- If your vice is sweet and creamy, like ice cream, try a bowl of low-fat plain yogurt with fresh berries when your craving hits.

- If you love the crunchy texture and salty flavor of potato chips or crackers, swap them for popcorn sprinkled with a little garlic salt (hold the butter). Toasted whole-wheat pita chips also substitute well.

- If you love comfort food like baked lasagna or mashed potatoes with gravy, have a meal that’s just as hearty and filling, but that delivers fewer calories. Warm up with a bowl of steaming lentil soup sprinkled with mozzarella cheese.

Sometimes it’s not the food itself, but the act of eating that we crave. Havey found that snacking on baby carrots when a craving hit not only saved her calories, but reduced her appetite and left her with more energy at the end of the afternoon.

Find another way to have fun
“When you remove something from your life, especially a habit, you need to fill that space with something else,” explains Havey. One woman who took this advice to heart is Jayme, 52, a systems analyst in San Diego. Her afternoon cookie break used to be her favorite part of the day. “I was stressed out, and chowing down on cookies was how I relaxed,” she says.

But all that sugar and processed white flour left her tired and sluggish an hour later. One day, after she fell asleep at her desk, she vowed to make healthier choices. “I still look forward to my midday break,” she says, “but now I use the time to read my favorite magazine instead of eating junk.”

If you’re bored, lonely or in need of a treat, “replace the feeling of satisfaction that comes from eating with other things,” says Havey. Some suggestions from her book: Get your hair done, see a movie, buy a great pair of shoes, take a bubble bath, or call a friend.

Trading Up
Havey hasn’t had ice cream in 12 years. Doesn’t she miss it? “Absolutely not,” she says. The trick is she doesn’t consider the food “forbidden.”

“There’s nothing telling me I can’t have it,” she says. “I could get in the car right now and buy some at the grocery store if I wanted.” But she doesn’t. She knows that it won’t make her feel good or give her the satisfaction it once did. Besides, her readers are counting on her.

A bowl of ice cream can’t compare to having a body you love and a life filled with energy, happiness and confidence.

For more help on busting your diet vices, check out www.ViceBustingDiet.com.

Are You Addicted to Food?
There’s nothing wrong with giving into indulgences from time to time. But have you crossed the line from feeding your body to feeding a food addiction? Find out with this food addict quiz.

Obesity-Related Costs out of Control!

If you need to see the extreme measures that are being taken because of the overweight and obesity problems in the U.S. take a look at what West Virginia is doing to assist its citizens in taken control of their health. When you have such high health care costs related to the problems brought on by the extra pounds, and those costs are into the hundreds of millions, you've got to do something to help.

We need to consider that the choices available to us today are so numerous and unhealthy, that the real culprit lies in the responsibility that we collectively have to provide healthy foods and beverages in our society. Granted that healthy choices must be made to encourage those actions, after all this is a free enterprise economy, but we have to realize that the predominance of so many unhealthy consumables.

For this reason, we not only need a healthy diet plan, but we need motivation. Having dreams and goals that are beyond where you are today that inspire you, is the key to staying on track and living a healthy life. Too many unhealthy choices can and eventually will lead to an unhealthy life if you're not surrounded by health - daily exercise, healthy eating, goals, friends who enjoy the same, encouraging family to make healthy choices. All are important in the cause.... for yourself and others.

Carpe Diet!

weight loss plan, diet plan, fruit and vegetable nutrients

Research from 35,000 Women

A diet that includes fruits and vegetables has shown to be extremely helpful in the prevention of disease. A study with 35,000 pre-menopausal women in the UK showed that a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and whole wheat foods are beneficial in preventing breast cancer. (STORY).

Healthy sources of calcium include low fat dairy products and supplements are also effective. The new research says calcium only works when combined with a low calorie diet. The study also found calcium can reduce bad cholesterol, and increase good cholesterol.

Comments: Do you really need to be told that foods from the ground, grown with nutrients from the Earth, and light from the Sun, and water... are good for you? Is it that these prevent cancer or that the foods that have permeated our supermarkets and fast-food restaurants are so bad that disease has increased, thereby making what should be a "normal" diet seem in some way preventative. Said another way, we shouldn't be eating probably 75% or more of the foods and beverages we currently consume because they are causing higher rates of sickness and disease! If not the actual cause, then at the very least these foods and beverages are preventing us from getting the nutrients we DO NEED.

So choose a diet full of fruits, vegetables, grains, and plenty of water. Leave soft drinks and other high-sugar drinks, fast food and other processed foods behind. You will feel great, you will have more energy, you will prevent sickness and disease.... or at the very least, you will prolong and improve the quality of life - adding life to your years and years to your life!

Carpe Diet!

weight loss plan, diet plan, Dr Oz Weight Loss, fruit and vegetable nutrients

The 31-Year Diet

Jorge Cruise gave us the 3-hour diet and today the UK uncovered the 31-year diet!

British women will spend 31 years of their life on a diet and 921 hours thinking about nothing but food!

Research released today reveals that women can expect to spend 31 years of their life on a diet,
but the majority will end up thinking about food literally round the clock. The average dieter will spend 921 hours, or 38.3 days, thinking about nothing but food.

One in 10 British women are currently trying to lose weight and more than a fifth, 21%, consider themselves permanent dieters, the report found.

The in-depth study of the UK's attitude and approach to dieting also found the average dieter spends £150 on special diet foods.

And it revealed this is the week most of those who began diets in the New Year- 75% will give up their resolutions to shed the extra pounds.

The average diet apparently lasts 5.48 weeks but the post-Christmas battle to lose weight sees this fall to three weeks, the report said.

It found half of slimmers, 50%, give up because of lack of willpower while a quarter, 25%, claim they gave up because their diet was making them depressed or moody.

Despite the fall-off rate, the report did throw up some positive aspects to the UK's attitude to dieting and having a healthy lifestyle.

More than a third, 34%, of British women polled cited voluptuous singer and TV presenter Charlotte Church as having the perfect figure with a size 12 the aspirational size for the majority.

Ideals

British men, meanwhile, were keen on the sporting physique, with 40% citing footballer David Beckham's body as their ideal goal.

Women were motivated to diet largely for themselves, 75% rather than for their partners 18% with 70% giving health as their reason for trying to get thin.

Some admitted they had contemplated resorting to drastic measures to lose weight with 22% saying they had thought about using slimming pills, 12% saying they had considered a liquid diet and 9% saying they had considered surgery.

But the majority, 85%, were also looking at eating smaller portions and 64% thinking about eating low fat foods, while 44% were considering joining a gym.

Chocolate was found to be the food craved by most dieters 23%, closely followed by cheese, which was craved by 20%.

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Wow! It never ceases to amaze me what researchers study and how much money the spend conducting such research. They should have just picked up the phone and called me, I could have saved them a lot of time and money!

On my site, we asked women "how many years have you been dieting?" and "at what age did you start your first diet?"--the AVERAGE answers were 20 years and 15 years of age!

What does that information tell us? It should clue us in that diets don't work! If you spend 15 years trying to solve a problem for it only to get worse over time--what you are using (diets) isn't working (weight gain!) What ends up happening most often is that the 15 year old young woman developes a lifestyle of going "ON" and "OFF" of a diet and spends most of her life living unhealthfully between diet attempts!

The solution?

Develop a healthy lifestyle and adhere to it at all times, not just while "on" a diet!

Add to the research conducted in the UK the findings to my survey of 14 million dieters and the evidence is compelling that Vice Busting is the ONLY way to lose weight and KEEP it off for the rest of your life!

Our survey found that 87% of dieters admit to having diet vices, 38% confess to breaking their diets DAILY to consume them, while another 33% break their diets weekly. Therefore 71% of well-intentioned dieters blow it and fall "off" their diets without realizing the results promised them by the diet plan they entrusted.

So, what to do? Admit that you are NOT SouthBeach Diet deficient, Jenny Craig deprived, living your Worst Life Diet nor have serious internal lack of Medifast shakes but rather you have a few diet vices; or unhealthy foods that LOVE, and that you eat too often in too much quantity to ever realistically lose weight regardless of what "diet" you are going through the motions of following.

If you are like the 71% of dieters who continually fall "OFF" of your diet because you consume your vices on a regular basis, maybe, just maybe the problem is with those very vices and they are what need busting!

Dr. David L. Katz, MD (very cool guy, Yale U Professor of Medicine, ABC News, Oprah's medical expert and best selling author The Way to Eat) agrees!--"These vices that Julia describes have often been a cause, or even the cause of failed attempts at losing weight among my patients."

Makes sense doesn't it?

See for yourself! Bust your vices before they bust YOU! And, think of it this way, maybe it will free up your thinking time for something better than FOOD!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Cancer Down for 2nd Year - Will it Last?

While two consecutive years of dropping cancer deaths is a good sign, we must continue to forge ahead - educating, inspiring, and motivating others to make healthy choices... not just sometimes, but all of the time. If you graph the 25 or 35 year cancer statistics, we are not out of the 'upward trend' yet. However, we can presume that this is a 'top' that could be the beginning of a reversal.

While it's still way too early to tell, and since our dietary habits are still too poor among the majority of the population, it is something positive to celebrate. If we analyze the growth of the fast food industry and the soft drink industry, I can only ascertain that there is much work to do.

We could make a big difference in the health of the world if more people drank water instead of soft drinks and other sugary drinks, and more people chose to eat fruits and vegetables - and a supplement that provides nutrients from fruits and vegetables - while avoiding high-fat and high-salt fast foods...... then, yes we will make a difference, and that will be a good start.

Get started living healthy today.
Julia

Fat Rat? Their Obesity is tied to their Diet!

OK, it's getting crazy in the world. Supersized fat RATS are popping up in cities across the world. And the million dollar question is WHY? What's happening to these rats?

Are their little rat treadmills not working?

Are their little rat health-food stores closing?

Are their little rat water bottles not available?

Or is it just maybe the supersized humans who dwell in their hood and the remains of their food and drinks that the rats are finding and eating that is to blame?

Yes, that's right! Humans putting the remains of their McDonald's, their Coca-Cola's, their ice cream cones, their candy bars into trash bins and then the rats eat all of it that is to blame!

Give a rat a head of lettuce, some fruit, some whole grains and lean proteins and water to drink, you will still have a rat on your hands, but a healthy-weight one! Give it JUNK; you get a FAT rat on your hands!

Maybe we need to fund a few million to study this fat rat problem? Nah. Let's save the money on this one, I think common sense should be able to solve this one.

Julia

Are we going to far with Genetically modified food?

The story begins with food. The quality of our food supply has gone from natural, well-cared for, and grown by over 80% of the population...to... less than 5% of the population growing foods and crops... to... foods now controlled by major corporations. Not only has this reduced nature's goodness to something that is man-made and altered by science. Is this a good thing or bad? Maybe both, but time will tell.

Let's put aside the debate about whether genetically engineered crops may compromise our health in the long-term or not. Let's look at an issue that is more disturbing to not only farmers but the control of our food supply.

It all starts not that many years ago when the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a company (I believe GM) to put a PATENT on a living thing (a genetically created microbe if I'm not mistaken, that could eat oil, like what would be used in oil spills; never was used). With this ruling, it opened the door to put PATENTs on LIVING THINGS... contrary to the constitution or what is safe. What does this mean? It means that genetically engineered seeds can be patented... it means that whoever owns these seed patents will eventually control our food supply!

Watch this very informative, eye-opening video that shows how hundreds of farmers are being sued without ever knowing that MONSANTO's seeds got on to their farm! --- Go to Dr. Mercola's site and watch. NOTE: this video is 90 minutes, but get through just 15 minutes.

These things need to be voted on by the you and I... the public. We cannot let this continue down the path it is going. Monsanto will become the next big "EVIL" corporation with so much control. Did you know that somewhere close to 40% of corn is genetically modified? And most of it is Monsanto's.

The scary thing is not just food, but if their seed, their genetically-engineered 'whatever' ends up in your yard, in your house, in your body... they could claim rights to YOU!

Watch the video. Pass the link around.

In health,
Carpe Diet

weight loss, weight loss plan, fruit and vegetable nutrients

The American Beverage Ass. Disputes beverage Studies and their Ties to the Obesity Pandemic

The New York Times reported about some problems with recent studies about the harm from sugary beverages: read the article

What I found interesting was the beverage industry's response!

''This is yet another attack on industry by activists who demonstrate their own biases in their review by looking only at the funding source and not judging the research on its merits,'' says a statement by Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association. ''The science is what matters -- nothing else.''

Respectfully Ms Neely, a lot else matters!

• The health of the consumers matters!
• The 2.6 million people who died prematurely last year from obesity and obesity related causes matter!
• The $100 Billion in costs expended to solve the health problems brought on by Obesity matter.
• The person who can't walk around block because of their excess weight brought on from drinking sugar filled beverages matters!
• The fact that soft drinks and other sugar filled beverages are the leading cause of Obesity and Overweight and why we have a pandemic of Obesity matters!
• Much more than just the profits realized by your members matters, Ms. Neely!

The homepage ( http://www.ameribev.org/index.aspx) of the American Beverage Ass. has a picture of a healthy weight darling young girl drinking from a bottle of water. How picture perfect, but the real picture of what the American Beverage Ass is all about is MUCH different than promoting drinking WATER! Their site says:

Nearly as widely consumed as bottled water are milk and coffee, followed by fruit beverages and tea. About 12 percent of the total beverages consumed are made by what Beverage Marketing Corporation defines as “all other,” comprised most prominently of sports drinks, vegetable juice, powdered drinks and, yes, tap water.

Total US Beverage Consumption 2005

• Carbonated Soft Drinks 28.3%
• Bottled Water 10.7%
• Milk 10.9%
• Coffee 9.0%
• Beer 11.7%
• Fruit Beverages 4.7% *
• Sports Drinks 2.3%
• Tea 3.8%
• Wine 1.2%
• Distilled Spirits 0.7%
• All Others 15.3% **

OK, call me an idiot, but how are only 12% of drinks consumed the "other" drinks (read "sugar-filled crap") when their own stats show that 28.3% of drinks consumed in 2005 were carbonated soft drinks? It just sounds a whole lot better to say that just a tiny bit of the drinks drunk are 'ours' so we can't be a big part of the problem, can we?

Big Soda makes the carbonated drinks, the sports drinks, the "energy" drinks, the fruit drinks and heck, they even make much of the bottled water!

Bottom line, more than the profits or the conflicting messages matter! The health of humanity is at stake and we have to shun sugar filled, high fructose laced beverages and drink WATER! It is the only way to ensure a healthy bottom line for you and for your family.

Julia

eDiets former diet expert launches a team at SparkPeople; the leader in delivering online weight loss results!

St. Louis, MO--"I am so happy to announce a big change in my career! I have relocated to SparkPeople.com and will, effective immediately be providing FREE motivational weight loss support to those who desire my help!"

SparkPeople Inc. is a leading online preventive health company. Their goal is to help as many people as possible reach their goals and lead meaningful lives. All of their programs and services are medically sound, completely free of charge, community-based and accessible. In the areas of health, fitness, goal-setting and leadership, they help people discover what will truly motivate them to reach their goals.

"I think that they are the perfect home for my style of motivation because they are so passionate about helping people do what will actually work, rather than like so many portal-type weight loss sites today that offer a such dizzying wide array of what might work, SparkPeople focuses on what WILL work; lifestyle change and motivation!"--Julia Havey, Master Motivator

Starting today, dieters around the world can join Julia's new team, "Vice Busting w/ Julia" at SparkPeople for FREE! http://teams.sparkpeople.com/vicebusting

"It's FREE, it's fun, it's motivating and it will work for anyone desiring weight loss and lifestyle improvements. I am so excited to be part of the most exciting thing happening online in the weight loss industry."

Julia

How to stay on track with Diet Resolutions

Staying on track with your resolutions!

Picture this scenario--it's January 1 and you are 100% determined to do it' this time' and you vow to change everything, do everything right and really stick to your diet.

But something happens by around January 9th. The boss brings donuts to work, it's a coworkers birthday and someone brought cake, everyone goes out to lunch, you pass the vending machine and it is literally calling your name, the kids begged for McDonald's....you know; LIFE happened and YOU "fell off your diet".

Normally whe this scenario happens, many of us throw in the towel and think "this diet" just isn't going to work for me and we give up on this attempt and vow to start something new "tomorrow", or we figure "I blew it for today, so I might as well eat everything I want and get 'back on track' tomorrow!" And we all know from experience that "tomorrow" may be days, weeks or months in actually arriving!

Either way, you lose. Well not weight which is what you wanted to lose, but what you really lose is another chip of self-esteem, another little bit of your spark goes out.

So, here's a new way of looking at it. It's just ONE slip up, one stumble, but it isn't the worst thing in the world. Just STOP, get yourself out of the moment, toss away what is left of the "vice" and brush yourself off and move on.

Make it a game with yourself that you will make the amount of time between when stumble again longer than when you started on your journey and this stumble happened.

What? Stumble again? You plan on being "Perfect" from now on? Hate to break it to you, but it won't happen, not for you, not for anyone! LIFE Happens!

The key to success is what you DO after LIFE hits the diet fan and you stumble!

And the second rule of this game with yourself is to make the amount of time that it takes to get back on track shorter and shorter. In the past when you 'fell of your diet' it might have taken days, weeks or months to muster the determination to try again, shorten that time each time you stumble!

In theory, you could get so good at this 'game' that you may stumble once every few months, get immediately back on track so in reality, you will just have a bad food day once in a great while, and my friend is well within the relm of healthy living!

...and even better than that, you will lose weight!
Fail to plan; plan to fail. and plan on what to do when you fail, and you won't fail!
How's that for confusing! LOL

Carpe Diet!
Julia