Tag Archives: calorie restriction

Penn Jillette’s 105-Pound Weight Loss is No Illusion

penn-weight-loss

Everyone everywhere has started to notice that magician Penn Jillette is seemingly a very slender man all of the sudden. We will avoid making the same “he didn’t use magic!” joke that everyone else has referenced, but we will say that he looks incredible.

According to various sources, Jillette has lost somewhere around 105 pounds–an incredible amount of weight. Jillette told People Magazine that he was on six different pills a day to help with his high blood pressure. When doctors told him he could cut some of his medication out of his life by losing weight, Jillette took it to heart. The controversial comic-magician lost the weight by introducing a very low-calorie diet into his life. By consuming about 1,000 calories a day, Jillette lost 105 pounds in three or four months. (more…)

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

5 Eating Habits that Sound Healthy, but Aren’t

As a health coach, I have had dozens of people provide me with their definitions of “healthy living” and “healthy eating”. Although they’ve made an appointment with me, these people are pretty sure they have most things health figured out and are proud to share the rules they have imposed on their kitchens. The problem is, the difference between good and bad eating habits isn’t aways black and white.

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It’s easy to get caught up and confused by the overload of information about nutrition out there, especially because some of it is contradictory. Enchanted by the latest celebrity endorsement or buzzword of the day, well-intentioned dieters easily make misguided decisions, setting rules and restrictions based on good intentions but not actual science. Here are the health traps I see people fall into most often, habits that actually aren’t all that healthy in the long run.

1. The Fat Fearers
Yes, large amounts of saturated fats found in steaks and candy bars can increase your risk for cardiac events, but don’t forget the good fats! “Low-fat” products simply replace the fat with more chemicals and sugar and should be avoided in favor of full-fat options. It’s also smart to add in more healthy fats like those found in avocado, olive oil, and flax seeds to feel full and satisfied with each meal.

2. The Cheating Vegetarian/Vegan
No question that a plant-based diet is a safe bet for overall health. More and more people are experimenting with vegetarianism and veganism and that is wonderful! But did you know products like Oreos are vegan? A lot of new vegans do—and they’re filling up on them! The idea behind vegetarian and vegan diets is to have most all of your food sources come from natural fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, seeds, and good fats (with the occasional cookies of course!). Eating packaged junk like mac & cheese and veggie pizza means you avoid meat, but these diets don’t satisfy the plant-based foods requirement. To do this diet right, make one of our meat free recipes, like these delicious vegetarian stuffed peppers. (more…)

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Katie McGrath

Nutrisystem Weighs in on the Safety of Low-Cal Diets, Suggesting No Fewer than 1,000 Cals a Day

Low-calorie diet plans are increasingly popular—just last month Rocco launched his 800-calorie-a-day weight loss program—so we asked Anthony Fabricatore, Phd, vice-president of Research and Development at Nutrisystem, about the safety of this sort of calorie restriction. Here, his thoughts on the trend including where Nutrisystem’s new low-cal jumpstart week, a 7-day accelerated plan called Fast 5—which in-house trials suggest can lead to a loss of 5 pounds in one week—fits in.

FAst 5

Says Fabricatore: (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

Rocco DiSpirito’s New Low-Cal Diet Book Rattles Industry

“Celebrity chef” and “weight loss expert” don’t often go hand in hand, but Rocco DiSpirito, author of the “Now Eat This Diet”, continues to strive to be both. The New York City-based chef, best known for his various television appearances, recently released his tenth book, a diet tome titled “The Pound a Day Diet”.

Rocco Cover Image

According to the release for the brand new book, “The Pound a Day Diet”, “is designed to help you lose a pound a day without frustrating plateaus, all while enjoying your favorite foods. On this diet, you never feel hungry or deprived, while always feeling satisfied and fueled with energy. The results are immediate and Rocco shows us how you can transform your body in just days. Be five pounds lighter by Friday!”

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Posted on January 6, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

Overweight Teens Eat Fewer Calories Than Their Healthy Weight Peers, Study Suggests

If you think overweight teens are in their state of health because of their out-of-control calorie intake, think again. A new study from the University of North Carolina of Medicine suggests that older children who are overweight may be consuming fewer calories than their peers at healthier weights.

To conduct the study, researchers analyzed the diet reports of more than 19,000 children ages 1 to 17. They categorized the children based on weight, and children under the age of 2 were categorized based on weight-for-length percentile.

Researchers then looked at the correlation between age and weight category on calorie intake. What they found was that younger, overweight children consume more calories than their healthier peers. However, in the case of older children, those who are overweight actually consume fewer calories than their healthier peers.

These findings led researchers to believe that children who become overweight at a young age tend to remain overweight, regardless of calorie intake fluctuation.  (more…)

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Dana

Starving Alternate Days May be the Key to Lifelong Health

Scientist have made some tall claims before, but this newest one may top the list. A recent study shows that starving or fasting off and on can boost brain power, help weight loss, and ultimately help one live longer.

This research was performed by the National Institute for Aging. They based their study off of an animal study. In the animal study, lab animals were given the bare minimum of calories required to sustain them. Results showed these animals lived twice as long as those fed more calories.

After the animal study, humans were tested. This type of diet was found to protect the heart, circulatory system, Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases.

Another angle of the study showed how the diet effected insulin production, the regulator of sugar. In the animal test, regular lab mice were compared to fasting lab mice. Those who fasted on alternate days needed to produce less insulin. Higher insulin production is associated with lower brain power and the risk of diabetes.

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Posted on February 22, 2024 by Lacy

Actress Emma Stone Speaks Out Against The Tracy Anderson Method

There are lots of celebrity fitness gurus these days. Many people become famous because of their famous clients. For celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, it may have been her clients that made her famous, but now it seems her questionable methods are what’s making headlines.

Up and coming star, Emma Stone, was recently interviewed giving her negative opinion about Anderson. The co-star of 2024’s The Amazing Spider-Man spoke to US Magazine in June.

“That diet, have you seen it?” Stone says of Anderson’s suggestions. “It’s like: Eat this diet, which is a palm-size piece of chicken and some beans, and work out two hours a day for the rest of your life.”

Is this statement factual? Is the raving success of the Tracy Anderson Method simply due to an amazingly low calorie intake and an incredibly high daily caloric burn? These rules would gain results, for a short time, but not necessarily health or long term success.

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Posted on July 12, 2024 by Lacy

Obese Body Chemistry Makes Dieting Harder

Life isn’t fair and nowhere is that more evident than the findings from a new study. It appears that obese people who begin a diet with drastic changes will often do more harm than good.

“When obese persons reduce their food intake too drastically, their bodies appear to resist their weight loss efforts. They may have to work harder and go slower in order to outsmart their brain chemistry,” said Gregory G. Freund, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a member of University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

Freund makes a point of telling people to not start their dieting with a cleansing day, since this seems to trigger changes in the immune system that counter weight loss efforts. The fast-start approach to dieting may also bring on brain chemistry changes that significantly alter mood and motivation levels. (more…)

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Jason

Can You Follow the Baby Food Diet in a Healthy Way?

The Baby Food Diet has taken Hollywood by storm but as more Americans who want to lose weight are jumping on the jarred, pureed food bandwagon, nutrition experts and parents are questioning whether the diet is safe and effective.

“Meeting adequate nutritional needs while following a diet that promotes eating small portions of low calorie pureed foods isn’t so easy,” said Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com and mother of three. “Jars of baby food vary from 15 to 100 calories so it can really be up to the dieter to mix and match various food groups to meet dietary needs.”

While eating baby food alone can put a person at risk for certain vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, there are variations to the diet that can make it healthier, more accessible and more sustainable.

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Posted on June 16, 2024 by Maris

The 411 on Extreme Calorie-Restricted and Fasting Diets

If there’s one sure-fire way to lose weight, it’s cutting calories, eating healthy foods and working out. But what happens when you don’t just cut calories by a little bit, but instead periodically don’t eat or dramatically cut calories by 500 or more? While most health professionals and nutritionists wouldn’t tell the everyday average person to dip below getting 1,200 calories a day, there is a small group of people who follow low-calorie diets because they believe it keeps them healthy and prolongs their lives.

While severe calorie restriction (CR) has been shown to increase lifespan in animals, there hasn’t been much research on the practice in humans until now. Although much more research is needed on the quality of life while restricting calories, according to recent research from Washington University, people who drastic cut calories have lower core body temperatures than those who eat more. Having a lower core body temperature better allows your body to operate at maximum efficiency, according to a story on U.S. News and World Report. So what does this research mean to you, and should you try calorie restriction? The pros and cons are below!

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Posted on June 3, 2024 by Jennipher

Ultimate New York Body Plan Gets Results, but Not the Healthy Way

by Descygna Webb

Finding a diet that gets real results in a short amount of time can be a difficult and often unrealistic task. Many everyday people look to celebrities for their diet advice and seek to have those coveted movie star bodies. One diet that has been used by several celebrities is the Ultimate New York Body Plan by trainer David Kirsch. This diet offers a hardcore workout routine to whip you into shape quickly. This plan is only two weeks long and it includes both diet and fitness components. The Ultimate New York Body Plan will help you lose weight, increase your energy, tone muscles, and give you real results. Some of the celebrity clientele that have used this program include Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, James King and Liv Tyler.

The program has been proven and you start off by taking a fitness assessment to see your starting fitness level. If your fitness level is not high enough, you won’t be able to start the two week program. There is a pre-plan program for those that need to build up their fitness for the actual program. During the two week program, you do customized workouts everyday based on your fitness level. Many of Kirsch’s celebrity clients have spoken about the difficulty of the fitness component. You may be exercising for up to 90 minutes each day and both cardio and weight training are included.

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Posted on May 23, 2024 by Health Buzz