9 International Fad Diets Too Wacky to Believe
Weird Fad Diets Around the Globe It seems weight loss is a national pastime in America—and fad diets come in and out of style daily. After all, who hasn’t known someone who started out their day with a delicious (?) drink of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon water? Or remember that time we all focused on one decidedly non-diet food to use for our diet—like the cookie diet, the ice cream diet, or the baby food diet? Well, while we’ve been busy trying every diet strategy under the sun, other countries have been coming up with their own strange diet fads too—with mixed results. Curious what they are? So were we. (And don’t forget to check out The 9 Biggest Nutrition Trends of 2015.) Japan’s Long Breath Diet Japan is possibly the only country that goes through fad diets…
Is Whey Protein the Best Protein Powder for Weight Loss?
The first time you heard the word “whey,” it was probably in conjunction with Little Miss Muffet. But the milk protein has become a health buzzword in recent years. Although whey powder was initially used among the bodybuilding set, today it’s mainstream thanks to celebrity trainers like Jillian Michaels and Harley Pasternak, who swear by the stuff. Studies have shown unequivocally that whey protein can help build muscle. But is it useful for people who want slimmer hips and thighs, rather than bigger and stronger biceps? “Absolutely,” says Paul Arciero, D.P.E., director of the Human Nutrition and Metabolism Lab at Skidmore College. “Whey is perhaps the most effective dietary strategy to aid weight loss because it is the most thermogenic food source you can eat. This means it burns the most calories after you eat it.” Add whey protein to your meals and…
The Weight-Loss Secret You’ve Never Heard
If you seem to have more than an inch to pinch on your waist no matter what you eat or whether you focus on intervals or weight training, the problem may not be your stomach but another organ. You probably don’t give much thought to your liver (except maybe when you contemplate that third vodka soda), but its health is key to your overall health and weight. Your liver is the ultimate multitasker: It acts as a filter to remove toxins (like medications and alcohol) and nutrient byproducts such as ammonia from the blood; it aids in digestion by producing bile to help break down fat and absorb fat- and water-soluble vitamins and minerals; and it plays a part in regulating glucose, blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin, estrogen, testosterone, immunity, and blood cholesterol production and removal. And you thought you had a…
BMI vs Weight vs Waist Circumference
From stepping on a scale every day to keeping a close eye on the fit of your jeans, there are many ways to assess how healthy your weight and size are. And the discussion about whether body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference or something entirely different is best continues, most recently reignited when this season’s Biggest Loser winner Rachel Fredrickson won with an alarmingly low BMI of 18 at 105 pounds. Clear up the confusion and learn the latest on the benefits and drawbacks of the three most popular measurements to determine which is best for you. Body Mass Index The BMI is a standardized formula to determine the ratio between height and weight. BMI has been shown to be a fairly reliable indicator of body fat for most adults, though not for the elderly or those with a lot of…
No-Diet, No-Exercise Tips to Lose Weight
Drink Enough Water There are so many reasons why water is, among other things, good for your waistline. Drinking cold water can help up your metabolism, since your body will work harder to warm up the liquid, meaning more calories burned for you. Drinking water regularly also helps keep you feeling full so you don’t snack on empty calories, and hydrating before you exercise will help release muscle-building hormones in your body — which spells good news for not only your strength goals but also your metabolism. Get Enough Sleep Celebs and doctors alike can’t stop talking about their go-to weight-loss secret: one of the keys to losing or preventing weight gain is getting enough sleep. Why? Turns out we end up eating more when we’re sleep-deprived. A recent study, for example, showed that participants who got only four hours of sleep…
Is Wearing a Corset the Secret to Weight Loss?
Do Waist Trainers Get Rid of Belly Fat? Will wearing a corset flatten your stomach? Those 19th century-style torture devices are the premise behind “waist training,” the latest weight loss fad that involves lacing or Velcroing yourself into a corset-like garment to “train” your waist to be trimmer. Kim Kardashian outed herself as a devotee on Instagram, and Jessica Alba has credited a corset with helping her shed baby weight. There’s also been a spike in real women who vouch that waist training for weight loss has scored them an hourglass figure. But, really, do waist trainers make you lose weight? Experts Weigh In Curious, we took it to the experts—and it turns out that wearing a corset has zero to do with shedding real weight. It’s just the latest gimmick (fat-burning pills, anyone?) that promises to effortlessly peel off pounds. At…