diet

Get-Fit Clicks

February 7, 2012 at 11:55 am, by jbrown

* We will never pass up a chance to praise the health benefits of dark chocolate. (FitSugar)

* Wal-Mart is set to debut their own “Great For You” label to make shopping for healthy food easier. (MSNBC)

* If your ab workout doesn’t seem to be working for you anymore, give your core a new challenge with this resistance-band routine from our friends at Fitness. (Bonus: It’s easy to do while you’re watching TV.) (Fitness)

* Not all veggies are more nutritious when they’re eaten fresh. Greatist explains which ones get even healthier when they’re cooked. (Greatist)

* Designer Karl Lagerfeld deems Adele “a little too fat.” You know, because her weight is somehow his business. And because fat-shaming people is morally acceptable. Arrgghhhh. (US magazine)

Delicious chocolate photo via Shutterstock.

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Think You Can’t Lose Weight? Wanna Bet?

February 1, 2012 at 10:45 am, by Amelia Harnish

Having trouble slimming down? Staying the course is tough even when you know all the tricks: diet with friends, announce your goals and commit to a workout schedule. But raising the stakes might help. A new crop of dieting sites does just that by offering a chance to make money for the weight you lose—or pay up if you don’t.

We know supportive social dieting sites and apps that help you track your meals can be helpful, but weight loss gambling? It may sound weird, or even slightly shady, but research supports it: People with a financial incentive lose more weight, according to two studies.

“But it’s not as simple as just paying people to lose weight,” says Leslie John, Ph.D., a professor at Harvard Business School who studies behavioral decision-making. “What we found is that people actually hate losing money even more than they like making money. They hate that regret, so when you use that as leverage in a weight-loss scheme, it works.”

DietBet is the newest site to allow users to bet on their weight loss. The goal is to make dieting a game, according to founder Jamie Rosen. One person plays the role of organizer. She invites others to join and sets how much everyone has to put in the pot. Then, the goal is to lose either 8 pounds or 4 percent of your body weight by the team weigh-in at the end of four weeks. You split the money among the people who reach the goal.

Another site, HealthyWage, offers longer challenges and bigger payouts. To participate in their 10 percent challenge, you put down $100 and if you can lose 10 percent of your body weight in six months you can double your money. Their BMI Challenge is geared toward people with a Body Mass Index over 30. It’s free to participate, but if you get your BMI down to 25, you win $100. Or if you want, you can put down $300 and win $1,000 at the end of the year. To win the cash you have to verify your weight regularly at your gym, doctor’s office or Weight Watchers meeting.

About 25 percent of the people who pay for the BMI Challenge win the money, says co-founder David Roddenberry. Given how hard it is to move the needle on BMI, that’s pretty good.

But the biggest draw for HealthyWage is their Matchup game, played in groups of five for three months. You pay $60, and your team competes against 150 other teams to see who can lose the most weight in three months. The team that comes in first wins $10,000.

Maybe 10 grand is a bit of a lofty goal, but still, the model seems to work thanks to the added social components: teamwork and competition. “Having teammates counting on me really made a huge difference,” says Pat Grimes, who lost 44 pounds and was on this month’s $10,000 team. “The money is out of the question without everyone doing their part.”

Mom blogger Amy Oztan started a DietBet with a few other bloggers earlier this month, and has lost almost 9 pounds. “There were so many times when I wanted to just say screw it, but I didn’t want to be the loser,” she says.

These are just two of many sites out there. There’s also FatBet (which wins the prize for best tagline: “You Bet Your Ass”), GymPact (which charges you when you don’t make it to the gym) and Stickk (which allows you to choose from a variety of goals like losing weight or quitting cigarettes).

No one’s placing any bets, however, on whether the weight loss will last. That’s another story.

Photo copyright infomages—Fotolia.com.

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Get-Fit Clicks

January 31, 2012 at 12:47 pm, by jbrown

* How to make healthy versions of pizza, pudding and more. (Discovery Fit & Health)

* Which workout will help you sculpt “long and lean muscles”? None of them! Thank you, FitSugar, for explaining the truth behind this aggravating fitness myth (which is clearly one of my pet peeves.) (FitSugar)

* How your weekend splurges can easily undo your best weight loss efforts. (USA Today)

* Seven unexpected reasons why we pack on weight in winter. (Fitbie)

* The secret to coping with a food craving? Tell yourself you can have that brownie/ice cream/bag of chips later—chances are you won’t. (WebMD)

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Get-Fit Clicks

January 17, 2012 at 11:45 am, by jbrown

* It’s hard enough to remember the zillion or so things you need to do each day—don’t make it worse by loading up on these 5 brain-aging foods. (Yeah, you knew added sugar would be one of them.) (HuffPo)

* A great piece about why it doesn’t pay to overdo your workouts, no matter how anxious you are to lose weight. Don’t be one of those people who thinks a good workout = “I am in a pile of sweat and puking.” (NYTimes)

* Which is better for weight loss: eating 6 mini meals or 3 squares a day? EatingWell breaks down the research. (EatingWell)

* Yet another reason to take stretch-and-stroll breaks at the office: A new study shows too much sitting may be bad for your mental health. (Yahoo)

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Get-Fit Clicks

January 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm, by jbrown

* Eating healthy doesn’t have to be dull. Perk up your diet with almond butter, black garlic (I had no idea such a thing existed), popcorn (seriously) and 9 other nutritious, un-boring picks. (HuffPo)

* Tempted to try weight-loss supplements? Fitbie explains why these quick fixes aren’t worth it. (Fitbie)

* Your sluggish metabolism makes you chunky, plus 9 other health myths that just won’t go away. (Lifehacker)

* Does caffeine help you drop pounds? Umm, kind of. (LA Times)

* Smart weight-loss tips tailored to your personality. (Wall Street Journal)

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Get-Fit Clicks: Weight-Loss Resolutions Edition

January 3, 2012 at 3:33 pm, by jbrown

* “I’ll get over my carbophobia.” You need carbs, we swear. Add these 6 healthy ones to your diet—they can help you feel full and melt body fat. (Eating Well)

* “I’ll stop using lack of time as an excuse for not exercising.” You don’t have to spend hours at a gym or run marathons to get fit. Here’s 10 (realistic!) ways to work exercise into your schedule. (SparkPeople)

* “I’ll make the most of the time I do have to workout.” Leisurely cardio sessions and too-wimpy strength-training routines are just two ways you may be sabotaging your weight-loss efforts. (FitSugar)

* “I won’t get fooled by misleading food labels.” How natural is “natural”? Does “no trans fat” really mean there isn’t even a drop in there? Learn the truth behind these and 8 other tricky food labels. (HuffPo)

 

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Anna Kournikova’s Biggest Loser Blog: Season Finale!

December 15, 2011 at 3:43 pm, by Ladies' Lounge

It’s hard to believe this season of The Biggest Loser is over! The finale was such an incredible celebration of everything the contestants accomplished. With all of their friends and family in the audience, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was so much fun watching them strut their stuff across the stage. Everyone from my original blue team—Becky, Bonnie, Debbie, Coach Mike and Johnny—looked fantastic! Obviously, they had all been working hard at home. And a big congratulations goes out to John, who won with a 220 pound total weight loss! Even though Ramon wasn’t crowned the biggest loser, he and all of the other contestants are still walking away with a prize because they’ve learned how to live a healthy lifestyle. I am so proud of each and every one of them and it was truly an honor to be a part of their journeys.

Thank you to all of you wonderful Ladies’ Home Journal readers who have followed my blogs throughout the season. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.  Now let’s go into 2012 inspired and ready to take on the new year and new challenges!

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