July 18th, 2008 — Book Review
Out of all of the diets, by far the one that has received more than a fair share of adherents is the South Beach Diet. While there are plenty of those that may criticize this diet plan, for many others it does work and quite well. However, many feel that the diet is not strong enough and want to see quicker results. In this vein, the South Beach Diet Supercharged by Dr. Agatston should address these concerns and show how to turn this diet into a powerhouse.
It is best to state first off that this diet is a new version of the South Beach Diet and some changes have been made. It's interesting that the author chose to keep that name even though many things are fundamentally different. It's highly probable that the name itself is more profitable and it certainly is easier to promote a diet based on this very popular diet plan that millions of people have tried. The author does break down the diet into three phases, much like the original South Beach Diet and it does draw heavily from this plan. However, it does branch out and provide new ways to adapt a healthy lifestyle.
The best parts of this book are the ones that focus truly on building a healthy new lifestyle and not just losing weight. The author did a very good job of stressing how important it is to make those changes, particularly if you are looking for success over the long term. Too many diet books focus on fads and fail to provide readers with solid information that they can keep with them for the rest of their lives. In this vein, the book is well worth the cover price.
The problem I have with this book is mainly with the types of food that were recommended. It's heavy on advice for using sugar substitutes without regards to what these are made of, many of these contain unhealthy chemicals and since this book is about not only losing weight but getting healthy, this is a bit at cross purpose. However, since the jury is still out on the safety of alternative sweeteners, it is difficult to judge this point too harshly. Personally, I recommend Agave Nectar has a sugar substitute.
The bottom line - this is a good book, but like many in the industry, you can't read just this one and expect to get the whole picture. For those who are already on the South Beach Diet, it's a great resource, but it is certainly not a stand alone book.
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July 3rd, 2008 — Book Review
Tomorrow is a holiday, which is why you are reading a book review today. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the fireworks and BBQs!
Dr. Shapiro's book The Guide to Picture Perfect Weight Loss combines several interesting factors into one plan to help readers lose weight. While you may not agree with some of his advice or suggestions, it certainly is an interesting read and a book that dieter's should at least consider. The author really focused on healthy lifestyle changes, so that earned him points right off the bat.
When it comes to losing weight, it's not about those initial quick results. If you're not making whole life changes, it's all too easy to fall back into bad habits and immediately your progress was for naught. We always appreciate it when authors step away from the fad diet craze and start focusing on ways that everyone, regardless of their current weight, can get healthy and stay that way.
Dr. Shapiro was hired to help the Fire Department in New York City lose weight and it's easy to see why he is well renowned in the diet industry. This book focuses on using pictures to help readers make smart food choices. It's all about replacing bad foods and developing those healthy eating habits that will keep you slim for the rest of your life. We really appreciated the fact that he illustrated proper serving sizes visually since many of us have a hard time picturing what a "serving" actually is.
The best part of the book lies in the suggestions for replacements for unhealthy foods. At times, it was pretty shocking to see exactly what you could eat instead of fast food. The sheer volume of healthy but tasty food compared with the small serving of fast food was remarkable and no one could ever claim that this was a diet that left them feeling hungry.
Since total deprivation does not work when it comes to losing weight, this book offered hundreds of alternatives that readers can immediately put into action so that they feel full and fulfilled. It may be tough at first to implement a few of these changes, particularly since fast food and unhealthy food as a whole tastes so good, but the author really did his job when it came to finding alternatives that are completely comparable. If you can break your addiction to fast food, you'll be surprised at just how much healthy food you could be eating.
It was virtually impossible to come up with any criticism for this book. It's well written, well thought out and most importantly, provided a new way to look at dieting. So many diet books are all the same and so many leave reader's feeling empty or worse, ripped off. By visually representing food changes, the author really took diet books to a whole new level and we can hope that the industry will follow suit.
Overall, this is a book that belongs on any dieter's bookshelf. Even those who are already at their goal weight can learn a lot from this book and walk away with a new appreciation of eating healthy.
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June 29th, 2008 — 100 pushups, diet, exercise, healthy eating, injury, push ups, pushups, wellness
Still got the bum foot, and so you get a plethora of links...
Check out the FREE eBook: How to Loss Weight and Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Check out my guest post @ StrongLifts: 7 Steps to Stop Making Excuses and Start Making Progress
So for this week from the Fitness Health Network I present to you:
Now for the rest of the blogosphere and to provide you with more weekend reading I present the following for mental digestion:
- Doesn't Tropical Granola just sound good? A healthy trail mix for those out golfing or hiking or just plain out and about. This delicious recipe is written by Nutrition Fitness Life.
- Tues Tips (sweaty edition) by Mizfitonline is all about laundry and detergent. What detergent do you use?
- Doing Pushups and Running Hills by Fit36 is a check in on the 100 pushups routine and on cardio. Take the challenge and follow your happy bloggers in the 100 Pushups Challenge.
- Rain or shine he's out there running. I mean just look at his post Running in the rain! He's better than the mailman.
- Posted over at Deflabbify My Fit Bank on Wii Fit got an upgrade tonight. Wii Fit is a game that will get you in shape. Poor Deflabbify has a younger daughter that's putting him through the paces. If I was better I bet my daughter would do that same to me.
- Cardio. Ugh... I have sweat? How many of you feel the same way Weight for Deb does? No excuses! Read FMU's post from this week.
Now belive it or not I actually found something very cool from an ad... I was browsing 100 pushups website and noticed an ad for Stack Magazine... Even better than what the ad promised (I don't even remember) was what I found on there site... Embedable and very cool workout videos of athletes... Check out my favorite so far... Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic doing the bench press... To my eye that is 315 pounds he is throwing around like it is nothing. (6 45 pound plates and the 45 pound bar).
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May 27th, 2008 — Meals, healthy eating
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but sometimes the siren call of the snooze alarm is too hard to ignore. We wake up, way behind schedule and there's simply no time to eat a healthy breakfast. Over time, this can lead to bad habits that can derail your healthy lifestyle. It's just easier to grab a donut than it is to sit down and eat a healthy bowl of cereal. However, you don't have to deny yourself a healthy breakfast, even if you are in a rush. Here are some tips to make sure that you don't avoid eating breakfast.
1. Time yourself -
The next Saturday morning you have free, keep track of the amount of time that it takes you to eat a healthy breakfast. Chances are, it's not as long as you think. It shouldn't take the average person more than 2 to 3 minutes to eat a quick bowl of well balanced cereal. You can easily fit that into your morning routine, even if you are running behind schedule. Ask yourself which is more important - being 2 to 3 minutes late, or gaining 2 to 3 pounds after you gorge yourself at lunch all week?
2. Make prep time a breeze -
We can't sit down to a three course breakfast every day and sometimes even pouring the milk takes too long. Set yourself up so that you don't have to spend so much time preparing your morning meal. For example, put out a bowl of your favorite cereal and a spoon the night before. All you'll have to do is splash a little milk in it. If you're worried about mice, stick the bowl in the fridge. You can preload your toast in the toaster, or simply just get your breakfast tools all lined up to make it easier.
3. Find healthy alternatives -
There are times when you simply do not have time to eat a good breakfast. Look for a healthy breakfast bar that contains a good balance of proteins, fats and carbs and grab one on your way out the door. It's fine to do this when you're pressed for time, but try not to make a habit out of it. If breakfast bars aren't your thing, look for small items, like yogurt, that are easy to carry and eat while you're on your way.
4. Make time for break time -
If you normally get a coffee break around 10 or 11, you can use this for breakfast time if all else fails. Try to bring a brown bag breakfast with you to avoid falling into the temptation of eating out. You can still get the benefits of a healthy breakfast this way, even if it is a little late.
Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast regularly are thinner and have a much easier time avoiding weight gain. Take that step towards healthy eating and try to make time every day for your breakfast.
Photo Credits: 1
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May 19th, 2008 — about, healthy eating, moderation, motivation, nutrition, rewards, weight loss, wellness
I have been tagged by Fat Man Unleashed to write a 6 word memoir. His was Be About It!
My 5 word memoir is Healthy, Happy, Wealthy, and Wise.
At the end of the day, this is how I will remember my life.
- Healthy -- this one is pretty self explanatory, but it does require work to get there from here. I am currently perfectly healthy, however I know that without choosing to lose weight and exercise regularly NOW that will not always be the case. It will be the case and I am committed to losing the weight and maintaining the healthy lifestyle. I have had a wonderful first 30 some odd years and I intend to have another healthy 100 or so in front of me.
- Happy -- I have met the woman of my dreams, I have a wonderful child, I played basketball in college, I am good at and enjoy my job, enjoying every minute, doing what I enjoy, experiencing the best things in life, fulfilled.
- Wealthy -- In spirit and eventually monetarily. Content. Wanting for nothing.
- Wise -- At least in my own mind.
And now it is my turn to tag a few people to write their own 6 word memior
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April 15th, 2008 — about, goals, motivation, weigh in
Well nothing like tax day to make you take the plunge... Recently I bid on and "won" the first month of a medically supervised weightloss program called Jumpstart Medicine with Dr Sean Bourke. It turns out that I did receive a substantial discount by purchasing through the charity auction. I am committed to this medical food based program until I reach my goal weight. This time will be different. This time I have help. I highly recommed Jumpstart. I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).
Anyway, today was my first appointment and it represents new beginnings for this blog... I intend to follow my journey through this medically assisted weight loss program and into a completely new healthy lifestyle...
First of all here is the bad news... I was up to 390.41 lbs with a Body Mass Index of 40.8 (normal is 18.5-25) and a Percent Body Fat of 39.0% (normal is 10-20). Clearly I am currently obese.
They had a fancy scale that provided a variety of various other statistics and perhaps I will look into writing about them as I figure out what they mean.
I will go into far more details in the coming posts, but to start here is the basics...
Weekly doctor visits until goal weight reached.
The Diet: ~1200 calories that breaks down very much like weight watchers only with fewer carbs. For 1 day, I get 14 proteins (~1oz lean/very lean protein, 6 carbs (vegetables and fruit, plain salad is unlimited), 1 dairy, 120 oz of water.
The Exercise: At least 60 minutes of rigorous walking 5-7 days a week. Don't overdue the exercise (no marathons) until the effects of the medicine and the diet have stabilized. 9 holes of golf walking and carrying my bag counts. !!!
The Medicine: Weekly MIC Injection (Methionine, Inositol, and Choline), daily Phentermine, daily Chromium, daily Multivitamin, and optional weekly B12 shots. There are 2 other medicines for women which I will not be taken: Calcium and B6.
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