16 November 2004 - Is bread dangerous? Here's a giggle…

With the current spate of carbo-phobia and low-carbohydrate diets sweeping the globe, the generally healthy reputation of bread it seems to be taking a battering. Although it's a case of watching you don't eat too much bread rather than cutting it out, HungryMonster.com's food jokes and humor section lists why “Bread is dangerous”.

Among the list of reasons, they say:

• More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
• More than 90 percent of violent crimes are commited within 24 hours of eating bread.
• Bread is made of substance called “dough”. It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month.

16 November 2004 - Don't confuse 'healthy' with 'slimming'

The product leaflet says Wendy's Smoothy's are “A healthy treat anytime”. But is a single banana smoothie drink containing somewhere near 450 calories (1880 kJ) healthy for your waistline? Perhaps not if you are aiming to keep your energy intake down to 1400 Cal (6000 kJ) per day to lose weight. The smoothie would account for a third of this total.

The leaflet I picked up from Wendy's at Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre in Melbourne lists nutrition information, but no serving sizes.

97% Fat-Free Smoothies with added fruit are popular on-the-go meals and snacks, but will only help you cut calories when the portion size is limited.

15 November 2004 - Lessons from Oprah and other celebrities on diets

This week Australia's popular magazines and cafes are buzzing with news of how Oprah has lost weight again.

According to the Woolworths' supermarket Fresh magazine, with the help of diet guru's Bob Greene and Dr Phil McGraw, Oprah has identified the emotional issues that triggered her to eat. She now eats healthy food, works out and goes for long walks.

Other celebs, some of whom you may not know, do it their way...

• Toni Collette took the advice a naturopath.
• Kirstie Alley's friends say it was a 14-day kick-start diet.
• Sharon Stone did Sugar Busters.
• Rita Wilson got help from a personal trainer and dietitian.
• Mandy Moore plays lots of tennis.
• Dennis Franz has been on the South Beach Diet
• Rod Stewart works out in the gym.
• John Travolta spends 30 minutes on the treadmill every morning.
• Robbie Williams goes for Atkins and SlimFast foods.
• Bill Clinton eats a low-cholesterol diet devised by a dietitian.
• Randy Jackson has had gastric by-pass surgery.
• Liz Hurley is on a diet of watercress soup, brown rice, steamed fish and wheat-free oat cakes.
• Kate Winslet is trying healthy eating and moderate exercise.
• Debra Messing worked out with Jennifer Lopez's personal trainer.
• Gwynneth Paltrow uses moderate exercise, yoga and a macrobiotic diet.
• Sarah Ferguson promotes Weight Watchers.

The key to success is matching the right approach to an individual. Thiswhere weight loss coaching can work wonders for people who are ready to solve their weight problem. If you'd like to gain more knowledge and skills for weight loss coaching, check out my Weight Loss Coaching Workshop. In 2005 this will be available as an at-home study and resource package.

14 November 2004 - How do you tell a man he needs to lose weight?

There are large numbers of men who are ignorant or in denial about the weight they really need to lose to save their health. But how do you get their attention? You start with, “OI, FAT BLOKE!” in big capital letters in a full-page ad in the daily newspaper. This is what the Weight Watchers For Men program just did in Australia.

Just getting men to take notice is the first step in getting them to eat better and move more. The advertisement from last Sunday's newspaper goes on to say, “Sick of hearing it? Then it's time to put up or shut up.”

Now that's a challenge, and something men seem to go for. Now I can't tell you this ad has been fantastically effective, but it presses a particular motivational “hot button” for males - silent insecurity about their weight. It's one of the hot button topics that you need to talk about with men to build their motivation to change unhealthy behaviours.

Other hot buttons and questions for men:

The kids - Do you see yourself running around with your children or grandchildren in 10 or 20 years? Some men place a top priority on being alive to see their offspring grow up. Check what play time he's having now and whether he can keep up with the kids.

Health - What is your biggest health concern as you get older? Even if there are no health issues now, what do you see as affecting you in the future? Ask about about his father, workmates and friends to find someone close who has experienced weight-related health problems. This will make the risk more real.

The bedroom - When you lose weight, there are sometimes other areas of your life that also improve, and this can mean in the bedroom too! Would this be a benefit for you? Even though you may not feel as comfortable asking this of a man, it's a soft way to say, "dropping a few kilos will get you more sex."

By talking about these topics you'll help men find more motivation and success at staying in shape.

10 November 2004 - Portion control a key strategy for weight loss

Which strategy would help you lose the most weight and keep it off? Decreasing dietary fat, eating more fruits and vegetables, increasing your planned exercise, boosting physical activity or limiting portion sizes?

The number one strategy, based on a study published in Obesity Research by Dr Everett Logue is limiting portion sizes. After 12 months subjects who started and continued to control their portions lost more weight and kept it off than people who used any of the other strategies.

In a Reuter's Health report, Logue said it's, “easier to skip a brownie” than to run four miles. However, he also pointed out that the people in the study were overweight and inactive and may have had an aversion to physical activity. Therefore portion control was a more attractive method for weight management for this group.

This study shows that people may tend to prefer diet or exercise to help them lose weight. I always ask my clients for their preference. If it's by food restriction then physical activity may become more attractive over time, as they lose weight and feel lighter. Pushing exercise too soon may turn people off and turn them away, which doesn't help anyone.

7 November 2004 - Heavier people cost airlines in extra fuel

Tom Peters' website is all about marketing and branding, but he has just reported that, "During the '90s the average American packed on another 10 pounds. In 2000 that meant the airlines spent $275 million on 350 million gallons of fuel necessary to launch the extra blubber into the Heavyweight Skies!" Whilst his choice of words could be more delicate, this statistic highlights one implication of weight gain.

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