Check out our Diet Reviews on AOL Health!

Bev Sklar

-

The Biggest Loser: Suze Orman and the Obesity Money Pit

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

suze orman

Suze Orman
Photo: Larry Busacca , Getty Images


Week 11 at "The Biggest Loser" was swimming in sweat as five players attempted to burn off record weight to avoid the last player-controlled elimination. But first, Suze Orman stormed the ranch to teach America why obesity is a major financial drain. Find out why obesity is a rip-off, listen to an NFL Hall of Famer's advice and reflect upon the final five's heartfelt insights on their warm and fuzzy road to thin. Other than early cursing and Week 10's spat between Rudy and Rebecca, Season 8 feels more like The Waltons -- minus the country gravy.

Did Rudy Tell the Truth? When Jillian Michaels confronted the clan about Rebecca being voted off because she was the biggest threat, Rudy didn't budge. He held firm to his claim that it was a lack of trust that sent her home. The real question is will America buy it if Rudy's ever lands in the yellow hot seat? It's probably irrelevant -- he's Season 8's biggest loser to date. And no worries about Rebecca, she's kissing Daniel Wright.

Suze Says Obesity Steals Your Money. You might be wondering what financial wizard Suze Orman has to do with Biggest Loser weight loss. In a creative treadmill trivia contest for cash, contestants discovered obesity is a money pit. For every correct answer, contestants earned $1,000, while wrong answers upped the speed and incline.

Take a spin with these trivia questions, then make a date with a spinning class:

Roasted Turkey Leg - How Many Calories?

How many calories

So many family members and only two turkey legs to go around. Before you arm wrestle loved ones for this coveted dark meat prize on Thanksgiving, take a long nutritional look. Just because a NFL lineman celebrates his Thanksgiving Day win with a roasted turkey leg as big as his forearm, doesn't mean you should do the same. You've probably spent the holiday cracking nuts and watching football from the couch, not playing it.

How many calories in an 8.6 ounce roasted turkey leg (thigh and drumstick) with skin on? Keep in mind, we're quizzing you on a more average-sized turkey leg, not the whoppers folks lug around at the summer Renaissance fair. The Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Texas says their Tom Turkey legs are 10 inches long and weigh about 24 ounces when cooked. That's more like three times the size of what grandma is serving. So dark meat fans, let's see how many calories are in that 8.6 oz roasted turkey leg you're silently hoping no one else swipes first.

Top Off With Agility

Fitness

You may be first in class in cardio and weights, but what about agility? Training for the Turkey Trot, hanging out with an elliptical, and lifting yourself silly will definitely build your body, but you need to transfer these heart and muscle gains to the specific movements inherent in outdoor sports you do love -- snow skiing, tennis or even chasing the dog.

If you don't break up your love affair with forward-plane cardio and the same lifting regime, you're just another weekend-jock trading former excellence for a sub-par performance. You're also at greater risk for injury when the annual ski trip comes round.

Outside Magazine's "Four Steps to Peak Agility" re-focuses your fitness on two critical, but oft-forgotten skills -- agility and coordination. First, you must be willing to move laterally. Then prepare your knees, before mixing in agility exercises. Finally, learn how to get your mind and body working together so when you lose your weekend warrior balance, and you will, the body will respond in agile kind instead of tearing in two.

Book Review: Eat Your Way to Happiness

Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products

Don't focus so hard on skinny jeans that you miss the one of the most powerful side effects of eating right and exercising -- being a happy person most of the time. You know, one of those spring-in-their-step types that genuinely loves their life, sleeps like a baby, smiles easily and is filled with boundless energy. Elizabeth Somer's new book, Eat Your Way to Happiness, reminds us the right foods coupled with exercise have a synergistic, immediate effect on your mood and cravings -- critical factors in the size of those jeans.

A registered dietitian and author of Food & Mood, Somer knows her stuff. The book includes 10 easy-to-understand diet secrets peppered with real-life success stories. If you're clueless about healthy eating, but feeling like you've got to do something to shed weight and lose your bad mood, this book is a terrific tool to educate and motivate. If you're a layman-genius in diet and fitness, Somer's assessment tools will help you identify your food and fitness areas that need tweaking.

Here's a sneak peek at a few of Somer's secrets and promises:

The Biggest Loser: The Heart of Makeover Week

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

Photo: Trae Patton, NBC


Week 10 marked double digit weeks spent on "The Biggest Loser" ranch, as well as a clothes, hair and emotional transformation for the final six. It was a soul-searching makeover week, draped in glitz and glamor and awash in happy tears, family reunions and a chance to tell the world how eating right and working out changes lives. Contestants showed off noticeably slimmer waistlines in gorgeous off-the-rack clothes for dramatic effect. After the stage lights dimmed, makeover week weight loss was kind to some and not others, delivering a heated elimination confrontation.

Goodbye X-Sizes, Hello Jawlines. Besides seeing famous designer Tim Gunn try to convince Rebecca to sport the leopard print blouse, makeover week had fans buzzing with one visual excitement after another. No more X-men and women ranch t-shirts, this is the moment contestants slip into real clothes and designer haircuts. They looked thin this week because nearly 500 pounds of fat is gone between the final six. Instead of a visit with Tyra Banks, Season 8 contestants stepped on stage to speak about their weight loss journey to a 300-plus audience.

Morbid Obesity Has Its Reasons.
Jillian's skinny jawline dropped when Rudy stood on the stage and shared with the crowd he lost his 14-year-old sister to leukemia when he was just 12 years old. Jillian ended up pulling Rudy into a one-on-one counseling workout back at the ranch, pointing out his unresolved grief must be acknowledged to continue to grow. Rudy shared that knowing what started his weight gain is a critical piece to keeping the weight off permanently. Liz told the audience she lost herself while serving the needs of others. However she's shining the spotlight back on herself. If you're overweight, obese or just in horrible shape -- why? How did you develop negative eating and fitness habits? What can you do emotionally to shore up your resolve for a lifetime of healthier choices? Forget the next diet trick -- for eight seasons now, Jillian has said this makeover of heart and soul is one of the most critical strategies for permanent weight loss.

Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Latte - How Many Calories?

How Many Calories

How many calories


Welcome to creamy, frothy, holiday drink season. Nothing like blustery temperatures to switch your alliance with coffee and cream to a pumpkin-flavored latte, mocha with whip, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. But we all know those drinks add up calorie-wise, and you need to bank all the calories you can for the three or four holiday parties that truly matter during the next six-weeks indulgence.

No sense in diving into peppermint mochas until the hot pumpkin drink crave is satisfied. America supposedly runs on Dunkin' -- so how many calories in a Dunkin' Donuts medium Pumpkin Latte?

Chocolate Milk in School: For or Against?


The Dairy Council should tweak their "Got Milk?" mustache campaign to "Got Chocolate Milk?" That's the flavor most prized by kids in school, yet despised by many nutritional advocates concerned about the alarming rise of childhood obesity. One cup of low-fat chocolate milk has about 6 teaspoons of sugar versus 3 teaspoons in one cup of white skim milk.

The dairy industry has launched its high-priced Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP, marketing campaign to save the brown stuff from villainous nutritional advocates who'd rather wipe off those chocolate mustaches. Their fight-back slogan in the video above? "Raise your hand for chocolate milk." The campaign says when you strip sugared-up milk from schools, kids won't drink white milk, losing out on critical nutrients they're already deficient in -- calcium and vitamin D. The campaign is sending the message chocolate milk isn't in the same nutritional poorhouse as soda and candy. Parents are happy their kids are drinking it, taking it away does more harm than good.

Is this ad campaign more about shoring up kids' bone density or a scare tactic to fatten sales (and kids in the process)? Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University and author of Food Politics, points out this new ad campaign is really about milk sales. Schools represent more than 7 percent of total milk sales, and more than half of that is flavored milk. She even jokes MilkPEP's chocolate milk offensive is great material for a little Colbert satire.

Yet some nutritionists do defend chocolate milk. "It's better to get the milk in with a little bit of sugary flavoring than have them pick almost any alternative," Connie Weaver, head of the department of Food and nutrition at Purdue University, told the Associated Press. But don't forget about all that extra sugar. Renegade lunch lady Ann Cooper estimates the extra calories in chocolate milk can add up to 5 pounds of weight gain over a typical school year.

Medifast Diet Review

Diet & Weight Loss

Have you ever been on a Medifast diet? If you were, you might have been wearing leg warmers at the time -- this diet invention has been around since the 80s.

You won't be grocery shopping much on the Medifast diet because you're required to buy their food. Medifast diet developers say you'll lose weight fast, with a two to five pound weight loss each week on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan. You eat often on this diet, but in very small doses. The 5 & 1 followers eat five pre-packaged Medifast meals each day, followed by one Lean & Green Meal featuring a lean protein, vegetables and condiments from their approved list of options. With 70 Medifast diet selections, you're not sucking down diet shakes all day. Food choices include chili, stew, soups, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bars, puddings and a few other mini-meals. But forget that turkey panini with veggie chips for lunch.

Medifast is all about calorie restriction. Depending on which meals -- or, really, bars and shakes -- you choose, you're getting around 800 to 1,000 calories per day. Not much, especially if you're simultaneously inspired to clean the junk off your treadmill and start exercising.

"Someone who is generally going to use Medifast is considerably overweight to begin with and not engaged in any physical activity anyway. The recommendation is for the first two or three weeks on the diet, don't do any exercise at all," advised Constance Brown-Riggs, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She doesn't think Medifast can support rigorous exercise, but followers can engage in more moderate activities such as walking.

Brown-Riggs has put dozens of clients on the diet over the years with great success, noting it's a good way to jumpstart weight loss for the busy person who doesn't have time or won't take time to consider their food choices.

"It's a good way to get them started. Success breeds success, and once they're able to start losing, it's easier to transition them from Medifast to a regular eating regimen," Brown-Riggs said.

Nutritionally-speaking, meals do combine protein and carbs, so you can allegedly lose weight and retain lean muscle. They also have designed a meal plan for people with Type 2 diabetes. This diet isn't cheap, a four-week package of Medifast meals costs about $300. Comparatively, Nutrisystem costs about $350 a month, the Cookie Diet is about $240 and the high-protein Atkins diet sells a variety of a la carte bars, shakes and cuisine. The cost of the Jenny Craig diet depends on menu items ordered. Jenny Craig says their clients spend $1 more a day than the average American spends on food, but this ballpark cost remains a mystery until you start ordering.

Instead of choosing diets that require pre-packaged meals, try shopping the perimeter of the grocery store -- where the produce, lean meats and dairy are located -- and writing down all of your meals in a $5 food journal.


The Biggest Loser - Red Line Circus

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

The Biggest Loser

Photo: NBC

Week 9 at "The Biggest Loser" nearly exploded with stress thanks to head-to-head alliances and a major producer curve ball -- double elimination. Yes, two contestants headed home to slim the count to a near-finale six contestants. Read on about the dreaded red line, a circus spat for immunity and plenty of stressed out weight loss.

Red Line Pitch.
Producers flipped everyone out this week with a nutty red line. The contestant with the worst weight loss fell below the red line and was sent home immediately, no vote required. The next two lowest weigh-ins fell below the usual yellow line and duked it out at an elimination vote. What's your take on the red line -- producer curve ball or spit ball? Let us know in the poll. Don't forget, the show's decision makers appeared to listen when fans complained about the early season cursing. On-air trainer potty mouths are a rarity these days.

Does Anyone Deserve It More? Jillian and Bob seemed worried when they heard about the new red line. Jillian said it out loud -- Shay needs the ranch more than others, and her larger size makes it tougher to compete on the scale. Bob and Jillian need to keep their trainer heads on and calm down with a little yoga. Child's pose works wonders. I think they're just angry two are leaving their gym flock this week -- finale heat is on -- no one necessarily deserves it more.

Transformation is Now.
"Life happens right now, Rebecca. Transformation happens right now, not yesterday, and not tomorrow," said Jillian. She's right, of course. Take a close look at what you plan to eat today, write it all down, then take a long walk after dinner. Start your transformation each day. If you're really serious, check out Season 5 winner Ali Vincent's powerful advice in Believe It, Be It. She's still strapping on her bodybugg.

Peanut Butter - How Many Calories?

How many calories

You're celebrating and you didn't even know it -- November marks National Peanut Butter Month. Unless you've got a nut allergy, it's a big month for the creamy stuff.
PB fans love it spread on a sandwich, smeared on hot toast or stirred in oatmeal. Those living diet-dangerously lace that heaping tablespoon with semi-sweet chocolate chips, then rationalize it all down saying peanut butter is a terrific source of protein.

If you're a regular pb-lover, it's time to arm yourself with the nutritional facts. For starters, how many calories in two tablespoons of peanut butter?

 

When it comes to fitness, a good personal trainer can make all the difference. ...

loading...
Recent Comments
Featured Writers
Bob GreeneReggie Casagrande
Bob Greene
Jonny BowdenJohn GanonJonny Bowden

Tanya ZuckerbrotFadil BerishaTanya Zuckerbrot
Liz Neporent Liz Neporent