Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, has been touted for its antioxidant and even its anti-cancer properties. Naturally found in meat, eggs and dairy, especially grass-fed, it is also widely available in supplements. Now, research has found that it may also fight belly fat.

A small study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition adds to the growing body of research showing CLA may be effective at reducing fat around the middle. In the current study fifty-five obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes received either safflower oil or CLA during two 16-week diet periods separated by a 4-week "washout" period.

Women who received CLA had reduced body mass index and total fat tissue without altering lean mass. The effect of the CLA in lowering BMI was detected during the last 8 weeks of each 16-week diet period. The women taking CLA lost an average of 4 pounds of fat from around their waist area.

Source

Mariah Carey has never been one to hide her curves. Typically clad in a super tight gown and crazily high heels, Carey seems proud of her womanly frame. But Carey noticed she looked "bulky" in publicity photos and decided to take off the extra pounds. Through diet and a strict work out regime, Carey dropped the weight.

Carey still has her curves and is proud of it. She knew she needed to be fitter, but believes that people should feel good about their bodies. She stated that "people should be a size which they're comfortable with." She recently stated that she is considering doing a work out video to show how she lost the weight. Though she doesn't seem to be taking the idea terribly seriously. She's quoted as saying it "will be a big joke anyway, but I can show how I did it."

Want to hear more about celebrity diet and fitness? AOL Body has the scoop.

Source

Step aside rose-colored glasses, you've got some competition. These blue-tinted sunglasses supposedly help you lose weight. If you wear them while eating, the glasses give your food an unappetizing shade of blue. Just like paint colors in a room can affect mood, certain colors supposedly stimulate appetite and blue is the low-man on the totem pole when it comes to appetizing colors. (I always knew I didn't like the blue M&Ms... I wonder if that's why.)

In my humble opinion, I can't imagine that these would take the place of good, old-fashioned will power. After all, if you want to eat that slice of cake really badly you can just slip the glasses off. And no sunglasses in the world can block the aroma of a juicy burger. For weight loss tips that really work, check out AOL Body.

Source

Like many of you, I'm trying to trim a little fat this January. That means that every day for lunch, I make myself a large salad with greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a little chopped egg or avocado. I look forward to it, because the sweet poppyseed dressing is the only sugar I allow myself to eat all day. I stick to the same recipe because it's easy for me, but I'll admit that I'm getting a little bored with it.

According to this article from WebMD, if I just change my thinking a little bit, I can work my way around that boredom. Instead of thinking, "Lunch. Time for another salad." I should be thinking, "Time to eat my favorite salad with creamy avocado and sweet dressing on top!" That's because, according to a recent study, the more detail people used when describing a food, the less likely they were to get bored with it.

It's a neat parlor trick, but I'm not sure if it would work for me long term. Better, I think, would be to come up with two or three salad recipes and rotate them. But if you find yourself getting bored with your diet regimen, it might be worth a shot!

Source

Current dietary guidelines recommend five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and some groups are starting to say we should be eating up to 12 servings. Though a serving is usually only 1/2 cup of veggies or a small piece of fruit, it can take some planning to squeeze that many portions into your day, especially if you're new to healthy eating.

Ediets has several suggestions for working fruits and vegetables into your diet. Some of my favorites include:

• Throw a fistful of berries on top of your cereal in the morning. In the winter, I buy mine frozen and don't even bother to thaw them. The berries are so sweet that they soften quickly in milk.
• Get creative with smoothie recipes. Not only are smoothies a great way to add to your fruit intake, you can often sneak in spinach and other veggies without your taste buds even noticing.
• If you allow yourself snacks, make sure they always include a fruit or veggie. (Red bell peppers and hummus are a favorite at my house.)
• Plan ahead and try to eat two servings of fruit or veggie at every meal.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and antioxidants, both crucial for your good health. Can you squeeze in an extra serving today?

Source

We've all been there.

You're coasting along on your weight loss plan, losing weight, eating right, exercising. Then suddenly, you find yourself one day with your hand deep into a bag of chips. What do you do when weight loss plans suddenly take an exit ramp into dangerous territory?

Diet-Blog has the answer with five terrific ways to minimize the damage. You can either act immediately (Quick! Throw those chips away! Wait. Don't just throw them away, dump them out into the garbage so there's no going back for them!) or you can compensate later on by decreasing your calories and adding in extra exercise. The biggest lesson is that a little wobble isn't any reason for your diet to be permanently placed on hiatus. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and begin again.

Source

If you find yourself consistently overeating at meal time, try this little trick: Eat a bowl of low-calorie broth-based soup as your first course.

A recent study found that those who ate soup before a meal reduced their total calories for the entire meal by 20%. According to the study, it doesn't appear to matter whether the soup is chunky or smooth.

If you're out to dinner, you can order it as an appetizer. At home, try to eat the soup about 20 minutes before your main meal.

Source

Have you ever noticed that after eating certain foods -- especially those that are low in fiber and high in sugar -- you tend to get hungry rather quickly, while other foods keep you full for a longer period of time? Australian researcher Dr. Susanne Holt noticed, and her research led her to develop the satiety index. You can read more about the study here, but what it boils down to is that some foods keep you fuller longer than others.

Foods that are high in volume, fiber, and protein tend to stick with you and reduce your appetite, even hours later. Foods that have the same number of calories, may be lower on the satiety index because they lack one of those three characteristics. It's interesting research, and I'm looking forward to her adding additional foods to the list. Until then, you can see some of the foods she tested and their satiety ranking in the gallery below.

White bread is the reference point, with a satiety of 100. Foods are either less filling than white bread (under 100) or more filling (over 100).

Source

A before picture can be a mighty motivator, and an after picture an excellent reward. But what if you could see your after picture before you counted your first calorie or worked up one drop of sweat? WeightView will let you do just that. The free service lets you upload pictures of yourself to their site, then alters the pictures to reflect what you might look like 5, 10, or even 20+ pounds thinner.

I've heard of people doing something similar with programs like My Virtual Model, but the advantage to using WeightView is that they use your actual photo. So if you're looking for a little inspiration, check it out. And even though you didn't ask, yes, I uploaded my own picture and no, I'm not going to share it here. But it is posted on my refrigerator for a little kick in the pants tomorrow morning.

Source

Are you trying to lose weight and find yourself looking for ways to keep your belly from rumbling between meals? Eating healthy meals is the way to go, and Women's Health has a list of 10 foods that are sure to keep you satisfied. Many of these foods have a high water content, which has been proven to help people stay full for a longer time. Others are packed with protein or fiber, which take longer to digest, or just provide bulk to fill that belly up. So what are they?

• white potatoes
• eggs
• oatmeal
• beans
• fish
• soup
• apples
• beef
• salad
• popcorn

Visit Women's Health to read the full article and find out why these foods are so great.

Source

We eat for a lot of reasons, and for many of us, hunger isn't one of them. Controlling boredom eating, stress eating, or other triggers that stimulate our appetite when we aren't hungry is a crucial part of losing weight, maintaining weight, or just avoiding foods that aren't good for us. Here are five great tips for controlling your appetite including listening to your body, slowing down when you eat, never eating in front of the TV, and learning to deal with your emotions without turning to food. One of the greatest tips I ever learned for controlling urges was to set a timer for 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, drink a big glass of water, take a walk, or try another activity to take your mind off your craving. When the timer goes off, your craving should be tamed, and if it isn't, you'll at least be in control enough not to use up all of your calories on a binge. What tips and tricks do you have for controlling cravings?

Source

What's one of the top motivational weight-loss tips? Visualize yourself thin. It may be hard to see yourself at your future goal weight when you're staring at a very real plate of chocolate chip cookies, however. If only you could see what you'll look like when you've reached your goal...now.

Actually, you can! My Virtual Model is a program that lets you create a model with personalized physical characteristics. Create your model and punch in your goal weight and you have a fairly realistic picture of what you'll look like 3, 6, or even 12 months down the road. Put it up next to your before picture and tape it on your fridge for an extra boost of motivation!

Source

There's a multitude of fitness and weight loss info out there, but how do you sort through it and figure out what the best tips are? WebMD has the solution -- they've compiled a list of what they believe are the best holiday (and year round, I think) tips for losing weight are. They're mostly simple, easy-to-follow tips, like wearing snug clothing to keep from overeating to incorporating activity into your family time to laying off all the fatty additives that may sneak their way into your holiday meals. The article encourages people to do easy things like chew gum become a food snob.

Each of the tips sound like something I could easily incorporate into my lifestyle. What about you? What are you doing to shed the pounds?

Source