oprah-related stories
Optifast Diet
During the first 12 weeks of the Optifast program, dieters are restricted to consuming liquids only, which come in ready-made meal replacements shakes and soups that are nutritionally balanced to ensure that they provide proper sustenance. During this liquid-only phase, dieters consume around 800 calories per day. After the first 12 weeks, dieters on the Optifast Diet enter a transition phase in which food is re-introduced into the diet, and daily intake during this phase does not exceed 1,200 calories. Dieters are told to expect to lose between two and three pounds per week. During the program, participants are medically supervised and an customized exercise program is also recommended.
While the Optifast diet has generated a fair amount of positive feedback, there are a number of criticisms of the program as well. Firstly, it's quite expensive -- the initial workup can cost around $600 and dieters might spend around $200 per week on meal replacement shakes. Furthermore, 800 calories a day is far below the recommended daily intake suggested by the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- even if you're trying to lose weight. What's more, it's advised that dieters aim to lose only one to two pounds a week -- any more is considered rapid weight loss and can be harmful to the body. Finally, the weight loss is often not maintained because dieters aren't taught how to control their food intake.
Bob Greene Special - I'm Fat Again
Diet & Weight Loss, Best Life with Bob Greene
This episode is not just about going on a master cleanse once, only to gain it all back. Instead the show follows one couple that has undergone gastric bypass, then sees the scale creep back up, and another classic yo-yo dieter who has seen her weight spike and shrink over the years.
That's Fit recently spoke with Bob to learn about what to expect when we tune in.
That's Fit: What sort of yo-yo dieters are we talking about here?
Bob: This one looks at a traditional person who goes on a diet, a chronic yo-yo dieter. But it also looks at two very common surgeries -- LAP-band and gastric bypass. The couple that had [surgery] lost some weight, but then started to put it back on. So this episode really focuses on why the statistics are so bad for people being able to keep the weight off. We also looked at 'are these procedures sound and who should have them?' In the end we found, they are appropriate for quite a few people, but you have to adopt the lifestyle change along with it.
I'm Fat Again: A Best Life Special premieres tonight at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery Health. For more information, please visit discoveryhealth.com.
Failing with Weight Loss?
Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. Fitz, My wife and I have tried diet after diet. We often achieve minor to moderate success with each plan, but have always failed in the long run. We're frustrated to the point of just giving up. Why is it we just can't get fit? Tim
A. Hi, Tim. Thanks for writing. Failing at weight loss is very frustrating, but I'm pleased to say that I have an answer for you. It won't sound as exciting as all of those promises advertised by various "diet" programs, though. I'm not offering a "10 pound in two days" drop or anything like that. I am, however, offering up an answer that will help you lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off for good. No magic pills here, just my magical advice! My fellow fitness pro, Bob Greene chimes in with some advice too.
Kirstie Alley Talks Yo-Yo Dieting on Oprah
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Kirstie Alley was back on Oprah yesterday, but this time she didn't show up in a bikini. Since her big weight loss reveal in 2006, Alley has gained back all the weight she lost, plus 10 extra pounds. "It's not that I don't know there are consequences," Alley said of her unhealthy habits. "I just don't want there to be consequences."So what happened? For one, she quit her job as Jenny Craig spokeswoman. No longer the famous face of weight loss, she let her guard down. "I'm going to cut myself some slack," Alley says she told herself. "Big mistake." (Our own Fitz says you should give yourself two pounds, tops. After that, it's time to get serious again.) Jenny Craig weighed Alley all the time, because legally, says Alley, "You have to weigh what you say you weigh." Without that in her life, Alley said she just let herself slide.
So what's it like to be a famous actress, weight loss spokesperson and yo-yo dieter? Not so much fun. Alley tells a harrowing story about trying to avoid the paparazzi, until one of them shouted at her, "Fat ass. Turn around so I can shoot you." And she also confessed that fellow Jenny Craiger Valerie Bertinelli's reveal was really painful for her. "I was dying," said Alley. "There's no comparison in my reveal to hers."
Beyond Yoga - Giveaway Reminder
Om my gosh, have you entered this week's Fit Beauty giveaway yet? Because if you haven't, you definitely need to do so, because this is truly a fabulous giveaway, and you only have until 5 p.m. Friday to enter!We're giving away an outfit from Beyond Yoga -- Oprah loves their clothes, and when's the last time Oprah loved something that you didn't like? And, the outfit we're giving away? Oh, yeah, it's very similar to the one Oprah wore on the January cover of "O, The Oprah Magazine."
It gets even better -- our friends at StyleList are also doing a giveaway of the same outfit, giving you two chances to win.
Beyond Yoga Giveaway - Dress Like Oprah!
Earlier this year, I talked about one of Oprah's favorite clothing lines, Beyond Yoga. It's a fashion-forward collection of yoga wear that can totally be taken to the street. And, best of all, it's designed to look great on all body types, whether your legs better resemble twigs or trunks.
And now, you have a chance to win an outfit of your own from this fabulous brand, so you can dress like Oprah (as well as celebrity fans Jennifer Aniston, Kate Beckinsale, Cindy Crawford, Kristen Davis, Demi Moore, Naomi Watts and many others).We're giving away a Beyond Yoga outfit similar to what Oprah wore. One lucky That's Fit reader will win an Original Jacket in blue jay and the Two Tone Supplex Pant in black with blue jay waistband, which is something Ms. Winfrey herself likes when she wants a little splash of color.
That's not all! Our stylish sister site, StyleList blog, is also doing a giveaway of this outfit, so you have two chances to win. And entering is easier than doing the corpse pose.
To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about your favorite yoga pose.- The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, March 6, 2009.
- You may enter only once at That's Fit and once at StyleList blog.
- One winner will be selected in a random drawing at each site.
- One winner will receive the Original Jacket in blue jay (available in sizes XS to XL, and valued at $99) and the Two Tone Supplex Pant in black with blue jay waistband (available in sizes XS to XL, and valued at $82).
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
Click here for complete Official Rules.
Winner is notified by email, so make sure to check next week to find out if you've won!
Belly Fat - Can You Bike Your Way Flat?
"Any physical activity helps you reduce belly fat," they say. But it must be pretty strenuous to have maximum benefit. Try this: Work up to 30 minutes of solid biking (if you stop at a crosswalk, subtract that time), then add about 10 percent more time each week. Keep in mind that one minute of intense biking equals about one minute of intense running. Note the word "intense," say the docs, who have two general tips for those starting out on the bike.
- Wear a pedometer all day. Put it on your lower leg while biking -- every time it goes around, you'll get a step count. Once you hit 10,000 "steps" a day -- including all the walking and biking you do -- you'll be headed for thin.
- Get a heart-rate monitor. Compare how fast your heart beats when you bike to how fast it beats when you walk. If you get the same number of beats per minute, you're probably getting the same level of activity. In this case, pump up the pedaling for tip-top belly benefits.
Diet Drinks - Will They Make You Fat?
Diet drinks can pack on the pounds, say recent reports, and Oprah's Dr. Katz weighs in on the topic over at Oprah.com.Dr. Katz believes diet drinks can cause weight gain. But science is not decisive on the matter. Suggestive, yes. For sure, no. It's the sugar substitutes (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame and acesulfame-K) that can do the damage, but evidence of this is based only on animal studies. Now, it's logical to assume that humans who consume these sweeteners end up overeating like animals do (sugar substitues cause the brain to expect more energy than it gets, which causes the desire to keep eating), but we won't know conclusively until humans are put under the microscope. Well, you know what I mean.
Dr. Katz isn't a big fan of the diet drink. "My particular concern is that artificial sweeteners are 200 to 13,000 times as sweet as sugar, and that is a potent stimulus for turning a sweet tooth into a fang," he says. He does make one exception for the drinks though: "They can be a great substitute for people who drink a lot of regular soda and are trying to cut down. Just be sure to take the next step -- toward the water cooler."
Drink Shockers
By Mary Kearl
Your favorite beverage may be just as diet-wrecking as fatty fast food, adding calories, sugar and fat and offering little or no nutritional value. Watch out for these drink shockers that will tip you closer to the F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. recommended daily limits for calories (2,000), fat (65 grams) and added sugar (40 grams) a day. Added sugars means any sugar not found naturally within the food, so look out for ingredients like sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup and molasses, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
Red Bull
Size: 8.3 oz can
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 27 g
This drink contains more than half the sugar you should have in one day. Plus, do you really want to use 110 of your 2,000 calories on something you can drink in about 10 seconds?
*Calories per Ounce: About 13
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Sunsweet Prune Juice
Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 24 g
While Sunsweet's juice is 100 percent juice and does not contain any added sugars, it still is a high concentration of natural sucrose, which means the calories can add up. In comparison, one serving of Sunsweet's regular prunes contains 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar. Plus, it contains 11 percent fiber which you miss out on when you drink the juice.
*Calories per Ounce: 22.5
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red
Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 28 g
Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red contains five percent juice, which means 95 percent of it comes from water, plus dubious ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial flavoring, juice concentrates and sugar. Since many "juice" drinks like Hawaiian punch do not contain 100 percent juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4-6 ounces for kids under 7 years, and no more than 8-12 ounces for older children and teens.
*Calories per Ounce: 15
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Hershey's Chocolate Milk
Size: 1 cup, or 8 fl oz
Calories: 270
Fat: 5 g
Sugars: 45 g
Just one serving of this milk contains 33 more grams of sugar than regular low-fat milk, or nearly all the added sugar you should have in one day. Make this an occasional treat, not a once or twice-a-day habit.
*Calories per Ounce: 33.75
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
McDonald's McFlurry with M&M's candies
Size: 12 oz
Calories: 620
Fat: 20 g
Sugars: 85 g
When it comes to calories, this drink is about the equivalent of one meal. Plus, you better watch your sugar intake for the rest of the day.
*Calories per Ounce: About 52
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Wendy's Chocolate Twisted Frosty with M&M's
Size: 16 oz
Calories: 560
Fat: 19 g
Sugars: 72 g
Yes, this drink is a little lighter on all counts than a McFlurry, but you'd still be better off ordering a chocolate or vanilla Frosty in the junior or small sizes. You'd save 250 to 410 calories and 11 to 15 grams of fat.
*Calories per Ounce: 35
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Glaceau Vitamin Water
Size: 20 oz
Calories: 125
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: about 33 g
There is one easy way to avoid this diet trap. If you're feeling dehydrated or low on energy, drink a glass of calorie-free, sugar-free, fat-free water and eat one of your five to nine servings of fruits or veggies recommended by the U.S.D.A.
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Crème, Double Chocolate Chip Crème (without whipped cream)
Size: Venti, 24 fl oz
Calories: 550
Fat: 11 g
Sugars: 79 g
By adding whipped cream this drink becomes even more shocking with an extra 120 calories and 11 fat grams.
*Calories per Ounce: About 23
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Baskin Robbins Cappuccino Blast Caramel
Size: Small, 16 fl oz
Calories: 480
Fat: 16 g
Sugars: 68 g
Steer clear of this cappuccino the next time you're at Baskin Robbins -- it contains about a quarter of your daily fat allowance -- and head for the low fat variety of the Cappuccino Blast. At 220 calories and 2 grams of fat it's a much lighter option. But watch your sugar content for the rest of the day because even this option contains 44 grams.
*Calories per Ounce: 30
Rebecca McAlpin for AOL
Skip the Snacks After 6 PM
Walk the Walk, Diet & Weight Loss, Best Life with Bob Greene
When it comes to late night snacking, the jury is still out on whether or not it helps with weight loss. As Maggie recently pointed out, many experts believe a calorie is just a calorie, no matter what time of day that you eat it.
Over at AOL Health, Bob Greene shares his seven habits of successful weight loss. One of Bob's best known tips, possibly because he shared it with Oprah, is to choose a closing time for your kitchen. In other words, put a stop to late-night snacking. His theory is that if you overdo at breakfast or lunch, you've got time to burn a few of those extra calories off. But if you overdo near bedtime ... well, you can't sleep it off, now can you?
I agree with the idea that a calorie is just a calorie. But as Bob suggests, and as Maggie also points out in this post, late-night snacks tend to be more of the chips and dip variety, eaten mindlessly in front of the TV, rather than a carrot or an apple. That's emotional eating, and getting a handle on emotional eating is one of Bob's seven tips for success.
Bob suggests setting your kitchen closing time for sometime after dinner, usually 7 PM. Since we eat an early dinner, I'll be closing my kitchen at 6 PM this week to cut back on late night snacks and see if this is a tip that really can affect weight loss. Fingers crossed.
Oprah - Did She Drop 15 By Obama's Inauguration?
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Oprah was hoping to drop 15 by the time Obama's inauguration rolled around. A week ago, I asked you what you thought she would reveal at the big event. Here's what 60 of you said:- 38.3 percent of you thought Oprah would reveal a quick slimdown.
- 30 percent of you thought she'd sport a slow status quo.
- 9 percent of you didn't know what she'd show.
And so the big day has rolled around, which means Oprah is either slimmer or not. Have you gotten a look at her lately? Do you think she made good on her wish?
Oprah - She Wants to Drop 15 By Obama Inauguration
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
For a peek at Oprah's weight-loss ups and downs, check out this OK magazine slide show. Then tell us in the poll below how you think Ms. O will look when her favorite Democrat is sworn in.
Want to kick-start your own slimdown? Check out America Takes It Off by clicking on the badge below.
Yo-Yo Dieting - Oprah's Trainer Gives Us Hope
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
It's hard to lose weight ... darn hard. Yet even though the results are so rewarding, people often slip back into their bad habits and put the weight back on. The world's most famous yo-yo dieter, Queen Oprah, is dealing with that weight gain right now. I've been in her shoes -- not the shoes I'd like to be in, the designer shoes that likely cost more than my monthly mortgage payment -- but the ones where she's looking down at the scale, shaking her head in dismay. Oh yeah, I've been there.
But here's the thing: According to Bob Greene, Oprah's trainer, try, try again may be exactly what dieters need to lose weight. Just like smokers often have to try to quit several times before they succeed, researchers suggest that some people may need to take more than one stab at dieting before they lose the weight for good.
Your Bod and Your Life - 5 New Habits for Changing Them Now
The Passion Principle, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements
Ever heard the saying, "Old habits die hard?" Sure you have.
Ever heard this story? A teenage daughter watched her Mother prepare a roast for the oven. She seasoned it well, cut the ends off of both sides, lowered it into a roasting pan, then placed it in the oven. "Mom, why do you cut the ends off of the roast?" the puzzled teen asked. "I don't know honey. My Mother does the same thing. Let's ask her why." They called the teen's grandmother.. "Mother, why do you cut the ends off of the roast before putting it into the oven," the teen's Mom asked. "I don't know, my Mother always did it. Why don't you call her and ask why," said the teen's grandmother. So the teen and her Mom called up the teen's great-grandmother. "Great Grandma, why do you cut the ends off of the roast before you put it in the oven?" the teen inquired. "Oh honey, that's simple! I always cut the ends off of my roasts because my pan was too small!" The point? We adopt habits and sometimes don't even know why!
Our old adopted habits can be really tough to break, especially if we practice them all the time. Getting rid of old habits and adopting new ones means changing the way we think, act and feel around certain situations. If you've made a decision want to be a size 8 instead of a size 14, for example, or if your desire is to become a fitness model or power lifter, then you need to break free from your old "not so good for you" habits and adopt new healthy ones.
Alanis Morrisette, Tragic Exercise Face, and Oprah - Week in Review - January 5 to January 11
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Can you laugh your way thin? You'll need to change your diet and exercise habits too, but Laura shares why laughter isn't just the best medicine, it's also good for weight loss.Sure, we usually call them New Year resolutions, but Jacki has a very good argument for not tying your diet and fitness goals to the calendar.
Even when you're avoiding the inside aisles at the grocery store, sometimes processed foods are a necessity. Here are the 20 worst packaged foods, so you can make a mental note that reads: AVOID.
Alanis Morrisette went vegan to lose 20 pounds and claims that giving up animal products changed her life. Could you make such an extreme lifestyle choice?
Tragic Exercise Face -- Do you suffer from it? And what the heck is it? Kristen has the scoop.
Don't want to spend all day at the grocery store reading food labels? Bev has some quick tips for picking out the most nutritious foods.
Oh, Oprah, Oprah, Oprah. There's nothing more frustrating than having to face weight loss again. Do you think she can slim down one more time and keep it off this time?
So you're sniffling and sneezing ... should you work out? Bev tells you when to hit the gym, and when to stay home under the covers.
Are you having trouble teaching your parents healthy habits? Fitz has advice for adult children whose parents struggling with their weight.
You're eating right and exercising, but still can't seem to squeeze into those skinny jeans? Try cutting back on salt to see if you can shed some water weight.
Speaking of skinny jeans, That's Fit readers lost a whopping 102 pounds this week in our America Takes it Off: Shrink a Size challenge! You rock!! Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for next week's challenge.
Have a great week, everyone!
Bob Greene - Questions He Wants You To Ask Yourself
Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
Did anyone catch yesterday's Oprah? The queen of Daytime (and pretty much everything else) was talking about her recent weight gain and how she was going to undo all of the extra pounds in the upcoming year. Of course, Oprah's own fitness and diet guru Bob Greene was on the show, and he challenged viewers to figure out the real reasons they're overweight -- love of food not included.
So, be honest with yourself and take some time to thoughtfully answer these questions:
