Check out our Diet Reviews on AOL Health!

waist-related stories

Enviga, Fitting Rooms and Healthy Fast Food - Week in Review - March 9 to March 15

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness

week in reviewCalorie-burning drink Enviga got burned this week when makers Coca-Cola and Nestle settled out of court for false advertising claims. Now Enviga will carry the very obvious claim that even if you drink it, you still have to diet and exercise to lose weight.

We all know belly fat is unhealthy, but do you know what your waist size should be? See how you size up with some famous celebs, and find out if your waist is stretching the healthy limit.

Squeezing that workout into a busy schedule? Try Oscar Blandi's new dry shampoo -- tried and true by Kristen -- when you just don't have time to primp after a workout.

Water and weight loss -- can it really help? Jonny thinks so. A recent study found that drinking 16 oz. of water before breakfast can cut down on calorie consumption.

Clothing stores use all kinds of tricks to make us feel fit and firm in their fitting rooms. With swimsuit season on the way, they're going to need all the help they can get.

Looking for a long-term fitness goal? Try a half-marathon. It's the fastest-growing road race right now.

Think diet fads are bad today? How about smoking yourself thin or that terrible cabbage soup diet? Maggie shares crazy diet trends through the decades.

Fast food -- is it getting healthier? If it is, I'd say it's about time. Bev dishes on the fish on Long John Silver's new Freshside Grille menu.

"Change your mind before you change your matter," says Laura. Reaching your goals requires the right mindset, so discover the seven secrets of champions.

It's hard to believe, but even super-fit celebs with great genes have trouble squeezing into their jeans some days. Charlize Theron admits that she has "fat days" when her pants just won't fit.

How Does Your Waist Measure Up?

Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

kate winsletBelly fat is undesirable, to say the least. It's unsightly, but more importantly, it's unhealthy. So really, shouldn't we all be doing everything we can to get rid of it? But then, we hear things like," Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14," or "Kate Winslet has a crumbly stomach," and we think maybe we're not in such bad shape after all.

Well, if you're going to compare your figure to a celebrity's, you should at least have the correct information, and the March issue of "Fitness" magazine has it. Check out these waist measurements and see how you measure up:

  • Marilyn Monroe was super curvy, but had a 22-inch waist (clothing sizes have changed drastically since the 1950's).
  • Audrey Hepburn weighed in at 103 pounds and had a 20-inch waist.
  • Farrah Fawcett, one of America's greatest sex symbols, had a 24-inch waist.
  • Jane Fonda, fitness queen, also had a 24-inch waist.
  • Princess Diana's weight fluctuated widely, but her largest waist measurement was 27 inches.
  • Kate Winslet has no problem baring her body, and she looks amazing, but surprisingly, she has a 29-inch waist.

Source

Water - It's a Dieting Do

Diet & Weight Loss

Want to prevent your waist from widening? Then here's a drink you simply must consume.

Source

Hourglass Figures - Headed for Extinction?

Diet & Weight Loss

In the days when Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate pin-up girl, the ideal figure was an hourglass one: Big in the bust, small in the waist, big in the hips. You don't see that kind of shape much on the red carpet these days. Instead, the bobble-head look seems to take precedence.

But even out of the spotlight, in the homes of the average folk, it seems the hourglass is disappearing -- we're carrying more weight in our tummies than our hips, according to recent studies, and our hip-to-waist ratios are going down, especially in cultures where women tend to be more financially independent. And our jobs are to blame.

Source

Men: This chemical might make you fat

Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Men's Health


Pay attention, men, to all the stuff you've got stashed in your house -- everything from plastics to shaving creams to foods -- because a common household chemical may be found in these items and could be making you fat.

Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are the problem chemicals, and studies found that men with the most exposure to them were on average about three inches larger in waist circumference than other men. Their insulin resistance levels were notably higher as well.

Don't stress too much about this news, because there's something you can do about this dangerous chemical: Avoid it. Maybe one day, the government will regulate it too.

For more on phthalates, from the folks who think they are not so harmful, click here. For some scoop on where else phthalates might be hiding and how to avoid all traces of the them, click here.

Source

Do you measure up for heart health?

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

I have no idea right now how healthy my heart is. I eat right and exercise well but I've got three factors stacked up against me in the heart department. One: Three years ago, I received the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin for the treatment of breast cancer, a drug known for it's heart toxicity. Two: Then I received radiation to my left breast and chest wall, right near my heart. While I used a special tube for breathing in order to move my heart out of the way at the exact moment beams of radiation zapped this critical area, there's a chance my heart was compromised in some way. And third: I then received 17 treatments over the course of one year of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, also know for it's potential to weaken the heart. Bummer that I had to endure these treatments. But as cancer logic has it, I should be so lucky to have a heart problem 20 years from now because it would mean I'd survived my disease for that long.

Really, all I can do to keep my heart strong now is to continue on a wise eating and exercise path. Which is what I plan to do. I can also take a few measurements to chart my heart health.

The folks at Reader's Digest say if I measure around my waist, above my belly button, and divide it by the circumference of my hips, I'll end up with a telling number. If it's 0.8 or less, I'm all good. Men: You want 0.9 or less.

Source

Slim your waistline with whole grains

Womens Health, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Just in case you didn't get the memo, it's perfectly okay to eat carbs. In fact, you should be eating plenty of them; that is, you should be eating plenty of "good" carbs. Falling into that category are fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.

Why is it important to eat a diet rich in whole grains? Because results from a recent study, conducted at Penn State University, revealed that doing so may help slim your waistline while lowering your risk of heart disease.

Researchers divided 50 obese adults with metabolic syndrome (a collection of risk factors that increases risk of diabetes and heart disease) into two groups. Members of both groups cut back on their calorie consumption for 12 weeks. Only one group was instructed to eat only whole-grain products, whereas the other group was instructed to not eat any whole-grain foods.

At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups had lost weight,. But, there was a disparity of about 3 pounds between the average weight lost by each group (11 pounds vs. 8 pounds). Moreover, although both groups experienced a decrease in overall body fat, the whole-grain group lost significantly more body fat from the abdominal region than the refined-grain group.

If you're interested in reading further, the results of this study can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Source

Daily Fit Tip: Know your numbers

Daily Fit Tip, Diet & Weight Loss

Oprah's favorite medical guy Dr. Oz tells Reader's Digest (March 2008) about four lifesaving numbers we simply must know if we plan to say on top of our heart health. Do you know them? If not, you should.

  • Blood pressure: It's a major driver of heart disease risk. The lower it is, the better off you are. In a perfect world, yours would be under 115/75 mm/Hg.

  • Cholesterol: HDL is the important type and the higher the better on this one -- strive for over 40mg/dL. While LDL is less important, you should ideally keep it under 100 mg/dL.

  • Blood sugar: Keep this one under 100 mg/dL too. If you can't maintain this, it's likely you'll acquire some form of diabetes.

  • Waist size: Measure at the level of your belly button and make sure it's half your height or less. That's 33 inches if you're 5'6".

Source

4 heart-healthy facts

Diet & Weight Loss

This month is all about your heart. So in the spirit of keeping it in tip-top shape, here are a few heart-healthy facts.

  • Your belly and how it measures is more important than your body mass index (BMI) because it's a better indication of atherosclerosis (artery hardening). A healthy waist should total less than 35 inches.

  • Do you know what your cholesterol is? You should. It's a major heart attack risk factor and should be checked at least every five years -- more often if it's high or you have risk factors.

  • Antioxidant supplements won't mend a broken heart. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends against taking vitamins A, C, and E because there's just no proof they do any good. A multivitamin is fine, however.

  • Losing weight will cause a drop in your blood pressure. If you need to slim down, then, do it for your heart.

Source

How do you know if you're the right weight?

Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness

Get a tape measure and see how you're doing: A waist that's 35 inches or more puts you at risk for what's known as the metabolic syndrome, which is a deadly combo of obesity, high glucose levels, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And remember, there's no such thing as 'spot reducing.' You need to lose fat all over to lose inches around the middle. Try cardio activities like walking, swimming or dancing.

Source

Does having an hourglass figure mean you're more intelligent?

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

In our thin-obsessed society, being curvy isn't exactly seen as a good thing, but according to recent studies, it puts you at an advantage in one respect at least: Recent research shows that curvier women are smarter, and they have smarter kids, too.

It all comes down to high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the extra padding around the hips and waist of women with a hourglass figure. Not only are omega-3s good for a woman's own brain power, but they're essential to the development of baby's brain during pregnancy.

So next time you loathe your curves, consider this study and count yourself lucky.

Source

Hydrostatic weighing is the way to go

Fitness

So the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be the best indicator of obesity. It only accounts for height and weight and gives a whole host of other factors (muscle mass, for one) no attention at all. There's also the skin fold test, or pinch test. I called my local health and fitness center to inquire about this option -- I'd really like to see where I fall on the body fat spectrum after losing some weight -- and I was told it's not all that accurate either. Since the skin is pinched and measured using calipers, it's difficult to grab the same fat each time it's done. Obviously, this can skew results. So where do I go now for a precise evaluation of my fat?

I could go for a waist-hip ratio -- a tape measure is used around the waist and hips -- but this won't tell me exactly how much fat I'm carrying around. That leaves one method -- hydrostatic weighing. It happens to be the only route recommended by the fitness trainer I spoke with on the phone, and it involves a whole lot of water and a whole lot of exhaling.

Hydrostatic weighing works like this: After expelling all of the air from the lungs, a person is repeatedly submerged in water for five to 10 seconds. It's a very reliable measure, the gold standard really for assessment of body composition. It can be scary for those who fear the underwater world, but it works and is available at various health and fitness centers.

What do you think -- would you get dunked to capture the essence of your own body fat?

Source

Bigger waist = Bigger risk for colon cancer

Diet & Weight Loss, Men's Health

Being a little thick around the middle may do more than just increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes, new research shows that bigger waists are connected to bigger colon cancer risk.

This new data comes from one of those "study of studies" where researchers compiled information from 30 previous and separate sets of research on colon cancer. Obesity in general was already known as a rectal cancer risk factor, but it seems abdominal fat is particularly dangerous. For every 4 inches a man gains around the middle his risk for colon cancer jumps up by 33%, and for women it goes up by 16%.

One more good reason to get your butt on the treadmill!

Source

"Pear", "hour glass" or "ruler": Which celebs share your body type?

Celebs & Entertainment, Alternative & Green Health

While a lot of stars have bodies that the rest of us can only dream about, they're not all cut from the same cloth. Female celebrities have different body shapes just like the rest of us -- I guess they just know how to work with what they've got.

This set of pictures divides some of today's most famous stars -- with the most-envied bodies -- into three shape categories: The pear, the hour glass and the ruler. According to the text, pear-shaped women are smaller on top (breasts and shoulders) and larger through the bum and thighs. Examples given include Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez, both of whom are known for their "bootylicious" butts.

Considered by many to be an "ideal" female body shape, women with an hour glass figure tend to have larger breasts and hips with a small waist. Often recognized for their sexy curves, Scarlett Johansson and Salma Hayek fit into this category. Often envied by those of us who wish we could eat ice cream and chocolate without putting on weight, women boasting a ruler shape are long and lean. Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley both sport this body type.

So where do you fit in? Which celeb's body most closely resembles yours?

Source

Is denial holding you back?

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Elastic waist pants are the enemy to everyone trying to stay fit. Isn't it amazing how they allow people to gain tons of weight without having to acknowledge it? Are you one of those people in the stretchy pants? If so......go jean shopping. Jeans rarely lie. Neither does the scale.

I've had several new clients come in lately who underestimated their weight by well over ten pounds. How does that happen? Elastic waists. No.......I'm not writing this to pick on pants. I'm writing this, because lately I've experienced an influx of people who just have no clue where they are at physically. When they tell me they 'think' they weigh 146, but then find out they weigh159 when they land on my scale...alarms go off in my head.

Thirteen pounds isn't an enormous amount of weight to gain, but it's not irrelevant either. Do you think if they had weighed themselves weekly or even biweekly they would have put the breaks on before they gained that much? Yeah. I think so. I'm not a proponent of obsessing about weight. If you've read my blogs in the past you'll know that I NEVER concern over a clients appearance. That is their issue to deal with...

Featured Writers
Bob GreeneReggie Casagrande
Bob Greene
Jonny BowdenJohn GanonJonny Bowden

Tanya ZuckerbrotFadil BerishaTanya Zuckerbrot
Liz Neporent Liz Neporent