weight-gain-related stories

Meryl Streep and Amy Adams Ate Their Way Through 'Julie and Julia'

by Kristen Seymour Aug 7th 2009 12:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Usually, actresses are encouraged to watch their figures while filming a movie. However, that was far from being the case on the set of "Julie & Julia." The film shows the way food impacted the lives of two extraordinary women, Julia Child, who wrote "Mastering The Art of French Cooking," and Julie Powell, a writer who made every recipe in Child's book and blogged about it.

Nora Ephron, director/writer/producer of the film, insisted her cast not only eat the food prepared on set, but enjoy it. And enjoy it they did. In an interview with Ladies Home Journal, Streep admitted, "I gained 15 pounds. I'm still trying to lose it. It was worth it."

Adams' weight gain wasn't as drastic, but she said to Access Hollywood, "Eating, eating, eating and eating. As long as the costumes fit, I could eat as much as I wanted, which was great. There was some weight gain but I didn't weigh myself so I really don't know."

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Friends Make Teens Fat, Study Finds

by Kristen Seymour Aug 6th 2009 9:00AM

Diet & Weight Loss

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Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr

If your teen is hanging out with kids who are overweight, you might want to keep a close eye on her eating habits. A recent study found that teens' eating and exercise habits were strongly influenced by their friends, and if her friends are fat, it's highly likely that she'll pack some pounds on as well.

These findings, based on results from approximately 5,000 teens, gives the idea of imitative obesity (subconsciously choosing to do things that cause weight gain because the people around you are heavy) a bit more, uh, weight. And we don't believe for a second that this idea only relates to those not old enough to vote.

Researchers say this could also be that teens might be more prone to hang out with others that are a similar size, but they do seem to be influenced by each other's behavior.

Imagine yourself at your favorite restaurant. If you're there with your trainer or a really fit friend, what do you order? Is it different than what you'd order if you went with someone less concerned about calories? If your dining partner wanted to split the fried mozzarella appetizer, would you have the stomach to say, "No thank you"?

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Will Birth Control Make You Gain Weight?

by Liz Neporent Aug 5th 2009 2:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Fit or Fiction

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Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.

Photo: blmurch, Flickr

For some women, the thought of gaining weight is so terrifying, they would rather forego using a contraceptive like the pill or the patch and risk an unwanted pregnancy than add a few pounds. Yet, it's not entirely proven that hormone-based birth control causes weight gain.

In 2006, scientists from Researchers at Family Health International, a not-for-profit public health advocacy group, reviewed 44 recent hormonal contraceptive trials where three of the studies directly compared weight changes in women taking the pill with women taking placebos. None, including the direct comparisons, showed a link between birth control and weight gain. Over time, women tended to either gain weight or lose weight regardless of whether or not they took a hormone-based form of contraception.

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Corn Flakes For Breakfast? Think Again!

by Jonny Bowden Jul 6th 2009 1:00PM

Jonny's Take, Nutrition & Supplements

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Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.

Photo: TheBusyBrain, Flickr

I've ranted about high sugar cereals for years. Even those masquerading as "healthy" cereals are usually high-glycemic (meaning they raise blood sugar quickly), and they contribute to weight gain, cravings and ultimately, lower energy.

And most of these cereals are fiber lightweights, despite the fact that we're constantly being sold on the notion of cereals as "high fiber" foods. With the exception of Fiber One, UltraFiber, Bran Flakes and a few others, most commercial cereals only contain a gram or two of fiber, which is one of the reasons they're so "high glycemic" in the first place.

Now a new study has shown that high-glycemic foods like cornflakes are not only bad for the waistline -- they're also bad for the heart.

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Iodine Linked to Weight Loss and Gain

by Jacki Donaldson Jun 17th 2009 1:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

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Photo: quinn.anya/Flickr

Getting enough iodine in your diet can help you lose weight, but if you've cut back on iodized table salt because you've heard it's bad for you, you're probably not getting your recommended 150 micrograms of iodine a day (220 if you're pregnant; 290 if you're breastfeeding). Bummer, because if you're deficient in this mineral, you might gain weight. FitSugar has the whole scoop.

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Night Eating - Bad Habit or Disorder That Can Cause Weight Gain?

by Mary Kearl Jun 11th 2009 2:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

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Kelly Allison, Ph.D., co-author of "Overcoming Night Eating Syndrome"

That's Fit: Can you describe some of the clear signs and of having "Night Eating Syndrome" (NES) versus just having late-night munchies every so often?

Allison: Most people have some sort of snack in the evenings, but the difference is that, with NES, the eating is usually related to eating in order to fall asleep, and it usually affects the level of hunger during the first half of the day. NES is a disorder characterized [by] consuming more than a quarter of daily [food] intake after dinner and/or waking up at night to eat at least twice per week. People who have NES usually have little hunger in the first half of the day. They begin eating more as the day goes on and, after a while, feel resigned to the fact that they will eat more than they want to in the evening. When people are waking up [in the middle of the night] to eat, they usually do so about an hour or two after falling asleep. After a while it becomes "automatic," where they feel drawn to eat as soon as they wake up.

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Natasha Henstridge Says She Damaged Her Body With Diets

by Jacki Donaldson Jun 2nd 2009 3:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

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Quick-fix diets and wonder weight loss pills might seem innocent enough, but they're not, says actress Natasha Henstridge, who reveals that yo-yo dieting has done long-term damage to her body.

"My body's definitely gone through a change since coming off all the crazy yo-yo stuff," says the 34-year-old actress, whose body is a lot more curvaceous now than it was in the 1995 sci-fi thriller "Species." That was one killer bod. Unfortunately, there was just nothing natural -- or healthy -- about it.

Henstridge says Hollywood drove her to take drastic measure to be skinny. "There's always pressure in this business to stay thin to the degree that I've done some things that probably weren't the smartest things in the world," she says about taking over-the-counter diet pills and Chinese herbs, which ultimately slowed her metabolism and caused her to gain weight.

"Those things have a huge effect on your metabolism and all of a sudden, when you decide to go clean and healthy, things are changing in your body because you've done a little bit of damage," says the mom of two, who is clean and healthy now -- she keeps active with mountain biking and boot camp workouts, and she was recently spotted with fiancé Darius Danesh taking a trapeze class.

Check out the gallery below for more extreme celebrity diets.

Unhealthy Celeb Diets

It's no surprise that skipping meals is one extreme way some celebs lose weight. But the article claims that Paris Hilton starves herself because she was once spotted in a Manhattan restaurant drinking Red Bull and water instead of ordering a meal. We'd love to see Paris gain some weight, but skipping a meal does not equal a pattern of starvation. Bottom line: Extreme calorie-cutting may work in the short-term but sending your body into starvation mode usually means overeating (and weight gain) is just around the corner.

John Parra, WireImage.com

Britney Spears gets called out for taking Adderall, a drug used in treating attention-deficit disorder. Adderall abuse is certainly on the rise and one reason is its side effect, loss of appetite. Because the drug can act as an appetite suppressant and Britney takes it, the article concluded she uses it as a diet aid. Bottom line: Take prescription drugs as directed by your doctor. Why? Adderall's other side effects include addiction, depression and psychosis.

Toby Canham, Getty Images

Mary-Kate Olsen gets a smackdown for her coffee-habit. The article claims Hollywood is in the grips of a trend where stars drink the caffeinated stuff to boost metabolism and suppress appetite. while Mary-Kate is often photographed with coffee, we're not sure how much she consumes or how it figures into her weight control. Peterson's scary story about a starving star who drinks coffee instead of eating has nothing to do with Mary-Kate. Bottom line: While drinking coffee can result in a slight metabolism increase, you'd get a better boost (and fewer jitters) from exercising more and cutting a few calories from your diet.

Marcel Thomas, FilmMagic.com

Once photographed jogging with weights in both hands, Teri Hatcher is labeled an overexerciser. We're in total agreement that this TV star is borderline skeletal and that running with weights is a no-no, but the since we didn't talk to her (and neither did their reporter), we can't comment on whether her exercise routine is unhealthy or not. We do know that we'd like her to put on a few pounds. Bottom line: Exercise is key for weight control and overall health, but when it rises to the level of obsession -- an increasing problem -- it's time to seek professional help.

Eric Charbonneau, WireImage.com

Jared Leto is on the list for using the Master Cleanse to lose the weight he gained to play Mark Chapman in the new film "Chapter 27." Peterson tells a horror story about a client (not Leto) who got sick using the juice fast. We don't disagree that the diet is sketchy; if used for more than a few days, it can be outright dangerous. Bottom line: Liquid diets should only be used when under a doctor's care.

Steve Granitz, WireImage.com

Marcia Cross has been very honest about the pressure in Hollywood to be thin, and was recently quoted saying, "It's like they pay me not to eat." Maybe that's why she was spotted by an "insider" drinking juice in a restaurant while her husband ate a full meal. Bottom line: Many celebrities may feel their jobs rest on how they look, but a lot of stars aren't going to diet extremes. Need inspiration? Look to the celebs losing weight the right way.

Charley Galla, WireImage.com

The fact that Lindsay Lohan was found in possession of cocaine doesn't mean she's thin because of drug use as the 'Daily News' would like you to think. We certainly can't make a case for Lohan being a responsible person with good judgment considering her recent trouble with the law but we won't jump to conclusions about how she maintains her weight. Bottom line: Using drugs won't necessarily make you thin. It's never a good idea to use any illegal substances.

Tony Barson, WireImage.com

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Overweight Pregnant Women Should Gain Less Weight

by Jacki Donaldson May 29th 2009 3:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss

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For the first time since 1990, the weight-gain guidelines for pregnant women have changed. Well, not for all women -- just for those who are overweight.

Pregnant women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 should limit their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds, according to the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Previously, these women were advised they could safely gain up to 25 pounds over nine months.

Why the reduction? Because mounting evidence says that excessive weight gain is linked to a number of health problems for both mother and baby. Gestational diabetes and the life-threatening blood-pressure problem called pre-eclampsia are possibilities for mom, and kids born to overweight moms are more likely to be overweight or obese themselves. Therefore, doctors are urged to counsel overweight women to lose weight prior to conceiving. About 55 percent of women of childbearing age are either overweight or obese.

The guidelines for women with a body mass index under 30 do not change. Underweight women, with a BMI of less than 18.5, should gain 28 to 40 pounds during pregnancy; normal-weight women, with a BMI of 24.9 or lower, should gain 25 to 35 pounds; and overweight women, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, should gain 15 to 25 pounds.

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Kirstie Alley Talks Yo-Yo Dieting on Oprah

by Bethany Sanders May 1st 2009 4:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

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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."

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Weight Gain Traps to Avoid

by Liz Neporent Apr 17th 2009 1:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss

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Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the weight gain associated with marriage. On average, married people tend to weigh more than non-married people, and those extra pounds typically show up shortly after the honeymoon.

A fellow blogger wrote in and asked me whether or not there were other common weight gain traps. Good question, I thought. And the answer is yes. Here are three major traps, plus some advice on how to enjoy the moment without fattening up.

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When Meds Mess With the Scale

by Bethany Sanders Apr 9th 2009 5:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss

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Late last summer, I'd just kicked off a personal weight loss campaign when I suffered a surprisingly stubborn bout of asthma. Prescribed a tapering dose of prednisone for what ended up being two months, my doctor advised me to keep moving forward with diet and exercise, but warned that I might not lose a pound. "Maintaining your weight on this drug is a feat in and of itself," he said.

I lost 20 pounds.

It wasn't easy ... in fact, it was darn hard. Prednisone plays with blood sugar levels in the body, and it makes me feel hungry even when my brain tells me I've eaten enough. Loren Berlin writes about her own struggles with prednisone-related weight gain after she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis:

"Initially I got angry. It seemed unfair that I should have to lose my hard-earned shape to regain my health. These weren't the terms I wanted to negotiate. But my gastroenterologist and my blood tests told me that what I wanted and what I needed were at odds, and needs trumped wants."

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Cruise Food - How Healthy Can It Be?

by Jacki Donaldson Mar 26th 2009 1:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

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Cruises offer 24-hour access to food -- how cool is that? Not so cool, if health and weight control are on your mind.

The crew over at "Love + Blueberries" dives into the world of floating food and reveals that the average weight gain on a week-long cruise is seven to 14 pounds. Ouch. Swim on over here for the scoop on boats, buffets and more.

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Obesity Can Cut 3-10 Years From Your Life

by Bethany Sanders Mar 20th 2009 3:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness

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When it comes to eating a healthy diet and staying fit, what's your biggest motivator? Is it feeling good? Staying active? Fitting into your jeans? Maybe it's all of the above. Those are all good reasons for staying fit, but here's maybe the biggest one of all: Being obese could cut your life by 10 years. I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly feeling very motivated.

This finding comes from an analysis of 57 different studies that included almost 900,000 people. The short story is this:

A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9.
Death rates were lowest among people with a BMI of 23 to 24.
A BMI of 30 to 35 could potentially take two to four years off life.
Being morbidly obese, or having a BMI of 40 to 45, could shorten life by eight to 10 years.
Being underweight, with a BMI of less than 22.5, was also associated with a shorter lifespan.

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Big Adventures & Big Waistlines - Good Morning America Anchors Tell All

by Fitz K. Mar 6th 2009 4:00PM

Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fiz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.

Next week, the "Good Morning America" anchors are going BIG! They're secretly traveling to some of the most astounding places on the planet and each day they'll turn up to surprise us with their BIG secret locations. Something else is getting BIG though, and it's far less exciting. Adorable (yet highly-esteemed) anchors, Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion sat down for a hilarious interview with me, to investigate the dramatic state of their self-proclaimed expanding waistlines and an odd tenderness creeping up Chris's right side. Chris even shared fitness advice for one "Today Show" anchor. You won't believe it, unless you read it.

Fitz: What are your favorite forms of fitness?

Chris: I get a workout making fun of Sam. It burns lots of calories and is good for the soul.

Sam: I actually would be happy with any form of fitness. Since coming to GMA, my hours have been erratic and my schedule so tight, I've gained a bunch of weight.

Fitz: You're about to embark on a very BIG trip. Will you exercise while you're traveling?

Chris: We try to use the hotel gyms for cardio and calisthenics if they're available to us, but often we're just dropped in the middle of a disaster, and exercise doesn't seem to make it on our list of things to do. While covering hurricanes, tornadoes, war and other wild events, it's difficult to make fitness a priority. We did, however, go on a great train trip a while back; Sam and I would run down the tracks when we had a break. That was terrific.

Sam: It's all very much a roller coaster. I need to get back on track though and schedule exercise and proper nutrition in to my life wherever I go.

Fitz: Which of you can do more push-ups?

Chris and Robin from Good Morning America

NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Sam Champion hosts ABC's "Good Morning America" at June 26, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion

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NEW YORK - JUNE 26: (L-R) Host Sam Champion interviews Gavin Creel and Will Swenson from the cast of Broadwayï¿½s Hair on ABC's "Good Morning America" at June 26, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gavin Creel;Will Swenson

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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion attends at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion

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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion speaks at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion

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NEW YORK - MAY 29: Recording artist Lionel Richie chats with Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Sam Champion during ABC's "Good Morning America" summer concert series on May 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lionel Richie;Diane Sawyer;Robin Roberts;Sam Champion

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NEW YORK - MAY 18: (NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), actor Christian Bale speaks with Chris Cuomo (not seen) about his new film "Terminator Salvation," on Good Morning America May 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Christian Bale

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NEW YORK - MAY 18: (NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), actor Christian Bale (L) speaks with Chris Cuomo about his new film "Terminator Salvation," on Good Morning America May 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Cuomo;Christian Bale

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NEW YORK - MAY 6: (NO SALE, NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by ABC, Bristol Palin, 19 year old single mother and daughter of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, talks to Chris Cuomo on "Good Morning America" May 6, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Cuomo;Bristol Palin

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Fat? Blame Your Big Brain

by Kristen Seymour Feb 24th 2009 12:00PM

Diet & Weight Loss

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I learned something new today over at Diet Blog. Our big, human brains require about twice as many calories as the brains of other mammals. No wonder we overeat, right?

You know, it makes sense if you think about it. When our ancestors were spending their days hunting for food and running to avoid being food, they needed a lot of food to sustain themselves. Their brains cued them to eat lots of calorie-dense in order to keep their large, growing brains satisfied.

And our big brains are still cuing us to eat calorie-dense foods, but the problem is that now, calorie-dense foods are often laden with saturated fats and they're super easy to get. Pair that with the fact that many of us have sedentary jobs and busy lives that don't leave time for daily workouts, and ... well, I'm blaming any extra pounds on the fact that my brain is just so darn big. I like that excuse far better than my lack of willpower.

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