October 2012 archive

One Weird Old Post: Weight Loss Hype

Burn fat with these five foods! Cut down belly fat with this one weird old tip! Foods that kill belly fat! You’ve seen these ads on the Internet a million times. You know they can’t be true, but you want to hope…maybe? You can’t resist looking! I never have been able to find out the “one …

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Weight Loss Solutions Vs. Support

I’ve been kicked off a bunch of weight loss “support” message boards. My crime? I offer advice. I get specific. Somebody says they have a problem; I try to present a solution. And that has gotten me not just flamed but blocked from a handful of “support” web sites. I generally refer to most weight …

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Weight Loss Short Cuts Lead to a Dead End

A talk show geared towards women this week featured a spot on “Slimdown Superfoods,” pitching the usual “boost your metabolism” angle. When a new supplement was claimed to have caused weight loss in some kind of trials “without diet or exercise,” the audience erupted into applause and cheers. I found this truly disturbing. To me, …

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The Power of Experience for Developing a Healthy Lifestyle

Yesterday was an amazing gift! Thanks to the eccentricities of Chicago weather, it was sunny and mid-70s. After a week stuck inside with that cold, it was wonderful to get out in the breeze. I walked about 5 miles. I started my day with a kettlebell routine and did a core workout in the evening. …

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Are There Double Standards for Weight Loss Diets?

Does a vegetarian ever say, “It’s a special occasion, I’ll have the prime rib!” Do vegans think it’s good for the soul to have a pint of Ben & Jerry’s now and then? Would Kosher Jews believe that God is sure to forgive them for an occasional nosh on something as delicious as bacon? Do …

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Realities of Weight Loss Surgery

Today I saw a blog comment that felt like a dagger to the heart. I monitor a great many blogs through RSS feed. This comment was to a physician’s post about weight loss surgery on a gastroenterology blog. The person commenting was bemoaning a significant regain following weight loss surgery, “My problem is, I thought it would always …

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Escaping the Trap of Weight Loss Myths

This weekend I saw a desperate Facebook post, crying out for bacon. The poster was on a “seven-day nutritional cleanse,” intended to banish all cravings for what she called “unhealthy things.” Given that this plea for bacon appeared on day four of this seven-day “cleanse” and her cravings had her most definitely in a tight …

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Is Losing Weight as Easy as (not eating) Pie?

If someone told you being a millionaire was really fabulous and showed you scenes of wealthy people living a pleasure-filled life, would you become all inspired and motivated and say “I’m going to become a millionaire too!” And off you go, filled with inspiration and motivation to do…um, what exactly? This example may sound ridiculous …

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A Motivational Let Down

Last week I posted the first installment of what I hope to make a weekly YouTube event: Fad Diet Friday. While doing research for my book, I discovered that the main library here in Chicago was well-stocked with diet books from decades back. Each week I’ll look at a different diet book flashback. Last week …

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Takes One to Know One: A Weight Loss Book by a Former Fat Person

A recent book buyer admitted when she first saw my book she initially thought, “Oh great, another skinny person telling me why I’m fat.” Then she read about me and made a purchase! (and thank you so much!) Part of why I wanted to write Powerful Hunger was because I am also sick of the …

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