WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

Cutting Down on Sodium

Reducing our salt intake and trying to keep it significantly below 2,300 mg per day (for adults) is one of the easiest plans for losing weight. The recommended maximum daily sodium intake is 2,300mg but most people consume more than twice as much.

When we consume too much sodium the kidneys retain a lot more water and this increases blood pressure.

It would surprise some people that most of the sodium we eat doesn't come from salt-shakers. There is a very large amount of sodium in most processed foods. All cured meats (such as bacon, ham and sausage) also have very high levels. Even foods you'd never expect as culprits, such as cottage cheese can contain 1,000mg per cup.

The best way to cut down on sodium is to eat fresh whole foods. Eat lots of vegetables, legumes and fruit. These foods are also high in fiber and low in calories.

OceanPark calls the above photo "the schizophrenia of america". She says, "I think this sums up the paradox of two main messages in contemporary American culture: be impossibly skinny; eat superfatty hamburgers."

I would completely agree.

Sara Evans lost her baby weight quickly after her second pregnancy. She lost 70 pounds in less than nine months. This was back in 2003 and Evans was featured in Women's World magazine for this feat. Here she said her diet secret was very simple and involved only two rules. She didn't eat unless her stomach was growling and she stopped eating when she was full. Evans, 35, is one of the world's country music superstars. Her work-out plan basically consisted of being onstage for 75 minute shows. Here she'd work up a real sweat. She said she was 'motivated every day to get into those stage clothes at night". And that she was able to get down to a size six and stay there.

That year she also mentioned that she had an incredible fear of getting fat. And that if she overeats she hates herself.

But then she gave birth a third time in October 2005. This time it doesn't look like she's been able to lose all her weight quite as successfully as after the second pregnancy.

In the photo shown here, taken in May 2006, she doesn't look as though she would fit into size six. Nevertheless, she looks great and may now feel happy about her current weight, even if it is more than she weighed three years ago.

She recently became the official ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association. She says she decided to do this after watching a friend battle with an eating disorder. Evans will host a fashion show titled "Fashion for Every Body" in Nashville in September.

We are going to be seeing a lot more of her starting in September as she's also one of the celebrity contestants on Dancing with the Stars.

Update October 13th: Sara Evans is quitting Dancing with the Stars. According to Us Magazine Evans has decided to quit effective immediately for personal reasons. They speculate it is due to an impending divorce with her husband.

Carmen Electra has signed on to help sell a new diet pill - NV. You'll soon see Electra on TV promoting this pill.

NV is probably the only diet pill that also claims to be a beauty pill. The marketing people at NxCare, are really pushing it. They say NV is 'the supermodel of diet pills'. They say this pill can promote total outer radiance; it can give you a slimmer, sleeker and more sultry body! not to mention thick hair that shines! and skin that glows! and strong glamorous nails!

Carmen Electra has never been overweight and has always been beautiful. What would she know about 'rapid weight loss pills'? (Note: She does on the other hand have some personal experience with breast implants.) I'd love to know how much she is being paid to promote this product. It must be a lot. NxCare has its origins in pills and potions for bodybuilders.

This is their first big foray into diet pills aimed at the female market. Below is a before and after NV picture from their website. NV has already received huge publicity as Carmen Electra is on the cover of the current issue of Life & Style magazine with the blaring headline "The New Diet Pill: A new secret ingredient helps stars lose weight fast without feeling hungry!" and she talks about the pill in the featured article.

Ab Lounge 2 Review

Here's a video clip of a guy reviewing the ab lounge 2. He says he does about 180 crunches a day and hasn't noticed any results yet. He thinks if you can find it at a bargain price than go for it, but he doesn't think it's worth paying the full price for. He gives it five stars out of ten.

I'd be very curious about other people's experience with the ab lounge. They are promoting it heavily on TV infomercials and I get the sense that a lot of people are buying it. But is anyone actively using it and is it working for you?

Consumer Reports reported on a problem with the ab lounge in April. Here's an excerpt from their site:

Problem:
Fingers could get caught in hinges, where they could be crushed, cut, or tips amputated.

Products:
460,000 devices, including the Ab Lounge, Ab Lounge 2, and Ab Lounge Ultimate Exercisers, sold since October 2003 through infomercials, online, by catalog, and at discount department and sporting-goods stores for $100 to $210. Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting Goods were among the larger retail chains selling the units. The hazard arises when the machine is being opened or folded, not when it's being used. There have been 15 reports of injuries, most of which involved crushed fingers, followed by fingertip amputations, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Scott Wolfson.

The exercisers have the name "Ab Lounge" or "Ab Lounge 2" printed on the upper front fabric of the seat. Ab Lounge exercise products with straight brackets that do not fold are not subject to the recall.

What to do:
Stop using the machine and call Fitness Quest, the distributor, at 800-321-9236 for a free repair kit that consists of a bracket to eliminate the hazard. You can also go to www.fitnessquest.com to obtain the kit.

Wedding Weight

Katie Holmes: In Perfect Shape by January?

Katie Holmes, 27, plans on being back in perfect shape by January. January is when she needs to start filming the new Batman movie sequel.

This gives her lots of time to get back in shape given she didn't gain that much weight during her pregnancy. But she has apparently already started with a strict diet and going to the gym daily. Suri (her daughter) was born only four months ago. Can you imagine going to the gym daily when your baby is only four months old? It helps to have someone else around to do the diapers, laundry, cooking and baby minding.

Apparently Holmes is also doing yoga and has just started kickboxing.

From the current photos, it doesn't look like she has any weight to lose, but I guess she wants to get her body toned and her stomach back to perfect pre-pregnancy shape.

It's very motivating to think she can be back to perfect slimness by January. September is almost here and it makes me want to get going on my failed plan to walk a minimum of 15 miles a week. It's not as ambitious as regular kickboxing and a daily gym workout but I know I could look fantastic by January if I stuck to it. "Fantastic" only by my own relative private standards, of course.

Update October 4th: Here's yesterday's photo of Katie Holmes at a wedding planning meeting. She looks like she's completely succeeded in her goal to lose all the baby weight already. Her wedding with Tom Cruise will likely take place sometime in the next two weeks.

On the other hand, pictures can be so deceiving. Here's a shot of Katie's belly from just a few days ago. Either she is already pregnant again, or she still has not recovered her body completely since the birth of Suri. It's reassuring to know that even a super celebrity cannot get that perfect belly back so quickly.