That Blog topic is Fat burn
Posted in weight lost with tags fat burn on November 22, 2010 by metaliefdeWeight training Blog
Posted in weight lost with tags lost weight on November 18, 2010 by metaliefdeChickens have lent their name to a funky dance and a contest of nerves in which James Dean drives his car directly at you, and next they may contribute to saving our planet, as seen in two recent posts at Inhabitat.
The first points out that “eggshell membranes can absorb almost seven times their weight in C02, making them an ideal sponge for absorbing harmful greenhouse gases.” I know it sounds crazy, but:
Thinking of how many eggs are consumed around the world – India, for example accounts for about 1.6 million metric tons (or 2,305 pounds) of eggs annually all by themselves – if everyone was to leave their shells out after usage, they have the potential to absorb a considerable amount of Co2.
A research team at the University of Calcutta is working on a way to extract the membranes from the shells, which could then presumably be used to create filters of some sort.
The second post looks at the usage of chicken manure as a source of biogas, plans for which are now underway in the Netherlands and the U.K. The plan is for local farmers to collect and contribute chicken poo (among other animal waste) to nearby powerplants that will use “anaerobic digesters” to convert the stuff into biogas, which will in turn generate electricity.
A question I’ve got about this latter one is, How the heck do you collect chicken manure? The convenient patty shape of cow manure seems it would lend itself to harvesting, but chicken waste seems challenging. I hope they’re not cooping them up in a Matrix-like structure where all they do is eat and poop.
PC storage maker Verbatim has just introduced a new USB storage media in the form of the Store n Go Clip-it. Designed like a paperclip, the device will hold both printed documents and their digital counterparts. Due to its small size and low weight, the clips are seen as ideal companions to go along with hard copy documents.
The Clip-it USB is only available in a 4GB capacity, though it can be had in five colors, including pink, green, blue, orange and black. The Store n Go Clip-it USB drive will cost $20 when it arrives at the start of December.
Diet pills Article
Posted in weight lost with tags weight training on November 14, 2010 by metaliefdeMichelle Goldberg is a journalist and author based in New York. Her first book, the New York Times bestseller ”Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism” delved into some of the reddest precincts of the United States to expose the ascendant politico-religious fundamentalism dominating the Republican Party. It was a finalist for the 2007 New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. Goldberg’s second book, “The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World,” explored the international battle over reproductive rights, and argued that the liberation of women is key to solving the planet’s most urgent problems. It won 2008′s J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award and the Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize. Goldberg has reported from countries including Uganda, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, India and Argentina, and her work has appeared in Glamour, Rolling Stone, The Nation, New York, The Guardian (UK) and The New Republic among many other publications. Her third book, about the world-traveling adventuress, actress and yoga evangelist Indra Devi, will be published by Knopf in 2012.
Just like a bride who suddenly finds the impetus to lose weight weeks before her wedding in order to fit into her gown, so the same applies to the PlayStation 3 Bluetooth headset which is coming in a newer iteration, boasting a slimmer, sleeker design compared to the original as you can see from the comparison image above. The ear clasp has lost some weight, while the front buttons and indicators have also been cleaned up as well. It will be more or less an aesthetic upgrade, so don’t expect any added functions to be thrown into it when released. Touted to retail for $50, there is no price change compared to the current model, so hopefully something official from Sony will come about real soon.
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This Post topic is Weight training
Posted in weight lost with tags weight lost on November 11, 2010 by metaliefdeThe city’s Health Department seems willing to do whatever it takes to get you off the soda pop, even if it means glossing over certain facts about soft drinks’ potential to fatten you up. According to e-mails obtained by the Times through the state’s Freedom of Information Law, Health Department officials, including Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, decided to overrule objections from some experts who said the “Pouring on the Pounds” campaign was misleading. At one point, the department’s chief nutritionist simply asked Harvard and Columbia professsors, “What can we get away with?”
At issue was the campaign’s assertion that “drinking 1 can of soda a day can make you 10 pounds fatter a year.” As officials were working on the video component of the campaign, which shows a guy drinking globs of fat from a can of soda, the Health Department’s marketing campaign manager raised doubts about the takeaway, writing, “I think Dr. Farley really wants to say something about ‘gaining 15 pounds of fat in a year.’ We know gaining and losing weight isn’t that cut and dry — some people can drink and eat whatever they want and still maintain their weight without doing an incredible amount of exercise to burn off the extra calories. I think going this route would raise a lot of skepticism within the public about our message.”
Another doctor consulted by the department said their underlying premise was seriously flawed, because “you would need to make the case that you are talking about a can of soda more per day relative to energy expenditure.” But in the end, it was decided that going viral was more important than going accurate. “I think what people fear is getting fat,” Farley concluded in one e-mail. The man sure knows what keeps us up at night (lying in a pile of potato chip crumbs)! Here’s the video, which is, as the DOH’s nutritionist put it, “deliciously disgusting.”
In a statement, the Health Department tells us, “We included the fact that drinking even one can of soda a day can make you 10 pounds fatter in a year in this anti-obesity campaign after vigorous internal discussion among many staff of the agency. This kind of discussion is part of any scientifically sound decision-making process, but usually occurs outside of public view. The link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity is well established in the scientific literature and widely accepted among nutrition experts.”
As the rate of overweight and obese individuals continues to rise with no end in sight, there’s good news emerging about the power of natural nutrients, such as pomegranate, that act on a genetic level to halt the accumulation of abdominal fat.
Many people are aware that they need to lose weight but can’t seem to make the necessary lifestyle and dietary adjustments that will help them achieve their goal. Pomegranate and other natural nutrients may provide the key as they can be used to compliment healthy diet and physical activity toward your weight loss goal.
Pomegranate Shown to Reduce Belly Fat
Pomegranate is truly a super nutrient as it has been shown to clear dangerous blood fats known as triglycerides before they are converted to a form of fat which can be stored in our fat cells. This is important because lowered triglycerides have been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease and death from a heart attack.
Excess triglycerides form in the blood in response to a diet high in refined, processed carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats. The results of a study performed at the University of Edinburgh and reported by the Daily Mail confirms that pomegranate consumption for a period of 30 days was sufficient to lower the risk of developing fatty cells around the abdomen. Researchers note that this type of fat accumulation is the most dangerous type as it causes the release of stress hormones which fuel inflammation and promote heart disease.
Resveratrol Mimics Calorie Restriction
Resveratrol has gained acclaim as a super nutrient that has been shown to function at the genetic level by influencing genes known as SIRT’s which we have evolved through a sophisticated mechanism designed to keep us alive during times of famine. Our survival genes have the opposite effect when we overeat, as they fuel the aging process and no longer effectively protect us from disease.
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Lost weight Blog
Posted in weight lost with tags lost weight on November 10, 2010 by metaliefdeGawker Media Community Policy
These are our sites, and we reserve the right to moderate the discussion. The basic rules are standard: An attack on authors or other commenters is unlikely to make you popular. Think before you disparage social or ethnic groups. Don’t spam. Don’t post pornography or copyrighted imagery. Stay on topic.
That said, the community policy of Gawker Media is forgiving. If your criticism is articulate, it will likely get through. We dole it out; we can take it. What do we mean by articulate? Support your point with argument, facts and citations. Good grammar and spelling also help.
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With millions of Americans crossing from the overweight to obese classification each year, it’s no wonder that so many people are looking for an aid to ensure their weight loss success. In addition to diet pills, formulas and bariatric surgery, one of the most popular tools that people use are artificially sweetened beverages.
At first glance this makes sense. After all, a 12 ounce serving of the typical sugary soft drink tips the scales around 150 calories. And most people drink more than one each day. When doing the math, sweetened beverage calories can really have a significant impact on your ability to lose weight. But are diet drinks really the answer?
Diet Drinks Lead to Calorie Misconceptions
The mind is a powerful tool to harness in your quest for weight loss success. It can also lead to failure, especially when using weight loss substitutes such as diet drinks. The problem arises when you consciously make the effort to replace a day’s worth of sweetened beverage calories with a diet alternative. Many people underestimate the number of calories they cut and eat more food thinking they can make up some of the difference.
In reality, research has shown that people take in up to 20% more calories than they eliminate from sweetened drinks. In theory, cutting calories from sugared drinks makes sense, but in reality our brain is accustomed to the extra calories and will ultimately coax you into subconsciously making up the difference. People with rock solid will power may be able to make drink substitution work, but there may still be another problem related to our body’s metabolism of sweets.
Artificial Sweeteners Trick the Brain
Humans have evolved an affinity toward eating sweet foods. From a survival perspective, sweet foods were usually a good source of high energy and helped our early ancestors thrive in an environment void of quick food sources. Today we live in a much different world with easy access to high calorie foods. Our genes are still programmed toward sweet tasting foods and manufacturers are more than willing to infuse our food and drink with massive amounts of sugar.
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This Post is about Ideal weight
Posted in weight lost with tags diet pills on September 27, 2010 by metaliefde-
Report: US would make Internet wiretaps easier
Technology / Internet
23 minutes ago |
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1(AP) — Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking Web …
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Black-eyed pea holds tasty promise for Africa
Biology / Other
20 minutes ago |
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0The black-eyed pea, one of the world’s oldest cultivated vegetables, is also one of the most promising as a nutritious food product, according to researchers who gathered in Senegal on Monday.
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IBM breakthrough captures high speed measurements of individual atoms
Nanotechnology / Nanophysics
2 hours ago |
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|(PhysOrg.com) — Last week IBM researchers published a breakthrough technique in the peer-reviewed journal Science that measures how long a single atom can hold information, and giving scientists the abilit …
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Single electron reader opens path for quantum computing
Physics / Quantum Physics
2 hours ago |
5 / 5 (10) |
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|Researchers from University of New South Wales (Australia), University of Melbourne (Australia), and Aalto University (Finland) have succeeded in demonstrating a high-fidelity detection scheme for the magnetic …
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Virgin to launch space tourism in 18 months: Branson
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
4 hours ago |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
6Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson said Monday that Virgin Galactic is on track to offer commercial space travel within 18 months, and that space hotels are next on the drawing board.
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Let your fingers do the driving: If you don’t hear directions, you can feel them (w/ Video)
Technology / Engineering
3 hours ago |
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|If drivers are yakking on cell phones and don’t hear spoken instructions to turn left or right from a passenger or navigation system, they still can get directions from devices that are mounted on the steering …
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Japan’s Sharp to start e-book business in December
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
3 hours ago |
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0Japan’s Sharp Corp. said Monday it will launch an e-bookstore service in December with two new “Galapagos” tablet readers, with the service set to expand to movies, games and music early next year.
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Researchers find protein is a key tool in chromosomal repair kit
Biology / Cell & Microbiology
2 hours ago |
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|(PhysOrg.com) — Yale University scientists have discovered how one protein plays a key role in repairing damage to chromosomes that can cause different types of cancer, they report in the September 26 online …
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Stuxnet worm rampaging through Iran: IT official
Technology / Internet
1hour ago |
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0The Stuxnet worm is mutating and wreaking further havoc on computerised industrial equipment in Iran where about 30,000 IP addresses have already been infected, IRNA news agency reported on Monday. …
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EU divided over GM crops
Biology / Biotechnology
1hour ago |
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0A controversial EU bid to allow member states to make their own decisions on whether or not to ban GM crops hit a fresh snag on Monday when Italy and France dug in their heels against the move.
One rarely thinks of the earth’s ecological system as second-hand goods. However, a stunning documentary written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Jean Lemire uses the degradation of the earth’s atmospheric health as the basis for exploring climate changes in Antarctica.
No doubt inspired by Ernest Shackleton’s legendary struggles (whose history hangs over this expedition with ghostly prescience), the scientists and filmmakers expect their three-masted schooner to be locked in place by pack ice throughout the Antarctic winter. Instead, they discover that, with a 6-degree Celsius rise in temperature resulting from global warming, the pack ice will not form and stay solid for long.
This phenomenon offers a dangerous warning about the degradation of the earth’s atmosphere. Important marine patterns of migration and mating have been thrown dangerously off cycle. Instead of being able to freely cross from the Sedna IV to their land base (using the wood and rope bridges that have been built), the crew must cope with ropes and cables that keep snapping as the ship — buffeted about by strong winds — comes close to being wrecked on a nearby reef.
Another result of global warning is that some of the food stores delivered by an Argentinian icebreaker (valuable supplies which had been carefully buried in ice caves on shore) have defrosted and started to rot. With scuba divers in flippers attempting to play hockey while testing to see which ice floes will hold their weight (and crew members merrily playing ping pong on a table that has been brought out onto the ice so they can play in the open air), the entire expedition takes on a far different reality from what was originally anticipated.
For those who enjoyed the BBC’s Planet Earth series, Lemire’s The Last Continent offers a sumptuous visual treat. Its stunning views of the Antarctic landscape, coupled with great underwater photography, place it at the top of the list of great travelogues and nature films.
In addition to Donald Sutherland’s ominous voiceovers, audiences will be acutely aware of the powerful dynamic added to this film by Canadian composer Simon LeClerc’s musical score (whose portentous orchestrations invoke memories of such epic maritime disaster films as James Cameron’s Titanic and Ronald Neame’s The Poseidon Adventure). I can’t recommend The Last Continent strongly enough. Thankfully, you can watch the entire film online by clicking here.
* * * * * * *
In 2008, three brave Chinese athletes entered the 2008 Polar Challenge (a race that has been held every year since 2004, been televised to 168 million homes in 107 countries, and that covers 320 nautical miles from the Resolute training base in Nunavut, Canada to the 1996 position of the Magnetic North Pole).
In Yang Li-chou’s beautiful documentary, Beyond The Arctic, the three men who represented Taiwan as the Team Gamania Foundation in the 2008 Polar Challenge are:
- Albert Liu, the CEO of Gamania (an online games company).
- Jason Chen, a 22 year old student.
- Kevin Lin, a famous marathon runner who works part time as a barista in Taipei while training. Although now retired from professional sports, in 2003 he came in third in China’s Gobi March. In 2004 he won Chile’s Atacama Crossing and, in 2006, he took third place in the Antarctica race. Along with American Charlie Engle and Canadian Ray Zahab, Lin spent 111 days crossing the Sahara Desert on foot during the 6,900 kilometer run from the Atlantic coast of Senegal to the Red Sea.
The film follows these three men as they travel from Resolute Bay to the Magnetic North Pole in 21 days. Along the way they subsist on a steady diet of noodles with hot dogs, battle hypothermia, sing silly songs, suffer from frostbite, and have a terrifying late night encounter with a polar bear that rips a hole in the side of their tent.
Temperatures range from -5 degrees to -85 degrees Fahrenheit (which means that a man’s sweat can freeze in his pants, defecating is done as quickly as possible, and contestants sometimes hallucinate or suffer from snow blindness). Unlike early Arctic explorers, contestants are lucky to be equipped with GPS devices, portable stoves, and the latest in camping gear. Thankfully, the Polar Challenge’s support team includes medical and safety personnel who are able to cope with emergencies.
Much of the appeal of Beyond the Arctic lies in the sheer beauty of the film’s frozen wasteland, the good humor of the three men representing Taiwan, and the remarkable determination, stamina, and endurance of everyone involved in the race. This is a film you’ll be happy to watch from the warmth and safety of a cozy chair. Here’s the trailer:
* * * * * * *
Misguided political correctness about the environment gets its comeuppance in a climate warming farce starring Rhys Thomas as Brian Tongue (who doesn’t learn his girlfriend is four months pregnant until he’s halfway to the North Pole) and Stephen Mangan as Mark Bark Jones (whose politically correct bark is actually as bad as his bite). This hilarious mockumentary is laced with the kind of humor that made Little Britain famous. Beyond The Pole is also, without doubt, the first film about the perils of the Arctic ever to include a debate about the inherent value of a man’s foreskin for added protection against subfreezing temperatures.
Brian and Mark are hoping to make the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first carbon neutral, vegetarian, and organic expedition ever to attempt the North Pole without a commercial sponsor. Wearing T-shirts that say “Don’t Be Impotent” on one side and “Be Important” on the other, they have no experience, no planning, and no intellectual grasp of what they are attempting to achieve. What they really want is to make an important statement and become famous.
Without any knowledge about how to deal with polar bears in the wild (or unexpected competition from two gay Norwegian hikers who are not just carbon neutral, vegetarian, organic, and unsponsored, but a whole lot faster on their feet than the British duo), Brian and Mark start their training by dragging tires across meadows and trying to acclimate themselves to the cold in a meat locker (despite their claim to be strict vegetarians).
Stephen Mangan as vegetarian Mark Bark Jones
Whether one watches Brian trying to initiate phone sex with his girlfriend back home or Mark trying to wipe Brian’s shit off his snowy boots, Thomas and Mangan are brutally funny as the two idiots at the center of the film. As a Norwegian gay couple who bring wet suits for the water segments of their trek — but whose relationship breaks up midway through their hike to the North Pole — Alexander Skarsgård (Terje) and Lars Arentz-Hansen (Ketil) milk more farce out of the simple act of offering Brian a biscuit than one could ever imagine.
With beautiful cinematography by Stuart Biddlecombe and a ridiculously silly script by David L. Williams and Neil Warhurst, Beyond The Pole brings a delicious touch of British snark to the frozen reaches near the top of the planet. Even though the screenplay covers a period of nearly 75 days on the ice (with no supplies and not a whole lot of brains to help these two fools), the inevitable tragedy that befalls the British expedition is nevertheless milked for as much comic effect as possible under the keen directorial guidance of Williams.
Strong support comes from Mark Benton as Graham (Brian’s best friend who develops the hots for Brian’s girlfriend), Rosie Cavaliero as Sandra (who didn’t want to tell Brian she was pregnant because it might distract him from his goals), and Helen Baxendale as Becky (Mark’s girlfriend who dumps him and heads off to the French Riviera).
Beyond The Pole should be seen by anyone who takes their favorite causes a bit too seriously. Here’s the trailer:
To read more of George Heymont go to My Cultural Landscape
Diet pills Blog
Posted in weight lost with tags ideal weight on September 27, 2010 by metaliefdeUnfortunately for our pets, the low-exercise, high-calorie American lifestyle is not unique to the human world: our cats are also likely to be overweight. Additionally, due to epidemics involving intestinal parasites, feline leukemia, and feline immunodeficiency virus, just as many cats are likely to be underweight.
As with humans, some cats are very large or very small, but perfectly healthy. To determine if your cat is a healthy weight, it is best to look at his build, structure, and amounts of fat rather than making a determination based on her weight in pounds alone. The point-based BCS (Body Condition Score) can determine your cat’s overall fitness on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being emaciated and 5 being obese.
1- Emaciated (Severely Underweight) Cat
A cat who is emaciated is suffering from a very severe illness or sustained, long-term neglect, and needs immediate medical attention. Cats who are emaciated have palpable bones; the base of their tails will feel bony to the touch, their vertabrae are visible, and the ribs can be seen individually. The hips of a severely underweight cat will be very noticeable and the cat will have a dramatic hourglass-like shape when viewed from about. If you have a severely underweight cat, seek medical attention for him immediately.
2- Underweight Cat
Underweight cats are most likely suffering from illness or neglect; however, the condition is not usually life-threatening unless it goes untreated and progresses to an emaciated state. Underweight cats have bony, protruding ribs, a jagged tail base, and a mild to moderate waist behind the ribs. The abdominal tuck is moderate, but there is a slight amount of noticeable fat on the cat’s body. A slightly underweight cat should be tested for parasites and examined by your veterinarian to rule out illness.
3- Healthy Weight Cat
A cat who is in perfect condition weight-wise will have a waist behind his ribs, but it will not be severe or shocking in appearance. You should be able to feel your cats’ ribs, but not see them, and he should have a minimal “paunch” in his belly area. A cat with an ideal weight will still have an “abdominal tuck”, where his stomach area is slightly smaller than his rib cage, but it should not be deep. Cats who have an ideal weight are at minimal risk of developing health problems and their owners should work to maintain a healthy weight in their cats.
4- Overweight Cat
Overweight cats have almost no visible waist, and a visible paunch in their abdominal areas. They lack the slight abdominal tuck that marks a healthy cat, and their ribs are difficult to feel. An overweight will begin to look noticeably round, and his excess fat stores will put him at much higher risk of developing preventable diseases and conditions. Overfeeding is the primary cause of overweight cats, and it is fully preventable. Talk to your cat’s veterinarian for advice on weight loss for your cat.
5- Obese Cat
Most often, obese cats have been significantly overfed for an extended period of time, and they are at an extremely high risk of developing obesity-related health problems. Obese cats have no waist, a large amount of abdominal fat, noticeably rounded faces and limbs, and no palpable ribs. Obese cats tend to be fatigued easily and are likely to suffer from arthritis, hindering their mobility and friendliness. If you believe that your cat is obese, make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately to reduce the serious risks to his health.
We owe it to our pets to give them the healthiest lives we can, and that most often means feeding them a healthy, adequate, and well-moderated diet. No pet deserves to die prematurely from conditions related to being underweight or overweight, and pet owners hold the key to preventing these fully avoidable diseases.
Source Used:Body Condition Score Chart, Texas A & M University. Accessed 25 Jan 09.
This Post topic is Weight loss supplements
Posted in weight lost with tags ideal weight on September 24, 2010 by metaliefdeJennifer Hudson weight loss is the talk of the town. The 2010 weight loss of Jennifer Hudson happened after she had her baby, showing women every where that postpartum dieting and exercise can turn you into a sexy maven. Hudson dropped 5 sizes, going from a 16 to size 6.
Weight Loss Inspiration
We all have to have inspiration to lose weight. For Hudson, it was not only setting an example for her sun, but losing weight for a role in a movie. While some actors such as 50 cent go all drastic and drop pounds quickly, that’s not Hudson’s style. She had to lose weight to play Winnie Mandela, and will do anything to get into character – but she says she had to do it the healthy way!
Portion Size
It’s common knowledge that portion size is key when trying to loose weight. Smaller portions means less calories consumed, and you got it! More weight lost. Portion control involves knowing how big a serving size is. Teach yourself that, and try to stick to smaller portions of your favorite foods.
Getting Active
One of the best ways to lose weight is through exercising. Whether this means going on a walk, or hitting a spinning class after work, you need to find out what is best for you. Jennifer Hudson’s weight loss occurred after she started going to the gym an admitted 5 times per week!
Say No to Dieting
Jennifer Hudson thought that she couldn’t have ice cream, but when she started the Weight Watchers program she realized that she can have treats occasionally. They key is to say no to dieting, trading in dieting for healthier habits that can be sustained throughout your lifetime.
Weight Watchers
Jennifer Hudson’s weight loss made her the hot new spokewoman for weight watchers, one of the most popular weight loss programs there is out there. The “Dreamgirls” star didn’t just morph into a healthier version of herself – she also gained a new role!
What about Me?
You might be thinking ‘what about me? I’m a normal person! I can’t lose tons of weight!” If she can lose the weight, so can you. There’s nothing magical about being a celebrity!
Jennifer Hudson is an inspiration not only to all women out there, but especially those who have recently given birth. As a new mom myself, I know it’s hard to keep my weight in check. To see someone with such a busy schedule do it – and do it right is really inspiring to me. You Go Jennifer!
Source
People.com: Jennifer Hudson’s Weight Loss: How She Did It
Weight training Article
Posted in weight lost with tags fat burn on September 23, 2010 by metaliefdeGawker Media Community Policy
These are our sites, and we reserve the right to moderate the discussion. The basic rules are standard: An attack on authors or other commenters is unlikely to make you popular. Think before you disparage social or ethnic groups. Don’t spam. Don’t post pornography or copyrighted imagery. Stay on topic.
That said, the community policy of Gawker Media is forgiving. If your criticism is articulate, it will likely get through. We dole it out; we can take it. What do we mean by articulate? Support your point with argument, facts and citations. Good grammar and spelling also help.
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Typically diet and exercise help to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, improve your blood sugar control, reduce your chance of serious heart issues, and, of course, help you lose weight. So it stands to reason that any diet pill that makes it to the market would help an overweight or obese person do all of these things to an even greater extent than diet and exercise alone.
Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries have yet to do this — most diet pills that made it to market ended up hurting patients in the end. From the looks of recent briefing documents released on Monday ahead of an FDA Advisory Committee meeting, Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT) Meridia will likely be remembered as being just another one of those diet pill failures.
(Join Minyanville on September 15 for the live blog of the Meridia panel.)
Meridia has been on the market since 1997, but recent study results have caused the FDA to question whether this drug should still be on the market. A panel of non-FDA experts will be asked on Wednesday to decide the fate of this weight-loss pill. According to briefing documents, the panel will be asked to decide whether the drug should stay on the market with the current label, whether the drug should stay on the market with a severe warning on the label and maybe some marketing restrictions, or if Meridia should be withdrawn from the market altogether.
The FDA will make the final call on what happens to Meridia, but the agency rarely veers away from the advice of its panels. Meanwhile, European officials ordered Abbott to pull Meridia from the European market earlier this year.
(See also, How to Trade on an FDA Advisory Panel.)
Meridia has a storied past: The safety of the drug was called into question by Italian officials in 2002 after two young women on the drug died. While Italian officials couldn’t conclusively link the deaths to the drug, European officials asked that a study be done to access the cardiovascular risks of the drug. The panel will look primarily at the results of this study, called SCOUT, which followed almost 10,000 patients for about six years.
According to the documents, patients taking Meridia during the SCOUT trial were expected to have at least a 15% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events.
“In contrast to this expected outcome, in an intent-to-treat analysis, the hazard ratio for major adverse cardiovascular events was 16% higher in subjects treated with Meridia versus placebo,” the documents said.
Prior to the SCOUT trial, Meridia already included a warning that it increased blood pressure and heart rate in patients — a bad sign for a drug that’s supposed to help someone lose weight.
Obese patients already have enough risk of cardiovascular problems, and experts worried in the documents that increasing that risk in any way would not be in anyone’s best interest. Beyond that, the reward for such a risk isn’t that great — patients on Meridia had a mean weight loss of only about 4%.
“Given the modest decrease in body weight associated with Meridia and the potentially substantial weight regain with discontinuation of therapy, even a small increase in cardiovascular risk seems unwarranted,” the documents say.
The outcome doesn’t look good for Meridia and investors of several companies will be watching for any signs that the FDA will act kindly toward obesity treatments.
The Meridia panel will be followed on Thursday with another meeting that will weigh the risk versus reward of Arena Pharmaceuticals’ (ARNA) Lorqess.
(For more on the upcoming advisory panels, see Why You Should Pay Attention to Arena’s Lorqess.
Weight loss Post
Posted in weight lost with tags weight loss supplements on September 23, 2010 by metaliefdeVIVUS‘ (Nasdaq: VVUS) obesity drug Qnexa is down, but certainly not out.
After a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended against approving the drug in July, investors got a bit of good news today when VIVUS presented long-term data for patients taking the drug.
Patients taking the highest dose of Qnexa shed 11.4% of their body weight after two years. The lower dose caused a 10.4% decrease while those taking placebo lost only 2.5% of their body weight. There was a little bit of a rebound in weight after greater initial losses — at the maximum, the higher dose caused almost a 14% decrease — but the weight loss after two years is still rather impressive.
Of course, the fact that Qnexa works has never been much of an issue. Potential side effects were the main reason the panel of outside experts didn’t recommend approving the drug. One of the components of Qnexa is the active ingredient in Johnson & Johnson‘s (NYSE: JNJ) migraine and epilepsy drug, Topomax, which has some nasty side effects.
Nothing new cropped up in the two-year study, but keep in mind that this is a continuation study using patients that were in a one-year study of Qnexa. The patients that are willing to stay in the study an additional year are likely to be the ones that didn’t have any problems in the first year anyway. Whether it’ll be enough to convince the FDA remains to be seen.
Theoretically, VIVUS could submit the data to the FDA now, which would likely trigger an extension of the review process. But, since the decision is expected in about a month, I expect VIVUS will wait for a complete response letter — the FDA’s euphemism for rejection — and see exactly what the agency has decided VIVUS needs to do to get Qnexa approved.
Of course, there’s also a remote chance that the FDA goes against the advisory panel and approves the drug based on the currently submitted data. Not likely, but if you’re going to buy a lottery ticket, it might as well be for the next drawing.
In case you hadn’t figured this out already, investing in the obesity space is tough work. I thought Qnexa had a better chance at approval than Arena Pharmaceuticals‘ (Nasdaq: ARNA) lorcaserin and Orexigen Therapeutics‘ (Nasdaq: OREX) Contrave because it produced substantial weight loss, but an approval was far from a guarantee.
It’s difficult to know exactly how much companies need to do to satisfy the lingering fear of side effects. We may have a better idea once the FDA makes decisions about Qnexa and lorcaserin next month. Maybe.
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Country star Wynonna Judd has shed 60 pounds (27.2 kilograms) by “walking in the wilderness” and meditating. The former heavyweight singer showed off her slimline new look on Tuesday’s (14Sep10) Oprah show in America, and confessed she “went to hell and back” in an effort to get healthy.
She says, “In my darkest hour I had a choice to make – I could be a victim or a victor – and I just started walking in the wilderness and screaming at God… and I just kept walking and the next thing I know I like to walk, so I call it meditative walking versus ‘I’ve gotta be in the Olympics’. I got some books, I went into a recovery programme of just showing up and talking about everything from men to money to food, whatever.”
The Love Can Build a Bridge singer adds, “I feel like I finally got it. I turned 45, went through a horrible divorce and I sent my daughter to an empowerment program… and I lost my family and I gained myself because I was all alone with God… I was bitter and resentful… I was a walking timebomb. I’m in a really good place.”
Judd admits she’s finally learning to love her body: “I don’t look in the mirror and go, ‘You suck!’ The other day a guy half my age asked me out and I said, ‘I admire your courage…’ Let’s just put it this way, I’m on fire.” (KL/WNVOP/MT)
Copyright 2010 WENN
