1. focus on what you want in the future
2. control your thoughts and language
3. understand your relationship with food and eliminate negative thoughts about food
4. release negative feelings you may have about yourself
5. eliminate unhealthy food cravings
6. enjoy your new drinking and eating habits
7. get motivated to exercise
8. finally lose weight for good

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and was the brainchild of 2 Americans in the early 1970s who were both educated and qualified as psychologists. (Unfortunately the name has stuck.)

NLP is the study of the what we think in relation to what we say (verbally and inwardly) and the programming is not some sinister mind melding but is about what we do.

The whole field of study came about by the 2 Americans, John Grinder and Richard Bandler, who wanted to find out why successful people out-performed others and what was it about them that made them most successful.

They found that success was epitomised by a “can do” attitude, a high level of self belief and a laser like focus on what needs to be done to achieve the final goal.

Although weight loss is an understandable goal it has many forms.

There are those people that may want to lose weight after putting on a few pounds after the birth of a child, for others weight issues may stem from more deep seated emotional reasons, of which they may not even be aware.

For the latter group it could be that the rules that have been unknowingly stored in the brain have become set to something undesirable and this is where the NLP training comes in as it is seen as the “brain’s manual”.

This may sound a bit “out there” but consider what Henry Ford reputedly said and it may make more sense. He said “whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

Ergo if you believe you can lose weight you will and if you think you can’t, you won’t. So this is one of countless little stored beliefs / ideas that lie in our psyche and the whole store is the “rule book”.

So the whole idea with NLP is to first understand your emotions and how the past may have influenced weight issues today and then to understand the past events in a different way, removing negative ones and effectively changing how you think and feel today.

Focus on the things you want like a slim version of yourself.

I mentioned focus before in relation to what it takes for people to become successful and that is key when you think of the field of sporting winners. But highly targeted focusing is necessary when trying to lose weight

You need to focus on what you want. In life you get what you focus on. The trouble is the brain can’t not focus on a negative. I think I’ve got that right. For instance if I were to tell you not to think of a plate of chips (or fries, hot chips, – which was my dinner – well I fancied it – not craved!!) your brain must first process what a plate of chips looks like before it can not think of it, which by doing so has not not thought of it.

So be careful what you wish for and make it positive.

Over the last 35 years NLP and it’s proponents have studied the behaviour and thought maps of successful people in many fields of endeavour from business to sport to politics and personal development to arrive at mental NLP techniques that enable people to lose weight and stay at the desired weight goal by improving the way they think, feel and behave.

If enough people FB like, tweet or plus this “Lose Weight With NLP” article I will do another, more detailed one with some real actionable options.

Below is an interesting video of one of the creators – nothing to do with losing weight but an interesting insight into NLP.

Well yes obviously we diet to lose weight but what is the result we want to achieve? What is the image we have of ourselves that drives us to crash diet or burn the fat? – is that where crash and burn comes from – slim down or whatever term we choose?

You would like to think that the over-riding image of ourselves at our desired weight is one of a happy sole skipping through a sun drenched, daisy littered meadow, content in the knowledge that as a non-fatty the risk of contracting

1. liver disease
2. various cancer types
3. heart attacks
4. strokes
5. gallbladder disease
6. diabetes
7. sleep apnea
8. joint problems
9. infertility
10. pregnancy complications

has been greatly reduced due to all the healthy weight loss from the diet(s) that have been undertaken. There is only one condition on that list that you can, one hundred percent avoid, if you’re obese and for that you have to be male.

It would be interesting to poll 100 people who were on a diet, wanting to lose weight and to find out their response to this blog title – why diet? We diet to lose weight but…?

Would the majority answer something like “I’m worried about developing insulin resistance” or “I’m trying to stave off the onset of osteoarthritis”?

Like smoking, being overweight has become unfashionable and not de riguer if you want to be a member of the cool school.

Being a regular smoker, like heavy drinking can mean a 25% increase in the likelihood of having some sort of chronic condition as listed above; being obese would see that figure rise from 25% to a whopping 65% chance of becoming chronically ill.

For some reason these risks we take with our health don’t seem to fill us with a sense of urgency or surprise. It’s as if we think it won’t happen to us and yet we think a large lottery win will.

There was a recent huge US lottery which was won and the chance of winning was 1 in 175 million. The chance of being hit by lightening in the US, for any 12 month period, is 1 in 280,000. Conservatively someone who is overweight has a 1 in 2 chance of becoming chronically ill. 

Social attitudes have changed everywhere where there is an over consumption of the modern, media-hyped culture that appears to consider a lean, slim, defined body to be the goal, a prize that everyone wants to win but not necessarily for the right reasons.

There are so many, many individuals who will have their own personal take on what it’s like to be overweight and how eating has become a battle and no longer a way to fuel the body.

It’s as if the drive to diet and become slim has clouded the way we view ourselves. We try to lose weight because we think we need to be slimmer, or rather look slimmer, whether our bodies need to or not. This is pandering to the cultural and not to the physical requirements of the body.

This unnecessary dieting, especially when it begins from an early age, when the social influences are strongest, can put our natural metabolism out of kilter and can kick start a crazy cycle of weight gain, weight loss, fatty, skinny, ups and downs.

Why diet? Why lose weight?

We need to reach an attainable healthy weight to allow us to avoid chronic sickness and enjoy life through all stages of life. Of course there are certain genetic pointers that might be involved to scupper our plans but that’s a topic for a later post.

Now watch the brief excerpt from the program below but be aware that that gastric bypass was not in itself the reason for the subject’s successful weight loss.

The fatty truth – there’s no simple answer but…

So this time it was a to the point but effective title, The Truth About Fat, one that would entice the overweight to see if there was a little unknown gem of information that would shed fat from unwanted places, but as we know, deep down, there isn’t a quick fix, silver bullet, magic potion or whatever as touted by certain purveyors of snake oil.

I was initially struck by how incredibly slim the presenter was, a surgeon by the name of Gabriel Weston, and also how she freely called everyone more than  a couple of sizes bigger than her, FAT.

But then came some great little nuggets of science that researchers have discovered and information from which is leading to some very interesting ideas.

Two aspects of obesity which are gaining clarity is the effects of genes on how we all grow and the part that hormones play in the control or lack of it of our feeling of hunger and being full.

It’s not as easy as saying “oh I’m obese ‘cos I got the fat gene” but this latest research shows that overweight people may not be able to easily beat their weight gain even after trying many popular methods.

The more interesting information was concerning the interplay of the hormones in the gut which communicate with the brain telling us when to eat.

For the complete article it’s a highly recommended read and if you can catch the TV replay then it’s really enlightening….

And don’t think you’re alone in turning to such methods, many 10s of thousands of people who regard themselves as obese or overweight are also looking at alternative methods to slim down.

The negative impact of being grossly overweight is now considered a medical condition and there are some solutions offered at a medical level such as a gastric bypass but most times it is up to you to take action in solving the weight issue and using natural weight loss remedies is one option.

Unfortunately there is no silver bullet to the problem and no one is ever going to lose weight overnight effectively and let’s face it the more weight lost and the quicker the weight is lost will not be an answer to the problem of where to put all that excess skin. Many people have had great success with natural weight loss remedies either as a complete solution or, more normally, as a supplemental component to the weight loss kit bag.

You feel that everything is against you in the hunt for easy weight loss and it’s the case that your own body is a conspirator.

The obvious thing to do to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories taken, but the body’s genetic blueprint decides that the reduced intake of calories means that the cycle of abundance is at a low so instructions are sent out to store what food is being taken as fat deposits for times of famine.

The instructions are enforced by fat receptor cells and these need to be changed to allow fat cells to be released into the blood stream and burnt off as energy.

The active ingredients are polyphenols from green tea plants, which is the part that produces the plant’s pigment, yohimbe which contains antioxidants and capsaicin the substance that make peppers hot and is generally thought to be an all round good egg when it comes to looking after the body.

It is firmly attested from laboratory studies on small rodents that Resveratrol, with it’s constituent parts, is able to interfere with the gene involved in this fat collecting, neolithic, survival mode and affect an increased metabolic process to burn the body’s fat twenty four hours a day; that is even while you sleep.

Resveratrol supplements have a host of other positive qualities and are often marketed as a unique anti-aging solution.

In addtion it’s believed that Resveratrol is resposible for lowering blood-sugar levels, increasing the natural defense mechanism, warding off bad bacteria and illness and generally providing for a fit and  healthy long life. Well that has been the conclusion with multiple studies on rats.

The effects on fighting cancerous cells has also been under the microscope and results have looked promising in the lab but it will be a long wait for any concrete results to be affirmed with human cancer patients.

It is firmly attested from laboratory studies on small rodents that Resveratrol, with it’s constituent parts, is able to interfere with the gene involved in this fat collecting, neolithic, survival mode and affect an increased metabolic process to burn the body’s fat twenty four hours a day; that is even while you sleep.

The active ingredients are polyphenols from green tea plants, which is the part that produces the plant’s pigment, yohimbe which contains antioxidants and capsaicin the substance that make peppers hot and is generally thought to be an all round good egg when it comes to looking after the body.

Resveratrol supplements have a host of other positive qualities and are often marketed as a unique anti-aging solution. In addtion it’s believed that Resveratrol is resposible for lowering blood-sugar levels, increasing the natural defense mechanism, warding off bad bacteria and illness and generally providing for a fit and  healthy long life. Well that has been the conclusion with multiple studies on rats.

The effects on fighting cancerous cells has also been under the microscope and results have looked promising in the lab but it will be a long wait for any concrete results to be affirmed with human cancer patients however as natural weight loss remedies go Resveratrol has a pretty good track record for help in shedding those pounds. 

A relatively recently discovered fact is that without proper sleep weight loss for the overweight child can more easily gain weight leading to obesity.

From your child’s point of view the world has got too may wonders to experience in a single day and they want it all at once. So it’s no wonder they don’t want to go to bed at night and will find any excuse to eke out their waking minutes.

The National Sleep Foundation’s recommendations for the amount of sleep a child should get to maintain both physical and mental well-being is as follows:

18 months to 3 years – 12 to 14 hours

3 years to 5 years – 11 to 13 hours

5 years to 12 years – 9 to 11 hours

In the teen years sleep time should be around 9 to 9.5 hours.

Napping is good for youngsters and at 3 years of age 90% still enjoy a daytime nap dropping to around 60% for a 4 year old and 30% by the age of 5.

If your child has a weight problem he may find it hard to get to a good night’s sleep and not sleeping well may cause him to gain weight creating a vicious circle.

Sleep deprivation in children has been linked to increased insulin resistance, a symptom of type 2 diabetes.

Poor sleep can mean fatigue during the day with little energy for normal activity and their cognitive functions are more likely to be negatively impacted.

There are 5 stages of sleep. The first two stages are light where the heart rate and brain waves slow down in preparation for the next two which are deep sleep stages sometimes called delta wave or slow wave sleep.

In the fifth stage most of the dreaming takes place and is characterised, eponymous by rapid eye movement REM. These five stages account for a cycle, which repeat every 1.5 hours or so with the REM stage starting at around ten minutes getting progressively longer until it reaches, typically an hour just before full awakening.

This is normal in a good night’s sleep anyway.

For children who constantly wake up and therefore don’t get the full benefits of deep and REM sleep night after night are likely to be affected with concentration and learning problems, mood swings and memory issues.

To add further woes to the bad sleeping overweight child there is a greater likelihood of developing sleep apnea, the first sign of which could be excessive snoring. Although sleep apnea is more common in adults it is often more debilitating for children and it has certainly become more prevalent with youngsters.

Sleep apnea is where the airway passages become blocked as the muscles around the throat relax during sleep. This obstruction to the air flow typically lasts for between 10 and 20 seconds when the brain cuts in and forces a serious of gasps for breath.

This disruption often happens continuously during the night with the result that the sufferer doesn’t get the proper amount or quality of sleep.

Airways are often blocked by enlarged tonsils and adenoids but overweight children are more commonly at risk.

Your child, even from an early age, will treat the bedroom as a place to get away from adults and immerse herself into the indulgence of the day, but when it comes to lights off it’s important that the bedroom environment is suitable for quality sleeping. That means comfortable bedding, appropriate lighting and a still atmosphere.

Resources: Sleep and Sleeping Tips.

Well you get the idea. These studies are often serious, interesting and thought provoking and I don’t want to denounce them, the scientists who carry them out or even the results, but this sort of research doesn’t go any way to helping overweight people who simply want to lose weight.

The need is for a weight loss blueprint or maybe a number of blueprints depending on variables such as age, gender, BMI or whatever.

This would be a step by step guide describing the measures needed to go from current size to desired goal. Maybe there is an “app” that you can download as we speak or one in the pipeline, into which you can enter a few facts and then a day by day to do list spills out.

There is a whole volume of books to write about why that can never happen given what we currently know regarding the complexities of our bodies and the way we produce energy from food, all given the rate of cultural evolution that is taking place.

In fact the resulting work, if complete enough, would probably be an enormous help and problem a solution for everybody if only it was incomprehensible to us.

Maybe that’s why most really really clever people are slim and don’t suffer weight gain. Hey I just made that up but I’m trying to think of fat Einsteins and I can’t.

Well that very nicely brings me to cake – how can it – I hear you shout, well it just does but then a lot of things make me think of cake, talking of which…

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Actually I read recently that even if Marie Antoinette actually said “let them eat cake” to the starving, revolting, le pan eating Parisians prior to there Bastille storming days, then she wouldn’t have meant it in an uncharitable way.

In fact she was brought up as a very thoughtful, caring and compassionate young lady with an obvious fondness for madeleines – nothing wrong with that.

Now it seems that a new report I recently came across which has the title, and I LOVE this, “Lose Weight by Eating Cake for Breakfast” is based on a study carried out at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel.

Here’s how it goes; when you lose weight your body restricts the release of the hormone leptin which is responsible for controlling hunger pangs so you get hungry which causes an increase in the hormone, ghrelin making you crave carb comfort food.

Don’t forget sleep and weight loss go hand in glove as lack of sleep is also responsible for increasing the production of that hormonal enemy – so having a breakfast full of proteins and carbs helps control these hormones and apparently greatly helps in keeping weight off.I found the details of the study in the ynet news.

So it’s no olde wives tale that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I like this new spun of eating cake to break the fast – seems to me like a better option than bacon and egg.

My current breakfast choice follows the study’s resulting apparent conclusion and really does set me up for the day.

So I get a banana and slice it up into a bowl, followed by around 6 – 8 dates, each cut into 3 pieces, then add a cup of rolled oats followed by a cup of water or enough that the contents in the bowl are fully drowned.

Bang it in the microwave for 3.5 minutes, add sugar, milk, cream, honey or whatever you like and enjoy.

 I am continuously adjusting the quantities, time spent in the microwave and other variables to end up with the perfect porridge but as long as there is enough liquid when microwaving it will taste delicious and give you that full feeling.

A good healthy, filling carbohydrate loaded breakfast like the one above should help as part of an ideal diet for weight loss as it  moderates the hormones involved in telling you when you’re hungry and so reoccurring weight gain in the future can be less of a risk.

Simple household jobs can be undertaken that can replicate the activities that you have to pay for at the gym. So here we have some jobs that can be done to help you lose weight simply and with a positive impact on your weight loss program.

Surprisingly a clean and dust of the house can burn around 150 calories an hour so make it a regular regime and view the activity as a useful weight loss exercise that you fit into fixed periods within the week, rather than a chore and you will see the benefits.

You’ll also find that your metabolism increases so that even when you have stopped calorie burning will still be taking place and you’ll be surprised how much more energy you have in the longer term. Of course you’ll not only have a spotlessly clean house but also save money on gym membership.

If you want to lose weight really fast then you’re going to need a very large house but steadily and quietly the weight will fall off.

I have found the most effective weight loss exercises, for me has been to include running in some form or other; not only that but consistently it has meant that I can eat almost anything I fancied and still manage to stay in touch with my goal weight.

But running doesn’t come naturally to everyone and it can take a lot of determination and patience for the routine of running to become second nature let alone be enjoyable.

Fortunately, early on I managed to get over the negatives of consistent runs and have largely enjoyed getting out there although there is no doubt that the constant pounding is bad in the long term for the body especially as you get older and it doesn’t respond like it used to.

So if you never see yourself actually ever enjoying running the next best thing, for me anyway, is walking. But walking at a pace that is not quite comfortable, where you feel some effort in breathing.

There is some evidence that points to this form of weight loss exercise to be AS effective as steady running and it’s only a matter of the time it takes each exercise that differentiates the results. So a 5 mile run might take 45 minutes as opposed to a 5 mile walk at a brisk pace which may take 80.

For some people 80 minutes is a long time out of the day but don’t forget the brisk walking can be incorporated into more daily activities like trips to the shops.

When you think about it calories are not shed like unwanted layers of clothes but calories are a measure of energy that we all need for all our body functions from the production of enzymes and our brains thought processes to the more obvious movement of limbs, hands, head etc.

So whatever age and capacity there should be a series of movements that you can devise and adapt – or can be gleaned from the library or internet – that you enjoy and can repeat regularly during the week, say 3 or 4 times to start off with.

I would base these weight loss execises on known systems like pilates or one of the many forms of yoga that can be as light or as vigorous as you choose but they will provide a effective way to lose weight without suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous gym fees.

I said earlier that I could eat virtually what I liked whilst doing around 50 miles a week and that could include  junk food although I never felt that much of an urge. It seems that when committing to regular feel-good aerobic weight loss exercises you seem to naturally feed the need.

In other words the body tells you what it fancies and it knows best so the old adage “listen to your body” is true in terms of diet and also in terms of rest.

Whatever weight loss exercises you decide upon it is of the utmost importance to make it a regular and consistent activity and if necessary you can adapt it as you go for added variety and enjoyment.

Being overweight is a serious matter. It is not just a question of vanity. It is also a question of health. While most people want to lose weight in order to become attractive to the opposite sex, this should not just be the reason in which you should lose weight.

You should also see to it that you are losing weight for health. A physically fit and healthy body means that you are at your most ideal weight.

Being too overweight places your body in a very dangerous situation. This can also sometimes lead to more complications that can sometimes be fatal. This is why if you want to lose weight, it’s needs to be a healthy weight loss.

Losing weight the healthy way guarantees that you are able to achieve your target weight in the safest way possible. This means avoiding crash diets and actually forcing your body to drop the weight. Forcing your body to do anything leads to many adverse effects.

Instead, you really need to find ways to work with your body in order to make sure that you are able to achieve your target weight. Working with your body also makes everything easier to achieve your target weight in the long run.

You have to remember that if you do not lose your weight the healthy way, you might end up with a very serious medical condition after you reach your target weight.

If you want to lose weight the healthy way, you need to see it that you follow the proper diet. Crash diets are not recommended by most nutritionists and trainers because it can be dangerous. Crash dieting can lead to low blood sugar levels, ulcers as well as stomach complications.

This is why you need to follow a healthy diet for weight loss. This means making sure that you are able to eat enough food that provides you with just the right amount of energy and nutrients while at the same time helps promote weight loss. Starvation is not a good way to lose weight.

Your body needs food. This is why you should avoid crash diets and work with your body to just eat the right way. The problem with crash dieting is the fact that the weight you lose can be easily gained back.

You should also avoid overtraining. Overtraining can lead to muscular pain, skeletal complications and even cardiovascular issues. You have to remember that your body has limitations and you have to work with these limitations by doing a simple yet effective workout regimen.

Healthy weight loss…

…requires a lot of patience and discipline in order to be effective. However, the long term benefits will really reward you greatly. This is why this is a good weight loss philosophy.

At least 7 scientific studies have provided strong evidence that energy containing beverages (i.e., “liquid calories”) do not properly activate the satiety mechanisms in the body and brain and do not satisfy the appetite as well as food in solid form.

Epidemiological research also supports a positive association between calorie-containing beverage consumption and increased body weight or body mass index. New research now suggests that soda may not be the only culprit…

Researchers compared solid and beverage forms of foods composed primarily of carbohydrate, fat or protein in order to document the independent effect of food form in foods with different dominant macronutrient sources.

Based on previous research, some experts have recommended targeting specific beverages as being “worse” than others. High fructose corn syrup and soda has been singled out the most and you’ve probably seen that yourself in the news.

There’s no question that soda has been on top of the “hit list” for some time now, by virtue of the amounts and frequency of consumption alone.

However, this recent study says that from a pure energy balance perspective, we should be cautious about ALL liquid calories, not just soda and not just carbohydrates!

Fruit juice for example, appears to be an obvious improvement over soda, so many people have swapped out their soda for fruit juice.

However, when fruit juice is compared to an equal amount of calories from whole fruit, the whole fruit satisfies appetite better (largely due to the bulk and fiber content), and so you tend to eat fewer calories for the day.

Men are especially guilty of this when they drink alcohol – Men tend to drink AND eat, while women tend to drink INSTEAD OF eating.

This new research found that with all three macronutrients – protein, carbs or fat – daily calorie intake was significantly greater when the beverage form was consumed as compared to the solid.

Yes, it’s true! Even protein drinks did not satisfy the appetite the way that protein foods did!

While you would think that protein drinks are purely a good thing, because protein foods have been proven to reduce appetite and increase satiety, if you turn a solid protein food into a protein drink, it loses it’s appetite suppressive properties in the same way that happens when you turn fruit into fruit juice.

Why do liquid calories fail to elicit the same response as whole foods? reasons include

• high calorie density
• lower satiety value
• more calories ingested in short period of time
• lower demand for oral processing
• shorter gastrointestinal transit times
• energy in beverages has greater bioaccessibility and bioavailability
• mechanisms may include cognitive, orosensory, digestive, metabolic, endocrine and neural influences (human appetite is a complex thing!!!)
• last but not least, nowhere in our history have our ancestors had access to large amounts of liquid calories. Alcohol may have been around as far back as several thousand years BC, but even that is a blip on the evolutionary calendar of humanity.

As a result, our genetic code has never developed the physiological mechanisms to properly register the caloric content in liquids the way it does when you eat, chew and swallow whole foods.

Bottom line: This study suggests that we shouldn’t just target one type of liquid calories such as soda. If you’re trying to beat body fat, it’s wise to limit all types of liquid calories and eat whole foods as much as possible.

Start by ditching the soda. Then ditch the high calorie dessert coffees. Then cut back on the alcohol. From there, be cautious even about milk, juice and protein drinks.

Drink water or tea instead, or limited amounts of black coffee – without all the high calorie extras.

If you do consume any beverages that contain calories, such as protein shakes, be sure to account for those calories meticulously and be sure you don’t drink them in addition to your usual food intake, but in place of an equal amount of food calories.

Remember, those protein shakes you might be drinking are called “meal replacements” not “free calories!”

For many years I have suggested focusing primarily on whole foods rather than liquids, even protein shakes. Unlike so many other fat reduction programs, Burn The Fat and Feed The Muscle does not require any kind of liquid meal replacement or protein drinks and our company does not exist to sell supplements; we are here to educate you and millions of others about the realities of body fat loss.

We now have even more scientific data that confirms what Burn The Fat has been teaching all along.

I hope you found this helpful. You can learn more about “Burn The Fat” at www.BurnTheFat.com

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

Reference: Effects of food form on appetite and energy intake in lean and obese young adults. International Journal of Obesity. 2007 Nov (11):1688-95. Mourao DM, Bressan J, Campbell WW, Mattes RD. Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.

About the Author: Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

There is a new advert for WeightWatchers out in the UK and all but one of the cast are members who have all lost weight whilst being members.

They are all joined in the relieved streets of London(relieved as pre-diet these same people where over 420 stone heavier) by Alesha Dixon singer her song what she wrote. Not that Alesha is a practising member herself as she has never had a problem with weight loss or rather weight gain but she has a best friend who did.

Well lets hope she makes a lot of money from the song which could go to a very worthy cause and we shall name that charity the “Alesha Dixon Fat Friend Fund”…well it seems such a shame for all that money from songs like “Feed The World” to go to the starving millions.

Alesha says ‘One of my best friends – a girl I grew up with – suffered with weight issues,’ . ‘And it affected every aspect of her life. It was very hard to watch. She was angry and unhappy. She had such low self-esteem she turned to drink and because she didn’t feel worthy of love, that affected the partners she chose and she picked people who weren’t good for her.’

There you go what could be a more worthy cause…oh I know it’s Gwyneth Paltrow and her overpriced, microscopic diet product that is called “New Year Cleanse”. It’s basically food (lettuce, Kale ‘n stuff) and some supplements, the latter which is almost universally agreed does not help in the fight for weight loss. The kit, I understand sells on her stupid Goop site for $425. Just one quote from Gwyn, “I’ve used Clean in the past with great results, losing a few pounds and kickstarting a healthier and more energetic New Year.” – bollocks

Mel B – she of Spice Girls fame has had periods when she has become scarily big. Is that why she was called Scarily Spice? But recently she was another celeb signup for the marketing might of Jenny Craig just a month after the birth of one of her children, Mordred, Manhattan, Moonraker, something like that.
She has done well losing 2 pounds a week for 8 consecutive weeks but she still thinks she has a long way to go before she is less scary and more sporty – ho hum.

“Ok so I was a sixteen or fourteen, and now I’m an eight to ten, and I want to get down to a four to six.

Oh dear! Kirstie Alley is at it again; she is going to be posting videos of her dancing and they may include her dance partner from Strictly Come Ice Skating or whatever it was, on her website – I won’t include the link – so others can follow her and lose weight like she did. It’s a bit like “Lose Weight With The Stars” (hey thats a great idea) only ‘without a star’ instead it’s “Kirstie Alley’s 100 Days of Dance” – whatever!

Celebrity Weight Loss and Dieting is Nothing New

I came across this great article from the BBC magazine about celebrity weight loss and dieting but not your normal boring stuff about Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson and Jenny Craig – I mean just Jenny, no not Just Jenny, although that sounds good, they have dropped the Craig so it’s just Jenny. Jenny is definately one of those names that is just “funny” especially if you say it with a funny voice. Perhaps it’s just me, ever since I saw the film “Forest Gump” …anyway I digress. This article refers to a celebrity weight loss and dieting going back to the early 19th century featuring that bad boy of Georgian rapping poet Lord Byron although “clubbin it” might have had a different connotation to the man with a gammy leg…

“At Cambridge University, his horror of being fat led to a shockingly strict diet, partly to get thin and partly to keep his mind sharp. Existing on biscuits and soda water or potatoes drenched in vinegar, he wore woolly layers to sweat off the pounds and measured himself obsessively. Then he binged on huge meals, finishing off with a necessarily large dose of magnesia.” For the full article… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16351761

But if you don’t read the full article I just had to include these other gemlets (made it up)

One of the first low-carbohydrate diet books was written by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825

In the 18th Century, diet powders included everything from strychnine to lard and washing powder

In the 19th Century, a more scientific approach to dieting emerged as doctors diversified into specialisms

InWestern Europe, sales of weight-loss products, excluding prescription medications, topped £900m ($1.4bn) in 2009

The weight-loss industry inNorth Americais worth over $50bn (£32.4bn) and Americans spend over $1.6bn (£1bn) a year on weight-loss supplements.

Carnie Wilson is struggling just like her father, the extraordinary Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame but Carnie’s problem as you might have guessed from the title of this blog is her weight gain again. She put’s it down to genetics and is worried that her daughter might become a fatty…ooh I mean she might have the same genetic disorder.

She recently spoke with Fox News about her problem and there are some quotes of gemness (just made that word up too – I feel a series coming on) like…

“I’m a working mother. I have a two year old and a six year old. You try to pay the bills, you try to keep your life going and there’s pressure.”…….ah poor love.

“I don’t know how to relax, that’s my problem. I can’t smoke a joint, I can’t have a glass of wine, because I want 10 joints and 10 glasses of wine.” hmmm I can fix the problem she has paying the bills right there. And this one talking about her daughter…

“I see Lola loving sugar like all the other children but I also see her pay a little more attention like when there’s a birthday party, I see her being the first in line to get the cake. I see me in her,”

I love this quote – I don’t know why – just a picture of this 6 year old pushing everyone out of the way to get at the CAKE. I love cake – just bought a great big whacking one of the chocolate variety.

Demi Moore Thinner but at Least Working

Demi Moore has always been conscious of her bodily appearance (me too) and has got even thinner with her recent marital upsets with her young beau but she is now back to work and is playing Gloria Steinem, the 1970s outspoken feminist who went undercover exposing the seemier side – is there any other – of the porn industry epitomised by the film’s eponymous Linda Lovelace. Well I hope we don’t see her sensuously (yeah right) sliding up and down a pole or crawling through mud – in fact let’s pray for some acting this time.

More celebrity weight loss stuff soon…………..