Farewell for a couple of weeks

We are off to Moscow in about 2 and a half hours!

Its come round really quick. I am still up to my eyes packing and cleaning etc. At least we have Carina to look after the cats and the fish. I hope she will be ok on her own though... I would be really lonely.

So band wise, I still cant eat anything that is dry-ish or eat too quickly, but I am not being very good to be honest. I am going to make a concerted effort in when I get back from holiday to really sort myself out.

I am having a fill a week after I get back, so that will help no doubt.

Hydroxycut(fat burning pills) claims to be the best weight loss pills ever?

Hydroxycut is made by MuscleTech and is one of the most advertised fat burning pills on the market. It is a dietary supplement that increases weight loss when used in conjunction with exercise. It is like other supplements being marketed as fat burning pills with similar claims of being the best weight loss pills in the market.

Hydroxycut (Hydroxy Cut, Hydroxicut, Hydoxycut) once made headlines for containing a controversial compound called Ephedra (now banned by the FDA). Now you can get a Ephedra-free product that claims to increase your metabolism and energy while curbing your appetite, therefore cutting calories and hence weight loss.

Claims by their manufacturers are pretty bold. They claim that this product has been proven to decrease body fat by 8%, and increase norinephrine by 40%. For this reason they consider this to be among the best weight loss pills in market. The ingredients for this product used to be:

1. Hydroxagen™: Hydroxagen ™ supplies a compound which has been shown by several studies to decrease the activity of the enzyme which is responsible for the conversion of excess carbohydrates into fat. This as a result makes it extremely effective for low fat diets and binge eaters. It may also act to curb hunger and cravings for food.

2. Guarana Extract: Guarana, is the herbal form of caffeine. It has been shown to stimulate fat stores. This results in fat being burned as energy. It is also worthy to mention that caffeine accelerates the effectiveness of ephedrine, thus making it a more potent fat burner.

3. L-Carnitine: This is an amino acid that has been reported to carry fats to the interior of cells where the fats can be burned as energy. Due to the increased fat mobilization caused by the Hydroxycut formula, the addition of L-carnitine is an absolute necessity to get fat burning.

4. Chromium Picolinate: It has been shown that dosages of chromium as that contained in Hydroxycut have cause fat reduction and increases in muscle tone.

When combined with caffeine effectiveness of Hydroxycut becomes dramatically increased. Most reviews suggest that this supplement is again good for people are looking to get a kickstart into weight loss. To keep that weight off one has to follow a long term weight loss plan which includes dietary and exercise modifications. These kind of “fat burning pills” weight loss pills are usually good for motivation.

Among the sideeffects, a lot of people say that they get more energy when on Hydroxycut. Some even say that it increases libido and feel as if their whole system is on speed. If you have heart problems, hyperthyroidism etc. then you should stay clear from this product (see all contraindications before commencing)

Although many people swear by it and consider it to be among the “best weight loss pills” ever in my opinion if you do plan to try this then it should not be taken long term rather to be used as a short term booster to get your metabolism going. This is because Hydroxycut is not among the FDA regulated “fat burning pills” and experience with this is limited.

Biggest Loser Finale is Tonight

“The Biggest Loser” finale is on TV tonight. One of the four finalists - Hollie, Isabeau, Julie or Bill will win $250,000.


A lot of people seem to think Bill will be the winner. If you've been following the series and have a firm opinion on who's going to win, go place your vote for the winner here.

Update: Bill is the winner. He lost 164 pounds for a current weight of 170.

Here's a photo of Bill before his weight loss.

How fine can you cut it...

Still not received the dosh... apparently it was done this afternoon, but obviously it takes a few days for everything to go through.

Trouble is I am going on Holiday on Friday, and it also happens to be pay day. Whoopee. This means that I have to do all the bills and everything, otherwise I will be in Russia without a bean.
This is pretty horrendous to be honest.

I am seriously considering not going to Moscow and cutting my losses. I know its crazy but I just cant seem to work out how it will all happen. DH's wages don't cover our bills, and I haven't been at work this month as you know. My Mum subbed us 2K but that covered last month's bills, not this month too. If the money doesn't go in tomorrow or Thursday then I will have to call it off as I simply don't have enough money. I always account for everything at the beginning of the month. It works for me. I shove all the money for the bills into one account on the 22nd and then I know whats left is all mine to spend on goodies. This is the way we have done it for years. I need to have the money in there to do this obviously. Normally its there. It earns interest all the while its sitting in the other account anyway. I hate to think about it, but maybe I will just have to wait here to sort it out when the transfer finally arrives.

Its just such an awful situation. I don't want to cadge any more off my Mum either as that's just pathetic at my age. Honestly. When someone says they will do something then they don't, what are you supposed to do with that. They have really let me down.

Anyway, it WILL come at some point which is the main thing. At least that is for certain. I received the signed copies from them today in the post.

I am in a horrid place with my weight. I am not thinking about being good, or careful and all I am doing is eating as much as I can of everything and anything without being sick. It normally means not a lot, but I know its the wrong things.

Ho Hum.
That's life I guess.

I will update when I know more.

A Chef Says Goodbye to Muffins and Danishes

Kevin is a chef in a Four Seasons Hotel. He has succeeded in losing 85 pounds in the past nine months. The pounds crept on as he was sampling most of the food that was created in his kitchen. He had a weakness for the muffins, danishes and croissants.

But he finally made the decision to lose weight after he saw how he had no energy to play with his four year old son. He is 6'1 and used to weigh 355 pounds. Today he weighs 270 and his health is greatly improved. See the chef's weight loss story here.

The above poster is Muffin Man by Barbara Olsen.

Lipovarin - Fat Burning Pills?

This will be my first review for a non FDA approved “natural weight loss pills”. You may already have come across the pill called Lipovarin. This is relatively a new class of fat burning pills and its marketers claims it to be among the best weight loss pills ever?

Without doubt fat burning pills are really sought after. People use all sorts of terms to search for this miracle drug which will help them lose weight without lifting a finger. A few of these terms used are:

Weight loss pill (over 650 searches per day)

Fat burner (over 800 searches per day)

Fat burning exercise (over 155 searches per day)

Fat burning food (over 300 searches per day)

I am sure that you can see the trend here- Desperation…This is quite understandable as everyday most of us think about shedding off some pounds even if we are slightly overweight.

Lipovarin is one such pill which has been marketed in the last few years. Their marketers claim that this is among the natural best weight loss pills and works both as a potent appetite suppressant and as a themogenic fat burning product. As you would already know these are two very strong claims as this seems like a perfect formula. No matter what you believe in to lose weight the single most important factor is caloric deficit and these “fat burning pills” claims to do that in two ways- suppressing caloric intake and increasing caloric output (by its thermogenic effect). Too good to be true, you ask.

Fat burning pills have been marketed for ages and to understand this further we should study the ingredients which make up lipovarin:

1. Citrus aurantium (also called Advantra Z). This is the thermogenic compound for something called synephrine. This is similar to ephedra and as you might already know that ephedra was removed from the market for potentially serious sideeffects. At one point it was thought that synephrine offered all the fat burning powers of ephedra without the serious side effects. Here is a snippet from pubmed regarding Citrus aurantium:

(Am J Cardiol. 2004 Nov 15;94(10):1359-61.) had to say about citrus aurantium...

"An extensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and the Cochrane Collaboration Database identified only 1 eligible randomized placebo controlled trial, which followed 20 patients for 6 weeks, demonstrated no statistically significant benefit for weight loss, and provided limited information about the safety of the herb."

2) 7-keto: This is a DHEA metabolite and with no apparent hormonal side effects(as it does not convert to testosterone or estrogen). It seems that this has positive effects on thyroid hormone levels -- without any unwanted side effects of any kind.

In quoting a recent study in his study, Will Brink’s says:

7-keto is a potentially promising weight loss agent!

More studies need to be completed to more thoroughly to demonstrate 7-keto's fat burning ability.

3) Green tea extract: A beneficial ingredient. Green tea exhibits powerful antioxidant activity, acts as a glucose moderator, and has shown to elevate metabolic rate. One study showed a 4% increase in 24-hour energy expenditure. This translates into less than 100 calories per day (for most people). Again it should be made clear that if you are overeating then green tea won't help you.

4) Serotain: contains 5-HTP which is derived from Griffonia simplicifolia. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin (a chemical in brain) and is therefore often used to treat mild depression. 5-HTP can therefore increase serotonin levels and influence mood. There is also some evidence that 5-HTP may have an effect on appetite, and mood, but these positive results were obtained with nearly 10 times the amount of active ingredient found in Lipovarin.

4) Carnitine: This is a amino acid which helps facilitate the burning of fatty acids. This has not been found effective for anything under doses of 2000 mg (there are 15 mg of Carnitine in Lipovarin).

5) Metabromine: This is a stimulant derived from cocoa, and is also found in chocolate. This may also have a positive effect on mood.

It seems from reviews not many people have had bad experiences with lipovarin. Some have even claimed to have shed off some weight and therefore claim that these are the best weight loss pills ever. It seems to work best for people who are slightly overweight (10 Lbs). As any other system this is no miracle and the most important supplement one can use in weight loss is common sense. Lipovarin is not among the FDA regulated “fat burning pills” and experience with this is limited. If you do plan to use this and try it out then do so at your own risk. Coming back to the question does lipovarin hold upto its claim for being among the “best weight loss pills” and “best fat burning pills”? I will let you make that informed decision.

Carrie Loses 75 Pounds

Hi There -
I love your blog, and read it frequently. It's always such a motivator to see others who have lost weight and taken their lives back. I'd like to share my story with you.

My name is Carrie Falquist, and I'm a mother, wife, artist and online weight loss group leader. In December of 2006, I found myself 230 lbs and trying out for weight loss reality shows such as NBC-TV's The Biggest Loser, and ABC-TV's new show, Fat March. During casting, I ceased all efforts to take weight off, and put on an additional 18 lbs through the 2 month process.

I received call backs, requests for more information, more photos, more video, etc from both casting companies, but at the very end, I did not make the final cut from each show. Having promised myself I would not stay fat long enough to try out next season, I banded together with other reality TV rejects to lose weight on our own. I started Reality of Weighting, which was a blog where we could all come together, share our struggles and offer support.

Support has been key for me, as I have never had to try and lose weight in the past, at least not to this extent. Up until I was 26 (1999), my body was naturally slim. I ate anything I wanted and maintained a weight of 150, which, at 5'10" is a healthy one. A horseback riding accident caused trauma to my thyroid and the result was a weight gain of 60 lbs in 4 months. Having grown up with a super metabolism, I did not know what to do with my body in that condition. Weight loss was a constant struggle, so I just stopped trying. I stayed between 220-230 for years. Until casting for The Biggest Loser and Fat March.

Fast forward to March, 2007. Reality of Weighting forms from 20 other casting hopefuls, and we promise each other "No Drama, No Whining, and NO EXCUSES." We made a vow that we weren't going to hang onto what made us fat, because we were keeping us fat.

I weighed 248 lbs at the end of March 2007 with a BMI of 36.8, and am now, in December 2007, I am a healthy 173.8 with a BMI of 24.8. My goal is to lose another 25.8 lbs and reach 100 lbs lost, and 148 lbs. I believe the group has been instrumental in my success. Not only do I have added accountability as the group's leader, but there are now over 170 members, people I can count on me to believe in myself when I falter.

Others in my group have lost 50, 70, even 90 lbs since March, and we celebrated our first annual get together in Las Vegas in October, meeting in person for the first time as well as being interviewed for a feature in a major health and fitness magazine. Several of us have appeared on local talk shows, the newspapers in our home towns and radio interviews.

My goal, through Reality of Weighting, is to spread the message of empowerment to others who feel like they need some sort of magic formula to lose weight. I want to lead people to a healthier lifestyle, and help them reach their goals without extreme measures, without tv shows, pills, surgery, etc. I've recently been invited by a previous Biggest Loser contestant to join them in coaching people online and creating healthy nutrition and exercise plans. It's an honor to be working with some of the past BL contestants as well as one of the trainers in this project. I'm always looking to meet other health minded folks, so anyone is welcome to friend me on myspace! www.myspace.com/carriefalquist.

www.carriefalquist.com
www.realityofweighting.com

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Also see Carrie's beautiful artwork here