Diet Reviews

Cortisol, Stress & Body Fat Straight Answers To The Top 20 Questions About The "Stress Hormone"

Diet & Body — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:49:00 +0000

By: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

It seems that every time science uncovers some type of association between body fat and anything, opportunistic entrepreneurs are waiting in the shadows to create a product and a marketing campaign around it. They ride the wave into the multi millions, until the buzz dies down or until the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sues and slaps a padlock on their warehouse doors. Then, it's on to the "next big thing in weight loss," because they know there will always be a gullible crowd eagerly waiting for the next quick fix. The most recent example is when researchers discovered a correlation between cortisol and abdominal body fat. Cortisol was then blamed as the latest culprit in the obesity problem, and cortisol-suppressing pills were touted as the "miracle solution."

Big Claims, Little Proof

After a web search on the subject of cortisol, here are some of the claims you may find:

Stress makes you fat
Cortisol is what makes you fat
Cortisol reducing supplements control stress
Cortisol reducing supplements reduce belly fat
Cortisol reducing supplements get rid of "stress fat"
Cortisol reducing supplements balance hormone levels that cause stress
Cortisol reducing supplements increase muscle growth
Cortisol supplements suppress appetite
Cortisol supplements speed up metabolism

The advertising claims include just enough scientific fact to make even the savviest consumers say, "That makes sense, I think I'll try that." They also hit home emotionally by focusing on common hot buttons such as stress (who isn't at least a little stressed in this day and age?) Brilliant marketing. Convincing. Unfortunately, most of the claims being made are completely false, with only a tiny thread of truth woven in.

Cortisol is a very important hormone that you must understand if you want to get maximum results from your training and nutrition programs, but if you don't educate yourself, you may become one of the millions of victims to fall for this latest fad. The answers to the frequently asked questions in this article will arm you with the science-based facts, while helping you steer clear of the hype-based scams.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It falls into a category of hormones known as "glucocorticoids", referring to their ability to increase blood glucose levels. Cortisol is the primary glucocorticoid.

Why does your body produce cortisol?

Cortisol is a stress hormone. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress, physical, mental or emotional. This can include extremely low calorie diets, intense training, high volume training, lack of quality sleep as well as common daily stresses such as job pressures, fights with your spouse or being caught in a traffic jam. Trauma, injury and surgery are also major stressors to the body (Note: much of the research done on cortisol and stress has been done on recovering patients, and such findings may not carry over to healthy, athletic populations).

What does cortisol do?

Cortisol is part of the fight or flight response. Faced with a "life or death" situation, cortisol increases the flow of glucose (as well as protein and fat) out of your tissues and into the bloodstream in order to increase energy and physical readiness to handle the stressful situation or threat.

How do you know whether your cortisol levels are high?

You can get your cortisol levels tested if you choose to. The most common method of testing is a blood test (blood cortisol levels). Saliva and 24 hour urine tests are also available.

What is a normal level of cortisol?

Cortisol levels are higher in adults than children and levels fluctuate throughout each 24 hour period, so tests must account for the time of day. Cortisol concentrations are highest in the early morning around 6 to 8 a.m. and they are also elevated after exercise (a normal part of your body's response to exercise). The lowest levels are usually around midnight. According to the Medline Encyclopedia, normal levels of cortisol in the bloodstream at 8:00 a.m. are 6-23 mcg/dl.

Should you get your cortisol levels tested?

For serious competitive athletes, it may be worth the time, expense and inconvenience to have cortisol tests done on a regular basis. Some strength and conditioning coaches insist on it. For the average trainee, as long as you are aware of the factors that produce excessive cortisol and take steps to keep it in the normal, healthy range, then testing is probably not necessary.

Is cortisol related to abdominal obesity?

Yes. There is a link between high cortisol levels and storage of body fat, particularly "visceral" abdominal body fat (also known as intra-abdominal fat). Visceral fat is stored deeper in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs, whereas "regular" fat is stored below the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). Visceral fat is particularly unhealthy because it is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.

Does Cortisol Make you fat?

No, cortisol is not 'the thing" that makes you fat. In fact, one of the effects of cortisol is to increase the breakdown of stored adipose tissue into glycerol and fatty acids where it can enter the bloodstream and then be used as energy. High levels of cortisol are merely one contributing factor to storage of abdominal fat, not the primary cause. An excess of calories from too much food and not enough exercise is what makes you fat.

If cortisol is related to abdominal obesity, then will taking a cortisol suppressing pill get rid of abdominal (belly) fat?

No. Just because there is an association between high cortisol levels and abdominal body fat doesn't mean that a taking a cortisol-suppressing pill will remove abdominal body fat. The studies which showed a relationship between cortisol and body fat did not test whether suppressing cortisol removes fat that is already deposited on your body.

Does stress make you fat?

No. If it did, then everyone who is stressed would be gaining fat. Many people lose weight while under stress. In some studies, test subjects with the highest cortisol levels lost the most weight. Stress, by itself, does not increase body fat. However, if stress stimulates appetite and leads to overeating, then the excess calories from "stress eating" can make you fatter.

Is cortisol is bad for you?

Cortisol is not "bad for you," it is a hormone that is essential for life as part of our natural stress response. There are many hormones in our bodies, which in the proper amounts, maintain good health, but in excess or in deficiency, have negative effects or even contribute to health problems or diseases. Cortisol is no different. For example, Cushing's syndrome is a disease of high cortisol levels, while Addison's is a disease of low cortisol levels. You want to maintain a healthy, normal level of cortisol, not suppress your cortisol to nothing or allow it to remain elevated.

Chronically elevated cortisol levels may have a variety of negative effects. Cortisol is catabolic and elevated cortisol levels can cause the loss of muscle tissue by facilitating the process of converting lean tissue into glucose. An excess of cortisol can also lead to a decrease in insulin sensitivity, increased insulin resistance, reduced kidney function, hypertension, suppressed immune function, reduced growth hormone levels, and reduced connective tissue strength. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also decrease strength and performance in athletes.

Can suppressing cortisol improve your muscle growth and strength?

High cortisol levels can increase muscle protein breakdown and inhibit protein synthesis (building up muscle proteins), so a chronically elevated cortisol level is clearly counterproductive to building muscle. Bringing elevated cortisol levels back to normal may improve recovery, strength, hypertrophy and performance. However, there is no scientific evidence that reducing your cortisol levels below normal will have any effect on increasing strength or muscle growth.

Should you take a cortisol-suppressing supplement to help you lose weight?

In my opinion, no, absolutely not. Cortisol suppressing supplements are not a valid solution for losing weight. The FTC has filed lawsuits against the makers of Cortislim and Cortistress, charging them with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their products can cause weight loss. Lydia Parnes, acting director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection says, "The defendant's claims fly in the face of reality. No pill can replace a healthy program of diet and exercise." Reducing excessively high cortisol levels through supplement use may prove beneficial in some ways for hard training athletes. However, pills do not make you lose fat. Body fat is lost by creating a caloric deficit through exercise and nutrition.

Should you take a cortisol-suppressing supplement to help control your stress levels?

There are quite a few supplements, mostly herbs, which are reputed to have "calming," "relaxing," "tranquilizing," "stress-relieving" or "anti-anxiety" effects. These include Magnolia bark, kava kava, valerian, L-theanine and too many others to mention. However, very few studies exist which have directly tested the effects of these herbs on cortisol levels. Although some people may find value in these types of products, the ideal solution is to reduce the stress or change your perception of the stress to lessen its physical effects. Treating symptoms does not remove causes. It can be dangerous to "band-aid" the effects of stress while the stress remains in place.

What should you do if you have a lot of stress in your life?

It makes sense to take steps to reduce stress in your life and lessen the impact of stressors that cannot be avoided. Trying to avoid stress completely is not possible, nor is it desirable. Stress is an important part of life because you can't achieve positive adaptations and growth without stress to trigger them. It's continuous stress that you want to avoid. It's okay to expose yourself to stress, provided there is a sufficient period of rest afterwards so you can fully recover.

One of the best ways to keep cortisol in the normal range is to reduce stress and allow time for recovery and renewal. There are effective and natural means of reducing stress that don't cost a penny, including getting out in nature, deep breathing, enhancing sleep quality, relaxation exercises, meditation and visualization-guided imagery. It's important to develop a calm mind and sense of tranquility.

What's in those cortisol pills anyway?

The ingredients can vary in type and quantity from one brand to the next. Some ingredients are included in the formulations to have a relaxing or stress reducing effect, some are included to reduce cortisol levels, while others are aimed at insulin and blood sugar stabilization. Cortislim, for example, contains Magnolia bark, beta sitosoterol, theanine, green tea extract, bitter orange peel extract (source of synephrine), banaba leaf extract, vanadium, vitamin C, calcium and Chromium.

Other ingredients that are often used in the various product formulations include Epidemium, phytosterols, tyrosine, Branched chain amino acids, ginseng, ashwaganda, astragalus, kava kava, St. John's wort, Melatonin, SAM-e, Valerian, Gingko Biloba, Phosphatidyl Serine (PS), Acetyl L-carnitine and Glutamine. Reviewing all of these is beyond the scope of this article.

If you decide to take a cortisol suppressing supplement what should you look for?

Before you even think about supplements (or drugs), keep in mind that unnatural suppression of cortisol may not be wise or necessary, especially if you haven't used all the natural cortisol and stress management strategies at your disposal first. Once your nutrition, training and recovery bases are covered, there is some solid research showing that certain supplements may be beneficial, especially for athletes engaged in extremely hard training.

Carbohydrate consumed with lean protein immediately after training has a cortisol suppressing effect. High glycemic index (GI) carbs in particular, cause an insulin spike, which not only helps restore muscle glycogen, stimulates protein synthesis and kick starts the recovery process, it also helps lower the exercise-induced rise in cortisol. The research supporting this practice is substantial. (This should serve as a warning to people on low carb diets that are so strict that they don't even allow small amounts of carbs after workouts). Rather than solid food, many athletes prefer a liquid "meal" using a commercial post workout drink containing whey protein and maltodextrin plus dextrose or glucose (fast acting protein and high GI carbs) because the rapid absorption time may speed recovery.

Vitamin C, known mainly for cold or flu protection and antioxidant properties, may decrease cortisol levels. A study by Marsit, et al showed a reduction in cortisol levels in elite weightlifters taking 1000 mg. of vitamin C per day. Other studies have reported similar findings.

Phosphatidyl serine (PS) is a phospholipid, which appears to have cortisol suppressing properties. Studies by Fahey and Monteleone have shown that daily doses of 800 mg can reduce cortisol. These studies did not conclude that PS would help you lose weight or gain more muscle.

Glutamine is an amino acid, which in some studies, has been shown to decrease cortisol and prevent a decrease in protein synthesis. Many strength athletes swear by glutamine for improved recovery, but the research is still not conclusive about efficacy or dosages for athletes or bodybuilders. Much of the research on Glutamine was performed on patients recovering from surgery, burns or traumas (severe stresses to the body).

Acetyl-L Carnitine (ALC) has been studied in Alzheimers patients as a method of improving cognitive function. One study showed that long term use of Acetyl L Carnitine lowered cortisol in the Alzheimers patients. Research on rats and mice has shown that ALC increases luteinizing hormone, which may in turn elevate testosterone. Whether these findings carry over to healthy athletes has yet to be proven, but some coaches and athletes believe that ALC lowers cortisol and elevates testosterone.

It's important to note that the research on some of these substances is often conflicting and inconclusive. It's also important to note that many of the cortisol suppressing supplements which are marketed to athletes or to people seeking weight loss do not contain doses anywhere near the amounts that were used in the research. (Yet another way that supplement companies deceive consumers).

How can you lower your cortisol levels naturally?

You can lower cortisol naturally. In fact, if you are overtrained, unnatural cortisol suppression may be nothing more than a "band aid," and continued overtraining can lead to adrenal exhaustion, which could take months to remedy. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a rest or decrease your training volume and intensity rather than artificially attempt to suppress cortisol. Symptoms of overtraining include elevated resting pulse, sleep disturbances, fatigue, decreased strength and decreased performance.

Avoid very low calorie diets, especially for prolonged periods of time. Low calorie dieting is a major stress to the body. Low calorie diets increase cortisol while decreasing testosterone.
Use stress reduction techniques (stress, anger, anxiety, and fear can raise cortisol)
Avoid continuous stress. Stress is an important part of growth. It's when you remain under constant stress without periods of recovery that you begin breaking down.
Avoid overtraining by keeping workouts intense, but brief (cortisol rises sharply after 45-60 min of strength training)
Avoid overtraining by matching your intensity, volume and duration to your recovery ability. Decrease your training frequency, and or take a layoff if necessary.
Suppress cortisol and maximize recovery after workouts with proper nutrition: Consume a carb-protein meal or drink immediately after your workout.
Get plenty of quality sleep (sleep deprivation, as a stressor, can raise cortisol).
Avoid or minimize use of stimulants; caffeine, ephedrine, synephrine, etc.
Limit alcohol (large doses of alcohol elevate cortisol).
Stay well hydrated (at least one study has suggested that dehydration may raise cortisol).

How do you spot a weight loss pill scam?

The cortisol pill is just one in a long string of bogus weight loss products, and it won't be the last! Why? Because weight loss supplements are big business! Eight or nine figure fortunes have been made from the sales of a single product, which was later proven to be a total farce.

How do you protect yourself? Do your homework! Don't take anything unless you know exactly what's in the product, why it's in the product and how much is in the product. Review the scientific research. Don't buy a weight loss product just because a radio personality says it works! Don't jump on the phone with your credit card in hand after watching a thirty-minute infomercial! In this day and age, you have to be smarter than that!

Conclusions

Excessive cortisol is not good. But cortisol is not inherently bad; it's a vitally important hormone and part of your body's natural stress response. Cortisol does not make you fat. Stress does not make you fat. Stress may lead to increased appetite& Increased appetite may lead to eating too much& Eating too much makes you gain fat. Make sense?

Cortisol suppressing agents may have some practical uses. But rather than thinking of cortisol supplements as a weight loss miracle (which they most surely are not), get yourself on a solid exercise and nutrition program and seek natural ways enhance recovery and reduce stress. By doing this first, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you're losing fat and gaining muscle and there isn't even a need to take a supplement at all.

For more information on how to lose body fat safely, permanently and naturally without supplements or pills, check out Tom's e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle at http://www.BurnTheFat.com

References:

1. Bidzinska, B., et al., Effect of different chronic intermittent stressors and acetyl L Carnitine on hypothalamic beta endorphin and GnRH and on plasma testosterone levels in male rats. Neuroendocrinology, 1993, 57(6): 985-990

2. Bjorntorp, P., Body fat distribution, insulin resistance, and metabolic diseases. Nutrition, 1997, 13: 795-803

3. Bjorntorp, P., Do stress reactions cause abdominal obesity and comorbidities? Obesity Reviews, 2001, 2: 73-86

4. Brillon, et al., Effect of cortisol on energy expenditure and amino acid metabolism in humans, Am J Physiol 268 1995: E501-13.

5. Bruno, G, et al,, Acetyl L Carnitine in Alzheimer disease: a short term study on CSF neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Anzeihmer Disease & Associated Disorders, 1995. 9(3): p. 128-131

6. Chrousos, et al., CRH, Stress and Depression: An Etiological Approach (Las Vegas, NV: Conference on Cortisol and Anti-Cortisols, 1997)

7. Chrousos, G.P., The role of stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome: neuro-endocrine and target tissue-related causes. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 2000, 24, S50-55

8. Dallman, M.F., Pecoraro, N., Akana, S.F., La Fleur, S.E., Gomez, F., Houshyar, H., Bell, M.E., Bhatnagar, S., Laugero, K.D., & Manalo, S. Chronic stress and obesity: a new view of "comfort food". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (2003), 30, 11696-11701

9. Epel ES, McEwen B, Seeman T, Matthews K, Castellazzo G, Brownell KD, Bell J, Ickovics JR. Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosom Med. 2000 Sep-Oct; 62(5):623-32.

10. Fahey, et al., Hormonal Effects of Phosphatidylserine (PS) during two weeks of intense weight training (Orlando, Fl : ACSM Conference, 1998)

11. Fry, et al., Resistance exercise overtraining and overreaching. Neuroendocrine responses, Sports Med, 1997, 23 (2): 106-129.

12. Futterman, A.D., et al., Immunological and physiological changes associated with induced positive and negative mood, Phychosomatic medicine, 1994, 56(6): 499-511

13. Griffin J, Ojeda S. Textbook of endocrine physiology, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

14. Hickson, et al., Glutamine prevents down regulation of myosin heavy chain synthesis and muscle atrophy from glucocorticoids, Am J Physiol, 1995, 268: E730-E734.

15. Hickson, et al., Glucocorticoid antagonism by exercise and androgenic-anabolic steroids, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1990, 22: 331-340.

16. Kraemer, W.J., et al, Physiological adaptations to a weight-loss dietary regimen and exercise programs in women. Journal of Applied physiology, 83, 270-279.

17. Krsmanovic, L.Z., et al., Actions of Acetyl L canitine on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal system in female rats. Journal of Steroid Biochemical Molecular Biology, 1992. 43(4): 351-358

18. Kelley, et al, energy restriction and immunocompetence in overweight women. Nutrition Research 18.2 (18): 159-169

19. Laitinen, J., Ek, E., & Sovio, U. Stress-related eating and drinking behavior and body mass index and predictors of this behavior. Preventive Medicine, 2002, 34, 29-39

20. Marsit, J.L, et al., Effects of ascorbic acid on serum cortisol and the Testosterone:Cortisol ratio in junior elite weightlifters, Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research, 1998, 12(3), 179-184

21. Martignoni, E., et al, Acetyl L carnitne acutely administered raises beta endorphin and cortisol plasma levels in humans. Clinical Neuropharmacology, 1988. 11 (5) p. 472-47

22. Monteleone, P., et al, Effects of phosphatidyl serine on the neuroendocrine response to physical stress in humans. Neuroendocrinology, 1990, 52:243-248,

23. Monteleone, P., et al, Blunting by chronic phosphatidyl serine administration of the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 42(4): 385-388, 1992

24. Ottosson, K Vikman-Adolfsson, S Enerback, A Elander, P Bjorntorp and S Eden, Growth hormone inhibits lipoprotein lipase activity in human adipose tissue, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2000, 80: 936-941,

25. Palermo, S., et al, The effect of L-acetyl carnitine on some reproductive functions in the oligoasthenospermic rat. Hormonal metabolism research, 1990. 22(12), 622 - 626

26. Peeke PM, Chrousos GP. Hypercortisolism and Obesity. Ann NY Acad Sci 1995, 771:665-76.

27. Rizza, et al., Cortisol-induced insulin resistance in man. Impaired suppression of glucose production and stimulation of glucose utilization due to a post receptor defect of insulin action, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1992, 54: 131-138.

28. Roberts, A.C. et al, Overtraining affects male reproductive status. Fertility and Sterility, 1993, 60(4):686-692

29. Rowbottom, et al., The emerging role of glutamine as an indicator of exercise stress and overtraining, Sports Med 21.2 1996: 80-97.

30. Roland Rosmond, Mary F. Dallman and Per Björntorp, Stress-Related Cortisol Secretion in Men: Relationships with Abdominal Obesity and Endocrine, Metabolic and Hemodynamic Abnormalities, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1998, Vol. 83, No. 6 1853-1859

31. Simmons, et al., Increased proteolysis: an effect of increases in plasma cortisol within the physiological range, J Clin Invest, 1984, 73: 412-420.

Tom Venuto is an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength coach, and author of the #1 e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle." Tom has written over 170 articles and been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men's Exercise. For info on Tom's e-book, click here!

Jillian Michaels Meal Planner

Diet & Body — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Updated Jan. 29, 2008

If you've been waiting for a good reason to join my online program (if, somehow, getting fit and losing weight aren't good enough reasons for you), have I got great news! I'm really excited to unveil our latest site enhancement -- the new and improved Jillian Michaels Meal Planner! We've put together a new customizable tool that'll make planning healthy meals an easy (heck, even enjoyable) experience!

With the newly redesigned Meal Planner, your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the week are delivered in a simple, straightforward format. You can print them out or e-mail them to yourself -- we even put together a weekly print-and-go shopping list that'll make grocery shopping a breeze! Plus, you now have the option of changing a meal you don't like or removing it from your plan when you're eating out or having leftovers. This new tool puts YOU in control, baby!

In addition to the customizable meal plans, it's now easier to browse and search through the hundreds of incredible recipes on the site. With our new advanced search tool, you can search for recipes containing a specific ingredient, or narrow your search to exclude recipes that contain red meat, dairy, wheat -- anything you don't want!

I'm telling you, this tool ROCKS -- and it's sure to maximize your success on my program. So what are you waiting for? My online program offers you ALL the tools you'll need to finally lose that unwanted weight and keep it off. I'll even give you a week on my program to try the new Meal Planner absolutely FREE. Now there's no excuse not to sign up -- so get to it!

Easy Access
With the newly redesigned meal planner, your breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners are now served up right on your personalized homepage, so planning your daily menu is a breeze! Let my meal plans take the guess work out of eating well -- all you have to do is log on to your program!

The Warrior Diet and Intermittent Fasting

Diet & Body — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:32:00 +0000

"Not actively surviving is passively dying," says Ori Hofmekler in his new revised edition of The Warrior Diet/Blue Snake Books, Berkeley, California, 2007, "and the first sign of not actively surviving is getting fatter and sicker."

Learn how to get leaner, stronger and healthier today.

The Warrior Diet is a call for action. Based on survival science and anthropological research, the book proposes a radical yet surprisingly effective solution to weight gain, obesity, diabetes and their related diseases. Its premise: eat one main meal at night, avoid chemicals, exercise properly. The book shows how to nourish the body in sync with its innate circadian clock – separating between a.m. foods to p.m. foods for effective removal of toxins, increased breakdown of fat for energy, increased utilization of nutrients and improved resilience to stress. The result – a leaner, stronger and healthier body.

Recent studies on intermittent fasting have shown the benefits of following eating programs similar to The Warrior Diet. "Mice and rats maintained on an intermittent fasting regiment lived up to 30% longer than those fed ad libitum." Such meal skipping diets have been shown to improve glucose regulation, reduce blood pressure and enhance cardiovascular stress adaptation, improve renal function during aging, and increase the resistance of animals to disease in experimental models of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Especially striking are the improved insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular risk profiles in animals maintained on diets with long inter-meal intervals." (Mattson, M.P., PhD. Lancet 2005; 365:1978-80)

New Revised Warrior Diet Book

The Warrior Diet breaks new ground in redefining how humans are supposed to eat. Beyond the many confusions and fallacies involved with modern diets, there is emerging evidence that humans have primarily adapted to better survive when following certain eating cycles and exercise.
The Warrior Diet shows how to take advantage of these genetically inherited adaptation mechanisms, become leaner, stronger and healthier.

For a general overview of the diet, read the information listed on our home page at Warrior Diet

The new revised edition expands in areas that have shown to draw most interest (following the first edition), including topics such as:

Stubborn Fat
Male Potency
Female Disorders
Enhancing Physical Performance
Sport Nutrition
Post-Workout Recovery

The Crash Diet

Diet & Body — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:17:00 +0000

From Lyle McDonald

Dear Frustrated Dieter,

We live in a society of instant gratification, everybody wants everything as soon as possible, and usually even earlier than that. From instant banking to overnight shipping to stores which are open 24 hours, we can get most things we want immediately.

Weight loss is no different.

While experts tell you to be patient, take it slowly, take your time losing weight, the simple fact is that nobody wants to wait that long.

Maybe you need to drop weight fast for a special event, like a class reunion or a wedding.

Maybe you want to look good in a bathing suit and didn't start your diet and exercise program early enough.

Maybe you're a bodybuilder who has to get in shape and is under a time crunch to do it.

Or an athlete who has to make weight without losing muscle or performance.

Maybe you just want to kick start a more moderate diet and simply want to see some quick results to get things moving.

Or maybe you simply hate dieting and just want it over with as quickly as possible.

If any of those situations describe you, read on.

Are You Tired of Dieting for Weeks on End to Barely See the Scale Budge
Discover a Diet System That Will Help You to Lose 10-20 Pounds of Scale Weight (including 4-7 pounds of Unsightly Body Fat) in Only 2 Weeks!

When people need to lose weight fast, they always turn to the same solution.

The Crash Diet

Crash dieting is not new. From The Cabbage Soup Diet to The Grapefruit Diet, from Food Combining to Simple Starvation, hundreds if not thousands of crash diets promising quick and easy weight loss have come and gone.

The simple fact is that, if they actually worked as promised, you wouldn't be here now.

My name is Lyle McDonald. For years I've sought out dieting solutions that worked and I'm known in the industry for producing exactly that. I use a combination of scientific research, personal experience (and experimentation), along with the feedback I've gotten from clients, trainers, and other elite fitness professionals.

Realizing that people will always crash diet, and that most of the approaches out there are based on a combination nonsense and wishful thinking, I set out in 2004 to examine the topic of rapid weight loss from a scientific standpoint. My goal was to determine the single most effective way to lose bodyweight and body fat in as rapidly as possible.

Of course, it helped that I already had an extensive background in nutritional biochemistry, along with a degree in physiology. This allowed me to scour the scientific research to find an approach to dieting that would take off weight and fat as quickly as possible without sacrificing health or muscle mass.

Those weren't my only goals in developing the Rapid Fat Loss system.

I also had to examine the topic of exercise, to see exactly what kind (if any) should be done to maximize results.

Keeping the weight off when the diet was over was another crucial goal, rapid weight loss is no good if you just gain it all back afterwards.

That research led me to develop the first edition Rapid Fat Loss Handbook which I released in 2005.

Since that time, innumerable dieters have used the program successfully, and I've gotten tons of feedback about it (some of which you'll see below).

But I wasn't satisfied.

At the beginning of 2008, I set out to completely revise and update the program, I also developed the bonuses you’ll learn about below to make the program even more complete than it already was.

Two of those additions include:

- An expanded approach to meal planning.

- A completely updated and expanded exercise section including a FREE home-exercise resistance training program for beginners (see the Free Bonuses at the bottom of this page)

Since I just brought up exercise, you're probably wondering whether or not you'll have to spend hours every day exercising on the rapid fat loss program.

Quite the contrary, you'll probably be surprised by just how little, if any, exercise you need to do to get the best results from the program.

For example, Jay, above, performed three short weight lifting sessions each week, along with a little bit of walking between classes as his only exercise.

Some rapid fat loss dieters have done even less, weight lifting twice per week with no other exercise.

And, in some specific cases (where individuals are extremely overweight), it's completely possible to do the rapid fat loss plan without any type of exercise.

The truth of the matter is this: research has repeatedly found that exercise is relatively ineffective at producing weight loss unless you can do a lot of it, or do it at a very high intensity. Usually, the only folks who can do enough exercise to have an effect are trained athletes. And they don't generally need to lose weight.

Rather, much greater weight losses can be had by altering diet; that’s what the Rapid Fat Loss program focuses on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that exercise is bad or that you shouldn't get into a program when you can.

But don’t be put off if you’ve never exercised and don’t know weight training from walking.

Exercise is thoroughly covered for everyone from the total beginner to the advanced athlete:

- Beginners will learn exactly how they should start an exercise program safely and effectively. The FREE Home Exercise program described below will show you exactly what you should do and can be done in the privacy of your own home with no more equipment needed than a milk jug.

- Individuals who are already involved in exercise will be shown how to modify their training to get the most out of the rapid fat loss plan as well.

In the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook, you'll learn

The difference between body weight and body fat and why you must separate the two
Just how fast you can lose both weight and fat
How to estimate your current body fat level (you'll use this value to set up every aspect of the rapid fat loss plan)
Which nutrients are crucial for maximum fat and weight loss
The basics of human nutrition (includes a discussion of protein, carbohdyrate, fat and alcohol)
Exactly how much and what type of exercise you should do to maximize fat loss Completely updated in the new edition
Why doing too much of the wrong kind of exercise can actually hurt your results
Why metabolic rate slows when you diet and how to prevent it
How deliberately breaking your diet on the rapid fat loss plan can improve results
A step by step method for setting up the rapid fat loss diet Completely updated in the new edition
How to end the diet and move back to maintenance eating (this may be even more important than how to lose weight quickly in the first place)
How to use the rapid fat loss plan to kick start weight and fat loss before moving back into a more "conventional" fat loss diet

And much more.

When you order the Rapid Fat loss Handbook, you'll receieve

The RAPID FAT LOSS HANDBOOK

The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook can be downloaded instantly as an ebook. It contains over 100 pages of no-nonsense information about the science of losing weight and fat rapidly.

There's no filler, no fluff, no pages of full color supplement ads like other products. Even if you don't use the diet, you'll learn things about human physiology and nutrition that you probably didn't know.

You'll Also Recieve Two Bonuses

THE RAPID FAT LOSS HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM

Since not everybody belongs to (or wants to join) a gym, I wanted to provide a simple workout that can be done in the privacy of your own home even if you have no equipment.

Each exercise is described in detail with pictures demonstrating proper form. Beginning and more advanced variations are provided for each exercise.

ONLINE DIET CALCULATOR

Remember when I said that I’ve simplified meal planning for you? Well I’ve gone one step further to ensure you are fully armed with all the tools you need to ensure a successful run of the program. The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook requires you to make a few basic calculations to set up your diet.

While not difficult, I wanted to save you time by providing access to an online calculator that does them all for you. With the Online Diet Calculator, all you’ll need to do is enter some basic information (Weight, height, age etc) and the calculator will provide you with a report that sets the Rapid Fat Loss diet up for you. No math required. You’ll even be presented with food choices and portion size, making diet setup a snap.

So what are you waiting for?

Nobody enjoys dieting in the first place, but it's interminable when you suffer for weeks or months on end to barely see your weight drop.

The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook provides the only scientific approach to the goal of losing body weight as quickly and effectively as possible. You'll be able to download it within minutes of your purchase. Read through the book and then you can set up your diet quickly and easily using the Online Diet Calculator.

The complete program of The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook, Rapid Fat Loss Home Exercise Program and Online Diet Calculator is $34.95.

Upon completing your order, you will be immediately taken to a download page where you will have access to the entire package, ready to be used within minutes from now.

When you need quick results, there's simply no other choice. I'm so confident in the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook, that I'm going to provide you with an eight week, 100% satisfaction guarantee.

If you're dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason at all, you can return it anytime within the next 8 weeks to receive a full, no-questions asked refund of your purchase.

Sincerely,

Raw Food Diet

Diet & Body — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:44:00 +0000

Learn Where the Raw-Vegan Diet Has Failed

From: Frederic Patenaude
Montreal, Canada

Dear health-seeker,

The power of raw foods is not only one of the most well-known "rejuvenation" secrets of celebrities and Hollywood stars (such as Demi Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Sting, Edward Norton, Carol Alt, and many others) it is also a concept that has the potential of giving you what you're looking for: incredible health, increased energy, and a youthful and slim body.

Let's see if what I have to say today applies to you.

Please answer the following questions truthfully. Check the marks if you answer "yes".

A Health Survey

You have amazing energy. You wake up in the morning ready to go, and you rarely feel ups an downs in your energy during the day.

Your skin looks great. People often comment how clear your skin is.

You're at your ideal weight. Your friends envy you and ask you what kind of diet you follow.

You don't feel deprived when eating. You can eat as much as you want and not gain weight.

You fall asleep easily. You rarely suffer from insomnia. Your sleep is deep and sound.

You have regular bowel movement and rarely experience constipation or indigestion.

You look younger than most people of your age.

You have greater than average fitness even when you don't exercise regularly.

Your eyes are clear and bright. People often comment on how bright your eyes are.

You feel happy for no reason. You don't need coffee to stimulate you or alcohol to make you laugh. You are never depressed.

You can easily focus and concentrate for long hours without feeling tired.

You are in touch with your intuition. You "instinctively" know when something is good for you.

What is your score? How many boxes did you check?

How to Get a Perfect Score

Let's be honest. Chances are that if you're reading this, you did not check all 12 boxes. In fact, you may be wondering if it's actually possible to experience all these benefits!

Actually, it is.

I created this list because those are the most common benefits people experience when they eat raw and living foods!

I receive testimonials all the time from people all over the world who have experienced the power of raw and living foods, and I noticed that the benefits I mentioned above are the ones almost everybody who tries this way of eating experiences!

Are you Already Eating Raw? Are You Getting the Benefits or Are You Still Struggling?

Read the introduction from the book "The Raw Secrets":

"Radical ideas have much more power than common advice. But in their power lies the danger. Like an explosive charge, radical ideas must be handled carefully.

The raw vegan diet is such an idea. It can save your life. It can help banish “incurable” conditions. It can help you feel great all the time. It can give back your joy of living. It can give an entirely different direction to your life or turn it upside down.

But the practical application may be difficult. Pitfalls line the path of raw eating. Many people have fallen into them — and they will continue falling into them until they know what these pitfalls are, and how to spot and avoid them.

Some people are damaging their health by eating the raw food diet incorrectly. Mostly, this is because they received poor or confusing advice. This book is my antidote to the false information that is being spread in the raw food movement, hurting people as it goes. This is the book I wish someone had handed to me in 1997 when I started on this path.

My dietary adventures have led me to write The Raw Secrets. Even though I had experienced benefits in eating a raw food diet immediately, my personal experience with it has not been an instant success story. It has been one of the most positive things I have ever undertaken — but it has also been a struggle. So before revealing my findings, I wish to share with you my story."

To read the rest of this introduction, click here.

Sarah Wilson
saralena77 @ yahoo.com
Salt Lake City, Utah

"I could not believe that I was actually doing it"

"I purchased your book about a month ago, when I decided to change my diet to improve my health. I had, for a long time, wanted to eat mostly raw for health reasons; but it always seemed too difficult and out of my reach. After reading your book (in one day) I decided to just "see if I could do it for one day."

After one day of eating all raw, using the advice and helpful tips from The Raw Secrets, I felt so good inside, that I decided to keep going for as long as I could.

I could not believe that I was actually doing it, and it really gave my self confidence a boost. It was nowhere near as impossible as I always imagined it would be to eat this way. I noticed an improvement in my skin texture right away.

I have suffered from acne since my teenage years. I kept waiting for it to go away, but it never really did. But after eating mostly raw for just a few days, I noticed a drastic reduction in the oiliness of my face. And it has only continued to improve over the last 5 weeks since I began this journey.

I have also lost 15 pounds so far. I still have about 15 more to lose, but I am confident that it will happen.

I have also noticed an unexpected change in my attitude toward life since I changed my diet. I am more positive more of the time. And I feel more alert. Others can see a difference in me as well.

One friend asked me how I lost weight so quickly, and when I told her, she decided to change her diet too. I am a living example of the powerful effect of the foods we eat. I am so grateful to have found your books and your website to help me transition into a mostly raw diet with very few problems."

In 2002, I released my book "The Raw Secrets," which has quickly become the #1 classic on the raw food diet.

After over a year of work, I've re-published the book in a brand-new, harcover, completely revised and expanded 2nd edition!

This second edition includes:

- Brand-new, ground-breaking chapters

- Revised versions of chapters found in the first edition.

- Many changes throughout the book.

Although the first edition of the book was great and propeled thousands of people to raw success, I still felt that the book needed work. As I continued my studies, I decided it was time for a complete rewrite of the book.

I'm now proud to present to you:

The Raw Secrets: The Raw Food Diet in the Real World
2nd Edition, Completely Revised and Expanded

By popular demand, this book is now available in brand-new, gorgeous hard-cover edition, as well as in e-book version.

In the Raw Secrets, you will discover:

Diseases and conditions caused or aggravated by bread and grain consumption.

The most overlooked and important causes for lack of energy.

Why certain foods are poisons and drugs, and how to find out which ones are.

An absolutely effective and low-cost way to give up bad habits.

All about a healthy diet that doesn’t require you to buy special products.

Sure signs that the diet you’re not (even if it’s raw) is not working for you

The easiest (and best) way to transition to a raw food diet.

Why you don’t need to eat 100% raw to achieve excellent health, if you don't want to.

This insider secret to eating a raw food diet in the north.

Why most raw-food diets are unhealthy and what to do instead.

The one key principle to achieving a higher level of health, no matter what diet you’re on!

The Raw Secrets Makes It Possible!

"I was totally confused with all the information out there when my daughter first approached me about the raw food diet. She was telling me about how a lot of the "recipes" required dehydrating for a day or two at a time. It sounded so complicated that I was totally against trying it. The concept still appealed to me so I started searching the Internet and found Frederic Patenaude and The Raw Secrets. Today, I am 29 days at 100% raw and I couldn't have done it without the simplicity of The Raw Secrets."

Tommie Burchard
Dayton, TN, USA

"A Truly Great Book"

"The Raw Secrets literally transformed my life. I'd been spending a fortune on recommended supplements and 'superfoods', and following a 100% raw diet, but I didn't feel healthy and felt disillusioned.

"Your book was like a ray of sunshine. Suddenly everything made sense. I'd been eating far too much fat, and not enough fruit,and life was a misery trying to make complicated recipes all the time which didn't even hold enough calories.

Your book has made the raw diet much more attainable and enjoyable. Eating simply really makes sense. Thanks for a truly great book."

Kate Sturgess
Buckingham Bucks
England

The Raw Secrets will help you live sustainably on the raw vegan diet and overcome the problems you may have encountered in doing so.

Based on logical principles, the raw vegan diet still often falls short of expectation. Instead of improvements in their health, many people see deterioration. Others experience less rejuvenation than they anticipated, or find themselves unable to maintain balance in the long-term. This results solely from a lack of understanding of the guiding principles of natural diet, from the widespread misinformation about it, and the gross errors that follow.

The 31, succinct chapters give unique insights on many topics affecting those considering a high-raw or all-raw diet. Each holds dozens of tips to help you eat a pure, simple, nourishing diet.

If you are tired of the same, boring, repetitive information found in nearly every other book on the raw vegan diet, then you're in for a surprise!

If you seek groundbreaking research and a fresh perspective on raw ating, you will find them in The Raw Secrets !

Click here to read more!

The Perricone Diet

Diet & Body — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:02:00 +0000

About the "Perricone Prescription" and "The Wrinkle Cure"
New York Times #1 best-sellers.

By Kim Droze
eDiets Managing Editor

Imagine improving your looks, elevating your mood, boosting your energy and losing between 15 to 17 pounds in just 28 days.

It may sound like every woman's fantasy. But, you can actually make your dreams come true with the ultimate beautification process... now available here at eDiets . We're talking about the Perricone Nutritional Face-Lift. The 28-day program for total body and face rejuvenation is all about fighting wrinkles and losing extra pounds (and keeping them off) through a well-balanced eating regimen.

But please don't confuse this program with a traditional weight loss diet, urges world-renowned dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD.

A diet is something you eventually stop following. Once you experience the incredible benefits of Dr. Perricone's prescription for optimum beauty and health, you'll be hooked for life! In fact, results become visible on your face and body in as little as three days. The author of the New York Times #1 best-sellers The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins) and The Wrinkle Cure (Warner Books) has his sights set on your skin's Public Enemy #1: inflammation.

Dr. Perricone says a low-grade, visible inflammation on the cellular level causes aging and age-related diseases. This inflammation also causes the bags under our eyes, loss of tone, sagging, facial puffiness, fatigue, brain cloudiness and unwanted extra weight. Decrease inflammation and everything wonderful falls into place!

The meal plan calls for eight to 10 glasses of water a day; three meals evenly spaced throughout the day (always eat protein first!); and two snacks, one mid-afternoon and one between dinner and bedtime. Each meal and snack must contain one of his recommended sources of protein, carbohydrate and fat in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Dr. Perricone says his anti-inflammatory diet is the answer to optimum health and beauty. His plan calls for you to throw out all pro-inflammatory foods... the fiendish foods that cause a rise in blood sugar and interfere with metabolism.

At first glance many of the so-called pro-inflammatory foods appear to be healthy choices: bananas, potatoes, fruit juices, processed cereals, corn, peas, rice, pasta, bread. Problems arise because enzymes in the digestive system break down and transform these starches into sugar. Once these foods are ingested, they act the same as sweets. They cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, which triggers an increase in insulin and results in inflammation on a cellular level. In addition to promoting unwanted weight gain, these foods can lead to wrinkled, sagging and dull-looking skin.

Dr. Perricone says your food choices must be anti-inflammatory to fight wrinkles where they originate. He says it's important to remember that all antioxidants act as anti-inflammatories. Foods that are rich in antioxidants are high in anti-inflammatory activity. Look also for foods high in omega-3 fatty acids as these too are potent anti-inflammatories and promote smooth, supple, toned and wrinkle-free skin.

The best news: Dr. Perricone's 28-Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvination is now being offered right here at eDiets. Once you join eDiets and select this plan, you'll receive personalized menus, shopping lists and great-tasting recipes that support the plan. You'll also have access to unlimited diet and fitness news, 24/7 peer and professional support and much more.

For your meal plan, you'll enjoy fish at least three times a week. Dr. Perricone is hooked on the many benefits of salmon and its essential fatty acids. You'll also feast on fresh fruits and vegetables, and essential fats like flax and olive oil. The key to a lifelong "diet" like this is a diverse menu that's full of delicious foods.

A typical one-day menu might include:

Breakfast
Mushroom omelet with Canadian bacon and melon

Lunch
Salmon, Caesar salad and half an apple

Dinner
Grilled halibut, Greek salad, asparagus and melon

Snack
2 slices of turkey, 4 Macadamia nuts and a small peach

'What we're doing is we're using foods that are rich in natural antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory activity and good sources of protein," Dr. Perricone says. "In salmon, there are essential fatty acids. You need good fats to maintain beautiful skin and good mental attitude and mood. You need fats to burn fat.'

The dean of dermatologists says your skin is a reflection of your internal health. In addition to weight loss, Dr. Perricone says there are plenty of other benefits you'll reap in just three days. He says you'll notice incredible resilience, the kind you see on the face of a teenager! You'll sport a glow and you'll notice decreased puffiness, decreased lines, more contour to your face, more defined cheekbones, a crisp jawline and firmer skin.

'With the Nutritional Facelift you're eating five times a day, you're never hungry, you drink a lot of water and you reduce stress," Dr. Perricone tells eDiets. "You're not going to be forced to be on some rigid program. You're completely avoiding pro-inflammatories.'

Dr. Perricone says instead of focusing on weight loss, men and women should concentrate on optimum health and beauty. It's about focusing on the positives (outer beauty) instead of the negatives (the extra weight you want to shed). The weight loss is a by-product, he says.

'This is the way to focus on beauty and health and elevated mood and get rapid weight loss -- it's like no other program out there," he says. "This is the way to do it so you'll never diet again. This is a way of life not a diet. It's a way of eating so you'll always want to look your best.

'If you have a special event, you can do the three-day jumpstart and you'll walk into the room looking like a glamorous movie star. You'll just glow. Concentrate on looking good and everything else follows.'

Are you ready to get started with Dr. Perricone's 28-day program for total body and face rejuvenation? Come to face lifteDiets. to sign up. To get your copy of the Perricone Prescription, click on the button below:

Get ready to become a winner at losing. To get started with your effective and economical program, visit eDiets and fill out a free diet profile.

Fit Food Lover

Diet & Body — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:39:00 +0000

Gourmet Nutrition: The Cookbook for the Fit Food Lover.

Want to learn how to combine the science of nutrition with the art of cooking? Want to build a high performance body while eating great tasting food? Then try our brand new book, Gourmet Nutrition 2.0! We've come up with nearly 300 pages and over 120 recipes to show you how to build the body you never thought you could have by eating food you never thought you could eat.
Find out more about Gourmet Nutrition.

Solving the "variety" problem

By Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D.

The Greatest Nutritional Complaint

“Are you kidding, JB? You expect me to eat this stuff? Where’s the taste? Where’s the VARIETY?!!”

This is BY FAR the nutritional complaint I hear most often from clients, athletes, seminar attendees and readers alike. Ever since I first starting publishing articles on t-mag about six years ago, I’ve been bombarded with this complaint. And over the past two years, I’ve probably gotten at least one angry email a day, basically saying the exact same thing:

“This stuff is boring and tastes terrible! Give me better food choices!”

Now, I’ve cleaned up the profanity, because this is a g-rated site.

Variety?! You gotta be kidding me.

To be honest, for the longest time I just dismissed the variety of “variety complaints.” Sounded like a bunch of nonsense to me, for two reasons:

1) The “no variety” complaint sounds like just another weak excuse for giving up.

People stopped eating well and needed someone to blame. Of course it’s not their fault they’re overweight. It’s their genes. Of course it not their fault they’re not building muscle or recovering properly. It’s their job, they can’t be expected to eat – gasp – at work! Of course it’s not their fault they’ve got high blood glucose and high blood pressure. It’s that damn JB’s boring eating plan!

2) There is no reason why great nutrition must necessarily mean boring, repetitive meals and bad tasting food.

One only needs to look to my Berardi’s Kitchen articles to see that the variety is almost unlimited. I practice what I preach, and my kitchen has more variety than most others I’ve seen. And if MY kitchen is boring, an exciting kitchen must be some kind of culinary amusement park, a veritable Six Flags of cuisine.

But despite all this, people still complain about variety. And quite frankly, it started to annoy me. So in an effort to squash this complaint once and for all (yeah, right), or at least buy myself a brief reprieve from the anti-boredom coalition’s email campaign, I started to investigate the problem a little more seriously.

Step 1: The Client Survey

The first step was an informal survey of former clients of mine. Usually, when I client ends his or her service tenure with me, I’ll send them a questionnaire regarding the experience. Among other things, I want to know why exactly they ended their service, so that I can continuously refine my coaching systems to get industry-beating results. I hadn’t taken a look at the numbers in a while, so the other day I sat down and got to work.

When the results were in, I was happy to learn that most of our clients (about 83%) had ended for the only reason I accept as good: during their stay with us, they had learned exactly how to design and monitor their own training and nutrition plans. For my head coach, Carter Schoffer and I, that’s our goal in coaching – to make ourselves dispensable. Once a client has learned how their own body responds to various training and nutrition protocols, they shouldn’t need us for anything beyond occasional support and troubleshooting.

But what about the other 17% of clients? Why did they stop? Well, that was the disappointing part. They quit because they got sick of the food. One client in particular remarked, “I don’t think I’m cut out to eat such Spartan meals.”

The Taste Bud Approach

All these years, I’ve had a standard response to complaints about taste and variety, and it goes something like this:

“Your taste sensation will change. Studies show that eventually you’ll lose that sweet tooth and that love of deep friend, trans-fat soaked garbage. Further, you’ll grow to prefer natural, healthy, richly textured foods. You’ll even grow to like the crunchy freshness of fruits and veggies.”

And this comment is absolutely true.

The study of taste is fascinating. A few facts about taste:

Women tend to be better “tasters” than men, which may make them more finicky and may allow them to decipher between 800 types of chocolate.
Age leads to losses in taste sensation, leading to a loss in appetite and the desire to eat. That’s partly why nutrient deficiencies develop with age.
And finally, as mentioned earlier, our sense of taste will change with what we’re habitually eating.

Let me stress how important this final point is. I’ve seen people come to love foods they used to hate, and turn those same foods into their favorite meals. Exhibit A: cottage cheese. Anyone who’s done this long enough knows a good cottage cheese flip-flop story. Such a flip-flop can even be induced instantly from time to time, by having the subject taste the famous Cottage Cheese Peanut Butter Cup Concoction: cottage cheese, chocolate-flavored Low Carb Grow, and natural peanut butter. This stuff is awesome.

But in the end, this discussion still doesn’t get the job done. People still demand variety and “better tasting” foods.

The Gourmet Solution

Hence, the Gourmet Nutrition E-book. This book was created with the express intention of feeding both your body - with health, great tasting food AND your mind - with cooking tips and nutrition strategies designed to improve your understanding of which foods are best and why. We'll show you:

What exactly you need in your kitchen, and what you must not have, if you're to succeed -- from foods, appliances and utensils, right down to the spices.
A 6 step system for building your kitchen anew – even if it’s in need of the most dramatic of overhauls!
100 perfect meals, quick and easy meals as well as 5-star, impress-your-friends style meals. How about healthy Chicago deep dish pizza or striped bass with artichokes and asparagus?
Meal categorization according to the best time of day to eat the meals. How about a post workout shake, followed an hour later by our healthy Hawaiian pizza. Then, later in the evening, sit down for our pecan-crusted salmon.
17 food preparation tips, making you a culinary dynamo in no time. No more fingertips in your vegetable medley!
25 food facts and strategies, tips that help you make sense of all the confusing nutritional recommendations out there.
How to pick the absolute best fruits, the best vegetables, the best grains, the best times to eat, and more!

Now remember, this is not a mere cookbook. It's a full-blown optimal eating manual.

If you want to learn 50 different ways to bake an apple pie, this is not the book for you.

But if you want to get in the best shape of your life, you've come to the right place. That's what this site is about, and that's why we wrote Gourmet Nutrition. These recipes are designed specifically to get you there.

Order the Gourmet Nutrition E-Book Today!

Price: $29.99 USD
Format: Adobe PDF

Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee

Simply put, everyone should have this e-book. So what I'd like to do is completely remove the risk. If you disagree that Gourmet Nutrition solves the dreaded variety problem, if you disagree that Gourmet Nutrition will drastically improve your meal plans -- just let me know within 30 days of purchase and I'll refund your money, 100%, no questions asked. I can't make it any easier than that.

Slim Smart: Natural Weight Loss

Diet & Body — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Natural Weight Loss

Sound too good to be true? It's not. In fact, millions of customers just like you are losing weight, looking good and feeling better, thanks to Slim Smart. Relying on a tried-and-true herbal combination featuring 200 mcg. of Chromium Picolinate, Slim Smart supports a healthy metabolism, which allows the foods you eat to be more efficiently converted to energy and not stored as fat.

No starvation dieting.
No dangerous side effects.
All natural.
100% satisfaction guaranteed.

Your friends and family are sure to notice the new you, but you don�t have to share your new secret!

Dosage:

1 capsule 3 times daily

What's inside:

Almond Nut Powder

Helpful for constipation, also a good source of protein.

Reference: earthnotes.tripod.com and 'Back To Eden' by Jethro Kloss. Lotus Press.

Biotin

Biotin supports cell growth and is needed for healthy bones, hair and skin. Also is important to the central nervous system. Biotin is classified as a vitamin, considered part of the B group.

References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

Bladderwrack , Seawrack

Good source of iodine. May stimulate the thyroid gland, resulting in reducing obesity. A member of the Kelp family, it is also useful for arthritis, and promotes strong hair and nails.

Reference: botanical.com

Cascara Sagrada

An effective laxative and colon cleanser. Used for constipation, colon disorders and intestinal parasitic infestation.

References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

CHICKWEED: Good for the digestive system; helpful for constipation, ulcers and intestinal inflammation. Useful for nasal congestion and other respiratory ailments including bronchitis, asthma and coughs. Improves circulation. Helpful for skin diseases.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

CHOLINE: Responsible for normal central nervous system response from brain impulses. Helpful for nervous disorders such as Parkinson"s disease. Metabolizes fat and cholesterol, and supports the gallbladder and liver. Reputed to stimulate hair growth.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc. and geocities.com

CHROMIUM PICOLINATE: A form of Chromium that has been chelated ('attached') to Picolinate which makes the Chromium far more effective and more easily absorbed by the body. This combination is good for increasing lean muscle while reducing fat, and stabilizing cholesterol and blood sugar levels. This combination may also be useful in treating osteoporosis.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

FOLIC ACID: Folic Acid is the synthetic form of Folate. Interestingly, the body uses Folic Acid (found in supplements and fortified foods) more efficiently than Folate (found naturally occurring in leafy green vegetables, beans and in orange juice.) Folic Acid is classified with the B vitamins and is essential for growth and development. It is vital for preventing birth defects and should be taken by every woman during child-bearing years.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc. and marchofdimes.com

GINSENG: Excellent for the immune system; energizes and strengthens the body. Good for male or female reproductive system concerns including infertility. Helpful for fatigue and stress. May be useful in easing withdrawal symptoms from cocaine. Stimulates bone marrow cell production, and may protect against radiation exposure effects. Other uses include bronchitis, liver disorders and diabetes. CAUTION: Should not be used by pregnant women or nursing mothers.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

GRAPEFRUIT POWDER: Excellent source of vitamin C. Reputed to be beneficial for weight loss.
Reference: purdue.edu

GUARANA: Guarana is a stimulant that is helpful for both mental and physical stamina and endurance. Good for headaches. Also helpful for inflammation of the urinary tract, intestinal irritation or diarrhea.CAUTION: Contains caffeine. not recommended for persons with high blood pressure or heart conditions.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE: May be useful as an appetite suppresant; reduce cravings for sugar, and for lowering blood sugar levels.
Reference: wholehealthmd.com/ and healthyherbs.about.comI

NOSITOL: Beneficial to the cardiovascular system by reducing cholesterol levels, metabolizing fat, and preventing hardening of the arteries. Helpful for mood management; deficiency of Inositol often results in depression or irritability. Inhibits renal (urinary) stone growth. Essential for hair growth.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

KELP: A variety of seaweed that is rich in B vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Because of its rich iodine content it is very useful for thyroid problems including obesity. Kelp is also good for healthy hair and nails, and is reputed to be beneficial to the brain and surrounding tissue.
References : "Prescription For Nutritional Healing" by Balch & Balch. Avery Books. Published by Penguin Putnam Inc.

KOLA NUTS: Kola acts as a heart and nerve tonic, also acts as a stimulant due its caffeine content.
Reference: botanical.comPABA (P-Aminobenzoic Acid): Helps protect agains sunburn and skin cancer, aids the digestive system by maintaining healthy intestinal flora, and is also reputed to restore grey hair back to its natural color if graying was stress-related. This may be because PABA helps the body use pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).

PARSLEY: An excellent source of vitamin C, Parsley inhibits tumor growth due to the presence of a substance called histidine, an amino acid. Aids the digestive system; good for gas, indigestion and obesity. Supports thyroid, bladder, kidney and liver function. Useful for kidney concerns, water retention, bedwetting and prostate problems. Good for high blood pressure. Chewing on the leaves is good for halitosis (bad breath.)

VITAMIN B1: Thiamine assists the formation of blood and promotes good circulation. Aids in the production of hydrochloric acid, which is needed for normal digestion. Supports thyroid hormone metabolism. Also, B1 supports brain function, particularly cognitive functions (learning and reasoning).

VITAMIN B12: Vital for the digestion of food, the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates, and the synthesis of protein. B12 also works with folic acid to regulate red blood cell formation, helps form white blood cells and blood platelets, and prevents anemia.

VITAMIN B2: Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) is important for red blood cell and antibody formation, and is valuable for cell growth and repair. Benefits the eyes, hair, skin and nails. Essential for thyroid hormone production. Deficiency may result in memory loss.

NIACIN: Vitamin B3 is important for healthy skin and hair, good circulation and the lowering of cholesterol. Aids digestion and the production of digestive acid, and the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Niacin is one of the B vitamins needed for production of thyroid hormones. Supports the nervous system. Can be used for mental diseases such as schizophrenia.

PANTOTHENIC ACID: (Vitamin B5) Required by the body for growth, reproduction and normal physical actvity. Promotes healthy hair and skin. Essential for converting fats into energy. Helpful for stress, increases stamina.

VITAMIN B6: Required for the absorption of B12, B6 is also required for the production of red blood cells and antibodies (immune system.) Supports the nervous system. B6 is typically eliminated from the system within eight hours, so a supplement of this vitamin is generally needed.

WOOD BETONY: Supports the heart and cardiovascular system, also helpful for relaxing the muscles. Good for nerve pain, anxiety, hyperactivity or headache. Also supports healthy digestive system, helpful for poor appetite.

CAUTION: Should not be used during pregnancy.

New Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan

Diet & Body — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:37:00 +0000

Might NOT be a good fit if:

You don’t like or are allergic to seafood, including shellfish.
You are always on the run and need a convenience-based meal plan, including fast food.

Best For:

Fish lovers
Those who enjoy whole foods

Basic Philosophy or Approach

Our Mediterranean plan will help you follow a diet similar to that traditionally found in the countries around the Mediterranean. This plan is rich in healthy fats from fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and you'll find plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables here, too.

Foods That Aren't Allowed:

Excessive amounts of red meat
Processed foods

Risks:

The Mediterranean meal plan is generally a healthy meal plan. If you have additional specific dietary or medical needs, you may wish to review your plan with a healthcare provider.

Get your FREE Mediterranean Diet Profile!

Mediterranean Meal Plan

The Mediterranean meal plan incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It includes an abundance of vegetables, legumes, dried beans, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, olive oil, as well as moderate consumption of fish, occasional poultry and minimal red meat. The food is fresh, unprocessed and unrefined. It is also low in saturated and trans fats. And if you’d like, you can include a glass of wine with your dinners. Get Started Today and lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks!

You also might be interested in: Glycemic Impact Diet or Bill Phillips' Eating for Life