Why I Hate “The Biggest Loser”
I know this may be a controversial stand to take. “The Biggest Loser” is a popular show and many of my fans like it a lot.

It’s not that I haven’t tried to like it. I have!

But the bottom line is it is unhealthy. And I think many of the uses and abuses of the contestants should be a crime.

Now, you may be thinking “but  it helps people lose weight – how can that be unhealthy?”
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Sugar Substitutes: Friend or Foe?
In the quest for weight loss, America has engaged in a love affair with sugar substitutes. Unfortunately, it’s been a one sided, abusive relationship, with the American consumer the victim.

Not only has long-term research shown each sugar substitute to be a health risk, it has also proven that consumers who use sugar substitutes GAIN weight instead of losing it.
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Eating Like the French
For years, I’ve taught a class on choice in my weight management course. This class reminds students that choice is always available when it’s time to eat. So many people watching their weight feel they don’t have the power of choice because they (1) feel compelled to eat certain foods (“cravings”) or (2) they think they must stay on highly restricted “diets.”
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The #1 Reason Weight Loss Efforts Fail
The biggest roadblock to successful weight loss isn’t the food you eat and it’s not the exercise you do.

It’s negative thinking.

Witness this scenario from one of my clients’ weight loss journals (used with permission):

I should lose weight.
I ought to lose weight.
I need to go on a diet.
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Solving Childhood Obesity
With the current media and medical research focus on the childhood obesity epidemic, many parents are concerned about their kids’ health, weight and eating habits.

Being overweight as a young child is very different than the same condition encountered as an adult. As many overweight adults will attest, the reaction to excess weight in childhood is extremely important.
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Are Your Relationships Fat?
Change is hard for everyone. It’s human nature to want to stay where you are, to protect yourself and to preserve the status quo. In making deep and permanent lifestyle changes that affect your weight, you’ll encounter lots of “voices.”

First, there are the little voices in your head that say change isn’t necessary. Coaches call these voices “gremlins” and some of the things they might say are “I should be loved just as I am,” “Why should my weight matter?” or “I’m not as fat (or out-of-shape) as so-n-so.”

In addition to these little gremlin voices, there may also be some big voices! These are the people around you who also want to preserve the status quo.
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Let Them Eat Cake!
We’re going to have some fun this month. Here are some food myths it’s time to destroy:

1. Instant oatmeal might as well be cake! Heavily fortified by sugars, the instant flavored stuff takes a great natural product and pretty much destroys or obliterates any contribution to a healthy diet. Contrary to what the box label intimates, you don’t have to pay extra for “microwaveable” oatmeal to make oatmeal in the microwave. Use the pure product (pure oats are even better than the flaked kind) and add vanilla, maple or other natural flavoring if you desire.

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