Picture This

A picture is worth a thousand words. We have all heard it and know it to be true. I recently heard about a site that shows pictures of what fast food really looks like. These are not the pictures in the advertisements that show plump juicy hamburgers and glistening golden fries. These pictures show the real thing...along with the number of grams of fat in the item. Looking at these pictures, I lost my appetite. Next time you are in the mood for a burger, take a look at this site: http://www.jonfeinstein.com/fastfood.html

Another great visual site is the visual BMI chart. For each height and weight on the chart, a picture is shown of someone who meets that criteria. Not sure what you would look like at a certain weight. Just look up your height on the chart and see pictures of people at that weight. Remember that everyone has a different body type so you will look somewhat different than the person on the chart. http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.shtml

Sensa Crystals

Every once in a while I hear about a new product which makes me shake my head and wonder "what will they think of next". A neurologist developed Sensa granules (crystal like substances) that you sprinkle on your food. They enhance the smell of the food. Since up to 90% of what we experience as taste is actually smell, the theory is that if the food smells better it will taste better. If it tastes better, you will be be satisfied earlier and eat less.

What a diet plan! Just sprinkle these crystals on your food, eat less and enjoy your food more. No special diets to follow. No need to eat healthy. No exercise to do. All this for only $59 per month. What a deal!

Personally, when something tastes good, I want more of it, not less of it. I think I will keep my $59 and eat my healthy food plain.

Eating After Dark

Ever hear someone say "I don't eat anything after 7:00 pm"? Oprah is a big proponent of this weight loss method. It is easy to follow. Eat a healthy diet during the day and stop eating by a certain time in the evening, which is usually 7 or 8 pm. Magically, weight loss happens. Or at least Oprah says it does. But does it really?

Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study to see if the time of day you eat really does affect your weight. The scientists exposed three groups of mice to different lighting cycles. Group 1 was exposed to 16 hours of bright light and 8 hours of darkness (typical day). Group 2 was exposed to 24 hours of bright light with no darkness and Group 3 was exposed to 16 hours of bright light and 8 hours of dim light. The mice were given the same amount of the same food. The mice in Groups 2 & 3, with non-typical lighting cycles, gained 50% more weight. The researchers found that when exposed to this much light, much of the food the mice ate was eaten during normal dark hours.

In their next experiment, they used the same 3 lighting cycles and food rations but the mice could only eat during normal eating times. When the mice ate during normal eating and activity hours, they did not gain weight.

It is much too early to make recommendations based on this one experiment with mice but it is interesting that weight gain happened when they ate during non-activity times.

Personally, I think weight loss occurs when people stop eating after a certain time in the evening because they are eating less calories. The foods we tend to go to for that after dinner snack are not typically healthy. I, for one, do not crave celery sticks before going to bed. I'm much more likely to reach for cookies and milk or brownies, or peanut m&m's. Others may prefer potato chips or ice cream. None of these are low calorie items. Eliminating that snack could potentially save hundreds of calories.