Source: fitperez.com

I dont really listen to Drake but I had to borrow a line from his Stay Schemin verse directed at Vanessa Bryant (You wasnt with me shooting in the gym) because it perfectly illustrates my point in the ongoing did she or didnt she have weight loss surgery debate. I dont usually walk around defending celebrities either, considering they can always go cry in their money as one of my old editors used to say, but the celebrity weight loss shade is realreal ridiculous that is.

As I was reading over Chaka Khans interview yesterday I was surprised she mentioned people thought she had weight loss surgery. When she first made her big 60-pound reveal, Chaka hadnt been seen for a hot minute so it wasnt as though one day we saw her at a certain size and she was significantly lighter the next. Plus, most noted how fit she appeared to be and thats not characteristic of people who have just gone under the knife. Shes since mentioned that she went vegan and credits her dramatic loss to the absence of meat from her diet but many are still assuming a surgeon was also present somewhere in this.

Fast forward to the post on Jennifer Hudsons new clothing line and there was all kinds of shade unraveling about how her entire Weight Watchers 80-pound weight loss is a hoax. I expected side eyes at the thought of people wanting to dress like her but I thought all the nonsense over her having gastric bypass surgery was dead. Like Chaka, J-Hud didnt pull one of those overnight size 16 to size 6 moves. It took her somewhere around a year to get those results, which is hardly how long it would take had she went the surgery route. In fact, shes pretty much a model for healthy weight loss which should be achieved safely at two pounds per week.

Whats crazy to me is how people are calling her a fraud for being a Weight Watchers spokesperson and claiming thats the only way she shed pounds. Um, how many of yall were with her in the gym? Better yet, the hospital or the operating table where she supposedly had this surgery? People have gone so far as to say that shes false promoting because she doesnt acknowledge the exercise aspect of her plan that brought her to those results. I think everyone knows diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. Her job isnt to sell treadmills, ellipticals, jump ropes or basketballs, shes pushing the portion of her success story that relates to food which is the Weight Watchers meal plan. Whats fraudulent about that? And the point that she probably had a trainer whip her into shape (either in lieu of or in addition to surgery) is null and void as well because Ive seen many an average woman shell out cash to have someone kick her butt into shape during 5 am workouts.

Whats even more crazy to me though is how people will see a random overweight black woman and say she needs to lose weight as if its as simple to do as letting the words come out of your mouth. Then when they see a celebrity who worked out and used a food program to drop pounds they assume its not possible and that she must have had surgery. And then when they hear Beyonce say she dropped 40 pounds in a few months eating lettuce and running on a treadmill they believe it and celebrate it as if thats healthy. Wheres the logic in that?

On some level, I blame Star Jones for this. Her notorious denial of weight loss surgery has made every other weight loss success story after hers suspect from the gate because she kept up the charade for so long. But this is also just a classic case of people contradicting themselves and dare I say it, hating. Why is it women like J-Hud get beat on so hard for assumedly not being healthy and needing to lose weight, and then when they do it through sweat, tofu, and rice cakes, its assumed they took the easy way out? You cant try to beat diet and exercise into one persons head all day long as the magic pill for weight loss and then when another person gets the results they should from doing what was suggested, all of a sudden it isnt possible? Whats so difficult about accepting and celebrating someone elses triumph, and silencing the need to steal their shine?

The most interesting part is the critics are always people whove never known what its like to have to drop weight themselves. Theyre speaking from facts theyve heard or read, not from personal experience which is why they suggest someone just start walking 30 minutes a day as if thats going to add up to a 3,500 calorie deficit that would yield them a one-pound weight loss. Its the same reason they assume any celebrity who has gone from plus-size to average couldnt have done it without a medical intervention: they dont know what theyre talking about.

Speculating on celebrity weight loss is no different than commenting on other rumors about who theyre dating, sleeping with, or beefing with. We werent there, so we dont know. Therefore theres no reason to throw shade and assume the worst. If you hate celebs when theyre fat and find a whole new reason to hate them when theyre thin, how do they ever win?

Brande Victorian is the News and Operations Editor for MadameNoire.com. Follow her on Twitter @Be_Vic.

See the rest here:
Regarding The Celebrity Weight Loss Shade, You Wasn’t With Them Working Out In The Gym

Public release date: 20-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matthew Solovey msolovey@hmc.psu.edu 717-531-8606 Penn State

A Web-based program featuring successful strategies of others who have lost weight may be an effective strategy for weight loss, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Researchers created a website called AchieveTogether and evaluated the weight-loss success of users. They compared users with a group of people attempting to lose weight on their own, and then allowed that second group access to the site 12 weeks later.

"Internet-based weight loss programs could help address the obesity epidemic, as they can be widely shared and used with low costs," said Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences. "Existing Internet-based weight-loss strategies have largely promoted weight-loss strategies designed by health professionals, including goal-setting and features to promote social interaction. These programs have had modest short-term effects, suggesting that exploring alternative approaches may be beneficial."

The researchers used positive deviance to design their Web-based program. Positive deviance is the idea that solutions to problems exist within a population experiencing that problem. By generalizing what behaviors or approaches work for those who are most successful -- typically the top 10 percent strategies are developed that may help the general population achieve certain goals.

"Positive deviance has been used in diverse health-related interventions, but has not previously been used in weight-loss interventions," Kraschnewski said.

For AchieveTogether, users were educated on 36 weight-loss behaviors identified in a previous study of people who maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds. These behaviors were evaluated by a physician for safety.

Participants logged in to the site at least once a week and were asked to record their weight, height and frequency of using the weight loss practices. They were matched to three role models closest to them for gender, age and target body weight and could then view their role model's strategies for weight loss.

Participants developed a weight-loss plan by choosing as many of the strategies as they wanted and were encouraged to choose at least one.

Read more:
Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help

Indoor tanners rationalize risky behavior Indoor tanners rationalize risky behavior Young people who use tanning beds rationalize the risky behavior with statements like "everything causes cancer these days," a new study finds.More >> Young people who use tanning beds rationalize the risky behavior with statements like "everything causes cancer these days," a new study finds.More >> Safer grilling methods might cut cancer risk Safer grilling methods might cut cancer risk A few simple changes in how people grill outdoors, such as avoiding too much beef or processed meats and not charring foods, can aid in cancer prevention, according to an expert.More >> A few simple changes in how people grill outdoors, such as avoiding too much beef or processed meats and not charring foods, can aid in cancer prevention, according to an expert.More >> Why every mom needs time alone Why every mom needs time alone Being by yourself gives you time to collect your thoughts and ponder life's challenges.More >> Being by yourself gives you time to collect your thoughts and ponder life's challenges.More >> How to live to be 100 years old How to live to be 100 years old Robert Marchand recently rode about 15 miles in one hour, a feat recognized by as a world record. Marchand is 100. Here's how he did it.More >> Robert Marchand recently rode about 15 miles in one hour, a feat recognized by the International Cycling Union as a world record. Marchand is 100. Here's how he did it.More >> Unsafe sex common when partner cheats Unsafe sex common when partner cheats People who have sexual affairs without their partner's knowledge are less likely to practice safe sex than those who have their partner's consent to have sex with others, a new study says.More >> People who have sexual affairs without their partner's knowledge are less likely to practice safe sex than those who have their partner's consent to have sex with others, a new study says.More >>

(CNN) - According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, some people who get weight-loss surgery may end up with a higher tendency to abuse alcohol.

But the risk is only apparent two years after the procedure and only with one type of surgery.

Researchers looked at the drinking habits of more than 2,400 obese adults before and after weight-loss procedures.

They found the number of patients with an alcohol problem jumped more than 50 percent within two years.

The risk was twice as high among patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In that procedure, doctors create a pouch out of a small portion of stomach.

Then, they connect the pouch to the small intestine, bypassing most of the stomach and some intestine.

The lead author says that allows alcohol to enter the bloodstream more quickly.

So, some patients may have increased sensitivity to alcohol.

Link:
Study: Alcohol abuse may jump after weight loss surgery

By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 20 (HealthDay News) -- Seven years after they underwent weight-loss surgery, patients as a whole fared better on several measurements of their risk of cardiac problems, a new study finds, and many returned to normal levels.

The findings don't prove that weight-loss surgery reduces the risk of events such as heart attack and stroke, although other research has suggested it does. And weight-loss surgery, which includes procedures such as gastric bypass, comes with major risks of its own and is only recommended for some severely obese patients.

[U.S. News & World Report Best Weight Loss Diets.]

Still, the findings suggested the procedure provided plenty of cardiac benefit to the patients, said study co-author Dr. John Morton, director of bariatric surgery and surgical quality at Stanford University School of Medicine. "For most of them, they came back to normal," he said. "There were roughly about a dozen measurements altogether, and there were substantial improvements across the board."

Weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, aims to help severely obese people lose weight by shrinking the amount of food that their digestive systems can handle. The cost of the procedures ranges from $20,000 to $25,000, according to the Weight-Control Information Network of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

A Swedish study published in January in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that the procedure reduces the risk of death from heart attack. Obese people who had the procedure were less likely than similar people to die from a cardiovascular problem (such as a heart attack) or suffer a first-time heart attack or stroke.

The new study looked at several measurements that indicate whether a person is at higher risk of cardiac problems, including levels of "bad" LDL and "good" HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and a specific protein.

The researchers tracked 182 patients -- mostly women, average age 44 years -- and managed to keep tabs on 78 of them for seven years. After seven years, the average patient weight fell from 286 pounds to 205 pounds. Their average cholesterol reading dipped from 184 to 174, LDL cholesterol dropped from 113 to 92, and triglycerides fell from 151 to 87.

[Read:Some May Drink More After Weight Loss Surgery.]

Read more here:
Weight-Loss Surgery Cuts Heart Risk 7 Years Later

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Phentermine is a prescription weight loss medication now used by many doctors for supplementing a weight loss diet, but the risk of side effects and dependency are such that Doctors must be very cautious about its use. hCGTreatments / Diet Doc announces a safe, yet effective alternative for fast weight loss.

Phentermine is a prescription weight loss medication now used by many doctors for supplementing a weight loss diet, but the risk of side effects and dependency are such that Doctors must be very cautious about its use.

The Doctors at hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Weight Loss have developed a solution to this with the new diet plan regime of layering a prescription strength appetite suppressant with a lipotropic. The two layered together give dieters a one-two punch that is comparable to using phentermine, BUT without the dangerous side effects.

The use of Phetermine can increase blood pressure and heart rate along with causing palpitations and restlessness according to WebMD. Generally speaking, Phentermine seems to be better tolerated than it predecessor ehpedrine, but the regularity and magnitude of these side effects can prove just as dangerous. Additionally, Phentermine has the potential to lead to dependency, so Doctors are very careful only to use short term, which is not helpful if you have a long term diet ahead of you and plan on being on some sort of diet plan for longer than a month.

Currently, most available weight-loss medications approved by the FDA are for short-term use, meaning a few weeks reports WEBMD, due to the addictive nature of this drug.

This new alternative to phentermine will change the face of dieting for our clients, reports Julie Wright, CEO of hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Weight Loss.

The Doctors at hCG Treatments / Diet Doc Weight Loss have found that by prescribing this combination, their clients experience no hunger even on the limited caloric intake of their medically supervised diet. The active ingredients such as carnitine, b12 and caffeine are not dangerous to use over long periods of time. Their clients are able to continue taking this new combination throughout the duration of their weight loss diet, without any concerns to their health.

View original post here:
hCG Treatments / Diet Doc Announces Alternative to Taking Prescription Drug Phentermine for Weight Loss