Cookie diets are for the birds...

An article AND a video report from the Wall Street Journal on the infamous cookie diets fresh off the presses this morning. Come on people, are we seriously still talking about this? Rip away all the pretty wrapping, we know there's no magic weight loss or diet pill...and certainly no magic cookie. I don't know about you, but scarfing down a cookie made with sawdust-tasting protein powder, stabilizers, glycerine and whatever other ingredients are involved, doesn't sound too appetizing to me. The diets encourage cookie-eating in place of breakfast and lunch, and then having a "sensible" dinner for around 800 to 1200 calories. Bottom line, eat less of anything and you'll lose weight. Your body recognizes fresh, whole foods best - go back to basics (fruits, vegetables, lean protein and healthy carbs like brown/wild rice, whole grain breads and baked potatoes) and eat a little less of it, even just 10-20%. Better quality food = better taste and flavor = better satisfaction and less hunger = less of your waistline. That's some serious magic for you. Here's the WSJ's video segment on cookie diets...and how they crumble.

A Weighted Waistline

America's expanding waistlines are in the news once again (not a big surprise). Check out this interesting article posted in the New York Times yesterday that reports on a recent Harvard Med School study that found normal-weight women faced an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer if they carry weight around their mid-section and abdomen--other studies show the same for men. Not exactly revolutionary news, the importance of waist circumference on disease risk has been around for a while, but it's certainly something to be reminded of. I think we often focus so much on the dreaded number on the scale and our 'weight', that it's easy to overlook other factors that can impact health. Visceral fat, the unhealthful type that collects around the abdomen, takes the cake (hopefully not literally) when it comes to potentially harmful health factors. What's the take-home message from all of this? Well, if you liken yourself to J. Lo with her well-endowed bum, you might just be in better shape than you think. Bearing weight around your hips and tush may lessen risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. So go ahead, shake that booty!