If you are a lover of fast food, but still want to lose or keep off the pounds, you are going to love this next diet, available at your local fast food restaurant, Taco Bell:  This article is from SmallbitesAndybellatti.com.

Taco Bell’s latest advertising project? The Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet®.

Their spokesperson, a real-life dieter identified as Christine, claims to have lost 54 pounds over the course of two years “by choosing Fresco items from the Drive-Thru Diet® menu and making other sensible choices.”

As if the “other sensible choices” part wasn’t enough of a hint that there’s more to this than meets the eye, we then learn that Christine simply reduced her total caloric intake by 500 calories for a total of 1,250 calories a day.

It seems that even the folks at Taco Bell are aware this campaign is a bit of a stretch.

Not only does Christine herself share that “these results aren’t typical” and that “as you know,” (?) “the Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program”, the Taco Bell website makes this statement:

“For a healthier lifestyle, pay attention to total calorie and fat intake and regular exercise. Fresco can help with calorie reductions of 20 to 100 per item compared to corresponding products on our regular menu. Not a low calorie food.”

This comes back to a point I often make on this blog — actual weight-loss can be done with almost any food.

In fact, this campaign reminds me of a similar one by Special K cereal a few years ago.  The gist was that Special K helped you lose weight, provided — of course — that you had a bowl of it as your lunch.

Christine could have consumed 1,250 calories worth of ice cream, french fries, and pizza and still have lost the weight.

The added challenge comes from achieving weight loss while meeting nutrient needs and providing the body with sufficient energy and care.

A 1,250-calorie diet of junk food will result in weight loss, but also in completely inadequate nutrient intakes.

It’s also worth pointing out that one can consume 320 calories in a half cup of premium ice cream or a salad chock-full of vegetables, dressed with one tablespoon of olive oil and generous amounts of lemon juice.

In that sense, all calories are most certainly NOT created equal!

Furthermore, while I understand what Taco Bell is trying to do here (reminding customers that their menu offers lower-calorie items), two things bother me:

1. This campaign is completely carried by a woman, once again reiterating the stereotype that only women care about managing their weight and seeking healthier options
2. All this talk of healthier options is a little silly when you consider that some Fresco items contain half a day’s worth of sodium

Rather than create this gimmick, why didn’t Taco Bell simply advertise their lower-calorie items with a “At Taco Bell, low calories are no problem”-ish campaign?

Source

As the H1N1 or Swine flu rages across North America, with governments displaying an immense amount of inability to cope with a pandemic and stories of celebrities, hockey players and hospital boards getting their flu shots early, I thought I’d bring you an indepth summary of H1N1 symptoms.  Should you get the shot?  Perhaps, if they’ve got any left because they keep running out.  Some doctors think it’s a waste of time.   Whatever you do, remember to wash your hands often and best with an automatic soap dispenser which every home and public place should have.  If you feel flu symptoms, go to a doctor immediately to see if you actually have the H1N1 flu.This piece of health news comes from The Globe and Mail online newspaper.

People can become ill if the flu virus enters their nose, eyes or throat after an infected person coughs or sneezes. They can also become ill after touching an infected surface, such as a doorknob, keyboard or countertop, and then touching their mouth or nose.

The virus begins to grow, and symptoms can start to develop 24 to 48 hours after initial infection. However, it can take up to a week for symptoms to develop. People seem to become contagious one day before the onset of flu-like symptoms, says the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Doctors say most people can’t properly distinguish between a cold and the flu, but that influenza viruses come with several telltale symptoms. Similar to seasonal flu viruses, H1N1 symptoms include sore throat, cough, headache, loss of appetite, fatigue and aches and pains.

Fever, a typical symptom of seasonal flu, isn’t appearing in all H1N1 cases, said Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa. But more people with H1N1 seem to be experiencing vomiting and diarrhea than they would with a regular seasonal flu virus, Dr. Brown said.

People with H1N1 will typically spend from two to four days in bed. But serious symptoms require medical attention, including shortness of breath and extreme lethargy or being “out of it,”

The average person with the H1N1 virus will be back on their feet after about a week. However, it could take from two to three weeks before they feel 100 per cent, Dr. Brown said. People who are infected with H1N1 may remain contagious slightly longer than those with seasonal flu.

Public Health says people infected with H1N1 remain contagious for about a week after they develop symptoms.  However, some people’s symptoms can grow worse after they initially begin to improve, which could be a signal of a secondary bacterial pneumonia. Although different from viral pneumonia, one of the rare and serious complications appearing in a small number of people with H1N1, bacterial pneumonia is very serious and requires medical intervention.

Coughing up blood or turning blue are obvious danger signs. But another key warning sign is shortness of breath. Parents whose children are ill should monitor them to see whether they are breathing rapidly. “I sure as hell wouldn’t be waiting around at home to see how I do once I’m short of breath,” Dr. Kumar said. “It can be very rapid once it goes to your lungs.”

This virus, much more so than seasonal influenza virus, tends to attach to the cells within the lower respiratory tract where it can cause severe infection, experts say. This infection of the lungs can trigger a cascade of inflammatory responses. Once the virus attaches itself to the deep respiratory cells, it starts to damage the lungs, which start to fill with fluid, and the person can’t get enough oxygen. There is evidence the virus can go to the heart in rare circumstances, which can lead to rhythm disturbances and death.

Source here

Weight loss medication in the most recent health news is something known as Orlistat. There are not many prescription based weight loss pills on the market but Orlistat, also known as Xenical is one of the latest. Orlistat has been around for at least a decade and is claimed to promote weight loss by preventing digestion and absorption of fat in the intestine.

All fat when ingested is broken down by an enzyme released from the pancreas. The pancreas releases the enzyme lipase which breaks up the fat which can then be absorbed from the intestine into the body. Orlistat acts by blocking the lipase enzyme so that the fats are not broken down and hence not absorbed. The blockage on the lipase enzyme is not 100% but average about 50%-75%. The unabsorbed fat is then excreted into the stools.

Orlistat has been approved by the FDA for use in North America. There is also a lower dose of the drug available over the counter. The generic brand name sold over the counter is known as Alli and requires no prescription.

For weight loss, Orlistat has to be taken on a daily basis for 2-3 months. However, the pill itself does not always work in all individuals. Physicians recommend that Orlistat must be combined with exercise and a reduced intake of calories for the medication to have the most benefits. If the patient is suffering from weight gain as a result of hormone imbalance, the patient must first stabilize hormone levels and follow a hormone diet which achieve weightloss. The drug is often prescribed for individuals who are moderately obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2).

Studies indicate that the average weight loss with Orlistat after six months averages about 12-15 pounds.

The prescription pill (120mg) is taken three times a day, one hour before each meal.
Because Orlistat inhibits fat absorption, patients taking fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) should not take Orlistat at the same time.

While Orlistat is generally a safe drug it does have a few unpleasant side effects. The most common side effect includes soiling of the underwear. The soiling is from the unabsorbed fat which can occur at any time. Passage of excess gas, loose and oily stools is also common. Some individuals also develop abdominal cramps and bloating. The inability to control bowel movements is also a common complaint. These side effects do not occur in all individuals but when they do occur, they are disturbing. The side effects generally start a few weeks after starting treatment and in a few patients may resolve. However, in the majority of individuals the symptoms will persist as long as the pill is taken. To decrease the side effects, it is recommended that one eat a low fat diet and decrease the dose of Orlistat.

A rare side effect of the drug is the development of kidney stones.

Orlistat is not an inexpensive product. The average cost for 30 pills is about $60-$90. And remember one takes 3 pills a day and so it is an expensive undertaking with no guarantee of any benefit plus a definite chance of developing some type of side effect.

Speak with your physician if you feel you would like to try this medication before you embark on your weight loss program.