Fitness Pudding - Where The Proof Is

In the Trending section of Fitness Pudding, I posted a story about a British doctor who supposedly put the classic "tapeworm diet" to the test . Well, I also emailed the story to my Dad, Dr. F.C. Faries, who is a veterinarian, professor, and expert in parasitology with the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense. We had discussed tapeworms over dinner once before, so I looked forward to his response. I thought I...

A recent video and article by Yahoo! with a "fitness expert" complied the 5 biggest workout myths. Myth #1 – Walking is a great way to lose weight. In other words, this fitness expert, based on her expertise, is saying that walking is NOT a great way to lose weight. However, if she were to look at the research, she may have come to a different conlusion regarding this myth. Let us bust her attempt to...

This debate rages on.  A roomful of dietitians or medical-minded folk say NO, a room of nutritionists or research-minded folk may say YES.  The question is "Is eating more protein in my diet going to help me lose weight?"  For starters, eating less calories than what you are burning each day is the #1 factor.  Some people don't like the simplicity of that, but it's very difficult for people to get right and when you do...

I just saw another miscontrued web article on ABC/Yahoo! News titled, "Jennifer Aniston Touts 'Yogalosophy' for Stunning Figure". A celebrity favorite, yoga has claims spread all across the Internet that it can shed pounds, tone and lean out muscles (whatever that means). But, what does the research say about it? Benefits of Yoga Before I get too far, yoga is great for a number of reasons...just not for weight loss. Check out some of the potential...

Fat is a wonderful thing. It aids in nutrient absorption, hormone regulation, thermic insulation, cognitive/mental functioning, and much more. However, too much of a wonderful thing, can begin to harm us. When stored in large quantities inside our body (particularly around our waist), fat can lead to several health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. There has been much research investigating how to expedite weight loss and cure the obesity epidemic, and the answers...

As normal, I was handling the boredom of the grocery store line by catching up on my celebrity news and gossip from the tactful magazine covers (sarcasm). I recognized one of my favorite tactics to get us to pick up the magazine...exposing celebrities' cellulite, but blocking their face. Whether it is to feel more normal or empathize with these celebrities, we open the magazine to quench an insatiable urge to see which celebrities fall into the...

If I had to rank the most common fallacies in the health and fitness industry, "spot losing fat" would be at the top. Also, millions of dollars are spent every year on products that claim to do it. So, let's learn why we can save our money. What is Spot Loss? The theory of spot loss (aka. 'spot reduction' or 'targeted fat loss') states that if we exercise a specific muscle, then the fat that sits...

What goes around, comes around…body wraps are now popular again!  Body wraps have been common in spas or salons for years, utilizing linen sheets, blankets, bandages, plastic, cellophane or rubber wraps. Originally, the wraps were full body, with the goal of trying to induce as much water loss as possible through perspiration, much like a sweat or sauna suit, which comes from the same idea. The desire for spot-reduction of inches encouraged use of smaller wraps...

Claiming a scientific formulation, fiber supplements, such as  Skinny Fiber , have been promoted alongside other fad supplements to promote weight loss in those who take it. Some resellers are even using common exaggerated wording to claim that the product acts like a "magic sponge" to "swallow up fat" and 30%–40% of everything you digest. Glucomannan This 'sponge-like' effect most likely comes from the overly-hyped ingredient in Skinny Fiber is glucomannan (amorphophallus konjac), which contains a soluble,...