If you are interested in learning about low fat foods then this is the blog for you. It contains useful information on low fat products, recipes and drinks.

Ground-breaking research in Swansea has suggested artificial sweeteners may not help slimmers lose weight - despite claims they are better than sugar. A study by Swansea University's David Benton has revealed there is a lack of convincing evidence to show sweeteners work. It means that firm conclusions on the role of artificial sweeteners in weight loss cannot yet be made, according to the scientist.

The Journal of Eating Disorders reports that women experiencing body image problems have benefitted from receiving mirror therapy. This new form of therapy consists of learning that realistically looking at one's own body in objective terms can alter the automatic, negative judgments that would normally arise in individuals with body image disorder. According to Dr. Sherrie S. Delinsky of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston "the goal is to help women let go of their constant self-criticism and learn how to better respond to distressing thoughts about their bodies".

The Scottish Executive has reported that gay men may be particularly at risk from developing bulimia especially at stressful times such as when deciding to "come out".

The Scotsman reports the latest figures available show that the number of scottish men going to their doctor for help in combating the disease rose by 700 per cent between 2000-1 and 2004-5.

Potatoes may be back on the diet menu, as scientists have developed Vivaldi potatoes that have on average 33% fewer calories and 26% fewer carbohydrates than regular potatoes.

Unfortunately you cannot get a six pack by doing sit ups alone, you have to accompany this with specific diet to ensure you are reducing your amount of body fat.

1. Don't cut too much fat.
2. Use nonfat dairy products high in calcium.
3. Drink more water.
4. Avoid carbonated beverages.
5. Replace starches with vegetables.
6. Don't eat a big evening meal.
7. Creatine helps burn fat.
8. Vary your caloric intake.
9. Pump up the protein.
10 Make some of it casein protein.
11 Spread it out.
12 Keep at it.

Click here for the full article.

Here is a useful article on the Golden Rules of dieting, they may seem pretty obvious, but they are worth stating them again:

- Exercise
- Drink lots of water
- Balance the portion you eat
- Have a food journal
- Don’t skip meals
- Junk the Junk Food
- Modify your favorite recipes
- Get help from your friends

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association studies have shown that

"Over [an average] of 8.1 years, a dietary intervention that reduced total fat intake and increased intake of vegetables, fruits and grains did not significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women and achieved only modest effects on cardiovascular risk factors…"

"Internet visit and search data appear to show a shift in dieting philosophy" said Bill Tancer, General Manager of Research at Hitwise. "Our data is indicating that low-carb / no-carb diets are falling out of favor, as Internet users appear to be researching exercise and common sense nutrition."

The Dept Of Health has issued a report stating that 1,000 people a day are passing the obesity threshold.

According to a new report from market analyst Datamonitor the US might be consolidating its position as the fattest nation, but Europe is catching up fast - and all this despite record spending on diet products.

If you find yourself snacking all the time, you may want to check how much fat is in your diet. A recent report based on the change in eating patterns of rats have concluded that high fat diets encourage snacking.

Here is a useful little tool which helps you calculate how many calories a day a person of you age, height and weight should be eating and therefore how many calories you need to begin losing weight.

Here is a pretty useful site that calculates how many calories are burned per activity such as walking, running, biking, etc.

Women were given new food for thought yesterday about their weight. Apparently, it's not what you eat that dictates your size - it's love, or the lack of it. A lady's weight fluctuates according to the state of her relationship, says a study. Here are the stages women can expect to go through and the amount of weight they may gain or lose

The Honeymoon Period -8.5lb
The Comfy Zone +11.3 lb
The Big Day -9.2 lb
The Baby Boom +16lb
The Reinvention -16lb

Almost 66 per cent of those surveyed said their weight fluctuates depending on how happy they are at a specific time.

Anne Diamond's confession that she has undergone gastric surgery in a desperate attempt to lose weight has outraged her fellow Celebrity Fit Club contestants as well as members of the public who have lost relatives because of the operation.

The Diet Doctors, the Trinny and Susannah of nutrition, recently appeared on the Daily Mail website for a live webchat. They answered health and nutrition questions such as "I have a sweet tooth. What can I do to overcome my constant sugar cravings?" and "What are the best vegetables to have in a salad?".

The Tesco Total Wellbeing Diet has all the makings of a phenomenon. It has already received worldwide media attention including major print and Web portal coverage in the UK. Internationally, nutritionists agree that Total Wellbeing could soon rival such mainstays as Atkins and GI Diet in popularity. Indeed, in its native Australia alone, a book on Total Wellbeing is expected to soon top one million, replacing Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code on bestseller lists.

Everyone know that if you want the best diet advice you don't ask a nutritionist you need a celebrity. Here are some tips on how to get the bikini body from Lindsay Lohan, Caprice, Uma Thurman, Evangeline Lilly (Lost), Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Moss

It seems 2006 will be the year of living sensibly. By the looks of it, virtually the faddy, hard-to-follow regimes that have dominated our lives over the past years will be passe. There is now a new trend towards a more holistic-lifestyle approach to weight loss. A recent New York Times article has even gone ahead and advised readers to forget about working out on treadmills. Instead, it advised, readers to jog from car park to office whenever possible. In essence, this is what your mom and grandmom had been saying all along: don’t pile your plate high, just eat more fruit and vegetables and do some exercise.

Getting in shape is now easy with VITALITY EATING SYSTEM; created by the experts and endorsed by the gorgeous TV stars, Cat Deeley and Lorraine Kelly. It delivers slow and steady weight loss, which science has proven is more likely to be kept off. Copies of the plan can be downloaded from: www.fabflour.co.uk.

Here are the 10 foods you should not eat (courtesy of Nutrition Action Health Letter)

- Pepperidge Farm Original Flaky Crust Roasted Chicken Pot Pie
- McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips
- The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Original Cheesecake
- Marie Callender's Herb Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Florets & Carrots
- Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie
- Starbucks Venti Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème
- Burger King Fries
- Campbell's red-and-white-label condensed soups
- Swoops
- Häagen-Dazs Mint Chip Dazzler

Here is a blog by a guy who was challeneged to see the effects of one week living off just guinness, milk and vitamin c supplements. Here is a summary of his findings:

Positives :-
1) The weight loss
2) You can't drive anywhere WOOHOO
3) A good excuse to go out
4) It does actually stave off hunger

Negatives :-
1) Visiting the toilet is NOT at all pleasant
2) The hunger pangs, they only come once or twice a day, last two hours, but it's extreme hunger.
3) You urine resembles Irn Bru

FlavourSpray claims to contain zero calories, zero fat, and zero carbohydrates. They say that this spray makes up for the loss of flavour caused by the lack on toppings, gravies, dressings, and sauces in many diets. Among the sprays you can get are parmesan cheese, butter and pesto. Somehow I find this hard to believe. And anyway who wants to use a flavouring that has someone's fat cheesy face on it (see photo).

Here is a summary of 10 tips for successful weight loss.

- Exercise
- Pump Iron
- Keep a Diary
- Stay Focused on Healthy, Not Thin
- Find Out What's Eating You
- Get Support
- Watch Your Portions
- Lose Weight Slowly With Small Changes
- Slow Down
- Eat Less Fat, But Do It Wisely

For the full article go to the Diet Channel.

Are you sick on eating the same old salads? Then you should check out this great list of recipes from LifeHack for 100 healthy meals.

Have you ever wondered what the 29 healthiest foods on the planet are? I know I have. Well wonder no more.

LifeHack is a community full of useful user generated info and here are a particularly good set of diet and fitness tips.

Over 1.3 Million Members have signed-up for a free FitDay account and are tracking their foods, exercises, weight loss, and goals online. FitDay provides the feedback and analysis you need to stay on track towards your diet and fitness goals.