The "Dream Diet": How to Lose Weight through Sleep

Yes, it sounds too good to be true, but sleep can really help you lose weight. But what scientists have found is not really a "diet" per se, but rather new insight into the relationship between sleep and weight. In a nutshell, it has been found that the amount of sleep you get and the quality of that sleep can affect hormones in your body that have been found to impact appetite.

A number of studies have shown that lack of sleep can affect the levels of two appetite-related hormones, leptin and ghrelin. The studies have revealed that people who sleep less weigh more. The article noted above also examines another sleep-weight interaction, the relationship between weight and sleep apnea.

Of course, today's horrible economic times don't exactly encourage restfulness and a good night's sleep, but with the many real benefits of getting enough sleep, it's definitely a worthwhile thing to put at the top of even the longest to-do list.

The Dr. Oz Green Drink and "You: Staying Young," an Anti-Aging Guide

After the runaway success of their first few books, doctors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz are back with a new guide to staying health and living longer.

You: Staying Young is the latest book from Oprah Winfrey's favorite doctors, who are also the authors of You: The Owner's Manual, You: The Smart Patient, and You: On a Diet.

In the book, doctors detail their claim that many of the effects of the aging process are not just preventable but even reversible with lifestyle changes, such as the Dr. Oz green drink recipe that they mentioned on the Oprah show. (The Dr. Oz green drink recipe contains ingredients such as spinach, parsley, ginger, and cucumber, which sounds very healthy... wonder how it tastes?)

Winfrey has in the past featured the two, and maintains a Web page for the "Dr. Oz diet" on her Web site.

You: Staying Young is also the name of the TV show Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen have created for the Discovery Health channel. In the TV show the doctors take an overweight middle-aged couple and help to put them on the road to better health with their recommendations. Presumably they couple got to sample the now-famous Dr. Oz green drink recipe... don't know if they liked it, but according to the stats provided by Dr. Oz, the couple improved their health dramatically after a couple of weeks following the guidelines of You: Staying Young.

Learn more about Dr. Oz's anti-aging detox tips.

New Study Compares Mediterranean, Low-Carb, and Low-Fat Diets

WebMD reports on a new long-term study that directly compared three leading diets: the so-called Mediterranean Diet, a low-carb diet (based on the Atkins Diet), and a traditional low-fat diet.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that people could lose weight on all three diets, and that the plans offer other health benefits as well, including improvements in participants' levels of blood fats and blood sugar.

You can read the entire article on the weight-loss study at the NEJM's Web site.

Volumetrics and the Volumetrics Eating Plan

Volumetrics is a way of losing weight through eating, but it's not really a "diet" as such. Instead, it focuses on eating foods that are low in calories but that leave you feeling full because they contain water and fiber (fruits, for example). Created by Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., Volumetrics is based on substituting high-calorie foods with "high-volume," low-calorie alternatives.

For example, she notes that a handful of grapes has the same number of calories as a much smaller quantity of raisins, yet the grapes will be more filling and satisfying because of the water and fiber in them. You can find a more detailed look at the principles of Volumetrics at this good article from WebMD.

The Nutrition Department of Northwestern University also gives a quick fact sheet on the Volumetrics plan.

In the book The Volumetrics Eating Plan (below), the creator of Volumetrics, Barbara Rolls, puts together menu and meal plans that make it easy to put the principles of volumetrics into effect so you can lose weight safely.

2008 NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo at the Washington Convention Center

If you'll be in the Washington, D.C. area this weekend, here's an even you'll want to check out. It's the 15th annual NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo, which will take place at the Washington Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, January 12th and 13th. The Expo is FREE and takes place both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 2008 NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo features everything from exhibitions from health-food companies to exercise equipment, as well as demonstrations on cooking, exercise, belly dancing, and much more; plus free health screenings and product giveaways.

You can climb a rock wall, take some shots at an indoor soccer field (for kids), even try out golf and skiing indoors.

Check the Web site for video clips on bone health, prostate exams, kidney disease screening, weight loss, and more.

The cooking demonstrations including everything from Caribbean chicken salad to gumbo, gluten-free snacks, and even chocolate mousse.