Before you head on to the doctor to get a Generic Phentermine prescription, and especially if you’re already dieting, consider this – fiber adds bulk to your diet. Because it absorbs water, which expands your stomach, fiber helps to make you feel fuller faster and longer after a meal. Obviously, this will help to curb overeating and possible weight gain.

What are some good sources of fiber? Brown rice, nuts, peas, beans, fruit, cloudy fruit juices, vegetables and vegetable juice. So, what are you waiting for, get some fiber going in that diet!

According to the findings of a recent research study, when college students watch a movie and snack with either a skinny or overweight (fat) friend, the students typically followed the thin friend’s lead when she overindulged. And, on the contrary, students showed more self-control when snacking with a bigger / heavier companion who overate.

Thus, it was safe to conclude, that skinny friends may actually cause you to eat more, and of course, gain weight. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Consumer Research, and suggest that seeing a skinny friend eat a big meal basically gives implicit permission for one to do the same.

How was the study conducted? 210 female college students were recruited for what the participants believed was a study on movie viewing; each woman watched a movie with a companion – who was actually a member of the research team. In some instances, the researcher showed up as her normal 105 lb self, while in other instances, she wore padding that made her appear to be obese. During the movie, the movie-watchers were offered snacks, with the undercover researcher taking her portion first.

Dr. Brent McFerran, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, Canada who led the study, suggested that instead of looking at a thin friend who is gorging on dessert and feeling permission to do the same, we should remind ourselves that all individuals are different – with different metabolisms and exercise habits. Thus he said, you should focus on your own goal of healthy eating, rather than automatically mimicking a friend.

A recent study has offered some clues on how to get diet benefits without actually dieting.

British researchers found that by removing a gene that’s linked to nutrients and growth, mice were able to live 20 percent longer (on average), and thus partly explains why eating less appears to improve health and increase longevity.

The ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 (S6K1) gene is the specific gene in question here, and researchers found that removing S6K1 meant the mice’s bodies behaved in a similar way to mammals whose calorie intake is restricted.

Most calorie restriction studies in the past have found that a lifetime of deprivation is needed in order to achieve the longer-life benefits, and many researchers are now said to be working on ways to replicate the findings with drugs.

So maybe one day soon we will be able to get the benefits of dieting, without actually needing to go on the diet – just have the S6K1 gene removed!

We all want to lose weight FAST, and as tempting as immediate results might be, weight loss on the scales is not always what it seems. Fast weight loss is often water weight loss, not true weight loss. It is important to understand that any water weight that is lost will come right back as soon as you “rehydrate”.

How to tell if you’re losing weight the healthy way (by reducing your fat stores) rather than dehydrating yourself:

• Any diet promising that you will “lose 10 pounds in one week!” (or 20 lbs) should probably have in the fine print that you’re likely to regain it the following week.
• Watch the rate at which the scale changes as you lose weight. If you lose more than 2 lbs in a week, chances are that more than 60% of what you’ve lost is actually water, and maybe even some much-needed muscle tissue. Unfortunately, you’ll gain it all back once you start eating normally again – because the body needs to maintain a certain level of hydration in order to function properly.

More on fat loss vs. water weight loss soon!