Weight Loss Support Group

Photo of Freeway Exit Sign - Healthy LifeIf you’re hoping to lose weight, it’s going to be important to surround yourself with people who can support you during the process. They need to be positive and ready to help, since weight loss is such a big and difficult thing. It’s pretty hard to do it on your own. That’s why so many people are interested in finding a weight loss support group to help them.

A group will help you be accountable. Simply having to talk to other people about your food and exercise choices can make a huge difference in the ones you make. Most of us don’t like having to talk about our bad choices, and that’s often enough to encourage us to make better ones. Find people who will hold you accountable without being unkind or letting you get away with unhealthy practices.

However, there’s more to a good support group than simply accountability. If the people you look to for help are only there to be the calorie cops, something’s wrong. After all, your group will be on the same journey you are. All of you are going to have similar trials and tribulations, and you’ll want to get help from others to get through them.

Your weight loss support group understands what you’re going through, and should be willing to help you through the rough times. They can help you make good food decisions around the holidays, avoid unhealthy restaurant choices, and improve your lifestyle over all. That’s what a good support group is for – to help you get to the end of your weight loss journey as easily as possible. You should be willing to do the same for them.

The main reason to enlist help in your weight loss journey is to find accountability. It often helps just to have to answer to someone else about your food, exercise and weight loss. Emotionally, it helps to have someone who you can relate to and vice versa. It’s also helpful knowing that someone is rooting for you and is there for you whenever you have a triumph or a weak moment.

There are some things to steer clear of, however. People who are jealous of your success and don’t want you to get ahead, people who’ve already lost weight and can’t remember what you’re going through, and people without a positive attitude can all be problematic when it comes to support. You want to identify the people you can’t listen to right away, so you know whose advice to take. Not everyone is going to be as supportive as you need them to be, even if they believe that they’re helping you.

You also need to choose a support group that believes in healthy decisions and is using the right perspective on weight loss. People who obsessively count calories without paying attention to nutrition, people who are overly focused on appearance, and people who aren’t concerned about losing weight the healthy way are all possible problems. It’s important to make sure that your weight loss support group is interested in being as healthy and fit as they can. They’ll help you keep up your good habits, and maybe even develop a few more – in the end, you’ll all feel and look a lot better.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Weight Loss Support for New Moms

Photo of New Mom and BabyIt’s a common, but unwelcome, side effect of having a baby – you put on weight. Often, we find that we’ve put on a little more than we needed while we were pregnant. Losing the baby weight is a priority for so many women, but there’s surprisingly little support out there. Finding weight loss support for new moms can be a really tricky proposition.

It seems like everyone wants to offer weight loss advice, or tell you horror stories, but very few people want to help you stick with it by providing the support you need. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find that kind of support, however. You just have to know where to look and how to ask for it. Here’s a look at finding weight loss support after you’ve had your baby.

First, make sure you’re looking for the right kind of support – you need people who will help you make healthy, smart decisions and stick by them, not people who’ll encourage you when you’re about to make a bad decision or who’ll drag you down. Friends and family are an excellent source of help for many people, but don’t go looking for it if you already know that your husband, parents, or friends are going to be negative about your weight loss. That’ll only make things harder.

Online support groups can help, as well. New moms can find forums and sites targeted toward people just like them, with the same problems and challenges. Just make sure you remember that everyone’s an expert on the Internet – take all advice with a grain of salt and do your own thinking. Advice from people you don’t know can be very helpful, but isn’t always correct.

In person support is also available, in the form of community weight loss groups and other programs. These vary in quality by location and group, but you can always check them out to see what you think. Keep in mind that some groups will charge a fee for membership, which can range from a reasonable one to cover expenses to an unreasonable attempt to make a profit.

The best choice for new moms hoping to lose weight is probably to combine all the different kinds of support they can find. Go online and look for people in your situation to help you get through the rough parts, and to offer advice and understanding, but don’t forget about local support and the help of friends and family. Losing your baby weight isn’t everything, but it can help you feel like your life is getting back to normal.

No matter where you find your support, make sure you’re starting with a healthy eating plan and good lifestyle decisions. You need people who’ll help you back them up, and are willing to understand that you’re in it for more than just weight loss. You need to be in good health in order to be the best mom you can be. Looking great just happens to be a wonderful side effect.

The right weight loss plan, focusing on good, natural foods and eating carefully, combined with a regular exercise program, can help you get rid of that baby fat. The right people can help you stick with those healthy practices until they become lifelong habits. That’s what it takes for new moms to get back in the swing of things. Combine weight loss support for new moms with a healthy plan, and you’ll be surprised by how much better you look and feel.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Using A Calorie Counter for Weight Loss

photo of calories and nutrition information labelWhen it all comes down to it, weight loss is based on calories in, versus calories out.

When we burn more than we eat, we reduce – or at least, that’s how it looks on paper. This is why using a calorie counter for weight loss is such a popular technique. It allows us to boil the complex and confusing process of losing weight down to simple math, but it isn’t right for everyone.

Calorie counting works very well for people who don’t really pay much attention to what they eat. Stopping to count every bite that goes into your mouth can help you learn to pay better attention to your diet. However, it can have some real down sides, as well. There’s a reason that calorie counting is considered a warning sign for some eating disorders – it can trigger anxiety and obsession with food.

Should you use a calorie counter? It all depends on your situation and why you’re overweight. If you’re a habitual boredom eater who doesn’t think much about what you put in your mouth, then taking the time to write it down can be a good idea. If you tend to pile food on your plate without much attention to what makes a real serving, counting may help you, too.

On the other hand, if you already know what you’re eating and make bad choices anyway, counting is just going going to make you feel guilty or obsess over your food. That’s not a healthy, or sustainable option. We need to remember that calorie counting is a means to an end, and that end is healthy choices and a better lifestyle. If you’re counting calories, but those calories are mostly chips, you’re not making the right choices.

That’s why techniques like calorie counting may not work for everyone. People who get caught up in the numbers and don’t look at the big picture may have trouble sticking to their eating plan, or they may fail at losing weight entirely. Without the choice to eat mostly fruits and vegetables, and the right exercise plan, we just don’t do all that well. It’s important to remember that the composition of the calories you take in matters as much as the numbers themselves.

Calorie counting can also get unnecessarily fiddly – who wants to pay attention to whether a light meal has three hundred calories, or three hundred and twelve? This is why there are so many other methods that involve tracking what you eat, but don’t use quite as much meticulous math. We should remember that while it’s a good idea to eat fewer calories than we take in, there’s definitely a little margin for error. Being too worried about doing things “right” is a sure-fire way to become discouraged and stop losing weight.

Using calorie counters for weight loss can work, but you have to make sure you pay attention to all the other factors, as well. Otherwise, you’ll end up feeling nervous about what you’re eating, and you might not even reduce in the long run. Take the time to learn about healthy food and exercise decisions, and make the choices that’ll improve your life for years to come. You’ll be happier, and healthier, even if it doesn’t all come down to the numbers.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Phentermine Diet Pills – The Real Story

picture of Diet Pills on top of calorie listPhentermine diet pills have been a tempting solution for people who want to lose weight for many years. These pills promise fast, easy, effective weight loss. Just take the pill and reduce!

Unfortunately, there’s more to it than meets the eye – here’s what you should know about taking pills to lose weight, and the possible side effects.

Phentermine is a popular ingredient in diet pills. It was initially approved for US markets in 1959, and has been used in several different forms ever since. When combined with fenfluramine, it formed Fen-phen – a weight loss combination that was commonly used in the 1990s, and has been blamed for serious health issues. Some diet pills have even caused death.

Fen-phen has since been taken off the market in most areas, since it’s been proven to cause heart problems. The risk of pulmonary hypertension and heart valve issues from these diet pills is quite high, and about thirty percent of ex-users of these pills have permanent heart damage. Many are sueing the companies that produced these pills – settlements have ranged from around five thousand US dollars to over two hundred thousand.

Phentermine alone isn’t as dangerous as Fen-phen, but almost no clinical studies have been performed since it was initially approved. Phentermine is similar to many amphetamines, and is classified as a controlled substance in many countries – internationally, it’s a schedule IV drug. It can still be obtained via a prescription, through the gray market, or in countries that don’t control it.

If you have an allergy to pseudoephedrine or similar drugs, are taking any other diet pills, take an MOAI, or have high blood pressure, you shouldn’t use phentermine. You should also avoid it if you suffer from anxiety or have ever had a drug problem, or you’re pregnant or breast feeding. If you have diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart problems, or you’re taking any other drugs, you need to discuss these diet pills with your doctor first.

Side effects of diet pills with phentermine include a faster heart rate, high blood pressure, insomnia, restlessness, and heart palpatations. Some people also become physically or mentally addicted to the drug. You might feel nervous, irritable, or clumsy, and you might have gastro-intestinal problems from taking these diet pills, as well. Some people have changes in libido, feel confused, or get serious headaches from taking phentermine, too.

Are diet pills really worth it? They do cause weight loss – while you’re taking them – but that weight often comes back, and it brings along some extra. Plus, while you’re using them, they can cause all kinds of side effects. Phentermine alone hasn’t been proven to have long lasting health effects, but we also don’t have much evidence for its safety.

Another option is to make healthier decisions that’ll lead to weight loss and feeling better in the long run. Instead of suppressing your appetite with controlled substances, why not pick up a weight loss plan that promotes healthy eating, regular exercise, and better lifestyle choice? You’ll feel and look a lot better, and you’ll know that the weight will stay off. Skip the phentermine diet pills and make smart choices that’ll help you lose weight the healthy way – you’ll thank yourself in the future.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Weight Loss Surgery Facts And Factors

Graphic of Lap Band SurgeryAs we grow more concerned with weight and weight loss, an increasing number of people are turning to bariatric surgery in the hopes that it’ll help them reduce weight. However, weight loss surgery is anything but the quick fix some medical practitioners are marketing it as. It’s a serious and significant change to your body that can be dangerous. While this type of surgery can be a huge help to some, it’s definitely not the right choice for everyone.

Here’s what you need to know.

Bariatric surgery has traditionally been performed to help people who are considered to be dangerously obese reduce their size to one that’s less hazardous. There are three main methods of doing this: gastric banding (the use of an implanted device to reduce stomach size), gastric bypass (re-routing the small intestines to a small pouch) and removing part of the stomach entirely. These procedures reduce the amount you’re able to eat and prevent our bodies from absorbing all the nutrients from the food we eat.

Long term studies on bariatric surgery tell us that people who recieve this procedure do lose weight in the long term and usually live about twenty-three to forty percent longer. However, the US National Institute of Health says you shouldn’t get this surgery unless your BMI is at least 40 or more, unless you have a life threatening condition. You should also have tried nearly all other methods to help you reduce your weight before you consider having part of a major organ removed.

Patients who have bariatric surgery can eat only clear liquids immediately after surgery, and have to stay on that diet until their bodies have healed. Then next stage is a pureed diet that involves no sugar, and after that, extremely small meals and a low carb, low fat diet must be observed. People who’ve had this surgery must change their diet, or risk nausea, vomiting, and other problems. They also have to take daily vitamins because of their reduced vitamin absorption.

Complications from bariatric surgery happen routinely. About a quarter of patients who undergo this kind of surgery have complications during their hospital stay, and a little less than half have problems in the six months afterward. Only about two tenths of one percent die, however. Most other complications are repairable, but may require additional surgery – some people may have to have a revision to reverse the surgery or redo it.

For people who’ve tried everything else, and whose weight is starting to seriously threaten their lives and health in the short term, bariatric surgery may be a necessary choice. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for those who are merely overweight or obese – better lifestyle habits can often make the difference. Simply learning to eat and exercise in a healthy, sustainable way can cause big changes.

Should you consider weight loss surgery? There’s a chance it might be the right choice for you, but it’s best to try all your other options first. After all, this kind of surgery is a major change, can be quite expensive, and comes with significant risks and inconveniences afterward. Bariatric surgery is anything but a quick fix for people who have other weight loss options, even if their doctors are willing to prescribe it.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Weight Loss Diets – Eating Healthy Is The Answer

Picture of tape measure around letters spelling dietThe world is full of many different weight loss diets and products – as you probably already know, if you’ve been dealing with weight problems for any time at all.

You’re probably also aware of how many of these diets simply don’t work. They make big claims, but they don’t deliver results. You might be worried that nothing will work for you, or convinced that you’ll be overweight for the rest of your life.

After all, if you’ve used the diets and plans that have helped your friends and family, but haven’t gotten good results, it can be pretty discouraging. However, what you need to realize is that weight loss can be remarkably simple, as long as you keep your expectations reasonable and don’t buy into the hype. Remember – the weight loss industry is out to make money.

That means that they benefit when we don’t lose weight, or when we lose it and get it right back. They don’t really get much out of encouraging healthy behaviors and long term weight loss. That’s why almost no one who loses weight actually keeps the weight off for five years or more. Most diets simply don’t encourage good health or sustainable loss, because that’s not profitable.

Different people have different bodies, and none of us work quite the same. That means that, for some of us, losing weight can be a lot more difficult than it is for others. Most of us don’t have the genetic makeup to look like models, and that’s okay. We can still become thinner and healthier by using the right strategies.

Some of what dictates our bodies’ reaction to food is genetic. Some of it is based on our habits. If you’re used to eating a lot of heavy, processed carbs and not many vegetables, it may take a while for your body to get used to processing healthier food. However, it’s worth it in the long run, since it’ll help you feel better and live longer.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you haven’t been able to lose weight, the problem is solely due to a lack of willpower. It’s true that many people don’t have good habits – in fact, that’s probably most of us. But self-deprivation isn’t actually the best way to become thinner and healthier. Don’t think that you need to turn to really severe, extremely restrictive diets in order to lose weight – just start using common sense.

Choose a diet plan that’s soundly built on good scientific information and which promotes health, not bad habit. Avoid anything that promises unrealistic results – no good weight loss product can really work in just a few weeks. If it does, it’s using methods that will deprive your body of essential vitamins, encourage it to break down muscle, and bring the fat right back once you resume eating the old way.

Diet smart – look at what works for you and what doesn’t – not what a self-proclaimed expert tells you will work. Make your decisions based on your body, your experiences, and what we know about better health. The result will be a weight loss diet that can help you reduce, look and feel great, and avoid becoming unhealthy. It may not be a quick fix, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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Safe Weight Loss – Reducing Weight Without Hurting Your Health

Photograph of Couple exercising - Safe Weight LossThere are people all over the world looking for a way to lose weight. However, many of the most popular plans and programs aren’t a good choice – at least, not if you want to stay healthy. Bad diet plans don’t provide safe weight loss, and can cause real health issues later on.

The side effects of a badly planned weight loss program can be significant. Most people gain the weight back, plus a few pounds, and they may find that their metabolism has been affected for good. When we engage in severe restriction to help us lose weight, we’re really teaching our bodies that we’re starving and need to conserve resources.

That encourages our metabolism to slow down, our weight loss to plateau, and our bodies to start feeding off muscle instead of fat. Many people lose weight, but discover that their endurance and strength are reduced, since what they lost was muscle mass, not fat. In severe cases, the heart muscle can even be affected.

An imbalanced diet may make you feel tired and listless while you’re on it, can cause vitamin deficiencies, and may make your skin, nails and hair feel dry and brittle. Unfortunately, many weight loss plans are based on just a few foods, and will not provide the nutrients your body needs. If you see a weight loss diet that encourages you to eat just one or two things, or cut out whole nutrient groups, something may be wrong.

So, what should you look for? A good weight loss plan needs to be one that you and your body can sustain. If the very thought of eating the way the diet suggests fills you with dread, it’s not the right choice. Your body is telling you something!

Sustainable plans will be put together to offer a good nutrient balance and plenty of interesting foods to keep you going. They won’t label particular foods as “good” or “evil.” Instead, they’ll encourage you to eat more healthy foods and only very small amounts of low quality ones. They’ll also include exercise programs and other health improving actions – you can’t get healthy if you don’t deal with your whole body.

Simply put, a real, healthy weight loss plan is going to be one you can keep using in the long term, because that’s what it takes to lose weight and keep it off. If you drop a few pounds on a diet, then return to eating the way you always have, you can bet that the weight will come back. In fact, it might bring some friends along for the ride, if you’ve slowed your metabolism through unwise dieting.

Remember – crash dieting is one of the most unhealthy things you can do, and it can reduce your lifespan almost as much as being obese. Your body just isn’t built to take that kind of starvation eating.

The good news is that you don’t have to use bizarre or restrictive methods to lose weight. Just eat smart, know what’s really healthy and what isn’t, and start practicing good health behaviors – you’ll be amazed by how much better you feel, and how easily the fat starts to melt away. For the vast majority of us, weight loss isn’t a secret or even very difficult. Safe weight loss can be remarkably easy, and help us live a lot better and longer.

For more information about our free Daily Weight Loss Support email program, click here to get the facts.

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An Introduction To Anti-Obesity Medications

Anti-obesity medication or weight loss drugs refer to all pharmacological agents that reduce or control weight. These drugs alter one of the fundamental processes of the human body, weight regulation, by either altering appetite, metabolism, or absorption of calories. It is common for them to be tried and if there is little or no benefit from them to discontinue treatment. The main treatment modalities for overweight and obesity are dieting and physical exercise.

Because of potential side effects, it is recommended that anti-obesity drugs only be prescribed for obesity where it is hoped that the benefits of the treatment outweigh its risks.

How These Medications Work

Anti-obesity drugs operate through one or more of the following mechanisms:

* Suppression of the appetite. Catecholamines and their derivatives (such as amphetamine-based drugs) are the main tools used for this. Drugs blocking the cannabinoid receptors may be a future strategy for appetite suppression.

* Increase of the body’s metabolism.

* Interference with the body’s ability to absorb specific nutrients in food. For example, Orlistat (also known as Xenical and AllÄ«) blocks fat breakdown and thereby prevents fat absorption. The OTC fiber supplements glucomannan and guar gum have been used for the purpose of inhibiting digestion and lowering caloric absorption

Anorectics are primarily intended to suppress the appetite, but most of the drugs in this class also act as stimulants (dexedrine, e.g.), and patients have abused drugs “off label” to suppress appetite (e.g. digoxin).

Other weight loss drugs have also been associated with medical complications, such as fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve damage due to Redux and Fen-phen, and hemorrhagic stroke due phenylpropanolamine. Many of these substances are related to amphetamine.

Unresearched nonprescription products or programs for weight loss are heavily promoted by mail and print advertising and on the internet. The US Food and Drug Administration recommends caution with use of these products, since many of the claims of safety and effectiveness are unsubstantiated. Individuals with anorexia nervosa and some athletes try to control body weight with laxatives, diet pills or diuretic drugs, although these generally have no impact on body fat. Products that work as a laxative can cause the blood’s potassium level to drop, which may cause heart and/or muscle problems. Pyruvate is a popular product that may result in a small amount of weight loss. However, pyruvate, which is found in red apples, cheese, and red wine, has not been thoroughly studied and its weight loss potential has not been scientifically established.

Side effects

Some anti-obesity drugs have severe or life-threatening side effects, fen-phen being a famous example. These side effects are often associated with their mechanism of action. In general, stimulants carry a risk of high blood pressure, faster heart rate, palpitations, closed-angle glaucoma, drug addiction, restlessness, agitation, and insomnia.

Another drug, orlistat, blocks absorption of dietary fats, and as a result may cause oily spotting bowel movements (steatorrhea), oily stools, stomach pain, and flatulence. A similar medication, designed for patients with Type 2 diabetes, is Acarbose which partially blocks absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine, and produces similar side effects including stomach pain, and flatulence.

Limitations of current knowledge

The limitation of drugs for obesity is that we do not fully understand the neural basis of appetite and how to modulate it. Appetite is clearly a very important instinct to promote survival. Arguably any drug that would abolish appetite may carry a high mortality risk and may be unsuitable for clinical use.

Because the human body uses various chemicals and hormones to protect its stores of fat (a reaction probably useful to our ancestors when food was scarce in the past,) there has not yet been found a ’silver bullet’, or a way to completely circumvent this natural habit of protecting excess food stores. Because of this, anti-obesity drugs are not a practical long-term solution for people who are overweight.

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The Healthy Food Pyramid – What’s Good For You?

The healthy eating pyramid is a nutrition guide developed by the Harvard School of Public Health, suggesting how much of each food category one should eat each day. The healthy eating pyramid is intended to provide a better eating guide than the widespread food guide pyramid created by the USDA.

The new pyramid aims to include the most current research in dietary health not present in the USDA’s 1992 guide. The original USDA pyramid has been criticized for not differentiating between refined grains and whole grains, between saturated fats and unsaturated fats, and for not putting enough emphasis on exercise and weight control. It also had been developed by the Department of Agriculture, not the Department of Health and Human Services, so has been alleged to be influenced by lobbyists working for the agriculture, meat and dairy industries. This accusation is somewhat substantiated by the often larger portions in USDA recommendations relative to World Health Organization and NHS recommendations.

Food groups

A healthy eating pyramid similar to that of the Harvard School of Public Health

In general terms, the healthy eating pyramid recommends the following intake of different food groups each day, although exact amounts of calorie intake depends on sex, age, and lifestyle:

* Daily exercise and weight control

* At most meals, whole grain foods including oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice;1 piece or 4 oz (~113.4g).

* Plant oils, including olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and sunflower seed oil; 2 oz. (~56.7g) per day

* Vegetables, in abundance 3 or more each day. Each serv. 6 oz (~170g).

* 2-3 servings of fruits; Ea. serv. = 1 piece of fruit or 4 oz (~113.4g).

* 1-3 servings of nuts, or legumes; Ea. serv. = 2 oz (~56.7g).

* 1-2 servings of dairy or calcium supplement; Ea serv. = 8 oz. (~226.8g) non fat or 4 oz. (~113.4g) of whole.

* 1-2 servings of poultry, fish, or eggs; Ea. serv = 4 oz (~113.4g) or 1 egg.

* Sparing use of white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets;

* Sparing use of red meat and butter.

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Misconceptions About The Atkins Diet

Many people incorrectly believe that the Atkins Diet promotes eating unlimited amounts of fatty meats and cheeses. This is a key point of clarification that Dr. Atkins addressed in the more recent revisions of his book. Although the Atkins Diet does not impose caloric restriction, or definite limits on proteins, Dr. Atkins points out in his book that this plan is “not a license to gorge.” The director of research and education for Atkins Nutritionals, Collette Heimowitz, has said, “The media and opponents of Atkins often sensationalise and simplify the diet as the all-the-steak-you-can-eat diet. This has never been true.”

Another common misconception arises from confusion between the Induction Phase and rest of the diet. The first two weeks of the Atkins Diet are strict, with only 20g of carbohydrates permitted per day. Atkins states that a dieter can safely stay at the Induction Phase for several months if the person has a lot of weight to lose. Induction, however, is merely a stage to get the body used to fat, and cure cravings for unacceptable foods. Gradually, carbohydrate levels are raised to slow weight loss and add more acceptable foods (berries, more dairy, nuts, etc.), though carbs are still significantly below USDA norms. Once the weight-loss goal is reached, carbohydrate levels are raised again to a state of equilibrium where no weight is lost or gained, which may or may not be below USDA norms, depending on the individual’s metabolism, age, and their exercise level.

For more Myths (and Truths) About the Atkins Diet, visit their website:

http://www.atkins.com/Library/TruthsandMyths.aspx

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