Here are some quick highlights from a number of cool, new studies on the weight loss front:

• High intensity aerobic exercise is effective for reshaping body contour. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Oct 08).  If you want to “spot” reduce your waistline, high intensity workouts appear to do the trick.  Spinning has definitely changed mine.
• People who eat fast and until they are “full” eat more, weigh more, and are 3 times more likely to be overweight than those who eat slowly and stop before they are “full” (British Medical Journal, Oct 08).  No big surprise, but a good reminder to slow down and control the amount of food that goes on your plate.
• Overweight adults who included 8 oz of reduced sodium vegetable juice as part of a heart-healthy, calorie restricted diet lost 4 pounds over the 12 week study period, while those, who followed the very same diet sans vegetable juice, lost only 1 pound (Experimental Biology Meeting – New Orleans, Apr 09).  Low sodium vegetable tomato juice is also a quick and easy way to boost your intake of key nutrients, like vitamins C and potassium along with those awesome phytochemicals.
• Sedentary, healthy women who embarked on an exercise regime were able to burn more fat after a low-glycemic, high fiber breakfast versus a high-glycemic, low fiber breakfast that had the exact same number of calories and macronutrient make-up. (The Journal of Nutrition, May 09)  This is an excellent scientific example of the reality that a calorie is not a calorie.  Hormonal and metabolic responses vary depending on the qualitative aspects of a calorie.  You will have a healthier metabolism if you choose low-glycemic, high fiber foods.
• An overweight population puts enormous stress on the environment. Food production is second only to transportation as the leading contributor to greenhouse gases and the heavier a population, the more food they eat and require.  Additionally, more energy is required to transport heavy people.  An obese population of 1 billion folks will emit 1,000 million tons more CO2 equivalents from transportation yearly than a lean population.  (International Journal of Epidemiology, Apr 09)  I am at a loss at how the food and agricultural industry have not been fingered repeatedly for producing so much more food than we require given the profound damage it imparts to the environment and to our health.