Toni Braxton, 44, has battled microvascular angina (vein complications), breast cancer and is now battling lupus.  Despite these health challenges, she has maintained one of the best bodies in the industry.

The Braxton Family Values reality star shared a snapshot of her daily diet and exercise regimen with OK Magazine.  See below:

BREAKFAST
FATS 2g CARBS 66g PROTEIN 6g 281 CALS
“I had fruit — I eat an orange and an apple every day— and a piece of toast. And I had tea; I’m a tea girl.”

LUNCH
FATS 24g CARBS 55g PROTEIN 55g 656 CALS
“I like a tuna sandwich and a small bag of chips,” says Toni. “I think it’s important to eat well, but you have to give your body some rewards for doing a great job and being disciplined… but in moderation.”

SNACK FATS 1g CARBS 65g PROTEIN 5g 258 CALS
“I had an orange. I love citrus. I had oranges three or four times during the day. Protein’s really important for me, but I think it’s really important to mix up the fruit and vegetables.”

DINNER FATS 69g CARBS 45g PROTEIN 41g 818 CALS
“I had a Greek salad. I added some slices of beef, which is really delicious. I teach my kids that too much fast food is too much, so I limit that. And I tell them to drink water.”

EXERCISE Duration : 60 MINS Cals burned: 362 cals
“You can find me on my elliptical at home. Other days, I’m on my cycling bike. I also love my Zumba fitness DVDs.”

OVERALL TOTAL FATS 96g CARBS 231g PROTEIN 107g 1,651 CALS

Sugar is the bastard child of cocaine.

Sugar addiction is a real.  And consumption of too much sugar leads to serious weight gain.  Below, I included 10 tips from Dr. Mark Hyman on curbing your sugar cravings.  I also mixed in a few of my own recommedations.  Check them out below:

1.  Eat a nutritious breakfast with some protein like eggs, or nut butters. Studies repeatedly show that eating a healthy breakfast helps people maintain weight loss.

2.  Also, have smaller meals throughout the day. Eat every 3-4 hours and have some protein with each snack or meal (lean animal protein, nuts, seeds, beans).

3.  Avoid eating 3 hours before bedtime. 

4.  Eliminate sugar *AND* artificial sweeteners and your cravings will go away.  Yes, artificial sugars such as Stevia and Splenda make you crave real sugar. Also, eliminate refined sugars, sodas, fruit juices, and artificial sweeteners from your diet. These are all drugs that will fuel cravings.

5.  Determine if hidden food allergies are triggering your cravings. We often crave the very foods that we have a hidden allergy to.   (See an allergist.)

6.  Get 7-8 hours of sleep. Research shows that lack of sleep increases cravings.  (If you a person that exercises regularly 9-10 hours of sleep is needed.)

7.  Optimize your intake of vitamin D: When Vitamin D levels are low, the hormone that helps turn off your appetite doesn’t work and people feel hungry all the time, no matter how much they eat.  If you are Vitamin D deficient, you may need the prescription form.  The over-the-counter stuff doesn’t do much.

8.  Optimize omega 3s: Low levels of omega three fatty acids are involved in normal brain cell function, insulin control and inflammation.  Instead of supplements, focus on getting omega 3s from whole foods such as salmon, flax seed, almonds and tuna. 

9.  High-glycemic carbohydrates cause a large amount of sugar to release quickly into your body. Examples include waffles, doughnuts, bread, potato chips, rice, and corn chips.  This creates the feeling of a “sugar high” and then “sugar low,” where there is a rise and subsequent fall in blood glucose levels. This leaves you craving the energy of the “sugar high” once again.  Focus on eating lean animal protein and vegetables instead.

10.  I am opposed to taking supplements, but Dr. Hyman recommends taking natural supplements for cravings control. Glutamine, tyrosine, 5-HTP are amino acids that help reduce cravings. Stress reducing herbs such as Rhodiola can help. Chromium balances blood sugar and can help take the edge off cravings. Glucomannan fiber is very helpful to reduce the spikes in sugar and insulin that drive cravings and hunger.

Levi has created a new ad campaign “Hotness Comes in All Sizes.”  

Um, I left my eyeglasses on the dresser this morning…so correct me if I’m wrong…but aren’t all of these women about the same size?  I had to do a double take to make sure each of them weren’t the same person. 

Most of the waists and asses look the same. 

“Levi’s could have easily shown a short woman, a truly curvy woman, a tall skinny woman, and done a better job of demonstrating the four different waist-hip-thigh profiles for their jeans.

They wanted to communicate that their jeans are”sized for everyone,” but the models in the pictures are even skinnier than the average woman.”

TODAY’s nutritionist Joy Bauer welcomes the newest member of the Joy Fit club, Liana Sims, a youth pastor from Los Angeles who dropped 180 pounds after she started exercising, eating healthier and realizing she could overcome her battle with weight.  Checkout the video below:

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I didn’t think anyone believed Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe really lost weight using TrimSpa, but I guess I was wrong.  TrimSpa has generated $45 million in revenue since the Kardashians signed on as spokespersons in 2009.

Now however, Kim and Khloe face a possible class-action lawsuit over their diet product QuickTrim, which detractors say contains high levels of caffeine.

The law firm Bursor & Fisher is preparing a suit against TrimSpa and the marketing claims made by the Kardashians. An e-mail it sent to product users included a link to the firm’s Web site, which states, “The active ingredient in QuickTrim weight loss products is a large dose of caffeine . . . The FDA has determined that caffeine is not safe or effective for weight loss.”

Also, Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a physician at Georgetown University Medical Center, warned in 2010 that QuickTrim contains large amounts of caffeine. She said, “They’re not saying how much caffeine is in these pills. Too much caffeine can make you jittery and increase your blood pressure and pulse. If you pop a couple of these pills with your Starbucks . . . you could get caffeine poisoning, which can cause heart arrhythmias.” Reps for the Kardashians and Windmill didn’t get back to us.

Adele recently shared that due to an absent alcoholic father, her mother was left to put food on the table. Her mother worked as a masseuse, furniture maker and office administrator. Adele attended ten schools as they moved from apartment to apartment in London.

Humble beginnings: The photo on the right is of the flat (apartment) above a South London bargain shop where Adele used to live with her mother.  Checkout the photos below of Adele’s recently home…palace:

 Singer Adele recently gave a tour of her new home to Anderson Cooper for the news show 60 Minutes.  Complete with a brace of swimming pools — inside and out — the sprawling $6 million estate is set in 25 acres of prime West Sussex pasture, along with tennis courts and a self-contained staff cottage.

 A little while ago my weight loss took an intermission.  I upped the ante on cardio and strength training.  Hired an overpriced personal trainer. 

I even followed the advice of a random stranger on a fitness forum that suggested I end my consumption of caffeine, sugar and dairy.  And I even almost started to believe the, “You’re just getting older and your metabolism is slowing down” comments from friends who were as much of a doctor as Dr. Seuss.  Despite the changes to my diet and exercise regimen, the numbers on the scale would not budge.

So, in an age where so many of us (me included) attempt to self-diagnose via Google and WebMD, I did something completely revolutionary.

I went to see a doctor.

Say hello to endocrinologist Dr. Michael J. West, MD, PhD of the Washington Endocrine Clinic.  Dr. West completed his fellowship training in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.  Below, I included a brief Q & A with Dr. West and what we found out about me after blood work and a 24-hour urine test!
 

First thing’s first, what is an endocrinologist?

Endocrinologist are a type of internal medicine doctor that specialize in disorders of the endocrine glands which are glands that secrete some type of hormone like insulin or growth hormones that helps our body regulate themselves and supports metabolism such as thyroid hormone.
 

If a person believes that they are experiencing an explained weight loss freeze, what should be their first step?
They probably should see their general doctor first, and discuss with their general doctor the option of getting a second opinion from an endocrinologist.

Outside of people hitting an exercise plateau or improper diet, what are some other possible reasons for a weight loss freeze?

From an endocrine standpoint, they could have a disorder of several endocrine glands.  One of which is the thyroid, a very commonly disordered gland in a lot of people, both men and women.  An under-active thyroid can promote weight retention and inability to burn calories, mainly through slowing metabolism.

Have certain vitamin deficiencies been linked to weight loss stalls, for example Vitamin-D and Iron?

There is an indirect relationship.  If you think about it from the standpoint of having enough energy to the exercise in the first place.  People with Vitamin D deficiency have increased fatigue and joint pain so they may not want to exercise as much as a person who has a good level of Vitamin D.  Therefore, that could indirectly contribute to them being a couch potato and gaining weight.

Iron deficiency is the same concept.   Iron deficiency causes anemia and if you have a significant amount of iron deficiency that leads to a low enough drop in your blood count your gonna have less oxygen capacity in the blood . 

Does a person just need to get more sun, drink fortified milk and/or get over-the-counter Vitamin D if testing shows that they are Vitamin-D deficient?

 If lab testing reveals that an individual is Vitamin-D deficient, the prescription form is usually needed to treat. 

Thanks to Dr. West and his super friendly staff  (hey Ken & Dena!!!), lab testing revealed that my metabolic glands are functioning properly.  However, tests did show that I am super-duper Vitamin-D and iron deficient.  (My mom says I’ve been iron deficient since I was a baby/kid.)

Maybe it is all in my head, but since I began taking the iron and Vitamin-D prescriptions as recommended by Dr. West, I feel like I have more gusto on the treadmill!

For more information on Dr. Michael J. West and the Washington Endocrine Clinic please visit:  http://www.washingtonendocrineclinic.com

I’ve watched mothers do this for young children.  Take half of a regular juice drink and dilute it with half water.

Now PepsiCo, America’s largest food and beverage company is doing the same with Trop50, a line of juices that’s diluted with water to make it lower in calories than traditional juice.

But is it really healthy?  Trop50 Orange, the original flavor, is just 42 percent orange juice. 

The marketing for Trop50 juices boasts “No artificial sweeteners. However, it is sweetened with PureVia; which is extracted from the stevia plant.  Sure, this juice isn’t sweetened with “artificial sweeteners.” But unlike pure orange juice, it is sweetened with something that’s not naturally found in orange juice.

The Verdict

Twenty five Huffington Post editors blind-tasted the two juices, side by side, and (drumroll) …

• 92 percent of our tasters were able to clearly identify that Trop50 was the low-calorie juice.
• 94 percent of our tasters preferred the classic Tropicana Pure Premium.

Here’s what our tasters thought:

Trop50: “Tastes like Tang.” “I called it before I even tasted it! It has a lighter color.” “It’s not as good, but I would still drink this.” “This tastes like Sunny D.” “Tastes watered down. It’s closer to a soft drink than juice.” “There’s a very strong artificial sweet flavor — almost offensively sweet.”

IN SUMMARY: Trop50 in no way tastes like the real thing, but if you’re trying to lose a few pounds it’s a palatable juice drink (unless you’re super sensitive to sweeteners, in which case you may want to steer clear). If you’re a picky OJ drinker, stick with the Tropicana Pure Premium.

If weight loss is your goal, stick to water.  I have no sympathy for people that say, “I can’t drink just water.”

Huffington Post

She also shared what influenced her decision to undergo weight loss surgery:

“I couldn’t walk the stairs,” she said. “I couldn’t walk the airport length without having to stop and catch my breath. My greatest fear was that I would die I my apartment alone from a stroke or a heart attack – too big to get to the phone. And I made up my mind that whatever it took, I was gonna lose that weight.”

Despite losing a substantial amount of weight over the years, Jones was faced with another health problem. 

She was diagnosed with heart disease in January of 2010 and doctors recommended she have surgery to repair a malfunctioning aortic valve and to drain fluid that had been building up around her heart.

The surgery was a success. But Jones felt she had a duty to warn women about the disease that almost killed her. She’s teamed up with the American Heart Association to try to spread the word.  Checkout video of the full interview below:

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If there were a diet that promised a person could lose 100-pounds in a month, but the diet caused left eye blindness, kidney malfunction and required the person to give-up their child’s college fund…people would still do it.

Many are obsessed with weight loss; and could care less about their overall health.  The latest example of this is the hCg diet; which is nothing but a starvation diet.  You’ve likely received spam messages on Facebook or in your email about hCg.

What is the hCG diet?         

The hCG diet combines extreme calorie restriction with daily shots of a hormone produced by pregnant women called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).

How much can you eat on the hCG diet?

Very little. The hCG diet requires that you eat only 500 calories a day. You would hit your daily limit with one turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese and mayo.

Calling Foul on the hCG Diet

The Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that hCG is neither safe nor effective as a weight-loss aid.  The United States Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged that the hCG drug is fraudulent and ineffective for weight loss

Do People Lose Weight on hCG?

The weight loss indicated by individuals on an “hCG diet” can be attributed entirely to the fact that such diets prescribe a consumption rate of 500-550 calorie per day…starvation!

Infection

The hcg hormone must be mixed at home and injected into a large muscle, preferably those in the gluteus. Improper intramuscular injection can lead to infection, necrosis or cellulitis, according to the American Journal of Nursing. Cellulitis and abscesses are infections caused by the injection itself; you must use a new, sterile needle for each injection. Necrosis is tissue death that can occur from constant irritation of the same injection site or uncared for infections.

Nerve Damage

Poor injection technique can lead to neuropathies, or nerve pains in the large nerves of the legs. The nerve branches controlling sensation and movement of the legs run through the buttocks. You need anatomical understanding to steer clear of these nerves. Nerve damage can also happen to superficial nerves at the injection site and lead to constant pain and discomfort in the buttocks.

Headache and Mood Swings

Injections of hcg can lead to multiple nervous system symptoms including headache and mood swings, reports Drugs.com. The FDA warns that fatigue and depression are also common side effects of hcg. Drugs.com warns that severe dizziness or a constant headache may be signs of a serious adverse reaction to hcg and must be reported to a health care provider immediately.

Ovarian Complications

The ovaries are two small, almond-shaped organs that produce eggs and regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle and hormones. Hcg has a direct impact on these organs and injections of the hormone can disrupt their function. Drugs.com warns that you can develop the potentially life-threatening OHSS, or ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This syndrome can cause severe pelvic pain, swelling in the abdomen, hands and feet, and shortness of breath. The FDA also warns that ovarian enlargement is another side effect of hcg injections.

Below, I collected a few video interviews of Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, Monica, Brandy and Whitney’s good friend Kim Burrell and others sharing their thoughts on Whitney’s passing. 

I also included Jennifer Hudson’s beautiful rendition of “I Will Always Love You” performed in honor of Whitney at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.  Checkout the videos below:

Gospel Singer Kim Burrell Remembers Whitney Houston

Amber Riley of GLEE singing “I Will Always Love You”

Fantasia

Earlier this week, Monica paid tribute to Whitney singing, “You Give Good Love.”

Aretha Franklin paid tribute to Whitney at a recent concert in North Carolina

Janet Jackson Remembers Whitney Houston

Monica and Brandy Talk About Whitney Houston

Jennifer Hudson pays tribute to Whitney at the 2012 Grammy Awards

Chaka Khan shares her thoughts on the events that lead up to Whitney’s death with CNN’s Piers Morgan’s.

The new HBO Documentary “The Loving Story” premieres tonight February 14th, 9PM.  The film tells the dramatic story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple living in Caroline County, Virginia in the 1950′s and their landmark Supreme Court Case, Loving v. Virginia, that changed history.   Checkout the HBO trailer and ABC New Coverage below:

Our do, Loving v. Virginia, that changed history.

Mildred Loving holds a photo of her husband Richard as a young man.    The Lovings’ children stand in the background: (from left to right) Sidney, Donald, and Peggy, holding her son Mark. Richard died in a 1975 automobile accident that left Mildred blind in one eye; she died in 2008.

Mildred and Richard Loving’s grandson, Mark Loving (left), and his children, Lanadia (left), 10, Nariyah (center), 8, Mark II (right), 14, and Iziah, 2, attend the HBO screening. (Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi/The Free Lance-Star)

Most people turn to artificial sweeteners for the sweetness of sugar in many common foods, but without the unnecessary calories.  Folks want to have their cake, and eat it too –literally.

Artificial sweeteners are often, many times sweeter than sugar, but contain few, if any calories. Sugar on the other hand, most often gets packed away into our fat cells, as there is only so much that our cells need or can store in their short-term reserves.

Another reason why some people look toward artificial sweeteners is because they may have diabetes and must avoid increasing their blood-sugar.

Whether it is weight loss or diabetes, instead of sugar substitutes, you should focus on controlling your sweet cravings all together.   Once I stopped eating sweet tasting foods from both natural and artificial sugar…it was as if my craving for sweets was gone.

Eating sweet foods, whether it is from natural sugar or sugar substitutes, just makes the body crave more sugar…and in some cases real sugar.

For those that still choose to use artificial sweeteners, I included a breakdown below:

Singer Christinia Milian wins the award for getting back in shape post-pregnancy.

Singer Ashanti.  (Where art thou?)

Tennis star Serena Williams.   (Serena has a few other body parts that deserve a best award too!)

Rapper Trina.  (Don’t tell anyone, I sang and rapped her entire verse from “You Know Naan” while on the treadmill today.  “…about five or six best friends…and you know naan.  Really Trina?

Of course Queen Bey! 

Amber Rose, not exactly a fan of those that become celebs based off who they sleep with…but her body is pretty dope.

Singer Rihanna.  (Randomness, I am really starting to feel her music.  Even on Tuesdays, I’m humming “Cheers to the freakin’ weekend.”)

Singer Mya (she’s from DC!)  Although maybe not as toned, a lot of DC girls are built like her.  Small on top and hippy below.  May not be true, just my observation;-)

Ultimate Merger Star and Former Top Model Contestant Toccara Jones

Source: Bossip

Today Wendy Williams shared a heartfelt connection to Whitney Houston; in addition to her own challenges with substance abuse. This took a lot of strength Wendy, I commend you.

Wendy truly expressed how those of us that remember Whitney at her peak are feeling.  Even more so, she expressed how those of us that have battled addiction and depression feel about losing Whitney.

 ”Drugs only heighten then demons we attempt to suppress…”   ~Caroline Jhingory

  Checkout the video below: