Can Cellulite Be Cured?

by | May 3, 2006 | Gadgets

Heard of TriActive LaserDermology? Neither have I. Apparently they say you can rid yourself of cellulite (that dimpling of fat near the skin’s surface) by receiving treatments with this new gadget.

TriActive Laser Dermology states, “It attacks cellulite three ways:

  1. First low energy laser light penetrates the skin, enhancing blood circulation and softening the connective tissue; er, okay, then
  2. Deep-tissue massage (this is helpful, but hey, fingers do a good job) stimulates blood flow and drainage; and
  3. Cooling effect (what exactly is that) that shrinks fat cells (oh, really?) and lessens swelling (from the other treatment effects?).”

This doesn’t sound like fun to me. Tell me, why are people willing to pay such a high price for so little when they could just eat better and probably achieve the same result? It takes six to 12 treatments at a cost from $75 to $150 each, so we’re looking at a low of $450 to a high of $1,800 ?! Oh, my. That’s astonishing.

I’m checking but can’t really see much difference between the before and after shots. Plus, if it’s after six to 12 weeks well they could just have eaten better and gotten more exercise, so what do you think? Bogus or real thing?

Almost forget, they recommend a follow-up once a month treatment so you could be looking at a $150 a month maintenance fee.

For more sensible ideas, try a dose of The Daily Bites.

Wishbone Salad Spray: Say it Don’t Spray It

by | Apr 18, 2006 | Diet Products

Have you tried putting oil based things into spray bottles? Usually they clog and it doesn’t work, but apparently Wishbone has figured out how to get salad dressing into a spray bottle, so for my money the price of entry (under $3) is worth it for the bottle alone!

We’d all benefit by cutting back on salad dressing. It tastes great but don’t forget, you want to experience the greens too, right? I make an effort to use as little as possible but I’ll admit it’s not always easy. Especially with Paul Newman’s Caesar. I love that stuff.

Whenever I find a container that makes sense it launches me into a full-scale attack on all the drug stores trying to find something similar. This works well for suntan oil too, but no one bakes in the sun anymore, do they? 😉

Sweet Offers That Suddenly Go Sour

by | Apr 10, 2006 | Rants

I see an offer for a free CD/DVD that I’d like anyway. It’s a copy of “Business is Booming” which is a CD about direct marketing, blah, blah, and so whatever, it’s being offered free for postage only. Okay, so I’m game.

I check it out and what do I find? It’s $9.47 for one stupid CD/DVD. Well I don’t know what turnip patch these folks think I hail from but in my neck of the woods it doesn’t cost that much to mail a skimpy CD envelope. Maybe $3.95 but not 10 bucks! I’m not sure where they get that CD/DVD shit anyway (oops, bad language alert). It’s either a CD or it’s a DVD. WHICH IS IT?

What a friggen rip off. I can’t even believe they’d think anyone would consider that “postage.” Makes me want to go get one of those books where you can learn to say good insults because “damn” just doesn’t begin to cover it.

Folks, if you’re offered something for free and they want more than a buck over the real cost of shipping, guess what? You’re actually paying for the stupid thing, so they are screwing you big time. This sort of thing really bugs me, if you didn’t notice.

Okay, rant over. I feel better now. 😉

Weight Loss Drops for Idiots

by | Apr 4, 2006 | Diet Products

This takes the cake: Weight loss drops! Yeah, sure. If it’s not bad enough that products rarely contain enough ingredient for any effect, imagine if they dilute the ingredients even further? Add water, and voila! New amazing weight loss product.

For research I went to Google to search for weight loss drops. The first site I visited had this odd cow logo that at first glance I thought said, “Previously E-Coli.” That would help with weight loss for sure! I didn’t check to see what exactly was the “cow diet” but I can guess.

Remember, if you didn’t hear it on the news, it’s not going to be a real wonderful, magical weight loss pill, potion or otherwise. If they ever develop some weight loss pill that really works, you can be pretty sure everyone will hear about it — it won’t just be the brief blurb you find somewhere on the Internet.

Z-Trim – Saves Fat Gives Fiber

by | Mar 29, 2006 | Diet Products

There are many things you can do to reduce the fat content in foods.

Replacing some of the oil with applesauce is one. Z-Trim is a fiber product, derived from the hulls of corn, oats, soy, rice and barley. It starts as a powder and when mixed with water turns into a creamy texture that can then be used in foods to replace some of the oil or other fat.

Now, at first glance this may not sound like such a yummy thing, but keep an open mind. This is a good idea, not to mention that it allows you to get more fiber in your diet. If you regularly eat grains, fruits, and vegetables, you may get enough fiber already, but otherwise, forget it. I’m taking Bios Life Complete two or more times a day for exactly that reason (plus it reduces cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar) but it’s not meant for cooking.

Z-trim is being marketed primarily to big food manufacturers, but us little folk can try it too.

Luckily the good folks at Z-Trim provided this handy conversion chart of how much Z-trim to use in a recipe so you can experiment.

Their website states, “Z-Trim lets you to eat more of the foods you love without fear of weight gain and allows you to lose weight without giving up the foods you love.” Okay, now here’s where their advice goes all wrong. Don’t ever think you can eat MORE just because you’ve reduced fat or calories or whatnot. That thinking is why people don’t lose weight from calorie reduced products.

Don’t eat more. Just eat the same amount you’d have eaten regularly and then the reduced calories or fat (or both) will be to your benefit. Out of an abundance of paranoia, I saved a PDF version of Z-Trim’s conversion page