Blog Posts by Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine

Do you have a wicked sweet tooth? If you're reading this while munching on your morning Danish, you might want to put the pastry down for a minute. Researchers from New Zealand suggest that sugar may be just as addictive as cigarettes...

"Heavily processed carbohydrates such as cornflakes, sweets and croissants quickly raise the amount of sugar in your blood," lead researcher Dr. Simon Thornley told The Daily Mail, "This rush of sugar stimulates the same areas of the brain that are involved with addiction to nicotine and other drugs." Translation: People might be gaining weight because they're addicted to the sweet stuff. Additional research from Princeton University shows that it's easy to turn mice into sugar addicts. The animals go into withdrawal when sugar is taken away, and then they binge when it becomes available again. (Er, sound familiar?)

I don't drink soda or eat a lot of candy, but I do indulge in a small cookie after dinner almost every night. Many of you have been

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Celebs are definitely not like the rest of us. Singer Lily Allen has reportedly dropped two dress sizes after seeing a hypnotist to banish her cravings for junk food and booze. Is this a legit way to get skinny? You're getting sleepy, very, very sleepy...

"During sessions, I taught Lily to favor healthy, low-fat meals instead of junk food," hypnotist Susan Hepburn has said. "And to see that alcohol isn't a confidence booster, it's just extra calories that sabotage your efforts to get a good body." Hepburn's hypnosis sessions cost about $450 dollars a pop. Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has also reportedly turned to hypnosis to shed some pounds.

Scary Celeb Diet Tricks No Woman Should Try!

According to Mayo Clinic dietician Katherine Zeratsky, studies have shown that hypnosis can have a positive (but modest) effect on weight-loss. If I had bagfuls of money to toss around, I'd hire a chef and a personal trainer, not a hypnotist. But whatever works for her! I think Allen

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We heard you! Glamour's Exactly What to Eat to Lose Weight plan has been so successful that we're relaunching it with an incredible prize. You can lose up to 8 pounds this month with our free healthy eating plan. Bonus: You'll be entered to win a spa vacation just for signing up! Read on for how to eat more and weigh less!

Get to your healthiest weight--without the guesswork. Sign up here and we'll give you daily menus with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks designed by Kathy McManus, R.D., director of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, for the next month. Each time you try a menu, check it off the list. Bookmark your favorites, keep private notes and share your comments with other users. In 30 days you'll be eating better than ever before--and feeling healthier.

When you register, you'll automatically be entered to win a Beverly Hills getaway for two (including a spa day, a two-night stay in the SLS at Beverly Hills hotel and a personal training session with

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Quick: Describe the personality of the happiest person you know. What adjectives did you come up with? Bubbly? Spontaneous? Funny? New research reveals that two of the most boring-sounding traits can actually help you live a healthier, happier and longer life...

Surprise! It turns out that people who are ambitious and disciplined live up to four years longer than more impulsive folks. A study from the University of California at Riverside found that conscientious types--the kind of people who have their nose to the grindstone and always pay their bills right on time (or early!)--are more likely to have stable relationships and are less tempted by health-dampening drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors. People who were less conscientious were 50 percent more likely to die at any given age, on average, than those who were highly conscientious. The results shocked researchers because it suggests that personality traits might have a stronger effect on longevity than socioeconomic

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When you're visiting family (especially over the holidays) some things never change. Your mom whips out embarrassing baby photos, you fight over the remote and Grandma always pressures you into eating another slice of pie. Read on for smart ways to indulge at family gatherings--without gaining an ounce. (Trust me, you'll be using these tips all year!)

I'm visiting my parents in California now, and the house is a diet minefield. There's orange junk food--my absolute weakness--everywhere! This year, I'm vowing to be a little more restrained, but that doesn't mean I'm turning down any home cooking. For example, my mom makes huge, fatty breakfasts every morning. Instead of eating a sad bowl of oatmeal while everyone else enjoys sausage and eggs, I cook up a few egg whites and help myself to one link so I don't feel left out. Another time, under the guise of "helping" my mom, I went grocery shopping and loaded up the cart with fruits and veggies. I made dinner, but didn't tell anyone

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http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/candy.jpgI promise, I don't think nixing sugar is the end-all, be-all, health cure-all (how about that for a tongue twister?). But, I do think that cutting back on the refined white stuff could do us all some good. And, health experts agree that ditching some of the sugary foods we've grown accustomed to (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups anyone?) could have all kinds of health benefits. So, today, here's an installment of the Sugar Diaries...

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Many of you have written me or left comments asking for tips on how to rid your diet of sugar. First off, says sugar expert Scott Olson, ND, be prepared for some serious cravings.

"I wish it were easy to kick sugar completely out of your life, but it is not," he says. "The fact is that sugar is an addiction--as real as addictions to cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs. This means that you should be prepared for sometimes-intense cravings every time you try to stop sugar." Recent research, out this week from Princeton University, confirms

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Do you have a no-shoes policy at your house? It's funny how controversial the topic can be. Some people feel very annoyed when asked to remove their shoes in someone's home, others happily slip them off, given that they do the same in their house. Tell me what you think--after reading just what's lurking on the soles of your shoes...

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Now, let me start by telling you that I love shoes. Love them. Leggings without my Uggs and a skirt without heels--not the best look. But I'm happy to remove my shoes at others' homes, because I expect them to do the same when they come to my house. Here's the deal: We tromp all over the place in our shoes (think: public restrooms, city streets, grimy restaurant floors). Why would I want all that on the floors of my home?

Is it rude to decline a handshake to avoid germs?

People in Asian cultures have been removing their shoes for centuries, for reasons of respect and cleanliness. And nowadays, more and more Westerners are adopting

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I recently ran across a story about women having orgasms during childbirth--and I did a major double-take. Did I read the words right? Was it a joke? Who are these women and are they delusional? Even more, how in the world could this ever happen? But, then I did some digging and learned that it's actually something health experts say happens--that some women find childbirth to be, gulp, pleasurable...

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I recently asked you if you if you were afraid of childbirth, and the responses were kind of split down the middle. Some of you were terrified at the thought, others were actually excited to have the chance to experience labor and delivery. And, I shared that I'm not too anxious about childbirth this second time around (other than my worries about the baby's potentially enormous size!). Why? Because I trust my docs and I know that an epidural is there waiting for me, should I need it (and after 30+ hours of labor with my son, I DID).

So, when I think back to all the

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