How cute is Rita Ora on the cover of Elle's May 'Women in Music' issue? Mickey Mouse ears!
Can someone explain to us why singer Rita Ora—svelte singer Rita Ora—checked herself into Viva Mayr?
For those of you who may not be as obsessed with the fat camp industry as I am, Viva Mayr is one of the most grueling weight loss clinics in the world. Located in Austria, the clinic takes a strict and puritan approach to weight loss and health. Clients drink liters of diluted Epsom salt water upon arrival, subsist on small high-fiber meals (that they have to chew 30 to 40 times each bite), receive regular therapeutic spa treatments, and participate in a lot of exercise. (Truth is, I've always wanted to go there—ever since I read how India Knight went there years ago, hung out with sheikhs, and lost a ton of weight in a week.)
So why did Ora—who, by any standard, definitely does not need to shed any poundage—spend time at Viva Mayr?
"Rita wants to get in perfect shape for the summer and her forthcoming promo appearances," a source told the Mirror. "This was a last-ditch, and extreme measure. Following a detailed examination and fitness test, she was given a rigid diet-and-exercise regime, with a few deep-tissue massages thrown in for good measure. The food is mainly boiled potatoes and broths, and guests are taught to savor their food by chewing it a minimum of 30 times per mouthful. The program set for Rita was designed to be a blueprint for the rest of her life, helping her keep on the straight and narrow."
Beyonce opens up in the new issue of Shape magazine and reveals how she lost 57 pounds after the birth of her first child, Blue Ivy. Also, fun fact: Beyonce's favorite food is pizza!
"Breast-feeding took care of the first 30 pounds," Beyonce said. "I was amazed at how the weight just fell off me. But I had to work very hard to lose the last 25 because I'd scheduled a show just three months after I gave birth. Let me tell you, I'll never do that again!"
But how did Beyonce do it? Shape reveals that Beyonce dropped the last 25 pounds on a low-calorie diet and regular dance workouts. She says that she always thinks of her body in her Crazy in Love video as her ideal weight—note: she shot the video when she was 20-years-old.
"Some people prefer the gym, but when I have to put on workout clothes and run on a treadmill, I get bored," Beyonce said. "The rehearsals leading up to a tour always get me in shape, so I never have to feel like 'Oh no, I have to get up and go to the gym!'
"Believe me, I'm not a naturally thin person," she said. "I have to work for it."
And, as for how she controls her pizza cravings? She gets to eat it once a week—at a cheat meal on Sundays.
1. Drinking Oil
- His theory: If you eat a variety of familiar, flavor-rich foods, the brain stimulates hunger, raising the set point and causing weight gain. But if you consume foods with little or unfamiliar taste, the brain thinks the body must be starving (why else would you eat tasteless food?), thus lowering the set point and causing weight loss.
2. Spice Up Your Life
- Adding a wide variety of flavorful spices to your foods can help you control portion sizes and lose weight. Research shows that people eat less when their food tastes new and spicy (perhaps because we're forced to pay attention to it?). The crazier the blends of spices, the more novel the food will taste and the more benefits you'll reap, so don't be afraid to mix spices and go out of your comfort zone. Plus, traditional spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin are chock-full of powerful antioxidants.
3. No Snacking
- This one may be surprising, considering the popular concept of eating five or six mini-meals throughout the day. But according to scientists who study the hunger hormones leptin and gherlin, eating too often can mess with your body's natural signals. Plus, if you are constantly snacking, you might not realize how many calories you're really taking in and/or feel deprived from not having a "real meal."
4. Eating Sweets While Cooking
- For the cook who loves tasting as they go, licks, sips, and nibbles can add up fast, leaving you feeling as if you've already eaten a meal before it actually ends up on the table. To quell the tasting urge, some experts recommend sucking on a highly flavored hard candy while you cook. The potent taste—think mint, cinnamon, or sour—will keep your taste buds busy, and the act of sucking will keep your mouth occupied.
5. Nose Clipping
- Everyone knows that smell plays a huge part of how we taste our food—remember your fourth grade science experiment where you ate an onion and an apple with your nose pinched and couldn't tell the difference? So while it may seem a little extreme (and get you some weird looks at restaurants) clipping your nose shut during meals will help you only eat until you're full. Although it does make your favorite foods a lot less enjoyable.
6. One Meal A Day
- Intermittent fasting (IF) is the hottest ticket in the nutrition world right now, with reported benefits ranging from improved immunity, faster metabolism, better insulin sensitivity, lower cancer risk, and of course, weight loss. While we'd all love these rewards, not eating for 24 hours or more can feel like a marathon of deprivation. A way to ease into IF is to try to eat just one meal a day. People often find that once they get past the habit of eating all the time, they really don't miss the extra meals.
7. Cake for Breakfast
- Eating cake first thing in the morning may sound like the worst diet advice ever (or the best!), but Israeli researchers found that "obese participants who ate a breakfast high in protein and carbohydrates that included a dessert were better able to stick to their diet and keep the pounds off longer than participants who ate a low-carb, low-calorie breakfast that did not include sweets." The scientists hypothesize that allowing yourself a treat in the a.m. helps curb your cravings for sweets later in the day.
