Welcome to Slim Luxe

Real luxury means living healthy. You may have noticed that most celebrities are in great shape. That's because they spend significantly on taking care of their bodies. Generally, people with higher incomes are the most healthy, slim, and active. More than half of all Americans are overweight or obese and the percentages are highest among low income groups. They simply are not getting enough activity and are eating poorly.

The stress of life at low educational and socioeconomic levels is considered a direct cause of obesity. However, if you can help reduce some of these stresses and take time out for yourself, you can help to avoid these problems and improve your quality of life.

I created this blog in order to address some of these issues and provide tips for healthy living that are accessible to almost everyone.

Gemma Ward Heath Ledger's Last Girlfriend

Super slim model Gemma Ward was Heath Ledger's last girlfriend!

In an interview with the Sidney Morning Herald , Ward confessed she was dating Ledger at the time of his death.

"I think he operated from the heart. He really, really knew that if he was going to make a decision to be in a film, then he needed to be really committed to it.

"He wasn't afraid to fight with people involved, he wasn't afraid to perhaps piss people off.

"He told me to always be a punk and 'stand up for yourself.'"

I found this interesting, since Mary Kate Olson (another celebrity known for her lithe figure) was his first 911 call. Heath Ledger seems to have been attracted to very slim women (Michelle Williams and Naomi Watts were very skinny as well).

An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-Up

The New York Times reported today that
"Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push-ups and a man the same age should be able to do 27."

Can you do that many push-ups? I'm 23 and I'm not sure if I can!

Five Bite Diet

Have you heard of the five bite diet? In his book Why Weight Around, Dr. Alwin C. Lewis promotes a simple crash diet he argues will make the pounds fall off and make your stomach shrink. I'm going to try it out! It sounds rather unhealthy in the long term, but I don't think it will hurt to follow it for one week.

Here's the rules:
1. Eat a regular, well-balanced breakfast
2. Eat five bites of food for lunch
3. Five bites for dinner
4. Have as many zero calories beverages as you want
5. Eat at least 1 bite of protein
You can see Lewis describe his diet on Extra. He claims that after 3 days, you won't feel hungry any longer.

IMHO this is a wretched crash diet with a decidedly tabloid touch, but I'll do my best to reserve judgement. However, despite the negatives, it has a few benefits that are likely to make it successful:
1. Easy to follow. People get confused by complex diets and this is about as simple as it gets.
2. Heavy restriction means that your stomach will shrink (one of Dr. Alwin C. Lewis main arguments--he calls it a "surgery-free gastric bypass").
3. Cravings are satisfied. In small amounts. This keeps you from bingeing.
Dr. Alwin C. Lewis claims that people will lose as much as 15 pounds per week. I am going with a more conservative 5 pounds (I'm not sure how I will be able to justify all this to my husband. I'm sure I can do it at lunch, but dinner may be another story).

10 Things to Make You feel Thinner Now

1. Get a tan. Real or fake, it doesn't really matter. A tan is a huge boost to your self-confidence and it will make you look and feel thinner. Almost every celebrity is tan, and there's a reason!

2. Have your eyebrows by the best professional around. Your eyebrows frame your face and they are the only thing that trumps your hair cut in importance. A good wax can make your face seem more beautiful. Bad brows are the kiss of death. My celebrity pick for great brows? JLo. Her brows have been consistantly amazing for years.

3. This is obvious, but go out and get your hair cut and coloured. A bad haircut can DEFINITELY make you look fat. Seek out a great hairdresser that is familiar with the latest celebrity styles and bring a picture (even the best stylists can't read minds). A good basic cut for most people? Shoulder length with light layering.

5. Wear heels. They subtract a whopping 5 pounds per inch! You look 15 pounds thinner with 3 inch heels. Do you really want to reach for those flats? Save them till you're skinny!!!!

6. Get your nails done regularly. Nothing says cheap like a bad manicure. It adds "polish" to your entire look.

7. In general, avoid patterned clothes.

8. Buy jeans that fit you! A too-tight waistband makes you look chubby. And wearing stuff that is too big doesn't fool anyone, sorry.

9. Don't eat too many carbs, especially at night. They make you retain water and nothing can make you feel like crap like feeling you've gained weight, even if you haven't. And if you feel fat, chances are you'll get depressed and overeat.

10. Accentuate the positive. If you have a great chest, show it off (within reason). If you have a nice butt, be sure to choose higher riding pants. Why? Extreme low rises (and skinny jeans) are made for girls with no booty, in order to create the illusion of booty. So, a higher rise (combined with a slight flair)complements your natural curves and doesn't add an extra illusion of fat that you probably don't need.

Celebrity Diet Profile: Sarah Jessica Parker

I saw the trailer for Sex and the City at the movies last night and I couldn't help but notice how skinny Sarah Jessica Parker is! She has always been slim, but seems to be losing more weight as the years go by.

According to reports she is 5'3 and weighs 100 pounds. I believe she may be slightly thinner than that.

Parker adheres to a low carb diet and it seems to be working for her! Though she has claimed in the past that she would love a voluptuous look, she doesn't seem to be trying too hard to gain weight. And despite criticizing other celebrity moms for trying to lose weight too quickly after giving birth, there's no baby fat anywhere on Sarah Jessica (source:starpulse).

What are Sarah Jessica Parker's secrets for staying slender?

1. She maintains to a high protein, low-carbohydrate diet, which helps curb the appetite. She has followed both the Zone and South Beach diet plans.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker limits her portion sizes at meals.
3. She's not afraid to leave some food on her plate when dining out (this reduces your risk of overeating).
4. She engages in a lot of non-intentional exercise. Rather than only going to the gym, she tries to walk as much as possible and avoid driving.

How can you adopt Sarah Jessica Parker's smart slimming style?

1. Learn portion control and stick to it:
A serving of protein is the size of a deck of cards.
A single serving of bread is about the size of a cassette tape (about 1/2 a slice of most breads).
A serving of pasta, rice or potatoes is about the size of a tennis ball.
2. Get more exercise--and not just at the gym! It's essential for raising your metabolism and keeping you strong.

source: Sarah Jessica Parker's Diet Secrets, by Kristie Leong M.D

Celebrity BMIs

Would you like your body to look like one of your favourite celebrities? One of the best ways to start is to find a celebrity whose body type is similar to your own and is of a similar height. Then take a look at their BMI, or Body Mass Index. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.

Try to get your own BMI to the same level, work out consistantly, and your bodies will look alike. This is better than going by weight alone, because if you are 5'10 and want to look like say, Audrey Hepburn, (who was 5'6")you don't need to weigh what Audrey does in order to look the same--you can add a few pounds to her weight in order to be the same size. BMI is the most accurate way to do this.

Here are a few celebrities BMI's:
Eva Longoria
Height: 5ft 2in
BMI: 17.4
Eva Longoria keeps in shape by kickboxing two or three times a week, adding, 'The rest of the time I do yoga, stairs and a little weight training. But I'm lucky because I don't put on weight very easily.'

Victoria Beckham
Height: 5ft 6in
BMI: 15.3 (rather underweight)
Reports have suggested that Victoria Beckham eats steamed fish, vegetables and salad a day to maintain her slim figure. Victoria insists that her stick-thin physique is down to watching what she eats and working out: 'I eat really healthy, and love Japanese food, lots of fish, any sort of fish, any sort of vegetable, lots of fruit, that kind of thing. Every now and then I go out and eat what I like.'


Lindsay Lohan
Height: 5ft 6in
BMI: 18
Lindsay denies that lost weight because of pressure to look thin. She maintains that she "wanted to get rid of a few pounds, that's all. Image is important, but that's not why I lost weight. I just like to look good and be healthy.'

Beyoncé Knowles
Height: 5ft 6in
BMI: 23.1

Beyoncé went on a crash maple syrup diet to lose a staggering 20lbs in just 10 days for the 'Dreamgirls' movie. She literally existed on glasses of lemon and maple syrup with cayenne pepper for the entire diet.

Angelina Jolie
Height: 5ft 7in
BMI: 15.3 - underweight
While preparing for the role of Lara Croft in 'Tomb Raider', Angelina used kickboxing, canoeing, yoga and even street fighting to really get herself into the role. She ate steamed beef, sea bass and vegetables, cut out sugar and drank only soya milk.

Jessica Alba
Height: 5ft 6in
BMI: 17.8
Jessica admits that she has to work hard to maintain her slim figure. According to 'Us Weekly', Jessica works out five times a week and has followed a healthy eating plan since she was just 12 years old.

Jennifer Lopez
Height: 5ft 6in
BMI: 20 - healthy
Jennifer Lopez is proud of her voluptuous frame. 'I couldn't ever be a size zero. I just don't see how I could get down to that size and still be healthy. I have a butt, I have boobs, I have a woman's curves; there is no way I would see them go to size zero.' Still, she works out for hours each day to preserve her celebrated figure!

BMI source: Handbag