Getting Desperate? There’s Always Ear Stapling

For $45-$60 you can have a surgical staple put in each ear and supposedly lose three to five pounds per week for about two to three months. (Practitioners say the effect of the initial stapling wears off in two to three months.) The theory behind ear stapling is that the staple acts in an acupuncture/acupressure manner on the part of your ear that affects cravings for sweets. The cool news is that it also supposedly affects one’s craving for nicotine as well. So, if you’re a smoker who is trying to lose weight too, it might be a good option. … Continue reading →

Cruises Getting Healthy? When Were They Not?

My husband and I were married on a cruise. It was a fantastic all-inclusive getaway. I remember that the biggest attraction for certain Baby Boomers in our party was the 24-hour food service. If food was being served, they had to be there. It didn’t matter if it was breakfast or a midnight buffet. (If we missed a meal, they felt it was important to tell us everything that we missed at the following meal.) Now cruise lines are trying to make things healthier for their passengers. They’re hoping to lure health-conscious baby boomers (not my parents) and others who … Continue reading →

Super Skinny Me

Kate Spicer – Honestly Showing us the Ugly Side of Weight Loss Last week I watched a BBC program called “Super Skinny Me” and I related to it much more than I’d care to admit. In it, two British journalists agreed to spend five weeks doing whatever they had to do to reach the mythical size zero. I should mention here that both of them were very healthy and attractive women before they ever started their weight loss journeys. The one journalist I related to most was Kate Spicer. She is 38, 5’8″ tall and weighed 140 pounds. That weight … Continue reading →

The Magic Molecule

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just shut off our body’s need to eat? Researchers from St Vincent’s Hospital in Australia have some fantastic news for the obese. In recent experiments on mice, they have found a molecule that causes dramatic weight loss and its antidote that causes weight gain. In a word: they have found the holy grail of the overweight. (Insert bright light and singing angels here.) Apparently, patients in advanced stages of cancer will lose interest in food and suffer from malnutrition. In researching this issue in order to eliminate malnutrition in cancer patients they’ve stumbled … Continue reading →

Lose Weight 4 Humanity

“Lose A Pound, Save A Life” is a pretty compelling statement. That’s the tagline that Lose Weight 4 Humanity is using to inspire overweight Americans to join their latest campaign and lose weight. Participating means committing to a five week weight loss program with a focus on what their weight loss can do for the world. A lose-weight-a-thon, “Lose A Pound, Save A Life” participants have friends, family, co-workers and employers to sponsor their weight loss effort and pledge cash to Thirst Relief International to the tune of $5 for every pound they lose. If you lose five pounds and … Continue reading →

The Food Pyramid WILL Make You Fat!

Every five years, the federal government issues official dietary guidelines for Americans. Our children are taught these guidelines at school and school cafeterias are expected to follow them. The general population is expected to follow these guidelines as the way to a healthy body. Well, researchers are finally questioning what I’ve known for the past decade: Are the national guidelines advising Americans to eat a low-fat diet actually feeding the current obesity epidemic? Well, DUH! According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York are saying that the current guidelines have … Continue reading →

Queen Latifah to Join Jenny Craig

I love Queen Latifah. She’s a bold, proud, strong woman who makes no excuses for her plus sized body and has always been secure in her voluptuousness. Regardless of her size, you could always count on seeing this diva in drop dead gorgeous dresses that fit perfectly when she strolled down a red carpet. There were never any mu-mus for this lady. She’s got curves and she’s not afraid to show them off. Personally, I can’t think of a better role model for young girls today, regardless of their color or lack thereof. Latifah’s mama taught her what we should … Continue reading →

Best and Worst Celebrity Diet List of 2007

Diet Dr. and board-certified Physician Nutrition Specialist, Marc Lawrence M.D., has taken it upon himself to rate the best and worst celebrity diets for 2007. According to Dr. Lawrence: “Diets full of fruits and veggies, coupled with healthy lifestyle activities including walking, hiking and biking have fueled some of Hollywood’s biggest makeovers.” Best Celebrity Diets of the Year: 1. Ricki Lake. Ricki has been a yo-yo dieter for years but has finally found a system that fits. Ricki weighed 250 pounds in 1991 but has managed to reach 123 pounds. Ricki uses something we all wish we had the money … Continue reading →

Are You in Denial About Your Overweight Child?

A recent poll showed that half the parents who had overweight or obese kids simply didn’t realize their kids weighed too much. Now it is one thing to look in the mirror and deny that we’re getting heavier but what on earth are we doing to our kids if we turn a blind eye? Dieticians believe that parents are in denial about their kids’ weight because they don’t want to have to change their own eating and exercise habits. What does that say about us as parents if we aren’t willing to teach our kids good healthy habits for a … Continue reading →

Not the Fat but the Carbs!

Gary Taubes has written a new book entitled Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease . He does indeed challenge the conventional wisdom. He contends that it isn’t fat making Americans fat and causing cancer, heart disease and other terminal ailments but it is refined carbohydrates. I am inclined to agree with him. Ever since American started eating fat-free foods (which happen to have even more carbs than the fat containing versions), they’ve been gaining even more weight! Needless to say, Taubes’ position is pretty controversial. Unlike the doctors, dietitians and nutritionists of … Continue reading →