As our waistlines have grown, so have the conventional wisdoms attached to obesity.

If we just exercised every day for 20 minutes, we would lose weight. Weight loss is just a matter of willpower. Going back to eating like the olden days will make us lose weight.

But scientists don't often agree with these views, according to a Frontline report by the New York Times .

In fact, scientists say many of the so-called facts about obesity amount to speculation or oversimplification of the medical evidence. For example, diet and exercise do matter, but these environmental influences alone do not determine an individual’s weight. Body composition also is dictated by DNA and monitored by the brain.

And we never ate as well as we thought, even back in the old days.

Check out the full article and see what myths you've fallen prey to.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Pramlintide, which is approved for lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes, leads to progressive weight loss in obese subjects, according to a new study.

Pramlintide, sold in the United States under the trade name Symlin, is a synthetic version of a natural hormone called amylin that slows down gastric emptying, thereby increasing the sensation of satiety and reducing food intake.

Dr. Christian Weyer, the senior investigator on the current study, told Reuters Health that the results "are the most robust clinical proof-of-concept reported to date for the anti-obesity potential of a satiogenic peptide hormone."

About 31 percent of the pramlintide treatment group achieved a weight loss of 5 percent or more, compared to only 2 percent of placebo patients. The study was published in the August 2007 edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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The latest obesity numbers for the nation are in, and they aren't pretty.

Obesity rates continued to climb in 31 states last year, and no state showed a decline, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30 percent barrier for adults considered to be obese. Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6 percent.

New York has adult obesity rates of 21.7 percent, ranking it the 36th heaviest in the nation.

To read the full report and check out each state's ranking, go to Healthyamericans.org.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Stomach stapling and other obesity treatments not only give obese people lasting weight loss, but also mean longer lives for the larger among us, according to a new study.

According to the Washington Post, research, involving 20,000 obese people in the United States and Sweden, found those who underwent surgery had about a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dying over the next seven to 10 years compared with those who went without the operations.

The question as to whether intentional weight loss improves life span has been answered," wrote George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge in a commentary accompanying the studies in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "The answer appears to be a resounding yes."

Now, if I can just get my insurance to pay for it ...

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about a study that showed that obesity could be contagious (Skinny On Fat, July 26). Now, the L.A. Times has a story that shows the opposite is true, especially for Hollywood.

Rachel Abramowitz writes that actresses are succumbing to the pressure to be thinner and thinner, and may be influencing young girls to follow suit.

The sad part is that men get many more roles than these women, no matter how thin they are. But since they are judged so much on their looks, they feel they have to be thin.

Check out the story and see what you think.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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In the last few weeks, I've grown pretty desperate in my quest to lose weight.

After a personal crisis in May, I becaome totally out of control, eating with abandon. But reality set in when some of my clothes no longer fit. And now fall is coming. Shoot, today it feels like it is already here. I have got to get back into my fall clothes. Ya'll know I am not trying to buy new stuff in fatter sizes.

So what's my solution? Fasting.

It was all my brother's idea. He said he wanted to abstain from meals for spiritual reasons. And I agreed, but to be honest, I had to get some fat off my behind. Problem was, I couldn't go cold turkey with no food for two weeks. His mixture of honey, lemons, limes and distilled water didn't help. I was starving!

So I improvised. I decided to keep my coffee and the mixture, but just eat one meal a day. So far, it's gone pretty well. I've lost seven pounds in the last week. And I haven't been too cranky....I don't think.

Hopefully, I can get back into those black pants before too long...

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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If you've decided to have surgery to lose weight, you have a couple of options: lap-band or gastric bypass.

In my weight loss surgery dreams, lap-band procedures always win out over gastric bypass. The band is less invasive and offers a smaller window of recovery time.

But don't take my word for it alone. The LA. Daily News recently ran a story on the procedure. Check it out and see what you think.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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