How much candy satisfies your sweet tooth? It may depend on how big the scoop is, according to a study that shows that your surroundings may help you decide how much to eat.

Researchers call it "unit bias," the tendency to think that a single unit of food -- a bottle, a can, a plateful, or some more subtle measure -- is the right amount to eat or drink.

"Whatever size a banana is, that's what you eat, a small banana or a big banana," says Andrew Geier of the University of Pennsylvania in an Associated Press article. And "whatever's served on your plate, it just seems locked in our heads: that's a meal."

So what can we do to change the bias? Geier, whose work appears in the June issue of Psychological Science, says use smaller plates and when eating out, request that the meal be split in two in the kitchen, with half on the plate and the other half packaged to take home.

For more info, check out the full article.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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If the results of a new study are true, the Glycemic Index site may be your new best friend.

Glycemic index is defined as a measure of how quickly food is broken down into sugar in the body.

A study by Australian researchers showed that when comparing four diets, folks lost more weight when eating foods with a low GIs. Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller at the University of Sydney and colleagues also found that the diet lowered chances of developing cardiovascular disease than diets with a high glycemic index or high in protein.

The study put 129 overweight adults on four diets, according to an article from Reuters.

Diet 1: carbohydrates comprise 55 percent of total energy intake, protein 15 percent of total energy intake, high glycemic load (127 g)

Diet 2: similar to diet 1 except a lower glycemic load (75 g)

Diet 3: protein comprises 25 percent total energy intake (based on lean red meat), carbohydrate reduced to 45 percent total energy of intake, and high glycemic load (87 g)

Diet 4: Similar to diet 3, except low glycemic load (54 g).

The tream reported that each diet resulted in similar weight reductions (4.2 percent to 6.2 percent of body weight), however in the high-carb diets, lowering the glycemic load doubled the fat loss.

Proof positive that not all carbs are created equal, as the South Beach Diet and many others already proclaim.

If you are interested in finding out the Glycemic Indexes for the foods you eat, check out GlycemicIndex.com, which is hosted by the University of Sydney. It has a database where you can enter your food and calculate the GI.

It's a pretty wide database. When I put in apple, I got 31 results from raw to dried to muffin to apple juice and more.

The site also has a bookstore with a plethora of books on the Low GI Diet.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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A new study shows that obesity weighs more heavily on women that men.

Duh! We could have told researchers that, right, ladies? Men can grow old, fat and bald and still be considered valuable but we are always supposed to stay young, supple and thin.

Anyway, rant over. Now back to the issue at hand.

The study, conducted by Dr. Peter Muennig of Columbia University, and reported by Reuters found that being overweight cost U.S. women 1.8 million years of perfect health, compared to just 270,000 years lost for men. Obesity cost women 3.40 million years of perfect health, compared to 1.94 million years for men.

"To me what makes more sense is that there's just a lot more social stigma associated with being overweight amongst females, and that that causes a lot more stress and distress," Muennig said. "There's evidence showing that high levels of stress can increase your risk of morbidity and mortality."

Check out the full article on Yahoo! News.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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This week, the personal trainer took the workouts to the pool, just the right place on a steamy summer day.

"Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise," says Brad Cole, a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness' Penta club on 32nd Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

He suggests exercises such as the chest press, the vertical flutter kick and the side-leg kick to help build your stamina and strength.

Check out the full article and don't forget your bathing cap!

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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The Interntional Journal of Obesity recently identified 10 factors that help account for Americans' expanding waistlines. Dr. Amy Paturel breaks them down in an article on AOL's Diet and Fitness section.

Paturel identifies the top factor as sleep deprivation, which I have written about before. Other factors include comfortable temperatures, fewer smokers and more medications.

Get the full list and see how many affect you.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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While tooling around on the web today, I discovered a very cool site with tons of data on food analysis.

NutritionData offers complete nutrient analyses for any food or recipe and helps you pick foods that best suit your diet.

You can compare multiple foods, calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and track your total consumption of food. That last bit is very handy for when you've gained a pound or two and can't figure out where you're going wrong.

Check it out.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Remember when I was mulling over weight-loss surgery? Well, a new study by federal researchers has definitely given me pause.

According to officials at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, four of every 10 patients who undergo weight-loss surgery develop complications within six months.

Many of the complications were so serious that patients were readmitted to hospitals or visited emergency rooms within six months, reported the New York Times.

The most common complications included vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal hernias, infections, pneumonia and respiratory failure, as well as the leaking of gastric juices caused by imperfect surgical connections between the stomach and the intestines.

And as complications rose, so did costs. Obesity surgery and six months of care usually averaged aboutt $29,921, according to the study. But add in complications and the bill jumped to an average of $36,542. Another hospitalization pushed the bill past $65,000. Wow!

Well, I've already been through the hernias, infection and pneumonia. No need to do that again, so I guess it's back to the gym for me. Care to join me?

By the way, if you've had surgery, I would love to hear how it went, good or bad. Please feel free to share your story.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Fair readers, I am sorry to report that the Shangri-la Diet has come to an end for me.

I tried to drink the extra-light olive oil twice a day, but I just couldn't keep it up. Somehow, it never stopped feeling like sludge going down my throat.

My appetite did seem to die down a little at first, but it would still sneak back at the most disastrous of times, like when I was facing a plate of cookies. At other times, the oil made not one whit of difference. I even seemed hungrier than normal. And with calories at a premium, I just couldn't justify the 240 going for the oil anymore.

I guess the good thing is I kept eating low-carb meals the entire time I tried the oil regimen, so I didn't have any major setbacks. And I did gain some very nice oil to cook with.

So farewell Shangri-La. Guess I'll have to reach my weight-loss paradise another way.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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The other day, my very good friend and co-worker Patricia Kitchen sent me a book through inter-office mail.

As usual, Patricia came up with just the right book at the right time. This time it's "Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal," by Janice Taylor.

Our Lady of Weight Loss, "The Voice" that inspired Taylor to lose 50 pounds, doesn't push any one diet. Taylor writes that pretty much any of them will do if you stick to them.

And that is what the tome aims to make you do with a wacky and inspirational look at weight loss. The book is filled with loads of good advice, Righteous Recipes and Pious Projects (art projects) to keep the hands busy and away from food.

Also included are faToids (fat trivia), sacred assignments and Weighty Confessions, so you can confess your food sins and move on. There are also Ten Commandments of Permanent Fat Removal (my fave: No. 7. Thou shalt drink enough Holy Water to frighten Noah and map out all the restrooms in thy village.)

At the book's website, www.ourladyofweightloss.com, you can sign up for workshops and join the Kick in the Tush Club.

If you are in dire need of a diet starter or just a good kick in the tush, be sure to check out Our Lady of Weight Loss.
And when you fall off the wagon, remember, all is forgiven. Move on.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Continuing on my weight-loss obsession, I've been reading "The Whitaker Wellness Weight Loss Program" by Dr. Julian Whitaker.

Whitaker takes a low-carb approach to dieting, emphasizing small portions of protein and vegetables and forbidding starchy foods and carbohydrates. But he also focuses on exercise and nutritional supplements that can help you shed weight, including beefed-up multivitamins, chromium, calcium and green tea extract.

Even if you aren't keen on low-carb dieting, you should still check out Whitaker's website, where you can find weight loss charts, tips, exercise logs, food diaries and more.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Doctors are finding it difficult to take on kids' weight problems because of sensitivity over the new 'F-word' - Fat -- according to an article on WashingtonPost.com.

Sandra G. Boodman writes that pediatricians fear alienating families or hurting kids' feelings if they mention weight issues. MDs also face time pressures or are unsure where to send children that need intensive help losing weight.

And if parents are overweight themselves, they may be offended or unwilling to make changes in the family's diet.

Check out the full article and some tips on how to help manage kids' weight.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Now hear this: Your lack of a gym membership is no excuse for not exercising, according to Olga Brauer, a personal trainer at Equinox's 19th Street and Broadway location.

In this week's installment of the Personal Trainer feature, Brauer demonstrates and describes several basic moves that can easily be done at home.

And she accomodates all levels of fitness, from beginner to advanced.

You can also check out our full library of exercise tips.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Americans are becoming more accepting of a larger body size, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.

Roughly a quarter of Americans completely agree with the statement that “people who are not overweight look a lot more attractive.” But 20 years ago, more than half the population agreed with that statement, according to a survey of 2,000 households reported on in the New York Times.

But we still feel a compulsion to diet, said the survey. According to the same NPD survey, 61 percent of Americans say they would like to lose at least 20 pounds, a proportion that has risen from 54 percent in 1985. But the actual number of adults on a diet — 25 percent — is the same as it was in 1985.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Serving bad fats may not only be unhealthy for restaurants and their patrons, in Chicago it could also be illegal.

A Chicago City Council member is pushing to make it illegal for restaurants to use oils that contain trans fats, which have been tied to a string of health problems, including clogged arteries and heart attacks, according to a report in the New York Times.

If approved, nutrition experts say, the ban will be the first in a major city, following the lead of towns like Tiburon, Calif., just north of San Francisco, where restaurant owners have voluntarily given up the oils.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Much to my chagrin, a new study has linked teen obesity to premature death, according to a report on Forbes.com.

Teenage girls who are obese run a three-fold greater risk of premature death in middle age, according to new research in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Doctors found that excess weight during adolescence can increase the risk for such diseases as heart disease and diabetes, both of which can lead to complications and death in adulthood.

Not exactly what you want to hear when you were fat from birth, as I was.

But another report, also in the July 18 issue of the journal, found that the diet drug sibutramine -- brand-named Meridia -- along with behavior therapy, helps very obese adolescents lose weight. That study was funded by the makers of Meridia, Abbott Laboratories, Inc.

I tried Meridia but it was pretty harsh to my system and it was expensive, so I gave it up. Have any of you tried weight-loss drugs? I'd be curious as to how they worked for you. I've considered some of the over-the-counter pills, but I am scared of having an adverse reaction. What's been your experience?

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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The diet and fitness folks at AOL.com has identified what they calls 10 diet myths that just keep going and going and going....

The top five are: Calories eaten after 8 p.m. turn to fat, you should fast to jumpstart your diet, low-carb diets are the most effective way to lose weight, eating white foods is bad for you and drinking lots of water will help you lose weight.

Now, I beg to differ on the low-carb diest, but some of the other seem right on target. Check out the full list of diet myths and the reasoning behind them.

Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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A funny thing happened to my appetite on the fourth day of the Shangri-La Diet Plan, it subsided.

I awoke at about 9:30 a.m., but decided to update the Israeli-Lebanon conflict story on amNY.com. When I finally turned off the laptop, it was nearly 11:15. Usually, I would have been starving by now, but I wasn't so I leisurely prepared some scrambled eggs, veggies and leftover chicken salad.

After muddling around and reading Newsday, I got down to painting the trim in my kitchen. The project has taken far too long, so I was determined to finish up. I started wrapping it up at about 7:30 p.m., at which point I fired up the grill for hamburgers.

We didn't eat until about 8:45 p.m. and even still, I wasn't famished, like I usually am. And even though my boyfriend was having french fries with his burger, I opted for green beans with my turkey burger and finished up with low-carb pears.

Now maybe it was the heat, which can also sap the appetite. But I am leaning toward the diet. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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The second day of my Shangri-La Diet experiment got off to a better start this morning. The olive oil didn't taste as horrid as it did on Thursday. But I don't know if it was because I am adjusting to the oil's taste or because I was in a rush and didn't really think about it.

At any rate, I decided to have add a half-tablespoon to the one tablespoon I had yesterday. And I must admit, my appetite has been held in check so far.

Yesterday, I only managed to get the one tablespoon and it really seemed to have no effect. So we will see what the new dose does.

The oil may not have given me pause, but parts of Seth Roberts' book certainly are. Chapter Six is titled "Extra Credit: Six More Ways to Lose Weight." The methods are: Try new foods, cook more, add random flavors, eat one food at a time, eat foods that are digested slowly and eat foods with less flavor.

Roberts notes that he has "avoided high glycemic foods for years." Hmmm, that sounds suspiciously low-carb to me. In fact, that is exactly what the American Diabetes Association advises. It also means that he can't just "eat anything," as the subtitle of his book claims.

I'm almost finished with the book so I'll let you know my final conclusions.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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If you're looking to join a weight-loss community, SparkPeople.com may be the place for you.

The site, which offers advice on weight loss, exercise and nutrition, has launched a social-networking service where you create a profile, blog about your experiences and form friendship groups.

The site also offers calorie counter and meal plans, exercise plans and more.

It may just be the spark you need.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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I made my first step on the Shangri-La Diet Plan early this morning, and boy was it yucky!

Last night, I bought a big bottle of extra light olive oil just for the diet. And heck, if it doesn't work out, I can always cook with it, right?

So as I took my daily perscriptions, I decided to start with one tablespoon of the oil. Oh my god, nobody warned me it would taste so very oily. It was like drinking sludge. Seth Roberts, who came up with the plan, claims in his book that dieters get used to the taste. God, I hope so.

At any rate, I still felt hungry for breakfast and with lunchtime here, I am STARVING. Roberts says it may take a few days for the oil to take effect. And I may have to use the sugar water too, but as a low-carber, I am loathe to drink that.

So we'll see. I take my next dose of oil tonight. Maybe the taste will improve by then, but I doubt it.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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I came across a copy of The Shangri-La Diet by Seth Roberts on the free pile today.

Actually, the subhead caught my eye. "The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan," it read. I started reading it as soon as I got on the train.

Roberts, a psychology professor the Unviersity of California at Berkeley, contends that he developed his plan only after experimenting on himself. He discovered that the body has a set point weight, which rises and falls according to the foods you eat. By eating food with little or no flavor, you can curb your appetite, lower the set point and lose weight.

Using Roberts' technique, a dieter should consume a few hundred calories of either sugar water or extra-light olive oil daily, at least an hour before or after a meal. And the pounds should just melt off.

Now, you know this book is raising every skeptical bone in my body. But I have decided to do a little experiment and see if it works for me. I went out and got my handy-dandy bottle of extra-light olive oil and starting tomorrow, we'll see what happens.

From the looks of Google, I am not the only skeptic out there. CalorieLab Counter News did an extensive take-out on the diet, from the supposed science behind it to whether or not it works. Suffice it to say, they weren't impressed. Neither was Blogcritics.org.

But I did find some passionate supporters too. So we'll see. In the meantime, let me know if you've tried the diet and how it worked for you. Maybe we can find Shangri-La together.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Speaking of the Centers for Disease Control, you simply must check out it's online material about Obesity and Genomics.

The section examines whether obesity comes from our genes or our environment. It provides detailed information on defining overweight and obesity, what we do and don't know about obesity and genetics and how to treat it.

You can also watch video presentations and read journal articles on the role of genetics in obesity.

So check it out. We need all the ammo we can get in the battle of the bulge.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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If you've fallen off the healthy eating track, I've got just the thing to get you back on your way to weight loss.

MSN's health and fitness section has just launched a detailed map tracking obesity in America.

Using a timeline, you can see obesity rates from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention for the past 20 years. It's not a pretty picture. Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississipi are among the states with the highest obesity rates.

And locally, 20 to 24 percent of New Yorkers are obese. Get New York's full report and see what is being done to turn the tide.

In addition, MSN weight loss and fitness expert and Manhattanite Martica Heaner is writing a four-part series on fighting obesity. The first installment is entitled "The Role of Behavior, Biology and Bad Choices."

Be sure to check it out and bookmark it for those days when you just can't stop munching.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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A new trend is making a believer of some folks trying to win the obesity battle: Christian weight loss.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the spiritual component has helped the idea take hold.

Religious diet and weight-loss programs are booming, according to the article, fueled by spiritual leaders' heightened attention to the problem of obesity and its medical fallout. They are delivering a compelling message to the faithful: God cares about physical health.

Programs include First Place, Thin Within and Weigh Down Workshop.

Check out the full story. And if you've tried any of the programs, please feel free to share your feelings about them. I'd be interested to hear your experiences.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Hello, all. I'm back in body, if not entirely in spirit.

My heart and my stomach are still in dear old Roanoke, Virginia, hanging out and grubbing with my family. I tried -- oh, how I tried -- to stay within my food boundaries as I planned before I left. But some things were just too good to resist, especially Cousin Bumptee's caramel cake, Aunt Wanda's fluffy pancakes and breakfast burritos and Aunt Trevor's steak and gravy.

And two trips to Golden Corral's buffet didn't help either. I managed to avoid the popcorn shrimp and and french fries, but the fried chicken and hot bread got me ... At least until I saw the size of some of the other patrons. We do grow 'em big in the South.

To make up for these excesses, my cousin Sonia and I decided to exercise every day. After all, she has lost 10 pounds on Weight Watchers and I was just trying to stay even. So early Sunday, we started out on what ended up being an 1 1/2-hour trek through the hilly side of town.

Well, you would have thought we were from another planet. People stopped watering their lawns, stared and waved quizzically as we walked uphill and down. A policeman driving by stopped twice, I guess to make sure we weren't casing the nearby church in our workout clothes.

It was worse on Monday morning when we gathered about seven family members for a walk. A couple of cars literally stopped in the road as we all took a stretch break. (Guess all those butts in the air was just too much.)

"People just don't walk outside in Roanoke," my friend Bill Bern said.

I fared better when we swam in the hotel pool or at my cousin's house, where pools were visible in most of the backyards. Still, I never saw any other black folks exercising.

I left Sonia in charge of the walkers when I skipped town and she vowed to start a tradition with my local aunts and cousins before she heads back to California.

So maybe people will finally walk outside in my hometown.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Fat folks aren't jolly, according to a new study that has linked obesity with depression and other mood disorders.

Researchers say they're not sure if obesity is the cause of the depression or vice versa. They say drugs used to treat mental illness can cause weight gain. (A depressing prospect for sure.)

And the stigma of being overweight leaves the larger among us open to hurtful teasing and other bad behavior.

The results "suggest that the cultural stereotype of the jolly fat person is more a figment of our imagination than a reality," said Dr. Wayne Fenton of the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study.

So doctors are supposed to be on the lookout for depression among obese patients. But I wonder if that will really happen. So many doctors act as if obesity is the only problem a fat person can have.

One doctor I won't name ignored an injury to my left knee because he assumed it was coming from my weight issues. He would only listen after I lost about 20 pounds and said the pain was impeding my exercise routine. Only then did he discover that I had a torn meniscus and needed knee surgery.

There was a gleam of good news in the study. Obese folks are less likely to succumb to substance abuse. Doctors think it may be because good food and drugs satisfy the same reward-seeking part of the brain.

There we have it, food works like a drug. Anybody got an antidote?

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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Could a staple in your ear spur your weight loss?

NewsNet5.com , a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, recently did a story on how many folks in that area swear ear-stapling helped them shed pounds.

A local chiropractor explained that the idea comes out of acupuncture and something called auricular therapy, or treatment based on nerve endings in the ear. The staple is placed over the point that corresponds with the stomach.

"It normalizes your appetite … and when you normalize appetite, you'll eat as much as you need, not more," said Gary van Skyhock.

Hmmm, perhaps I should get staples all the way up my ear lobes. Every little bit helps, right?

Check out the full article for yourself.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com

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For those bloggers out there, Diet-Blog is offering you a chance to get the word out about your work. All they ask is that it must relate to diet, weight loss, nutrition, or fitness.

I found a couple of pretty cool ones on the list. Run Fat As sRun offers one man's funny and engaging account of his weight loss battles. Weight of the Evidence takes a more scientific approach to all the weight loss information floating around out there. Bitter Poison covers vegan dieting.

Check out the complete list .

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