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Dear readers, I know you must have noticed my infrequent postings of late. I am sorry for my absence but I am in the midst of a severe family crisis.
Please keep me in your prayers as I travel a difficult road.
And don't give up on me. I shall return as soon as I can.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
Being thin may not be the Holy Grail of good health, according to experts in London, because you can still be fat on the inside.
That's because some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas -- invisible to the naked eye -- could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin, according to an Associated Press report.
Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London, has scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.
He found people who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim.
Check out the full article.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
I'm sure you've seen those ads on tv claiming that milk aids weight loss. Well, you won't be seeing them anymore.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has called on the National Dairy Council to stop making the claims, according to a Reuters report, because "such claims are not supported by existing scientific research."
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
Today, one of my friends gave me a copy of "Are You Losing It?," the companion book for Alli, the first weight loss drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Coincidentally, I saw that the New York Times did an article today on how GlaxoSmithKline is taking a new tack in marketing the pills to consumers, encouraging dieters to use them while also warning that Alli is no magic bullet for weight loss.
The campaign is centered on an elaborate Web site, myalli.com, which offers information on how the drug works, a quiz on whether you're ready to lose weight and an online program.
The book features tips from experts on a wide range of diet issues including low metabolism, stress and staying motivated. There are also recipes, shopping help and more.
After a not so pleasant experiment (gas, stomach cramps) with Xenical, I'm not sure if I'll try Alli, but the book will come in handy.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
If you're in the market for a diet plan and a diet book, check out Consumer Reports in June.
The magazine recently named Volumetrics the best carefully researched diet plan, and "The Best Life Diet" the best diet book, according to a Fox News report.
After Volumetrics, Consumer Reports ranked Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast "very close together."
On the diet side, after "The Best Life Diet," CR ranked three books as "very close to one another:" "Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less" by Mollie Katzen and Walter Willett, MD; "You On a Diet," by Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD; and "The Abs Diet" by David Zinczenko with Ted Spiker.
Check out Fox News to see how your diet measures up.
Consumer Reports also released its own survey of dieting, finding that about 41 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight as summer approaches.
The telephone survey, conducted in April, found that most dieters were confident that they would drop the weight - and keep it off. And more are using their own methods to lose weight, rather than joining programs.
Check out the survey story at ConsumerReports.org.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
If you've been on the Planet Earth in the last few months and you're into diet news, you must have heard about Beyonce using the Lemonade/Master Cleanser Diet to lose weight for her role in "Dreamgirls."
For the life of me, I can't figure out why homegirl felt she had to lose her booty, but alas, she says she dropped 20 pounds on the diet.
Nicole Zerillo decided to follow in her footsteps for amNewYork's Dieter's Diary and much to her surprise experienced success on the diet.
Check out her story and see if it would work for you.
Personally, I think I would get mighty evil if I were just drinking lemonade and tea. I don't think my co-workers or my boyfriend would appreciate that, even if I were to drop two dress sizes.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
Gina Kolata, a science reporter for The New York Times, tackles the fat wars in her new book, "Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss — and the Myths and Realities of Dieting."
Kolata posits that since most folks don't keep off the weight they lose, waging the war may not be worth it after all.
Check out a New York Times review by Emily Bazelon, a senior editor at Slate magazine.
Read the first chapter of "Rethinking Thin" and see what you think.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
For years, experts have made body mass index the Holy Grail of determining obesity and risk factors for health problems.
But now doctors are focusing in on waistlines in addition to BMI to calculate risks for heart disease, according to a New York Times article.
Drs. Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz, authors of "You: On a Diet" say waist size is more important than weight, because belly fat is so strongly linked to many health risks.
I've never been much of a waist-watcher, but perhaps it's time I began. Just don't expect me to ditch my scale.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
Now that Spring is here, you're back on the workout trail. And while that's good, you could do more to boost your weight loss.
That more is interval training, according to a New York Times article.
In this method of training, you alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with easy-does-it recovery. Benefits include greater weight loss and more endurance.
Read the NYTimes.com article and see how you can make interval training work for you.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com
Dieters sometimes have a hard time visualizing how much food they should be eating. What does a 300 or 400-calorie meal look like, for instance?
If you have an issue seeing portions, check out Diet-Blog.com's entry "What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?". The entry shows pictures and menus for several meals.
It was a bit of a wake-up call for me. I had forgotten how much you can eat for those few calories -- if you choose wisely.
-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com