I spend time in a city where people often have their cars parked by a valet. Indeed, I was told that if valet service was not offered at events, people would not come. "But there are parking garages only blocks away," I protested. "Can't they walk a few blocks?"

The...

Losing weight should have a positive effect by mitigating health risks and improving overall well-being. And, of course, for anyone struggling with the consequences of being overweight, dropping those extra pounds restores energy, lowers both blood pressure cholesterol levels, and decreases stress on the bones and ligaments. But diets may...

"No! I won't taste it... I hate cauliflower!" She pushed the white vegetable away from the other foods on the plate. "But just try it," I urged. "It doesn't taste like the stuff you get in school. I roasted it with lots of spices."

My 22-year-old cousin then forked...

Every suggestion I made to a friend asking for weight-loss help was countered with, "I can't do it!" Her reasons were sound. After all, her long work commute meant leaving home by 5:00 a.m. for gym time at 6:00 a.m. was not appealing. Exercising after she arrived home, close to...

In a recent interview reported in the Miami Herald, Paula Deen was asked if her new, moderate way of eating would be reflected in her cooking shows. Her answer was that she doesn't expect people to eat fried chicken and biscuits every day, but if she were to...

Two women who I see in my gym's locker room finally convinced me to go with them to the Zumba class. "But I am too uncoordinated!" I protested. "Don't worry," one responded. "Just do whatever you can."

So I went, finally figured out after almost an hour how to...

One of the standard exercises of many weight-loss programs is keeping a food record. In the pre-digital age, this meant actually filling out a notebook with a notation of every morsel of food that passed through the lips. The amount of the food was to be quantified: If you ate...

Back in the old days when everybody seemed to smoke, lighting up a cigarette at the table meant the meal was finished. Of course, there were those who alternated eating and smoking throughout the meal, but most people did the two behaviors consecutively. First you ate, pushed your plate away...

The radio and television ads are now promoting bariatric surgery. It is January, after all, and any intervention that will result in a lower weight is being eagerly peddled. While the appeal of surgery is understandable and, in many instances, medically advisable, does it justify removing the ability of the...

I was walking passed the window of a furniture store today, and my eye was drawn to a pillow sitting on a modernistic-looking recliner. Although the chair looked very comfortable, according to the message on the pillow, it was not to be sat on. The pillow read: Get to the...

"Don't expect me to stay on the weight loss program. I always gain weight during the holidays, and this year is no exception."

This volunteer in a year-long weight loss program was adamant about taking a break from dieting from Thanksgiving through New Year 's Day. When I asked...

Edna has been struggling with weight loss for decades. I first encountered her as a volunteer in one of our weight-loss studies almost 20 years ago and despite drugs, spas, herbal supplements, traditional and fad diets, and even intensive personal training, her weight has changed less rapidly than the melting...

The woman's story was familiar. She had suffered on and off from depression most of her adult life. Often it was necessary to be on antidepressants for a year or more and then, as she explained, she would be well enough to stop taking them.... for a little while.

"I...

Anyone watching the Olympics, professional baseball or training for football season over the past several weeks has to conclude that the athlete's bodies and ours could not belong to the same species. As I watched the swimming relays, it was hard to believe that my plodding crawl, accompanied by gasps...

Does it or doesn't it? The controversy over caffeine's role in weight loss has been going on for more than a decade. So many studies have appeared, with evidence on both sides of this issue, you can toss a coin while you are waiting for your caffeinated or decaffeinated latte...

The tomatoes at the farm stand were soft and misshapen. As my hand roved over the adjacent partition, the guy running the stand (was he really a farmer?) said, "They are great for gazpacho or just cold tomato soup." His suggestion made my taste buds wake up and, after filling...

We were on the ferry coming back to Boston from Cape Cod. The boat was crowded and three of us, plus a dog, were crowded into a small booth, happy to have found a place to sit. The two people facing me (I had the dog) were complaining about their...

Weight gain is listed among the side effects commonly experienced among patients on antidepressants. This is a particularly unhappy side effect, as the sometime substantial weight gain may decrease self-esteem, self-confidence and make formerly-thin individuals suddenly obese. Weight gain may start soon after starting on the antidepressant and may last...

There are certain changes in behavior that seem unlikely to last without continuous vigilance. People who once were alcoholics, and are now abstinent, do not consider their recovery complete. Rather, they call themselves "recovering alcoholics" and are constantly aware of the temptation to go back to drinking. Ex-smokers will tell...

"I think if I gain another five pounds, " said a friend, who was about 15 pounds overweight told a group of us over dinner, "I will be eligible for the new weight-loss surgery." She was helping herself to a piece of luscious chocolate cake that the rest of us...