Sandi Kaplan, Associate Director, Clinical Development and Support:   I stared aghast at the photo of long-time fashion model Filippa Hamilton in a recent Ralph Lauren ad. We know that if the doll Barbie was a real woman, her dimensions are such that she would be unable to stand upright. Well, the dimensions of Hamilton’s photo made me wonder how the woman could possibly be alive. She looks emaciated in the extreme. Hamilton spoke out after the release of the photo to say that it ... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   The recent death of Patrick Swayze raised much media attention and discussion of a little known and very deadly cancer: pancreatic.  For me, it also brought back bad memories. My good friend, Jim, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2007.  Unfortunately, he did not survive long, and lost his battle 2 months later. I felt such grief and compassion upon learning of Mr. Swayze's death.  I wondered if he suffered the extrem... [More]

Jessica Adlin, MS, RD, CN, Nutrition Coach:   Maintaining weight loss is the biggest challenge in the treatment of obesity. Fifty percent of the weight people lose is regained by the one year mark. And by five years, most people regain all the weight they lost. Why is maintaining weight loss such a challenge? There are many reasons. Psychologically, losing weight is the most rewarding aspect of treatment. Once an individual reaches a goal weight, most of the motivators disappear. ... [More]

Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development and Support:   My 4 ½-year-old son recently started preschool. He was so proud to go off with his lunchbox filled with goodies like beans and rice, cherry tomatoes, a nectarine and a couple of dried dates for a sweet treat. He helped to prepare his lunch and was especially excited that the tomatoes were ones he had picked in a friend’s garden. On the second day of school, he was equally happy about taking his lunch. Bu... [More]

Jennifer Lovejoy, Vice President, Clinical Development and Support:   With all the focus on the health care reform debate, there has been startlingly little attention to the major cause of rising health care costs in America: obesity.  Our nation currently spends nearly $150 billion per year on costs related to obesity, and another several hundred billion dollars per year on diabetes and heart disease, which are closely linked to obesity and poor nutritional habits.  And yet, relatively... [More]

Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development and Support:   The Smart Choices Program is a great idea. A Smart Choice seal of approval, a big green check mark, is put on the front of any product that is a healthy option. You are in the grocery store and the check mark lets you know right away that the product is a great choice for your own health and the health of your family. It’s so easy and convenient to know which nutritious foods to choose. Unfortunately, th... [More]

Kara Linton, Mind & Body Coach   Recently PETA launched its “Save the Whales” campaign. Residents and tourists in Palm Beach, FL can’t help but notice the giant billboard featuring the back of an obese, bikini-clad woman with a slogan reading “Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber. Go Vegetarian.” A recent blog on PETA’s website states they are trying to remind residents and tourists that eating a vegetarian diets offers weight loss benefits, pointing to statistics showing vegetarians are 2... [More]

Beth Shepard, MS, Exercise Physiologist, Contributing Writer:   At a time when consumers are getting mixed messages regarding the value of exercise, the New York Times serves up a recently published study from Finland pointing to moderate and vigorous exercise as a cancer prevention tool. Researchers studied the physical activity habits of about 2500 middle-aged Finnish men over the course of 17 years. After controlling for factors such as age, fiber and fat intake, and cigarette ... [More]

Jennifer Lovejoy, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Development and Support:   There’s been a lot of talk lately about a new study conducted by researchers at Louisiana State University that showed that increasing exercise doesn’t cause weight loss. In fact, people who exercised the most in this study were actually more likely to gain weight than those who exercised least. Despite the buzz, the idea that exercise doesn’t help you lose weight is actually old news; there have been dozens of s... [More]

Jennifer Lovejoy, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Development and Support:   Recently, yet another study was released supporting the health benefits of chocolate. This time, researchers reported in the Journal of Internal Medicine that, in people who had previously had a heart attack, eating chocolate at least twice per week was associated with lower risk of dying of heart disease. Earlier research has shown that eating chocolate is associated with lower blood pressure, decreased risk of ... [More]