This story is just 10 kinds of sad. An obese boy in the U.K may end up being taken away from his family and put into foster care. The boy, who is 8, weighs 14 stones, or almost 200 pounds. My 37 year old husband doesn’t even weigh that much, and I’m quite sure he’s a lot taller than an 8 year old child. Connor’s mom says that the health care authority has made threats, but has not offered her any support in helping her son.

What a shame that it even came to this.

My husband just hasn’t been able to get back into the workout and exercise routine since the holidays. I’m not sure where he’ll go from here…it’s just tough to find time to cram in exercise and a whole diet routine when you’re busy with life. A name I’ve seen a few times in reference to weight loss is Herbalife. I knew several people that worked as independent distributors for the company back when I owned my website, because they bought advertising from me on more than one occasion! The company is still around, and has been helping folks lose weight for over 20 years. You can even visit the website and request a free sample of the products, and try before you buy. (Not a bad deal!)

I mentioned in the past that we’re working on getting my son to gain a few pounds. He’s been doing a lot better eating, and he’s remembering on his own to drink a Boost every day. (Boost is one of those supplement drinks high in protein and calories) He got on the scale the other day and was so disappointed when he realized he hasn’t gained a pound. I tried to explain to him that it will take time, but try explaining growth spurts and weight gain to a 7 year old! I am proud of him for working hard to eat better, but I don’t like to see him worry about it.

Do you remember when that new kind of potato chip came out a few years ago, and it was supposed to be healthier for you, because of the oil in the chips? What was the name of that stuff? Anyway, people were really turned off from it because one of the side effect was….uhh…constant trips to the bathroom. Ick! I guess if you eat the chips and go to the bathroom 4 times a day, you will lose some weight!!

I was reminded of that story when I heard about this new weight loss drug called Alli coming out this July. Which is better Alli or Hoodia? Alli is a drug, whereas Hoodie (it’s main competition) is an all natural plant. One of the main side effects of Allis is gas and loose stools. Bleah! I don’t know about you, but that is NOT a good trade off as far as I’m concerned!

I need to show a little self control. It’s girl scout cookie time, and between my husband and I, we bought 20 boxes. That’s not the self control issue though…because the cookies DO freeze well, and we’ll be eating them for a long time. The problem is with me. I can sit down and eat a whole sleeve of thin mints in a sitting. Eek! Yes, I have a great metabolism and won’t see any weight gain from that, but the sugar alone is enough to give me pause. And it’s hard to tell me kids they can only have 3 cookies when I’m eating 5 times that many!

Are you once of those people who bounces from diet to diet, fad to fad, trying to find the best diet for yourself? You’ve tried Atkins, you’ve tried South Beach, you’ve tried eating nothing but cabbage soup. Bleah! Wouldn’t it be great if someone had a site that honestly reviewed all of the diet plans out there, and gave you the real scoop, and REAL results on how each diet worked?

Ask and ye shall receive…you can now find diet reviews for countless diet plans, all in one place! The site is new, so there’s only one review so far, but check back, because a new review will go up every week! The current review is on the Best Life Diet, developed by Bob Greene. You may recognize him from the Oprah show!

I came across this weight loss blog this week, and noticed the article about residents of NYC having a lower BMI than residents of other places. I never thought about it, but it makes sense. If you don’t have a car, you do a LOT of walking. The author of the blog calls himself a “fattie” and says he’s been overweight his whole life. He’s decided to change that, because he’s worried about sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the other issues that come with being overweight. I wish him well – and I’m glad he recognized that there is time to make a difference and avoid all of those issues!

Are you more inclined to try something if a celebrity endorses it? What about if it’s on a national newscast? What about the Hoodia diet pills seen on 60 Minutes? Not to mention Oprah and The Today Show? For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find a mention of it on Oprah.com, but I did find a nice long article on the 60 Minutes website that was VERY favorable about what Hoodia could do. Same thing with the article from The Today Show.

According to 60 Minutes and The Today Show, Hoodia DOES work. It’s been used in Africa for years. You can read more online as well as find before and after pictures, guides to the plant and pills, the side effects, dosage, history, facts, and case studies.

Diet.com has launch a new section of their site, devoted to those of us who spend many an hour online – aka the Yahoo/You Tube generation. On their new diet videos site, you’ll find practical diet tip (there’s a great blog entry on what NOT to do over the Thanksgiving break), as well as breaking diet news, and even workout videos. Realizing that most of us online all day get our news online as well, they’ve even created Health News Minute – serving up the newest and more important health and diet news in a 60 second segment. You’ll be able to view fitness videos that you can follow at home, or in the office. (I recommend not doing them if you’re in a cubicle – but if you have your own office where curious coworkers won’t stare, by all means, go for it!)

Nutrisystem is back in town.  I found Nutrisystem Nourish on TVTopTen.com.  I’m not impressed with any “food system” that doesn’t promote the balance of diet AND exercise.  I can walk 60 miles, but if I eat crap, it’s not going to help me to be fit.  And I can eat healthy, but if I don’t exercise, there’s no point to eating healthy.   What’s up with their plan of providing you food for a fee each month?  Why can’t they teach people how to make their own healthy food instead?  (Well, I guess because that wouldn’t make them a profit…?)  I can’t imagine paying anything (their plans start at *only* $10 a month) for pre-packaged food.  Boo Nutrisystem – stop being a crutch for people, and let them get healthy in a healthy way!