WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

Is that a Tumor or a Belly?

I couldn't believe this story today, but a woman recently lost a whopping 140 pounds by having two tumors removed from her midsection. She had gone to the doctor for many years but the tumor had grown undetected. See the 140 pound tumor story here.

The unrelated photo here is by Gaetan Lee.

Candace, age 36, was forty pounds heavier after giving birth to her third child than she had been before children. She lost the first twenty pounds after going on a series of different diets but she was not able to lose the last twenty pounds of 'baby weight' even though her youngest child was now four years old.

But after starting a regular exercise program she has succeeded in losing the last twenty pounds. She started by taking classes at the YMCA and by lifting weights but the pounds really started melting when she started running with a friend. It was really difficult to do the three mile run initially but she saw results quickly and this was very encouraging.

She's gone below her pre-pregnancy weight and now weighs 115 pounds at her height of 5'5". See her story and photo here.

Photo of jogger via Eleanza

Here's a nice video by Katie Stiles on how to dress to minimize and flatter a very large bust. She shows us five before and after outfits and tops.

Via Before and After TV

Flattering Clothes for a Larger Waist

Here's a video with Katie Stiles showing off five inexpensive summer tops that help hide a very slight post-pregnancy belly. They're all available at Eddie Bauer online for under $40.

Weight Loss Surgery

Better than Weight Loss Surgery?

There's an encouraging article today in the Los Angeles Times about scientists working on a procedure that would be much safer than weight loss surgery. It involves disrupting the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve tells us when we're hungry, it's the communication path between the stomach and the brain. See the full article here. Here's an excerpt;

WEIGHT loss surgery works, but is so invasive and has such unpleasant long-term side effects that it's recommended for only a fraction of the obese population, and even many in that group are reluctant to undergo the surgery. In hunting for a simpler and safer alternative, researchers have zeroed in on a nerve that carries much of the communication between brain and gut.

Disrupting this communication, they believe, could lead to safe, effective and sustained weight loss -- mainly by cutting off signals from the gut that tell the brain it's time to eat....

Two different methods of disrupting the vagus nerve are now in clinical trials. One method, vagotomy, simply cuts the nerve and permanently disables it. The other, vagal nerve blocking, uses an electric current to periodically confuse the nerve and prevent it from transmitting signals. Preliminary results suggest that both methods help to safely reduce excess body weight by about 20% on average within six months of therapy.

photo by Marcusrg