Recently, I received an email from a man who described his wife's frustration at her weight gain. She had worked very hard at losing weight a few years earlier but had gained it back and more after her physician put her on antidepressant medication for her fibromyalgia. What caused their distress was the doctor's attitude toward her obesity.... Read more
If you have been a normal weight all your life and find yourself gaining weight while on antidepressants, how will you know if or when your medication may make you obese? It is doubtful that your doctor will tell you; he or she usually does not have a scale in the office or a height/weight chart on the wall. The well-known side effect of... Read more
Is anyone enjoying good summer weather? Much of the country is dealing with outrageously high temperatures, while other parts are getting so many downpours arks are being built in backyards. My own section, New England, has declared the sun an endangered species. One consequence is that the typical euphoria that comes with sunny, warm (not hot)... Read more
In the high school where I tutor kids in science, everyone is always eating. As soon as the students get settled in the classroom they reach into their knapsacks to open bags of salty crunchy snacks. Apparently it is allowed as long as the crunching noises are kept to a minimum. School starts at 7:30 am so for many of the students,... Read more
"Salad Days" was a termed coined by William Shakespeare to describe a time of youth and innocence. Today the phrase "salad days" could just as well describe the first few days on a diet since one of the first things people do when they take the plunge into the routine of a weight-loss program is to buy fresh vegetables. Armloads of leafy greens,... Read more
