When Dennis and Mary Beth Kotnour started looking at opening a weight-loss business in Madison four years ago, the field looked pretty open. Generally, their competitors were Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.


But the Kotnours had barely opened their doors in August 2002 when others spotted the opportunity. Healthy Inspirations, the women-only business the Kotnours licensed, was quickly followed by LA Weight Loss, Thin & Healthy Total Solutions and Slender Lady, among others.
Some have since disappeared. At least one - Thin & Healthy - has been sold to a new owner, former Marshall public schools band director Linda Jackson.

But demand for weight-loss assistance remains.


Market is real


A majority of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They invest more than $30 billion a year in weight-loss products and services, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates weight-loss advertising.

"Considering that 66 percent of the national population is overweight, there is definitely a market,"

Jackson said.

Read more »

A study recently released by the Duke University Medical Center indicates five characteristics of patients most at risk for developing fatal complications from gastric bypass weight loss surgery, a procedure which reduces the size of a morbidly obese patient's stomach while mildly reducing calorie absorption.


Winchester Hospital Director of Bariatric Surgery Darius Ameri, MD, FACS, agrees with the findings of the study, which revealed that patients' risk factors increase if they: have a body mass index (BMI), or calculation of weight versus height, of 50 or higher (more than double the normal range); are male; currently or previously suffered from hypertension; have had or are at risk for developing pulmonary embolus, or blood clots in the lung; and are over 45 years of age.



The study followed 2,075 bariatric surgery patients treated at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond between 1995 and 2004. Of the 31 who died within 90 days of surgery, three were classified as low risk; 19 were medium risk; and nine were high risk.

Read more »

Fish oil can help people to lose weight without dieting, according to new research.


Scientists said that fish oil containing Omega 3 fatty acids, plus a little exercise, helped overweight people to shed pounds - even if their diet remained unchanged.


Researcher Alison Hill said:

"We were very surprised to see it was so effective, especially since these people were still eating whatever they wanted."

The Australian team fed daily fish-oil doses to obese people and told them to take moderate exercise.


Another group was given sunflower oil and told to take the same 45-minute walk or run three times a week. Other test subjects received either fish oil or sunflower oil, but took no exercise.


The study found that those who took the doses of fish oil and exercised lost an average of 2kg (4.5lb) over a three- month period. The other groups, including the one which took sunflower oil, which does not contain Omega 3, lost no weight.


Ms Hill said:

"The Omega 3 increases fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles."

Source: The Scotsman


Related Articles: 10 Lies About The Atkins Diet | A Poor Diet is as Unhealthy as Smoking | Calcium Good For Bones, Good for Weight Loss

Weight loss rip offs!!


Women are never happy with their weight. Go to any all-female group and they’ll be discussing weight-loss. Come on girls admit it. We’ve all tried gimmicky diets, potions, lotions, pills and gadgets, lured by fantastic claims of magical weight-loss. It’s a minefield of choices: body-wraps, Sauna-suits, heating pads, not eating salt, special massages, soaps, oils, cellulite-creams, vibrator-belts, rolling-machines, slimming-belts, lymph-drainage, therapies, fasting, spirulina injections, diuretics, laxatives, starch and fat blockers, Vitamin B6, kelp, lecithin, diet powders, liquids and biscuits, stomach stapling, liposuction, jaw-wiring… hello!! [more]






Weight loss gains support as workplace perk

Weight Watchers at Work promotes healthy lifestyle


Instead of noontime shopping outings, Cathy Pawis spends her lunch hours dealing with more weighty issues.


She's the company rep for Weight Watchers at Work at the Etobicoke Civic Centre where she works in human resources. [more]





Study Points To Portions For Weight Loss, But What's Missing?


Cornell University food consumer researcher Brian Wansink conducted an experiment with 85 food and nutrition experts by inviting them to an ice cream social and randomly distributing one of two sizes of bowls (17-ounce or 34-ounce) and one of two sizes of serving scoops (2-ounce or 3-ounce). [more]






Fishy answer to weight loss

Swallowing fish oil as part of an exercise regime helps shed kilograms faster, new research shows.


An Adelaide study has found that overweight people on a modest exercise plan lose more weight if they also take daily doses of tuna oil rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.


The polyunsaturated fats, found in oily fish and some grains, nuts and vegetables, have cardiovascular benefits but little is known about their contribution to weight loss. [more]






Weight loss surgery poses risks


Four of every 10 patients who undergo weight-loss surgery develop complications within six months, the federal government says.


Though the increasingly popular surgeries are viewed by doctors as a potential salvation in the war against obesity, many of the post-op complications were so serious that patients were readmitted to hospitals or visited emergency rooms within six months. [more]







Whole food recipes for natural weight loss


I receive many texts and mails on this issue. So here is a little assistance, straight from your kitchen: Pound ginger and mix with one cup of hot water. Leave for a few minutes. Take it every day with one teaspoon of honey. [more]

Read more »

Middle-aged women hoping to lose weight may find an increased calcium intake in the form of supplements to be beneficial, according to new research.


More than 10,000 men and women aged between 53 and 57 were analysed over an eight- to 12-year period by scientists at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Centre.


Although no connection was found between weight and calcium intake in men, women in their 50s who took 500mg of calcium supplements daily gained 1.8 kg less over ten years than women who did not use supplements.


Previous studies have made connections between calcium intake and body mass index but they focussed solely on dietary intake rather than supplements.

"Although more evidence from randomised clinical trials is needed before calcium supplements can be recommended specifically for weight loss, this study suggests that calcium supplements taken for other reasons (e.g prevention of osteoporosis) may have a small beneficial influence on reducing weight gain, particularly among women approaching midlife,"

said lead researcher Dr Alejandro Gonzalez.


The research appears in the July issue of the American Dietetic Association.


Related Articles: The Skinny on: Low Carb Diets | The Dangers of Bariatric Surgery | Calcium Good For Bones, Good for Weight Loss