The Diet Diary

Would you eat Gila Monster Spit? Would you eat it if it made you lose weight?

Well, it turns out researchers are investigating a new weight loss drug called Exenatide, which is based on a synthetic form of a substance found in Gila Monster spit. The drug has been shown to result in weight and sustained glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

Exenatide, goes by the brandname Byetta. Way back in April 2005, it was approved by the FDA to treat type 2 diabetes in some patients.

To learn more visit The Univeristy of North Carolina

Another myth busted: A new national survey suggests that many Americans do fairly well at keeping the pounds off!

In an article published in American Journal of Preventive MedicineDr. Edward Weiss reports that of 1,310 U.S. adults who’d lost a substantial amount of weight, the majority managed to keep some weight off. Not necessarily all all the weight– but some.

Now, we’ve all heard that past studies show the opposite: Most dieters regain back all their weight. Well, it turns out that previous studies focused on participants enrolled in clinical weight loss trials. In contrast, Dr. Weiss’ study was a survey of people who lost weight outside of these trials– for example, people who dieted on their own!

Now, of course, some people regained their weight. Want to know the factor that distinguished those who kept weight off? The exercised.

After the age of 80, carrying a few extra pounds may not subtract years from your lifespan, a new study from Japan shows.

Well, I’ll tell you this. If I make it to 80, I’m not going to keep dieting! I do hope I’m spry like my father-in-law. He’s 90 and still playing golf every day.

More in Medline Plus

I found a convenient online free calorie counter called MyFitnessPal.com.

If you diet, you’ll find tools to help with all your calorie counting needs. For example, there is a user interface that permits you to search for a food, and find the number of calories in the quantity you eat. Below, you can see I’ve searched for “pastrami” and found the number of calories in 6 servings.

They have a similar calorie counter to track calories burned during daily activities. I searched for skipping rope, and found I would burn 270 calories in twenty minutes.

If you join, and log your activities and food consumption, My Fitness Plan will record all data and simplify your calories tracking needs. It looks like a great program– and joining is free! Just visit My Fitness Pal and give it a try.

This post is sponsored.

When I read about new diet drugs, I like to do a little investigating. I found some news at Medline Plus and

Large clinical trials demonstrated that rimonabant does work: it helps patients lose weight. However, trials also show that 26 percent of people taking the drug reported psychiatric symptoms like anxiety, phobias, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. The drug doubled the rate of suicidal thoughts.

An FDA advisory panel of 14 voted unanimously, advising the FDA not to approve this drug for weight loss. Last year, the FDA rejected it for use to stop smoking.

Oh.. I got a kick out of the final line in the Medline Plus story:

Rimonabant works by blocking the same pleasure centers in the body that are triggered when marijuana users get hungry. Blocking the receptors reduces hunger, and people eat less and lose weight.

Hhmmm… a drug that blocks some pleasure sensors sometimes induces depression and suicidal thoughts? Who’d a thunk?

This is a test of linkworth ads. I want to see how well they pick up context on a diet site. After this, you’ll just see words I think the contextual program ought to pick up!

Got a big fat belly? Do you need to lose weight? Eat low calorie foods and exercise like the dickens!