By Linda Carroll

Nine years after a gastric bypass surgery that may have saved her life, Star Jones tried to explain to her fans why she kept the weight-loss surgery so private for so long.

“It really ticked them off,” Jones told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “Because I was so public with all other aspects of my life I think the audience felt betrayed in some way. And I completely understand that. The reason I say I don’t regret that, Matt, is it really worked for me. It allowed me to get emotionally safe and secure.”

In her own words: Star Jones on her weight loss, heart disease

Jones said she couldn’t go through the process publicly because she feared she would fail.

“I’m not sure I thought I would be successful at it, to be honest with you,” she told Lauer. “I thought I’d gain the weight back. I had never been successful at losing weight before. I needed to forgive myself for being such a smart girl and so stupid when it came to something like my health.”

More weight-loss inspiration: Read a month of Joy Bauer's bite-sized diet tips

Jones decided to talk to her fans about the surgery because she wants women to understand the toll that extra pounds can take on the heart.

Back in 2003, Jones decided she had to take control of her weight. She’d been heavy all her life, but by then her weight had climbed to over 300 pounds.

“I wasn’t full-figured,” she said. “I wasn’t plus-size. I was morbidly obese. I never thought I would be in front of a camera and say those words. I was morbidly obese.”

As the pounds kept piling on Jones began to fear for her health – and her life.

“I couldn’t walk the stairs,” she said. “I couldn’t walk the airport length without having to stop and catch my breath. My greatest fear was that I would die in my apartment alone from a stroke or a heart attack – too big to get to the phone. And I made up my mind that whatever it took, I was gonna lose that weight.”

As a last ditch effort, Jones went in for the bypass operation even though she was frightened she might not survive. “I don’t think people realize that back in 2003 gastric bypass was still a pretty dangerous procedure,” she said.

The operation was traumatic in some ways she hadn’t anticipated.

“I do remember having to be weighed that day,” she said. “The scale they used was one of those industrial ones. And I swore I would never get on one of those again.”

But the surgery was successful and Jones’s weight loss was dramatic – and that led to speculation in the media over how she managed to drop so many pounds so fast.

“Emotionally I made the decision not to discuss it publicly,” she said. “I was depressed and confused and not really ready. And I don’t apologize for it. I know people really want me to say that I wish I would have told everybody. I did it the way I needed to do it.”

Jones dropped from a size 26 to a size 6. She improved her diet and started to exercise regularly. And it all seemed to pay off. She felt good. She seemed healthy.

But then in 2010, she started to experience odd symptoms.

“Shortness of breath, heart palpitations, lightheadedness – I thought it was residual effects of the gastric bypass,” she told Lauer. “Dumb me. Those are the early signs of heart disease for women.”

Jones was diagnosed with heart disease in January of 2010 and doctors recommended she have surgery to repair a malfunctioning aortic valve and to drain fluid that had been building up around her heart.

The surgery was a success. But Jones felt she had a duty to warn women about the disease that almost killed her. She’s teamed up with the American Heart Association to try to spread the word. “Heart disease is the number one killer of women,” she told Lauer. “It beats all the next four causes of death combined. It’s why I volunteer with the American Heart Association. I’m alive today because I decided to lose weight and take control of my health.”

Jones’s message is simple: “Eat less and move more. It’s what saved my life.”

Linda Carroll is a regular contributor to msnbc.com and TODAY.com. She is co-author of the new book "The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic.”

 

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Star Jones on weight loss: 'I wasn't plus-size. I was morbidly obese'

Discovered: Weight loss might be contagious, just thinking about kids ruins women scientists, a new black hole, the Internet does not help failing relationships. 

RELATED: A Bacon Nose Bleed Remedy; Stem Cell Breakthrough

Is weight loss contagious? The other day science told us that we -- if we were mice -- could catch obesity. Now, it looks like it works the other way around, too. Skinny is contagious! "In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support," explained study author Tricia Leahey. "Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts," she continued. So, if we understand correctly, science wants us to ditch our fat friends for healthy ones. Smells discriminatory to us. [Obesity] Having kids ruins women scientists' careers. Really, don't even think about it. "Motherhood – and the policies that make it incompatible with a tenure-track research career – takes a toll on women that is detrimental to their professional lives," said researchers Wendy Williams and Stephen Ceci. "Even just the plan to have children in the future is associated with women exiting the research fast-track at a rate twice that of men," they continue. Is it really an unborn child's fault? Probably not. "It is time for universities to move past thinking about underrepresentation of women in science solely as a consequence of biased hiring and evaluation, and instead think about it as resulting from outdated policies created at a time when men with stay-at-home wives ruled the academy," adds Williams. [American Scientist] More reasons to play outside. Without Vitamin D humans basically disintegrate. The other month science linked deficiencies of this sun-related vitamin to depression; today we find out that mothers who don't get enough can have children with language impairments. "The logical thought is that maternal Vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is affecting the normal course of brain development," said study author Andrew Whitehouse. Add those ailments to heart disease and spinal problems, and we think we've got a pretty compelling case for adult recess. [Reuters] A new black hole. The first intermediate-mass black hole, ever, actually. "For the first time, we have evidence on the environment, and thus the origin, of this middle-weight black hole," said researcher Mathieu Servillat. Besides being the first ever found, always an important accolade, this discovery will help researchers understand the way space works, something that blows our minds, at least. "It's not clear how supermassive black holes (like the four million solar-mass monster at the center of the Milky Way) form in the cores of galaxies," explains the report. This newbie might help them figure it out. [Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics]  Contrary to popular (?) belief, Internet role play does not help marriages. As creatures of the Internet, that the web does not help failing relationships does not surprise us. But here's the science to back that up: "In those gaming couples where the marital satisfaction was low, the same issues existed. For example, if they argued about gaming and bedtime rituals were interrupted, even though they gamed together, they still had lower marital satisfaction scores," explained researcher Neil Lundberg. Listen up from someone who knows all about Internet life: Communicating via these here tubes will not fix "in real" life things. [Journal of Leisure Research]

Image via Shutterstock by lculig

The rest is here:
Is Weight Loss Contagious?; Motherhood Is 'Detrimental' to Scientific Careers

Is weight loss ?contagious?? According to a new study published online in the journal Obesity, teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other?s weight loss, suggesting that shedding pounds can have a ripple effect.

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital?s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight.

?We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions,? said lead author Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. ?In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support.?

Obesity remains a common, serious and costly disease in the United States. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no state has met the nation?s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent. Obesity and its associated health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, continue to have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

To promote cost-effective weight loss initiatives, online team-based weight loss interventions are increasing in popularity as a way to encourage weight loss in large groups of people. The current study is the first to examine the effects of teammates and social influence on individual weight loss during one of these weight loss competitions.

The findings are based on the results of the 2009 Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) campaign, a 12-week statewide online weight loss competition designed by study co-author Rajiv Kumar, M.D. Participants joined with a team and could compete against other teams in three divisions: weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps. The weight loss competition included 3,330 overweight or obese individuals (BMI of 31.2 or greater), representing 987 teams averaging between 5 and 11 members each. The majority of these individuals enrolled in all three divisions.

Weight loss outcomes were clearly determined by which team an individual was on. Participants who lost clinically significant amounts of weight (at least 5 percent of their initial body weight) tended to be on the same teams, and being on a team with more teammates in the weight loss division was also associated with a greater weight loss. Individuals who reported higher levels of teammate social influence increased their odds of achieving a clinically significant weight loss by 20 percent. This effect was stronger than any other team characteristic, Leahey said.

?This is the first study to show that in these team-based campaigns, who?s on your team really matters,? she added. ?Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts.?

However, Leahey noted that individual characteristics were also associated with weight outcomes. Obese individuals had a greater percentage of weight loss than overweight participants. Team captains also lost more weight than team members, possibly due to their increased motivation and engagement in the campaign. Leahey says that future weight loss team competitions may consider requiring team members to share the leadership role.

?We?re all influenced by the people around us, so if we can harness this positive peer pressure and these positive social influences, we can create a social environment to help encourage additional weight loss,? she said.

More here:
Weight loss, like weight gain, is contagious

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- People who drank water or diet beverages instead of calorie-laden drinks lost 4 to 5 pounds over half a year, according to new research.

The study included 318 overweight or obese people divided into three groups: those who switched to water from high-calorie beverages; those who switched to diet soft drinks; and those who weren't advised to change beverages but were given general information about healthy choices that could help them lose weight (the control group).

Over the six-month study, all three groups had small reductions in weight and waist circumference. But those who switched to calorie-free beverages were twice as likely to lose 5 percent or more of their body weight than those in the control group.

In addition, the investigators found that people who drank mostly water had lower fasting glucose levels and better hydration levels than those in the control group.

Percentage of weight loss and lower blood-sugar levels are important because they're associated with improvements in risk factors for obesity-related chronic diseases, according to study author Deborah Tate, an associate professor of nutrition and of health behavior at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health and member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Substituting noncaloric beverages -- whether it's water, diet soft drinks or something else -- can be a clear and simple change for people who want to lose or maintain weight," she said in a university news release. "If this were done on a large scale, it could significantly reduce the increasing public health problem of obesity."

The study appears online and in the March print issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Weight loss among the participants in this study was less than that seen in more intensive, clinic-based behavioral lifestyle modification programs, the researchers said. However, they noted that asking people to change just one part of their diet (in this case, beverages) is consistent with previous findings recommending small but potentially more sustainable lifestyle changes to improve health.

"Substituting specific foods or beverages that provide a substantial portion of daily calories may be a useful strategy for modest weight loss or weight gain prevention," Tate said. "Beverages may be ideal targets, but keep in mind, the strategy will only work if the person doesn't make up for the lost calories some other way."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains how to choose a safe and successful weight-loss program.

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Switching to Water, Diet Drinks Linked to Modest Weight Loss

Weight loss experts have often advised people looking to shed a few pounds to replace their sugary sodas with water—or at least a diet soda—but hard evidence hasn’t existed to back up their claims .Now new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that simply changing your drinking habits may be enough to see a difference in weight loss.

According to Fox News, researchers randomly assigned more than 300 overweight adults into one of three groups. The first group replaced sugary drinks with water, the second drank diet sodas and the third was given weight loss advice, and then left to choose their own beverages.

At the end of six months, all three groups had lost an average of four or five pounds. However, the two groups that stopped drinking sugary drinks were more likely to lose at least five percent of their starting weight—20 percent of these two groups lost weigh, while only 11 percent of the comparison group did.

That kind of weight loss is considered “clinically meaningful,” Fox said. Participants experienced a drop in blood pressure and saw other health benefits from their actions.

And according to study leader Deborah Tate, the best part of the group’s findings is that they’re applicable to nearly everyone looking to drop a few pounds and improve their health.

“This is a simple thing you can do consistently each day,” Tate told Fox, adding dieters often find an entire lifestyle change too daunting. “It’s a good first step.”

On average, study participants lost about two percent of their body weight, Fox said.

More here:
Weight Loss is Easier When Switching Sugary Drinks for Water

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Oragenics, Inc. (OTCBB:ORNI.OB - News) announced that a recently completed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, human clinical study with 32 enrolled subjects resulted in a statistically and clinically significant reduction in body weight when healthy, overweight and mildly obese adult volunteers were given daily supplementation of Oragenics’ Weight Loss Agent LPT3-04 over a twelve-week period. This study, sponsored by Oragenics, was conducted at the Miami Research Associates (MRA) clinical research facilities in Miami, Florida. MRA investigators also confirmed that there were no safety concerns with daily supplementation of LPT3-04 over the 12-week duration of the trial, and that no reports of serious adverse events, including depression, occurred during this trial. This human study result confirms the extensive results obtained from animal safety and efficacy studies completed to date by Oragenics, and suggests that LPT3-04, a natural occurring dietary substance with an excellent safety and tolerance profile, can support weight loss in overweight men and women.

The World Health Organization estimated that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers. Further, according to a 2012 healthcare market research report published by Markets and Markets, the total global weight loss market is expected to be worth US$586.3 billion by 2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.9% from 2009 to 2014. These reports suggest that the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management product are impressive.

“We are delighted with the results of this well-designed human study. The reported weight loss appears to relate to LPT3-04’s ability to increase programmed cell death (apoptosis) of white fat cells. The Company is currently seeking partners to further develop this technology and commercialize food and beverage products that encourage the weight management of both humans and companion pets,” stated John N. Bonfiglio, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics.

About Oragenics, Inc.

Oragenics is a leading nutraceutical company focused on oral care probiotics for humans and companion pets. The Company’s proprietary products Evora and ProBiora3® are currently sold in the United States and international markets. In addition, Oragenics has an exciting pipeline of therapeutic products targeting infectious diseases.

About Miami Research Associates

Miami Research Associates (MRA) is a multi-specialty clinical research facility in operation since 1996. Our expert staff consists of more than 16 board-certified physician investigators and more than 38 ACRP certified clinical research coordinators. We are industry leaders at the execution of Phase I-IV clinical trials and pride ourselves on accuracy, integrity and quality data.

Safe Harbor Statement: Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project” and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Investors should be cautious in relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to our ability to raise additional capital to sustain our operations beyond March 31, 2012 and those set forth in our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other factors detailed from time to time in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements.

Read more:
Oragenics Announces Positive Clinical Results for its Proprietary Weight Loss Agent, LPT3-04

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight.

"We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions," said lead author Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. "In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support."

Obesity remains a common, serious and costly disease in the United States. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no state has met the nation's Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent. Obesity and its associated health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, continue to have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

To promote cost-effective weight loss initiatives, online team-based weight loss interventions are increasing in popularity as a way to encourage weight loss in large groups of people. The current study is the first to examine the effects of teammates and social influence on individual weight loss during one of these weight loss competitions.

The findings are based on the results of the 2009 Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) campaign, a 12-week statewide online weight loss competition designed by study co-author Rajiv Kumar, M.D. Participants joined with a team and could compete against other teams in three divisions: weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps. The weight loss competition included 3,330 overweight or obese individuals (BMI of 31.2 or greater), representing 987 teams averaging between 5 and 11 members each. The majority of these individuals enrolled in all three divisions.

Weight loss outcomes were clearly determined by which team an individual was on. Participants who lost clinically significant amounts of weight (at least 5 percent of their initial body weight) tended to be on the same teams, and being on a team with more teammates in the weight loss division was also associated with a greater weight loss. Individuals who reported higher levels of teammate social influence increased their odds of achieving a clinically significant weight loss by 20 percent. This effect was stronger than any other team characteristic, Leahey said.

"This is the first study to show that in these team-based campaigns, who's on your team really matters," she added. "Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts."

However, Leahey noted that individual characteristics were also associated with weight outcomes. Obese individuals had a greater percentage of weight loss than overweight participants. Team captains also lost more weight than team members, possibly due to their increased motivation and engagement in the campaign. Leahey says that future weight loss team competitions may consider requiring team members to share the leadership role.

"We're all influenced by the people around us, so if we can harness this positive peer pressure and these positive social influences, we can create a social environment to help encourage additional weight loss," she said.

Provided by Lifespan (news : web)

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Weight loss can be contagious, study suggests

Longstanding weight loss provider Slimming.com announces the arrival of their online fitness community Slimming+. A unique platform dedicated to providing slimmer’s with the tools, the training and the motivational resources to lose weight and transform their life and body.

Nottingham, England (PRWEB) February 14, 2012

Slimming.com has been helping slimmers for years to overcome current dietary trends and lose weight with the support of clinically tested slimming products, so the introduction of Slimming+ was a natural step in their commitment to combating the growing obesity problem.

Recognising that successful weight loss cannot be dependent on slimming aids alone; Slimming+ provides slimmers with the platform to lose weight, tone up and get fit whilst taking into consideration their personal needs and requirements.

“The most successful diets come from surrounding yourself with a strong support network and Slimming+ can offer this kind of support. In one portal, slimmer’s can benefit from a personalised diet program, fitness program, tracker, coach and motivator - all rolled into one – plus can freely chat to other members from anywhere in the world.” comments Managing Director Rob Wass.

And given the initial results of their pre-launch (pre-registration over 2,500) Slimming+ has the potential to be up there with some of the biggest players in the diet and fitness industry.

Originally brought for $185,000, Slimming.com is a valuable domain name within this expansive industry as it is short and targeted. Yet thanks to the introduction of Slimming+, the company now has high hopes that it can now reach its full potential.

Offering what few other weight loss sites have managed to achieve: personalised diet and recipe suggestions; nutritional information; step by step fitness programs and exercises; an online community and food diary. Slimming+ will help pave the way for slimmers to safely manage their weight loss and overcome common weight loss barriers without having to resort to dangerous dietary habits.

As Slimming+ member Joanne Clark quickly found when she took part in the trial period:

“I’ve always found dieting to be so time consuming. Checking food labels, going to the gym, searching for low fat food recipes… I just never had the time to do it properly, but this time I am feeling pretty confident. Slimming+ has taken out all the hassle. If I want to exercise I can just pop on the computer and watch an exercise video. If I fancy eating something different, I can look at their recipe list and quickly compare their nutritional values. With Slimming+ I know exactly where I am with my diet and for once in my life I feel in control.” – Joanne Clarke, 31, Legal Secretary.

And this is great news for slimmers whose hectic work and social schedules leave them with little time to eat properly.

By combining Slimming.com with this unique online fitness community, slimmers will easily be able to achieve their goals and be a part of a real slimming group.

“Slimming groups such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World are successful because they allow slimmers to come together, share their experiences and encourage each other to keep striving forward. Slimming+ encourages this on a much larger scale, by allowing slimmers to communicate with members across Facebook and twitter so no matter where they are, they will never be alone.” – Rob Wass, Managing Director

And the features available on Slimming+ are certainly incentive enough to provide slimmers with the support system they need to lose weight. Offering their first 1,000 members a lifetime’s free subscription, this is sure to encourage slimmer’s to experiment with this platform and begin their path to a healthier lifestyle.

For more information on Slimming+ visit http://plus.slimming.com

###

Robert Wass
Slimming.com
(+44)0115 9338339
Email Information

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Slimming.com Launches Unique Diet and Fitness Platform Slimming+

Article updated: 2/14/2012 5:20 AM

Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia demonstrates healthful cooking earlier this month at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. Lamplough will be featured on the new Food Network show “Fat Chef” on March 1, which follows overweight chefs as they work to lose weight.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia cooks chicken for gyros while demonstrating healthful cooking Feb. 1 at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

This chocolate mousse by chef Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia is low in fat, sugar and calories.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Phyllis Kmetz of Downers Grove, right, smiles as she finds out she won a cookbook by chef Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia during a cooking demonstration by Lamplough at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Kmetz is a volunteer at the food bank.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Staff member Maeven Sipes hands out samples of chicken gyros and a cucumber, tomato and feta salad while Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia demonstrates healthful cooking earlier this month at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Five months ago, Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia fit the bill for the new Food Network television show “Fat Chef.” The co-author of two cookbooks on healthful eating for diabetics wasn't practicing what the books preached.

The 37-year-old was 100 pounds overweight. And not just because of what she tasted as a chef instructor at Robert Morris University in Chicago. There were also the meals at home and the passes through fast-food drive-throughs. The pounds had piled up since her freshman year in college.

She knew that if she wanted to become pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and be physically fit to raise children, something had to change. Now.

So when a chef friend mentioned on Facebook that the Food Network was looking for subjects for its new show, Lamplough jumped at the chance.

“I was at a point in my life where I was ready to ask for some help,” she said.

And after four months of intense exercise, meal revisions and therapy, she jokes the TV show should be called “Not-So-Fat-Chef.”

The show

The show, which premiered Jan. 26, features two chefs per episode. Lamplough's episode is scheduled to be broadcast March 1.

Filming started Oct. 6. Lamplough was assigned to health consultant Robert Brace, who evaluated her fitness and what she was eating, then designed a plan. Then, Lamplough started working out, two hours a day, six days a week. She joined River West Family Fitness Center in downtown Batavia, where owner Chris Hylton became her local personal trainer, with visits from New York-based Brace. “They had fun taking turns killing me in the gym,” Lamplough said.

Particularly rough was Hylton's daily “Boot Camp” class. “I have never been in such good shape in my life. My butt shrunk so much, so I call it booty camp,” she said.

Fitting that exercise in around her full-time job meant going to the gym at 5 a.m. before work, or sometimes working out at RMU's fitness center on her lunch hour.

What to eat

Learning what to eat wasn't an issue. “I'm actually an expert at it,” Lamplough said. Her problem was eating too much. “I just love food. I am a foodie,” she said. Her parents owned a Dairy Queen. Family gatherings involve meals. “We needed to change our ways a little bit,” she said.

“We needed to change our ways a LOT.”

During her weight-loss journey, Lamplough made recipes out of her own cookbook. And she started therapy to deal with emotional issues she believes led her to overeat, including the death of her father when she was a freshman in college.

And did it all in front of TV cameras.

“It (losing weight) is such a hard, private thing, and you are putting it out for the world,” she said.

Lamplough will be live tweeting during the broadcasts at 9 p.m. Thursdays at fitfoodiechef, and she has a Facebook page, Facebook.com@fitfoodiechef. She plans to start a website soon.

Lamplough raves about the show being a positive experience. Unlike other reality TV shows, this wasn't a contest. There was no snakiness or backstabbing. And it shows people that you can focus on weight loss and good health, even while leading your everyday life. “We weren't shipped off to a ranch somewhere,” Lamplough said.

Today

So far, Lamplough has lost 52 pounds. She shared that fact with a crowd of about 40 who attended a recent presentation she made in the demonstration kitchen at Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. The food bank, which supplies food to charity pantries and other nutrition programs, wants to also educate people about good nutrition.

Lamplough's stepmother-in-law, a volunteer there, immediately thought of Lamplough.

She made a tomato-cucumber-and-feta salad, low in fat and only 75 calories per cup.

Excerpt from:
Batavia chef shares weight-loss struggle on national TV