"You know," Ray said, "all these people who tell you that the only reason they're fat is that they have a gland problem? I see them all the time at the store. They have a gland problem all right - and the gland's between their nose and their chin. They eat too much."
I reflected on Ray's observation as I read about Redux, the first new diet pill approved by the FDA in 23 years. It works by making you feel full so you don't eat as much. Unfortunately, it has side effects, some merely annoying and some really scary. But, for people who just can't seem to control that "gland problem," it could be part of the answer.
I've lost and regained the same 25 pounds three or four times in the last 15 years and I'm convinced that for most of us there's just no easy way. Our bodies are calorie banks that store up energy as fat. Unless our withdrawals equal our deposits, we gain weight. Unfortunately, we can't just write a check to balance the account. It's work it off or starve it off.
The good news about exercise is that it makes you look and feel better while it burns off those extra pounds. The bad news is that it's work and it's one job that you never finish.
As long as I know have to exercise, I figure I might as well enjoy eating, too. Good-bye Redux; hello Stairmaster.
