Some of the most important weight-loss drugs work by enhancing the effect of the brain chemical serotonin. These include sibutramine (trade name Meridia) and fenfluramine, which was recalled after the combination with dexfenfluramine, called fen-phen, was linked to potentially fatal heart valve abnormalities.

Millie was 19 when she met Troy, three years her senior.  She was popular in school having figured prominently in many winning debates, oratorical contests, inter-school writing and drama workshops, and a report card which showed all As.  Needless to say, she was in the dean’s list and felt on top of the world.  More so, when she and Troy started dating.

After each bath, I would always step on my bathroom’s prominent fixture - my weighing scale, as if my life depended on it.  As the gauge moves up, so does my hand to my mouth.  The remainder of my day is then defined by the number registered on my weighing scale.

Losing weight is difficult, gaining weight is not.  This is the irony that has to be endured by most people having weight problems.  Unlike in all other cases involving money or success where gaining takes lots of patience, endurance and hard work and losing can happen so easily, in matters involving weight loss, the reverse is usual.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF (this time, for good!)

Shedding off excess pounds for the right reasons, with conviction that springs from the heart, rather than the passing fancy of imitating the svelte figure of a famous model or Hollywood celebrity is by far, the more effective approach to losing weight.  Most of the women however, men included, do not adhere to the mandates of a healthy lifestyle, until it is too late.

Our metabolic rate determines the rate at which we ‘burn up’ our food, and by increasing this rate, we can lose weight more quickly, easily, and safely.

When we diet, by decreasing our calorie intake too drastically, we cause our metabolism to slow down, making it progressively more difficult for us to lose weight. Most diets fail, yet we continue to try one after another, always hoping that each new regime will provide the ‘magic’ solution. If this sounds like your problem, there may be a simple answer. Let’s look at why most diets fail, and how strength training, combined with a healthy food intake can speed up your metabolism, making it easy for you to lose weight.