What women notice at first...about other women.

According to a study of 2,000 women, the first thing a women notices about another woman is her weight. The other things on the list are interesting too.

It might be a shallow to exercise and lose weight based on this motivation, but if it gets the job done, you will be a healthier shallow person with more years in your life to work on getting deeper.

The Dukan diet: Simplify, Adapt or Abandon?

What is the appeal, besides the ordinary promise of quick weight loss, in the new "Dukan" Diet?" In spite of health warnings and odd side effects, such as "bad breath and fatigue," its popularity is growing.

I think the attraction is in the variety and the complexity. A lot of diets are simple, but boring, and are abandoned before giving the results they are capable of producing. The complexity engages the mind and provides a script to follow, making the dieter conscious of exactly what is being eaten. This is not for me. I would rather read a book than think about my food.

I like simplicity myself. If you want to try the diet, you can "uncomplexify" it and save your money. It is basically just a low-carb, hi (low fat) protein diet, with a bunch of oat-bran and water tossed in. So, just eat low-carb meals and have a Fiber-One or similar oat bran bar for a between meal snack and keep hydrated.

Why make things complex when you don't need too? There is no good reason, except maybe to fill the pages of a new diet book and have something to sell. Save yourself some money. You can do this yourself.

Consumer Reports Rates the Diets. Who Won, Lost?

Dr. Jennifer Ashton gives a video interview about the results of the Consumer Reports rating for the big name diets for effectiveness. There are some surprises. Take a look:

7 Myths about Caffine

Are you annoyed by people who try to change your coffee drinking habits? I know I am. Well here is a good article debunking a lot of the myths believed in and touted by your well meaning, but sadly misinformed friends.

Can a Big Rubber Band Make Your Big Stomach Smaller?

A good article came out recently about "gastric bands." The concept is simple: Make your stomach smaller so you will eat less and lose weight. The sounds nice. Unfortunately, it often only succeeds in making your wallet smaller. It can also reduce your muscle mass along with any fat loss. Overall, your health suffers. At best, you lose some weight, but it comes at the expense of your health, strength, and your money.

A more likely outcome is that the weight drops for a period and then creeps back up. After you just spent time and money in the hospital, this can be devastating. after all, if a medical procedure can't help you, what's left?

Maybe you should take a long walk and think about it. If you take a long enough walk, often enough, you just might walk yourself right out of the problem all together.