Reality show is popular but unhealthy

"When more than 40 former contestants from “The Biggest Loser” gather Wednesday for a reunion television special, the winner of the program’s first season, Ryan C. Benson, who lost 122 of his 330-pound starting weight, will be absent. Mr. Benson is now back above 300 pounds but he thinks he has been shunned by the show because he publicly admitted that he dropped some of the weight by fasting and dehydrating himself to the point that he was urinating blood." Story at the New York Times.

A very popular show with dangerous implications for weight loss.

Cankles

Saddle bags, love handles, muffin tops... and now "cankles." Well, you can't have perfection and you can't fight heredity. But here's a web site that promises to help, Say No to Cankles.

What causes cankles? Heredity. Too much salt. Pregnancy. I think I can rule out the third cause, but definitely have the first two. Both grandmothers had cankles and I salt everything.

What can you do about them? Not much. But the site recommends high-intensity, fat-burning cardiovascular activities, long brisk walks 30 minutes a day, and "step" classes. Also calf raises on the stairs 3 times a week. Hmm. I suspect that makes calves more muscular so the ankles look slimmer.

Then it makes suggestions about shoes and various optical illusions. Doesn't look good ladies. We may just have to learn to love them.