Daily Health and Medicine News

Carrie Fisher’s weight loss is no joke

Back in December, writer and actress Carrie Fisher began a long journey to shed pounds, hiring on as a celebrity spokeswoman for weight loss company Jenny Craig and targeting 30 lbs. She did far better.

On Wednesday, the woman who in her twenties made many a young man swoon as “Star Wars” Princess Leia in her metal bikini, revealed that she’d lost 50 lbs.

Fisher, now 54, has used her sly wit to write seriously about her life’s struggles growing up in a celebrity family, daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. One book, “Wishful Drinking,” morphed into a one-woman stage show. Here, she reveals how she went from a chubby 180 lbs to a fit 130.

Q: Everyone always wants to know, what’s the secret?

A: “It is better to not do it all by yourself, so I had the consultant that Jenny Craig provides. You can vent any frustration to that person, and it’s good to have someone cheering for you when you don’t feel like cheering for yourself, and to keep you focused on the positive.”

Q: When you think back, just before you decided to diet, what did you think about yourself?

A: “I was ashamed. I knew also what the weight implied — that you’re saying ’screw it’ to your health. I have a daughter; I can’t afford to risk my health anymore. But it was just like, ‘no one’s going to see me, and I’m too old anyway and what am I doing trying to fit into a bathing suit and trying to get picked up in a bar in Acapulco.’ The bottom line is: I was really embarrassed, and didn’t think I could do it.”

Q: Had you tried other weight loss programs?

A: “I hadn’t really done a lot of them. I’d always tried myself, but nothing had worked for me in the last four years. I’d always had excuses like I was on the road…It was getting annoying that my mother was thinner than I was! And, of course, my daughter — that’s where my old body is, she has it. Now, I wear one size higher than she.”

Q: A big problem people have with dieting is that it feels like they are denying themselves all the foods they want? Or, at least, what they are accustomed to eating.

A: “There’s not a lot of room for (denial) in the Jenny Craig system, so you don’t. The food is good enough that you don’t feel denied…You have to stay focused on that. You are getting results, and that is the good thing about having someone else help you keep your eye on the prize.”

Q: I asked you what you thought about yourself when you started the program. How about now? How do you see yourself?

A: “I can’t even believe I did it. It’s amazing. I really did think, ‘I’m never going to look good again, so screw it.’ I never did think I looked that good, even when I was cute.”

Q: In May, you reached your target of losing 30 lbs, but you kept going to take off the additional 20. Why?

A: “Because it looks better, because as you do it, you get on a roll and it’s not a fat roll! It’s going well, so you’re reassured because you have results…I lost the 30 lbs kind of comparatively easy. The last 20 were hard. It was not easy, but it is fun to be able to focus your rage at the consultant.”

Q: And, I’d guess, it gave you new material for a book.

A: “Yes, a new chapter called ‘Wishful Shrinking.’”

Medical Minute 8-24: Weight Loss Procedure Curing Diabetes

He was the personal chef for millionaire Donald Trump.

And now, Tom Haynes is responsible for bringing students into the Institute of Culinary Education.

“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with tens of thousands of students,” said Tom Haynes, Chef.

But he’s most proud of what he did for his health.

Weighing in at 285, Tom was diabetic for 10 years.

“I had to stab myself 13 times a day with insulin.”

Today, Tom is insulin- and medication-free — all because of a side effect of bariatric surgery.

“Some patients who take insulin for type 2, they have an operation, and very often, we don’t put them back on insulin,” said Francesco Rubino, M.D., New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.

Doctor Francesco Rubino is spearheading the studies of gastric bypass surgery and its effects on type-two diabetes. It started back in 1999 when he noticed an unexpected side effect to the surgery he was performing on morbidly obese patients.

“I noticed some patients had diabetes remission as early as days or weeks after the operation.”

Once a surgery only used for people with body mass indexes over 35, now a new clinical trial at New York-Presbyterian is using gastric bypass for people suffering from diabetes with BMI as low as 26.

“I thought changing the gut anatomy, you change the way the way the gut speaks to the body.”

And the way the pancreas creates insulin, which doesn’t work properly for people with type-two diabetes. But why this surgery sends diabetes into remission is still a mystery.

“It’s totally changed my life.”

Miranda Kerr’s Weight Loss ‘Secret’ Is a Sham

Victoria’s Secret supermodels tend to look like they came from a completely different universe of beautiful, so it’s no wonder that when one of them spills the details of how she stays slim and gorgeous, many women cling to every word. And it’s really not all that surprising that women on both sides of the pond and Down Under are fascinated by new mom and wife to Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr. After all, she did just drop her baby weight like it was nothing. How the heck did she do it?

Well, apparently, coconut oil plays a major role in her beauty and weight maintenance regimen. She revealed last month that she’s been taking four tablespoons a day of the “healthy fat” (diluted in green tea or drizzled on salads) since she was 14, and it’s the one thing she “can’t live without.” She attributed her svelte body, clear skin, and glossy hair to the supplement. Then, surprise, surprise, within weeks, sales of coconut oil SOARED!

Oh man, are we all that gullible?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m pleased to hear Miranda’s touting a natural supplement that probably doesn’t cause any harm, and may do a body good, but is it a magic bullet for weight loss? Uhm … doubtful.

Some quick myth-busting: The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil have been said to boost metabolism and promote weight loss. I know we all wish this was really true (myself included!), but the fact of the matter is that preliminary human studies haven’t really shown weight loss effects from MCTs. And the evidence is slim on other “heart-healthy benefits.” Bummer.

That said, it’s totally annoying that so many of us are so hard up for beauty and weight loss fast fixes that we’re not even curious about what the research shows. We just think, “Miranda Kerr likes it? Sign me up!” failing to remember that uh … the supermodel is only 27 years old with fab genes, and also follows a hardcore regimen of daily yoga, light jogging, steamed veggies, fresh fruit, and fish. Coconut oil probably doesn’t hurt, but I’m sure it’s not doing the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping Miranda looking fit and gorgeous. Any woman who buys into the hype will probably just end up looking foolish.

Does Miranda Kerr’s love for coconut oil make you want to try it?

The Only Weightloss Is Essex: Kirk Norcross appears to have shed pounds over heartbreak of splitting from Lauren Pope

He might have recently had a nose job to thin the bridge after it was broken boxing – but it appears there’s a whole lot less of Kirk Norcross all round at the moment.

The 23-year-old Only Way Is Essex star appeared to have slimmed down drastically in these pictures taken yesterday as the ’scripted reality’ show was filming.

Perhaps his drastic weightloss is in a bid to impress his slender on-off DJ girlfriend Lauren Pope – or perhaps he’s been on the heartbreak diet.

The Only Way Is Essex couple have already split and reconciled twice, and earlier this month, they were said to be trying to give their troubled love affair a third try.

Lauren, 27, and Kirk, 23, split in June but according to sources close to the pair they want to give themselves one last go.

A source told the MailOnline: ‘It’s clear how much Kirk and Lauren love each other but the timing’s not right. The pressure of being in the public eye certainly put a strain on things.

‘We all think they will get back together as he can’t be without her. ‘

A bereft Lauren was said to have lost weight and became unhealthily skinny over their split – but fortunately, she has since regained much of the weight she lost and looks great.

However, now it looks like it’s Kirk’s turn to drop the pounds, having previously been so buff, he featured on the front cover of Attitude magazine.

The source said: ‘They both want to be together but it’s hard for them right now.’

Lauren and Kirk started dating last November when Kirk hired the model-turned-DJ to appear at his club Sugar Hut in Brentwood, Essex.

However, Sugar Hut promoter Kirk was minus Lauren today – and revealed on his Twitter he was on a day trip to Drayton Manor theme park in Tamworth with porn star Gemma Massey.

The 26-year-old was apparently a dental nurse before she got into adult modelling and films.

It’s not known how long she has known Kirk or what they’re relationship is.

Still, spending the day on rollercoasters is one way to forget about the ups and downs of his love life.