Do you avoid two-piece bathing suits and cover up entirely when you go to the beach or pool, because of aggravated red stretch marks on your abdomen?  Do you avoid certain clothing styles because you don’t want people seeing the silvery stretch marks that appear on your upper arms or décolletage? It doesn’t have to be that way anymore!

Why do I have stretch marks?

Stretch marks are the result of a loss of the body’s normal structural components, including collagen and elastin.  There are five main causes of stretch marks:  pregnancy, growth spurt during adolescence, heavy weight lifting, extreme weight gain/weight loss and medications such as steroid creams or oral steroids. Unfortunately, genetics are also responsible for determining whether you’ll develop them.
  
How can I prevent stretch marks?

Prevent stretch marks during pregnancy by keeping your skin well moisturized at all times.  If you’re genetically susceptible to stretch marks, stay away from oral steroid medications as much as possible and don’t use potent topical steroid creams for conditions like psoriasis and eczema for prolonged periods.
  
What can be done about stretch marks?

While stretch marks have been difficult to treat in the past, we are fortunate to be in an age where there are finally some great treatments available.  There is no magic wand, but now we finally have options that are effective in diminishing the appearance of unwanted stretch marks.  Only topical vitamin A derivatives like Retin-A or Tazorac have shown to be effective in improving the appearance of stretch marks.  However, we do have some new and exciting laser-based technologies, such as the new generation fractional lasers, which after one-to-three treatment sessions can markedly improve the depressed skin, whiteness and redness associated with stretch marks.

Other laser technologies, including pulsed dyed lasers and advanced light source technologies, have also proven helpful in making stretch marks much less visible – giving back the confidence needed to wear that bikini on any upcoming vacations.

Dr. Neil Sadick is one of the most renowned dermatologists and researchers whose multiple discoveries have strongly influenced and transformed the future of dermatology. He is a Professor of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College and President of the Cosmetic Surgery Foundation. Dr. Sadick is author, or co-author, of more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has contributed more than 75 chapters of medical books. Read more at www.sadickdermatology.com.

 A Virginia man lost about 80 pounds in six months by eating nearly every meal at McDonald’s.

Not Big Macs, french fries and chocolate shakes. Mostly salads, wraps and apple dippers without the caramel sauce.

Chris Coleson tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December. The 5-foot-8 Coleson now weighs 199 pounds and his waist size has dropped from 50 to 36.

The 42-year-old businessman from Quinton says he chose McDonald’s because it’s convenient.

The only over-the-counter, federally approved weight loss pill in the U.S. isn’t exactly flying off shelves, but it’s not because Americans are getting any slimmer.

GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that 4 million people have tried alli since the drug hit shelves a year ago. Alli is the only nonprescription weight loss pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

As a drug that should theoretically trigger huge sales, the preliminary figures are “pretty underwhelming,” said Steve Brozak, an analyst with WBB Securities.

Tipping the scale at 330 pounds, 47-year-old Cindy Schreiner decided to get gastric bypass surgery in 2002.

“I was downtown on 9-11,” Schreiner recounted. “And I couldn’t run … I had a colleague pulling me down the street saying, ‘come on, you can run, you can run’ and I just thought, I can’t move anymore and I was so huge.”

It was turning point for Schreiner, who has lost 185 pounds to date.

But working out daily and changing her eating habits has not helped Schreiner obtain the body she has always wanted.

“I would grab the skin and go I want this gone,” she told FOXNews.com. “Because I had worked so hard to lose the weight and I didn’t see all the benefits because the skin was hanging.” (Continue)

Obesity has long been a growing problem in America, where more than 40 million people are 30 pounds or more overweight.

But one celebrity trainer believes he has found the secret to permanent weight loss.

“People are overeating,” celebrity trainer Robert Reems told FOXNews.com. “Thirty-three percent of Americans can’t control their weight, simply because they do overeat.”

While fad diets and supplements promise to slim you down, the reality is that weight lost through fad diets can and will come back, Reems said.

But a new program developed by Reems has people sticking to their goals one day at a time. (Continue)

Craving - crav·ing (krā’vĭng) n. A consuming desire; a yearning.

It’s day 3, and Karlie and I have been experiencing some weird cravings. Sometimes things that we would never eat. We were walking down the street in Manhattan’s Chelsea area and to our surprise, a group of French tourists were eating what smelled like the best pizza in the world. We tried to get close to simply inhale the beautiful aroma of tomatoes, basil and cheese… oh wonderful cheese.

I found that smell became my worst enemy. Getting into the subway, a girl eating McDonald’s… walking through the Manhattan Mall, the sweet scents of Cinnabon… who is eating French Fries? Co-workers tried their hardest not to tempt us, but the delicious smells of Italian leftovers warmed up for lunch were tough to ignore. Maybe day 4 will be easier?

done

Day 3 - Menu

Fruit and Vegetable Day!

Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato. Drink plenty of water and take a multivitamin.

Creative Creations: Try a green salad with fruits like berries, apples, and pears on top. Missing salad dressing? Squeeze fresh lemon on top instead. And if you are craving meat, try grilling some Portobello mushrooms with non-fat olive oil spray over a bed of spinach!

Click here to see all 5 days of the Cabbage Soup Diet

Cabbage Soup Day 2

Just in case you were wondering, Karlie and I did have a plan when we started the cabbage soup diet. First we thought seven days wasn’t so bad. For Karlie, well she felt she was eating kind of “bad.” She was going out to lunch and dinner a lot and wanted to do a sort of detox to get back on track. For me, I wanted to kick start a healthy eating plan and try to drop a few pounds. We thought we would try this out and see what happened.

done

Day 2 - Menu:

Vegetable Day!

Eat all the vegetables you want - fresh, raw, or cooked vegetables of your choice. Stay away from dry beans, peas and sweet corn. Reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter for dinner. Eat as much soup as you like but no fruit for today. Drink plenty of water and take a multivitamin.

Creative Creations: Be creative with your veggies! Think it might be hard eating vegetables for breakfast? Try baking butternut squash pieces with a sprinkle of cinnamon. For lunch, try sautéing a combination of vegetables together with a diced tomato sauce.

For dinner, add some steamed broccoli on top of your baked potato.

Click here to see all 5 days of the Cabbage Soup Diet