When it comes to issues of health, perhaps the most encouraging factoid out there is this: you don't have to lose a whole lot of extra weight to experience major health benefits. This info is nothing new, of course. Heck, I remember watching Oprah espouse that very principle on her show back in the 90s. If you can't run, walk, she'd say. If you can't walk far, just walk around the block...or even the front gate. Do something for your health today!

So, what's new on this front, you ask? Well, a major study has now confirmed that modest weight loss can dramatically improve the health of people with Type 2 diabetes. The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) study found that overweight people with Type 2 diabetes who were able to achieve around 7 to 10 percent weight loss over the course of a year experienced the following health benefits: 1.) improved blood sugar control and 2.) a reduced dependence on medications. The study involved over five thousand participants, some of whom were put on the weight-loss regimen, while others received standard medical care (that is, without an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise).

Here's the problem as I see it: how do you transfer these results to everyday life? The participants in this study who lost all that weight did so by agreeing to join the study, and they attended group meetings, ate a specially designed diet, and received advice on exercise and even had sessions with behavioral psychologists. Problem is, there's no behavioral psychologist around when you're alone at home and reaching for that second helping of pasta!