Eve Van Cauter, a researcher at the University of Chicago, finds that sleep loss coincides with an increase in the odds of weight gain and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2009) — Laboratory and epidemiological studies continue to show that sleep curtailment and/or decreased sleep quality can disturb neuroendocrine control of appetite, leading to overeating, and can decrease insulin and/or increase insulin resistance, both steps on the road to Type 2 diabetes.

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I've always had this nagging suspicion that daylight savings time might be responsible for a variety of deleterious health effects -- including things like increases in traffic accidents and other operator-related incidents -- so it came as no surprise when I read the following news blurb:

When researchers in Sweden examined the impact of daylight saving time on heart attack rates in that country, they discovered that people had slightly fewer heart attacks on the Monday after they set their clocks back in the fall and slightly more heart attacks in the days after they set their clocks ahead in the spring.

They presented their findings in a letter published in the Oct. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

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I was 40 years old when I first picked up the book and purchased my copy of The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP). Over the years I gained more than I lost and my yo-yo dieting caused my weight to soar to a high of 236 lbs. When I started reading the book, I just knew they were talking about me. I was shocked to hear that there were people exactly like me that could not control what they were eating. I knew better than to eat ice cream every night, but I was unable to control myself when it came time to leave it alone. I knew better than to grab a candy bar in the afternoon, but sometimes I did it anyway. I knew that I was gaining weight and my clothes were getting tight, but the only thing that mattered to me was the satisfaction of eating chocolate.

I am a 49 year old woman and have been overweight most of my adult life. The very first diet I ever attempted was when I was 15 years old. I was sitting at the dinner table with my Mom, Dad, and sister, and we were talking about our weight and needing to lose a few pounds. My weight was 130 lbs., but I don't remember how tall I was at the time.