It's back to school time! Kids are feeling excited and maybe a little nervous. New teachers, new friends and new sports seasons. Parents are scrambling to buy back-to-school clothes and equip their children with all the sports gear they need, like helmets, pads, braces and mouth guards...

Filed under: On the Blogs Photo: Carl's Jr. The thing with endorsements is that the featured celebrities are actually supposed to use the products -- that's what makes the public flock to buy it. Slashfood couldn't agree more with the editors over at The Stir , who said "I have a really hard time believing that these super-skinny celebrities chow down on the greasy fast food.....makes me want to scream false advertising." Head over to The Stir to find out which seven celebrities set off the BS alarm, and watch their endorsements.

Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), an investigational drug aimed at combination therapy to address both biological and behavioral drivers of obesity, will be developed and commercialized by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The two drug firms have just signed an exclusive partnership for the North American area...

In a recent poll, almost 40% of adults rated childhood obesity as the number 1 health concern amongst youth. If we haven't hit the panic button yet, it's time to do so. Here are some sobering statistics about childhood obesity that really underscore the need to act....

SallyDavis added an entry about lose weight : Only lost 1kg (2.2lbs) last week – but the end of last week and the beginning of this one weren’t good… but thats ok, because Im really applying myself this month. I bought an elliptical trainer (x-trainer), its upsetting to find out just how unfit I am! I did 10mins yesterday and 13mins today… just adding a couple of mins each day until I reach about 40mins. I can’t expect to be running a marathon instantly!

Giving newborn babies sugar does not help ease the pain of injections – and a cuddle from mum would perhaps do the job better, it is claimed.

Is everybody ready to go back to school? It's hard to believe, but my big shmoo starts middle school in three weeks! Hopefully we'll be moved into our new house by then. Packing sure makes you realize just how much crazy stuff you've accumulated. Do I really need three boxes filled with lunch boxes, tiffins, and bento containers? Really? Ah well, for those of you without a lifetime supply of everything lunch-related, you can still head over to Laptop Lunches and enter coupon code " veganlunch " to get 10% off . Check out the colorful new Klean Kanteens they are carrying this season:

The WebMD Health Exchange

• Talk about healthy snacking on the Food and Cooking Exchange

KIND bars are my latest discovery. I've been keeping a bar in my purse for those times when I need something to tide me over. They're made in Australia and I'm not going to lie... they are shockingly expensive (about $2 per bar), even when you buy them by the case online ($1.50 per bar).

Losing the weight is just the first step. Next comes shedding the heavy burden of a larger-than-life self-image. Even after dramatic weight loss, some are plagued by lingering  "phantom fat."

***Click on image to enlarge!*** As chef, culinary educator and a believer in non-toxic agriculture, I develop my garden as a lab for freshly delicious, seasonal cooking, becoming one of my greatest joys. A friend told me not too long...