Lose Weight

Dear Hopeful Henry,
I have a 15 year old cat who has started losing weight and is just not that interested in food (except for turkey sandwich meat). We have been to the vet and basically he is just old. He still cuddles and plays and uses his litter box so I really don’t want to have to put him down yet. Do you have any suggestions that might encourage his eating?

Thank you,
Skinny Cat

Dear Skinny Cat,

We're at the beginning of another new year and a lot of us use this day to reflect upon the last 365 days and look forward to the next. The lists of annual resolutions are made, but how may of us actually stick to them?

The New Year's resolutions are a bit like babies: They're fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain. According to Health magazine, each January roughly one in three Americans resolve to better themselves in some way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those resolutions.

The holidays and their food celebrations are almost here! Sound wonderful? Many love the holidays, but dread the annual resolution to lose weight. Consider this: if you eat 500 extra calories a day for two months, you could gain nearly 10 pounds.

Limit holiday weight gain with the following tips.

Be selective. At a party, scan the food choices and select the best first. Skip snack foods available “anytime” like chips, crackers, pretzels, and cheese.

Fill up, not out. Alternate high calorie treats with low calorie vegetables and beverages.

If it's not hard enough to lose weight, keeping it off can be even tougher. By some estimates, up to two-thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost within four or five years. To beat those...

In one of the most innovate private-public education partnerships developed in recent years, Lake Tahoe Community College prepares to launch the summer follow-up of its successful CONNECT program.

Designed as a way for community members to extend their education pursuits, CONNECT offers noncredit classes at Lake Tahoe Community College with a series of life enhancement workshops for people with passions for arts, theater, health and fitness and business marketing.


South Lake Tahoe resident and Barton Health employee, Stella Ortega, made it to the top 10 on Dr. Oz Show-Transformation Nation: Million Dollar You segment. Ortega is among 10 finalists to earn a spot in the show's season-long initiative. Viewers can vote on which finalist they feel should win the grand prize of $1 million by going to www.doctoroz.com. The winner will be announced on “The Dr. Oz Show” scheduled to air on May 23.