1. How Can I Avoid Gaining The “Office 15”?
2. Does Alli Really Cause Cancer?
3. Is Varying Foods A Good Weight-Loss Tool?

How Can I Avoid Gaining The “Office 15”?After five years of being a stay-at-home mom I decided to reenter the work force, and I was fortunate enough to get a great job in customer service.  Problem is, I’ve only been working for three weeks and have already gained 6 pounds!  I’ve heard about the dreaded “office 15—is that avoidable? 

You aren’t alone in worrying about gaining weight in an office environment.  Studies show that women with stressful office jobs are 43 percent more likely to become overweight, with most of the gain occurring in the first three months on the job.  The cause: inactivity.  But it’s not just a problem of burning fewer calories—a new study in the journal Diabetes Care revealed that for every hour a person is sedentary, blood sugar and stress-hormone levels continue to increase, which triggers cravings and belly-fat storage.  Luckily, prevention is easy: Each hour, walk around the office a few times, or try the “deskercises” on page 34. 

Does Alli Really Cause Cancer?  I recently heard on the radio that some doctors tried to prevent Alli from being sold since there’s evidence that it increases the risk of cancer in animals.  My sister is taking the drug to lose weight, and now I’m worried about her.  What advice can I giver her? 

Your sister should be cautious about taking Alli: The doctors who petitioned the FDA to deny this drug over-the-counter status presented scientific evidence that orlistat (the prescription double-dose version of Alli) increased the risk of colon cancer in rats.  The doctors also provided documentation that orlistat may increase the risk of breast cancer and even heart failure in humans.  These findings have concerned me that Alli (though it’s a lower dose of orlistat) may pose some of the same risks.  Instead, try conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  Women who took 3 grams of this healthy fat daily lost 10 percent of their belly fat in three months.  CLA activates the genes that speed metabolism and muscle-cell replication for increased fat burn.  One to try: Uni Key CLA-1000 ($26 for a one-month supply, at www.UniKeyHealth.com). 

Is Varying Foods A Good Weight-Loss Tool?  I’ve got 40 pounds to lose, so I try to stay current on diet news.  But something is confusing me: Some nutritionists suggest eating the same thing every day to reduce diet temptation, while others recommend a variety of foods to prevent diet boredom.  What’s the truth? 

Women who eat a variety of produce, whole grains and protein have more successful results since eating this way has been proven to prevent diet boredom.  But studies show that this strategy doesn’t apply to sweets: Women who ate a variety of treats overate.  It appears that different sweet tastes and textures actually prevent the brain from registering satiety.  So while enjoying a variety of veggies and other staples is crucial to slimming, it’s smarter to pick just one or two types of treats and indulge in them only when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth.