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Huckabee's Record: Freed a Rapist Who Became a Killer, Destroyed Gov't Hard Drives, Raised Taxes, Misappropriated Funds Extremist Religious Views Appeal to Christian Nationalists But Will Repel Normal Voters in the General Dems Should Pray He's on the Ticket Recent polls show that Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and Baptist preacher, is rising in popularity in Iowa, where he is cutting into Mitt Romney's lead. (Romney has 28 percent, Huckabee has 24 percent in the ABC news survey; Romney is at 27 percent and Huckabee's at 18 percent in the local KCCI-TV poll.) He's also moving up in...

Portland, Maine (AP) -- Maine researcher says standing on a vibrating platform for 15 minutes a day could help people achieve washboard abs. Clifford Rosen from The Jackson Laboratory and Maine Medical Center Research Institute says his study put mice on a vibrating platform for 15 minutes a day for 15 weeks.

Obesity is more dangerous than smoking and will dramatically shorten the lives of millions, a landmark study has found. While smoking reduces life by an average of ten years, the research says being seriously overweight can cut life expectancy by as much as 13 years. The Foresight report, written by 250 leading scientists, says Britain's obesity crisis is so severe that it would take at least 30 years to reverse. If current trends continue, by 2050 about 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children in the UK will be clinically obese...

As America gets fatter, policymakers are seeking creative approaches to legislating health. They may have entered the school cafeteria -- and now they're eyeing your neighborhood. Amid worries of an obesity epidemic and its related illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, Los Angeles officials, among others around the country, are proposing to limit new fast-food restaurants -- a tactic that could be called health zoning. The City Council will be asked this fall to consider an up to two-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in South L.A., a part of the city where fast food is at...

AN EPIDEMIC of obesity could have serious consequences for America's economy and its ability to defend itself, according to a leading politician. Self-confessed "recovering foodaholic" Mike Huckabee, a Republican Party presidential candidate, told a group of governors from the American South that the increasing numbers of people who were either over-weight or obese meant more and more people were having to take time off work for health reasons. And Mr Huckabee, who lost 110lb - nearly 8st - several years ago when he was governor of Arkansas, said he was concerned by reports that nearly two-thirds of American military personnel...

Every once in a while I run across a bit of information that sounds just too good to be true. When I heard that a group of researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Department of Medicine announced that laughing caused people to burn extra calories, I just had to investigate it. I wondered if there could be at least a kernel of truth in their study, which hinted that laughter might be a way to lose weight. After all, studies have shown that laughter, which has been said for years to be good medicine, can enhance the immune system, reduce stress, and...

A widely publicized non-prescription diet drug named alli, which is believed to cause weight loss by blocking fat absorption, finally hit the drugstores nationwide this weekend, according to an announcement made June 12 by GlaxoSmithKline, the marketer of the diet drug. Alli, made by Roche of 60 mg orlistat, the active chemical that has been used for years for a prescription version known as xenical, obtained FDA approval in the February of 2007 for marketing in the United States as an over-the counter weight loss drug . The drug is indicated for those who are overweight, but not obese adults...

Think work feels like a treadmill now? Try a new desk designed at the Mayo Clinic. They built what they called a "vertical workstation" -- a desk fitted over a standard treadmill. They persuaded 15 obese people to work at this treadmill-desk and measured how many calories they burned. If an overweight office worker used this vertical workstation all day, every day for a year, he or she could lose up to 66 pounds (30 kg), the researchers report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. James Levine and Jennifer Miller measured how many calories their 15 volunteers burned using...

 "Cardio kills," says Jim Karas in his new book, "The Cardio-Free Diet." "Cardiovascular exercise kills a weight-loss plan, your internal organs, your immune system, your time and your motivation. If your true goal is to lose weight, interval strength training is the only way to go," says Karas, an ABC News correspondent, celebrity trainer and fitness expert.    When he first tried to lose weight as a 21-year-old, Karas found that he would work up an enormous appetite after running several miles. So while his cardiovascular health improved he still wasn't losing weight. The Program He grew more interested in strength...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

Dirk Jackson says he weighed 450 pounds. His doctor does not know his exact weight because the scales in the clinic were not big enough to weigh him. But in January 2004, the North Richland Hills man made a New Year's resolution to lose weight through a disciplined regimen of diet and exercise. Since then, Jackson has lost 184 pounds. He's barely recognizable in photographs showing him wearing size 60 pants. He now wears size 38 pants and can bench press 450 pounds. He said he had always been overweight as an adult. Jackson's still a "big guy" largely because...

Looking to redeem itself after its fallout with pharmaceutical giant Merck, Nastech announced positive results Thursday for early phase trials of a nasal spray for the treatment of obesity. The spray, dubbed PPY (3-36) was well tolerated when given to a group of 24 obese patients during a testing for variables such as food intake and appetite. The study was intended to find the most effective dose of the drug for further trials. Nastech said that, when administered by IV, the PPY caused patients to reduce their calorie intake by 30 percent, which matches results from previous studies of PPY....

Many people worry about putting on a few pounds during the holiday season. But when you reach for a Christmas cookie, keep in mind that you're not the only one who's going to enjoy that tasty treat: It will also get eaten by the bacteria living in your gut. And it turns out that the kind of bacteria living there may affect how much weight you gain. Until a couple of years ago, scientists didn't have the tools to figure out exactly what lives in a person's digestive tract. But with new genetic probes, they can do a kind of...

Crash diets, plastic surgery, "miracle pills" and extreme workouts are the most common ways to shed off those extra pounds. However, a new fad is gaining popularity and due to its price and supposed success, it is sweeping the nation one ear at a time. Those who perform the acupuncture ear stapling procedure claim that by inserting a tiny, surgical staple into the ear, it will trigger certain pressure points that may curb appetites, reduce stress, relieve pain, and may even help one to quit smoking. "I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first considering all the gimmicks...

-County employees would participate in pilot program- Travis County's top officials may decide today to offer weight-loss surgery to county employees, a step that is unusual but becoming increasingly popular with local governments. Under the pilot program being considered, the county would pay for up to 15 bariatric surgeries — or trimmings of the digestive tract — per year. The program would last five years. Each procedure would cost the county $15,000 to $25,000, according to reports to the county commissioners, who will decide whether to adopt the program. Employees would have to meet requirements to be eligible, including a...

    Perfect Diet? Eat Everything Fat, Carbs, Protein Must Balance, Dietitian Says Shiloh Woolman, Staff Writer Put down the diet book that touts a carb-free, protein-rich diet and tells you all fat is your mortal enemy. Get ready to learn the mystery to permanent weight loss.  Eating everything is the magic bullet, experts say. Variety is the key to not only a good-looking exterior, but a healthy body that can fight disease, according to Ann C. Grandjean, director of Omaha's Center for Human Nutrition, Inc. Grandjean suggests three golden rules for eating: balance, variety and correct servings. Mindful...

(FOX NEWS) - Rabbi Marc Sack drank diet soft drinks, cycled about 70 miles a week, and limited sweets and he struggled with hunger, "a big issue for me was appetite control." But when the weight wasn't coming off, he saw a dietitian who told him to stop the diet soda. "that was a big surprise to me," said Sack. "I thought I was doing something great by only drinking diet coke, and she really caught me off guard with that one." Jennifer Broder Katz is Rabbi Sack's food coach. She says artificial sweeteners like those found in diet sodas...

NO VERBAL ATTACKS! NO NAME CALLING! NO BASHING! THE OVERWEIGHT! NO NASTY PICTURES POSTED! This will be a thread about getting healthy and no attacks will be tolerated. Any fitness or activity level. 100+ pounds to lose or no weight to lose. Those who have lost weight and kept it off, please share with us what has worked for you. Maybe you love a certain activity, biking, skiing, rock climbing, walking, running, whatever, tell us about how it helps you stay in shape. Share your weight loss success. Just a place to share ideas about all things exercise and diet...

A few of us were thinking of starting an on-going FReeper diet and fitness thread. It would be a place where we could discuss weight loss, diet, exercise, getting back in shape, encourage each other in our efforts to get healthy, and celebrate our successes. Any fitness or activity level. 100+ pounds to lose or no weight to lose. Those who have lost weight and kept it off, please share with us what has worked for you. Maybe you love a certain activity, biking, skiing, rock climbing, walking, running, whatever, tell us about how it helps you stay in shape....

I mentioned this superb list of rules/suggestions for fitness and weight loss in another thread, and my FReepmail box filled pretty quickly. :) To keep this brief: The Lovely Wife and I got into weight lifting (strength training) a few years ago, and one of the companies from whom we purchased sports supplememts (whey protein, etc.) issues a monthly email newsletter. This particular one I kept, because to my mind, it is the best......by FAR........encapsulation of the things we should all do to lose weight and keep fit. Anything and everything I have learned about fitness fit in these "rules"...