So a new study shows that taking Meridia may help you lose weight. But, how much? Just 11 lbs (approximately 5 kg). To me that does not sound like a lot considering that you also have to deal with all the adverse side effects of taking a pill.

Writing in support of Meridia, Dr. Susan Yanovski is quoted as saying that "The real take-home message from this article (in the New England Journal of Medicine) is that when you combined lifestyle modification with the weight-loss drug, you lost twice as much weight. You lost more than 26 pounds with combined treatment vs. 11 pounds with sibutramine (Meridia) alone."

Lifestyle changes for weight loss

This is what I know for sure. If you make lifestyle changes (meaning diet and exercise), you don't need any medication at all. There are millions of people who have lost weight by doing nothing else but eating less, choosing foods with less calories, and by exercising regularly.

So is Meridia or any other weight loss pill for you?

Well, only you and your doctor can make the best decision but it is important to note that when it comes to weight loss, nothing works better than just a good diet and exercise, particularly when all you lose with a drug is 11 lbs. Plus, Dr. David Graham, the FDA expert clubbed Meridia with Vioxx (a drug that was so dangerous that it killed about 60,000 Americans before it was recalled).

Recommended article: Myths that may be stopping you from losing weight

Divorce after plastic surgery

Believe it or not but cosmetic surgery can significantly change the way you look at yourself. A lot of people who have surgery - particularly if it has very visible results, for instance, breast augmentation or nose job or liposuction - may say that they have not changed as a person, but in reality they do. Otherwise, what would explain the events that follow plastic surgery. According to a study conducted by Grazia, seven out of ten people said that plastic surgery had improved their lives, almost half said they had changed their job and four out of 10 are no longer with the same partner.

In fact, an an episode of Dr. 90210, Dr. Robert Rey said that for many women, a plastic surgeon's clinic is the next stop after they are done with their divorce lawyer. In other words, women in particular are using cosmetic enhancements to pursue their dreams. In the same survey, of those considering going under the knife, 64% thought that it would give them more confidence, 42% wanted to look younger and 13% admitted that they wanted to look more attractive to men.

So if you are a man paying for your wife's plastic surgery, what should you do? Women who leave their husbands/boyfriends after plastic surgery do not do so because of becoming more attractive; they have merely gotten out of a bad relationship after their self esteem got a boost. They would have left any way. The new found look was just a trigger. So if you think you have a problem in your relationship, you need to deal with it - surgery or not.

Related article: Be a good husband