Yes, we’re once again in depths of the post holiday New Year's resolution ritural. And yes, the most common resolution is: lose those unwanted pounds – again or still. But, think - are you really ready to lose weight and do the daily work to keep off those unwanted pounds?

Check out my guest blog posted on skinnyandthecity.com on 11/18/09 Take Action to Beat Type 2. Please read the comments - already some heartwarming stories of people's efforts and challenges to Beat Diabetes.

The first report of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study (DPPOS) came out October 29th, 2009 online in The Lancet, a well known medical journal. DPPOS is part two of the ongoing Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) conducted in the U.S. as a National Institutes of Health multi-site study. The DPP and DPPOS results are similar to findings from trials conducted internationally over the past two decades in Finland, China and elsewhere.

November is American Diabetes Month and the kick-off for a new campaign Stop Diabetes - Make Diabetes Powerless by sharing, acting, learning and giving. Check out stopdiabetes.com.

Already this school year I’ve been faced with a cheesecake sale for a booster club; candy sale for the school; hot dogs, chips and soda served at an afterschool program…and there’s the promise of more of the same through the school year. I’m hoping my experience is not representative across the mountains and prairies of this large country, but I fear it is.

Already this school year I’ve been faced with a cheesecake sale for a booster club; candy sale for the school; hot dogs, chips and soda served at an afterschool program…and there’s the promise of more of the same through the school year. I’m hoping my experience is not representative across the mountains and prairies of this large country, but I fear it is.

A just released report titled Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity, from the Institute of Medicine and sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers myriad steps local governments can take to prevent the escalating incidence of child obesity.

Vitamin D deficiency is making headlines again with the recent publication of a study in the journal Pediatrics (online, not yet in print) which analyzed federal data of more than 6,000 children.

A few highlights:

Dear Mr. President:

A thank you and an idea to push your prevention and wellness agenda:

Thank you for your focus on wellness and prevention. You and Mrs. Obama serve as role models as individuals, a family and as leaders of our country. You walk the walk.

It’s true. With today’s goals and efforts to help people tighten their blood glucose control to minimize the long term diabetes complications, practitioners can increase the risks and possible occurrences of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) for some.

However, if all you knew about the risks for and likely frequency of hypoglycemia was from the news (as well as movie and stage theatrics) you’d be convinced that every person with diabetes is likely to keel over regularly.