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 (HealthDay News) -- Close the diet books and skip the pills. The latest weight-loss trick may be as simple as gulping a couple of glasses of water before you eat. A new study found that middle-aged and older adults who drank two cups of water before each meal consumed fewer calories and lost more weight than those who skipped drinking water. Researchers divided two groups of overweight and obese men and women aged 55 to 75 into two groups: one group was told to follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet; the other group was told to follow the same diet and to drink two cups of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner. After 12 weeks, those who drank water before meals had lost 15.5 pounds, compared to 11 pounds for the non-water drinkers, a nearly 30 percent difference. The researchers got the idea for the weight-loss program from their prior research, which found that when middle-aged and older adults drank water before meals, they ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories at the meal. What they weren't sure about, however, was if water drinkers would compensate by eating more throughout the rest of the day, said senior study author Brenda Davy, an associate professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech. But after 12 weeks of dieting, that didn't happen. "Drinking more water is a pretty simple strategy that may be helpful to people trying to lose weight," Davy said. "We're not saying, 'Drink more water and the body fat will melt away'. But for people who are trying to lose weight and trying to follow a low-cal diet, it's something they can do as part of that." The research was to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. One of the most vexing issues with dieting is how difficult it is to keep the weight off long-term, Davy said. After the 12 weeks were up, Davy and her colleagues have continued to follow the participants. After one year, preliminary data shows that those who continued to drink water before meals not only kept those pounds off, but have even continued to lose a bit more -- about 1.5 pounds on average. Yet pre-meal water chugging comes with one caveat: it may only work if you're middle-aged or older, Davy said. Prior research has shown that in those aged 18 to 35, drinking water before the meal did not cause them to eat fewer calories at the meal, Davy said. In older people, it takes longer for the stomach to empty, which may be why the water helps them feel fuller and less hungry, while in younger people, water begins leaving the stomach almost immediately, Davy said. Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina Nutrition Obesity Research Center, called the findings "promising." His research has shown people who drinks lots of water drink fewer sugary beverages, eat more fruits and vegetables and overall consume fewer calories throughout the day. One culprit in the obesity epidemic is that Americans consume some 300 calories more a day in sugary beverages than they did 30 years ago, Popkin added. That includes soda, punch and fruit juices with added sugar, sports drinks and sweetened tea. "If you drink some more water right before a meal and fill up a little bit right before, there is the potential you may reduce your food intake," Popkin said. "But what we're concerned with is encouraging people to drink water to replace all the caloric beverages we're drinking." Another challenge to the water-before-meals weight-loss strategy is getting people to do it, said Carla Wolper, an assistant professor in the Eating Disorders Center at Columbia University and a research faculty member at the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City. "The question is, do people continue to drink the water in a non-study situation?" Wolper said. "We know there are a lot of simple things people could do to lose weight. Clinical trials have shown if people write down what they eat, they lost twice as much weight. Yet it's very hard to get people to write down what they eat. Or, if people would reduce portions just a little bit, they would lose weight. But people don't do it." The same goes for drinking more water. Even seemingly small changes require commitment. "Changing a pattern of behavior is complicated, and requires time and energy," Wolper said. Still, it could be worth a try, she added. "Unless people overload on water, it's harmless, inexpensive. And if over the course of the entire day, it reduces the amount of food people take in, then of course it's a good idea," Wolper said. Dieticians often will suggest a non-caloric drink such as club soda with lemon, diet soda or tea to help resist the urge to snack after dinner, Wolper said.

Grammy Award-winning gospel artist talks about life lessons and his new book When Kirk Franklin assembled a 17-member vocal ensemble of neighborhood friends and associates he dubbed The Family, he was a young unknown gospel artist. Infusing R&B and other genres into his music, he shattered records and became the first gospel artist to sell more than a million units. Since his 1993 debut album, the musical trendsetter has won seven Grammy Awards and numerous other accolades. Despite his success, the now 40-year-old, multiplatinum artist still dealt with the resurgence of past issues, feeling a sense of emptiness, and seeking a deeper purpose. In his new book, The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms (Gotham Books; $25), Franklin shares his personal trials and triumphs and how he used them to propel him to success. The Fort Worth, Texas, native talked to Black Enterprise about enduring hardships, the importance of living an honest life, and how a strong foundation changes everything. You’re very candid about your childhood--having an absent father and a mother who said she wished she’d aborted you. How did that impact your life?I really believe that we will never fully understand the development and growth that we rob from our children when we do not parent them and give them the affirmation they need. I watch my son when he’s outside throwing his ball. He’s always peeking out the side of his eye to see if I’m watching. I intentionally give him a thumbs-up because I know it’s important for a son to have affirmation from his father so that he grows up not always longing for that, but he’s groomed to know that he is important to this earth. People want to belong, and people want to feel like they have a part in this life’s chain. In one chapter of your new book, you said that people don’t like to tell on themselves. But you have made your struggles public. Why is it so important for you to be transparent?I want to share how my life has been transformed. Having a painful childhood affected my mindset and how I viewed girls. I was just very promiscuous. It was hard to get through during my teenage years and 20s. I’ve come through this, and now I’m on the other side of it and have the freedom of being able to be committed to one woman. People fail because there are not enough teachers able to take off their jacket or their robe and sit next to you in the classroom and say “me, too.” So you are practicing what you preach, which is to take faith out of the pews and into people’s real lives?It’s very important to me to take off the holier than thou stigma and for people to see that we Christians have a real honest type of lifestyle. A lot of people come to church with masks on because we can’t afford to allow others to see our real faces. So if the sermon is more like a pep rally with three points that help you get through your day, you get those points, clap, say amen, and then leave never having to take your mask off and never getting to the root of the problem in your life. The real work comes when we take off the mask, get uncomfortable, roll up our sleeves, and look deep into the mirror of what was really behind that. Having been through that real, uncomfortable work yourself, how did you develop a blueprint to change your life?The core of change is that defining moment of peace--peace that you begin to have deep inside of you that is not based on a new car, new purse, or a new boyfriend or girlfriend; but when you are alone and you are able to rest in being exactly where you are. I had to learn how to figure out the job of Christ inside me and allow Him to be the foundation that everything else would be built upon. Once He became that foundation, I was able to make room for my wife, Tammy; my career; children; and relatives. But when you don’t have that foundation built right, you’ll have the bathrooms on top of the roof and a toilet that is turned upside down. Shenelle Wallace    

Mary J. Blige is partnering with NASA to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). NASA released two public service announcements featuring Blige and space shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin this week on NASA TV online. In addition, Blige, who cofounded the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now in 2008, has made several television appearances in the last week to talk about the program. The goal of the collaboration is to garner attention for NASA’s Summer of Innovation, a multiweek, intensive STEM program for middle school teachers and students during summer 2010. Coordinators hope the program, which is in support of President Barack Obama's Educate to Innovate Campaign, will counter the "summer slide" (loss of academic skills over the summer) and other issues facing students who are underrepresented, underserved, and underperforming in STEM. SOI programs will take place in several states including Idaho, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Wyoming, and students will learn about and develop projects involving wind turbines, weather stations, engineering in suborbital space, robotics, astrophysics, and space exploration.    [image] Marian Johnson-Thompson, professor emeritus at the University of the District of Columbia, says parents should find female role models in science for their girls. Expose them to female role models. Find other women in science who can tell your daughters what they did in science when they were young girls, says Johnson-Thompson, the former director of education and biomedical research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Use role models who can demonstrate that you can be attractive, wear nice clothes, have children, and get married--all while being successful in science. “That may sound a little bit sexist, but it turns out this is what little girls think about early on, and even the young girls I meet today in high school [think you can’t be involved in science and still be feminine],” she says. “If you can expose them to role models who have these characteristics, it is positive reinforcement for them.” Relate science to activities that girls, in particular, will understand. Tell your daughters about the chemistry involved in cosmetology or the scientific processes involved in cooking, says Johnson-Thompson. There is an entire discipline of science devoted to food science. Show them that bread is made from yeast rising, that pickles are made as a result of the fermentation process, and explain to them the role of microorganisms in yogurt and cheeses. “Explain science so that children can see how it is used in their everyday experiences. Then it will help them to be more engaged,” she says.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hip-hop star Kanye West is still feeling the pain over his trophy grab from Taylor Swift last year - and he's expressing his pain all over Twitter. West unleashed a torrent of emotions on his official Twitter account Saturday, acknowledging once again that he was wrong for jumping on stage, taking the trophy that Swift won at the MTV Video Music Awards and saying that it should have gone to Beyonce. But the rapper-producer said that he has experienced enormous pain, been the subject of death wishes and suffered tremendous setback to his career. "How deep is the scar ... I bled hard ... cancelled tour with the number one pop star in the world ... closed the doors of my clothing office," he tweeted. The multiplatinum, Grammy-winning superstar had been one of the decade's most successful and critically acclaimed stars, despite sometimes boorish behavior and meltdowns at other awards shows when things did not go his way. However, when he upstaged Swift - the then-teenage darling of pop and country music worlds -the public had had enough. There was tremendous backlash against West - even President Barack Obama was caught calling him a "jackass." At the time, he went on Jay Leno's prime-time show to apologize and said he still had not recovered from his mother's death two years prior. He said he would be taking time off from the public eye. That time off came sooner than expected. He canceled a joint tour with Lady Gaga that fall, apparently due to low ticket sales. On Twitter, West talked about the backlash. "I'm the guy who at one point could perform the Justin Timberlake on stage and everyone would be sooo happy that I was there," he wrote. After the incident, he said, "People tweeted that they wish I was dead ... No listen. They wanted me to die people. I carry that. I smile and take pictures through that." West said he's now "ready to get out of my own way. The ego is overdone." He also apologized to Swift again, and said he has written a song for her that he hopes she will perform. "If she won't take it then I will perform it for her," he said. West is working on a new album that is supposed to come out sometime this fall. A recent member of Twitter, West has been an active user, posting not only his feelings, but new songs and other updates. He has over 900,000 followers since he joined earlier this summer. "Man I love Twitter ... I've always been at the mercy of the press but no more ... The media tried to demonize me," he tweeted Saturday.