By Nicole Smith, Staff Writer, BlackDoctor.org --Want to lose a few pounds in a hurry? The magic word is half. These ½ Rules will get you on your way to dropping weight in a hurry.

1. Eat Half of What's on Your Plate
In today's super-sized society, controlling your portions can be the key to losing weight. Some restaurants will serve half the daily recommended calories in one serving. That means you may be eating 1000 calories in a single sitting!

For example, a bagel from your favorite bakery or restaurant can have anywhere from 300 to 400 calories. Add cream cheese and you're eating nearly 600 calories for breakfast! Instead, eat half the bagel. You can save the other half for later or even for the next day's breakfast.

Even when you're at home, make sure you are controlling your portion sizes. Most food products have their nutrition information printed on the back of the package. Make sure you know what they consider to be a portion size and how many calories it has.

2. Fill up on Veggies
Vegetables are full of proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, calcium and other good stuff. But what they are not full of is calories.

When you sit down to meals, make sure that at least half your plate is vegetables. Preferably the green leafy kind. Think plain old broccoli is boring? To keep things interesting, switch up your side dishes. Brightly colored veggies like tomatoes, carrots and spring peas will excite your eyes as well as you stomach.

(BlackDoctor.org) -- Thanksgiving celebrations, holiday gatherings, sorority and fraternity meetings, national conventions and family reunions are all well-known community gatherings that take place during the holidays that have food as their centerpieces. So often menus for such gatherings feature soul food mainstays like fried chicken, catfish, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and collard greens. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has created a new tool to assist in planning healthy meals without sacrificing flavor for the next church, community or holiday gathering.

This month, the ADA published 'The Family Style Soul Food Diabetes Cookbook,' its fourth cookbook by well-known dietitians Fabiola D. Gaines and Roniece A. Weaver. The popular authors were joined by dietitian Rojean L. Williams and chef Shawn Fralin to serve up healthy varieties of traditional soul food dishes the entire family will love.

"As the holidays approach, we feel our new cookbook makes an excellent resource in bringing the family together with delicious and nutritious meals," said Lee Romano Sequeira of the ADA. "While being a beneficial tool for families, churches and community organizations, the cookbook also shows how to prepare the traditional soul food favorites, but in a new, exciting and healthy way."

By Glenn Ellis, Editor At Large, BlackDoctor.org

The statistics are staggering. More than 18 million people--6 percent of the U.S. population--have diabetes. Of those, it is estimated that more than 5 million people don't even know that they have the disease. And as if that's not enough, the rate of diabetes among African-Americans has tripled in the last 30 years, with nearly 3 million African-Americans (11.4 percent of the total African-American population) current victims of the disease. Today, African-Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic Whites, and most likely to have complications from the disease.

Facts You Should Know:

* Diabetes is the result of the body's inability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and produce energy.

* There is an estimated 5 million undiagnosed people with diabetes in the United States. * The disease kills nearly 200,000 Americans annually.

* African-Americans over 45, persons who are overweight and those who have a family history of the disease are most at risk.

* One in 4 African-American women over 55 and 1 in 4 African-American men between 65 and 74 are affected by diabetes.

* Medical authorities have not been able to fully explain why African-Americans are affected at a higher rate, although they believe factors such as heredity, diet and increased incidences of high blood pressure are contributors.

* Diabetic symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger and irritability, unexplained weight loss or weight gain, tingling in fingers and/or toes, nausea, fatigue and vomiting.

* Diabetes is one of the most manageable chronic diseases. In many cases, diabetes can be controlled if you eat well-balanced meals on a regular basis, exercise regularly, take prescribed medication (if necessary) and test your blood sugar routinely.

* Unlike most other diseases, the person affected with diabetes does most of the care.

* Inhaled insulin is expected to be widely available to treat those who would prefer that method to injection.

* Diabetes is the seventh-leading killer in the United States and the No. 1 disease causing blindness, kidney ailments and non-traumatic amputations.

* Diabetes is the country's second most-costly disease, behind mental disorders.

* Manufacturers have created glucose-monitoring systems that require a smaller blood sample, making living with diabetes more comfortable because there is less pain associated with the test.

Known for her dedication to her own physical fitness, First Lady Michelle Obama put some of that storied athleticism to work Wednesday to show about 100 parents and kids from local elementary schools that staying fit can be fun.

It Internet is abuzz over the Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator, a quiz designed by a Dr. Thomas Perls, a New England centenarian expert. The Living to 100 calculator quizzes you on a series of questions about your stress level, medical and family history, diet and exercise habits and environment and then spits out a life expectancy. Clearly, it's hardly the most scientific of calculators and shouldn't be taken as a 100 percent accurate predictor of your future.

Everything gets better with age -- if you're Michelle Obama, that is. Despite her recent transition from living a relatively low-profile life in Chicago to being half of one of the most famous and visible couples in the world, the 45-year-old first lady is happy, in good health and enjoying life more than ever. How does she do it?

The first lady shares her secrets for staying happy and healthy in the November issue of Prevention. Her number-one secret can be summed up in six simple words: "Make choices that make me happy."

"Throughout my life," she said, "I've learned to make choices that make me happy and make sense for me. Even my husband is happier when I'm happy. So I have freed myself to put me on the priority list and say, yes, I can make choices that make me happy, and it will ripple and benefit my kids, my husband and my physical health."

Q: I don't have time for a lengthy workout during the week. How can I maintain a healthy but short workout regime that works as well as a longer one?

A: Here is a guaranteed formula to minimize the time you spend exercising to get maximum results!

Time management is the name of the game when it comes to long workdays, family duties and a busy social calendar. To ensure the best results, you must increase your level of intensity and frequency. This simply means that you need to train harder and rest less. You can maximize results with a strategic use of time, environment, routine and mental readiness.

1. TIME: Set a time to workout when you are the least distracted. My suggestion is very early in the morning or late in the evening. Attempting to work out when the world is at its peak makes for a distraction-filled session. I always recommend working out a minimum of three times per week for 30 minutes a day if time permits.

2. ENVIRONMENT: Pick a comfortable location that is a perfect place for you to work out efficiently and effectively. Avoid working out with gym buddies who only want to talk, and never stop your workout to check e-mail, voicemail and text messages. Become selfish during your exercise time! Make it all about you and your body. Trust me, the small sacrifice will turn into big results in the long term.

The recent, untimely deaths of celebrities Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith, both of whom died after accidentally taking a lethal combination of legal drugs, put a spotlight on the hidden dangers of prescription medication. Now journalists, police, fans and foes of Michael Jackson are wondering if the same fate befell the King of Pop. While officials have not determined what caused the June 25 death of the revered pop legend, there has been speculation that prescription medicine, which Jackson is rumored to have been addicted to, had something to do with the tragedy.

It may seem odd that medication that is initially prescribed to help you can end up hurting you, but prescription medicine, particularly pain medications like Oxycontin, can be highly addictive, and overdosing or mixing different drugs can be fatal. It's not just a problem in Hollywood. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, at least 8,500 deaths in 2005 were associated with pain killer abuse, and emergency rooms nationwide saw a 39 percent spike in visits connected to prescription drug abuse from 2004 to 2006. About 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs.

"There is a relatively low perception of risk," Sean Clarkin of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America told the Christian Science Monitor. "There is a cultural climate – the 'pill for any ill' mentality is contributing to this."