Every time I think of family summer vacations, images of Chevy Chase heading for Wally World flood my mind. You remember the movie, don't you? The initial one was titled Vacation, strangely enough, with a sequel called European Vacation.

Summer vacations are supposed to be the spoils of a year of earnest toil. The accumulated stress of 9-to-5 workdays are supposed to dissipate in warm sunsets, cool breezes, and the relaxation of having no demands on our time.

Vacations can be -- and should be -- a stress relief valve. Since many of us fighting a tendency toward fatness overeat in response to stress, relief should assist our calorie control.

But researchers have found the opposite occurring too many times. People try to cram too much into a vacation. And because they want to maximize their enjoyment, instead of disciplining their eating habits, they seek new kinds of tastebud thrills.

Are you going to bring back excess baggage from your summer vacation? The answers starts with the vacation plan you are probably now making. Here are a few hints.

1. It is helpful to realize that you'll need a couple of days just to slow down from fast pace. Don't visit every fun park and museum you can.

2. Have an activity-oriented vacation. Biking, hiking, tennis, mountain climbing and so forth are calorie-burning activities that relax and refresh the mind.

3. Beware of water sports. Swimming, for instance, is great exercise, but the thernal effect of immersion in water will spur your appetite.

4. Cool yourself by drinking plenty of water, instead of sugary sodas or eating ice cream. For taste sensation, use fruit-based blended drinks or juices.

5. Don't mistake the dehydration of sunbathing for exercise. Just because you perspire doesn't mean you're burning calories.

6. If you're going to enjoy fine restaurants, load up on nutrient-dense foods such as salads, vegetables, and broiled fish.

7. Set exercise goals for your vacation. Many commercial facilities will sell you a pass for a day or week.

8. Looking great makes you feel great, doesn't it? Pull this vivid image into your mind, and start working toward it right away.

9. Get in shape for your vacation. Lots of energy will keep you running strong.

10. Enjoy alcohol only sparingly, if at all.

11. Read an inspiring book.

12. Do not take these suggestions to extremes. Vacations are memory makers. Their enjoyment is to be relished for years to come. Do not tarnish them by trying to severely diet or become a fitness champion all in one or two weeks.

The battle is one for attaining balance.

Have fun at Wally World.

Italian Dining Review

The Center for Science in the Public Interest—the nutrition watchdogs who famously called fettuccine Alfredo a "heart attack on a plate" when they first looked at Italian food in 1994—commissioned independent lab tests (for Olive Garden) and examined company-provided data (for Macaroni Grill) and published their picks and pans in the November 2007 issue of the group's Nutrition Action Healthletter.

Hmm, Try This If You're Adventurous

I am skeptical of many of the recommendations this brother espouses. Yes, cortisol is a stress hormone. But working out for fatloss instead of fitness? Even though that reminds me of my own mantra about exercise versus recreation, I think it's purely gimmick and harkens back to decades past and the historical debate about aerobic versus anaerobic exercise.

I know when you're writing a book, you need a hook. God bless this muscular man, but I didn't hear any evidence of what he professes. Perhaps his book cites studies, but I doubt it.

And one thing about which there is no doubt -- his own physique could never be sculpted with the workout he demonstrated.

Use this as an example. People want to believe in something new; something they haven't tried before. But the basics are inescapable: dietary discipline and a fitness lifestyle.

and: Grilling Recipes

Now Here's A Workout

If you can endure the "Body by Science" theme song another time, witness Blair Wilson's near-death-experience:

Budget Your Calories, and Your Funds

Ah, the 'Celebrity Trainer' Has Snack Idea:

Body Image and Self-Esteem Are Critical in Adolescence

As a child, I made a startling discovery upon entering grade school -- I found out I was fat. My classmates informed me of such.

I hadn't realized this earlier, I suppose, because kids in my neighborhood must have been too polite. On the playground at Our Lady of Victory Catholic elementary school, however, they let fly with relentless slings and arrows.

I salved the wounds with Oreo cookies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Occasionally I'd have to dish out a fat lip to somebody who made the mistake of giving me a little too much of it. Life went on, and my lunches remained a spectacle of calories over which the other kids drooled.

I remained fat and happy throughout grade school and on into my freshman year of high school. Then I made another startling discovery: I wasn't going to get the girlfriends I wanted unless I did something about my fatness.

Fortunately, a healthful solution -- basketball and oranges -- carried me through the teen-age years.

That was life in the late 60s and early 70s -- only mild trauma and a happy ending. Today, I don't know. Diet pills, drink mixes, laxatives, and maybe even anabolic steroids are readily at the disposal of the Terry Duschinskis of this era.

Is there a pre-adult in your household for whom body image is a painful issue? Summer provides more time with your kids, so take advantage of it to find out. The Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter published a special report years ago, and  it sounded ominous.

" As children reach the teen years, their increased awareness of society's emphasis on having the perfect body, coupled with what is often an acute or exaggerated sense of how their bodies differ from the ideal, makes many of them feel worthless and depressed."

A sign of the times is the number of cable TV shows we could find this week that deal with anorexia and bulimia. I don't want this to sound flippant because cheerleaders and prom queens have killed themselves over an obsession for perfection.

It's a serious situation, and next week we'll report the warning signs so that you might judge the necessity for seeking professional help.

It isn't just girls, either. Forty percent of 12- to 22-year-old males at an adolescent clinic in Tacoma, Washington, are unhappy with their weight. One third say they don't like their body shape. While thin is in for most girls, boys want a muscular, athletic appearance.

The challenge to parents is to find that very fine line that seperates sensible attitude from one that is ridiculous, and stay on the healthful side of it. Encourage a fitness life-style and healthy habits, but discourage fanaticism and obsession.

What do you do with an adolescent who exercises six hours a day and eats little more than celery and carrots? At the other end of the skinfold calipers, what about the child who loads up on milk shakes and french fries and is considerably overweight?

The nourishment we give growing bodies builds the foundation for life. Many experts call osteoporosis a pediatric disease because of a correlation to lack of calcium (primarily milk) in the growth years.

Iron is also critical during adolescence to meet the needs of growing lean body mass and blood volume, and to satisfy the demands of menstrual cycle. The young lady who shuns iron-rich foods such as lean meat and poultry risks a long-range deficiency.

Of course, teen-age girls define long-term as the boy who texts next week to arrange a date. Their physical vibrancy upon reaching the big 4-0 is something they can wait a couple of decades to worry about.

The child depriving himself or herself of food, and the child glutting himself or herself with it, each need to learn about their bodies and nutrition. Of course, nagging probably will backfire. A strong example would be much more effective.

There are many adults who need to learn about nutrition and their bodies. If for no other reason, they need to impart this message to their offspring.

It's a cruel world for fat people, and a dangerous one for both the overweight and the under-thin. Back in the 60's, I was lucky not to be exposed to the desperate measures available to kids today. I was also lucky in that although my elementary classmates ridiculed my fatness, they kept "ugly" and "stupid" underneath their breath.

We'll be serious next week about giving you the warning signs of body image problems someone you love may be experiencing.

Dr. Doug McGuff has new posts on YouTube demonstrating his "Body by Life" workout. There's a series of Doug's own workout, as well as the workout of his wife, Wendy. Searching his name will also reveal a workout in Austin, Texas, on a motorized piece of equipment (now in development) that is somewhat similar to a trash compactor. We'll probably be posting these in future weeks, but if you're eager, you can find them by searching YouTube.