Weighty Matters

“You can never be too rich or too thin,” said the Duchess of Windsor, the American woman for whom the King of England gave up his throne.

More money and less weight have always been high on the national wish list, so it was inevitable that self-help books would get around to promising both together.

A mother-daughter team has written "Rich and Thin: Slim Down, Shrink Debt & Turn Calories Into Cash," complete with a "Money Calorie Counter," to remind dieters how much they can save by investing the money not spent on unhealthful foods. A doughnut a day, for example, can cost $179.40 a year and 46,800 calories.

For those with a sociological bent, there is New York Times science writer Gina Kolata’s “Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--And the Myths and Realities of Dieting,” which reveals that our society's obsession with weight loss is less about keeping trim and staying healthy than about money, power, trends, and impossible ideals.

Just in time to round out all this is the paperback edition of revelations by “Park Avenue diet doctor Jana Klauer” titled "How the Rich Get Thin."

As a magazine editor and book publisher, I found that diets and diet advice can certainly make you rich. Thin is optional.