Overweight or obese adults with kidney disease could ward off further problems if they lose some excess pounds, a new study has shown.

Rose Gonzales admits that she's a master thief, forger and pickpocket, all with the intent of getting food.

Gonzales has an illness called Prader-Willi syndrome that makes hunger her constant, lifelong companion, no matter how much she eats. It drives her to steal from family and shoplift from stores, even though she knows the consequences can kill her.

"I'm famous for breaking locks," the 41-year-old Belen woman said. "I'm a master at signing people's names." These are traits she shares with others who have her illness, she said. "We are famous for knowing how to do things like that."

Temptation abounds when it comes to food.

We say we want to eat better, but succumb to the allure of not-so-nutritious treats. We'll try to make up for the slip with a Diet Coke, or maybe a 3-mile run the next morning. Then we go for the goodies all over again.

Why is it so hard to be healthy?

Usually more taxes don't help the average American, but a group of leading nutritionists and economists out of Yale University, say taxing sugar-sweetened beverages could lead to smaller waistlines, expanded government coffers and even savings on health care costs.

There’s a general view that being overweight and obesity are the result of eating too much or not exercising enough.

But researchers are finding that when we eat, and with whom, can also have a major impact on our accumulation of pounds.

First there's the timing of meals.

One study, reported recently by scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago, suggests that calories consumed late at night tend to hang around as fat.

Sitting down on a chair may not seem like much of an exercise, but do it repeatedly, especially with your arms extended, and you'll feel it in your quads. It's also going to strengthen your knee joints and abdominal muscles.

Erin Light, fitness coach for Clarian Bariatrics and a certified personal trainer, uses exercises such as this one for patients who need to lose a large amount of weight. An extra piece of equipment, such as a sturdy chair, makes some exercises easier for people who are overweight or for novice exercisers by providing a source of stability.

All Francine Gilbert wants is to see her little girl happy.

Despite the smile on daughter Chrissy's face, there's an underlying problem Francine is hoping to fix.

Chrissy, now 31, was born with Down syndrome and over the years has had difficulty controlling her weight.

After being diagnosed with sleep apnea -- an interruption in breathing while sleeping -- Chrissy's family knew it was time for a change.

With just more than two years of hard work behind her, Chrissy is now nearly 120 pounds lighter and more active in her everyday life.

Some paediatricians are calling for public hospitals to perform lap-band surgery on morbidly overweight teenagers.

Doctors say that the service should be offered to teens who have not been able to lose weight through diet and exercise.

They argue there are substantial taxpayer savings because it would avoid the onset of diseases later in life.