Get a Life with Loretta Laroche

Did you know that stress can make you fat? Of course you did; simply dreaming of cherry cheesecake can make you fat, for Julia Child's sake (you don't really think that pillow case you gummed half the night is calorie-free, do you?). The relationship between stress and weight is one of several areas explored by the Queen of Stressbusters, Loretta LaRoche (see review of Relax! You Only Live Once in VL-5/00) as she follows four loyal subjects on a makeover quest for stick-to-it exercise programs, trimmer tummies, less stress, and--in the case of Henry Louis Gates Jr. (or "Skip" as the lauded Harvard professor and author is known to his friends) "6-pack abs." Here, Rebecca Parris (jazz chanteuse), Ann Chinchilla (event planner), and Bill Fornaciari, self-employed architect, and Gates (who is battling a serious hip problem) each pair up with personal trainers and, periodically meeting with LaRoche, fight their various battles against the bulge, the clock, and that ever-present little voice that says "I think I'll exercise…later," comparing notes at program's end. While viewers will learn little they didn't already know by heart from Get a Life, they will at least be newly inspired to dust off that treadmill and fish those hand weights out of the garage one more time. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)