One of the most frustrating things about undertaking a weight loss program is the initial lack of success, particularly in people who have become seriously overweight. The inability to see even a little progress leads to that 'to-heck-with-it-today-maybe-tomorrow' mentality that dashes diets in the late afternoon.

Part of the problem is that prolonged obesity with its resultant insulin resistance causes changes in the way that muscle cells use fat for energy. As a result, these cells fill up with fat droplets. Chronic, persistent exercise is needed to pull the fat out of the muscle cells before a more normal metabolism finally initiates weight loss.

One drug designed to return proper fatty acid metabolism to muscles actually made it to phase 3 clinical testing with initial bright results. Unfortunately, many patients became resistant to the favorable effects of Axokine. Australian investigators are, however, hot on the trail of other pharmaceutical methods to induce weight loss by directly targeting skeletal muscle cells.