Over the years, there have been grapefruit diets, liquid diets and low-carb diets. But one Durham-based diet program has been more than a passing fad.

Need a little motivation heading into the new year? Here, try on Jan Croft's story.

Rice Diet alum Susan Blech is featured in the January 14, 2008 issue of People magazine.

Thousands of dieters come to Durham, North Carolina, every year from around the world with one goal in mind -- turning their overweight, flabby figures into svelte, healthy bodies that can walk a mile without huffing and puffing.

There's no dearth of girth. But rather than expand, Durham's Rice Diet and its brethren watch their wait.

The great benefit of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquility to make meaningful connections with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with our own bodies and minds. Some call that living better. Others would describe it as spiritual.