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Im a fitness trainer, certified group fitness instructor, and health blogger and of all the things Ive learned about exercise and fitness, this is the thing I wish people knew the most.

Obviously, if you walk for 30 minutes, its not going to burn as many calories as 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). But heres a crazy concept: Maybe, if were looking for optimal health benefits, we shouldnt be focusing on calorie burn.

Walking wont necessarily make you lose more weight than HIIT we cant promise that. But it is actually a way healthier option. Im telling you this as someone who engages in high-intensity exercise on most days. I dont do HIIT for the health of it; I dont do it for the calorie burn or the weight loss. I do it because I love it but heres why its probably not the best thing for me.

The Drawbacks of HIIT Nobody Talks AboutHigh-intensity interval training is exactly what it sounds like: High-intensity exercise performed over short intervals. High-intensity movements are movements that leave you gasping for air. Often, they involve jumping, sprinting, and performing full-body, compound movements that couldnt be sustained over a long period of time.

These movements are stressful. And stress, inherently, is bad for the body. The pressure of these exercises can increase cortisol (the bodys stress hormone) and wear the body down over time. For many exercisers, the collective impact results in strain, pain, and even injury. As an instructor, Ive seen it happen many times. Crutches, ACL tears, and stress fractures are all too common in frequent gym-goers.

By definition, being injured is not being healthy.

Even if you manage to evade an injury, high-intensity exercise has some significant health drawbacks. All that impact adds up, and often exercisers arent aware of how much high-intensity movement is too much. They read that HIIT is better (for the calorie burn, the metabolism boost, the efficiency, etc.) and they start to do it all the time.

Without realizing it, caught up in glimmering promises of calorie burn and fat loss, they fall into a seductive but dangerous trap: overtraining.

Its not just something athletes do. More and more often, average people are falling victim to going too hard at the gym, and too often. The consequences of over-exercise range from fatigue and irritability to a lowered heart rate and a dragging metabolism. It could actually cause you to hold on to fat cells. Theres nothing about training intensely all the time thats good for you despite the calories it burns.

Thats not to discount the benefits of working out intensely sometimes. You get stronger, build endurance, speed up your metabolism, and feel more energized on the daily. Unless, of course, you overdo it.

Benefits of WalkingRegardless of the danger of overtraining, many people simply dont enjoy high-intensity exercise in any capacity. Its difficult and if you dont have a true passion for it, it can become miserable to drag yourself to the gym day after day to trudge through a grueling workout.

I happen to enjoy it. So I do it, and do it often.

If I were to try to weightlift consistently, I wouldnt have much success. I dont enjoy heavy weightlifting and would therefore have a really hard time dragging myself to the squat rack. The best exercise regimen and the only kind thats proven to actually work over time is one you enjoy.

The science is pretty clear about exercise: Similar health benefits (measured by disease prevention and longevity) result from any amount of exercise that exceeds 150 minutes of low-intensity activity each week.

So if you enjoy going for an evening stroll maybe alone, maybe with your pet, or maybe with some podcasts youre reaping the same health benefits you would if you engaged in high-intensity exercise. The difference is that you would avoid all those very real dangers of intense workouts.

This might sound confusing. After all, people have been in love with HIIT training for some time now, hailing it as a quick fix for weight loss. And thats exactly where things got muddled.

The mix-up happened because of societys focus on weight loss. A lower weight often gets equated with a healthier body in actuality, weight has little to do with the actual health of the person in question. For many people, a higher weight results in better health outcomes. For others, the measures they need to take to maintain a lower weight can severely damage their health in the long term.

My takeaway for you? Walking is healthier because its less risky and, for many people, its more fun. If youre exercising for the health of it, stick with the only principle thats bound to hold up for the long term: Any kind of movement you look forward to doing is the kind you should do.

Excerpt from:
Walking Might Be Healthier Than High-Intensity Training - The Daily Meal

We're all looking for a quick fix or the 'magic bullet' when it comes to weight loss, whether it be superfoods, supplements or fad diets.

Healthy (and sustainable) weight loss, however, requires a different approach and frame of mind.

"One food alone cannot be blamed or pinpointed as 'the food to lose weight', nor can we blame a single nutrient (for example, carbs, fat or sugar) as a cause of weight loss," Alexandra Parker, accredited practising dietitian of The Biting Truth, told HuffPost Australia.

"When it comes to effective, long-term weight loss, it is essential that we look at our diets and lifestyles as a whole."

Getty

While cutting out food groups is tempting (as it will inevitably result in short-term weight loss), it's likely we'll regain that weight once we resume regular eating patterns.

"A huge problem with cutting out a particular food from your diet is that the day you allow yourself to bring it back in, you will splurge in a way that may not be healthy," Anna Debenham, accredited practising dietitian of The Biting Truth, told HuffPost Australia.

"Additionally, if you focus on one particular food to lose weight, you are likely to miss out on receiving the variety of nutrients your body requires to achieve optimal health."

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 'quick-fix' when it comes to weight loss. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight you need to commit and be in it for the long haul.

"Successful weight loss and weight management comes down to a life-long commitment to a healthy lifestyle, which combines eating healthy foods and keeping physically active," Parker said.

"Enjoy foods from all five food groups and ensure your diet is comprised of mostly plant-based foods for a sustainable approach to weight loss."

InnaKalyuzhina via Getty Images Look at weight loss and weight management is a lifestyle, rather than a fad.

As Debenham explained, slow and steady weight loss is key.

"A long-term approach is required to lower body-fat levels, while maintaining lean muscle and the ability to exercise effectively," she said.

"Body-fat stores are reduced when your energy expenditure is greater than your energy intake, so this is the aim for effective and healthy weight loss."

To help lose weight, Parker also recommends eating mindfully -- that is, eating without distractions like the TV or emails, and savouring each mouthful.

"By eating without distractions you are more likely to tune into your hunger cues and respond appropriately," Parker said.

"Eat slowly and enjoy every mouthful as this will help you to recognise when you are full."

Merinka via Getty Images

While there's no 'one' food which help with weight loss, eating a variety of healthy foods which contain macronutrients and micronutrients will help with losing weight.

These foods help to fill us up, keeping us satiated for longer and less likely to reach for unhealthy foods later in the day.

"To ensure you have enough nutrients in your day and to maintain a healthy weight, base your lunch and dinner around the healthy plate model," Parker said.

And don't forget about exercise.

"Aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week," Debenham said.

Some foods should be eaten occasionally rather than every day. These include sweet treats and many takeaway foods (especially those that are deep fried).

"Foods that are high in kilojoules (energy) and low in nutrients, such as takeaway foods and sweet treats like cakes and biscuits, do not help with weight loss," Parker said.

"These foods are considered 'sometimes' foods and should therefore be enjoyed occasionally, in small amounts, to ensure weight loss goals or weight maintenance can be achieved.

zeljkosantrac via Getty Images Keep these as a 'sometimes' food.

"Alcohol is a big one to keep an eye out for as it is a huge contributor to weight gain."

Link:
These Are The Best Foods For Weight Loss - Huffington Post Australia

When it comes to losing weight, maybe we should pay more attention to the numbers on the clock than the numbers on the nutrition label.

A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who ate their largest meal earlier in the day were more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who consumed their biggest meal toward the end of the day.

Now, we've all heard the cliche that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most of us have probably heard how eating breakfast can help you lose weight. But this research is saying something different. It shows that consuming more of our calories at the start of the day and fewer at the end boosts metabolism, prevents obesity and reduces risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

This is the opposite of how many of us eat, researchers say. We have a tendency to grab something small on the way to the office and sit down to a big dinner at night.

Though the study was small an observational study of 50,000 adults who are Seventh Day Adventists, a religious group that tends to have very healthy habits it offered a peek into the weight-loss benefits of fasting, too. The lowest BMIs were found in the 8 percent of study participants who ate in the mornings and sometimes early afternoons before fasting for the next 18 hours.

As the New York Times reports:

The new study may explain why previous studies like this 2014 one, which countered the widely held belief that eating breakfast helped with weight loss, found that skipping breakfast had "no discernible effect on weight loss in free-living adults who were attempting to lose weight." Perhaps study participants were eating too late in the day; a person eating the same meal at different times of day might deposit more fat after an evening meal than a morning meal, Kahleova told the Times.

Go ahead and fill up at the breakfast table. Eating bigger meals earlier in the day rather than later may be better for long-term weight loss. (Photo: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock)

Medical research seems to be trending in this direction. In January, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement on how meal planning can affect our heart health.

Meal timing may affect health due to its impact on the bodys internal clock. In animal studies, it appears that when animals receive food while in an inactive phase, such as when they are sleeping, their internal clocks are reset in a way that can alter nutrient metabolism, resulting in greater weight gain, insulin resistance and inflammation, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University in New York City and one of the statement's authors.

So go ahead and sit down to a hearty breakfast. Those of us who eat breakfast each day are less likely to have high cholesterol and blood pressure, and people who skip a morning meal (which is 20 percent to 30 percent of U.S. adults) are more likely to be obese or diabetic, St-Onge said.

We suggest eating mindfully, by paying attention to planning both what you eat and when you eat meals and snacks, to combat emotional eating. Many people find that emotions can trigger eating episodes when they are not hungry, which often leads to eating too many calories from foods that have low nutritional value, according to St-Onge.

Angela Nelson ( @bostonangela ) is an exhausted mom of two young daughters and two old cats, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning digital editor with more than 15 years of experience delivering news and information to audiences worldwide.

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Why breakfast should be your biggest meal - Mother Nature Network

People are always asking about weight loss - wanting a quick fix. I hear of so many fad diets and often wonder why someone would want to make it much harder than it needs to be.

Weight loss and maintenance (to me) seems to be common sense. Eat less and exercise more. I can't imagine cutting any one food out of my diet to achieve weight loss. It seems so much simpler to enjoy the food I love rather than omit it and miss it. While eating less and exercising more may be difficult for some, I find that having a routine keeps me on task.

Some tips to help get you on track with a healthy eating plan are:

Don't buy junk food: It's important to keep your pantry and refrigerator clear of tempting foods. Shop the outside aisles and shop alone. Shopping with family members may result in buying things you don't need or don't fit your meal plan. Never shop while hungry. I did this once and ended up donating a bunch of processed food that I never should have bought in the first place.

Food prep each week: I hear people say their produce goes bad too fast. Try to wash and cut up your fruit and vegetables right away so that it's easy to prepare. This should result in less waste and promote healthier meals throughout the week.

Limit going out to eat to special occasions: No matter what you order, it's going to have more calories, fat and sodium than foods you prepare at home. You may also be tempted to order something that you wouldn't normally prepare at home because it's not healthy.

Avoid the break room: Pack your lunch and try to avoid looking at what's in the break room. Too often, there's cake or other foods that may ruin your day. If you eat that donut, get back on track with your next meal.

Feed your kids healthier foods: Use your kids as motivation. The healthier you feed them, the healthier you will eat. Setting good examples for them is important. If you eat the vegetables, they will learn by your example.

Fill up on vegetables: If you've food prepped each week, you shouldn't have a barrier to having vegetables with each lunch and supper. Whether it be a salad that you throw together or vegetables that you steam, saute or grill. Filling half your plate with vegetables is a sure way to fill up on something healthier.

As always, drink water. Drink water with all meals and between meals to increase your feeling of fullness.

Weight loss doesn't require a strict eating plan. Cutting back on what you're currently eating should help with weight loss. It may take longer than following a strict fad diet, which ultimately leads to weight re-gain, but it can illicit healthier habits that can promote long-term weight loss.

Christie Mayer is a licensed renal dietitian with Davita Dialysis Center of Victoria.

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Healthier habits may promote long-term weight loss - Victoria Advocate

Losing weight requires hard work and determination. Oftentimes, men and women hoping to lose weight must commit to healthier lifestyles than the ones theyve grown accustomed to. That can be a big adjustment, and its important that men and women about to embark on their weight loss journeys recognize that keeping lost weight off can sometimes be as challenging as losing the weight.

Some people are inspired to lose weight before their weddings, while others may want to shed some pounds before beach season. While theres no wrong reason for people who are overweight or obese to lose weight, people who tie their weight loss efforts to something as temporary as beach season may overlook the long-term benefits of maintaining healthy weights, unknowingly increasing their risk of putting weight back on after reaching their short-term goals.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, maintaining a healthy weight lowers a persons risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and various cancers. Maintaining weight loss can be an uphill battle, but men and women can employ various strategies to ensure the weight they lose stays lost for years to come.

Continue your weigh-ins

Weigh-ins may seem like the enemy as men and women make their initial efforts toward losing weight. However, weigh-ins gradually become something to look forward to as pounds start to drop off. Routinely weigh yourself even after reaching your weight loss goals, as the scale can be just as motivational for people trying to maintain healthy weights as it is for people trying to lose weight.

Stick to your diet

When trying to lose weight, adults often combine diet and exercise. Thats a great weight loss strategy, and its also a great way to maintain a healthy weight. Recognize that weight wont stay off if you exercise but dont eat right. Rather, maintaining a healthy weight over the long haul requires both a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Eat slowly

While it might not work for everyone, eating slowly has been linked to lower calorie consumption. A study from researchers at Texas Christian University found that participants who were instructed to take small bites, chew thoroughly and pause and put their spoons down between bites consumed, on average, 88 fewer calories per meal than participants who were told to take large bites, chew quickly and continue eating without putting their spoons down. Study participants who were overweight, however, ate just 58 fewer calories on average.

Document your efforts

Whether its in a journal, on a blog or by emailing a loved one, documenting your efforts to maintain a healthy weight may provide the motivation you need to stay on course.

Maintaining a healthy weight after substantial weight loss is a challenge that men and women can overcome by staying as vigilant in their efforts to keep weight off as they were while working to lose weight.

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Four strategies for keeping weight off once it's gone - The Reflector

Denver, CO, Aug. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Paleo Diet or eating like a caveman is supported by premise that consuming the same food our ancestors did will result in leaner and healthier bodies. Paleo dieting requires high amounts of healthy proteins: fatty fish, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and good fats. No processed foods are allowed along with the removal of potatoes, dairy, added sugars and sodium. Paleo dieters must also remove dairy, potatoes, sodium and sugar from the diet. Many are deriving benefits from eating paleo including lowered blood pressure, regulated insulin levels and inflammation reduction.

Dr. Nishant Rao medical director of the doctor-supervised medical weight loss program, Diet Doc recommends the paleo diet and utilizes it as part of Diet Docs customized diet plans. The blueprint for eating from the paleo diet is excellent, Diet Doc recommends foods from the same groups and also suggests eliminating obvious unhealthy processed foods from our diets. However, Dr. Rao wants consumers who are interested in paleo to keep a few things in mind. The Paleo Diet in many ways has changed over the last five years as research has shown that there really is no one paleo diet because our ancestors ate dramatically different diets depending on the specific region in which they were located. Regardless of region, the paleo diet essentially eliminates food that did not exist during ancestral times. Doctors of Diet Doc collectively state, Instead of eating processed foods or simple sugars and carbs, vegetable starch, animal protein and fibrous vegetables are preferred.

As great as this sounds, Diet Docs medical team with each of their patients to develop individualized weight loss program specifically made to address each unique body composition. Dr. Rao believes that the paleo diet may not address these needs in a satisfactory way that produces fast weight loss benefits. The Paleo Diet is however extremely vague in terms of how much of each macronutrient people should consume and part of that reason is the variety in the historical record. What people can take from the paleo diet is to eliminate their dependency on modern food products, but when it comes to efficient weight loss, Dr. Rao emphasizes that the best route is to build diets and determine macronutrient needs based on body metrics and activity level which is universal regardless of ancestry or diet philosophy.

Interested in what Diet Docs doctor-supervised weight loss program can do for you? Getting started with Diet Doc is very simple and affordable. New patients can easily visit https://www.dietdoc.com/how-diet-doc-programs-works/ to quickly complete a health questionnaire and schedule an immediate, free online consultation.

About the Company:

Diet Doc Weight Loss is the nation's leader in medical, weight loss offering a full line of prescription medication, doctor, nurse and nutritional coaching support. For over a decade, Diet Doc has produced a sophisticated, doctor designed weight loss program that addresses each individual specific health need to promote fast, safe and long term weight loss.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DietDocMedical

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DietDocMedicalWeightLoss/

LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/company/diet-doc-weight-loss?trk=biz-brand-tree-co-logo

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Diet Doc Contact Information:

Providing care across the USA

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San Diego, CA

(800) 581-5038

Info@DietDoc.com

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Diet Doc's Physician Team Assesses the Recent Changes in the Paleo Diet - GlobeNewswire (press release)

Back to Browse Journals Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment Volume 13

Madhubhashinee Dayabandara, Raveen Hanwella, Suhashini Ratnatunga, Sudarshi Seneviratne, Chathurie Suraweera, Varuni A de Silva

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract: Antipsychotic-induced weight gain is a major management problem for clinicians. It has been shown that weight gain and obesity lead to increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality, reduced quality of life and poor drug compliance. This narrative review discusses the propensity of various antipsychotics to cause weight gain, the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions available to counteract this effect and its impact on adherence. Most antipsychotics cause weight gain. The risk appears to be highest with olanzapine and clozapine. Weight increases rapidly in the initial period after starting antipsychotics. Patients continue to gain weight in the long term. Children appear to be particularly vulnerable to antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Tailoring antipsychotics according to the needs of the individual and close monitoring of weight and other metabolic parameters are the best preventive strategies at the outset. Switching to an agent with lesser tendency to cause weight gain is an option, but carries the risk of relapse of the illness. Nonpharmacologic interventions of dietary counseling, exercise programs and cognitive and behavioral strategies appear to be equally effective in individual and group therapy formats. Both nonpharmacologic prevention and intervention strategies have shown modest effects on weight. Multiple compounds have been investigated as add-on medications to cause weight loss. Metformin has the best evidence in this respect. Burden of side effects needs to be considered when prescribing weight loss medications. There is no strong evidence to recommend routine prescription of add-on medication for weight reduction. Heterogeneity of study methodologies and other confounders such as lifestyle, genetic and illness factors make interpretation of data difficult.

Keywords: antipsychotics, weight gain, weight-reducing agents, metabolic, treatment adherence

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Antipsychotic-associated weight gain: management strategies and impact on treatment adherence - Dove Medical Press

Explicit weight bias is well documented, as are its damaging effects on people who struggle with their weight. Yet, implicit bias can also result in discrimination and socially undesirable behavior that negatively affect people who are seriously overweight.

Weight bias is widespread in society, occurring in employment, education, the media, health care and even in relationships with family members, parents and teachers, according to Dr. Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington, D.C.

Obesity has been called the last socially acceptable form of prejudice, and persons with obesity are considered acceptable targets of stigma, Dr. Kahan wrote in a 2015 blog post. He said that weight bias occurs even in people who are otherwise fair-minded and nonjudgmental even in obesity specialists, who may not realize that it predisposes to unhealthier behaviors and more weight gain.

Whether explicit or implicit, weight-based bias can be counterproductive, impairing the ability of overweight people to lose weight and keep it off. Studies by Rebecca M. Puhl and colleagues at the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, among others, have found that overweight and obese people who experience weight-based bias and who manage to lose weight are less able to maintain their weight loss.

Stigmatization is associated with more frequent binge eating and other maladaptive eating patterns, Dr. Puhl reported in a comprehensive review of the subject in the American Journal of Public Health. In a study of more than 2,400 overweight and obese women who belonged to a weight loss support organization, she wrote, 79 percent reported coping with weight stigma on multiple occasions by eating more food, and 75 percent reported coping by refusing to diet.

Furthermore, experiencing weight stigma can result in a poor self-image, depression and stress that in turn increase the risk of poor eating habits and difficulty losing weight and keeping it off. People can internalize weight stigma, blaming themselves for their excess weight and the social discrimination they experience.

Even people who simply think theyre overweight regardless of what they weigh may be at increased risk for weight gain and eating more in response to social threats, Dr. Puhl wrote. Three long-term studies involving more than 14,000 adults in the United States and Britain showed that adults who thought of themselves as overweight were more likely to gain weight over time, regardless of what they originally weighed and whether their self-perception of being overweight was accurate.

When weight stigma is internalized, it significantly diminishes a persons chances of maintaining weight loss over the long term, Dr. Puhl and colleagues confirmed in an online survey of 2,702 American adults.

A study by Robert A. Carels and colleagues at Bowling Green State University of 46 overweight and obese adults enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program found that both explicit and implicit weight stigmatization was linked to greater caloric intake, less exercise and energy expenditure, less weight loss and a greater likelihood of dropping out of the program.

There are very visible people in society making comments about peoples physical appearance in very inappropriate ways, Dr. Puhl noted in an interview. Where are the voices saying that this is not acceptable? That silence communicates this is socially acceptable.

Three states New York, Maine and New Hampshire have passed laws prohibiting discrimination against people based on their weight, Dr. Puhl said. And Congress has amended the Americans with Disabilities Act to protect those with severe obesity against discrimination in employment (although many people who are discriminated against because of their weight are not covered by this law).

There has also been a growing movement to improve affordable access to healthy foods in communities considered food deserts where obesity is often rampant.

Still, being overweight is one of the most, if not the most, common reason children are bullied, a problem sorely in need of intervention and prevention both in schools and organizations to head off self-image problems and eating disorders that result in lifelong weight struggles, Dr. Puhl said.

While the ideal solution to weight bias ultimately depends on education of both lay people and health professionals, people currently struggling with weight problems cant wait for a society-wide reformation that may help to absolve them of personal responsibility for their weight.

With extreme thinness being so prevalent in the media, Dr. Puhl said, its hard to change societal attitudes.

To compete with all the well-funded messages from the diet and fashion industries, she recommends making a concerted effort at self-acceptance and engaging in positive self-talk that challenges stereotypes to help people with weight issues recognize that what really matters to self-worth is character, intelligence, ambition, effort and contributions to society.

We all need to move away from the current appearance-focused culture and recognize that other things matter more than what a person looks like, she said.

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Fat Bias Starts Early and Takes a Serious Toll - New York Times

How much of your weight depends on your genes?

Genes are probably a significant contributor to your obesity if you have most or all of the following characteristics:

You have been overweight for much of your life.

One or both of your parents or several other blood relatives are significantly overweight. If both of your parents have obesity, your likelihood of developing obesity is as high as 80%.

You can't lose weight even when you increase your physical activity and stick to a low-calorie diet for many months.

Genes are probably a lower contributor for you if you have most or all of the following characteristics:

You are strongly influenced by the availability of food.

You are moderately overweight, but you can lose weight when you follow a reasonable diet and exercise program.

You regain lost weight during the holiday season, after changing your eating or exercise habits, or at times when you experience psychological or social problems.

These circumstances suggest that you have a genetic predisposition to be heavy, but it's not so great that you can't overcome it with some effort.

At the other end of the spectrum, you can assume that your genetic predisposition to obesity is modest if your weight is normal and doesn't increase even when you regularly indulge in high-calorie foods and rarely exercise.

Weight loss is about the journey, not the destination.

Too many people seem to want to shed pounds as quickly as possible without really trying to change their eating and lifestyle behaviors for the long term; they figure they'll deal with the weight maintenance later on. When people say they are 'going on' a diet, it implies thatat some pointthey'll be 'going off' their diet.

Weight Loss Tips for consideration:

Not all calories are created equal:

Calories are not just calories. There are foods that will nourish the body, preserve and protect lean muscle mass, and foster a healthy metabolismsuch as lean proteins, fresh produce, and whole grains. And there are foods that will contribute calories but very little else nutritionallysuch as refined grains, processed foods, and added sugars. Having a calorie limit is a good idea, but it's critical to meet that goal with as many healthy choices as possible.

Get your thyroid checked:

If you're having a hard time losing weight, get a proper thyroid assessment. Most people need a test that goes above the standard medical thyroid profile. A standard thyroid test reads as 'normal' in 80 percent of overweight individuals, which is incorrect. A proper thyroid assessment includes checking eight different parameters of thyroid function and comparing them to optimal, not normal, values. Evaluated this way, over 80 percent of overweight individuals will actually be properly identified as being hypothyroid. This is a key contributor to overweight.

Alcohol literally prevents weight loss:

Alcohol is not only empty calories but also has a huge effect on the weight loss process. It can interrupt and inhibit fat metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. Alcoholic drinks also contain a lot of added calories and carbs that will make it harder to lose weight even when you're reducing your caloric intake. At the very least, order something you sip slowly, such as wine, rather than something you may drink larger amounts of such as beer.

Sleep is the missing link in weight loss:

Refer to sleep as the third pillar of weight loss. Getting less than 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night ramps up the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases the satiety hormone leptin. Lack of sleep also interferes with impulse control, making it less likely that you will stick to healthy food choices and portion sizes the following day. Getting less sleep than needed also heightens cortisol, which prompts the body to overeat to refuel after fighting off a stressor.

Diet is more important than exercise:

You cannot outrun a bad diet. So many clients think because they sweat it out in the gym they can eat whatever they want. While fitness is essential for heart health and functionality, it is important to note that 80 percent of weight loss is diet.

Get your hormone levels checked:

If you're trying everything and still not losing weight, I always recommend digging deeper into hormones. Imbalances in cortisol, thyroid and other stress hormones may be blocking success. Diet and exercise are often not enough.

Keep a food journal:

The value of keeping really accurate food diaries. I encourage my patients to not only keep a diary, but to also write down ahead of time what they plan to eat and when they plan to exercise. This encourages them to stick to the plan. It also encourage people to use the diary as a tool to record their hunger level before and after eating, as well as their mood. The feedback from a well-kept food diary is invaluable. People learn if they are eating for emotional reasons rather than hunger, and they can also see how often they eat until they are more than comfortably full.

Allergy meds can cause weight gain:

Some common over-the-counter medications can hurt weight loss. People trying to lose weight should use antihistamines sparingly. Try spot-treating the symptoms instead. If you have nasal symptoms, consider only nasal sprays rather than a pill.' (If you have allergies, make sure you know the truth about the common allergy.

Eat too fast:

People need to slow down when they eat. Most people eat too fast and when we eat too fast, they overeat. By simply slowing down the mealtry putting your utensil down between bites, or eating with your non-dominant handyour stomach and brain will have time to connect. When you slow down your eating, you will be able to eat less food and feel full faster.

Sugar is the worst:

The main ingredient you need to watch out for is sugar. Remember that sugar wears lots of disguisesthere are more than 61 names for sugar on food packaging these days. Some common monikers include evaporated cane juice, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin, and more. Sugar, particularly hidden sugar, is responsible for weight gain and health issues in most people.

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Steps to fight obesity - KRIS Corpus Christi News

Cyrus Moulton Telegram & Gazette Staff @MoultonCyrus

WORCESTER - For Blake Kadra, arthritis had caused him to stop playing sports, rendered walking and yard work painful, and made him a candidate for total knee replacement surgery.

But before the surgery, doctors recommended Mr. Kadra lose 20 pounds to see if it would alleviate the pain.

Its hard to do when you cant move, Mr. Kadra, 60, said of losing weight.

Its a dilemma shared by many candidates for hip and knee replacements. Doctors recommend losing extra weight prior to surgery to decrease risks from infection and to see if it will ease pain. But weight loss is difficult when exercising hurts.

But if you think you must lose those extra pounds before a knee or hip replacement, think again, as researchers with UMass Medical School found long-term relief from joint replacement surgery was almost the same in obese and non-obese patients.

The conventional wisdom is that the lower your body weight, the lower your body mass index, the better you will do in joint replacements, and there has been an increasing push to say that if you are obese you should not have joint replacement - either knee or hip replacement, Dr. David C. Ayers, chairman of orthopedics and chairman and professor of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation at UMass Medical School, said Thursday.

Dr. Ayers is the co-author of a study reporting the findings published last month in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

What this study shows is that people who are overweight and are obese get the same type of pain relief and improved function that non-obese patients do, he said.

Approximately 7 million Americans were living with a hip or a knee replacement as of 2010, and approximately 1 million joint replacement surgeries are done each year, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The surgeries are becoming more common and the patients getting younger. In fact, hip and knee replacements combined now represent the highest volume surgery in the United States, according to Dr. Patricia Franklin, professor of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation at UMass Medical School and a co-author of the study.

But prior research has documented that obesity is associated with an increased likelihood of infection following joint replacement surgery. And most total joint replacement surgical patients are obese, Dr. Franklin said.

Weight loss through diet and exercise is thus regularly prescribed for the overweight in advance of total joint replacement surgery.

But while surgeons and patients have been well aware of the risks of joint replacement surgery for the obese, Dr. Franklin said there was a gap in the literature of the potential benefits of the surgery for those who are overweight.

So, researchers at UMass Medical School collected data on preoperative and six-month postoperative function, joint pain, and body mass index from a national sample of 2,040 people who had total hip replacement and 2,964 people who had undergone total knee replacement between May 2011 and March 2013. Preoperative and postoperative function and pain were evaluated according to body mass index status - defined as under or of normal weight, overweight, obese, severely obese, or morbidly obese.

Patients across BMI levels who underwent knee or hip replacement surgery reported virtually the same pain relief and improved function as normal-weight joint replacement patients six months after surgery.

Total knee and hip replacement can be fairly uniformly successful in improving quality of life, Dr. Franklin said. That does not diminish the need to minimize risks but its affirming to be able to communicate that patients across body mass index status are reporting significant quality of life gains.

Dr. Franklin said that to minimize risk of infection, doctors will continue to recommend weight loss for overweight and obese patients in anticipation of total joint replacement surgery. But she said the study should help patients and their doctors make a more informed decision about whether, and when, to undergo total joint replacement.

I think patients are finding the information useful because they have a full picture of the benefits and risks, Dr. Franklin said. Theres two goals - one is minimize my risk and one is to maximize my benefits - and now we have the data to counsel you on both.

As for Mr. Kadra, he has had both of his hips replaced since 2012 and is currently recovering from the knee replacement.

I would stress that anybody try to lose weight before the surgeries, Mr. Kadra said. However, Im still successful with my surgeries anyway, in spite of my weight.

The 5-foot, 11-inch Hopkinton resident is still working on losing another 20 to 30 pounds to get back to a more manageable 225 pounds, but he is confident that will come.

I can do it now, Mr. Kadra said. Im not hurting.

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UMass researchers find weight loss not necessary before joint replacement - Worcester Telegram

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