Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 133«..1020..132133134135..140150..»

Home » Long Term Weight Loss » Page 133

Its one of the paradoxes of the health community: slightly overweight people can be healthier than those with trim bodies. And being skinny can be just as dangerous, or worse, than being fat.

How could that be?

Harvard Medical School estimates that more than300 million people worldwide are obese (defined as having a body mass index [BMI] >/= 30). And this matters because being obese presents a risk to your health and ultimately, an increased likelihood of dying early.

Except its not as simple as that. Take, for example, a study by the Cooper Institute, a nonprofit organization in Dallas, that looked at body composition and fitness levels in 22,000 men, ages 30to83. Over the course of the eight study years, 428 participants died. Whats interesting is that those who were overweight and fit were two times less likely to have died than those who were lean and fit. There was also no significant difference in the overall death rates (the all-cause mortality) between the overweight fit men and the lean fit men.

So perhaps the pursuit of health should be directed away from a singular focus on body composition toward fitness over fatness.

Mortality is a U-shaped curve

What came out of reports a few years ago was something called theobesity paradoxor sometimes reverse epidemiology. What the data show are that those who are either at the low side of the weight curve or the very high side are at increased risk of death. Those who are slightly overweight have a 6percentlower risk of death than their normal weight peers. These factors were shown to be particularly important incertain groups of people, such as very elderly individuals or those with certain chronic diseases. It further postulates that normal to low body mass index or normal values of cholesterol may be detrimental and associated with higher mortality in asymptomatic people.

A 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found similar results to the Cooper Institute data, determining that fitness, rather than body weight alone, was the stronger predictor of health. An earlier study of 2014 men followed over a 16-year period found that physical fitness appears to be a predictor of mortality from cardiovascular disease in healthy men and a high level of fitness was also associated with lower mortality from any cause. These results are further corroborated by another study that tested the prognostic capacity of exercise capacity by following 6,213 men who were referred for exercise testing, concluded that exercise capacity wasthe most powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), even among other risk factors for CVD.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine conducted by Harvard researchers looking at a longitudinal study of nurses that included data on both weight and activity level also found that activity level attenuated some of the effects of being overweight. But those data also suggested that the nurses who were overweight or obese tended to have a higher mortality rate; however, this particular study wasnt designed to capture robust fitness measures or body composition, simply self-reports from the study participants of activity level and their weight.

Research published in Progress in Cardiovascular Disease reported:

Overweight and obese-fit individuals had similar mortality risks as normal weight-fit individuals. Furthermore, the obesity paradox may not influence fit individuals. Researchers, clinicians, and public health officials should focus on physical activity and fitness-based interventions rather than weight-loss driven approaches to reduce mortality risk.

BMI has tended to be a rather poor measure of health or relative fitness, based on its agnosticism of muscle content and other physiological indices. While it can serve as a quick heuristic as a short-hand measure for the average of a population, it has almost no measurement precision for individual cases where it matters most. Its more like weighing your vehicle to estimate that it has enough fuel to cover a set distance there are so many other factors that could impact the result (e.g., other additional passengers, insufficient coolant level, low tire pressure). The issue is that incorporating BMI, and not more accurate body composition analyses, into research studies on weight, fitness, and longevity adds to the error rate of the results due to the imprecision of the BMI formula at measuring physiological indices.

Weight loss itself appears to not offer the same effects as improving fitness

Another study found that those who are overweight or obese in middle age have a higher risk of hospitalization and mortality from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes compared to those who are normal weight. Keep in mind that this study did not consider activity level, so weight is considered in isolation without the moderating variable of fitness.

Additionally, the NEJM reported on a long-term analysis of the effects of weight loss on cardiovascular disease in those with type 2 diabetes. They concluded, An intensive lifestyle intervention focusing on weight loss did not reduce the rate of cardiovascular events in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes.

Instead of a pure focus on weight, an approach that includesand favorsfitness provides the greatest opportunity to increase survival.

Ben Locwin is a behavioral neuroscientist and astrophysicist with a masters in business, and a researcher on the genetics of human disease. BIO. Follow him on Twitter @BenLocwin.

Related Stories

Originally posted here:
The obesity paradox: Why being fit may be more important than losing weight - Genetic Literacy Project

Losing weight reduces the risk of long-term cardiovascular illness and mortality for the majority of patients with type 2 diabetes, but for a small subgroup, weight-loss intervention can lead to dramatically worse outcomes, according to new research published today inThe Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

A team of data science researchers at The Arnhold Institute for Global Health of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reached these conclusions by applying new, advanced machine learning techniques to data collected during a trial that was halted in 2012 because its results lacked statistical significance.

The Arnhold Institute team, led by James H. Faghmous, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at the Institute, reanalyzed data from the trial known as Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes). They found that, despite the overall null findings of the trial, 85 percent of the study sample did experience a clinically meaningful, significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity from the trial's intensive weight loss intervention.

"Our analysis demonstrates that recent advances in machine learning for causal inference can increase the quantity of clinically relevant findings generated from large randomized trials," said Aaron Baum, PhD, Lead Economist, The Arnhold Institute for Global Health; Assistant Professor, Department of Health System Design and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and lead author of the study. "As researchers and data scientists, we are always concerned that an overall study result could mask important disparities in benefit or harm among different types of patients, which is exactly what this study revealed. Being able to identify individuals that could benefit from an intervention is fundamental to patient care."

"In addition to its clinical findings, this work shows the promise advanced machine learning methods can have on precision medicine beyond genetics", said James H. Faghmous, PhD, the study's senior author and an expert in machine learning and healthcare.

The Look AHEAD study enrolled more than 5,000 overweight and obese patients with diabetes with a planned follow-up period of up to 13 years. Its intent was to determine whether modest weight loss through a lifestyle intervention reduced the rate of mortality and serious events like heart attacks and strokes. The trial was halted early by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after finding no difference in the rates of cardiovascular events between the two groups.

"This research strengthens the role for data science and precision medicine as essential tools that can transform the way health care is delivered," said Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, Director of The Arnhold Institute for Global Health and Chair of the Department of Health System Design and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Identifying individuals that could benefit from an intervention is crucial for practicing clinicians, while ignoring subgroups that benefit might lead to lack of reimbursement for weight loss programs, which would neglect vulnerable populations."

The team's findings indicated that 15 percent of subjects had substantially increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke as a result of weight loss interventions. This could be the first suggestive evidence of an adverse reaction to what is generally considered a common-sense and innocuous intervention. This subgroup was defined by a combination of two baseline characteristics: mild or well treated diabetes (HbA1c less than 6.8 percent) and a negative perception of their health status (SF-36 general health score less than 48). The latter is strongly correlated to depression. This subgroup also:

"This analysis restores my faith in basic common sense," said Ronald Tamler, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute, and co-author of the study. "For the vast majority of people with diabetes, a healthy lifestyle with weight loss carries significant benefits; however, it's not for everyone. Thanks to this work, clinicians can infer which patients will benefit the most from such a lifestyle intervention."

Excerpt from:
Machine-Learning Techniques Unlock Benefits of Weight Loss for Type 2 Diabetes Patients - Scientific Computing

Credit: LEDO/www.shutterstock.com

Obesity is a risk factor for numerous disorders that afflict the human race, so understanding how to maintain a healthy body weight is one of the most urgent issues facing society. By 2025, it is estimated that 18 percent of men and 21 percent of women will be obese worldwide.

In the US alone, 68.8 percent of people are already classified as overweight or obese. The UK, meanwhile, has one of the greatest problems in Western Europe 67 percent of men, 57 percent of women and a quarter of children are overweight.

In order to lose and maintain a healthy weight, public health policy typically advises eating fewer calories by reducing the calorie content of food items or reducing portion size, for example. We propose, however, that simply choosing food items with reduced calories is not necessarily the best way to maintain a low weight.

There are hundreds of diets that, for a period, reduce calorie intake and in this way decrease body weight. But the number of those who are dieting at any one time demonstrates that this is not a long-term solution. Every year in the UK, 65 percent of women and 44 percent of men try to reduce their weight, by, for example, decreasing fatty or sugary foods or eating smaller portions.

Surveys also estimate that a quarter of people are always trying to lose weight, or "yoyo dieting". The constant dieting to lose weight, subsequent weight gain, and further weight loss are part of a cycle that repeats itself for these people. Losing weight is much easier than maintaining weight loss, yet for health reasons we need to retain the lower weight.

Fighting biology

Although cutting calories can cause weight loss, it does not follow that if a person returns to their usual diet they will maintain their new low weight. In fact, studies have found that after a low calorie diet, between one and two-thirds of people regain more weight than they had lost initially.

The fundamental problem with cutting calories is that the human body defends its original weight. Evolution has produced a body that anticipates future famine, with the result that when you reduce calorie intake there are strong physiological pressures to replace the lost energy.

For example, dieting causes the gut to release a range of hormones that increase appetite: changes that are still apparent after the diet is over. Leptin which makes one feel satisfied and full has been found to be still reduced a year after dieting has finished, while ghrelin, a hormone which stimulates appetite, remains raised. So even a year after a person finishes their diet, they will feel hungrier than when they started dieting, and still anticipate a higher food consumption than before the diet.

Reducing food intake also reduces the body's metabolic rate and production of body heat. The resulting lower energy consumption helps a more thrifty body to return to its initial weight, as fewer calories are needed to fulfil these basic bodily functions.

There is also increasing evidence that dieting changes taste sensitivity. For example, those who have recently lost weight rate the taste of sugar as more pleasant.

When low calorie versions of foods are unknowingly consumed, there is a subconscious tendency to replace lost calories by changing other aspects of the diet. In one study, researchers gave artificially sweetened drinks to unknowing participants who were used to drinking sugary drinks. The scientists found that although on the first day the participants consumed fewer carbohydrates, from the second to the seventh day, the overall energy intake was unaffected: they made up for the lack of calories in the sweetened drinks with energy from other foods and beverages.

The overwhelming message is that the price of freedom from obesity is eternal vigilance. When the initial attention associated with dieting dissipates, basic biology ensures that weight is regained. For the weight-conscious, actively counting calories can be successful, but losing weight and keeping it off can only work if one's calorie intake becomes an issue high on the agenda.

The passive removal of calories for example, when a manufacturer reduces portion size, or a government requests that chocolate bars should not contain more than 250 calories will only be influential if an individual persistently monitors overall calorie consumption. Without this psychological engagement, basic human biology will take over and any lost calories will be replaced.

Explore further: Counting your way to weight loss

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Read more:
How dieting encourages your body to replace lost weight - Medical Xpress

WFAA 2:58 PM. CDT July 31, 2017

istock(Photo: tetmc)

Strategies to Avoid Weight Regain

By Melody Foster

When youve worked hard to lose weight, stepping on the scale to see youve gained back some weight can be discouraging. While some fluctuation (give or take a few pounds) can be expected, nobody wants to lose weight, only to find it again in a few years.

If you want to maintain your weight loss long-term, here are some strategies to help you avoid rebound gains down the road.

Get support for long-term success. Setting up a support network is key to your success. Family and friends can help encourage you and hold you accountable as you strive to make healthy choices months and years after surgery. A certified professional fitness expert and a nutritionist can also be valuable members to have on your support team.

Keep your doctor in the loop. Whether youve lost 10lbs or 100lbs, keep your primary care physician apprised of your weight loss goals. Your doctor will be able to monitor your weight, answer questions and refer you to the appropriate professionals should you need to address any issues pertaining to food, weight loss or weight gain, such as emotional eating.

Learn to think differently about food. The relationship with food is often a complicated one. When food dependencies or abuse are the root cause of weight gain, getting help to address the root problem is a must, as is learning to develop healthier eating habits overall. Addressing issues may take time, but once good habits are developed they can prove as difficult to break as bad ones and can help prevent weight regain.

Create new habits. Develop new eating habits early on in your weight loss process, including focusing on nutrient-dense food and lean protein. Eating low-calorie, filling foods like vegetables can help you avoid weight gain but keep satisfied when your appetite returns.

Get active. Take advantage of your new, slimmer physique and greater energy levels and develop strong exercise habits. You should be physically active most days of the week (at least five days a week). The American Heart Association recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise weekly. Regular exercise can make a big difference in preventing weight gain.

Most importantly, remember that we all face setbacks. Dont let a little slipup throw you off course. If you have a bad day, week or month, get up, dust yourself off, and get back on track.

About the Author

Melody Foster is a Dallas-based freelance writer and contributing author to the Nicholson Clinic blog. Melody researches and creates content for clients in industries ranging from health care, fitness and nutrition to interior decorating, legal and social good.

2017 WFAA-TV

Read the rest here:
Strategies to Avoid Weight Regain - WFAA

Getting healthy and in shape is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

Not only will you look good, but your whole body will be healthier and happier as well.

Although there's conflicting advice about how to get into shape, here are five recommendations from doctors, scientists and medical professionals that can get you on track to being in the best shape of your life.

Exercise is great for you, and once you find an activity you like, your overall health and fitness will benefit.

Exercise strengthens the entire human machine the heart, the brain, the blood vessels, the bones, the muscles. The most important thing you can do for your long-term health is lead an active life, according to Dr. Timothy Church, director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

You may not believe it, but exercising shouldnt feel like a chore. If you like the exercise you do, youll end up getting into better shape.

With all of the choices and options out there, you can find one that fits your schedule, budget and ability to commit, as long as you stay open-minded.

If you want to tone your muscles, yoga has been popular for thousands of years because of its physical and mental benefits.

Cycling, hiking, swimming and sports can all be done outside, and that is great if you love sunshine and the fresh air motivates you to move.

In general, pay attention to what exercise makes you feel great and then commit to increasing the amount of time and the intensity level you do it.

You may have heard the quote that weight loss is 80 percent about diet and 20 percent exercise.

This statement, while a generalization, is based on scientific findings. Medical professionals and researchers have used systematic analysis of subjects in weight-loss programs to determine that exercise alone is not enough to achieve significant weight loss.

A long-standing consistent observation is that regular exercise by itself is prescribed in small to moderate amounts resulting in modest weight loss or in some cases weight gain, according to a 2013 study.

Scientists have observed that peoples bodies become more efficient at doing specific exercises over time and require less calories for the same activities.

At the same time, exercising stimulates your bodys appetite, so many people who exercise often may burn calories, but they eat more calories and counteract the overall fat burning.

This doesnt mean that you shouldnt exercise; it means that you should focus a lot of your energy making sure you are fueling your body with healthy meals at specific times.

The foods you eat are the building blocks of your body, so it's no wonder that the wholesomeness of your food and eating schedule are critical for getting into shape and looking great.

Of course, its not always easy to identify healthy foods or know exactly what you should be eating, but some simple rules can help you.

Many nutritionist support the general rule to get as much of your nutrition as possible from totally unprocessed foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs and low-fat protein like chicken. Eating processed foods, like doughnuts, packaged chips or frozen dinners, should be done very seldom.

In addition to the types of foods you choose, learning to be mindful of your hunger level and controlling it with strategic eating can prevent your self-control from failing because you're famished.

When youre looking to get into shape, monitor your hunger level and eat frequent healthy snacks. This will keep you on the right track and stop cupcakes or cookies from being irresistible.

Everyone has those spots that never seem to shrink, no matter how great our diets and exercise regimens are.

In fact, as people age, scientists have proven that hormones encourage weight gain in specific parts of individuals' bodies. It's difficult to reverse the process, even with a healthy lifestyle.

After you've remodeled your diet and exercise routine, for help with those last trouble spots, consult the professionals at Alpine Plastic Surgery.

Load More Comments

Showing of 3 comments

Go here to read the rest:
5 expert recommendations for getting into shape - KSL.com

My friend stocks her cupboards with low-calorie versions of everything and seems to be losing weight. Are diet foods really the key to long-term weight management?

Diet foods can certainly help, but they have to be used in moderation, just like anything else. When they're used as a crutch, achieving your weight-loss goals can be much more difficult.

Look what happened in the 1980s and '90s, when low-fat diets were all the rage. People consumed fat-free cookies, low-fat muffins and reduced-fat chips in an effort to lose weight, and the nation's waistline continued to bulge.

Fat intake dropped slightly (still a higher amount than healthy standards), but carbohydrate intake skyrocketed, resulting in an increase in total calories for many folks.

Bottom line even supposed "health" foods can make weight loss difficult, if you simply eat too much of the packaged foods and not enough produce, beans and other "real" foods.

About the author: Andrea Ivins is the club manager and Zumba instructor at Anytime Fitness in Palestine. To submit a question for future articles, contact the author at palestinetx@anytimefitness.com or thrivingivins.com

Here is the original post:
Ask the Anytime Gal: Are diet foods ket to long-term weight management? - Palestine Herald Press

QUESTION: My friend stocks her cupboards with low-calorie versions of everything and seems to be losing weight. Are diet foods really the key to long-term weight management?

ANSWER: Diet foods can certainly help, but they have to be used in moderation, just like anything else. When theyre used as a crutch, achieving your weight loss goals can be much more difficult. Look what happened in the 1980s and 90s when low-fat diets were all the rage. People consumed fat-free cookies, low-fat muffins and reduced-fat chips in an effort to lose weight, and the nations waistline continued to bulge. Fat intake dropped slightly (still a higher amount than healthy standards), but carbohydrate intake skyrocketed, resulting in an increase in total calories for many folks. Bottom lineeven supposed health foods can make weight loss difficult if you simply eat too much of the packaged foods and not enough produce, beans, and other real foods.

Andrea Ivins is the club manager and Zumba Instructor at Anytime Fitness in Palestine, TX. To submit a question for future articles, please contact the author at palestinetx@anytimefitness.com or thrivingivins.com.

Read the original here:
Anytime Gal: Are diet foods key to long-term weight loss? - Jacksonville Daily Progress

In Sand Springs, the fires may be dying, but the trouble is far from over.

What was, until earlier last week, the nation's largest wildfire is now under control. As ranchers receive donations of hay and other supplies from around the country, they're surveying the land, seeing how and if the livestock survived.

They may have to sell livestock because there's no more usable grazing land and the price of hay has skyrocketed. But that's just this year the immediate effects of the fire.

The Lodgepole Complex fires didn't just wipe out this year, they wiped out years to come. Many ranchers will likely have to sell off cattle to survive losing years of carefully honed genetics. Other ranchers will have to wait until 2019 to see new calves reach market age and who knows how they'll make it until then. And for new, young ranchers, the fires may have wiped out their budding businesses before they even got on their feet.

It's not just about acres of grazing land or head of cattle. It's also the less obvious losses like fencing nearly 1,400 miles of which has been charred beyond use. The cost of replacing the fencing alone is estimated at $15 million, not to mention the cattle those fences will keep penned in.

Garfield County rancher Brett Dailey talks about the effects of the drought and the Lodgepole Complex fire Thursday.

Brett Dailey, leaning against his tractor and peering down toward the highway as he awaited a delivery of hay Thursday, noted his relative luck. His Weeding Ranch west of Jordan had been spared by the blaze, although he lost a smaller pasture in the heart of the burn area where he typically grazes his yearling cattle.

Charred trees stand on blackened earth along Old Stage Road in Garfield County Thursdayafter the Lodgepole Complex fire burned through the area.

The main thing is if those people can find a place to take those cattle, Dailey said. Some of them have worked for generations on those genetics, and to take them to the market now, theyre losing a lifetime of work.

Trucks of donated hay are coming from as far away as West Virginia, said Anne Miller, a spokeswoman for the firefighting team,but it may not be enough to get ranchers through the rest of the season. The cost of feeding cattle during the drought could be staggering compared to a typical year, with the average price of hay in the region hovering around $180 per ton, compared with a more normal range of $100 to $120 per ton.

Charred trees stand on blackened earth along Old Stage Road in Garfield County Thursday, after the Lodgepole Complex fire burned through the area.

Jay Bodner, the natural resources director for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, has spent much of the week fielding phone calls from worried ranchers affected by the fires. Respiratory damage from heat and smoke inhalation often gives way to infection, he said, and hooves burned by the grass fires may slough off during the next three weeks.

Cows and calves likely suffered weight loss if they were displaced by the fires, especially those that got lost and spent days wandering without food or water. If cow-calf pairs were separated too long, Bodner added, the young will become weaned too early and will weigh far less than they would have otherwise.

Theyre going to be coming in much earlier than (the ranchers) had forecast, he said. The phase right now, theyre trying to gather cows and just do an initial assessment.

Charred trees stand on blackened earth along Old Stage Road in Garfield County Thursday after the Lodgepole Complex fire burned through the area.

But in the long term, he said the combined financial setbacks from livestock loss, selling cattle early and replacing fences and other infrastructure destroyed by the fires will be overwhelming for many ranchers. Some pregnant cows will likely have to be sold off to make ends meet, meaning stock growers will have to buy them back next year to re-start the process of impregnating and raising calves for the 2019 season.

Each one of those could be a year, two or three years, to recover from something like that, he said.

The federal government offers several forms of assistance to ranchers affected by the combined severe drought and wildfires that have wracked the region, but funding is limited, and some of it wont be available until next year.

And unlike farmers, ranchers lack access to the crop insurance programs that help to defray the lack of income during a catastrophic drought or weather event.

Amy Webbink, the acting executive director for the federal Farm Service Agency office in Bozeman, said Wednesday that ranchers will be eligible for several cost-sharing and disaster assistance programs. That includes the Emergency Conservation Program, which helps cover the costs of fences destroyed by the fires. Currently, ranchers can apply for the assistance, but those grants wont be awarded until the agencys national office begins its review of applications.

Were just going to be doing everything we can to try to get assistance to those producers as quickly as we can, Webbink said.

Charred fence posts lay on the ground Thursday after the Lodgepole Complex fire burned through Garfield County on.

Webbink said she didnt have details on how much money would be available to replace fences, but Garfield County FSA director Walt Bales said that more than 1,400 miles of livestock fencing was destroyed by the fires. Noting that the fires burned so hot that even the steel fence posts are too brittle to reuse, he estimated the total cost at around $15 million.

Other emergency assistance programs will offer federal dollars to help cover a portion of the range land and livestock losses due to drought and wildfires, but Webbink said some of those grants wont be distributed until next spring at the earliest.

People gather at the Sand Springs store along U.S. Highway 200 as a thunderstorm brings rain to the Lodgepole Complex fire area Thursday.

As the morning thunderstorms tapered off Thursday, the smell of wet ashes and sagebrush hung heavy in the air near Sand Springs. Firefighting crews, their work on the nations largest wildfire coming to a close, were beginning to filter out of the sprawling fire camp as they prepared to be deployed elsewhere in the following week.

The Sand Springs Store along U.S. Highway 200 is surrounded by campers and vehicles as the incident management team is set up for the Lodgepole Complex fire Thursday.

But for locals, an uncertain future still lies ahead.

Eric Miller, the local agent for the Montana State University Extension, said the vast majority of acreage burned by the Lodgepole fires comprised grazing lands. On average, he said 80 to 100 percent of those lands have experienced a complete loss of grass.

That means that their grazing for this season is basically completed, without a lot of rain and regrowth, Miller said.

The fire information board for the Lodgepole Complex at the Sand Springs store along U.S. Highway 200 on Thursday.

Dailey knows that many of the more established ranchers in the region will find ways to weather the setbacks from a historically difficult year for the Montana cattle industry. What worries him more, he said, are the younger ranchers who may not have the resources to bounce back.

Theyve just barely got cattle out there, theyre just getting started, then they get the drought, then the fire comes through, he said. Thats who I really feel for, those young kids that worked so hard and just need a little break.

Read the original post:
Long-term losses of Montana's fire season amount to much more ... - Billings Gazette

Ive accepted that many people dont want to meet with a dietitian. Its assumed that were going to suggest eating bland, healthy, nutritious food, and avoiding all the tasty treats. Quite frankly, sometimes a version of that is true, causing a vicious cycle to occur. Clients are annoyed that they must give up the fun foods, and every follow-up appointment is a discussion about how they feel deprived and cant imagine another day without their drinks, sweets and fries.

This pattern leads to stress. People judge food as good and bad, are overwhelmed about food choices, feel frustrated that they cant eat treats and sweets, and feel guilty when they eat something theyre not supposed to. Everything about food, nutrition and health becomes stressful and unpleasant.

Its a tricky situation because dietitians truly dont want people to excessively eat sweets, fried foods and other goodies or drink too much alcohol or sweetened beverages. We want to support individuals in creating long-term behavior change and enjoying the experience. Typically, if people think theyre on a diet, it rarely sticks for the long term.

To achieve the goal of nutrition, behavior change requires a shift in perspective.

Psychologist Kelly McGonigals TED talk, How to make stress your friend, sheds light on how ones perception of stress can be a game changer in creating sustainable behavior change.

She highlights a study in which researchers took close to 30,000 names from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey and looked at how they answered questions related to their stress levels, their perception of stress, and whether they try to reduce their stress. The researchers then used public health records to compare that information with mortality data through 2006. One finding was that neither amount of stress nor perception of stress alone was associated with a higher risk of death. But both of those factors together reporting a lot of stress and believing stress has a large effect on health did increase that risk.

Another study she describes is one in which participants were put in stressful situations and monitored on their physical response. One group was taught in advance to look at stress as positive. For example, they learned that an adrenaline rush helps them perform better. That group experienced fewer negative physical response symptoms. Their perception of stress decreased their internal stress response.

How can this support you in creating new nutrition habits?

Here are some common stressful and unpleasant thoughts one can have while starting a healthy eating plan:

I hate being so restricted. How am I going to survive without my favorite food?

Im not going to be able to have a social life! How am I going to fit in during social situations? What am I going to eat at that party?

I hate this. Why do I have to struggle like this? Why does this have to be so difficult?

This is terrible. I hate vegetables, eating healthy and eating like this. This is never going to work.

Im hungry, Im tired, I cant keep a thought. Eating like this feels uncomfortable.

What if you looked at the experience differently? What if you embraced the difficulty of changing your lifestyle and had pleasant thoughts about the new healthy body you could have? What if the stress of it all didnt have to feel so difficult? Its stressful, but that may not be a bad thing.

Some examples to strategize this new perspective:

Set a pleasant tone. Youre sitting down for lunch and its a meal in line with your new healthy lifestyle. The plate is full of vegetables, healthy fats, protein and fiber, and you say to yourself, This is going to make me feel energized, lean and healthy!

Enjoy some treats. When people start eating healthy, they often go all out and eliminate all their favorite foods, leading to deprivation and stress. Enjoy a treat from time to time. Keep it in appropriate proportion and enjoy once or twice a week.

Remember to take a breath. When youre walking into a social situation and arent sure how to eat, stop for just a moment and take a breath. Take a few breaths if you need to. Find people you enjoy spending time with so you can laugh and have a good conversation. Make the best decisions you can and enjoy the night.

Create tools for success. Often when people go on diets, they undereat and get so hungry they feel physically and emotionally stressed. Caloric deprivation isnt necessary. Load up on vegetables, healthy fats, fiber-rich starches, proteins, fiber. Have food prepped and planned so youre always prepared. Stay consistent with your meal timing to keep you full and satisfied through the day.

Eating better can be quite pleasant. Learning how to view the process to your advantage not only supports you in reaching your goals, but makes the experience so much more enjoyable. McGonigal says, When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. Consider eating healthier as a brave act.

Berman is a registered dietitian, a personal trainer and owner of Jae Berman Nutrition.

Read more from the original source:
Changing your perspective about weight loss may change the ... - Washington Post

share

pin

email

As a registered dietitian, many of my appointments with patients begin with harrowing tales of weight-loss programs from the past. Patients discuss details about why one worked over another and how much weight was lost in each.

Unfortunately, the majority of these attempts all end on the same note: gaining all, or more, of the weight back. Thousands of references are available to consumers on how to lose weight. However, very few sources identify, perhaps, the most important piece of the puzzle how to keep the weight off. Here are some tips to help you manage the weight you worked so hard to lose.

What it's really like to lose 100 pounds Play Video - 1:01

What it's really like to lose 100 pounds Play Video - 1:01

Imagine picking up two 10-pound weights and taking a 1-mile walk. It would be challenging to accomplish. Your body would have to work harder to compensate for the extra weight. Now drop the weights. Take the same walk. That exercise should be much easier. Your body is now more efficient, and the calories youll burn will go down. Thats exactly what happens when you lose 20 pounds.

To keep the weight off, you need to challenge your body by decreasing calories even further in some cases (because your body is not working as hard to get you from point A to point B anymore) and stepping it up on the exercise front. In fact, a 2014 study that followed individuals who lost weight and tracked their maintenance success, found those who maintained the most weight loss reported high levels of physical activity as well as a diet that was consistently low in calories and fat.

The same study mentioned above also found individuals who successfully maintained their weight weighed themselves several times a week. A 2015 study found weighing in daily was equally effective, especially in men. The scale may be a good monitor of weight that may be creeping in.

Though if you find that you're obsessing over the number on the scale, you may want to weigh yourself just once a week.

Woman loses 200 pounds in 2 years Play Video - 0:54

Woman loses 200 pounds in 2 years Play Video - 0:54

There are various methods of weight loss and as many experts to help see you through it. One study, which followed patients for 56 weeks after successful weight loss, found individuals who engaged in group visits as well as telephonic coaching maintained more weight loss than those who had no intervention at all. The study concluded having a maintenance routine in commercial and clinical settings could set the stage for better success at keeping weight off.

The take away? After you lose the weight, find a coach or a dietitian who can keep track of your maintenance habits for at least two years (the time period that predicts even further long-term success).

One study showed if you focus on maintenance behaviors first youll be more successful in the end. The study found women who engaged in eight weeks of maintenance skills regained less weight than women who did not focus on these behaviors beforehand. In the group of women who focused on maintenance first, they learned about energy-balance principles including: controlling portions without feeling deprived or dissatisfied, the importance of being physically active, weighing in daily to monitor fluctuations in weight, learning how to make small and easy adjustments to lifestyle habits, and navigating inevitable disruptions with confidence.

Man loses 374 pounds in 3 years Play Video - 1:03

Man loses 374 pounds in 3 years Play Video - 1:03

Research out of Duke found when participants were offered cash rewards for weight loss and maintenance, they were more successful with their weight-loss programs. The bottom line? Engage in workplace weight-loss programs that provide a monetary benefit for weight loss or structure a program yourself.

For every 10 pounds of weight loss, you can set aside a reward that is meaningful to you. For every three months of maintenance, set even bigger rewards such as a trip or a new wardrobe. Additionally, including family members and friends who are willing to contribute to the weight-loss pot (tell them its an investment in your health) may increase motivation even further.

If youve ever lost weight, you know not everyone is happy to hear about your success. A 2017 study referred to negative behavior by others as you find weight-loss bliss as lean stigma. Researchers also found certain communication techniques could help in maintaining weight loss without compromising relationships. These included saving a cheat night for dinner out with friends, accepting unhealthy food options from friends but not eating them, or eating very small portions of unhealthy foods at family gatherings.

This is hard stuff. Dont throw in the towel if you gain back your weight. Using the "I'm a failure" approach may have you reverting back to bad habits, putting weight on and never getting back on track. Stay on the weight-loss wagon. Dont lose sight of the hard work youve already put in.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, R.D., is the manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, and the author of "Skinny Liver." Follow her on Twitter @KristinKirkpat. For more diet and fitness advice, sign up for our One Small Thing newsletter.

Original post:
7 steps to help maintain weight loss for life - Today.com

Page 133«..1020..132133134135..140150..»

Home » Long Term Weight Loss » Page 133