Metabolism, Weight & Lifestyle Institute, LTD.

The Holiday Season Need Not Cause Weight Problems: We Must Begin Planning for the New Year Now!

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:27:27 +0000

We all realize that it’s that time of year again – the beginning of the Holiday Season! We’re planning for Thanksgiving the day after tomorrow. Then, it’s a mad dash of shopping, cooking, eating, drinking, parties, family get togethers, religious events, perhaps traveling, and lots of joy (and possibly sadness depending on our circumstances) until after New Year’s Day. In other words we’ll be incredibly busy and have little time for ourselves, and, even worse, our daily routines will be disrupted for months! Despite this, the Holidays are a good thing. We just have to plan. This is not a time for thoughts such as “I’m not going to gain weight!”, or, “It’s impossible so I won’t even try!”, or, “I’ll wait until after the New Year!”, or “I’ll skip all those parties!”, or, whatever. The truth is we’ll all party and eat and drink – some of us will maintain our weight but most of us will gain at least a few pounds despite our best intentions. By planning, however, we can minimize the damage and enter the New Year healthier by doing a few simple things. We must be honest with ourselves because we know what’s going to happen otherwise. The first thing we must do is try to get at least and extra 30 cumulative minutes of physical activity each and every day. This can be simply walking while shopping or visiting. Next, since we are planning to snack and drink more, we should cut back on our regular meals and try to keep the accumulation of goodies in our homes and work spaces to a minimum by taking inventory and throwing them out daily if necessary. We all know what to do – we just have to do it. Thirdly, we should keep some type of record or diary of what we consume and where we’re going to go so we know what we’ve done and what we’ll probably soon do. This sounds too easy and it is, but, we’ll only do it if we begin now.

The Weight Loss Blues Affect Everyone – Even “Experts” Like Me!

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:26:23 +0000

“Too much knowledge is a dangerous thing” a sage once said. This is the way my wife and I feel now. Since we’ve recently cut way back on our professional activities we’ve had much more time to travel. In fact, we’ve spent over four of the past eight weeks traveling – 31/2 weeks driving to Oregon and back and last week driving to northern Wisconsin for a blissful week in the gorgeous north woods. Even though we kept active – kayaking, swimming, hiking, horse back riding, etc. – we both gained around 4 – 5 lbs. which we are having a devil of a time taking off. This despite our knowing what to do and being very knowledgeable in calorie counting. I get on the scale frequently and know how my patients feel when dieting. It’s frustrating! However, why we gained the weight isn’t a secret if we think about it. Firstly, although we were active on our trips, the physical activity was more intermittent and not as constant during the day. Secondly, we were, of necessity, eating out a lot and our food choices were not the best for weight control. Thirdly, we usually eat only two meals a day – a late breakfast or early lunch and a dinner later in the day. When traveling, the norm is, more often than not, that we eat three meals a day plus snacks which are more difficult to control when away from home. So, our problem was not one of ignorance or lack of knowledge of what we should have done, but one of our not planning and anticipating what would happen to us. Because of this lack of preparation, we blew it. Even the old cliche “Eat, it’s OK you’re on vacation,” doesn’t change the outcome. We now have to lose those pounds! It would have been better to not have gained weight by planning and applying the principles we know so well. Until we do this we will be forever flumoxed by our weight management.

To show how much I haven’t changed, I reread my previous post of January 20, 2010 where I lament my new year’s weight gain as well as my post on February 9, 2010. You should read these too.

I’m Back and Excited About Resuming My Blog

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:48:16 +0000

Hello again! It’s been a relatively long time since I’ve published a post. I have been busy extricating myself from my private practice of medicine, which, I truly loved and miss. However, I can now pursue my long held desire to apply all my time and energy to helping individuals, families, groups, and communities attain and maintain a healthier lifestyle in an effort to treat and prevent disease. I hope to do this not only through my personal efforts but also by my partnering with other like minded individuals, groups. and, yes, even the government (especially at the community level). Toward this end I am revamping my website (it will be finished soon), restarting this blog, and joining other social media tools such as Twitter and Linkedin. I’ve already joined my local community’s chamber of commerce’s Health & Wellness Initiative. If you haven’t read them previously, please peruse my earlier posts to get a flavor of what’s to come as well as some of my core beliefs. As always, I’d appreciate hearing rom you.

After Attending the Recent American Diabetes Association Scientific Meetings, I’ve Changed My Idea of What My Blog Should Be

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:22:07 +0000

We just left Orlando, Florida, where the Annual Scientific Meetings of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) were held. I’ve been a member of the ADA since the 1970′s and I have been active especially in our local area ADA (the Northern Illinois Southern Indiana Area). As usual, the ADA national meeting was excellent with attendees and faculty from all over the world sharing in the latest advances and knowledge in Diabetes understanding and treatment. Although our knowledge about Diabetes and our ability to treat it is constantly expanding, it dawned on me that new knowledge and education is not the problem – it is our inability as patients and health care providers to use the tools and apply the knowledge we already have. Of course, research should and must continue for the future, but, what about the millions of individuals who have Diabetes now? In future posts I will continue to attempt to get individuals to use the tools we already have, especially lifestyle, to be healthier and I will talk much on my feelings that “Health Insurance” as we think of it today is really “Illness Insurance.” The only person that can really insure our health is our self. In future posts I will comment on not only my mantra “Your Weight Management = Your Lifestyle Management = Your Health Management” but also topics such as the health care debate, quality of life, and other issues.

My Patients Ask – “How Many Calories Per Day Can I Eat and Still Maintain My Weight?”

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:28:49 +0000

I’m always thrilled when a patient asks me this question, because, I believe, an individual’s understanding of how many calories he/she needs to maintain current weight is the first, and most important, of the three “anchor points” that we must embrace if we are to be successful maintaining weight, losing weight or maintaining weight loss. The second “anchor point” is using the scale regularly (weekly is best) to monitor how we’re doing weight wise and the third “anchor point” is the performance, on a daily basis, of as much physical activity as we can do – preferably a cumulative hour plus per day.

Estimating (its not an exact science) the daily calories needed to maintain our weight is easy – for women, multiply your weight by 10 - 11 calories per pound and for men by 12 – 13 calories per pound.

A woman who weighs 150 lbs can eat only 150 x 10 – 11 = 1500 – 1650 calories per day.

A man who weighs 180 lbs can eat only 180 x 12 -13 = 2160 – 2340 calories per day.

Surprised? When one understands that a meal of a burger, fries, and a soft drink averages 1000 + calories and that this equals 2/3 of the daily calories a 150 lb woman can eat to maintain her weight (leaving only 500 or so calories for the rest of the day) its no wonder women, especially as they get older, and especially if they áre physically inactive, have trouble not only losing but maintaining their weight. That same 1000+ calorie meal represents around 1/2 of a 180 lb man’s maintenance calories per day leaving 1000 to 1300 calories for the rest of the day.

Getting the picture? One has to deficit (not eat or consume) 500 calories per day or 3500 calories per week to decrease one’s weight by one pound. This means that a 150 lb woman would have to decrease to 1000 -1200 calories per day and the 180 lb man to 1600 -1800 calories per day to lose 1 lb per week!

I want you to think about all of this. I’ll discuss calories further as well as the other two anchor points in upcoming posts.

As usual, I’d appreciate your comments.

For My Weight Loss – Why “Eating Healthy” Was Not the Total Answer – “Good” vs. “Bad” Foods

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:13:08 +0000

First, an update on my own weight loss efforts – two pounds this past week by a combination of daily physical activity and less calories while going out to restaurants to eat three times, eating most of a triple fruit pie (a regular recipe without low calorie ingredients) that I personally baked, and having a daily cocktail. Am I eating healthy? What does this mean? Why did I lose weight?

I guess what most people mean by “Eating Healthy” is avoiding “junk” food (my pie and alcohol?) with its refined contents, sugars, chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives, and other “empty” calories plus avoiding trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol and replacing these with non processed (non refined) and ”organically” produced foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, seafoods as opposed to meats, less caffein, and perhaps taking vitamins and other “health improving” additives or supplements. It’s the same old refrain replace ”bad” foods with “good” foods – “bad” calories with “good ” calories. A lot of individuals are doing this to a more or less degree. Are they “healthier” because of this? Most definitely. Are they losing weight? Most are definitely not. Why? Because a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, “bad” or “good.” An ounce of high fructose corn syrup’s ”bad” carbohydrate has the same number of calories as an ounce of the “good” carbohydrate in whole grain cereal – an ounce of saturated or trans “bad” fat has the same number of calories as an ounce of the “good” monounsaturated fat in olive or peanut oil. An eight ounce glass of regular soda pop has the same number of calories as a glass of orange juice. Is the orange juice healthier? Of course it is! Will substituting a glass of orange juice for a glass of pop help you lose weight? Of course not because they’re calorically equal! Getting the picture?

Now, back to me. I lost weight while eating out a lot, eating home made pie, drinking alcohol - eating in a way most would consider “unhealthy” – because I consumed less calories than I needed to maintain my weight. Therefore, for me it was the quantity (total number) of calories not the type (good vs. bad) of calories which made the difference. Yes, I also performed daily physical activity but really no more than I had done before I decided to lose those pounds.

Remember, your “eating healthy” will result in weight loss only if, by “eating healthy” you are actually eating less calories than you need to maintain your weight!

I’ll discuss how we can easily calculate our daily calorie needs in my next post.

“Weighing In” the New Year Continued – Why So Difficult?

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:06:05 +0000

The sheer number of new articles, books, advertisements, diet programs, and other hoopla, blitzing us in the new year attest to the problem of overweight and its consequences being literally and figuratively a huge problem. As I mentioned previously, after gaining 5 pounds in the past 8 weeks or so I weigh more now than I have in awhile. Although gaining 5 pounds sounds like I really overate, in truth, my total daily average excess calorie imbalance (a combination of more food and less physical activity since Thanksgiving) was only around 300 calories a day! Doesn’t sound like a lot does it? It isn’t. An extra drink here, a snack there, a little less walking easily accounts for the 300 calories. That’s why its so easy to gain and so hard to lose those pounds. So, now, I’ve ramped up my daily physical activity and I’ve decreased my calorie intake by around 500 calories a day and I’m losing about a pound a week. Why does it work for me and why do others have such a problem? It has to do with understanding how many calories one needs to maintain weight and the sum total of all the calories one eats daily plus physical activity calorie expenditure. I’ll discuss how to calculate these parameters in my next post. I’ll give you a hint its not simply “eating healthy” – whatever that means.

A New Year and Time to “Weigh In” Again!

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:31:32 +0000

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to all.

Here it is only 13 days into 2010 and I, like I suspect everyone else, seem to be experienceing the same old things. I’m trying to lose weight and I’ve developed writer’s block – I’ve actually been trying to write my first blog post of the new year ever since we returned from Florida January 3! It’s so frustrating! For me, losing weight is a chore and I’m the “expert.” I have to develop a plan just like I adv ise that my patients do. This I’ll discuss tomorrow (ah, that procrastination thing again!). Of course, I feel I have a very good reason to put off my weight loss plan discussion because my writer’s block is a more pressing issue and I need a plan for this. Plans, plans, and another plan – I’m going in circles. “Just do it” “Priortize!, ” I keep telling myself. “Post that post!” OK, I will now! “Weighing In” is certainly difficult.

Good Times to All No Matter Your Beliefs!

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:00:57 +0000

Before I take some end of the year time off, I thought it best to do one last post for 2009. I’ve reread my previous postings and, for the most part, I’m satisfied with them. However, I realize that I’ve not discussed many (if any) really controversial issues. By this I mean the nitty gritty of lifestyle management – “good foods vs. bad foods;” “emotional (psychological) eating;” genetics and overweight; “plateauing” while dieting; “All calories are the same (I believe they are);” “I can’t lose weight!”; “bad” carbs and “good” carbs (I dare to say here they’re all the same); “I can’t exercise!” – to mention only a few.

Meanwhile, like almost everyone else I’ve recently gained some weight and I’m struggling a bit in this regard. This is disconcerting, but, I’ll discuss how I’ll manage this.

I hope in 2010 to stir up some conversation concerning “Your Weight Management = Your Health Management. ” Meanwhile keep on moving that body and, remember, every calorie counts!

My Reflections on “Health” and “Health Care” as I Visit the Mayo Clinic

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:03:06 +0000

As I sit in my hotel room across the street from the Mayo Clinic unable to drive home because of a raging blizzard, I’m grateful that my wife and I both got passing reports on our examinations performed at Mayo this week. We’re “healthy” with decent weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, x-rays, etc., and we were advised as to how often and when we should be vaccinated, and screened with procedures such as colonoscopy. What a relief! My hope is that the movement for health care reform that our country is now in the middle of will provide everyone with an opportunity to experience such medical care. Admittedly, the Mayo Clinic is special. But, as special and friendly and medically expert and up to date and efficient and famous as the Mayo Clinic is – what did it do to make me “healthy,” and, by extension, what did my “health insurance” that’ll help pay for my Mayo Clinic visit do to make me “healthy?” The answer, is, truthfully, not as much as one would think. Medical care, even the “best” medical care, doesn’t make us healthier. What it does is provide treatments for things we have no control over such as the need for surgery, treatment for diseases such as cancer, treatment after accidents, cataracts, Diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, to name only a few. Don’t get me wrong such treatments are very, very, important and everyone of us deserve to have access to them. However, health insurance (really “illness insurance”) even when it helps pay for a terrific organization like the Mayo Clinic cannot get us to do daily physical activity and eat less calories to keep our weight down which would truly make us “healthier” and prevent or delay those heart attacks, strokes, cancer, Diabetes, arthritis, sleep apnea, and the myriad of other lifestyle diseases. If we all took better care of ourselves, we wouldn’t need as much “illness insurance” and that insurance would then provide medical and surgical treatments for problems we cannot prevent or treat ourselves. Again, “Your Weight Management = Your Health Management.” I’ll sign off now, it’s stopped snowing. We have to leave Rochester early tomorrow morning so we can be back in the office tomorrow afternoon. As always, I look forward to your comments. Also, what do you think of my recent post on “Diabetes?”