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Tag Archives: obesity
Dear (Food) Diary…Today Was a Disaster!
Harriet was one of my first patients. She kept a food diary diligently yet she hardly shed a pound. After several weeks, I suspected that she wasn’t accounting for the foods she “tasted” while cooking and entertaining. As an experiment, I suggested that she put tape on her lips while sheprepared meals. Sure enough, to her surprise, she banged into her lips more often than she ever expected. Only then did Harriet realize that total honesty was missing from her daily journal. She went on to change her faulty habit—and lost quite a bit of weight.
If there’s one instrument that effectively promotes weight loss, it’s the food diary. But if it’s not taken seriously, then, like anything else, its value will be limited. Seeing what you eat in black and white will help you define portions and help you become more aware of everything that crosses your lips.
The value of food diaries was explored in a recent study of 123 overweight or obese post-menopausal women who followed a weight-loss program for a year. Participants were advised to jot down everything they ate, and most adhered to about 1,200 to 2,000 calories a day. Results showed that participants who consistently kept a food diary lost about 6 pounds more than those who didn’t. Dieters who skipped meals or dined out more often lost less. Those who ate lunch out once a week or more lost about 5 pounds less than those who ate out less frequently. Results were similar for eating dinner out.
This doesn’t mean that you should stop going to lunch with your friends, but it may illustrate that it’s time to stop skipping meals and start picking up a pad and pen along with your knife and fork. Writing down what you eat will shine a light on the quantity and quality of what you actually consume.
So why not create a food diary of your own? Here are some tips to help you get started: Continue reading
Does Your Cup Runneth Over?
Photo Credit: NY Times
“And for only 25 cents more…you can get your soda in the swimming pool-sized cup.” Although not quite that dramatic, these upgrades to super-sized cups may not cost much money…but the price paid in health care costs may be too high to even count.
Movie theaters and fast food joints are notorious for encouraging seemingly endless vessels for beverages. Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sale of cups larger than 32 ounces for sugary beverages has caused quite a stir among health professionals, media, and family members. (FYI – 32 ounces of a sugary beverage is equivalent to about 23 packets of sugar.)
Some of the questions raised include: Will this ban take away personal freedoms creating a nanny state? Like calorie labeling of restaurant meals, will this bold move be the spark that will ignite other cities to follow with similar bans? Will this cause food companies to downsize to help Americans downsize? It’s uncertain as to where this will lead, but there are a few things I do know for sure: Continue reading
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Tagged ban, children, Mayor Bloomberg, nanny state, NY City, NY Times, obesity, soda, sugary beverages, super-size, weight
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Portions…Not Potatoes
I don’t know about you, but even though many of my favorite magazines have online versions…I still like to comb through the stands and hold the shiny, colorful, solid version in my hand when I read one. As with a title of a book, it’s often the cover of a magazine that acts like a magnet to potential buyers. But in the case of the May 14th issue of Newsweek, the message here was ‘buyer beware.’
As seen above, the image of a baby holding an order of fries was meant to indicate that potatoes are the problem fueling the obesity crisis our country faces. If this national health issue were as simple as pointing a finger at one food, or one food group, the solution to the issue would have already been solved. Whether you’re a carb lover or fat fighter, it doesn’t matter — the answer to our problem is not a single answer; it’s a list of many small steps we need to take to clean up our plates.
Getting back to that cover story, I couldn’t help but write a Letter to the Editor of Newsweek and I thought I’d share my thoughts with you:
“RE: ‘The New Obesity Campaigns Have It All Wrong’
To the Editor,
This time you superimposed the wrong photo on your cover (May14.) Americans are not overweight because of any one particular food. Perhaps that baby on the cover should have been holding a dinner plate the size of a manhole cover instead of fries, since our true problem is oversized portions…not potatoes.
As an independent Nutrition Communications consultant for the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) we know studies show that our population, particularly children, are not getting enough of certain nutrients like potassium and fiber; potatoes are one of the richest sources of both. Let’s not point fingers at veggies as the problem when they may very well be part of the solution.”
I’m not saying that the addition of potatoes alone will make your diet perfect, but I am saying that if you want to enhance your intake of potassium, fiber, vitamin C and other valuable nutrients…perhaps you shouldn’t pass them up in the produce aisle.
Counting Canine Calories
While playing with our dog, Webster, the other day, my husband noticed that he had two lumps above his hips. It just so happened that my four-legged friend had an appointment with the vet, so during that visit, I expressed our concern about his health. The vet immediately knew the diagnosis: “love handles,” she said. Love handles? Was she telling me that my 28 pound, little stuffed-animal-looking companion was chubby? She suggested that I cut back on his food a bit (since exercise would probably stay stable) and to create a safer weight.
After 30 plus years of counseling humans about how to slim down, I was ready to face the puppy pound challenge. Instead of feeding him ¾ of a cup of dry food twice a day, his portion was cut to about 2/3 cup twice a day. The results: he didn’t complain about the subtle change, he lost two pounds, he became more lively, and we had to shop for a new collar! (Just kidding about the last part.).
Why am I sharing this story with you? It’s because my philosophy has always been that the best way to lose weight is to cut back on what you’re already eating. Fad diets that encourage you to eliminate whole food groups like carbs or fat generally end in failure. Studies have shown that those who try to follow a diet that’s closely related to the foods they are accustomed to eating are more likely to succeed at trimming down. Just cut back…you don’t have to cut out: that way you can still enjoy your favorite foods without deprivation. Although there’s nothing magical about trying to lose weight, here are some simple strategies to get you moving in the right direction today: Continue reading
When What You Wear Makes You Aware
Buds are blooming, sweaters are stashed, and calories are cut. It must be Spring!
This is the time of year when many of us realize that the pecan pie at Thanksgiving, pastries at Christmas and Chanukah, and Valentine’s Day chocolates are still appearing somewhere on our bodies. If even the thought of a pair of shorts or a bathing suit puts you in a cold sweat… this story is for you.
I am here to guide you to a diet that will help you shed pounds without feeling deprived. You won’t need to buy fancy products, your food won’t resemble cardboard, and you won’t feel like you need to lock yourself away until the calendar turns to June. This unique plan is called, “The CS Diet” and here are the rules: Continue reading
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Tagged clothing, common sense, diet, fashion, nutrition, obesity, spring, weight loss
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Fighting fat with your mirror
Recently, journalists and scientists have attempted to explain why Americans are bursting at the seams. While they movingly described the challenges and issues in fighting fat, they may have left out one of the critical components of those who succeed.
In The New York Times Magazine story, ‘The Fat Trap,’ Tara Parker-Pope shared her heartfelt and personal account on the profound impact genetics and the home environment play. Parker-Pope conveyed her frustration: “What is clear is that some people appear to be prone to accumulating extra fat while others seem to be protected against it.”
In other words, there is science behind why obesity may run in the family. If obese parents raised you and their pantry was stocked with fat- and sugar-laden foods, there is a greater chance that you too have struggled with your weight. But there are people who grew up in similar environments and have managed, with difficulty and diligence, to wear a trim frame.
She also noted the results of a study that showed, “some people were more likely to eat fatty foods, presumably because they thought being fat was their genetic destiny and saw no sense in fighting it.” That approach is like putting out a welcome mat to heredity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease when in fact, we may not be able to pick our parents, but we can pick what goes on our plates. Continue reading
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Tagged David Katz, fat, food label, genetics, holidays, Huffington Post, life-saving, New York Times, obesity, sugar, Tara Parker=Pope, weight loss
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Counting Canine Calories
This may seem like a round-about way to get my point across, but you’ll understand where I’m going with this soon enough.
While playing with our dog, Webster, the other day, my husband noticed that he had two lumps above his hips. It just so happened that my four-legged friend had an appointment with the vet, so during that visit, I expressed our concern about his health. The vet immediately knew the diagnosis: “love handles,” she said. Love handles? Was she telling me that my 28 pound, little stuffed-animal-looking companion was chubby? She suggested that I cut back on his food a bit (since exercise would probably stay stable) and to create a safer weight.
After 30 plus years of counseling humans about how to slim down, I Continue reading