Advice for Healthy Weight Loss Andrea Baxter, MD On paper, weight loss is easy. Eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.
So why is it so hard to lose weight? Our bodies are genetically engineered to store fat. For cave men, there was a long wait between meals. Those who survived were most efficient at storing fat and all the skinny people died off. In modern times, we no longer have to chase our food or dig in the ground to harvest it, nor process it by hand. We can stay in our cars, order high calorie foods via speaker box and use no more energy than reaching out the car window. Here are some tips to help you focus on changing to a healthier lifestyle and create healthier habits.
Think about Healthy Lifestyle Changes • • • • • • •
Lose weight slowly and your body will be more likely to keep it off. Replace high-calorie foods with healthier, lower calorie choices. Exercise regularly. Set small, realistic goals to keep you motivated. Reinforce your healthy habits with small non-food rewards. Keep track of your weight loss by weighing once a week. Use tools such as journals, phone notes or apps to keep track of exercise, food consumed, pounds lost and accomplishments. Phone alarms are valuable reminders.
Choose Healthier Foods • Pick 1-2 unhealthy foods per week to replace with healthier options. • Decrease bad fats in your diet. Eliminate fried foods. Try baked or grilled foods. Use small amounts of olive oil for cooking. • Eat lean meats. Remove the skin from poultry. Eliminate most red meat. Eat more fish. • Eliminate food with high fructose corn syrup. Substitute water (add flavoring, if needed) for sweet drinks. • Eliminate desserts with processed sugar. Try frozen berries covered with skim milk, frozen peeled bananas or grapes for dessert.
Exercise Pick an exercise that you enjoy, or like most people, you’ll fall off the exercise wagon. Try to make exercise a habit. Start slowly, 2x weekly for 15 minutes. Gradually increase the time to 30-45 minutes. After 6-8 weeks, increase to 3x weekly. Continue to add exercise time building to 45-60 minutes 4- 5 days a week.
Additional Tips • Boost your metabolism. Start the day with breakfast. • Eat 4-6 small meals INSTEAD of 3 large ones. • Drink a large glass of water before each meal to make yourself feel fuller. Try to consume 64 oz. of water daily. • Eat slowly -- put down your fork or spoon between bites. • Eat until you are no longer hungry, but not until you are “full” or “stuffed.” • Do not take second helpings. Wait a bit, then ask yourself if you are still hungry. • Learn what a portion size looks like. • When dining out, put half of your food in a “to go” box at the start of your meal.
Become aware of “mindless” snacking. Remember, the weight did not appear overnight. Permanent weight loss is best achieved by focusing on healthy lifestyle changes to lose weight slowly. There are many diet options. Pick one that will help change your habits to healthier ones in the long run. Always discuss weight loss and exercise with your doctor first. There are also medications, medically managed weight loss programs and surgeries that can help some people. Your doctor can advise if one of these programs is right for you.
A Message from The President
““W Whhaatt’’ss nn O g O n i g y n i a l y PPla Y Yoouurr es??”” nnes o h o p h d p a d e a H He
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as anyone ever asked their child what’s playing on the headphones? In today’s age of technology, our children can listen to their favorite music through a variety of smart devices. Not only are they designed to play music, but also they have the capacity to stream video, play online games alone or with others and allow for chatting through social media. Our children attend “smart schools”, equipped with smart boards and laptop-ready work stations, that further emphasize the need to have smart devices. So, after the homework is finished, hopefully the chores too, they tune in to the media of their choosing. What’s playing on the headphones? What messages are they receiving? Are they being told how to act, what to do and wear? Are they being influenced on who to like and dislike and how to treat others? How will their behavior change because of the media’s influence? All of these concerns make it imperative that we as parents are aware of the media to which our children are exposed.
According to The American Academy of Family Physician’s September 2015 Position Paper, Violence in the Media and Entertainment, “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a 2007 report on violent programming on television, and noted that there is ‘strong evidence’ that exposure to violence through the media can increase aggressive behavior in children.” Was there as much violence when television had happy endings or exposed personality flaws that were self-corrected in thirty minutes on television sit-coms such as Happy Days, Good Times, Laverne and Shirley and The Jeffersons?
Parents were also role models. No matter how hard the job and how long the day at work, smiles greeted the family at the door and families sat down at the dinner table and discussed the day. As parents, it is time to become those positive role models for our children. It’s time to become the “Superhero” in your child’s life. Be attentive to and available for your child. I am constantly upgrading my Sit and eat dinner together every night. devices to keep up with the technology Dinner time is a great opportunity to that my teenage daughters use. I talk about events of the day and review need to understand their exposure what’s happening in the media. Once a so we can have conversations to week, carve out some family fun time deal with the content. Violence and (i.e., play a board game or card game at additional negative behaviors have the kitchen table). regularly become part of many video games, television shows, movies and Let your child know that they are unfortunately part of society today, important to you and make sure they especially affecting youth. feel loved. One way to help prevent the negative effects of the media on our children is to limit their exposure and to be involved. So put on your “Super Gear” every morning, your positive attitude, and show your child how to have a great day.
Remember, your child learns in many ways, mostly by watching you! Joule N. Stevenson, M.D. President, SLAFP