Your Health
Men’s Health: Lose Weight, Fight Disease By Stephanie N. Grimoldby
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ancer and heart disease are some of the biggest health concerns for men. What they may not realize is that obesity is a contributing factor to these and many overall health conditions. “People don’t recognize obesity as a chronic disease, which it is,” says Amy Paulus, a weight management nurse practitioner at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. “The percentage of men 20 and over with obesity is 40.5.” Paulus works with men and women to create individualized weight-loss plans, though she’s not as worried about getting her patients to a specific BMI. Instead, her initial goal is to help people lose 5% to 10% of their presenting weight. Even a small change can improve sleep, stabilize blood sugar and hormone levels, and allow a reduction or elimination of some medicines, adds Paulus.
A weight-loss plan might also include things like HMR (Health Management Resources); medical weight management; bariatric surgery and antiobesity medications. Paulus has found that men, especially former athletes, enjoy the assignments that are involved with a weight-loss plan. “For the most part, they are very task-oriented,” she says. “I require all of my patients to track their intake and then come back to me in a week or two with that tracking data. We use a mobile app that gives me average daily caloric intake and percentages of macronutrients.” Tracking food and drink is all about accountability, and getting the diet component down first is key, she says. Seventy percent of a weight loss plan comes down to dietary intake; the remaining 30 percent is comprised of exercise.
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The big idea is to help patients form sustainable, lifelong habits. “You’re not going to lose weight if you’re not eating properly,” Paulus says. “Conversely, there will be some weight loss just with adjustments in dietary intake, but if they’re not adding the component of exercise to it, they won’t get the full benefit from it.” ❚ Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is located at 450 W. Highway 22, in Barrington, (847) 381-0123.
Smart Living Elite
April 2022
37
