One of my long-standing patients has lost 150 pounds. Now, before you start thinking, “Wow – that’s a lot of weight” or “Gee – I wonder how she did that?”, let me just say that she didn’t lose it all at once. In fact, she’s lost the same 30 pounds five times now. She’s a classic “yo-yo dieter” – her weight goes up and down, but rarely stays in one place for long. It’s long been recognized that people are more likely to yo-yo when they adopt weight loss regimens that are too strict to stick with over the long haul. Once a dietary slip turns into a fall, old habits resume, weight goes back up and the cycle starts all over again. Read more »

The way diet trends go back and forth, trying to follow them is like watching a game of ping pong. By their nature, trends aren’t meant to be long-lasting – and most people who jump onto the latest dietary bandwagon are usually looking for super-fast results. And if you ask those who have managed to lose weight how they did it, their answers are all over the map. Some swear by a low carb plan, while others give credit to a vegetarian regimen or a strict accounting of fat grams.  With so many possible ways to lose weight, it sort of begs the question:  is one diet better than another? Read more »

Every time I have a new client scheduled to see me for weight loss, I have a pretty good idea of how our first conversation will go.  The first thing they usually want to know is how much I think they should weigh.  The answer is usually less than straightforward (see my post of October 7) and that question is inevitably followed up by a similar, and equally vexing query:  “how long will it take?”.  I’ve had this same conversation countless times over the years, and my answer is always the same – “it depends”. Read more »

Let’s face it – losing weight is no simple task.  If it were, we’d surely see fewer people struggling to get their weight down and keep it off.  Taking in fewer calories than you spend every day sounds like a simple enough formula, but counting calories accurately – both the ones that you eat and the ones that you burn – takes considerable practice.  Read more »

Every once in a while, I’ll get a call from someone who wants advice on how to go on a short-term fast.  My first response is always the same – “Why?”  Usually, I’ll hear one of two things:  there are those who want to drop a couple of pounds quickly, and then there are those who – for want of a better analogy – want to “clean out their pipes”.  In either case, I suppose part of the appeal of a short-term fast is the sense that, in effect, you’ve “wiped the slate clean” – kind of like changing the oil in your car, or cleaning out your closet.  Read more »

Every once in a while, I’ll do a ‘two for one special’ counseling session – usually it’s a couple who have decided to make a joint effort to lose weight and get in shape. For the most part, it’s a great idea – after all, it’s so much easier to eat right and exercise regularly when your partner vows to do the same. But men and women are wired a bit differently– and couples may be surprised to find that they don’t always see eye-to-eye when it comes to tackling weight loss. Read more »

Sometimes when I talk with people who struggle with their weight, they’ll tell me that the reason they can’t lose weight is because they eat too much at night – “I eat,” they’ll say, “and then I just sit around and I don’t burn it off – that’s my problem”. While intuitively this might make sense, it doesn’t really work this way. Taking in too many calories – at any time of the day – is going to lead to weight gain. Read more »

Fads – whether they’re in food or fashion – usually have a very short life span.  But there’s one diet craze that just doesn’t seem to go away.  Apple cider vinegar has been touted as a weight loss remedy for as long as I can remember.  Read more »

A recent article in the LA Times carried a headline that said, in effect, that watching television makes you gain weight.

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