Weight-Loss Success
Initiatives — whether surgery, medication, or diet — help people conquer obesity and improve their health Weight loss is a personal journey. Whether the goal is to lose weight or look and feel better, everyone’s motivation differs. Amber Cornelius’ motivation: a fear of contracting Covid-19. “I was hearing that people who were significantly overweight were […]
10 Foods You Should Eat Every Week to Lose Weight
Plenty of foods can support your weight-loss efforts when included as part of a healthy diet. Eating these 10 foods regularly is a simple way to make the most of your meals. 1. Chia seeds Fiber slows digestion and keeps us feeling fuller longer. This is super important when we’re cutting back on calories, a […]
The Puzzle of Weight Loss Plateaus
You’ve started a new plan to get to a healthier weight but at some point you find you’ve hit a plateau and just can’t seem to lose any more weight. Weight loss plateaus are very common but they can be so frustrating you may feel like giving up. Before you do that, here are some […]
How to Outsmart Your Appetite
You work out regularly and watch what you eat. So why do you have to lie down to button your pants? Research suggests that the things around you, from the temperature of your house to the style of your candy dish, may be setting you up to overindulge. It seems a bit unfair to have […]
The Benefits (and Drawbacks) of Intermittent Fasting
About two years ago, Michael Saraceno decided he wanted to lose weight. He was nearing 275 pounds and was planning to have knee surgery. To trim down before surgery, Saraceno decided to focus less on what he ate and to change when he ate instead. Saraceno, 26, of Westchester, has since lost about 80 pounds, […]
Can Intermittent Fasting Extend Life?
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts Q: I am considering intermittent fasting. While I definitely need to shed a few pounds, I am also intrigued by the possibility of it extending life. What are your thoughts? A: Intermittent fasting involves alternating intervals of extreme calorie reduction with periods of normal eating. Proponents suggest it […]
Bariatric Surgery Prolongs Lifespan for Obese Patients
Obese middle-age men and women who had bariatric surgery have half the death rate of those who had traditional medical treatment over a 10-year period, reports a study that answers questions about the long-term risk of the surgery. The study, published in JAMA, was led by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and […]
The Power of Protein at Breakfast
Environmental Nutrition Newsletter Toast, bagels, oatmeal, and cold cereal. That’s the high-carb stuff of the typical American breakfast. Yet the latest research shows that including more protein at your morning meal might provide many health benefits, including weight loss and preserving muscle tissue. More protein, better breakfast Higher-protein breakfasts have been studied in teenagers and […]
A Weighty Issue
Healthy behaviors can counter childhood obesity Ana Hernandez, 32, of Cicero, was worried about her son, Luis, who is now 9 years old. For years, his diet was heavy in junk food, he was gaining a lot of weight and he was always tired. Her pediatrician referred them to a pediatric weight management program. After just […]
The best diet for weight loss
Losing weight and getting healthier is a common goal among Americans; we spend $60 billion dollars a year on weight loss books, gym memberships, apps, programs and special diet foods. Yet, collectively we are getting heavier, which leads to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The […]
End the yo-yo diet cycle
Last spring you reached your goal weight and celebrated by hitting the beach in a bikini. Then your job got stressful, you didn’t find time to work out and your healthy eating spiraled out of control. Now you realize there’s no way you’re going to hit your target weight before your friend’s wedding next month […]
Losing weight doesn’t change actual stomach size
Q: Does my stomach actually shrink when I lose weight? A: Not exactly. But here’s why you might feel full. Our stomachs have a reflex called receptive relaxation: As food enters your stomach, the muscles relax and expand out to accommodate more volume. In fact, your stomach can expand up to five times its volume […]
Chicago Tech Start-up Spurs Weight Loss
At the start of every new year, Americans’ number one resolution is to lose weight. It’s a sensible commitment considering almost 70 percent of Americans are classified as overweight or obese, a condition related to many types of cancer and other chronic illnesses. Obesity’s annual medical cost in the United States is between $147 billion and […]
Smart food choices, smart portions
Healthy eating can often seem complicated. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of foods available in grocery stores, or to wonder exactly what a portion size looks like. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed; these simple suggestions can help ensure you’re eating a nutritious, good-for-you meal every time you fill up your plate. […]
8 tips to master portion control
From restaurants to packaged foods to home cooking, portion sizes have ballooned in past decades. Many health experts link the rise in obesity rates with our tendency towards portion distortion — a mismatch between our portion sizes and energy needs. Research by the University of Cambridge found that less availability of super-sized portions alone could […]
How to eat all day to lose weight
A successful diet doesn’t mean starving yourself until you can’t stand it any longer, as that’s a surefire way to end up with a case of “the hangries” — when you’re so hungry that you get, well, angry. But what time you eat your meals may have just as much of an impact on your […]
Slow Eating May Help You Consume Less and Lose Weight
Slowing down can be a challenge in our fast-paced society, but when it comes to how you eat, there can be big benefits to taking your time. Eating slower and more mindfully allows you to savor the flavors of food, as well as to enjoy the moment free of distractions. It might even help you […]
7 strategies to deal with weight-loss plateaus
You’re losing weight at a nice, steady pace, and then, all of a sudden, the scale doesn’t budge, even though you’re following your eating and exercise program. Time to panic? Not at all. You’ve probably just reached a plateau, part of nearly everyone’s weight-loss odyssey. Generally, you’re able to shed pounds more easily at first […]
Shed Extra Pounds for Healthier Joints
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts Q: I am starting to have knee pain when I climb stairs. I read that being overweight increases the risk of developing arthritis. What’s the reason? A: Carrying excess body weight definitely affects your chance of getting osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the deterioration […]
The truth behind standing desks
Harvard Health Letter Are you reading this while standing at your desk? There’s a good chance that you are — standing desks are all the rage. These desks allow you to work at your “desk job” while standing rather than sitting in a chair. They can be custom built (for thousands of dollars) or you […]
How to Exercise Without Even Knowing It
By EatingWell In a review that appeared in the International Journal of Obesity, a group of scientists recently suggested that Americans are simply spending too much time talking about how our toxic food environment and our couch potato ways are making us obese. Perhaps there are other reasons that we’re plumping up, they proposed. Among […]
The big benefits of plain water
By Mallika Marshall, M.D. Harvard Health Blog “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Unlike Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, who was surrounded by undrinkable salt water, most Americans have an unlimited supply of clean water to quench our thirsts. Yet many of us turn a blind eye to it and instead reach for […]
Exercise: It does so much more than burn calories
By Elizabeth Pegg Frates, M.D. Harvard Health Blog If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve surely heard that you need to “eat less and exercise more.” The more you move, the more calories you’ll burn — and you’ll lose weight. But as it turns out, the effect of physical activity on human physiology may be […]
EatingWell: Everyday activities can help you keep fit and stay active
By EatingWell editors, EatingWell.com In a review that appeared recently in the International Journal of Obesity, a group of scientists suggested that Americans spend too much time talking about how our toxic food environment and couch potato ways are making us fat. Perhaps there are other reasons we’re plumping up, the experts proposed. Among their […]
EatingWell: Is your workout making you gain weight?
By Lisa D’Agrosa, M.S., R.D., EatingWell.com I love the pumped-up energy I have after a good workout. Plus, I feel stronger — I am this close to being able to do a real pull-up. But if we’re being honest, I also love the way exercising helps my body look. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes […]
Is Juicing a Healthy Way to Detox and Lose Weight?
By Megy Karydes The appeal was strong. A three-day juice cleanse was half off on Groupon, and it promised to detoxify the body and bloodstream as well as bolster the immune system to help fight off sickness. Chicagoan Victoria Kent, who wanted to jump-start a healthier routine, thought the juice cleanse, combined with an elevated […]
To Detox or Not to Detox
The trend to cleanse through detoxification diets may not be worth following By Megy Karydes Our bodies have a built-in detoxifying system, and yet, many people use detoxing diets as a way to cleanse their bodies, lose weight and gain energy. Leah Woock, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, says […]
Mediterranean Diet Lowers Heart Disease
By Megy Karydes Linda Quirk was busy chopping up six pounds of mushrooms for a soup she was preparing for Souper Saturday—an annual gathering where she and about a dozen friends spend the day catching up on life and swapping soups in the process. “I love fresh vegetables,” says the 59-year-old Skokie resident, who was […]
The Surgery Diet
Bariatric surgery is not a permanent fix to obesity, but there are newfound benefits Weight-loss surgery can be life changing when diet and exercise fall short. The field of bariatric surgery has undergone its own transformation in recent years, with new techniques and discoveries that not only help people shed pounds, but control, and even […]
