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How to Lose 20 Pounds In 2 Weeks: Effective Plan to Lose …
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If you want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, then its essential that you have an effective and healthy plan for rapid weight loss. Losing weight quickly can help you to kick-start a long-term diet plan if you need to quickly shed weight and then keep off extra pounds. As with any effective diet plan to lose extra fat from your body safely, you need to take into consideration your own health. That is why the best ways to lose weight fast should combine lifestyle changes, exercising, and being physically active.
Having the goal to lose 20lbs in a couple of weeks is certainly a good goal to have if you are overweight and have weight-related health issues. However, it is not always a good idea to try and lose a large amount of weight in just two weeks, so you may need more time for that. Rapid weight loss can take a toll on your health and cause other unwanted health complications. Therefore, if you plan to use a fast weight loss program, you should speak to a qualified medical professional.
In this article, you will find out how to lose a lot of weight in the shortest time possible. You will find out healthy ways to help shed extra pounds in no time at all and you may already start to look slimmer within a few weeks.
Extreme dieting measures could help you lose weight rapidly but you need to follow an effective plan to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
You need to realize that you didnt gain 20 pounds in 2 weeks so losing this weight in a short period of time can be a great challenge. It is certainly possible to lose 10 pounds of weight in one week but it will not be pure body fat and some of it will be water weight.
Losing 20 pounds in just 2 weeks will require a very low calorie diet which is not the best approach if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, very low calorie diets lead to a fast weight loss. However re-feeding after such extreme dieting leads to fast and excessive weight regain.28 The most sensible approach is to develop effective habits that will help you lose weight gradually and keep it off.
In this detailed article I am going to give you the best possible information on how to lose weight fast and keep it off. Youll learn about the most effective ways, based on science, to lose weight and develop eating habits to keep it off.
Here are the steps you need to take to lose as much as 20 pounds in 2 weeks.
One of the best ways to lose weight quickly in 2 or 3 weeks is to lower your daily calorie intake.
Lowering your calorie intake helps to speed up weight loss as you will burn more energy than you consume. To lower your calorie intake in order to lose 20 pounds fast, you can swap foods for healthier options, limit your intake of saturated fats, and eat smaller portions.
Consuming fewer calories every day will help you lose 20 or even 30 pounds at a steady, healthy pace and boost your general health at the same time. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, you should reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 to 750 calories per day to lose significant weight in a couple of weeks.1
Doctors from the National Health Service recommend some healthy food swaps to help lower calorie intake and lose weight faster.29 Here are some examples to help you lose as much as 30 pounds in a month:
For more information on how to tweak your diet to speed up the effectiveness of your weight loss plan, please read my article on the best hacks for speedy weight loss.
If you want to make sure and lose as much as 20 or 30 pounds in a month you should change your eating habits.
Changing your eating habits helps with rapid weight loss because it helps you develop positive habits that contribute to weight loss at a regular pace.
For example, one way to help speed up weight loss and lose unnecessary pounds is to drink a glass of water before each meal. Dr. Arefa Cassobhoy on WebMD reported on a study into the effects of drinking water and obesity. The study found that drinking 16-oz. of water 30 minutes before a meal helped severely overweight people shed extra pounds easier and faster.2
Another habit that can help to lose a lot of pounds in a couple of weeks is to start the day with protein. Starting your day with eggs for breakfast or consuming lean meat, milk, or nuts are all great sources of protein that will keep you feeling fuller for longer and give you plenty of energy. This reduces the temptation to snack during the day and helps boost weight loss in a 2 or 3-week diet program.
You can also lose weight much quicker in 2 or 3 weeks if you are careful about when and why you eat. A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that emotional eating is associated with body weight gain. It was found that eating due to emotional responses caused people to become overweight and obese.3
There are many effective ways to beat emotional eating. These include reducing stress and anxiety, getting plenty of sleep, and eating proper amounts of dietary fiber and protein.
Eating small frequent meals will help you lose 20 or even 30 pounds faster.
Rather than skipping meals during the day, you might find that eating small frequent meals throughout the day helps you lose weight at a proper pace. However, there is some controversy whether people wanting to beat the battle of the bulge quickly should eat 3 or 6 small meals during the day.
For example, in 2015 the journal Nutritional Reviews reported that eating frequent meals seems to help people lose excess fat and reduce overall body weight.4 But, the journal Obesity found that in their study, eating 3 meals a day or 6 meals a day had no overall impact on weight loss. The report found that total calorie intake in a day was the most important factor when it comes to fast weight loss.5
So, if you are looking to lose several pounds of body weight as fast as possible using an effective diet plan, you could try to see which of these methods work best for you.
Reducing portion size should help you start losing pounds of body fat in 2 weeks.
Eating smaller portions at lunchtime and in the evening can help to reduce energy intake and help you lose weight and keep the weight off.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when individuals ate smaller portions for lunch, their daily energy intake was reduced by 30%. The researchers concluded that eating smaller portions can help to treat and prevent obesity. The study highlighted the fact that portion sizes in restaurants are getting larger and most people finish their large entrees.25
Another study showed that one way to control portion sizes and lose weight quickly is to eat more foods that are low-density energy sources and limit high-density energy foods. For example, having more vegetables and lean protein and less fatty foods can help reduce energy intake from meals and thus help you lose weight much quicker.26
You could also try using a portion control plate for your meals at home to help you greatly reduce portion size to eat healthier meals and lose weight. You might not lose 20 pounds of body weight in 2 weeks with this method, but it is a safe and healthy way to control body weight.
To shed more pounds of body fat in 2 weeks, you should also limit your intake of unhealthy carbohydrates.
Unhealthy carbs that can make losing body weight difficult include simple carbohydrate sources such as white bread and pasta, cakes, pastries, and sugar. Low carb diets have many proven health benefits that include more than just losing weight fast.
When lowering your carb intake, you should remember not to cut out healthy carbs that are classed as complex carbohydrates. These include wholegrain bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, beans, vegetables, and fruits. Dr. Kathleen Zelman on WebMD says that fiber in food helps to control weight and can lower your risk of heart disease and colon cancer.6
Dr. Zelman recommends switching to whole grains as much as possible and avoiding foods that have added or refined sugars. You should also eat plenty of fruit and vegetables every day and include beans and legumes in your diet.
You should avoid junk food and limit sugar consumption to lose weight quickly.
Junk food and foods with added sugar not only have very low nutritional value but they can make it very difficult to slim down very fast in a short period of time.
The University of Michigan reported on a study showing a correlation between fast food and increased body mass index, weight gain and obesity. The study also found that people get heavier as the number of fast food outlets increase.7
Cutting out sugary foods and sodas can also help you lose a lot of weight in two weeks. Dr. Laura Martin on WebMD says that limiting foods containing refined sugars will help a person lose weight and reduce levels of obesity.8
You can also lose several pounds quicker by increasing your daily water intake.
Drinking more water doesnt just help lose weight from around your waist but it prevents the symptoms of dehydration. Water is also one of the best ways to flush toxins out of your system and boost the health of your kidneys.
A study published in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine reported that drinking 1.5 liters of water every day helps to reduce body weight, body fat, and body mass index. The researchers concluded that drinking water can be a useful and cheap way for obese persons to lose weight quicker.9
You dont just have to stick to plain water to lose a lot of weight in a few weeks. You can easily make your own calorie-free flavored water that will help boost your weight loss plan in 2 weeks.
To reach your goal of losing a lot of excess body weight in 2 weeks, you should also make some lifestyle changes along with sticking to an effective plan to lose weight fast. Lifestyle changes to help lose weight are just as important as reducing calorie intake when it comes to getting rid of body weight in a matter of a few weeks.
Here are 4 lifestyle changes that doctors recommend to boost the effectiveness of your weight loss plan.
While it is important to exercise regularly every week, staying active throughout the day will help to accelerate how quickly you lose weight.
A study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that non-exercised activity thermogenesis (NEAT) can help to significantly increase calorie expenditure. It was found that NEAT movements can also protect a person from cardiovascular disease and reduce obesity in people who have difficulty exercising.10
Here are some easy ways to increase NEAT movements throughout the day and help burn fat quicker in a couple of weeks.
If you are serious about losing a lot of weight in a short space of time, then getting plenty of sleep is essential.
Although a hectic work schedule and stress can make getting to sleep difficult, there are many positive health benefits of getting proper rest during the night.
Dr. Melinda Ratini on WebMD says that lack of sleep is linked to weight gain and obesity. For example, feeling well-rested reduces food cravings and gorging on high-carb snacks. Also, getting the right amount of sleep helps to balance your hormones naturally and reduce fat by increasing your metabolism.11
To help improve your sleep patterns to stop fat accumulating in your body, here are some helpful tips to lose as much as 20 pounds in 2 weeks:
If you really want to shift those extra pounds of body weight in two or three weeks, you should find ways of reducing stress in your daily activities.
According to Dr. William Blahd on WebMD, stress increases cortisol levels in the body which can increase the desire for sugary, fatty foods. This can also increase your risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes.12
Dr. Blahd recommends some easy ways to deal with stress at home and increase the effectiveness of your weight-loss program:
To make sure and lose as many pounds as possible in a two-week period, it is very important to keep yourself motivated.
Having strong motivation will help you stick to your weight-loss plan even when it seems that results arent what you expected.
Doctors from the Mayo Clinic say that long-term weight loss is only achieved through making permanent changes to your eating habits and lifestyle. To keep yourself motivated to lose weight quickly and keep it off, this is what they suggest:30
When looking to lose a lot of weight in the short-term, its necessary to boost your weight-loss plan with healthy exercise. Getting regular exercise is not only good for your heart but it will help to burn even more calories.
Here are some of the best way to burn off extra body fat that has accumulated around your face, waistline, or other parts of your body.
Increasing the amount of walking you do every day will help to shed pounds from your body in no time at all.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders reported that brisk walking for 30 minutes on most days of the week was an effective part of a weight-loss plan.13
How can you include walking as part of your plan to lose weight fast and start seeing results within two weeks? In my article on how walking can help lose weight, you will find out how many calories you can burn if you add 10,000 steps to your day.
Ways to increase your steps daily include:
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an excellent way to quickly lose weight and see results within a short space of time.
HIIT training involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by short recovery periods. For example, it could be 30-40 seconds of hard sprinting followed by 30-40 seconds of light jogging.
According to the Journal of Obesity, high-intensity intermittent exercise or training has been shown to significantly increase aerobic and anaerobic fitness. It also helps the body get rid of excess fat quicker. HIIT exercises can also help to boost cardiac health and reduce the symptoms of type-1 and type-2 diabetes.14
For more information on how you can use interval training to speed up weight loss, please read my article on using interval training to lose fat quicker.
Lifting weights is another proven way to see quick results when wanting to lose extra pounds in a two-week period.
Lifting weights as well as kettlebell workouts help to not only burn calories very quickly but they also build muscle mass which helps to burn even more calories.
A study from Europe reported that heavy-resistance exercise during intense workouts boosts muscle metabolism.15 An increase in your resting metabolic rate also helps to burn calories even when you are resting.
Before starting a program of intense, heavy-resistance exercising, you should speak to a qualified medical professional to get advice.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are some other ways that can help you lose body weight quickly when used in conjunction with an effective weight-loss plan. Some of these include:31
So far, this article has concentrated on the 3 main principles on how to achieve a goal of losing 20 pounds in two weeks. However, there are some specific weight-loss diets that help to lose a lot of weight in just a few weeks.
The ketogenic diet is a low carb high fat diet that restricts the intake of carbs to help boost the bodys fat-burning potential. Usually, people who start a carb-restrictive diet see rapid weight loss in the first few weeks of dieting. The journal Experimental & Clinical Cardiology reported that a keto diet can help to reduce body mass and body mass index in obese individuals.15
There is one thing that you need to be aware of when dropping carbs from your diet: many of the foods that contain carbs also contain beneficial nutrients and vitamins.
For example, if you eliminate whole grains and brown rice you are going to miss out on nutrients such as b vitamins and magnesium. These are important nutrients for the energy production in your body so you will get tired easily.
The 3-hour diet can help you lose weight quickly without having to cut out many of your favorite foods. According to Dr. Michael Dansinger on WebMD, the 3-hour diet involves eating small portions of food every 3 hours and limiting calories intake to just over 1,400 calories a day. Dr. Dansinger says that visible results are often seen within the first 2 weeks.16
Intermittent fasting, or the 5:2 diet, will help you see quick results to help reach your weight-loss goals quicker. Intermittent fasting involves eating normally for 5 days in the week and restricting calorie intake to 600 calories on 2 non-consecutive days. According to the International Journal of Obesity, far from being a fad diet, intermittent fasting can help achieve weight loss that stays off as long a person sticks to the diet.17
You can find more information about this diet in my article Intermittent Fasting 5:2 Principles, Science and How To.
When searching the internet for ways to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, you will come across many unsafe methods to lose weight quickly.
In your diet plan to lose extra weight in under a month, you should avoid skipping meals as a regular habit. For example, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that although skipping breakfast can help reduce daily calorie intake, it can increase inflammation in the body.27
Dr. Kathleen Zelman on WebMD reports that breakfast helps improve blood sugar levels and gives the body a needed boost for the day. You also get important vitamins and nutrients from breakfast and reduce the tendency to snack. People who eat breakfast every day are able to lose weight and keep it off.18
Leaving out one or more meals during the day shouldnt be confused with intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting doesnt involve skipping meals but reducing calorie content on 2 days of the week. However, most 5:2 diets include 3 low-calorie meals during the fasting days that contain a good amount of vitamins and minerals.
If you are trying to lose a lot of pounds in a short space of time, you should stay clear of fad diets. Fad diets may give quick results, but the extra pounds usually pile on very quickly after the diet is finished.
According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, fad diets usually promise quick dieting results with little or no effort. They usually restrict important food groups and can be difficult to maintain. Fad diets can also cause various health complications like kidney stones, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular issues.19
Diet pills will not help you lose 20 pounds in two weeks. Because diet pills and supplements are generally expensive, they could help you lose hundreds of dollars in a month rather than pounds of body fat. According to Dr. Gary Vogin on WebMD, there is only scant evidence that weight-loss pills have a minimal effect when it comes to dieting. Some natural products may help to boost metabolism or stimulate fat burning, but they wont in themselves help you lose weight quickly.20
Starvation diets and extreme fasting are unsafe ways to get rid of a lot of weight in a week or two. According to Dr. Kathleen Zelman on WebMD, even though starvation diets result in rapid weight loss, they can also cause loss of muscle tissue and may even cause your body to burn calories slower. You may find that at the end of the diet, you put on more weight than you lost.21
Doctors from WebMD also say that creams and other so-called weight-loss devices are just as effective and scientifically proven as voodoo spells.22
So, when it comes to losing 20 lbs in 2 weeks, what is the bottom line? Although it is feasible that a person could lose many pounds of body fat in a couple of weeks, these generally involve risky methods of dieting.
To achieve your perfect body weight and maintain good health, you should reduce calorie intake over a period of many weeks, make positive lifestyle changes, and exercise regularly. After all, extra weight was gained over a long period of time.
By making some simple calculations, doctors from the Mayo Clinic advise on the dangers of trying to lose too much weight in a very short space of time.
For example, the Mayo Clinic says that every pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories.23 So, to lose 20 lbs of fat in 14 days, you would have to lose about 1.5 lbs. of fat a day. This means burning on average 5,000 calories more than you consume per day. You also need to be aware that initially you will lose water weight and not just fat.
How many hours per day will you have to work out to lose 20 lbs. in 2 weeks? The Mayo Clinic says that high impact aerobic exercising burns about 650 calories an hour.24 Therefore, you would have to work out for about 7 hours of intense exercise every day for 2 weeks to lose 20 lbs.
The bottom line when it comes to losing a lot of weight rapidly is this: stick to safe and healthy methods of losing weight that will boost your health and help you reach your perfect body weight.
After you have reached your ideal body weight, it is important to maintain that weight. Researchers from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say that there are 3 ways to maintain a healthy weight. These are:
If you need to lose a lot of weight quickly in the space of a few weeks, you should speak with your doctor first. Your doctor will carry out a medical checkup to check your general health and recommend a diet and exercise regime that will help you achieve your weight-loss goals.
Your doctor will also check for any underlying health conditions that could affect the type of weight-loss plan that will be most effective for you. This includes checking your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and any signs of joint pain and stiffness.
Also, if you start feeling fatigued, dizzy, lightheaded, or have an increase in watery bowel movements, or generally unwell while on your weight-loss program, you should speak to your doctor.
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How to Lose 20 Pounds In 2 Weeks: Effective Plan to Lose ...
13 Best Drinks To Lose Weight Fast – VKOOL
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The secret to lose weight is not only focusing on what to eat but also about caring what to drink. Maybe popular energy drinks, fruit juices, and soft drinks are loaded with carbohydrates and added sugars that can destroy your weight loss plan.
If you want to lose some extra pounds, then maybe you already know that the best way to do is combining exercising with a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet plan. Nevertheless, there are some drinks that can speed up the fat burning process and help to lose weight faster than you could in normal, and here you will find 13 out of the best drinks to lose weight that you should integrate into your daily diet if you want to get fit fast without using any supplements, drugs, or pills which can lead to dangerous side effects.
The first out of drinks to lose weight I want to show you is coconut water a tasty drink that many people love, especially in summer.
Coconut watercontains more electrolytes than most energy drinks and fruit juices without artificial flavorings plus and extra sugar.
This juice can help tospeed up your metabolism naturallyand give you more energy. Thus, you can stay strong and energetic throughout the day while still can lose weight faster.
This drink is recommended not only because the thickness of the smoothiekills your appetitebut also because yogurt is loaded with calcium.
Many researchers discovered that you can lose 81% more belly fat and 61% fat if you add yogurt to your daily diet because the calcium yogurt contains can help you burn fatand also limit the amount of fat that your body produces.
Try to add Greek Yogurtto your smoothies, as well as some whey protein and fruits to make your smoothies more powerful for weight loss!
Whey protein can help your body release appetite suppressing hormones that restrain your cravings.
In a recent research, people who drank either casein or whey, 90 minutes later, were allowed to eat freely at a buffet table. The fact is that they ate significantly less calories than those who did not drank casein or whey.
Milk is a very rich source of calcium, which can boost the fat loss process by increasing fat breakdown in fat cells. This does not mean that you should drink too much milk every day. What you should do is adding milk to your daily diet in moderation to speed up your weight loss process.
Plain old water is also one of the best drinks to lose weight that gives you amazing result that you never dare thought before! Actually, your body needs a lot of water to facilitate the fat breakdown inside your body. Drinking water helps to flush out toxins and energize your body throughout the day so that your body will be able to perform at its best. You should remember that drinking gallons of water is not the only answer for losing weight. You still need to facilitate an appropriate exercise regime and go on a proper diet. Drinking water will help to keep your body lean, clean, and help all of the organs inside your body work properly instead of working overtime.
Read more here:
13 Best Drinks To Lose Weight Fast - VKOOL
Journals – JAMA
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ContextPopular diets, particularly those low in carbohydrates, have challenged current recommendations advising a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet for weight loss. Potential benefits and risks have not been tested adequately.
ObjectiveTo compare 4 weight-loss diets representing a spectrum of low to high carbohydrate intake for effects on weight loss and related metabolic variables.
Design, Setting, and ParticipantsTwelve-month randomized trial conducted in the United States from February 2003 to October 2005 among 311 free-living, overweight/obese (body mass index, 27-40) nondiabetic, premenopausal women.
InterventionParticipants were randomly assigned to follow the Atkins (n=77), Zone (n=79), LEARN (n=79), or Ornish (n=76) diets and received weekly instruction for 2 months, then an additional 10-month follow-up.
Main Outcome MeasuresWeight loss at 12 months was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels), percentage of body fat, waist-hip ratio, fasting insulin and glucose levels, and blood pressure. Outcomes were assessed at months 0, 2, 6, and 12. The Tukey studentized range test was used to adjust for multiple testing.
ResultsWeight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups at 12 months, and mean 12-month weight loss was significantly different between the Atkins and Zone diets (P<.05). Mean 12-month weight loss was as follows: Atkins, 4.7 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3 to 3.1 kg), Zone, 1.6 kg (95% CI, 2.8 to 0.4 kg), LEARN, 2.6 kg (3.8 to 1.3 kg), and Ornish, 2.2 kg (3.6 to 0.8 kg). Weight loss was not statistically different among the Zone, LEARN, and Ornish groups. At 12 months, secondary outcomes for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups.
ConclusionsIn this study, premenopausal overweight and obese women assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more weight and experienced more favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than women assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss.
Trial Registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00079573
The ongoing obesity epidemic,1 along with its health costs and consequences2 and the health benefits of weight loss,3-6 have been well established. National dietary weight loss guidelines (ie, energy-restricted, low in fat, high in carbohydrate)7 have been challenged, particularly by proponents of low-carbohydrate diets.8,9 However, limited evidence has been available to effectively evaluate other diets.10,11
Several recent trials compared low-carbohydrate vs traditional low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight-loss diets.12-16 A meta-analysis that pooled the results of these early trials concluded that low-carbohydrate, nonenergy-restricted diets were at least as effective as low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets in inducing weight loss for up to 1 year.17 However, most of these trials were limited by combinations of small sample sizes, high rates of attrition, short durations, or limited diet assessment.
For the A TO Z (Atkins, Traditional, Ornish, Zone) Weight Loss Study, we selected 4 diets3 popular and substantially different diets and 1 diet based on national guidelinesrepresenting a spectrum of carbohydrate intake: Atkins8 (very low in carbohydrate), Zone9 (low in carbohydrate), LEARN18 (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, and Nutrition; low in fat, high in carbohydrate, based on national guidelines), and Ornish19 (very high in carbohydrate). The primary study objective was to examine the effects of diets and gradations of carbohydrate intake on weight loss and related metabolic variables in overweight and obese premenopausal women.
Participants were recruited from the local community, primarily through media advertisements. Premenopausal women aged 25 to 50 years were invited to enroll if their body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) was 27 to 40, body weight was stable over the previous 2 months, and medications were stable for at least 3 months. Women were excluded if they self-reported hypertension (except for those whose blood pressure was stable using antihypertension medications); type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus; heart, renal, or liver disease; cancer or active neoplasms; hyperthyroidism unless treated and under control; any medication use known to affect weight/energy expenditure; alcohol intake of at least 3 drinks/d; or pregnancy, lactation, no menstrual period in the previous 12 months, or plans to become pregnant within the next year. Race/ethnicity data were collected by self-report to be used for descriptive purposes and possible ancillary analyses of subgroups. All study participants provided written informed consent. The study was approved annually by the Stanford University Human Subjects Committee.
Participants were enrolled in 4 cohorts, with the first cohort starting in February 2003 and the last cohort starting in September 2004. Randomization was conducted in blocks of 24 (6 per treatment group) and occurred by having a blinded research technician select folded pieces of paper with group assignments from an opaque envelope. Participants were assigned 1 of 4 diet books: Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution,8Enter the Zone,9The LEARN Manual for Weight Management,18 or Eat More, Weigh Less by Ornish.19
Each diet group attended 1-hour classes led by a registered dietitian once per week for 8 weeks and covered approximately one eighth of their respective books per class. The same dietitian taught all classes to all groups in all 4 cohorts and was rated by participants at the end of the 8-week sessions for enthusiasm and knowledge of the material (rating scale of 1-5, from strongly disagree to strongly agree, respectively). The LEARN program is intended to be a 16-week program and, therefore, the 8 weeks of guidance through this book reflected an accelerated time frame, which was necessary to match the time frame given for the other 3 diet groups. Efforts to maximize retention in the study included e-mail and telephone reminders for appointments, e-mail or telephone contact from staff between the 2- and 6-month and between the 6- and 12-month data collection points, and incentive payments of $25, $50, and $75 for completing the 2-, 6-, and 12-month data collection, respectively.
Each group received specific target goals according to the emphasis of the assigned diet. The Atkins group aimed for 20 g/d or less of carbohydrate for induction (usually 2-3 months) and 50 g/d or less of carbohydrate for the subsequent ongoing weight loss phase. The Zone group's primary emphasis was a 40%-30%-30% distribution of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, respectively. The LEARN group was instructed to follow a prudent diet that included 55% to 60% energy from carbohydrate and less than 10% energy from saturated fat, caloric restriction, increased exercise, and behavior modification strategies. The primary emphasis for the Ornish group was no more than 10% of energy from fat. Additional recommendations given for physical activity, nutritional supplements, and behavioral strategies were consistent with those presented in each diet book.8,9,18,19 The guidelines for the Zone and LEARN diets incorporated specific goals for energy restriction, while for the Atkins and Ornish diets, there were no specific energy restriction goals.
A range of behavior modification techniques were discussed during the 2-month classes. The Ornish and Zone books suggest some stimulus-control strategies but on the whole do not emphasize behavior modification, whereas both the Atkins and LEARN books suggest multiple strategies, such as relapse preparation and planning strategies and goal setting. Overall, the LEARN manual has the greatest emphasis on behavior modification strategies.
Process and Outcome Measures
All data were collected at baseline, 2, 6, and 12 months.
Diet and Physical Activity Data. Dietary intake data were collected by telephone-administered, 3-day, unannounced, 24-hour dietary recalls using Nutrition Data System for Research software, versions 4.05.33, 4.06.34, and 5.0.35 (Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). Data collectors were trained and certified by the Nutrition Coordinating Center. The recalls occurred on 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day per time point, on nonconsecutive days whenever possible. Local foods not found in the comprehensive database were added to the database manually. A food amounts booklet was used to assist participants with portion size estimation. Energy expenditure was assessed using the well-established Stanford 7-day physical activity recall.20
Anthropometric Data. Height was measured to the nearest millimeter using a standard wall-mounted stadiometer. Body weight was measured to the nearest 0.1 kg on a calibrated clinical scale. Waist and hip circumference were measured to the nearest millimeter by standard procedures using a 150-cm anthropometric measuring tape.21 Whole-body fat (percentage of body mass) was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry using pencil-beam mode on the Hologic QDR-2000 (first 3 cohorts) and, later, the array mode on a Hologic QDR 4500 densitometer (last cohort) (Hologic Inc, Waltham, Mass).
Metabolic Measures. Blood samples were collected after a 10-hour or longer fast. Plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides (free glycerol blank subtracted) were measured enzymatically using Stanford Clinical Chemistry Laboratoryestablished methods.22,23 High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was measured by liquid selective detergent followed by enzymatic determination of cholesterol.24 Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated according to the methods described by Friedewald et al.25 Lipid assays were monitored by the Lipid Standardization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and were consistently within specified limits (monthly coefficients of variation were all 3.1%). The nonHDL-C measure was defined as total cholesterol value minus HDL-C value.26 Total plasma insulin in serum was measured by radioimmunoassay.27 Blood glucose was measured using a modification of the glucose oxidase/peroxidase method.28,29
Resting blood pressure was measured 3 times at 2-minute intervals as described elsewhere30; the initial reading was discarded and the last 2 readings were averaged. Clinic and laboratory staff members were blinded to treatment assignment.
The primary objective was to test whether any of the 4 diets, representing a spectrum of carbohydrate intake, was more effective than any other in 12-month weight loss. The selected minimal clinically significant between-group difference in weight change was 2.7 kg (6 lb, approximately 3% for a 180-lb individual). Based on previous trials, we projected a 6.3-kg SD of weight change.31,32 The primary analysis was conducted applying intention-to-treat methods with baseline values carried forward for missing values. Thus, with 4 treatment groups and a projected 75 participants per group, the study was designed to have 80% power to detect a 2.7-kg difference for 12-month weight change between groups.
Dietary composition data (energy intake; percentage carbohydrate, fat, and protein; and grams of saturated fat and fiber) were analyzed using raw, unadjusted means (SDs) (ie, no imputation for missing data). Between-group differences in dietary intake at each time point were tested by analysis of variance (ANOVA). For weight and for all secondary outcome measures, analyses were conducted using all time points and all diets and were tested for diet grouptime (log time +1) interactions in a mixed model using autoregressive covariance structure (SAS version 9.1.3 with Service Pack 3, SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC). Triglyceride data were log-transformed to attain normal distributions for testing; for ease of interpretation, values presented in the text and figures are untransformed.
Differences among diets for 12-month changes from baseline were tested by ANOVA. For statistically significant ANOVAs, all pairwise comparisons among the 4 diets were tested using the Tukey studentized range adjustment. Statistical testing of changes from baseline to 2 months and to 6 months using pairwise comparisons are presented for descriptive purposes.
For exploratory purposes, ancillary analyses were conducted to determine the effect of diet group assignment on secondary outcomes at 12 months after adjusting for changes in weight loss using linear regression. Also for exploratory purposes, all analyses of weight and secondary outcome measures were tested using only available data, without using baseline values carried forward for missing data or other imputation methods. There were no substantive differences in any of these findings compared with the analyses with baseline values carried forward and, therefore, only the primary analyses are presented. Multiple regression was used to examine potential interactions between race/ethnicity and diet group for effects on weight loss; there were no significant interactions. All statistical tests were 2-tailed using a significance level of .05.
Participant enrollment began in February 2003, and the study ended in October 2005. Figure 1 shows participant flow; Table 1 shows baseline characteristics.
In all 4 diet groups, 85% to 89% of participants attended at least 75% of their assigned classes (6 of 8). Attendance was not different by diet group (P=.68). Retention at 12 months was 88%, 77%, 76%, and 78% for the Atkins, Zone, LEARN, and Ornish groups, respectively, and was not significantly different among groups (P=.30). Participant ratings for class instructor enthusiasm and knowledge of material were very high for both among all diet groups and were not significantly different among groups; average scores ranged from 4.4 to 4.7 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as the highest rating.
Dietary Intake and Energy Expenditure
Total energy intake was not different among diet groups at baseline or any subsequent time point (P>.40 for all) (Table 2). However, relative to baseline, there was a significant mean decrease in reported energy intake at all postrandomization time points (P<.001): 497 (SD, 496), 387 (SD, 498), and 351 (SD, 576) kcal/d at 2, 6, and 12 months, respectively, for all groups combined.
There were no significant group differences at baseline in percentage of energy from carbohydrate, fat, or protein or in grams of saturated fat or fiber, except for a borderline significant difference in percentage of energy from fat between Atkins and LEARN (P=.05) (Table 2). At subsequent time points the diets were statistically different in carbohydrate content, progressing from low to high across the Atkins, Zone, LEARN, and Ornish groups. This same pattern was observed for fiber intake. The reverse pattern, higher to lower intakes, was statistically significant for protein, fat, and saturated fat at all time points. Between-group differences in patterns of nutrient intake were largest at 2 months. At 12 months, the patterns of nutrient differences between groups were still present, but the magnitude of differences was diminished.
Total energy expenditure was slightly higher for the Ornish group vs the other 3 groups at baseline but was not significantly different among groups at any subsequent time point (Table 1). Relative to baseline, there was a modest and significant mean increase (P<.05) in energy expenditure at all time points for all groups combined: +0.5 (SD, 2.8), +0.4 (SD, 2.7), and +1.0 (SD, 3.0) kcal/kg per day at 2, 6, and 12 months, respectively.
Weight and Anthropometric Outcomes
Mean 12-month weight change was 4.7 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3 to 3.1 kg) for Atkins, 1.6 kg (95% CI, 2.8 to 0.4 kg) for Zone, 2.2 kg (95% CI, 3.6 to 0.8 kg) for LEARN, and 2.6 kg (95% CI, 3.8 to 1.3 kg) for Ornish and was significantly different for Atkins vs Zone (Figure 2). At the 2- and 6-month intermediate time points, the weight change for the Atkins group was significantly greater than for all other groups (P<.05). Weight change among the Zone, LEARN, and Ornish groups did not differ significantly at any time point. The pattern of changes in body mass index, percentage of body fat, and waist-hip ratio among groups paralleled the changes in weight, although the between-group differences at 12 months did not achieve statistical significance for percentage of body fat (P=.07) or waist-hip ratio (P=.10) (Table 3).
Results generated by 84% of the study population (n=262) with baseline blood samples (Atkins, n=70; Zone, n=65; LEARN, n=63; and Ornish, n=64) were available for testing. Four of the LDL-C values could not be calculated because of triglyceride concentrations greater than 400 mg/dL (4.52 mmol/L) and were treated as missing data. At all time points, the statistically significant findings for HDL-C and triglycerides concentrations favored the Atkins group (Table 3). Changes in LDL-C concentrations at 2 months favored the LEARN and Ornish diets over the Atkins diet; however, these differences diminished and were no longer significant at 6 and 12 months. Non-HDL-C differences among groups were not significant at any time point.
Insulin, Glucose, and Blood Pressure Outcomes
Insulin and glucose measurements were obtained from the same aforementioned 84% of the total sample for lipids. Neither the overall trajectory (ie, across all time points) nor the 12-month differences were significantly different among groups for either fasting insulin or fasting glucose concentrations (Table 3).
Parallel to the group changes in weight, the decrease in mean blood pressure levels was largest in the Atkins group at all time points. At 12 months, the decrease in systolic blood pressure was significantly greater for the Atkins group than for any other group. For diastolic pressure, the only significant pairwise difference at 12 months favored the Atkins over the Ornish group.
Ancillary Analyses of Diet Group Effects Independent of Changes in Weight
For the 249 participants who completed the full 12-month protocol, we examined the independent effect of diet group on secondary outcomes after adjusting for 12-month changes in weight using linear regression. Each of the statistically significant 12-month differences between diet groups (ie, triglycerides, HDL-C, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure; Table 3) remained statistically significant after including weight loss in the model; however, the level of significance was diminished.
Compared with women who were assigned to follow diets having higher carbohydrate content, women assigned to the diet with the lowest carbohydrate content had more weight loss and more favorable changes in related metabolic risk factors at 2 and 6 months. The finding of greater weight loss for the Atkins diet continued through 12 months, reaching statistical significance in comparison with the Zone diet. There were no significant differences in weight loss at any time point among the Zone, LEARN, and Ornish diets. Although the weight loss in the Atkins group was greater than that of other groups, the magnitude of weight loss was modest, with a mean 12-month weight loss of only 4.7 kg.
Many concerns have been expressed that low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets, high in total and saturated fat, will adversely affect blood lipid levels and cardiovascular risk.34-36 These concerns have not been substantiated in recent weight-loss diet trials. The recent trials, like the current study, have consistently reported that triglycerides, HDL-C, blood pressure, and measures of insulin resistance either were not significantly different or were more favorable for the very-low-carbohydrate groups.12-16
The exception to this pattern has been LDL-C concentrations. Two of the most consistent findings in recent trials of low-carbohydrate vs low-fat diets have been higher LDL-C concentrations and lower triglyceride concentrations in the low-carbohydrate diets.17 Although a higher LDL-C concentration would appear to be an adverse effect, this may not be the case under these study conditions. The triglyceride-lowering effect of a low-carbohydrate diet leads to an increase in LDL particle size, which is known to decrease LDL atherogenicity.37-39 In the current study, at 2 months, mean LDL-C concentrations increased by 2% and mean triglyceride concentrations decreased by 30% in the Atkins group. These findings are consistent with a beneficial increase in LDL particle size, although LDL particle size was not assessed in our study. In addition, we examined nonHDL-C concentrations as an alternate indicator of atherogenic lipoproteinsa variable not substantially influenced by changes in triglyceride concentrations26and observed no significant differences among groups at any time point.
Therefore, we interpret these findings to suggest that there were no adverse effects on the lipid variables for women following the Atkins diet compared with the other diets and, furthermore, no adverse effects were observed on any weight-related variable measured in this study at any time point for the Atkins group. Further examination of the dietary effects on lipid variables would benefit from analyses of lipoprotein particle subfractions and follow-up of longer than 12 months.
Our study and the study by Dansinger et al16 were similar in several design features, including similar number and types of treatment groups and the same duration. Despite the similarities in design, several conclusions differed between the trials. Dansinger et al reported that weight loss at 12 months did not differ by diet group but only by level of adherence, regardless of diet type. In addition, Dansinger et al reported improvements within groups over 12 months for cardiac risk factors but did not report any significant differences between groups. In contrast, we observed statistically significant differences among diet groups for both weight loss and risk factors at 12 months.
These differences are likely attributable to at least 2 factors. One factor concerns the different study populations: our study was restricted to women aged 20 to 50 years who did not have diabetes and were not taking medications for cardiac risk factors, whereas the population in the study by Dansinger et al was much broader in its inclusion criteria. A second likely factor was differences in statistical power; in the study by Dansinger et al, 93 of 160 enrolled participants completed the trial (42% attrition at 12 months; ie, n=21-26 per treatment group); in the current study, 248 of 311 women completed the trial (20% attrition; ie, n=58-68 per treatment group).
The current study examined whether risk factor responses to diets were independent of weight loss. After statistically adjusting for weight loss differentials among groups, the secondary outcome differences among groups at 12 months that were significant in the unadjusted model remained significant in the adjusted model, although the level of significance was diminished. This supports a combined effect of benefit for the very-low-carbohydrate Atkins diet attributable to both increased weight loss and dietary composition. However, our study was not designed to specifically address this ancillary question. Krauss et al38 recently addressed this issue directly in a study testing diets that ranged from low to high carbohydrate intake under conditions of weight stability followed by conditions of weight loss. Improvements in lipids and lipoproteins were greater for participants in the very-low-carbohydrate diet during the weight-stable phase but were greater for those in the high-carbohydrate diet after weight loss and restabilization; overall the low-carbohydrate and weight-loss effects were reported to be equivalent but not additive under the tightly controlled conditions of this study.
The 4 study diets used in our study differed significantly in composition beyond carbohydrate content. Protein, fat, and saturated fat followed a continuum across diets, inverse to carbohydrate content. In a series of recent weight-loss trials that substituted either protein for fat while holding carbohydrate constant40,41 or protein for carbohydrate while holding fat constant,38,42,43 the higher-protein diets led to improvements in weight loss, triglycerides, and HDL-C and increased satiety. In the OmniHeart study, under weight-stable conditions, blood pressurelowering benefits were observed for a high-protein relative to a high-carbohydrate diet.44 Therefore, the reported effects of the current study should be interpreted as resulting from the combination of macronutrient changes that occur when following low- vs high-carbohydrate diets, not just changes in carbohydrates alone. For example, greater satiety from the higher protein content of the Atkins diet may have contributed to the benefits observed for that group, although satiety was not assessed.
The amount of weight loss at 12 months relative to baseline among all groups was modest at 2% to 5%. However, even modest reductions in excess weight have clinically significant effects on risk factors such as triglycerides and blood pressure and, therefore, can have an important public health impact at the population level.4-6,45,46 Greater success with long-term weight loss is likely dependent on a number of factors beyond macronutrient composition, including improved behavioral strategies, longer-term structured guidance, greater emphasis on increasing energy expenditure (ie, regular physical activity), and addressing societal and environmental factors, such as portion sizes of restaurant meals.45,47-49
Strengths of the current study relative to previous trials include a larger sample size, a 12-month duration, lower attrition rates, the contrast of 4 rather than 2 diets differing in carbohydrate content, and the significant differences in macronutrient intake achieved by the diet groups. Although adherence to the 4 sets of dietary guidelines varied within each treatment group and waned over time, especially for the Atkins and Ornish diets, we believe that the adherence levels obtained are a fair representation of studying the diets and variations in macronutrient intake under realistic conditions and, therefore, increase the external validity of the findings. Other strengths include the extensive dietary assessment and the comprehensive health and risk factor data collected. The restriction of our study to premenopausal women allowed us to avoid possible interactions of effects with sex and menopausal status, but because of our focus on this population, generalizations of findings to other populations should be made with caution.
This study also has several limitations. Menstrual cycle timing was not taken into consideration for blood sampling for lipid analyses, which likely increased within-person variability and diminished the ability to detect between-group differences. Moreover, weight-loss trajectories for each group had not stabilized at 12 months; the trajectories of weight change between 6 and 12 months suggest that longer follow-up would likely have resulted in progressively diminished group differences. Other limitations included the lack of a valid and comparable assessment of individual adherence to the 4 different diets, the lack of data on whether participants had familiarity using any of the specific study diets prior to enrolling in the trial, and the lack of assessment of satiety.
In this study of overweight and obese premenopausal women, those assigned to follow the Atkins diet had more weight loss and more favorable outcomes for metabolic effects at 1 year than women assigned to the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets. Concerns about adverse metabolic effects of the Atkins diet were not substantiated within the 12-month study period. It could not be determined whether the benefits were attributable specifically to the low carbohydrate intake vs other aspects of the diet (eg, high protein intake).
While questions remain about long-term effects and mechanisms, these findings have important implications for clinical practice and health care policy. Physicians whose patients initiate a low-carbohydrate diet can be reassured that weight loss is likely to be at least as large as for any other dietary pattern and that the lipid effects are unlikely to be of immediate concern. As with any diet, physicians should caution patients that long-term success requires permanent alterations in energy intake and energy expenditure, regardless of macronutrient content.
Corresponding Author: Christopher D. Gardner, PhD, Hoover Pavilion, N229, 211 Quarry Rd, Stanford, CA 94305-5705 (cgardner@stanford.edu).
Author Contributions: Drs Gardner and Balise had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Study concept and design: Gardner, Kraemer, King.
Acquisition of data: Gardner.
Analysis and interpretation of data: Gardner, Kiazand, Alhassan, Kim, Stafford, Balise, Kraemer, King.
Drafting of the manuscript: Gardner, Kiazand, Balise, Kraemer, King.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Gardner, Kiazand, Alhassan, Kim, Stafford, Kraemer, King.
Statistical analysis: Gardner, Alhassan, Stafford, Balise, Kraemer.
Obtained funding: Gardner, King.
Administrative, technical, or material support: Kiazand.
Study supervision: Gardner.
Financial Disclosures: None reported.
Funding/Support: This investigation was supported by National Institutes of Health grant R21AT1098, by a grant from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan, and by Human Health Service grant M01-RR00070, General Clinical Research Centers, National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health.
Role of the Sponsor: None of the funding agencies played any role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript.
Acknowledgment: We gratefully acknowledge the work of the study staff who worked with participants in recruitment, intervention, and data collection, including Rise Cherin, MS, RD, Kathryn Newell, MS, Suzanne Olson, MS, Jennifer Morris, PhD, Jane Borchers, MS, RD, Laurie Ausserer, MS, Ellen DiNucci, MA, Kelly Boyington, Jana Stone, Andrea Vaccarella, RD, Noel Segali, RD, and Gretchen George, MS, RD, all of Stanford University, as well as the staff of the Stanford University Hospital General Clinical Research Center.
AtkinsR.Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution.New York, NY: Harper Collins; 2002
SearsB, LawrenW.Enter the Zone.New York, NY: Harper Collins; 1995
BrownellKD.The LEARN Manual for Weight Management.Dallas, Tex: American Health Publishing Co; 2000
OrnishD.Eat More, Weigh Less.New York, NY: Harper Collins; 2001
American College of Sports Medicine.Physical Fitness Testing and Interpretation.Philadelphia, Pa: Williams & Wilkins; 2000
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Journals - JAMA
USC Bariatric Surgery/Weight Loss Management Center | A …
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At the heart of our program is a multidisciplinary approach to help our patients achieve successful long-term weight loss. Our team of endocrinologists, dietitians, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and surgeons work alongside patients to create a personal weight loss plan. This collaboration helps patients maintain weight-loss results and achieve long-term improvements for metabolic disorders.
The program is led by world-renowned surgeons who have published more than 350 papers and book chapters. Our team focuses on the evaluation and treatment of severe morbid obesity and the complications associated with conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, degenerative disc disease, sleep apnea and hyperlipidemia.
The reputation of our program has earned us numerous accolades, including being named a Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) Accredited Comprehensive Center and receiving the Center of Excellence distinction from Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna and Health Net, among others. Ours is one of the few programs in Southern California to have received the highest ratings from national independent health-care rating organizations based on quality and outcomes.
As an academic medical center, we take care to be clear with our patients about the costs for our services. Our patient navigators work with patients to help them fully understand their financial options and the requirements of their insurance carriers.
Unlike other bariatric surgery offerings that charge patients a program fee in addition to surgical fees to cover the nutritional, medical, and psychiatric care required for successful long-term weight loss, there is no additional or hidden cost for the support of our multidisciplinary team.
Successful weight loss surgery involves far more than the surgeons exceptional skill. It requires changes in diet and lifestyle and even changes in the way patients think about themselves, who they can be, and what they can achieve.
One of the reasons Keck Medicine of USCs metabolic and bariatric surgery program has achieved recognition as a Center of Excellence is the emphasis the entire team places on patient education, support and empowerment. USC Bariatric Surgery Program patients can see Keck Medicine surgeons at both Keck Hospital of USC in Los Angeles and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in La Caada.
The program starts out well before any surgical consultation by ensuring that every potential patient has the information he or she needs to make the best possible decisions. All prospective patients must attend a free seminar hosted by USC physicians to make sure they fully understand their surgical and non-surgical weight loss options. Attendees are able to ask questions and hear directly about the experiences of successful patients from the challenges to the triumphs.
These free seminars are held in two locations for the convenience of the prospective patients, at the Pasadena Hilton and at Keck Hospital. A full schedule can be viewed here.
Bariatric surgery patients face more than the physical challenges of getting back into action after a procedure. There are the emotional challenges of establishing and committing to new habits and the social challenges of friends or family members reacting in surprising ways to new achievements. Our surgeons, nurses, social workers and dietitians create a unique health plan for each patient. Keck Medicine also offers a monthly support group so patients can talk about their concerns and triumphs with people who understand exactly what theyre going through.
We have performed several thousand procedures with best outcomes and no mortalities following laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures.
Patient I: Before and After
Recent published data in the New England Journal of Medicine (1,2) has shown that weight-loss surgeries, in particular laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve procedures, are more effective than medical therapies in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in the morbidly obese patient. In certain cases where the diabetes has been recently diagnosed, it is possible to discontinue all medications after successful surgery.
Ref: 1-N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1577-15852-N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1567-1576
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USC Bariatric Surgery/Weight Loss Management Center | A ...
POPSUGAR Fitness – YouTube
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Celebrity trainer Megan Roup has a cardio dance workout designed to rid the body and mind of worry, build a positive outlook, and help you feel ready to take on the day with a radiant internal glow! Inspired by Yogi Mango Ginger Tea, this sweet and spicy dance will have you feeling good from the inside out.
POPSUGAR Fitness offers fresh fitness tutorials, workouts, and exercises that will help you on your road to healthy living, weight loss, and stress relief. Check out Class FitSugar, our do-it-along-with-us real-time workout show hosted by Anna Renderer who will inspire you to sweat alongside fitness experts and Hollywoods hottest celebrity trainers. Class FitSugar regularly covers the most buzzed-about workout classes and trends, including the Victoria's Secret workout, Tabata, P90X, Bar Method, and more.
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Diet | Definition of Diet at Dictionary.com
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diet
"regular food," early 13c., from Old French diete (13c.) "diet, pittance, fare," from Medieval Latin dieta "parliamentary assembly," also "a day's work, diet, daily food allowance," from Latin diaeta "prescribed way of life," from Greek diaita, originally "way of life, regimen, dwelling," related to diaitasthai "lead one's life," and from diaitan, originally "separate, select" (food and drink), frequentative of *diainysthai "take apart," from dia- "apart" + ainysthai "take," from PIE root *ai- "to give, allot." Often with a sense of restriction since 14c.; hence put (someone) on a diet (mid-15c.).
diet
"assembly," mid-15c., from Medieval Latin dieta, variant of diaeta "daily office (of the Church), daily duty, assembly, meeting of counselors," from Greek diaita (see diet (n.1)), but associated with Latin dies "day" (see diurnal).
late 14c., "to regulate one's diet for the sake of health," from Old French dieter, from diete (see diet (n.1)); meaning "to regulate oneself as to food" (especially against fatness) is from 1650s. Related: Dieted; dieting. An obsolete word for this is banting. The adjective in this sense (Diet Coke, etc.) is from 1963, originally American English.
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Diet | Definition of Diet at Dictionary.com
Long-term use of weight-loss drug may be safe and …
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Lifestyle changes can help people with obesity lose weight. These interventions result in only 5-10% weight loss after six months. Also, about one-third of individuals will not respond to lifestyle changes. Many people regain the weight that was once lost. Weight-loss drugs can be an interesting strategy for obese people having difficulty losing weight.
Phentermine is a weight-loss drug that suppresses the appetite. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved phentermine as a weight-loss drug almost 60 years ago. Most studies on phentermine for weight-loss have limited treatment durations to less than 12 weeks. Concerns regarding the safety of long-term phentermine treatment have limited the use of this weight-loss drug to only a few weeks.
Researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina designed a study to compare short-term and long-term use of phentermine. The primary focus of the study was the difference in weight loss and cardiovascular disease and death rates in the short-term and long-term treatment groups. The results of the study were published in Obesity.
Researchers formed four groups of patients. The first two groups included people taking phentermine continuously. The short-term use group used phentermine continuously for 16 weeks or less. The long-term group took phentermine for more than 365 consecutive days.
Two other groups of patients were created to capture data from people taking phentermine intermittently. One group included individuals with two or more episodes of phentermine therapy in which neither episode lasted more than 16 weeks. This was the short-term intermittent group. The last group included individuals with two or more episodes of taking phentermine, but at least one episode was longer than 16 weeks. The last group was named medium-term intermittent.
The results of this study demonstrate that long-term treatment with phentermine was associated with greater weight loss. At six, 12, and 24 months after starting phentermine weight loss was greater in the long-term, short-term intermittent, and medium-term intermittent groups compared with the FDA approved short-term therapy group.
The amount of weight loss in each group varied at each follow-up time. At six months, the short-term intermittent group lost more weight than the short-term continuous group. However, the medium-term intermittent group lost more weight than all other groups at the 6-month and 12-month follow-up time. After two years from starting the weight-loss drug, the long-term continuous group experienced the greatest weight loss among the other groups.
The safety of taking this drug for longer treatment periods was also evaluated. The most significant concern about using phentermine for more than three months was the risk of cardiovascular side effects and death.
A slight increase in heart rate was observed among phentermine users, but heart rates went back to normal after stopping the weight-loss drug. Systolic blood pressure was actually lower in individuals using phentermine for long-term treatment. This might be explained by the effect of losing weight on blood pressure and not the weight-loss drug itself. The researchers also did not notice any increase in cardiovascular disease risk or any increase in death rates among long-term phentermine users.
Several limitations of this study require consideration. First of all, the researchers did not note any other health care provider interventions for weight loss. There is no way for the researchers to know if long-term users of phentermine were also involved in other programs that could contribute to weight loss. Also, the group of long-term continuous phentermine users was small compared with the other groups. Further studies are required to test the safety and efficacy of phentermine in a larger group of people and for longer treatment times.
Many people are searching for a safe weight-loss drug that results in permanent weight loss. Despite the obvious limitations in this study, phentermine seems to be safe and effective when used for treatment times that surpass three months. Over the longer follow-up time, there was greater weight loss without increases in cardiovascular disease risk or death. Although further studies are required to confirm these long-term results, phentermine seems to be a reasonable option for people with low cardiovascular disease risk.
Written by Jessica Caporuscio, PharmD
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Long-term use of weight-loss drug may be safe and ...
100 Motivational Weight Loss Tips for 2019 | Best Life
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According to Boston Medical Center, approximately 45 million Americans embark on a diet every year, certain that this will finally be the one that they stick with. However, an analysis of research conducted at UCLA suggests that the vast majority of people who try to diet will ultimately fail, eventually regaining the weight theyve lostif not morewhen they ditch whatever restrictive plan theyve been attempting to stalwartly adhere to.
So, whats the problem? Well, losing weight and successfully keeping it off requires a holistic approach, not some pre-packaged program thats as unpleasant to follow as it is easy to give up on. Expensive bottles of juice and pain-inducing fitness programs can only be maintained for so long, after all.
Thankfully, summer is the perfect time to start meeting your goals. In fact, with ideal temperatures turning every outdoor space into a DIY gym and produce aplenty, it might just be the season for making weight loss moves. Keep reading to discover 100 weight loss tips that will help you perfect your physique this summer.
Think skipping meals is the key to a slimmer body? Think again. Research published in 2012 in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association revealed that eating more frequentlyspecifically eating three meals and two snacks in a 24-hour periodis positively associated with weight loss and weight maintenance.
If slimming down is on the top of your to-do list, you may want to invest in some new flatware. Why? Buying plates in colors that contrast with your food can actually help you eat less. Thats according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, which found that individuals who ate foods similar in color to the plate they were eating onlike pasta in tomato sauce on a red plateate 30 percent more than those whose food contrasted with the dish they were eating it from.
If you want to win big in terms of weight loss, then go small when it comes to your plates. One 2016 review published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that doubling the size of a persons plate when they were serving themselves food was associated with them serving themselves a shocking 41 percent more food.
Popsicles may be a summer staple, but theyre loaded with sugar and other ingredients that threaten to derail your diet. So, instead of those refined sugar-laden treats, enjoy some frozen red grapes instead. Not only will they help satisfy your sweet tooth, but their resveratrol (thats the beneficial antioxidant found in red wine) content has been shown to reduce weight gain associated with a high-fat diet.
Start your morning with a cup of unsweetened green tea and you might just find yourself meeting your weight loss goals in record time. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity found that the combination of caffeine and epigallocatechin gallatean antioxidant abundant in teahad a positive influence on both weight loss and weight maintenance.
If youre trying to lose weight, youd be well-advised not to eliminate this common morning pick-me-up from your diet. According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking coffee was associated with increased fat loss and increased metabolic rate. Just make sure youre skipping the added sugar, which can quickly turn a healthy habit into one that causes you to pack on the pounds.
A little fat in your morning brew can go a long way when it comes to shedding the fat from your body, particularly if you opt for a medium-chain triglyceride oil like MCT oil. One 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that MCT oil supplementation yielded greater weight loss than olive oil, so go ahead and add some to your coffee or smoothie to maximize your fat burn.
While many people assume that eating carbs close to bedtime is a bad thing, research suggests the opposite may be true. According to a 2014 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating carbohydrates at night can actually help reduce your appetite, so dont be afraid to grab that box of crackers before bed!
If you want to lose weight fast, then one of the easiest things you can do is make a meal schedule for yourself and stick with it. When people stick to a meal pattern they rarely overeat, explains Julie Upton, MS, RD, co-founder of Appetite for Health. Stick to eating three meals a day and two snacks. Dont graze all day and dont skip meals.
If youre forcing yourself to eat breakfast when youre not hungry or find yourself grabbing dinner when bed sounds like a more appealing option, you may be doing yourself a disservice. According to research published in the journal Cell Metabolism, time-restricted eating is associated with a reduced risk of obesity, with or without calorie restriction. Even better, its also associated with a reduced risk of metabolic disease, even when you take a break from it on weekends.
Even though diet soda is typically non-caloric, it can still have a serious effect on your weight and overall health. Research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that diet soda consumption is associated with increased waist circumference and abdominal fat.
A little ginger in your meal plan could result in some major weight loss. Thats because according to researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, ginger has an effect against both insulin resistance and obesity. However, not all forms of ginger are created equal (were looking at you, ginger snaps), so make sure youre using it in its whole, unprocessed form whenever possible. And bonus: Ginger is also one of the 30 Best Foods for Maximizing Your Energy Levels.
While salt may not be calorically dense, it can still have a significant effect on your weight lossor lack thereof. In fact, research published in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases found a strong correlation between salt and rising obesity rates. Not only that, but the same study found that when subjects reduced their salt intake by 30 to 35 percent over a 30-year period, their mortality risk due to stroke and coronary heart disease decreased by 75 to 80 percent. And for more ways to slim down fast, start with these 20 Surprising Weight-Loss Tips That Anyone Can Do.
All jokes about avocado toast habits tanking the real estate industry aside, eating some avocado on a regular basis is actually a pretty great decision, especially in terms of your weight loss. In one study published in the journal Internal Medicine Review, avocado intake was associated with better overall dietary quality, lower BMI, and lower waist circumference. Consider this a big flag-wave to add some of the green fruit to your favorite salad, sandwich, or omelet.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, its time to start focusing on how nutritious the food youre eating is rather than trying to whittle your portions down as much as possible. In fact, in one 2018 study published in JAMA, individuals who prioritized eating more vegetables while reducing their intake of processed food lost substantial weight, even when they werent counting calories.
Sipping some water throughout the day is one of the easiest ways to shave off some excess weight. A review of research published in Frontiers in Nutrition confirmed that increased water intake is positively associated with weight lossso before you grab a snack, make sure youre not mistaking that thirst cue for hunger.
Drinking an adequate amount of water every day is vital to weight loss efforts, especially in the summertime. However, it can prove difficult to down some 80 ounces of H2O on a daily basis. Thats where lemons come in. Not only do they give water a pleasantly tangly flavor, but all that extra vitamin C from the lemons will help to boost your immunity, clean up free radicals, and even protect your memory as you age, as Lisa Richards, a certified nutritionist and creator of the Candida diet, explains.
Reach for your water glass before you reach for your fork. In one study conducted at the University of Birmingham, subjects who drank two glasses of water prior to meals lost 2.87 pounds more than those who dug right in.
Beer is a weight loss nightmare. As Eric P. Fleishman, a physique expert and host ofCelebrity Sweat, jokes, a six pack could be killing your six pack. In fact, research published in Nutrition Journal shows a link between beer consumption and abdominal obesity in adult men, so ditch the craft brew in favor of a glass of water or two.
If youre eager to ditch that ballooning belly, start your meals with an apple. Research published in Nutrition reveals that consuming an apple three times a day is associated with greater weight loss. For maximum impact, eat a red apple and youll get a boost of belly-fat-blasting resveratrol, too.
An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but a pear will do just fine in a pinch. In one study published in the journal Nutrition, researchers at the State University of Rio de Janeirofound that consumption of three pears a day was associated with weight loss. If youre feeling tempted by unhealthy foods, pregame with a fiber-rich pear and youll likely be satisfied enough to wait until the craving passes.
If youre trying to rid yourself of those extra pounds, adding filling, fiber-rich foods to your dietlike fruits, vegetables, and whole grainswill help you achieve your goal a whole lot faster than depriving yourself. According to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, increasing your fiber intake results in more weight loss than a low-fiber dietand all it takes is 30 grams of per day.
If youre trying to slim down, those cookies, crackers, and white breads should be the first items on your veto list. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that people with increased intakes of refined grains are significantly more likely to have excess belly fat than those who favor more fiber-rich grain-based products.
While you dont have to jump on the keto diet bandwagon, lowering your total carb count could go a long way in terms of your weight loss. In one 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, low-carb diets were effective at reducing both total body mass and insulin resistance among obese study subjects over a 12-month period.
A shot of apple cider vinegar in the morning might be the key to getting the body youve always wanted. The results of one2009 study reveal that consuming acetic acida major component in vinegarreduces weight, waist circumference, and visceral fat.
Put down the Lean Cuisine. While many ready-made meals are marketed as nutritious alternatives to home cooking, research published in the British Journal of Nutrition reveals that consumption of such meals is linked to increased rates of obesity and an increased risk of excess belly fat.
The first (and most important) meal of the day sets up a pattern of eating that values health and energizes you for all your fun in the sun, Fleishman says about the importance of breakfast. And on days when you plan to hit the gym, breakfast can be especially beneficial. Per one 2018 study published in theAmerican Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, eating breakfast before a workout prompts the body to burn carbohydrates and digest food more quickly afterward.
Not sure what to eat for breakfast? Yogurt is always a delicious and healthy option. In one 2005 study published in the International Journal of Obesity, subjects who added yogurt to their meal plan lost significantly more weight and inches off their waist than those who abstained.
Start your day off right with a delicious veggie-packed omelette. In one 2009 study published in the International Journal of Obesity, individuals who ate eggs for breakfast lost more weight than those who ate a bagel with a similar number of calories. Plus, despite their reputation for being bad for your cholesterol, research now suggests that most healthy people can safely eat up to three eggs a day without risking their health.
Who says that sweet snacks are off-limits when youre trying to shed some pounds? The right ones, like strawberries, may actually improve your weight loss efforts. In fact, not only are strawberries an excellent source of antioxidant pigment resveratrol, which has been shown to mitigate some of the effects of a high-fat diet, but they may also help you get more active. In one 2017 study published in Nutrients, strawberries specifically reduced pain and inflammation in obese adults with osteoarthritis in their knees.
Think only refined carbohydrates have an effect on your weight? Think again. Research published in the journal ARYA Atherosclerosis suggests that even regular consumption of potatoes is positively correlated with obesity.
However, that doesnt mean that every potato is created equal. The occasional fiber-rich baked sweet potato or side of potato wedges is unlikely to derail your diet in the same way an oversized order of salty, greasy French fries would. Just be careful about how you order your spuds!
One of the quickest ways to kick off your weight loss journey is also one of the easiest: by putting tempting foods away. Research conducted at Cornell University found that individuals who kept fruit on their kitchen counters had lower BMIs overall, and individuals of an average weight were less likely than their obese counterparts to keep snack foods, like pastries, on the kitchen counter.
The next time youre trying hard to turn down that tempting piece of chocolate in pursuit of a slimmer body, just clench your muscles. According to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, clenching a muscle has a pronounced effect on a persons willpower and makes it easier to look temptation in the face and say, Not today, Satan.
While increasing your protein intake can help you lose some weight, making your meals too meat-heavy may have the opposite effect. In one study presented at the 18th International Conference on Nutrition and Food Sciences, meat consumption was significantly linked to the rise in obesity rates. Instead, try getting some of your protein from healthier, plant-based sources like nuts and legumes, and opt for leaner cuts of meat when you do indulge.
In the summertime, it can prove increasingly difficult to stick to a strict meal plan, what with so many barbecues featuring juicy burgers and radiant racks of ribs. However, you dont have to deprive yourself completely of your favorite seasonal meats in order to lose weight. Rather, all you have to do is think differently about how you fire up the grill, says Micah Siva, RD, a registered dietitian, trained chef, and founder of NutritionXKitchen.
So how can you enjoy a BBQ without derailing your diet? Rethink sweet sauces and opt for fresh herbs, citrus zest, and spices for delicious and low-calorie flavoring, suggests Siva. Try using plant-based proteins in place of, or in addition to, your barbecued meats. Service fresh vegetable side dishes, and choose whole grain buns if youre serving up burgers.
When youre throwing together your spice rub for your juicy steak, make sure to include a hefty serving of black pepper. One 2010 study published in the Annual Review of Nutrition found that black pepper had both inflammation- and obesity-fighting properties. Plus, the spice adds flavor without adding too many calories!
Though hourlong lunch breaks hardly provide enough time for leisurely meals, your waistline will greatly benefit if you try to slow down a bit. In fact, research published in BMJ Open reveals that slower eating is significantly associated with reduced BMI and waist circumference.
Take a page out of Popeyes book and add some spinach to your routine to see rapid weight loss results. One 2014 study published in the journal Appetite concluded that supplementation with spinach leaf extract over a period of 90 days caused weight loss, lowered study subjects cholesterol, and reduced their desire for sugary and fatty foods.
Tucking in to your midday meal an hour or two earlier could yield serious results for your waistline. According to research published in the International Journal of Obesity, study subjects who ate lunch on the early side lost more weight and shed the pounds faster than those who ate their midday meal after 3:00 p.m.
Make every meal a bit more romantic and healthier with some low lighting. In one study conducted at Cornell University, lower lighting both reduced the total number of calories consumed and increased the total time spent eating by 4.7 percent.
While some gym devotees claim that getting in a pre-workout snack is key to their success, research suggests that the opposite is true. According to a 2017 study from the University of Bath, eating before a workout may actually make it more difficult to lose body fat. So, whenever possible, get in your time at the gym on an empty stomach; youll watch those pounds disappear faster than you thought possible. And when you do eat a meal, make sure youre including some of the 33 Foods That Fight Aging from the Inside Out.
Patience doesnt always pay off when it comes to weight loss. In fact, doing shorter, more intense workoutslike HIITis actually more effective at shedding fat. Plus, shorter and harder workouts increase insulin sensitivity and improve overall cardiovascular fitness, according to a 2011 review of research published in the Journal of Obesity. Looking for some fitness inspiration? Check outThe 4 Best Ab Workouts for Getting That Summer Six-Pack.
While many people assume that weight training will make them look bulky, adding some weights to your routine is actually a great way to slim down and boost your metabolism in one fell swoop. In fact, a study published in the journal Obesity found that obese adults who combined weight lifting and resistance training lost less lean muscle mass than those who combined weight lifting and aerobic training. Over time, this combination may increase a persons cardiovascular fitness while helping them maintain a more desirable (read: leaner-looking) body composition.
Want to make your time at the gym more enjoyable and lose more weight? All it takes is teaming up with a friend. In one 2015 study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, researchers at the University of Aberdeen discovered that working out with a new exercise partner increased the amount of exercise people engaged in.
However, this doesnt mean you have to enlist a drill sergeant to bark orders at you to get results. On the contrary, the researchers found that having an emotionally supportive workout partner further increased the amount of exercise study subjects got.
Want to improve your outcome at the gym? Try treating yourself to some personal training sessions. Research published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine discovered that personal training both motivated study subjects and improved their exercise performance. Though personal training appears to be out of most peoples budgets, many gyms will offer discounted group sessions or even free training with a new membership, so dont be afraid to inquire.
If making it to the gym on a daily basis feels next-to-impossible given your packed schedule, there is hope yet. Investing in a mini stair-stepper, under-desk elliptical, or foldable treadmill can help you reach your weight loss goals, even on those days when hitting the gym just isnt in the cards. And if youre really serious about your fitness journey, then consider these27 Affordable Ways to Turn Your Home into a Luxury Gym.
The next time youre feeling unmotivated to go to your spin class, try putting on one of your favorite pairs of workout leggings. According to one 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, the clothing we wear is significantly psychologically tied to what we do in those clothes, so a great workout outfit may actually help motivate you to hit the gym.
When you cant stand to do one more rep or minute on the treadmill, tell the gym how you really feel with some well-chosen profanity. Thats right: Cursing might just help you get healthier. In one 2018 study published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, swearing increased an athletes power and strength during a workout. #$%& yeah!
Want to boost your weight loss? Start by leaving the car at home. Research published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine shows a significant link between commuting by car and increased weight gain, even amongst those who are otherwise physically active. So, if a distance is short enough for you to walk and youre physically able to do so, go by foot whenever possible. And if you need more motivation to give your car some rest, here are30 Reasons Why Walking Is the Best Exercise.
Dropping a few pounds during bikini season might be as easy as keeping your bedroom cooler. In one 2014 study published in the journal Diabetes, setting the thermostat to 66 degrees for 10 hours a night increased study participants healthy brown fat by 42 percent and increased their metabolic activity by 10 percentall in just one month.
Sorry, night owls: Going to bed earlier might just be a better bet when youre trying to lose weight. Research published in 2013 by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that later bedtimesand the associated sleep lossmay increase a persons risk of weight gain in the long run. Luckily, it only takes a few days to reset your bodys internal clockand when you start seeing those pounds melt off, youll realize it was well worth it. And if you need help falling asleep before midnight, then try these11 Doctor-Approved Secrets for Falling Asleep FasterTonight.
Shaving off those extra pounds might be as simple as sleeping your way to slim. In fact, according to one 2006 study of more than 68,000 women published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, subjects who regularly slept 5 hours or less gained more than 2.5 pounds more than those who slept more than 7 hours a night. However, that doesnt mean you should spend all day in bed: Oversleeping is also associated with an increased risk of obesity.
While getting inadequate sleep can certainly derail your weight loss success, so too can sleeping in until noon. Research conducted at Northwestern University found that late sleepers added 248 calories to their daily meal plan as compared to early risers, despite the fact that they were awake for a shorter amount of time. Worse yet, they ate double the amount of fast food and fewer vegetables than those who got up early.
Instead of beating yourself up over past weight loss failures, try saying some affirmations to get yourself going. Research published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology shows that self-affirmation is significantly associated with positive behavioral changes, so dont be afraid to stand in front of the mirror and remind yourself what an amazing job youre going to do. And if you struggle with optimism, then you can begin your weight loss journey with these 15 Body Positive Affirmations That Actually Work.
Visualizing your success can actually help you achieve your goals, especially in terms of weight loss. Research published in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology found that visualization helped weight lifters increase their muscle activity during a workout, indicating it may be key to getting a more effective burnand, ultimately, slimming down faster.
Research published in the journal PLoS One found that while couples tend to have healthier habits than their single counterparts, they still tend to gain weight together. Fortunately, since couples tend to mimic one anothers behaviorfor better or for worsegetting your significant other on your team when it comes to weight loss can help you make some serious changes and help you finally ditch that spare tire.
As it turns out, our predilection for binge-watching has some seriously dangerous effects on our health. In one 2015 study published in the journal Nutrition, spending more than two hours a day watching television was significantly linked with increased consumption of fats and sugars (in addition to lower amounts of fruits and vegetables).
If you think that chewing gum is helping you fend off your food cravings, think again. Contrary to popular belief, research published in the journal Eating Behaviors revealed that chewing gum doesnt decrease hunger, but rather makes people less likely to eat healthy foods like fruit and may even have a deleterious effect on overall diet quality. And for more behaviors to ditch, stat, check out these 40 Worst Habits for People Over 40.
Whether youre getting it via the sun or via supplements, a little vitamin D goes a long way when it comes to losing weight. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that overweight individuals with inadequate vitamin D levels in their blood who adequately increased their vitamin D levels lost more weight and more body fat than those who dieted or exercised alone. And for more great advice, learn the 20 Weight-Loss Techniques Successful Dieters Share.
Not a naturally early riser? Well, if youre looking to lose weight, you might want to become one. In 2014, researchers at Northwestern Universitydiscovered a link between exposure to early morning sunlight and lower BMI, so maybe the early bird really does get the weight loss worm.
When youre eager to get healthy and slim down, it pays to be around people who already consider their health a priority. Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that obesity tends to spread among social groupsso if youre trying to slim down, spend time with your friends who are also eager to do the same.
Yoga may not be the biggest calorie-torcher out there, but that doesnt mean that you should discount it as a means of losing weight. In fact, according to research published in the journalEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine,yoga can actually promote healthier eating behaviors in addition to increasing muscle tone and improving cardiovascular health.
Its easy to lose motivation when youre working out and not seeing immediate progress. The good news? Writing down your goals can help you stay the course. In one study conducted at Dominican University of California, study subjects who wrote down their goals were significantly more likely to achieve them than those who simply kept them in mind.
Journaling about your food can have a major impact in terms of how much weight you lose in the long run. Research from Kaiser Permanente found that subjects who kept a food diary nearly doubled weight loss compared to those who didnt keep track of their meals.
Dont have time to hit up an in-person weight loss meeting? Just go online. One study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyfound that online behavioral counseling was effective at helping people slim down and maintain their weight loss over a 12-month period.
Sure, your penchant for snapping nonstop selfies may annoy your friends, but it could also be the key to getting the body youve always wanted. According to research conducted at American University, taking and sharing photos of your progress can help you hit your goals and maintain consistency as you try to lose weight. Just make sure to avoid these 15 Places Its Illegal to Take a Selfie.
While staring down the number on the scale may be scary, doing so on a daily basis can help you lose more weight in the long run. In one 2017 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, college-aged female students who weighed themselves daily lost more weight and body fat than those who opted for more sporadic weigh-ins.
While its nice to imagine losing 10 pounds per week, sometimes swinging for the fences with those huge goals can do more harm than good. Instead, try setting smaller goals, like hitting the gym every day for a month, or ditching that sweetened latte in the morning in favor of an iced coffee with a splash of milk. Having small, realistic goals rather than giant, unattainable ones ensures that you stay motivated and encouraged throughout your weight loss journey.
When youre slogging through another seemingly-endless workout, it can be hard to remember why you started in the first place. The good news? Research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity reveals that addressing the factors that contribute to or hinder motivation can help keep you on track toward reaching your goals in the long run.
Now that its summertime, youll want to take advantage of all that natural sunlight. One 2017 study published in Scientific Reports found that fat cells exposed to light stored less fat than those kept in the dark. However, just because a little light is good for you doesnt mean you cant overdo it: More than 15 minutes a day without sunblock can increase your risk for skin cancer, so be careful!
As unpleasant as it may be to admit, sometimes youre just not going to be happy during your weight loss journey. However, instead of trying to suppress those feelings, its better to accept them and move on. Research published in Eating Behaviors shows that accepting those feelings can lead to greater success when trying to avoid certain trigger foods.
While many people assume that the nicotine in cigarettes has a metabolism-boosting effect or at least helps curb appetite, it turns out that the opposite is true. Research presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in 2015 reveals that quitting smoking actually improves metabolic performance.
If you want to clean up your eating habits, then you should start by cleaning up your house. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that organized spaces promoted healthier food choices, so theres no time like the present to get your spring cleaning started. And if youre not sure whereor howto start with your cleaning, check out these20 Amazing Tricks for Cleaning Your Bathroom.
Instead of grabbing a bagel for breakfast, try subbing in a grapefruit a few mornings a week. According to research published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, study subjects who added grapefruit, grapefruit juice, or a grapefruit supplement in pill form to their diet lost significantly more weight and reduced their insulin resistance when compared to a group given a placebo.
Trying to ditch those last 10 pounds? Try putting on some soft music while you eat. Researchers at Cornell University have discovered a correlation between calmer music and a reduce total caloric intake, so opt for some classical tunes instead of bouncy pop at dinner time.
If youre eating well and exercising regularly but still cant lose weight, try reducing your stress level whenever possible. According to a long-term study conducted by researchers at University College London and the Technical University of Dresden, cortisol, a stress hormone, was significantly correlated with increased waist circumference and obesity.
Nuts may be high in fat, but that doesnt mean you should kick them off your menu when you want to lose weight. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that, despite being a relatively high-calorie food, long-term nut consumption is actually associated with a reduced risk of both obesity and type 2 diabetes.
If you have strong associations between certain foods and guilt, theres no time like the present to try to break that bond. While many may believe that associating guilt with certain foods may make you more likely to abstain from them, a study published in Appetite actually reveals that people who associated foods with guilt had less success losing weight over a three-month period than those who considered them celebratory foods.
Add some spicy flavor to your food with a few cloves and youll be enjoying a healthier, leaner body in no time. In addition to making food more flavorful, research suggests that cloves are effective at reducing bodily inflammation and an individuals risk of obesity, too.
Sometimes, a calorie isnt just a calorie. Case in point: calories from trans fats may be slowing your weight loss down, even if youre not overeating. In fact, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have discovered that monkeys fed a diet high in trans fats gained significantly more weight than those fed monounsaturated fats, while also increasing their proportion of belly fat.
If you want to get your body in shape, start by improving the health of your gut bacteria. Research conducted at the Universit Laval reveals that the gut bacteria in obese individuals and thin individuals differ significantly, but adding probiotics to a persons regular routine may help them increase their weight loss.
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100 Motivational Weight Loss Tips for 2019 | Best Life
Weight Loss and Diet Pills: Options to Know – Drugs.com
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What Are Weight Loss Drugs?
Prescription weight loss pills, also called anti-obesity drugs or diet pills, are sometimes prescribed to a patient as an additional tool in the treatment for weight loss. Tools added to medication treatment usually include a plan for lower fat and calorie foods, as well as a regular exercise program.
Most weight loss drugs that suppress the appetite are known as anorexiants. Some weight loss drugs contain a stimulant medication and are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). In 2012, the FDA approved the first two new weight loss drugs in over a decade -- Belviq and Qsymia. Since that time, several more new weight loss medications have been approved, including Contrave, Saxenda, and Belviq XR.
Patients who are overweight or obese with any health condition should consult with their physician prior to beginning a weight loss or exercise program.
There are very few proven choices in over-the-counter (OTC) or nonprescription medications for effective weight loss. One agent that is available without a prescription is Alli (orlistat), a lower-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical.
Many people who are trying to lose weight may attempt to use dietary supplements or herbal medications, but most of these products have not been adequately studied for effectiveness or safety and none are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss. Check with a healthcare provider for advice before using herbal or dietary supplements for weight loss.
Prescription weight loss drugs may be an option for patients who have serious health risks, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol and cannot control their weight with diet and exercise alone. Weight loss drugs should not be used as a substitute for healthful eating and a regular exercise program.
Over one year, patients using weight loss drugs may lose roughly 5% to 10% of their initial weight when used as part of a diet and exercise plan. However, for most weight loss drugs, if you have not lost at least5% of your initial body weight after 12 weeks,it is unlikely that you will achieve and sustain clinically meaningful weight loss with continued treatment.
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Weight loss drugs don't always work for everyone. It is usually recommended that one to two pounds of weight can be safely lost per week.
For a patient weighing 200 pounds, this would translate into losing about 10 to 20 pounds over one year, which would fall within the safe guidelines for weight loss. While this amount of weight loss seems small, it may be enough to help lower blood pressure or have a positive effect on blood sugar.
Learn More:5 Diet Drugs: Which Ones Work?
Generally, most overweight people should initially try to lose weight using diet and exercise. Prescription diet pills are used in more severe circumstances, when weight loss has not been successful and the patient has important health risks associated with being overweight or obese. However, diet and exercise should always be used in conjunction with prescription weight loss drugs.
Most prescription weight loss drugs note in the package labeling that a person should meet certain requirements, such as a specified body mass index (BMI) and/or have a serious medical risk before using the drug.
Weight loss drugs are usually indicated for obese patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2 or overweight patients with a BMI greater than 27 kg/m2 in the presence of other risk factors (eg, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol).
Examples of serious medical risks include:
To help assess your health risk based on weight, calculate your body mass index (BMI) here.
A certain amount of additional weight gain, and no weight loss, is currently recommended for all pregnant women, including those women already overweight or obese.
Weight loss drugs should not be used during pregnancy. All weight loss drugs fall under pregnancy category X and are contraindicated (meaning do not use) in pregnancy. Weight loss offers no potential benefit and may result in fetal harm during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about how much weight you should gain during pregnancy, and how quickly.
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
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Weight Loss and Diet Pills: Options to Know - Drugs.com
6 Weight Loss Tips for Hypothyroidism | Everyday Health
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Underactive thyroid can make losing weight even more challenging, but proper treatment, along with diet and lifestyle strategies can help.
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Healthy foods, controlled portion sizes, and regular exercise these are key components to losing weight. Butif you havehypothyroidism, your underactive thyroid gland may also play a role.
If hypothyroidism is inadequately treated it can be harder to lose weight, since the thyroid is a large regulator of metabolic function. (Weight gain is often the first noticeable symptom of low thyroid.) The most important thing you can do for weight loss and for your overall health is to get proper treatment for your hypothyroidism. However, making a few dietary changes may help boost weight loss success. Losing weight is never easy, but people who have well-controlledhypothyroidism shouldnt struggle to lose weight more than anyone else, says Leonor Corsino, MD, an endocrinologist at the Duke Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery in Durham, North Carolina.
Use these six strategies to jump-start weight loss with hypothyroidism.
Kelly Austin, ND, a naturopathic doctor specializing in hormone disorders and the director of the Prime Wellness Clinic in San Diego, recommends a moderate- to low-carbohydrate diet that focuses on complex carbohydrates (think starchy vegetables and legumes) and avoids simple sugars (pass on the candy and soda). According to the LinusPauling Institute at Oregon State University, foods with a high aglycemic load (like refined grain products and sugary drinks) may increase inflammation in the body. But Dr. Austin stresses the importance of eating enough calories because "low calories can cause a stress response and result in decreased T3 [the active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine] production, she says.
Anti-inflammatory foods can help ease joint aches and pains as well asdepression, all of which can result from hypothyroidism, Austin says. And anti-inflammatory foods can help soothe the immune system, which is often in overdrive in people with hypothyroidism, saysTina Beaudoin, ND, the president of the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors and medical director of HealthStrong Integrative Medicine in Manchester, New Hampshire. An anti-inflammatory diet can help calm the immune system and excessive inflammation, and support adequate intake of the essential nutrients needed for healthy thyroid function, including magnesium, B vitamins, zinc, selenium, iron, and vitamin C, Dr. Beaudoin says. Leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, fatty fish, nuts, fruit, and olive oil are all good foods to battle inflammation. And this diet decreases the burden on the liver to metabolize highly processed foods, she notes. Healthy liver function is essential because the liver is responsible for converting 60 percent of T4 [the thyroid hormone thyroxine] to T3, Beaudoinexplains.
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Hypothyroidism slows digestive function, notes Beaudoin. Eating smaller, more frequent meals with balanced macronutrients quality proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats supports balanced blood sugar and helps avoid the highs and lows of oversized, highly processed meals," she says.
Your daily caloric intake can quickly skyrocket unless you log everything you eat and drink, Dr. Corsino says. It can also help ensure that youre eating a balanced diet. Keeping a food journal is important for someone with hypothyroidism to track their macronutrient intake, Austin says. A diet high in healthy fats, moderate proteins, and moderate to low carbohydrates is best for thyroid function.
Exercise is an important complement to a healthy diet in order to help burn calories, Corsino says. But consider the individual case, Austin says. If a person is terribly fatigued, exercise can further suppress hypothyroidism," Austinsays. "If a person has properly managed their hypothyroid andhas the energy, exercise is encouraged.
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Thyroid hormone should be taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning with plenty of water, Corsino says. Dont take it with any other medications and wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before eating breakfast. If your thyroid level still isn't where it should be when you take your medication properly, it could be affecting your ability to lose weight.Talk with your doctorabout treatment adjustments that might be right for you.
Additional reporting by Jennifer Geddes.
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6 Weight Loss Tips for Hypothyroidism | Everyday Health