Tag Archive for: obesity

Weight Loss: A Better Solution

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Wrapping up our look at the research paper that examined the effectiveness of commercial weight loss programs, I think the authors dropped the ball. Yes, they did what they intended to do: review the research on weight loss programs with the purpose of being able to point physicians to effective programs based on the evidence. But that ends up being lame. All they did was provide an outside source the physicians could recommend; they completely ignored the idea of physicians providing weight loss programs within the medical practice.

Although the authors were all physicians or physicians in training, they think . . .

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Weight Loss: The Problem with the Study

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Continuing our look at the recently published study “Efficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs: An Updated Systematic Review,” there was a significant problem with the study and most likely, not in the way you might think. I saw no problem with the statistics or measurement variables as sometimes happens. It wasn’t a meta-analysis, so there were no issues in study selection. In my opinion, it goes back to the intent of the study.

In an editorial in the same edition of the journal, the author reported that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Heart Association . . .

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Weight Loss: The Headlines

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From the relatively benign “Commercial weight-loss programs offer little evidence of success” to the more provocative “It’s all hype: Few commercial weight-loss programs are effective,” it appeared the researchers at Johns Hopkins threw a gigantic wrench into the $2.5 billion commercial weight loss industry (1). After all, if the programs don’t work, why would anyone want to fork out the money? Or maybe, just maybe, this was more hype than anything else; let’s take a look.

A group of physicians and students from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine performed a search using traditional scientific . . .

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Healthy Hunger-Free Kids

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There’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to blurt it out: we’re raising a generation of overweight and obese children. They eat too much saturated fat, too much sodium, not enough vegetables, not enough fruit, and they’re way too sedentary. When Paula and I go out to eat, I can always predict what nearby children are going to order or what they’ll be eating: chicken nuggets or mac and cheese. I’m always right, but I wish I weren’t. I understand that it’s tough to be a parent who . . .

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Low Carb vs. High Carb: The Bottom Line

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Today we finish the review of the latest study on the potential health benefits of low carb vs. high carb. We know what the researchers suggested are the beneficial effects of a low-carb diet and the potential problems of a high-carb diet. Were they correct? Let’s take a look.

I’m going to say this upfront because as you read on, you might get the impression I didn’t think much of this study, but that’s not really my viewpoint. This was a monumental effort by many different people. Think about it: they prepared every meal . . .

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Fat Crash-Test Dummies

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A company made headlines this week, and while I’m never really fond of science by headline, this one is a little different. This week, we’ve found out that we’re fatter than ever and that most of us are storing our fat in our abdominal region (1,2); because of those trends, Humanetics, the company that manufactures crash-test dummies, is designing new dummies that reflect the obesity rates in the U.S. and Canada.

I think it’s a good idea. The old crash-test dummies were based on a body that weighed 167 pounds. That model . . .

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The Problem with Belly Fat

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Let’s take a closer look at abdominal obesity: why it’s worse than having fat more generally distributed, and what could explain the increase (1,2).

There are two types of fat storage: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous means the fat is stored just under the skin. Though it’s flabby and not great to look at, it’s more a storage location and not metabolically active for the most part. Intra-abdominal fat or visceral fat is more metabolically active. While scientists don’t really know why, conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance are . . .

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How Fat Are We?

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Sometimes I miss Jay Leno. There were times he would ask a question such as “How fat are we?” and hit one-liner after one-liner. While his jokes were usually outrageous, they were indicative of where we are in the U.S. today. I’m going to review a couple of studies this week and believe me, there are no jokes in the latest research.

To answer Jay’s question, we’re fatter than we’ve ever been (1). Based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the percentage of Americans who are overweight is 68.5 . . .

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Never Going to Happen

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I was walking in the cereal aisle of a grocery store the other day. Actually, I walked up, then down, at different times. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure it’s a man thing. Even with a list, I wander around and around. But the way I shop is not the point—it’s the way other people shop.

The first time, a little girl in a grocery cart jumped up pointing to the Fruit Loops shouting, “There they are!” I don’t know whether she saw the television ads or normally ate them, but a three . . .

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Reader’s Edition: How to Treat Obesity

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Thank you again for your responses to my question about obesity—you all did a great job. Some answers were short, and some went into a lot of detail. Just like last week, I’ve excerpted some of your answers. Enjoy reading what others have done and are doing, because if you have weight you’d like to abandon, you’ll find some tips in here to help you out.

A New Lifestyle
“It’s a lifestyle decision to make. Eat less by using a salad plate rather than a dinner plate—no seconds. Eat heart-healthy foods . . .

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