Website aims to change obesity focus through social support

Through the launch of its interactive My Healthy™ campaign, Eisai Inc. aims to shift the obesity conversation away from pounds lost and toward health gained inside a social and motivational online sphere.

The My Healthy Promise encourages patients who are dealing with obesity or who are overweight to commit to realistic goals and recognize that every step counts — including talking with doctors, making healthy choices and getting active.

“It all starts with your doctor,” Steven Lamm, MD, Director of Men’s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, said in a press release. “He or she can advise you on what may work best for you and create a tailored plan because there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to weight loss.”

“Patients may think losing 50 pounds is the only way. However, we know that if they are overweight or obese, losing as little as 3 to 5 percent may help lower triglycerides, blood sugar and their A1C level,” Lamm told Endocrine Today. “Losing more than 5 percent of body weight may help improve health even more, and sustaining this weight loss is also very important.”

People can sign up for a tool to calculate BMI on the My Healthy web site. Other areas include healthy events, how to talk to your doctor about weight loss and ideas for closet clean-outs and giving back to the community.

“A positive attitude and changing what hasn’t worked in the past is critically important to achieving weight loss,” Julie Morgenstern, author of SHED YOUR STUFF, Change Your Life, said in the release.

“We’re encouraging people to make the My Healthy Promise, a commitment to set realistic goals and recognize that every positive step counts. These positive steps include talking openly with your doctor about your weight and health, making healthy food choices and being more active in your everyday routine,” Morgenstern told Endocrine Today.

For More Information, visit MyHealthy.com and see additional resources.