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Eight weight loss tips from the experts
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Endocrine Today has produced eight videos featuring weight loss strategies from professionals who gathered in Los Angeles for ObesityWeek 2015.
Using these video tips, Healio.com/Endocrinology readers can discover ways in which to help themselves or their patients manage their weight to bring them to a happier, healthier life.
Is it better to be thin or healthy?
LOS ANGELES —When losing weight, being healthy trumps looking good, said Deborah Clegg, PhD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California, in a video interview.
While shooting for a size consistent with a normal BMI is desirable, maintaining good health is more important — and metabolic status is not assessed by looking at a person’s size, according to Clegg.
Vary your exercise routine
LOS ANGELES —Varying your workout can help prevent a weight-loss plateau, said Clegg, in a video interview.
The body adapts to doing the same regular activity, according to Clegg. Switching up the routine can restart the weight loss.
Choose medications that encourage weight loss
LOS ANGELES — Health care providers should review medications prescribed for patients trying to lose weight, said Donna Ryan, MD, professor emerita at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a video interview.
Some commonly prescribed medications can prevent weight loss or even promote weight gain. Prescribers should consider whether a weight-neutral drug substitution might work just as well for a patient. For example, almost all antidepressants can cause weight gain, but bupropion, venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine are associated with less potential for weight increase, according to Ryan.
Fitness apps are tools, not the solution for weight loss
LOS ANGELES —Phone apps and wearable devices can be useful tools for self-monitoring for patients attempting to lose weight, but they can’t replace an individualized intervention led by the health care provider, said Ryan, in a video interview.
Measuring a behavior is key to changing it, Ryan said, so self-monitoring calories consumed or minutes spent exercising can be important for weight loss. And apps can be easier to use and more accurate than traditional tracking on paper. These tools can bring progress — or lack of progress — into focus.
Better sleep means better weight loss
LOS ANGELES —Health care providers should talk about sleep deprivation with patients trying to lose weight, Ryan said.
Patients struggling to get enough sleep will also struggle to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, according to Ryan. Some sleep deprivation can be attributed to sleep apnea, and once the apnea is treated, weight loss comes more easily. A referral to a sleep specialist might be appropriate. Patients should also be told to avoid taking Benadryl (diphenhydramine, McNeil PPC) as a sleep aid, as it can cause weight gain.
Big changes lead to big results
LOS ANGELES —According to Ryan, health care providers should negotiate with their patient trying to lose weight for the most intensive regime the patient can commit to.
Initial weight loss is the best indicator of long-term weight loss, according to Ryan. Patients should understand that weight loss is difficult, but that greater effort can produce greater result.
Hunger control key to success with calorie restriction
LOS ANGELES — Controlling hunger can be key to sticking with a calorie-restricted diet, Krista Varady, MD, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago, said in a video interview.
Varady suggests consuming hot beverages before meals to feel more satiated and drinking water throughout the day to remain hydrated. She also recommends avoiding too much TV — watching less than 10 hours a week reduces exposure to food ads that tend to make viewers hungry.
What counts as a sugar-sweetened beverage, fast food, exercise?
LOS ANGELES — Avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages and replacing fast food meals with a family dinner at home can go a long way toward helping children maintain a healthy weight, said Goutham Rao, MD, of NorthShore University HealthSystem and The University of Chicago, in a video interview.
Because definitions of healthy behaviors can be elusive, Rao suggests health care providers avoid asking patients how much soda or pop they drink, and ask instead what patients drink besides water. He also recommends avoiding fast food restaurants completely, if possible, rather than trying to find healthier items there.
For heart health, children and adults should spend no more than 2 hours per day in sedentary screen time, Rao said. He suggests building toward 60 minutes of vigorous activity on most days of the week by starting with 30 minutes of continuous activity per day.