Category: Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting and calorie counting about equal for weight loss – new study
Is intermittent fasting any better than calorie counting for losing weight? A new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, aimed to provide the answer. It showed that the two methods could be equally effective – if undertaken with professional counselling.
Preventive healthcare is effective – lessons from Finland, Japan and Singapore
Promoting healthy lifestyles, early disease detection and timely treatment could reduce chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. And reducing the number of people with these chronic conditions would lead to a significant decrease in healthcare spending – which has been steadily rising in real terms.
BMI alone will no longer be treated as the go-to measure for weight management – an UW obesity expert explains
Ultimately, BMI cannot provide doctors with precise information about the portion of body weight composed of body fat, nor can it tell us how that fat is distributed in the body. But this distribution is important because research has shown that fat stored around the internal organs has significantly higher health risks than that distributed in the extremities
New drugs that melt away pounds present more questions than answers but could be key tools in reducing the obesity epidemic
While these medications hold promise, they are not wonder drugs. In my view, they warrant much more research before they become the basis for a new weight management protocol.
It’s time to bust the ‘calories in, calories out’ weight-loss myth
One reason the simple “calories in, calories out” formula is not so simple is our bodies don’t consume every calorie the same way. What’s shown in your calorie counter is not what’s actually absorbed in your body. Different calorie sources also have different effects on our hormones, brain response and energy expenditure, changing how we respond to and manage our food intake.
It’s time to leave the Paleo Diet in the past: Recent studies have failed to support its claims
The Paleo Diet has been a worthwhile experiment, but at this point it seems likely that people following it might just be wasting money. Conventional, government-recommended diets offer comparable outcomes at a lower cost. In our view, it’s time to leave the Paleo Diet in the past.
Obesity in children is rising dramatically, and it comes with major – and sometimes lifelong – health consequences
Without intervention, many obese adolescents will remain obese as adults. Even before adulthood, some children will have serious health problems beginning in their preteen years.
Eating disorders are deadly: What are they, who’s at risk, and what can be done about it
Adolescence is also when eating disorders have the greatest negative effects on health. Five per cent of the general population in North America will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime, but few people seek treatment. The prevalence of eating disorders and struggles to access help highlight the need to increase awareness and decrease stigma.
Does exercise help you lose weight?
Exercise will help you lose weight and prevent you putting on weight again – it’s just that it won’t help you achieve your weight loss goals in isolation.
Ozempic helps weight loss by making you feel full. But certain foods can do the same thing – without the side-effects
Dietary changes have much fewer risks in terms of side effects, but the responses will take more time and effort.
Is menopause making me put on weight? No, but it’s complicated
When it comes to menopause and weight, it’s weight redistribution – not weight gain – that is actually a symptom. Research has confirmed menopause is linked to an increase in belly fat but not an increase in overall weight.
What’s the ‘weight set point’, and why does it make it so hard to keep weight off?
There’s a scientific reason many people return to their previous weight after dieting, and understanding the science – known as the weight set point theory – is key to achieving long-term weight loss.
Stop hating on pasta – it actually has a healthy ratio of carbs, protein and fat
It can be healthy to eat up to 1.2 to 6.5 times more carbohydrates in a day than protein. The ratio of carbs to protein in pasta is 38g to 7.7g. That’s roughly a 5:1 ratio, well within the acceptable range.
Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it
To reduce the harmful health effects of sitting, take a five-minute light walk every half-hour. We found that a five-minute light walk every half-hour was the only strategy that reduced blood sugar levels substantially compared with sitting all day. In particular, five-minute walks every half-hour reduced the blood sugar spike after eating by almost 60%. That strategy reduced blood pressure by four to five points compared with sitting all day. But shorter and less frequent walks improved blood pressure too. Even just a one-minute light walk every hour reduced blood pressure by five points.
Spot reduction: why exercise probably can’t help you target fatty areas of the body
The mechanics of weight loss are quite straightforward and are rooted in the laws of thermodynamics. Basically this means that in order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you consume. But where you actually lose this weight isn’t quite so straightforward. This is because where our bodies store fat is governed by our hormones.