Posts Tagged ‘weight loss’

In a most compelling way, Tommy Tomlinson describes his lifetime of experiences facing obesity: Losing weight is a f***ing rock fight. The enemies come from all sides: The deluge of marketing telling us to eat worse and eat more. The culture that has turned food into one of the last acceptable vices. Our families and […]

Mindfulness has become a pop culture buzzword. Apparently, it’s useful for selling everything from beer to wellness. Headline writers tell us that mindfulness helps engineers solve problems, eases stress and depression, helps people in a war zone, and causes worry for conservative Christians. We even have a mindful brewpub nearby. But our focus is nutrition, […]

Many consumers consider dietary supplements to be natural and, therefore, safe. In fact, the Council for Responsible Nutrition reported in 2017 that 87 percent of U.S. consumers have confidence that dietary supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, oils, microbiome bacteria, and amino acids, are safe and effective. Unfortunately, their confidence may be a mistake […]

As 2018 winds down, we have a chance to gratefully reflect on the fact that more than 100,000 users took the time to read some of the content we provided this year. No, this is surely not the New York Times. We admit that we have a very narrow focus. But given this narrow focus, […]

Extra pounds sneak up on you. A few cookies here, a second helping of gravy there, and the next thing you know the waistband of your favorite pair of pants has grown inexplicably sharp. I found myself in this position a couple of years back, and turned to the system I’ve always used when my […]

It’s an old problem. But it’s getting harder and harder to understand. When people lose a lot of excess weight and put obesity into remission, excess skin becomes a serious threat to health and well-being for many patients. However, health plans often tell patients, too bad. No matter what the medical need, the first response […]

It’s a recurring frustration. Science is a difficult process of stepwise efforts to uncover the truth. We never get it all at once. And then – especially when the subject is obesity and nutrition – a battle of headlines vs science emerges. Yesterday, this frustration was on vivid display in a packed lecture hall at ObesityWeek. On […]

“’Obesity’ is not the health risk it has been reported to be,” says the HAES® Fact Sheet. But that assertion stands in stark contrast to the findings of a new study in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology this week. The study adds to a large body of evidence and begs a question. At what point does […]

Getting a handle on the real world effectiveness of any medical treatment is devilishly hard. For surgery, it’s even harder. Randomized controlled trials are not impossible, but almost. And many variables come into play that can cause big swings in effectiveness. That list starts with surgical skill and the quality of a program. And it […]

Tech has a very mixed track record in obesity care. Diet apps were early hits. Fitness trackers have a loyal following. The apps are free and the trackers have a lot of gee whiz pizazz. What’s not to like? Unfortunately, proving that they lead to better health outcomes has been tough. But now, in the […]