​While parents usually decide what kids eat, it’s no secret that kids will eat (especially snacks) what’s available. Therefore, the key to healthy families is surrounding everyone with healthier options. Getting the family on board with healthy life choices will also help individuals when it comes to losing weight.

​Do:

• Do eat healthy foods and choose smaller portions. Children often copy their caregivers over time.
• Do provide an array of healthy foods in the home and include them in every meal.
• Do view healthy eating as a normal part of family life.
• Do prepare meals together and make it a time to enjoy each other and eat well.
• Do ask your children what they would like to eat and offer them choices if you can. Ask them what fruits or vegetables they would like to eat at a meal or snack.
• Do remain positive, even if your children do not want to eat healthy right away. In the long run, it will help them to want to try new healthy foods.

Don’t:

• Don’t punish children or put them down if they refuse to eat healthy foods. Be open to hearing their feelings.
• Don’t keep a lot of junk food in the home.
• Don’t use food as a reward for being good, and do not restrict food as a way to punish them.
• Don’t give too much praise, even when children do choose healthy foods. The habit of trying new foods is more likely to stick if they feel like it is their choice. For them, it should feel good to have the choice to taste new foods.
• Don’t force it when children do not like a certain food. Instead, try something new and healthy next time.
• Don’t take it personally when children refuse to eat what you have prepared.

Tips are from the American Medical Association.

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition reports that less than five percent of adults in the US participate in the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity each day. The PCFSN also reports that while about 45 million Americans attempt to diet each year, weight loss and keeping that weight off can be extremely challenging.

We understand that changing your entire lifestyle is difficult, which is why Medical Metabolic Specialists is dedicated to helping patients achieve and maintain a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle. However, we also understand that old habits die-hard and that life happens. While we’re always here to help, lifestyle choices can ultimately only be controlled by you. To help you stay healthy, the PCFSN complied a list of common pitfalls and ways to combat them.

1. Make sure to set attainable goals. 1-2 pounds per week is both healthy and realistic. Decreasing consumption of fats, sugars and salt along with at least 30 minutes of exercise is a great place to start.
   
   
2. Cut down or cut out alcohol. Though maybe not as obvious as other foods, alcohol packs a lot of calories and provides almost no nutritional value. It can simultaneously interrupt your sleeping patterns, which slows your metabolism.
   
   
3. Steer clear of “fad diets.” Instead, discuss healthy and scientifically accurate plans with MMS that are specifically modified for your body and goals.
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4. Do not be afraid to try new things! Explore the different cardio class options at your gym such as Spinning, kickboxing, Zumba and more. Everyone is different, so be sure to take advantage of the many workout options.
   
   

To help stick to your new lifestyle, consider these extra tips: plan your meals and schedule in time for exercise every day, do not skip meals, continue to be active even after you begin to start losing weight and most importantly – never give up!
Remember, losing weight and keeping it off is a commitment to a full change in lifestyle. Contact Medical Metabolic Specialists for tips to avoid weight gain and to begin your healthy journey towards a healthier lifestyle!

The majority of us would agree that as a society we consume too much food, too much sugar and processed foods and just too much in general. TIME magazine writer, Ted Spiker, eloquently notes that the diet dilemma facing our nation “has everything to do with food. And nothing to do with food.”
What exactly does he mean by this? Weight loss and dieting have everything to do with adjusting our mindsets so that healthy life choices feel good rather than feeling like punishment. The following three mindset shifts should help you get started:

While counting calories and incorporating exercise into your routine may help with short-term weight loss, researchers are finding these remedies do not contribute to long-term weight loss.

“We intuitively know that ‘eat less exercise more’ doesn’t work. It’s such simple advice that if it worked, my colleagues and I would be out of job,” says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The uncomfortable fact is that an exceedingly small number of people can lose a substantial amount of weight and keep it off following that advice” (TIME).

According to Dr. Ludwig and his colleague, Dr. Mark L. Friedman, weight loss should not be viewed as something separate from biological functions and the effects of what kinds of food are consumed. “‘Instead of counting calories, we should be focusing on the quality of the food we consume,’ says Ludwig” (TIME).

At Medical Metabolic Specialists, this research is core to our practice. As an obesity medicine specialist, Dr. James Hendrick focuses on the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated conditions. His goal is to help patients understand their obstacles and manage their metabolism to help them lose weight.

Unlike traditional weight loss clinics you see advertised, our comprehensive approach addresses the important issues of behavior, nutrition, emotion, disease, and medication along with how they relate to your weight. We don’t just tell patients to exercise and count calories, but rather we use the latest scientific techniques to create a comprehensive, individualized, lifelong weight management program to improve overall health and happiness.

If you are ready to start your journey to long-term weight loss, contact us to begin your individualized assessment