Counting Calories and Exercise Won't Help with Long Term Weight Loss

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