DIET OR EXERCISE? WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR WEIGHT CONTROL?

The answer to this question became quite obvious to me after taking my daughter to a very popular restaurant chain last weekend. 

Each entree contained at least 900 calories (with most salads exceeding 800 calories per portion).
Knowing that we burn about 15-20 calories per minute doing the most strenuous types of exercise, I asked myself how long would it take me to burn off those 1000 calories.  1000 divided by 20 comes to 50 minutes of running (!) for every lunch entree on the menu in front of me.  And that's just not to gain weight!  Imagine how much more exercise it would take to actually lose weight!  For some reason, i lost my appetite at that point and ordered 1/2 a serving (with 1/2 the calories).

So, the simple point is that our modern servings come in such huge sizes that it is unrealistic to hope to burn that energy off by exercising.  Please, don't misunderstand me here - exrecise is very important to for health, but obesity is primarily caused by excessive calorie intake (and treated by reducing that intake).

Bon appetite.

GETTING PERSONAL...

What do I see when I go get my cup of tea in the break room?! Warm, freshly-baked danishes! The overpowering aroma instantly called out to me, drawing me closer, tempting with every calorie-packed bite.  BUT, I did not panic.  I knew I had only several minutes to come up with an alternative or my willpower was going to be crushed by the temptation in front of me.  Luckily, I always keep around a low-calorie protein-packed snack to rescue me in situations like this one.  I ran for my Trim360 oatmeal (130 cal), which instantly soothed my hunger and gave me great satisfaction at saving myself from an avalanche of danish calories (~ 380 cal).

Am I the only one fighting these battles on a daily basis?  Can you share your battle scars?

PORTION SIZE IS IMPROTANT, BUT...

Portion control is unquestionably important, especially with high calorie-density foods.  You have more flexibility to consume larger portions of foods that have fewer calories per gram, than those that pack a lot in each little bite.

That's why a huge bowl of green salad with one scoop of canned tuna or chicken breast (all of ~360 calories with olive oil dressing) is much more filling than one sandwich or burrito, which may have 600-900 calories.

So, the answer is to use both portion control and content control to stimulate you  brain's satiety (or fullness) center.

HOW MUCH DID THAT LUNCH REALLY COST?

If you still measure your food in dollars instead of calories, I hope you have enough money to waste.  Here are 3 bite-sized thoughts to chew on:

1.  Do you REALLY think that the 950-calorie fast food lunch with 1000mg of sodium only cost you ~ $3.99?!  Did you add the $20 co-pay for that cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes medication?

2. What makes you sick - excessive calories or dollars?  Do you know the real value of your food?

3.  Would you throw away $2000?  That's exactly what people with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other weight-related problems do every year by not taking control of their weight.  Hmm... $2000 - could have been a nice vacation.

IT TAKES COURAGE TO SAVE OUR KIDS!

After my daughter's soccer game last Saturday, I almost fainted when one of the parents whipped out cupcakes as a post-game snack. You can imagine my shock and horror seeing my daughter struggle with the impulse to have a bite of this "nicely" decorated cupcake with all the attributes of food coloring rainbow and 'slightly' sweetened frosting. And this is the child who knows that sugar is an addicting substance and knows how unhealthy this food is and my feelings towards it.

Do you think I confronted that parent on the spot? Did I raise a stink that my parental rights were being trashed and openly sabotaged?! Nope. I quietly hissed at my daughter to toss the cupcake into trash, while she was begging me for "just one lick". My wife had to drag me off the field as i was turning red. The thing that was bothering me the most really was that even the briefest of exposures to the very sweet stuff almost instantly resets the threshold for satisfaction of what's called a "sweet tooth". So it will take more of that sweet stuff to satisfy you in the future.

1 week later, my wife received an email from one of the parents on our soccer team which said: "CALL ME A CRAZY SOCCER MOM, BUT PLEASE TRY TO BRING REGULAR WATER, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND OTHER HEALTHY SNACKS FOR OUR KIDS"!

We were both happy and somewhat moved by the courage of this person and the realization that it takes some one to take a stand (even for something as natural as keeping our kids healthy).

Are your kids safe?

WHY I DO WHAT I DO!

My patient, whom i treated over 2 years ago, returned to jump start his weight control program yesterday. Ever since his original weight loss of ~ 35 lbs and getting off 2 diabetes and 2 hypertension medications, he's been very vigilant about his eating patterns and exercise routine. As soon as he noticed a consistent weight regain, he took tangible steps to prevent falling back into the same destructive pattern and the exacerbation of his medical conditions.

So gratifying to see that now he looks at his health as something that's under his control,, something he can manage. (Of course, not having $100's in medication co-pays doesn't hurt either).

Do You know how to positively affect Your health?

JUST DO IT?!

Today, i spoke with my long-time patient who came back to restart her weight loss program. We chatted a little about our summers, kids and the importance of keeping positive outlook; not doing anything out of fear, but rather to preserve or improve our sense of well-being. Suddenly, she looks right at me and just says - sometimes YOU JUST HAVE TO DO IT. Funny, i thought to myself - that's exactly the only thing I can't do for my patients - actually take the all-important first step. I can provide all the education and motivation in the world, but it is the person across from me who should eventually take action for any change to happen.

So, what ever made You just do it?