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Grandview Medical Group
Last month, many people tried new diet and exercise regimens as part of their New Year’s resolutions.
Dr. Whitney Tew at Grandview Medical Group has a special interest in weight management and is here to answer all your questions about how to safely and effectively diet and exercise.
Q: What concerns do you have about “fad diets?”
A: The thing that concerns me is that they’re not sustainable. When it comes to weight loss, it needs to be a lifestyle change, so it needs to be sustainable. Fad diets are generally hard to maintain. It’s better to do all things in moderation.
Q: What should people know before starting a new exercise program?
A: It depends on the person. Depending on your other chronic medical problems, you may need to consult with a doctor. People tend to jump in too hard too fast, especially with New Year’s resolutions. But if you haven’t been exercising, starting slow is important so you don’t get burned out. Before starting anything strenuous or out of the ordinary, contact your primary care doctor.
Q: What weight loss tips do you recommend to your patients?
A: First, do some sort of diet tracking. When it comes to weight loss, most people say you need 20% exercise, 80% diet. It is difficult to out-exercise a bad diet. Stay at a moderate calorie intake and watch your protein and carb intake within that calorie goal.
One app I recommend is MyFitnessPal. It’s free and easy. Sometimes we don’t realize the Starbucks we get every other day is 450 calories. In a week, that can add up. You don’t necessarily have to track forever, but tracking long enough to get a general idea of your intake can be really helpful.
Q: What healthy foods do you recommend?
A: I have a major sweet tooth, so anything that can keep me from eating chocolate is helpful. I turn to fruit a lot to try to avoid sugary snacks. Sweeter flavored protein bars and nuts are also an easy salty snack.
Q: Talk about the importance of patience during a weight loss journey.
A: This is not stressed enough. Most of the time when I have a patient who wants weight loss, they ask, “How quickly am I going to get to my ideal weight?” It’s going to depend on the person and how much weight loss they need, but it takes a lot more patience than we realize. Like I said, it’s a lifetime endeavor to lose weight and then to maintain. That can be a struggle. Just because we lost weight doesn’t mean we can go back to old habits. I tell people they can usually expect 1-2 pounds a week of weight loss if they’re consistent. It’s not quite as fast as people want it to be. And once you get to your ideal weight, you have to maintain those habits to keep the weight off.
People will try to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week and will cut calories too significantly, especially if they’re exercising. Sometimes they’ll affect their metabolism with how severely they’ve cut their calories, and then they can’t lose any more weight.
Q: Why should we care about maintaining a healthy weight?
A: It can make a significant difference as far as medical conditions and the prevention of developing new ones. Diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, as well as multiple types of cancers are associated with obesity.
Q: What else should people know about weight loss?
A: One thing that is overlooked is the importance of sleep. In our society, we really don’t prioritize sleep. We need to aim for 7-9 hours on average a night. If you’re not within that range, you’re affecting your hormones and metabolism and making weight loss that much more difficult.
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