Weight management materials
Obesity and diabetes are overwhelmingly common, with 73% of Americans being obese or overweight. While common, being overweight causes stress to the body and its systems, increasing the risk of chronic disease. Something I have seen over the course of my time practicing medicine is a dismissal of preventative care. Instead of working to promote health and prevent chronic illness, many Americans live with their health untreated eventually leading to progressed states of illness that are more difficult to treat and manage. Promoting healthy living early on helps to reduce conditions that are exacerbated by weight and reduce risk of chronic illness. One of my goals as a provider is to help my patients achive the highest quality of life possible, and making weight management comprehensible is one of my top priorities. Being overweight is normal, and we have to create better ways of navigating weightloss that overly complex.
When talking about weight, it’s important to know that being overweight is common and it is not your fault. How can it be that being overweight is now normal? How can it be that being overweight is now normal? Being overweight is the natural human response to a very unnatural environment. We are bombarded with advertising and surrounded by highly processed, hyperpalatable (unnaturally tasty) foods that are addictive. We live in environments where it is difficult, or even unsafe, to be active. Most of us overuse, and many of us are addicted to, video screens including phones, tablets, computers and televisions, both at work and at home. And our generations have been born with a genetic tendency to become overweight. It is not your fault. The journey to weight loss starts with kindness and forgiveness towards ourselves.
Weight loss is hard, but we're here to help make it a little easier. By breaking weight loss into small, easily achieavable steps, we can chip away at the problem and celebrate our successes along the way. Losing weight is not about needing more motivation, it's about making it easier. Celebrating success builds confidence, which leads to success, which builds confidence, and the cycle of success repeats.
Living in the current day and age is difficult with constant information available at any given time. It is especially difficult to know what information to trust and how to navigate information from so many sources. Health information should be free, straightforward, and accessible to all. Weight loss, healthy living, and making healthy choices can be difficult, the below are resources and information that are evidence-based and doctor-recommended to help guide heath.
Starting a weight loss journey is difficult. Your health behaviors don’t have to perfect, starting is enough. Aim for one or two small wins a day.
Changing eating habits can be difficult and making it a habit takes time. When starting your weight loss journey, forgetting to exercise and occasional binges are normal, don’t get discouraged and always celebrate your successes. My plate is a great way to visualize nutrition.
Even 20 minutes a day of activity offers huge benefits to mental health, mood, and reduces the risk of heart disease.
