manage weight

Obesity Care Rx Considerations

By Dr. Kushner / April 6, 2024 /

Effective obesity care management begins with lifestyle modification (healthy eating patterns, increased physical activity and health behavior modification) for everyone as this is needed for optimal health. For select patients where lifestyle management is not effective enough to achieve improved health, medications or bariatric surgery can also be considered. As new and more effective medication…

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Understanding New Medication Treatments for Obesity Care

By Dr. Kushner / March 3, 2024 /

Obesity is a chronic, progressive disease associated with multiple complications and co-morbidities, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and some forms of cancer. Because the disease of obesity is complex, we use multiple weight management treatments that work well together. Effective obesity care management begins with lifestyle modification (healthy eating patterns, increased physical activity…

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Nutritional Nudges for a Healthier You

By Dr. Kushner / January 13, 2024 /

Making small changes to what and how you eat can help improve your health. That’s because small diet changes are easier to follow and sustain. Here are some common eating challenges along with examples of the nutritional nudges I often recommend: 1-I Eat Too Many Sweets Sweets can be addictive because the ultra-processing makes you…

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Ease into More Plant-Based Eating

By Dr. Kushner / December 7, 2023 /

One constant in my weight management counseling is to nudge patients toward eating more plant-based foods. That’s because these good-for-you foods are generally lower in calorie density and higher in vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting phytochemicals and fiber than the foods they end up displacing such as meats and fried foods. Plant-based foods can also help lower…

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Heart Health & Obesity Care in the News

By Dr. Kushner / November 14, 2023 /

This is an exciting time for heart health as a recent landmark study called SELECT has shown that taking the anti-obesity medication semaglutide can lower your risk for having a second cardiac event by 20%, while losing an average of over 9% body weight. And a new American Heart Association (AHA) Presidential Advisory highlights the…

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With Better Appetite Control on Newer Anti-Obesity Medications, is a Healthy Lifestyle Still Needed?

By Dr. Kushner / October 24, 2023 /

If you’re less hungry and losing weight while taking a newer anti-obesity medication, you may wonder if you still need to modify your eating and exercise habits. During Obesity Week 2023, the conference where thousands of obesity experts from around the world convene to share breakthroughs in the field of obesity, I had the opportunity…

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Changing Hearts & Minds about Obesity

By Dr. Kushner / October 11, 2023 /

I recently attended the Obesity Action Coalition’s (OAC) Your Weight Matters 2023- Engage conference in Orlando. No matter how long I’ve been practicing, I continue to be inspired by those who share personal weight journey stories that include both their struggles and successes. Throughout the weekend, we heard inspiring stories from former professional football players,…

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Weight Journey Reflections can Help you Move Forward

By Dr. Kushner / September 17, 2023 /

Before I help patients develop a personalized weight loss plan, I want to better understand each person’s weight journey – and how they got to where they are today. I have a technique I’ve used where I ask patients to plot their weight at different times of their life. For most patients, they are able…

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Who to Partner with to Manage Weight and Achieve Better Health?

By Dr. Kushner / August 24, 2023 /

With all the exciting new treatments available to help those who struggle with weight, you may be wondering who you should turn to for help? Though your primary care professional (PCP) may not be an expert in weight management, they are likely to be an expert in knowing about you and your medical history. This…

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Treat Yourself Better – You Deserve it!

By Dr. Kushner / July 21, 2023 /

When I see patients who are doing well following their new healthy lifestyle behaviors but complain that the scale isn’t budging fast enough, I ask them to make a list. On one side are all the positives they’ve been experiencing with their newfound healthier lifestyle such as being more active, easier to sit in an…

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