weight management
I enjoy speaking to healthcare professionals helping them identify efficient and effective approaches to patient-centered obesity care. One of the most interesting questions I received recently from physicians is how to approach the topic of weight with patients when they themselves are not comfortable with their own weight – be it higher than they want…
Before I help patients develop a personalized weight management plan, I want to better understand each person’s weight journey, that is, how they got to where they are today. Since no two patients are alike, providing personalized obesity care requires knowing more about each patient’s personal struggles, resources and life stressors. However, in the midst…
As you can see in this picture, I was a gymnast in high school. Being a gymnast was a part of my identity and I loved it – until I fell off the high bar during our state competition. Over time, my exercise identity changed to become a runner and more recently, a ballroom dancer.…
Planning your meals and snacks is a proven strategy for eating better and improving health. Though this does take some time, it doesn‘t have to be time intensive. In this blog, I share 3 tips that help our family stay on the healthy eating track: 1-Eat Better with Theme-Based Meals Themed meals break from the…
Despite the many recent breakthroughs in obesity medicine, misunderstandings about the disease of obesity persist among patients, clinicians and insurance providers. The disease of obesity is a complex, relapsing condition that requires multimodal therapies. It is not a personal choice or a failure of willpower. And yet people with obesity can be blamed and shamed…
Obesity affects nearly 40% of Americans age 65 and over, leading to an increased occurrence of heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, and impaired mobility among many weight-related diseases and complications. Though using a GLP-1 medication in this age group is an effective treatment for weight reduction, these drugs can also cause reduced muscle mass…
How do you educate professionals about obesity care? I recently had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion about obesity medication (semaglutide) for the treatment of high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease (SELECT trial) and its 2-year outcome results (STEP 5) at the Obesity Week and American Heart Association meetings. It was sponsored by Novo…
The new, highly effective injectable obesity medications have brought a new focus to the advancing field of obesity medicine. Health care professionals from multiple specialties are moving beyond weight loss to focus more on health gains. That’s because the research is clear regarding the many health benefits of taking GLP-1 medications. Clinicians are doing their…
Lifestyle modification is foundational to all obesity care. This applies even to those taking the newer, highly effective obesity medications. Though the disease of obesity is complex, lifestyle modification can be simplified and should be targeted. One size does not fit all. This is the basis of my Six Factor approach to managing weight and…
Patient-centered weight management is tailored, personalized care. It’s what I’ve been practicing, teaching and researching for over 4 decades. It’s also the title of my new book, Patient-Centered Weight Management, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This book is an extension of my passionate desire to educate clinicians on improving the lives of…
