weight management

Hand holding a camera lens in front of a mountainous landscape and lake

Take a Closer Look at the Advancing Field of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Robert Kushner June 10, 2025 No Comments

Lifestyle medicine is the nonpharmacological and nonprocedural management of chronic diseases that is practiced across many specialties in healthcare, as discussed in Lifestyle Medicine: Closing Research, Practice and Knowledge Gaps, our just-released book for health care professionals edited by Jeffrey Mechanick and myself. We were fortunate to have industry leaders author cutting-edge information in each

Nameplate on a desk that says, "Lesson #1"

Are You Doing this One Essential Strategy for a Healthy Lifestyle?

Dr. Robert Kushner May 6, 2025 No Comments

We live in an obesogenic environment where high calorie foods are plentiful and physical activity has been engineered out of our daily lives. Despite your best intentions, this makes it hard for you to carry out your healthy lifestyle behaviors. In my 40+ year career helping patients manage weight and boost health, PLANNING AHEAD has

Black and white photo of a person walking their dog

Enjoy the Benefits of a Physically Active Lifestyle

Dr. Robert Kushner April 7, 2025 No Comments

Sitting less and moving more are universal healthy lifestyle goals for everyone – even if you’re already losing weight on one of the newer obesity medications. Prolonged sitting is a top risk factor for developing diabetes, weight gain, obesity, increased blood fats, cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, depression, and even premature death. Did you

New Research, New Reasons to Discuss Obesity Medications with Your Health Care Provider

Dr. Robert Kushner March 18, 2025 No Comments

It’s no secret that the new, highly effective injectable obesity medications have impressive weight loss benefits. This has led millions of people who struggle with weight to ask their health care professionals whether or not they are candidates for taking these new medications. But we’ve known for a long time that there is more to

Graphic of a man thinking about a burger

Food Noise: A New Name for an Old Problem

Dr. Robert Kushner March 2, 2025 No Comments

For the past 4 decades, I have treated patients who struggle with weight. And I have also identified a subset of individuals who are more tempted by the obesogenic food environment we all live in. “I think about food all the time.” “As hard as I try, I can’t clear my head from being preoccupied

Graphic of a stethoscope listening to a red heart and reporting a heartbeat's rhythm

Is Waist Size Measurement the New Obesity Care Vital Sign?

Dr. Robert Kushner February 12, 2025 No Comments

If you struggle with excess weight, most likely your health care visits include measurements of your weight, height, and blood pressure, as well as a calculation of your BMI (body mass index). But what about your waist circumference? As an obesity medicine physician specialist, I’ve been measuring waist circumference on my patients for over 25

Body tape measure laying on top of a glass body scale

New Report Advances the Conversation on Obesity Care

Dr. Robert Kushner January 27, 2025 No Comments

Consensus is hard. As a member of the Lancet Commission on Definition and Diagnostic Criteria of Clinical Obesity among 58 experts from around the world, our just released report aims to define clinical obesity and aid in clinical decision making and therapeutic interventions. With over 1 billion people living with obesity worldwide, this report begins

A canvas bag with the words "Eat better. Live better." hanging on a hook

Be Better, Not Perfect – a Lifelong Healthy Eating Strategy

Dr. Robert Kushner January 7, 2025 No Comments

Seeking perfection in your diet plan is a set-up for failure. A common misperception my patients struggle with is thinking they have to strive for perfection in order to eat more healthfully. Whether it’s banning all carbs, sugar or fat from one’s diet, extreme food restrictions are hard to maintain for the long run. They

Cover of Dr. Kushner's book, "Six Factors to Fit"

Personal Weight Struggles Require a Personalized Approach

Dr. Robert Kushner January 1, 2025 No Comments

I learned long ago that generic weight loss advice doesn’t work well for most people. That’s because managing weight is personal, influenced by your likes and dislikes, health goals and personal challenges. This applies whether or not you’re taking one of the newer anti-obesity medications. I wrote my book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works

Improving Weight Management Outcomes Beyond the Scale

Dr. Robert Kushner December 18, 2024 No Comments

We are a weight-focused society but when it comes to managing weight long term, having a weight-only narrow focus can be detrimental. Throughout my 4-decade career I have stressed the importance of lifestyle modification being foundational for losing weight and achieving better health. Now with an average 15-20% weight loss with the new injectable obesity