Lifestyle change: “I know what to do, I just need to do it…but how?”

I hear this nearly every day in my primary care clinic. Many of my patients are overweight or obese, which mirrors the national trend: two out of three adults in the US are overweight or obese. Many of these folks suffer from medical issues such as low back, hip, knee, and foot pain; asthma; obstructive sleep apnea; fatty liver; type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; or depression. We know that these conditions often improve with weight loss. So, I often recommend weight loss as a first step in treatment, and the usual approach is through lifestyle change. Lifestyle change programs for weight loss have been extensively studied, and across the board, those that incorporate diet and exercise are very effective — if people can stick to the program. And that is exactly my patients’ lament. They know they’re suffering, they know that weight loss can help, and they know all about diet and exercise, but many have trouble sticking to the program. Why is this, and what can I do to help? A recent study examined what things hinder or help people to stick to a lifestyle change program. The authors scoured the research literature for high-quality studies. What’s really important about the studies included is that they did not look at actual weight loss, only at lifestyle change success or failure. Research found that these steps can help you live more healthfully Set realistic expectations and focus on health, not the scale. When you have a lot of weight to lose ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Behavioral Health Exercise and Fitness Healthy Eating Prevention Source Type: blogs