For decades, the story most of us have been told is that weight is a matter of willpower. If we just tried harder – ate less, moved more, stayed disciplined – the problem would disappear. But people living with obesity know that this explanation doesn’t fit. The truth is more complicated, and far more hopeful. […]
Since I began practicing obesity medicine, I have been telling patients that obesity is a consequence of an environmental mismatch; how our bodies are designed to function (eat, sleep, move, connect, etc.) is radically different from how we currently live. Having excess weight is a common outcome of this mismatch, although it certainly isn’t the
The Storm is Shifting If you’ve been paying attention to the headlines (or your inbox), you’ve probably heard: the days of compounded GLP-1 medications are coming to an end. For a lot of people, this is going to feel abrupt—maybe even a little scary. But for our patients? This news changes very little. That’s because,
Motivation is fickle. It’s unreliable. Yes, it can be sexy and dramatic and impressive – and it may show up out of the clear blue some days, but it’s not the way that human beings make long-term changes. Motivation is like an Instagram post – fleeting and easily forgotten once your brain moves on to
I have had quite a few people lately tell me that they haven’t been eating well because they are an “all-or-none person”. I’m struggling with this. As someone that can be very intense, I sympathize with people that dive in deeply. However, this just simply isn’t true – and it’s certainly not a flippant reason
Unlike my children, a lot of my patients like homework. When the subject matter is relevant and people are trying desperately to improve something, it doesn’t seem like as much of a chore as doing 20 algebra problems. This is an exercise I have rolled out with patients lately and it’s proven to be pretty
I love this analogy. Stephen Covey was a business author who popularized the ‘big rocks’ approach to productivity. In summary, your total available time for the next week is represented by a jar. You can fill the jar with any combination of big rocks, pebbles and sand. You have limited space in the jar, so
I’ve probably written about this before but I’m going to do it again – because it’s one of my pet peeves. At least one person every day comes into my office and begins a conversation with, “I’ve been really good except for the two times that I cheated.” First of all, eating healthy food doesn’t
I’m not one to look back over my shoulder very often. It’s not necessarily a good thing all the time, but I tend to stay focused forward – always searching for what is over the horizon. Which means I don’t often dwell upon the way things used to be or lament the good old days.