Are you constantly under stress?

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

I have a stressful schedule as a physician. and managing this stress is something I worked on during  my weight loss journey. A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the link between stress and obesity, basically stating that the more stressed you are, the more likely you are to be obese. This is attributed to the effects of stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol in particular,

stimulates a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y, which boosts carbohydrate cravings. It also makes the body churn out excess insulin and accumulate fat, particularly in the belly where it raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other diseases. People who feel chronically stressed often use food for energy and comfort and rationalize that they’ve earned it.

Exercise and increased physical activity help to relieve stress. Not only does exercise help relieve stress and encourage weight loss (the more weight I had lost, the less stressed I became which encouraged me to keep going), it also helps to eliminate a lot of the negatives associated with obesity, like sleep apnea.

My work schedule is currently very hectic with a lot of travel = jetlag. I am able to balance everything with minimal stress because I exercise and make healthy food choices, even while travelling.

Medical Issues, Stress

diabetes, exercise, night owl, obesity, sleep apnea, stress

Are you a night owl?

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

According to a Wall Street Journal article, one’s personality can impact their likelihood of becoming obese. Certain habits, some of which I consistently mention in this blog, promote obesity. Being a night owl is one of them. It has a domino effect of triggering things that eventually lead to diabetes, and other symptoms of obesity (including sleep apnea).

night owls are often sleep deprived. That drives down levels of leptin, the hormone that signals fullness, and drives up ghrelin, the hormone that fuels appetite, particularly for high carbohydrate, high calorie food, numerous studies show. Even short-term sleep deprivation can make healthy people process sugar as if they were diabetic

You (especially adolescents) should get no less than 7 hours of sleep daily. 59% of participants in one of our facebook polls on “Which change that might help you lose weight would be HARDEST for you to implement?” chose getting more than 7 hours of sleep per night.

If you have trouble changing your sleeping cycle or have sleep apnea, exercise can help. Plan to eat early to help dull or eliminate unnecessary snacking. Schedule your meals, and particularly plan to eat breakfast at an appropriate time. Decrease TV time, especially for children and teenagers, to help induce early sleep.  These are good places to start in order to get your sleep cycle back on track and prevent weight gain.

Cooking, Exercise, Medical Issues

breakfast, diabetes, dinner, exercise, kids, meals, obesity, sleep, sleep apnea, teenagers, TV

How I lost 4 lbs in January – and I wasn’t trying to lose weight (see video at the end)

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

Last month, I did high-intensity interval training on the treadmill.  Getting my target heart rate to the max (220-age, roughly) for 60-90 sec, alternating with slower segments.  Generally for me, this was 3.7 mph on treadmill at 7% grade for 10 min, then alternating 12-15% incline with 2% incline.  I strongly recommend using a heart rate monitor for this.

The great thing about using a heart rate monitor is that when you start out, you don’t over do it.  Many overweight/obese people are very out of shape, try to go to a spin class, feel like they’re going to die, then give up.  But if you try to exercise to, say 70-80% of your target heart rate, you’ll get an amount of exercise that is appropriate for YOU.  As you get more fit, your target pulse may stay the same, but you’ll see you’ll be able to go faster/longer/more incline.

The good folks at the NY Times explain the phenomenon well in a recent article.  The best part is, you get great results with a short period of exercise.  I was doing 20 min high-intensity interval sessions before my usual weight training.

Or even better, check out this video:

Exercise, Medical Issues

Links between personality and obesity

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

Cooking, Eating Out, Exercise, Medical Issues, Stress

emotional eating, food, obesity, personality

Lifestyle choices are key to longevity and happiness (and #weightloss)

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

From research over decades in Harvard graduates and (initially) young men from inner-city Boston neighborhoods:

“We used to think that if you had relatives who lived to a ripe old age, that was the best predictor” of a long life, said Robert Waldinger, director of theHarvard Study of Adult Development, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “It turns out that the lifestyle choices people make in midlife are a more important predictor of how long you live.”

We recently talked about the benefits of keeping a gratitude list.  The researchers note:

In a recent paper, Waldinger, Elizabeth Kensinger, and Marc Schulz utilized neural imaging to find that older adults with positive outlooks process emotional information differently from those with more negative views.

Challenges

aging, survival

Tip #19: Get more sleep!

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

WWe have discussed many times Americans get far less sleep than they used to. We also know that more and more Americans have sleep apnea particularly men who are obese – they may have less good quality sleep as well as fewer hours of sleep. We have also pointed out that the less people get sleep the more they have an appetite for salty and sugary foods. Now we have no research evidence which shows that when people get too little sleep they are less active during the day that follows. Did you say that makes commonsense??? Yes, but now we’ve got documentation that people who have had been sleep deprived on average consumer roughly 1/4 less energy than on days when they’re not sleep deprived.

You can see how sleep deprivation is a deadly combination – a bad influence on appetite, plus decreased activity. I know that modern American life is stressful but my suggestions are to skip the late-night TV shows and try to get at least seven hours sleep per night.

Adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss program.

Challenges, Medical Issues

sleep, TV

Tip #18 – Keep a gratitude list

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

I keep a gratitude list (along with recording weight and exercise routines) on my Google Calendar.

I wasn’t surprised to read that women who wrote about positive aspects of their values lost weight, while others did.  Just a simple positive, affirming writing exercise resulted in weight loss, even though the women didn’t know that that was the goal of the study.

Reports Men’s Health:

After four months, the students who wrote about their strongest beliefs lost an average of 3.41 pounds, while those who concentrated on others’ values gained an average of 2.76 pounds.

Stress

Tip #17: See your doctor – the reasons will surprise you.

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

Physicians, in general, aren’t great at counseling patient to lose weight.  Some medically based programs do focus specifically on obesity, though, and show success. A nutritionist or dietitian may be more helpful; your doctor might refer you to one.

The reason to see your doctor is because of the medical problems that accompany overweight/obesity.  These include:

1. High blood pressure / hypertension.  Most Americans eventually develop high blood pressure.  High salt, low potassium diets may contribute to this.  It usually has no symptoms, so it needs to be checked.  Hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
2. Diabetes.  The obesity epidemic has produced a diabetes epidemic as well.  People of Asian and Native American descent are particularly prone to develop diabetes.  Diabetes is a devastating disease.  It can cause blindness, impotence, stroke, heart attack, amputation, kidney failure leading to dialysis…  The list of complications is long.
3. Cancer.  Yes, cancer.  Obese people have increased rates of many cancers, yet may be less likely.
4. Osteoarthritis / knee pain.  Overweight people are much more likely to undergoe hip and/or knee replacement to repair “wear and tear” arthritis.
5. Sleep apnea.  Low oxygen during sleep, because the soft tissues in neck collapse, can contribute to heart attacks, stroke, and impotence - notice a pattern?  Older men are most susceptible, but if you feel sleepy during the day, snore, and have a big belly and/or thick neck, you have a good chance of having it.  A sleep study can tell for sure.

Medical Issues

Tip #16: Eat before grocery shopping; shop with a list; shop the store periphery

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

Now, my shopping and eating are very regularized.  But for many months, I planned meals, and made a shopping list based on those plans.  I made sure to eat healthy foods just before going to the store, so as not to be so suspectible to the inevtiable temptations placed before us in the store.  If you live in an urban area, services such as Peapod and Fresh Direct (NYC area) let you order online, hopefully lessening temptation.

Once in the grocery, I am suspicious of anything called “diet” food, or that carrier health claims.  I’m always suspicious of added fiber – such foods often also have added sugar.  For that matter, I’m suspicious of any food that has a bar code.  The periphery contains produce, dairy, meat/poultry/fish… Things that often need to be refrigerated.As Michael Pollan says, healthy food is food that goes bad.  Therefore, the stuff in the middle of the store that lasts for  year on the shelf is probably not good for you.

Frozen veggies are a good, economical choice.  Frozen better than canned – canned often has salt, plus can linings may have BPA, which some think contributes to weight gain.

Cooking, Shopping

Tip #15: Explain your goals to people; don’t be ashamed.

By Dr John Ellis MD // Leave a comment

When I decline food, I explain to people that my health and welfare require me to eat a certain way.  Before going to a dinner party, I ask people if they can put aside salad for me without dressing, or even ask if they mind me bringing my own food.  Other times, I’ll eat most of my own food before going, and then maybe eat salad and some fruit (and sip my green tea; red wine 1-2 glasses recommended for those who drink).

If I have to excuse myself early, to get adequate sleep, or to make time to exercise, I’m not ashamed about doing that, either.  Friendship, family, and fellowship are keys to health and enjoying life.  But pleasurable times with loved ones does not have to involve gluttony.

Challenges, Eating Out