As a physician, I am totally disgusted by what President Donald Trump eats — and you should be too. His standing order on Trump Force One is reminiscent of a fast-food bacchanalia, comprised of “two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted” according to the recently released book by his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and top aide David Bossie.
But it doesn’t stop there: Trump …
The fire and fury of Trump’s diet
I remember just moving to Atlanta and having breakfast with a new-found friend I had met while working at a hospital as a registered nurse. The food at our chosen eatery was far from great. But I must say, my friend’s enthusiasm for life, specifically living in Atlanta, was fulfilling enough to make me forget the chef’s lackluster culinary skills. She was warm, outgoing, adventurous, somewhat inquisitive — just what …
Did diet pills kill my co-worker and friend?
Growing up Republican, I have long believed in personal responsibility. In junior high school, when I observed close relatives who struggled with obesity, I vowed to never let myself get out of shape. (“Junior high” is what we called middle school back in the day.) When hip surgery gone wrong dramatically reduced my level of physical activity two and a half years ago, I cut back on what I ate …
Who’s really to blame for the obesity epidemic?
We are all guilty of having biases. Some of them we know about and proudly flaunt. Some of them have been ingrained so deeply that we do not even know they exist. Weight is an issue that brings out strong biases, and multiple studies have demonstrated a high level of bias from physicians against overweight and obese patients. Obese patients are often treated rudely and are not given the same …
Doctors must stop fat shaming their patients
Eighteen months ago, I wrote about my plan for maximizing menopause preparedness. As with so many missions, this one has experienced both successes and failures. Since January 2016, I have grooved my exercise routine in the most awesome way. I am all over the TRX, doing Spiderman push-ups, incline presses, pistols and more. I …
Doctors have weight problems, too. Here’s my story.
Most people reading this would love to lose weight, feel better and live longer. Doctors are a smart and motivated group of people. Unfortunately, that intellect and drive has not prevented us from avoiding an increasing incidence of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension identical to the general population.
While this article may have started out sounding like an infomercial, I promise it will not end like one. …
Doctors: You’re just as unhealthy as your patients. Here’s why.
My nurse practitioner was pleased to see me at my annual physical this year. “So how does it feel to be 20 pounds lighter?”
“It feels terrible,” I replied.
Allow me to explain.
Weight has been an issue my entire life. Raised on a standard Midwest diet of complex carbohydrates and the best processed delicacies that government assistance could buy, I spent most of my childhood socially segregated by my peer group due …
Overweight patients are not necessarily lazy
“For someone with your breast size, the risk of a complication is pretty high. I would recommend against the surgery.”
I smiled at the 50-year-old woman who sat in front of me wearing a pink, paper gown and a crestfallen look. She had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and was planning on undergoing a mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment. Her breast surgeon had referred her to me to discuss …
Why doctors have a hard time talking about obesity
I know why I sometimes eat too many brownies. They taste great! The same goes, of course, for a whole slew of desserts — I love me my strawberry rhubarb pie, and I never say no to a ginger snap. And while a touch of dessert is often a fine way to top off dinner, many of us get in trouble when we gorge on desserts.
So how can we get …
The secret way to eating fewer brownies
Empathy is the cornerstone of quality patient care. It is no surprise that the fundamental moral code that has facilitated human kindness for thousands of years is what drives physicians to commit to their oath today: Treat others as you would have yourself treated.
When it comes to the disease that is obesity, I can empathize. I’ve struggled with obesity for as long a time as I can remember. There are …
Obesity and empathy: A physician’s New Year’s resolution
How many calories are in a pound?
This seemingly simple question stumped me on my family medicine board recertification exam seven years ago — twice. (I think they asked the question in two different ways. I hoped they were experimental questions that didn’t count.) Later that day, I found the answer: 3,500 calories equals one pound.
I don’t remember which multiple-choice answer I chose, but I do remember choosing the same answer …
What’s the secret to weight loss? There is no secret.
Several years ago, I was meeting a young woman in my clinic for the first time. She was healthy but had been obese most of her adult life, even though she had tried many methods of losing weight. We spoke for a few minutes about diet and exercise, and she agreed to see the nutritionist.
A few months later, she came back to check her progress. She had lost weight, about …
This doctor stopped telling patients to lose weight. Here’s why.
A patient of mine brought donuts in yesterday for the staff, and I confess! I had the one with sprinkles.
But with the study published in JAMA reporting that 35 percent of U.S. men and 40 percent of U.S. women are obese, I felt the need to talk a little about obesity and reproduction.
The endocrine system is tightly regulated by hormones which provide feedback to the brain to control their …
Obesity changes the way our endocrine system functions
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It was the first day of my prestigious internship at the cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation center. I was a senior in college and eager to apply my knowledge from the field of exercise physiology to make an impact on the people beginning rehab. This was my first real opportunity to work as part of a health care team while proving that this is the right field for me to be …
The bittersweet truth about the epidemic affecting health care workers
A new study was released on weight loss and maintenance that has been covered on many sites. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) evaluated contestants from Season 8 of the TV show the Biggest Loser. They found that 13 of the 14 contestants studied regained some or all of their weight that was lost during the show. All the contestants studied also had slower metabolic rates than expected; …
Don’t lose weight the Biggest Loser way. Here’s why.
I am about to place my plate in the sink, until I see a single pea left on my plate. I recall a recent article in National Geographic that stated that one-third of all the food we produce is wasted.
I have a Zen moment, and think of the journey the pea made to reach my plate. A farmer in California sowed the seeds six months earlier. A farm worker harvested …
What is food waste and how can we fix it?
No matter how early I rise with the intention of getting my workout done before my children wake up, I’m rarely able to do it alone. Most days my 3-year-old daughter climbs out of bed and comes straight down to our home gym and watches me do my workout.
Often times she’ll sit quietly in the corner, but sometimes she’ll join in and follow the trainer on my workout DVD and …
How to talk with your kids about exercise
It’s hard to eat less when there is too much on your plate.
That’s the major reason why America is in the throes of an obesity epidemic, abetted by the aggressive marketing of all things edible.
More esoteric-sounding reasons for this epidemic — such as fat-favoring microbes in your body or hormone-laden foods — shouldn’t even be part of the discussion, because how much we consume largely explains why we’ve put on …
It’s hard to eat less when there is too much on your plate
If you have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian, there’s no better time to make the switch than the beginning of a New Year. For those of you have been on the fence, 2015 provided us with a few more reasons — like saving money and losing weight — to make the dietary transformation.
Reason #1: Vegetarian diets increase metabolism. Vegetarians have a lower body mass index compared to those eating meat, …
4 reasons to go vegetarian in 2016
Medical literature is full of studies showing that most diets don’t encourage long-term weight loss. In fact, the majority of diets lead to weight gain. Most people end up gaining back the few pounds they’ve lost within a year of dieting — plus a few extra pounds on top of that.
There are many theories for why this happens. An article from the …
Telling patients to diet and exercise isn’t enough. Here’s what you can do instead.
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