Webinar: Weight Loss: 5 Behavioral Strategies for Success

Hello,
Here are a few links to free resources on nutrition that might be helpful:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/HLV-20049477
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/food-and-nutrition/art-20048294

Hello,

Here are a few links to Women’s Health information that might be helpful:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045809
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/fitness-tips-for-menopause/art-20044602
If you are looking for a more comprehensive experience, here is a link to the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program website: https://healthyliving.mayoclinic.org or you can call us at 507-293-2933 for a personal recommendation.

Hello,
First, congratulations on your weight loss! Losing 5% of your body weight can lead to significant improvements in health and quality of life. Second, are you sure that you need to lose 15 more pounds? Often people achieve the health goals they set, such as having more energy or working with my doctor to improve my cholesterol, but then seek to lose more weight because they have not reached their “goal weight”. Often this # is one that we randomly pick before we start a weight loss program. I recommend reviewing all of your initial goals and if you have achieved them, maybe you are at your goal weight. I also encourage a discussion with your physician to help determine a healthy goal weight for you. If your physician recommends losing more weight, ask him/her about adding in weight training to your exercise program. New research is showing weight management benefits from weight or strength training. You can also look at lifestyle activity. For example, yes I work out often, but can I get in more steps per day? How can I be more active at work or at home? Evaluating these others areas of physical activity might be helpful to you.
Here is a link to an article on weight loss plateau that might also be helpful: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss-plateau/art-20044615

Hello,
I encourage a discussion with your physician to help determine a healthy goal weight for you. Here are a few links that may also be helpful resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20048466
Link to Diabetes Diet: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-diet/art-20044295
http://store.mayoclinic.com/products/bookDetails.cfm?mpid=134
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-and-chronic-disease/art-20046049

Hello,

This is a very challenging question to answer. A few questions I like to ask patients to consider are: what program is right for me as an individual? Does my health care provider support my weight loss program? Am I combining both healthy eating and physical activity? Do I have a support system? Am I tracking my progress? So without knowing a person, this is a difficult question to answer. There is some recent concern about low calorie diets and long term weight maintenance. That said, I do not think we currently know, other than bariatric surgery (which is only recommended for some people) what is the best weight loss program for long term success. I therefore would mostly recommend that you start creating a personalized weight maintenance plan for yourself. And be sure to include a health care provider and a support system into your weight maintenance plan.

Hello,

I am a psychologist not a physician, but I would say people should anticipate some hunger on a weight loss plan, but they should not be feeling shaky, jittery or weak. If you feel this way you may have a medical problem that is not being addressed. And, how can one continue on a weight loss program if I they are not feeling well? Too often people get too restrictive or over-exercise because weight loss is so important to them. I would recommend you review your program with your physician and then meet with a dietitian to create a personalized weight loss program. The key is building a program that you can follow over time, one that is healthy and maintainable for you.

Hello,
Some feelings of hunger can be an aspect of weight loss. To lose weight, a person is taking in less calories than they need, so there will be some hunger. But overwhelming hunger will lead to overeating and binge eating episodes. In my experience, it is important to have 3 healthy planned meals each day, and also incorporate protein intake in order to manage hunger. For some people having protein at each meal can help manage hunger. Often people greatly reduce or eliminate protein at meals to lose weight, and this can lead to intense hunger. I recommend speaking with a registered dietitian about healthy meals and healthy protein options for you. Healthy snacks can also help manage hunger, here is a helpful link: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/healthy-diet/art-20046267

Asking yourself “where is my hunger coming from” can be a question to help you when experiencing hunger. Hunger can come from being physically hungry, knowing that our bodies digest food and experience a physical hunger about every 4 hours- it may just be time to refuel with healthy meals or snacks. Hunger can also come from more of a need outside of physical hunger. Perhaps you may be thirsty and the body is misreading its cues, or we may think we are hungry but instead are really bored or tired. In that case eating may not fix the fatigue or boredom issues. Asking yourself “where is my hunger coming from” and taking a pause to assess can help you determine if food will help you in that hungry moment.

Hello,
It is important to keep exercise fun, enjoyable and pain free. I recommend talking to your physician about an exercise program that would be good for you. Many people I work with walk, and walking is low impact. You can walk with a support person, and walking is convenient. All too often people think if I am walking I am not doing enough. But surveys that look at what people do long term often identify walking as the number one form of physical activity. Water programs, either water walking or water aerobics have also been recommended to many people I have worked with, so also ask your physician about water activity programs. Here is a link to barriers to exercise that might be helpful: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20045099

Hello,
It is important to keep exercise fun, enjoyable and pain free. I recommend talking to your physician about an exercise program that would be good for you. As you know, increasing your back pain will just make exercise even more difficult, so you'll want guidance from a health care provider on a safe and fun exercise program that is sustainable for you. Here are a few links that might also be helpful: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20045099
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-and-chronic-disease/art-20046049
The Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program also has a variety of comprehensive and focused experiences that can be customized to fit your goals, lifestyle, and health needs. The two that come to mind would be the Mayo Clinic Diet Experience or one of the Physical Activity Assessments. Here is a link: https://healthyliving.mayoclinic.org/offerings.php

Hello,
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the diagnosis of Candida overgrowth and the role, if any, that avoiding sugar might play. It turns out, most people feel better if they avoid refined sugar and processed foods, since this means they are moving back to a diet with more emphasis on whole foods. So eliminating sugar and processed foods just makes sense for everyone. Manuka honey has been the subject of a number of studies, mostly looking at its ability to help heal wounds. However, honey is honey – which means Manuka honey is still largely sugar (fructose and glucose primarily). If you are finding benefit from eliminating sugar from your diet, I recommend using honey sparingly, regardless of the source.