It's BA-ACK! Halloween Candy

Despite the 90 degree days we are still having in Texas, the calendar tells me it is already OCTOBER. Of course, the grocery stores have been featuring HALLOWEEN CANDY for nearly a month already! Did you resist? Or are you tossing in a bag of bite-sized candy on impulse as you check out?

If so, it's high time to realize that we are now officially in what I call the "treat yourself" season, as we hit the trifecta of food oriented holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah. We tend to celebrate with nonstop EATING, and then what do we do every January? That's right, make New Year's resolutions where LOSING WEIGHT tops the list!
This year, let's THINK AHEAD...

Let's SAVE THE HALLOWEEN CANDY for...yes, HALLOWEEN! Start in the grocery store. Do NOT BUY the candy till the DAY BEFORE Halloween. It's way easier not to eat it when it is still sitting on the shelf in the grocery store, rather than sitting on your desk at work or your kitchen counter top. We all grab a small handful of treats when they are openly displayed in front of us.

Do the calories add up? You bet. Here are some of my favorites: Snack Size Butterfinger: 170 kcal, Fun Size Kit Kat- 50 kcal, and ONE single, plain M&M-4 kcal. Now, if you stop at ONE, it's really no big deal. but if you eat a handful of M&Ms each DAY for the next few weeks, or grab a couple fun size chocolate treats, BOOM-you will gain a pound right there. (Remember one pound is 3600 kcal- do the math.)

BOTTOM LINE: Don't wait for NEW YEARS to make a resolution for better health- start NOW by limiting Halloween CANDY to HALLOWEEN DAY!

PS. It's a new month, so CHANGE THOSE AIR FILTERS!

Elect NOT To Gain Weight This Holiday Season

Happy November! In honor of election day tomorrow, let's ELECT NOT to gain the standard 7-10 pounds during the holidays this year. We have begun the eating trifecta...Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas/Hannukah. Americans love to celebrate these holidays with excessive amounts of high calorie foods- in large quantities. Can you enjoy the season and NOT gain weight? Of course! But yes, some discipline and primarily large doses of awareness are necessary.

Let's start with the Halloween candy. Most people have "leftovers" of snack-sized chocolates. We finish up our favorites (always the Reeses cups in our home) and then mindlessly polish off the less desired ones simply because they are THERE. Take a look right now at your candy bowl (if it is still sitting out). Grab a bag & toss the candy into it, and drop it off at your neighborhood food pantry if you don't want to "waste" it by throwing it away.

As we move into party season, be very mindful as you walk into each gathering. Often hosts are handing out a delicious alcoholic beverage as guests enter...which is a double whammy. Number one- high calories in sipping form. Number two- alcohol goes hand in hand with mindless munching, especially high fat or high calorie treats. SO- politely declare your thirst and ask if you can start with a glass of WATER, which will actually help fill you up and keep your head clear for healthier choices. Many studies have shown that simply drinking a full glass of water before meals cuts calories and promotes weight loss, so this is a win-win!

BOTTOM LINE: Be conscious of mindful eating (and drinking) as we begin holiday celebrations, and there will be one less New Year's Resolution on your list!

PS. Did you remember to change your air filter on November 1st?

Holiday Weight Gain...Again!

Click! Step away from the Halloween candy. I repeat, step AWAY from the Halloween candy!

Okay, how many times have you walked past the leftover candy and snagged an extra treat today? It is so easy to keep it around just to "finish it off". I'll bet you're even down to the candy you don't even really like, yet you pop one in your mouth because, well, it's there. How do I know? Because I just ate a mini-Snickers, which is my least favorite candy. The Reese's cups were gone last week.

All kidding aside, please take stock of your health TODAY. We are already well into November, which is the heart of "stuff yourself silly" season. Treats and sweets abound, as well as extra adult beverages at every celebration- and those pack on the calories as much, if not more than the edible delicacies! At the office, we are already seeing the extra weight creeping up. The average American gains nearly 10 POUNDS during the holidays. And then what does everyone do? We make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight.

This year, let's be PROACTIVE! Start on that new exercise program right NOW! Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away when you go to work or shop. Fill your party plate with healthy choices and eat them first before you head to the dessert buffet. Every bit you do now will make those New Year's Resolutions much easier.

BOTTOM LINE: Do not wait for New Year's to start thinking about improving your health!

Top Two Secrets for Permanent Weight Loss

As the seasons change, and bathing suit season is staring us right in the face (or other, more sensitive body image spots), many of us are focusing on what we can do to make some positive and permanent dietary and lifestyle changes. Yesterday, I mentioned several successful strategies used by folks who have kept off over 60 pounds for many years. In my practice, the two most important strategies include eating breakfast each morning and exercising daily. Let me expand on these two points for a moment.

First of all, breakfast. Yes, your mom probably taught you that you must "put fuel in the tank" and that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Guess what? She was RIGHT! When you get up in the morning and charge into your day without true nutrition (coffee does NOT count as breakfast), your body assumes there must be a food shortage and goes into conservation mode. To maximize your metabolism, you simply need to eat. Does it need to be a hot, four course meal? Nope! How about a cup of yogurt, or a banana with some peanut butter, or cereal with berries? In a hurry? Grab a granola bar (and a banana or other piece of fruit, in a perfect world.) It never ceases to amaze me that I have at LEAST one patient per month come in with impressive weight loss since their last office visit, and they tell me that the ONLY change they made was to start eating breakfast!

Okay, how about that daily exercise? Really, EVERY DAY? Yes, again. I prefer to think about it like brushing your teeth. Do you wake up each day and struggle with the decision of whether or not to brush your teeth? Do you really enjoy brushing your teeth? I'm guessing the answer to both of those questions is "no". Exercise should be the same deal. Again, it doesn't have to be fancy, just consistent. Pull on your sneakers & head out the door for a brisk walk, or flip on your tv and join in on an exercise program. If you start each day with a quick 30 minutes of some type of aerobic activity, I'd bet you'll find not only a much higher rate of consistency, but extra energy and a better attitude.

BOTTOM LINE: Commit to EATING BREAKFAST and DAILY EXERCISE to keep those extra pounds off for good!

Brand New FDA- Approved Antidepressant

The stock market is very aware that the FDA has approved a new antidepressant (see the FDA News release here)- a drug called Viibryd (vilazodone hydrochloride.) The manufacturer claims that this antidepressant did not cause weight gain, nor did it affect sexual function. If that turns out to be true once large numbers of people are taking the medication, I know I will be flooded with requests for this drug, because weight gain and decreased libido or sexual function are the major complaints that I hear about this class of medications.
Before we all jump on the bandwagon, however, let's go back to a blog I did last week- "Doc, Have you heard of this new drug" and look at the "STEPS" pneumonic.
S: Safety-Side affects appear to be at reasonable incidence, and I cannot find information regarding drug interactions.
T: Tolerability- side effects include "diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and insomnia"
E: Effectiveness-Honestly, I cannot tell from a brief perusal of the medical literature. I found many studies in rats, from the years leading up to the human trials, but only one good size (400 patients) of humans. There was some effect at one week (which is early for anti-depressants) compared to placebo, but no studies yet comparing it to other antidepressants.
P: Price- Don't know yet, but it's a new drug. This means coupons the first year, but a new drug is always a higher price than old ones. The business world, however, is excited and projecting over $2 MILLION in sales.
S: Simplicity- Sounds like it will be once per day, though again, I never found a product information sheet.

BOTTOM LINE: Yes, there is a new antidepressant, which MAY provide good improvement in patients with major depression, while having fewer adverse side effects (weight gain and sexual dysfunction)...but let's not storm the pharmacy yet.

Stuffed from the Turkey?

Welcome to the Monday morning after the long Thanksgiving food festival-oops- holiday weekend! Did you step on the scale this morning? Well, if you saw higher numbers than you would like, you are not alone. Past studies have shown that the average American gains between seven to eleven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day!
I would much rather address this TODAY than after New Year's, though, because this weight gain is not mysterious nor automatic, and CAN BE AVOIDED or at the very least, reduced!

I think we all know that there seem to be a plethora of parties and increased social activities this time of year. Virtually every one includes high calorie treats and drinks. Often families dash from one kid recital, play, concert or sporting event to the next, zipping through fast food drive-throughs along the way.

Let me encourage you to PLAN AHEAD, and haul out your slow cooker from the back of the cupboard! Healthy food does not have to be a huge time commitment, but absolutely does require thinking ahead. Toss a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker with some salsa, and after work/school you're ready for easy pulled pork sandwiches or tacos, for example. Really, it's only TWO ingredients to toss in, so it's simple! Of course leftover turkey (or chicken or beef) along with some cut up onion, carrots, potatoes or other veggies will make a lovely meal as well. The point is not specifically WHAT to make as much as to remind you that you WILL be rushed, and planning ahead makes it possible to have "grab and go" healthier choices.

As for parties, start off with a large glass of WATER in your hand, rather than mindlessly downing that immediately offered alcoholic beverage (which not only adds calories, but often reduces your judgement/motivation regarding healthier choices along the buffet...)

BOTTOM LINE: Check your weight TODAY and PLAN AHEAD for your meals during December so you don't have the extra pounds to begin 2011!

Quitting Smoking...a WEIGHTY Issue

Why do people who quit smoking gain weight? Does it always happen, or can it be avoided? Do we really care that weight gain is really less detrimental to our health than smoking?
As a physician, I have found that women in particular choose to keep smoking because they simply do NOT want to gain weight. Period. I will confess that I will occasionally try to appeal to their vanity by discussing the yellow teeth or bad breath that tend to accompany cigarettes, but the reality is that what is important in this situation is helping patients understand why smokers gain weight with quitting, and how it can be avoided. So here are some things to remember:

1. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so obviously, when you initially take it away, your appetite is up.
2. Smoking KILLS taste buds, so just about the time the extra appetite from quitting is going away (around a week), suddenly food begins to TASTE better, because now you've actually got healthy taste buds!
3. Happily, ALL FOODS taste better, not only the high fat/high calorie ones.
4. Yes, oral gratification is a habit, so STOCK YOUR FRIDGE with some low calorie, crunchy and delicious snacks like carrot sticks with hummus, or apple slices, or ANY fruit or vegetable. Additionally, suck on sour hard candies the first week or two.
5. Don't forget EXERCISE! Getting and keeping your heart rate up for 30 minutes per day is equal to a low dose of an anti-depressant medicine, so exercise will not only balance extra calories consumed, but will make you HAPPY and less irritable!

BOTTOM LINE: Be proactive with your available food choices and exercise, and you will NOT pack on a bunch of weight when you quit smoking.