By Dr. Judy Siegel
Nutrition Counseling Avon, CT

How many times have I heard this?  I see as clients the people who say this when I first meet them.  “I’ve tried Weight Watchers, other diets and, even though my friends lose, I don’t.  Is there something wrong with me?

 Maybe, your doctor didn’t study nutrition or overweight problems in medical school.  A thyroid problem may be his only thought.  He, or she, may check your thyroid profile to see if you are “running in a lower gear”.  But usually this is not the case.

If you are one of those who have trouble losing, and you need to do so, you may be insulin resistant.  This means you have to overproduce insulin in order to get glucose from carbohydrate containing foods into the cells where they can be used for energy.  Excess insulin can help to make you overfat, AND make it difficult to lose.   Read the rest of this entry

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Ingredients:

1 lb. beef  tenderloin, cut into chunks

Box of mushrooms (pre-sliced if you wish)

1 large onion chopped pretty fine

16 oz. low fat sour cream

Salt and pepper

.33 cup white wine

Directions:   Read the rest of this entry

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Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh pineapple

2 apples, chopped to bite sized (Granny Smith?)

1 stalk celery sliced to bites

1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/3 cup low fat lemon yogurt

2 T. honey

¼ cup chopped walnuts

.25 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions: Read the rest of this entry

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Ingredients:

6 oz. flounder or sole per person

1 tsp. low fat mayonnaise

1 tsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh spinach

Directions: Read the rest of this entry

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Ingredients:

6 oz. shrimp per person

1 cup chopped tomato

1 chopped pepper—yellow or green

1 small onion chopped

Garlic clove

Celery stalk, chopped

Cooking Directions: Read the rest of this entry

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By Dr. Judy Seigel

Do Weight Loss Diets Work?

If you are overweight, will a “diet” help you to lose weight?  What’s a diet?  If we define DIET as an eating plan with fewer calories than you burn in a day, then, yes.  Diets do work.  But how do you know how many calories you will burn today?  Most of us, nearly all of us, don’t know that answer.  That’s Problem #1.

Problem #2–

 Does it make a difference if I get those fewer calories from Milky Way bars or     vegetables? 

Problem #3   How come so many people (95%) put their lost weight back on.

Therefore–Is it even worth the effort it takes to lose in the first place?

OK—last question first.  Yes.  Extra fat weight isn’t good for you.  Work on it.

Problem #3—Weight that was slowly, carefully taken off doesn’t just “Come back”. 

It is invited back by giving up the diet that worked to take the weight off.  You can’t

go back to eating as you did before.  Remember, that diet put the weight on in the first place.  It will do so again!

Problem #2  This one is difficult.  Probably, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the form of starches (not fruits, vegetables or dairy) will help you to lose faster.  Milky Way bars are high in fats, calories, and sugar, low in vitamins and minerals.  Go for the fruits and vegetables. 

 Problem #4  This is an even tougher problem.  As a rough guideline:  if you are female and under 5’6”, not exercising or active regularly, use 1200 calories/day as a goal.  If  you are over 5’6” or shorter but very active, exercising almost daily, use 1500 calories as a day’s total.  Men under 5’10’’ who are on the inactive side, use 1500 and men over 5’10” or shorter, active men use 1800 calories.  Then COUNT them. 

By Dr. Judy Seigel

Exercise and Nutrition Counseling Center

Avon, Connecticut

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