Grand View Medical Group
Last month, many tried new diets and exercises as part of their New Year’s aspirations.
Dr. Whitney Tew of the Grandview Medical Group has a special interest in weight management and is here to answer all your questions about how to diet and exercise safely and effectively.
Q: What are your concerns about the “fashionable diet”?
A: My concern is that they are not sustainable. When it comes to weight loss, it needs to be sustainable, as it needs to be a lifestyle change. Trendy diets are generally difficult to maintain. It’s better to do everything in moderation.
Q: What should people know before starting a new exercise program?
A: It depends on the person. Depending on other chronic medical problems, you may need to consult your doctor. People tend to dive too fast, especially in New Year’s aspirations. However, if you are not exercising, it is important to start slowly to avoid burnout. Talk to your doctor before starting anything violent or unusual.
Q: What weight loss tips do you recommend for your patients?
A: First, we do some kind of diet tracking. When it comes to weight loss, most people say they need 20% exercise and 80% diet. It’s difficult to survive a bad diet. Maintain a moderate calorie intake and monitor your protein and carbohydrate intake within that calorie target.
One of the apps I recommend is MyFitnessPal. It’s free and easy. You may not realize that Starbucks, which you get every other day, has 450 calories. In a week, it can be summed up. It doesn’t have to be tracked forever, but it’s very helpful to track it for enough time to understand the general idea of intake.
Q: What kind of health food do you recommend?
A: I have big sweet teeth, so anything that can prevent me from eating chocolate is useful. To avoid sweet treats, I often look at fruits. A sweet flavored protein bar and nuts are also easy salty snacks.
Q: Tell us about the importance of patience during your weight loss journey.
A: This is not emphasized enough. When I have patients who want to lose weight, most of the time they ask, “How soon do I intend to reach my ideal weight?” It will depend on the person and the amount of weight loss they need, but it requires far more patience than we are aware of. As I said, it’s a lifelong effort to lose and maintain weight. It can be a pain. Losing weight does not mean that you can return to your old habits. I tell people that if they are consistent they can usually expect 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week. It’s not as fast as people want. And once you reach your ideal weight, you need to maintain those habits to lose weight.
People try to lose more than a pound or two a week and significantly reduce calories, especially if they are exercising. Sometimes they will affect their metabolism depending on how badly they lose their calories, and then they can’t lose any more weight.
Q: Why should I pay attention to maintaining a healthy weight?
A: It can make a big difference when it comes to preventing the onset of medical conditions and new ones. Diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and multiple types of cancer are associated with obesity.
Q: What else should people know about weight loss?
A: One of the things that is overlooked is the importance of sleep. In our society, we really don’t prioritize sleep. We should aim for 7-9 hours a night on average. If you are not within that range, you are affecting your hormones and metabolism, making weight loss much more difficult.
