We all know that exercise is key component to any weight loss effort, but many resist thinking that it is too expensive to get started. Here are 4 low-cost ways to shape up that don’t involve buying a gym membership.

Are you one of the many people who put your healthy habits on hold during the holidays? Many give in to eating whatever comes their way between Thanksgiving and New Years and postpone exercise due to lack of time during the hustle and bustle of the season. Well, if that was you, there is no better time than the beginning of January to start with a renewed commitment. Stop beating yourself up about what you did during the month of December and remember that celebrating the holidays is a normal part of life that will come around again year after year. Take stock of what you did well and make a promise to celebrate in moderation next year if you overdid it this year. Now that we have that behind us - now is the time to get real and get serious about January!

I won my Weight in Cash through FaceBook!

I love the holidays and I love shopping, but I used to dread shopping for holiday gifts. I never seemed to have fresh ideas, would exhaust myself running from store to store, spend more money than budgeted, and end up buying the same old ties and scarves. Bah, humbug!

Well, last year it occurred to me that I was actually working inside a wonderful Santa’s workshop right here at Physician’s Plan. There were gifts -- all in one place- - that were perfect for everybody on my list. Well, they were thrilled with their presents. So this year, thanks to Armella DiOrio, our marketing director, we are going to offer holiday shopping at Physician’s Plan to all our clients and friends. And she made it even better!

Do you know how much sugar you should consume each day? Do you know how to tell if sugar is natural or added? What happens in your body when you eat sugar? Where do sugar alcohols fit in? What about sugar versus honey? I have patients ask me these questions all the time. Sugar can be tricky to navigate. It’s time to get smart about sugar.

Sugar can occur naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). Trouble comes mainly from sugars and syrups added into foods during preparation or processing. The Nutrition Facts Label combines natural and added sugars so you will need to look at the list of ingredients to determine the source of the sugar. To make it even more confusing, sugar has many different names. Be on the lookout for sugars ending in “ose,” such as maltose or sucrose as well as high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, honey or fruit juice concentrates. So how much sugar can you have? The recommendations for added sugar are 25g or 100 calories for women and 38g or 150 calories for men. The first step is to become aware of sugars in your food choices. Once you know where sugar is sneaking in, you can make a better choice based on the overall nutritional value.

Are you looking for a remedy for your dry, itchy winter skin? No matter what skin care you use, there are several things to remember in order to effectively keep your winter skin soft and supple. Try these winter skin care tips to treat and prevent dry skin throughout the winter.

I was talking with a woman last week (let’s call her Karen) who told me that her mother said to her “You are wasting away and losing too much weight too fast! You know that Dr. Oz says that you should lose weight very slowly and you are doing your body more harm than good.”

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and author of The Way to Eat, says, “Sooner or later, you may find yourself in a toxic nutritional environment — almost all dieters do.” In Karen’s case, her mother is speaking out of “Fear” for her health.
Some other things that people might say or do to throw you off course: 

• Act insulted. “You don’t like my pot roast all of a sudden? You’re too good for my cheesecake?”
• Mix up food with love. “You don’t come to dinner — you don’t love me anymore.”
• Make you an outsider. Katz says this sometimes happens among co-workers. “You can’t eat Mexican because of your diet, so we will see you after we go out.”
• Leave food around. The big candy dish on the receptionist’s desk in an office of dieters. Or: “Here, one doughnut left, want it?” The leftovers from the office party. Or the spouse who keeps dragging half the chips in the store into the house.
• Make up special celebration rules. “We are at a fabulous restaurant – you must have another glass of wine.”
• Impart discouraging news. “I am so proud of you for trying this, even though you know that 95% of people fail to keep the weight off.” Or: “It’s not my business, but don’t runners get a lot of injuries?”
• Volunteer amateur psychoanalysis. “You know, you don’t seem to be as funny since you lost weight.”

Childhood obesity is now the Number One health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. And for good reason – 1 out of every 3 kids is now overweight or obese – that is 30%! And although many parents are afraid to talk to their kids about weight issues for fear that their child will develop an eating disorder, the prevalence of eating disorders is only 0.3%. 

The former Surgeon General Richard Carmona said, “Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

A new patient - let’s call her Beth, came to the Hickory office last week and said to me, “I am hoping you can help me. I don’t know why I can’t lose weight on my own – I have cut way back on what I eat. It must be because my metabolism has slowed down from not eating enough.” I said to her, “Let’s take a look at what you are eating.” Sure enough, she was eating right around the amount she should be in order to be losing at least one to two pounds a week.

I was talking with someone today who told me that when she thinks of losing weight all she can think of is lots of celery and lots of sweat. I laughed so hard that I knew I needed to use it for our first blog. Many patients have this misconception about starting a weight loss program. They think that they need to buy special workout clothes, exercise balls, free weights, join a gym and purchase foods that they have never before put in their cart. They associate it with dread and exasperation.

A wealth of new scientific evidence shines a critical light on the importance of natural foods and nutritional compounds in the fight against overweight, obesity and weight maintenance. Virtually all alternative health experts agree, the current epidemic of weight control issues plaguing western society are the result of excess consumption of highly processed convenience foods that have replaced vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds in the diet. Three independent studies conclude that blueberries, resveratrol from red grapes and cocoa flavanols exert a potent effect on fat cell formation that can aid in weight loss and management goals when included as part of your daily diet.