Refuse To Regain

Ignore It and It WON'T Go Away

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering When I was a kid, my mother’s advice whenever I’d come home upset after some boy teased me was, “Ignore him and he’ll go away.” Unfortunately I applied the same advice to a lot of worrisome things in my adult life, including my weight. When I paid attention to it for a few days, I’d actually lose a few pounds, but soon after I’d ignore whatever diet I was on and just hope the pounds would magically... Read more →

Natural Remedies: Who’s Watching the Store?

By Barbara Berkeley Let’s have a show of hands. How many of you have a history with dietary supplements or “natural” remedies? Ever tried that miracle pill for weight loss that beckons so alluringly from the pages of your favorite magazine? What about Metabolife? Hydroxycut? TrimSpa? Colon cleanses? Weight loss vitamins? Supplements for sexual enhancement? Natural remedies for menopause? These products are sold over the counter and over the Internet. Because a doctor’s prescription isn’t necessary, they appear to be... Read more →

Maintenance: The Lovely, Strange and Unique

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering Barbara asked in her last blog, “What lovely, strange and unique things have you discovered as a result of your own maintenance experience?” I’ve been thinking about my answer to this all week, but realize I don’t have much to add to what so many of you already wrote. I’m working on losing a few pounds I’ve gained, so I could totally relate to Claudia who has gained back some of her weight loss. Rather than ignore... Read more →

Maintenance 101: What Did YOU Learn?

By Barbara Berkeley On Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of people with diet and weight issues at the opening of the new TriPoint Medical Center in Concord, Ohio. The community open house for this gorgeous facility was attended by approximately 7,000 people. As medical director of weight management services for the hospital system, I was there to lecture and to encourage visitors to register for our weight loss programs. Whenever I talk with people about weight issues,... Read more →

Let’s Talk About Grocery Carts

By Lynn Haraldson-Bering A few days ago I went grocery shopping. It was an ordinary shopping trip. Bought the usual – veggies, fruit, beans, yogurt, and a (fabulously priced ginormous) pack of fresh chicken breasts for my husband. When the cashier rang up my order, she said, “That’s the healthiest cart of groceries I’ve checked out in a long time.” Immediately I thought, Cool! Someone noticed! A few seconds later, however, I thought, Oh, how sad. Someone noticed. What was... Read more →

Surprise! Re-Creation vs. Reactivity

By Barbara Berkeley Whenever possible, I am for re-creating health rather than of reacting to it with medications. The difference goes something like this: Say you have a house that doesn’t suit you. It leaks, it’s drafty and the walls are unstable. One approach to the problem is to patch the plumbing, inject insulation and shore up the walls. A more drastic, but more profound solution is to tear down the house and create another one. The new house can... Read more →

Insulin and Dementia: Taming the Spider

By Barbara Berkeley It’s funny how we tend to think of the brain as a different kind of organ, one that has jobs that are quite distinct from the activities going on in the rest of us. But nothing could be further from t truth. The brain is fed by the same blood vessels and blood supply as the rest of the body. It is completely and intimately connected to the moment to moment choices made by that body. If... Read more →