Refuse To Regain

“Time it was, and what a time it was, it was…”

To: 2010 From: Lynn I’m not going to miss you. But I am grateful for your lessons, which have made me a stronger person. Just do me a favor and don’t talk to 2011 on your way out the door tonight. I’d like 2011 to come into my life fresh and without bias, OK? Thanks. Tomorrow marks six years since I began my life-changing journey from morbidly obese to thin. It’s a road with miles of unpaved stretches, but none... Read more →

Most New Year's Weight Loss Resolutions are Doomed. Yours Doesn't Have to Be.

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Let's get serious. How many people do you know who are---right at this moment---resolving to lose weight after January 1st? Judging by the utter flood of TV commercials for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers et al, that began right after Christmas, I'd say that the weight loss industry is thinking it's pretty much everybody. The New Year's resolution is a charming little tradition. For a few days, we spend time reassessing our priorities and vowing to right... Read more →

Best of 2010

by Barbara Berkeley, MD As promised, here are some of the "bests" of the weight control year. In order to preserve privacy, I have not included the names of those who responded. I do, however, send many thanks to those of you who wrote in. One of the biggest lessons I've learned this year is that we have a great deal to learn from each other and we need to maintain a community to share this knowledge. It's a vital... Read more →

For Daily Tips and Info......

Hi Everyone and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! This is Barbara talking. I have a new post coming soon, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that I post pretty much daily to my Facebook page at Refuse to Regain: Barbara's World. (There is a link lower down on this site). I use the Facebook site as a way to provide daily motivation and information as it is quicker and more direct than the... Read more →

Maintenance Mind Over Matter

By Lynn Haraldson I’m cautiously optimistic about the cortisone shot I got in my left knee a few weeks ago to help ease the pain of my torn medial meniscus. I’d prefer not to be scoped, at least not before the holidays, and thankfully the pain has subsided. But every once in awhile it reminds me it’s still there, in a misplaced step or standing in one position too long. I’ve never torn my meniscus before. So I asked my... Read more →

I would like to make an important correction. In my post on Vitamin D, I said that there were no good studies showing that calcium pills helped bones. In reality, there is continuing debate about this. Some studies actually show about a 12% reduction in fracture risk in post menopausal women who take calcium plus vitamin D. Other commentators (like the scientists who published the controversial calcium and heart risk paper in the British Medical Journal), feel that these studies... Read more →

Taking Care of Your Body for a New Age

by Barbara Berkeley, MD One of my favorite patients was in to see me today. A month or so ago she turned 60 and she's still struggling to make sense of it. Being a couple of years past sixty myself, I can well understand her feelings. I had an especially tough time when I turned fifty. For me, this was the moment when I could no longer pretend to be young. It seemed as if I had been ascending a... Read more →

Here's a quick share. One of my very successful weight maintainers told me that she makes this recipe over the holidays. I LOVED the name! Here it is: Apple Pie Guts 2 cups Granny Smith apples, about 1 pound 2 cups Braeburn apples, about 1 pound 1 cup Rome apples, about 1/2 pound 1 cup McIntosh apples, about 1/2 pound 3/4 cup Splenda 2 teaspoons cinnamon, freshly ground is best 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground is best, optional 1/2 teaspoon... Read more →