Refuse To Regain

Time Restricted Eating: Does It Work? You Tell Me!

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Last year was arguably the "Year of the Microbiome" in the obesity world. Considerations of gut bacteria, its health and composition, assumed 'hot topic' status. And for the first time in many years, our attention was diverted from the endless and fruitless debate about calories. Amazing! Incredible! There might be factors entirely unconsidered which have changed us from lean beings to fat ones. Indeed, as most obesity specialists had already suspected, we might have been barking... Read more →

Tips on Intermittent Fasting

by Barbara Berkeley, MD There have been some studies recently that suggest that people who consume calories earlier in the day have better weight loss. This data dovetails nicely with increasing interest in intermittent fasting, a technique that proponents believe can speed weight loss and solidify maintenance. I have written here about meal-flipping in the past. This is a trick that I use in my own weight maintenance and which I suggest to patients. Simply pick two days a week... Read more →

What You Guys Say. What I Say.

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Perhaps you are curious about what goes on when an obesity doc like me sees a patient. Or perhaps not. If not, stop reading because I'm about to tell you. Someone from our practice (either me or one of our dietiticans) sees each of our patients weekly. This is obviously a much more intense treatment model than most weight loss programs provide. Sometimes we can see someone every week for a year or more. When patients... Read more →

Have We Fundamentally Changed? A Novel Thought About Obesity

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Our parents ate pie and cookies. Our grandparents drank whole milk and ate butter, cheese and eggs. We come from ethnic traditions that venerate pasta, spaetzle, dumplings and chicken fat. And yet, obesity...once rare....is now rampant. We spend a great deal of mental energy trying to unravel the puzzle that surrounds our now super-overweight nation. Most of the endless, circular reasoning is in the service of trying to figure out how we can still eat the... Read more →

Open for Comment: The Moment that Transformed Your Weight Struggles

by Barbara Berkeley, MD It's the Holy Grail of weight maintenance. The X Factor that turns repetitive dieters into successful maintainers. Over the course of the years I've met and corresponded with many long-term weight maintainers. Without exception they were repetitive dieters at one time. Weight would come off and come back--not once, but many times. And then, something happened. But what? That's the million dollar question. I've asked, I've pushed for an answer, but no one appears to be... Read more →

Are You a White Knuckle Maintainer? Tips for Letting Go

by Barbara Berkeley, MD The debate continues and probably always will. Is regain inevitable after weight loss? Does our body inevitably sabotage efforts to keep weight stable? Is the only way to avoid this "fat fate" a jaw clenching, moment to moment fixation on every habit and morsel? Are all maintainers clinging to a cliff by their fingernails ready to plunge as the result of a single tremor, a momentary gust of wind? Dr. Rudolph Leibel of Columbia University is... Read more →

Cleaning Up the Yard: Why Weight Loss Itself is Meaningless

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Imagine that you lived next door to a factory that was working on an automatic program and was spewing out toxic garbage. Over time, your property had become covered with smelly, unsightly waste and each day, as you gazed out your window, you became more and more upset. Your beautiful home was ruined. One day, you wake up with a great idea. You are going to clean up the toxic mess. You put on your gloves,... Read more →

Falling Off the Various Wagons: A Holiday Peril

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Some years ago I wrote about the fact that weight maintainers have to live on a sort-of island. While everyone around them is splashing in a sea of fat, sugar and chocolate (and a great many are drowning in it), those who live by their own eating rules are up on dry land watching the proceedings in a state of relative isolation. It can be downright lonely on the island. This is especially true over the... Read more →

Once More Into the Fray: Avoiding the Holiday Five

by Barbara Berkeley, MD What's the most common (and least kept) New Year's resolution? You guessed it. If you are hanging around this site, chances are you already know that weight loss is very, very difficult. Nevertheless, we persist in deceiving ourselves on this point. We think that we can always "knock off a few pounds" and that the damage we do over the holidays can be reversed another time. The body has other plans. Once we have gained weight... Read more →

Why Am I Regaining My Weight?

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Every once in a while, I feel the need to write a post about the basics and I think today is the day. Have you lost weight only to find that it is piling back on again? Let me try to give some help. As always, I want to offer the following disclaimer. I am not suggesting that what you are about to read is gospel. It is my opinion based on my experience with overweight... Read more →