McDonald's or Twinkies for Weight Loss??

The media loves to lather attention on stories of people who lose weight by controversial means.  And who better to draw attention to than those who do it by eating nothing but fast food or junk food?! It's the ultimate sexy paradox.

There's the teacher who has recently been heralded for his 37 pound weight loss eating nothing but McDonald's for three months.  And then there's the nutrition professor who dropped 30 pounds in 8 weeks eating Twinkies.  

Well, I for one am not lovin' it.

I agree that these 'diets' prove the point that weight loss is achieved when calories in is less than calories out.  I also think it is quite cool that the teacher used this opportunity to teach his students about how to read and interpret restaurant nutritional information - this is an important skill in navigating our toxic societal obesity terrain.

However, these headline 'diets' put out a lot of wrong messages as well.  First of all, successful weight management is about permanent lifestyle change, not temporary diets.  How about if we follow these guys up over the next few years and see what happened to their weight after they stopped their temporary diets?

Secondly, weight management is about addressing the underlying contributors to the weight struggle - from the emotional relationship with food, to the home environment, to stress in the work place, and so on.  No discussion of these issues with these guys as far as I can see.

And I don't think I need to say that from a nutritional perspective, neither of these diets are recommended.

So how about we focus on the stories of people who make appropriate, healthy, permanent lifestyle changes and enjoy sustained weight loss as a consequence?  I'd love to hear your stories - send them in!

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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Mythbusting Garcinia cambogia

There are a kajillion substances, herbs, and naturopathic remedies that are all over the internet, purporting their magical abilities to cause weight loss, but which do not have evidence to support that they actually work.  You can add Garcinia canbogia to this list.

Garcinia cambogia extract comes from a type of tamarind tree native to Asia.  In addition to being available as an extract, it is also an ingredient in Hydroxycut, which has been associated with cases of liver toxicity.  Now that Dr Oz has been throwing his weight behind Garcinia, it's getting more attention than ever before.  (More on my thoughts re Dr Oz here.)

We can put to rest the controversy behind Garcinia simply by looking at the science.  A randomized controlled trial was conducted long ago, back in 1998, showing that Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss compared to placebo.

Friends, today's blog is short and not so sweet: Garcinia cambogia has been proven NOT to work, and it may be harmful.

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2013

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Sochi Subway Squats!

A little Friday Fun.  Check it out - as part of a campaign to make Russians healthier, and also to promote the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, the Moscow Metro is offering metro tickets for 30 squats (instead of the usual price of 30 rubles).  I love it!!

Thanks to both Mark and Erin for the double heads' up on this awesome campaign.

Have a great weekend!

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2013

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Taking On Dr Oz And His 15 Superfoods

My colleague Dr Yoni Freedhoff pointed out a great article on his blog this week, speaking out against Dr Oz and his health claims. The article is written by pharmacist Scott Gavura, who started his own blog in response to frustrations with the growing use of pseudoscientific products and practices - in other words, use of (usually expensive) supplements and products for betterment of health that do not actually have any substantial science to support their use.

Scott goes on to do a reality check on all 15 items on Dr Oz's list of Superfoods, from raspberry ketones to green tea to chia, acknowledging the benefits of some of these substances, but also pointing out where data are lacking, and where there may also be some potential harms.

Scott echoes my own concerns about Dr Oz:

What frustrates me the most about Dr. Oz is that he should know better. He’s a heart surgeon, (who continues to treat patients), an academic, and a research scientist, with literally hundreds of publications to his name. He has gone through the peer review process more times than most health professionals. There is little reason to expect, based on his pre-television history, that he’d be willing to build a platform to offer demonstrably bad health advice. And that’s a shame, because with a show in 118 countries that reaches over 3 million viewers in the USA alone, it could be a powerful tool for providing good health information to those seeking it. And more often than not, that opportunity is squandered.

Out of respect for a colleague, I think, our profession has been quiet about Dr Oz for too long.  However, more and more, we are seeing all manner of health care professionals speak out about his inappropriate use of his title as a physician to tout supplements and substances that do not have scientific evidence behind them, and in some cases (such as in the case of the HCG diet) could do harm (read here about the potential harms of HCG).  

The sad reality is that the voice of medical bloggers speaking out against these practices is diminutive in comparison with Dr Oz's capital backing and marketing power.

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2013

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A Horrifying National Post Article - Dr Sue's Radio Interview on Obesity Stigma

I was asked to interview on the Kingkade & Kelly radio talk show this week, in response to a recent article in the National Post.  The article, titled (brace yourself) 'Fat acceptance is not the answer to obesity', states that (AND I QUOTE):

"Doctors rightly resent spending time and expertise helping people whose health problems are self-inflicted"

and 

"health professionals who judge their patients are doing them a favour"

Really??  REALLY??  The National Post should be categorically ashamed of themselves for publication of such complete and utter trash.  I had a mouthful of things to say about this topic (as I'm sure you can imagine) - check out the recorded interview here!

I welcome your comments.

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2013

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The Facts and Farce of Before and After Photos

We've all seen them - those ads that make it look SO easy to shed pounds... just join this exercise program!  Try this supplement!  Follow this diet!  The before and after testimonial photos that show how one person's body changed on the program seem... well, too good to be true.

The truth of the matter is, these before & after pictures are often fake, and mislead the consumer to believe that they will get results that are often unrealistic.  Ways in which these pictures are made to represent something other than reality include:

• using poor lighting for the before photo with unflattering poses, vs great light and professional modelling stances afterwards

• having the people posing to breathe out, relax muscles, and even frown for the before photo, with a gleaming smile and all muscles taut for the after photo

• photoshopping

• there are reports of bodybuilders being paid to stop working out and gain as much fat as possible to take 'before' photos, then resume their regular eating habits and workouts to get buff for the 'after' shot

• models being given potentially dangerous fat burners or supplements while they are on a particular diet or exercise program

• models being given diuretics to dehydrate them for the after photo (to make the muscles look more 'cut')

And let's not lose track of the fact that it's not about getting that perfectly cut body.  It's about obtaining our Best Weight - a realistic weight goal (which is different for everyone) that optimizes metabolic health and overall wellbeing.  Remember that for people who struggle with obesity, a 5% to 10% sustained weight loss decreases the risk of a host of complications associated with obesity such as diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure - now there's something to be proud of!

@drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2013

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Chatelaine Interview - Should Women Fear 'Bulking Up' At The Gym?

Check out James Fell's recent Chatelaine article, with his current quest being to answer the question as to whether women who work out should be concerned that their muscles may bulk up too much.  In addition to asking for my thoughts on this, strength & conditioning coach Nia Shanks, and fitness expert Jen Sinkler weigh in on the subject as well.

@drsuepedersen
www.drsue.ca © 2013

(photo by Getty Images)

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