Archive for February, 2019

Choosing to Eat and Breathe and Control Your Weight

February 28, 2019 — Choosing is something that people hold dear. Even if we’re not always good at it. So, quite naturally, when people assume that obesity is all about food (not exactly true), they assume that the answer is better food choices. But a new review from Trends in Cognitive Sciences gives us reason to pause and think. […]

Weight Stigma Even in Pregnancy? Really?

February 27, 2019 — Honestly, this one is hard to wrap our heads around. A new study in Health Psychology tells us that weight stigma during pregnancy and right after birth may be increasing the risk of depression, excess weight gain, and weight retention. Angela Incollingo Rodriguez was lead author on the study. Prospective Observations This prospective observational study […]

Unintended Consequences from Pushing Breakfast

February 26, 2019 — “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast,” according to author and journalist John Gunter. It also helps with academic achievement and school attendance. However, despite the fervent wishes of the breakfast fan club, breakfast is not the cure for obesity. If you have any doubt, you’re just not paying attention. And a new study today […]

How Hard Can It Be? Write It When You Bite It

February 25, 2019 — “Is the most effective weight-loss strategy really that hard?” Shucks, no, says the University of Vermont in a press release on a new study in Obesity. All it takes is just 15 minutes per day. “Write it when you bite it.” “Would-be weight-losers can’t muster the willpower to do it,” says this sunny bulletin. Suddenly, […]

Obesity Prevention Progress in Focus Groups

February 24, 2019 — The results are in. It looks like we’ve got a winner. And that winner is the sweeping regulation of food marketing in Chile for obesity prevention. A new study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity just came out to prove the point. The study findings “were overwhelmingly positive,” says UNC-Chapel Hill […]

A New Expert Committee for New Dietary Guidelines

February 23, 2019 — We have an interesting climb ahead. Yesterday the USDA announced members of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Clearly some groups are very happy. Unhappy campers – we know you’re out there – haven’t spoken up yet. Happy Bakers Among the happy campers was America’s Baking industry. The American Bakers Association celebrated with a press […]

Is Weight Bias More Acceptable Than Racial Bias?

February 22, 2019 — UPDATE: Within hours of our posting below, Medscape posted the following retraction notice. While we welcome thought-provoking and even controversial points of view in our commentaries and in comments from our readers, we do not endorse weight bias, nor bias towards any group. After careful review, the editors at Medscape have decided to retract this […]

Health Check: Will Eating Nuts Make You Gain Weight?

February 21, 2019 — The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we eat 30g of nuts – a small handful – each day. But many of us know nuts are high in calories and fat. So should we be eating nuts or will they make us gain weight? In short, the answer is yes, we should eat them. And no, they […]

Overcoming Bias with a Passion for Objectivity

February 20, 2019 — Objectivity is tedious. When survival is at stake, snap decisions can confer an advantage. Friend or foe? Fight or flee? We might not have time to collect and analyze data. And thus, humans brains are wired with shortcuts for making instant judgments. But those shortcuts come at a cost when we live in a modern […]

Teaching Contempt for People with Obesity?

February 19, 2019 — UPDATE: Within days of our posting below, Medscape posted the following retraction notice. While we welcome thought-provoking and even controversial points of view in our commentaries and in comments from our readers, we do not endorse weight bias, nor bias towards any group. After careful review, the editors at Medscape have decided to retract this […]