6 Ways You Overeat (that you can easily overcome)

You know what’s good for you to eat and you know what’s bad. You may not be the strictest dieter, but you generally follow the rules. Why is it then that you still gain weight? Are you sabotaging yourself or is there something else going on that you aren't aware of? The answers to these questions are surprising facts you need to know to help you stop gaining extra pounds.

1. Don’t Let Your Senses Fool You

   If you’ve ever told someone you can’t smell fast food without gaining weight, you know what this is all about — and there is some truth to that. The sight or smell of food can trigger your hunger and make you crave it and want more of it. Keeping bad foods out of sight, out of reach and far from your olfactory senses can prevent that desire to overeat.

2. Pay Attention to What You Eat

   Watching what you eat takes on a whole new meaning when you learn that eating while distracted can cause you to overeat. If your mind is elsewhere, it may not register that you are filling your stomach. Be sure to drop the multitasking and turn off the TV while you eat so that your body knows when it is truly satisfied.

3. Make It Exciting

   Variety in what you eat can lessen your chances of overstuffing yourself. It’s a fact that we make room for dessert, even after having a huge meal because we haven’t satisfied our sweet tooth yet. The solution? Include a bit of fruit in your meal (or try as a dessert alternative) to get that fix.

4. Portion Control

   The larger your plate or take-out container, the more you could potentially eat. When eating out of a larger container, you could eat 25 to 50 percent more than someone else eating from a smaller one. The trick is to use smaller utensils, bowls, plates, etc. so it doesn’t appear that you are depriving yourself.

5. Avoid Alcohol

   Not only can alcoholic beverages add unnecessary calories to your diet, it can stimulate your appetite. Too much of it can impair your judgement — and cause you to overeat. Limiting your intake or steering clear of it keeps those unwanted calories away.

6. Keep warm

   Colder temperatures make you want to eat more and your metabolism drops (just think how cool restaurants are kept). Regulate your hunger by keeping the temps in your own home warm and not too cool.

Easy Way to Lose Weight Fast

Visit Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center at WeightLossNYC.com and learn about our successful medical weight loss program. You can lose up to 20 pounds per month or more under the supervision and expert care of Dr Oksana Aron.

Call WeightLossNYC today 718-491-5525

Butternut Squash Healthy meals are easy

Filling up on veggies is a top rule for anyone wanting to eat healthier, yet that doesn't have to sound boring. Check your favorite produce store for winter squashes, including the amusing shaped butternut squash. Like its cousin the sweet potato, it's often overlooked as a starch, yet the orange interior reflects it is rich in beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A in your body.

One cup of Butternut Squash (cubed and cooked) yields 127% of the US RDA for Vitamin A, with 80 calories, 4g sugar, 21g of carbs. Far more favorable than mashed potatoes with (or without) gravy! Factor in the 7g of fiber and you're on your way to RDA daily mark of 25-30g fiber per day.

Beta carotene, as one of the team members of antioxidants, on its own offers many nutritional benefits. Butternut Squash also has ample potassium (more than the benchmark banana) plus 30% of your daily RDA of Calcium. Other minerals at hand include Iron and Niacin, along with Vitamin E.

Other winter squashes you can try - (measuring nutrients to the one cubed cooked cup)

• Acorn Squash has more fiber and potassium, though less vitamin A than Butternut. 9 grams fiber per cubed cooked cup, potassium (896 mg).
  
• Pumpkin Squash has both alpha and beta carotene. Alpha carotene also converts vitamin A in the body; Pumpkin Squash has twice as much of alpha than Butternut.
  
• Spaghetti Squash is yellow and can even be used as an alternative to spaghetti. Lower in calories and carbohydrates than the other squashes mentioned here, but also lower in fiber. As a pasta substitute though, you'll consumer only 42 healhty veggie calories not pasta carb 200 calories.
  

Summing it up with preparation, all of these can simply be sliced and roasted, with familiar spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, or clove or allspice. For easier prep you can often buy these pre-cut in stores, though caution on canned variants due to added sugars. You can even puree squashes to make satisfying soups and sauces too. Some folks even suggest smoothies, accompaniments such as apple, nut butter and soy or almond milk.

Weight Loss Tips for Dining Out

Nationwide statistics show Americans dining out for almost 1/3 of their meals, with almost 1/2 of their food budget spent at these establishments.[1]

Given our tendency to dine out, it is worthwhile to consider ways you can manage and maintain your weight loss dieting program on the go. Some simple guidelines follow, as well as some links to some of our more popular posts past:

• Dr Aron’s Simple Diet Tips
• Slim Down with Soup
• 7 Easy Eating Tips to Slim Down
• Gain More Self Control, Not Weight
• 5 Unusual Weight Loss Tips
• Your Social Circle Can Make or Break Your Eating Habits
• Fast Weight Loss the Low Fat Way

Simple Tips for Planning Ahead

• Avoid unlimited buffets and junk food franchises. Salad bars are good if you choose the healthy staple items not the dangerous ones.
• Cater to places with extended menus to help you find healthy choices you will like. Favor seafood and salad places for healthier fare. Soups can be good, but know what you are choosing. Ask.
• Best to plan ahead to dine out instead of splurging on surprise outings. Consider reviewing online menu before going so you will know what you will have.
• Focus on eating for nutrition, not as a social activity. Make reservations to manage your cravings and limit the temptations to drink and snack while waiting. You can even have some small healthy crudite before leaving home to settle your stomach.
• Stay away from large portions and fried food places. Know what is reasonable for you to eat and enjoy with your diet.
• Consider sharing entrees with friends to manage your portions. Don’s be shy about tossing aside bread and extra carbs. Send away any extra munchies the waiter puts on your table. Only eat what you intend to eat.
• As always, start to drink water as soon as you arrive and while waiting for meal.
• Ask your server about options — extra salad instead of a heavier side dish. Bring your own dressing if you want to be sure of low calories. Add veggies to your entree to fill you up and slow you down.

Power Tips — Know your Menu Vocabulary

• Bad: Buttery, Breaded, Buttered, Fried, Pan-Fried, Creamed, Scalloped, Au Gratin.
• Better: Grilled, Baked, Steamed, Broiled, Poached, Stir-Fried, Roasted, Blackened.
• Avoid: Cream sauces, made with milk, mayonnaise, cheese or oil.
• Look for tomato based sauces instead. Order all sauces on the side and use sparingly.

Follow Your Diet Plan

As always, follow the diet guidelines presented to you by Dr. Aron. She will have told you your calorie limits and suggested foods for you to enjoy and avoid. Fill up on water, salad and vegetables first. Focus on your friends more than the food. Slow down and pace yourself so you can enjoy your meal and not be left hungry and crave more. Your body also needs time to recognize the food in your system to trigger satisfaction. It is also more than OK to leave the table a little hungry. You never need to stuff yourself, be gentle to your body.

Looking for More Motivation to Lose Weight?

Align with Dr. Aron at WeightLossNYC™ and start losing weight today. Call 718-491-5525 or visit WeightLossNYC.com

New Weight Loss Medication Contrave® approved for treatment of Obesity and Overweight conditions

“Several safe and effective prescription medicines can be used to overcome the hurdle of weight loss, the latest of these to receive FDA approval is a combination of two other medications, naltrexone hydrochloride and bupropion hydrochloride extended-release tablets. Additionally, liraglutide has received favorable recognition from the FDA.” –Oksana Aron, M.D., WeightLossNYC®

“Contrave is a combination of two FDA-approved drugs, naltrexone and bupropion, in an extended-release formulation. Naltrexone is approved to treat alcohol and opioid dependence. Bupropion is approved to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder and as an aid to smoking cessation treatment.

“The effectiveness of Contrave was evaluated in multiple clinical trials that included approximately 4,500 obese and overweight patients with and without significant weight-related conditions treated for one year. All patients received lifestyle modification that consisted of a reduced- calorie diet and regular physical activity.” – FDA statement, Sept.2014

Safe and Effective Weight Regimen

Like similar treatments, medical supervision is highly advised, as part of a comprehensive program of proper diet and exercise. The unique combination of this new medication also underscores compatibility with the current state of health and fitness for any individual. Similarly, an FDA panel greenlighted Saxena® (liraglutide) as another effective candidate for medical weight loss treatment. Whereas most weight loss medications address hunger mechanisms, each approach offers a different biological or neurological pathway, providing alternative options for practitioners and patients to optimize for individual results. Ask Dr. Aron which is the best treatment option for you.

Lose Weight Fast

Oksana Aron M.D. is an internist and bariatric physician in New York City. Her medical weight loss center, WeightLossNYC®, helps you develop and maintain healthy habits and proper structures to build a sustainable, lifelong reduction of weight and weight-related health conditions. Her philosophy is the sum of your actions is the yield of your results. Call for an appointment today at 718-491-5525 or visit her WeightLossNYC practice website at http://WeightLossNYC.com

Sources: ASBP.org, FDA.gov, Takeda/Orexigen, Novo Nordisk, WeightLossNYC.com

How to Have a Happy Thanksgiving without Really Trying

We’ve prepared this Thanksgiving Survival Guide^* to give you ideas on how to best avoid overeating this Thursday, and keep yourself together on your weight loss program.

Abate Your Appetite; Trounce Temptation

The best way to battle any festival meal, where eating is the presumed focus, is to reduce your appetite thus obviously significantly lowering your temptation. You can follow these steps as guidelines to keep you on track with your diet plan.

Before You Go

• As always, eat an appropriate breakfast as Dr. Aron has provided for your plan.
• Be sure to include a real protein source to invoke satiety.
• Keep up on your hydration. Drinking water will also help keep you feeling full.
• Likewise, throughout the day, avoid alcoholic beverages for their dehydrating effects and of course insane caloric values.

Boots on the Ground

Once you’re there, keep it simple and safe:

• Salad is always your friend. Enjoy the simple greens, not salads overladen with extras you know aren’t helpful to your diet.
• Veggies, again mostly green, also round out your plate nicely and fill you up before looking further.
• 4 ounce skinless white meat turkey as your meal protein. Keeping to the lower fat cut is the obvious choice.
• Small samples of gravy or sauces for flavor are ok yet at a minimum. Avoid alcohol drinks entirely.
• Small portion of potatoes or stuffing are better than breads and rolls.
• Dessert? Only if you must, enjoy a small one. Better to enjoy a little more turkey, or better yet veggies/salad, we suggest.

“When facing the challenges of dieting during the holidays, remember to keep your focus on what’s really important — the people you’re spending the holidays with." - Oksana Aron, M.D.

Remember Why You Came

Truly, the holidays are about getting together with friends and loved ones. Open your mouth more for the laughs and conversation, and keep the focus on the fun not the food. Think ahead when you get back home how much happier you'll be knowing you spent the day in conversation not in consuming unneeded calories.

Leftovers are Left for Others

You’re on a diet plan. You can leave them for others and keep the holiday meal behind as you walk out the door. Weather-permitting, keep on walking … and enjoy more conversation and fresh air as you move your body after a festival meal. When you get home, get back on your regular plan and keep the fond memories of the friends you enjoyed your holiday with.

Happy Thanksgiving, from Dr. Aron and Staff of WeightLossNYC

For more information on safe and healthy weight loss diet plans, visit our website WeightLossNYC.com and start losing weight, today.

^*Thanksgiving Survival Guide, from Oksana Aron, M.D. is a copyrighted work by Weight Loss NYC® adapted from HRI Thanksgiving Success Plan. Image adapted from morgueFile.

Federal guidelines also recommend that those on a 2000 calorie diet, consume:

• less than 65 grams of fat a day and less than 20 grams of saturated fat
• less than 2400 milligrams of sodium

Those typically needing 2500 calories a day need consume:

• less than 80 grams of fat and less than 25 grams saturated fat
• less than 2400 milligrams of sodium