One simple test predicts life span

Are you active in middle age and beyond? Here’s interesting health news you probably haven’t heard. How easy a middle-aged person or older person can get up off the floor from a seated position can determine their chances for living a long life, according to a study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

What the ‘Sit Test’ found

In the study, people who needed extra help (hands, knees, etc.) in getting up from the floor had a 21% lower chance of survival over a six-year trial. Those who scored higher in the test (needed less help and were able to get up easier) had more than 5 times the survival rate than those who scored lowest (needed the most help getting up from the floor).

Although the test scores were lower among older individuals as to be expected, the low score and high mortality rate were still found to be true, even when results were adjusted for age, sex and BMI.

Physical Activity

The study did not control the study for physical activity patterns, but it’s always a good idea to be physically active no matter your age. Staying active and exercising regularly, even mild exercise such as walking, has been proven to improve your health and help you lose weight.

Need Help Losing Weight?

If you have any questions or concerns about your own health and need to be pointed in the right direction in order to lose weight, Call or visit Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center at WeightLossNYC.com.

Your first appointment with Dr. Aron can get you started on a weight loss plan that works. Lose up to 10 to 20 pounds a month or more. Start today - 718-491-5525

Lose weight Easily

Is losing weight your number one goal? Setting a goal is great, however break it down into actionable steps so you can start seeing progress right away.

Today’s weight loss tip is so simple, yet most people don’t even consider it when trying to shed pounds. It’s one thing we can’t live without: sleep.

Get More Sleep, Lose Weight

Not getting enough sleep is linked to weight gain and obesity. When you’re tired, you reach for the wrong foods and wind up consuming extra calories. It also makes you hungrier, so you end up eating more than you need:

• A study published in the Wall Street Journal in 2012 found that inadequate sleep triggered increased levels of ghrelin, the hormone that causes hunger, in men.
• In women, it can lower their levels of the hormone GLP-1, which suppresses appetite.

Do Something About It

If you haven’t been getting enough shut eye (around 6-8 hours for adults), let’s change that. You’ll not only improve your weight loss success, you’ll also improve your quality of life and even live longer than those who are sleep deprived.

Tip: Be sure to shut off your computers, cell phones and TV at least one hour before bedtime to drift off to sleep easily.

If there’s one simple step to take right now to lose weight, sleeping enough is it. Try it and watch how quickly things will change!

Big Changes, Small Steps

Is it time for a change? Take the first step by calling us at 718-491-5525 to set your first appointment with Dr. Oksana Aron at WeightLossNYC™. We’re here to help you every step of the way to your healthiest weight ever.

Hot (and Cool) Weight Loss Diet Tip

Researchers discovered capsaicin — the heat-causing chemicals in a hot pepper — to have a mild effect in helping people manage their weight. Their study was published in the research journal, Chemical Senses:

One Small Bite for Man

If you like spicy food, you may like this tasty bit(e) of news: eating hot peppers has been found to help you suppress your appetite and lose weight.

“Adding a palatable level of spiciness might allow an average weight, middle-aged man to lose a little over a pound over 6.5 years. That’s not a pound a year- that’s a pound total over six and a half years. If the same man ingested it in pill form (so the dose could be higher), he might be able to lose just under six pounds over 8.5 years.”

Perhaps the spiciness causes you to want to eat less to avoid stinging your tongue or getting a heartburn, but adding hot peppers to a meal, if you can handle them, can aid your weight loss progress.

Ring My Bell

Did you know? Bell peppers can help you lose weight, too. Both hot and sweet peppers increase the body’s heat production and oxygen consumption, which means you burn extra calories.

[Bell Peppers] are an excellent source of cartenoids, flavonoids, vitamin E and vitamin C (even more vitamin C than in oranges), and contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

Bell peppers are a healthy addition to a well-balanced diet because they also have many nutritional benefits. They’re an excellent source of cartenoids, flavonoids, vitamin E and even more vitamin C than oranges — plus contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. It also adds flavor and variety to any healthy, delicious meal. So, enjoy!

Make Your Weight Loss Move

If you would like a personalized medical weight loss program for you, contact Dr. Aron today. Lose up to 10 to 20 pounds per month under physician supervision. Call 718-491-5525 or visit WeightLossNYC.com today.

Facts not Fads

Some fad diets are low-carb or involve cutting out carbs entirely. That’s not exactly healthy, though, according to doctors. In fact, our diet must contain some carbs in order to get enough nutrients daily.

Carbohydrates are necessary for your body to obtain quick energy, while healthy fats and proteins are more of a long-term fuel source. Carbs are typically about 50 to 60 percent of your daily diet to get enough calories, nutrients and energy to your body, though with medical weight loss programs this value may vary.

Simple? or Complex?

Your carb intake should include healthy complex carbs, which take longer for your body to break down compared to simple carbs. Also, complex carbs give your body a nice, steady flow of energy. Simple carbs, on the other hand, cause you to experience energy peaks and crashes.

Whole Foods, Whole Fiber

Popular examples of carb sources include:

• whole-grain breads
• whole-grain or lentil/chickpea pasta
• barley, bulgur, buckwheat, quinoa, oats
• brown rice, faro
• whole fruits and berries
• vegetables
• beans, lentils, legumes

Read the Labels

Remember to read food labels to verify whole grain versions of these items, or better yet, preparing fresh whole grains and produce at home.

So, eat your healthy carbs--incorporating them into your healthy meals along with good proteins to reduce insulin spikes and hunger crashes--for a well-rounded diet. Be sure not to load up on too many carbs, though, which will cause you to gain weight. As with everything else, balance is the key here.

Need More help?

Still confused on what a healthy carb is, or how many carbs are healthy or unhealthy? Make an appointment with Dr. Oksana Aron today to discuss a healthy, weight loss plan by calling 718-491-5525, or booking online via WeightLossNYC.com

Women and Weight Gain

For women, weight gain happens throughout all life stages, but each stage contains its own set of reasons and risk factors. Review here--from puberty through menopause--how and why women may gain weight, and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage to keep off the weight.

Puberty

Teenage weight gain: Start healthy habits early

• The earlier a girl starts puberty, the more likely she is to be overweight or obese as an adult. If she starts her period before age 11, she is likely to weight between 9 and 11 pounds more than another woman who started hers after age 14. Additionally, as many as 26 percent of women who started puberty early were considered obese by age 30 compared with 15 percent of the other women.

• It’s difficult to imagine weight gain as a problem during childhood, but the childhood obesity epidemic proves this is an important time to start healthy diet and exercise habits that will last throughout the child’s adult life. It’s never too early to start. In fact, the earlier you start your child on a road to healthy living, the better!

Pregnancy

Healthy habits during pregnancy help post-partum weight loss

• Weight gain is expected during pregnancy, but you still have to proceed with caution and be careful not to gain an excessive amount of weight. Gaining 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy is usually the goal. Typically, a pregnant woman will gain 2 to 4 pounds in the first trimester, then 1 pound per week after that, but it depends on the woman’s pre-pregnancy weight because 1 pound per week may be too much for some. Your doctor will give you guidance on what your ideal weight during pregnancy should be.

• After pregnancy, many women’s bodies will hold on to 5 pounds of that gained weight, which may never be shed, but they generally will lose about 10 pounds immediately following delivery. They can lose 5 pounds a month in the next couple of months depending on the following factors: breastfeeding, diet and exercise level. By staying active, getting exercise, eating a healthy diet and breastfeeding, you can lose weight faster and easier.

Menopause

Hormonal changes contribute to weight gain

• Two-thirds of women are overweight by the time they reach their 50s. A drop in estrogen production is a possible cause, which causes the body to store fat, making weight loss more difficult.

• Weight loss can be more challenging for women after menopause, so it’s important to seek the help of your doctor to ensure you’re getting proper nutrition, exercise and remain in overall good health. By doing all of the above, you’re increasing your chance of maintaining a healthy weight and leading a healthier, happier life.

Fast Weight Loss help is here

Find answers to your questions on weight loss, weight control, nutrition and more, by visiting Dr. Aron at WeightLossNYC.com; or call to schedule your first appointment with Dr. Aron today at 718-491-5525 and learn new skills for weight loss success today.

Fat that does a body good

Believe it or not, fat is a healthy part of your diet. The trick? Choosing the right kind, which helps you stay full, prevent overeating and keep the weight off.

When checking the nutrition facts on your food, scan for “monounsaturated fat” and “polyunsaturated fat”—these are the good fats.

Stay away from saturated and trans fats, which cause weight gain, and can elevate your cholesterol and put you at risk for disease. (Saturated fats should be less than 10% of your calories.)

Add these foods to your diet for a healthy and delicious way to lose weight

1. Olive oil—Not only a healthy source of monounsaturated fat, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and raises good HDL cholesterol.

   Try it: on salads and as a butter substitute

2. Nuts—packed with protein, unsaturated fats and omega-3s, nuts are a perfect satisfying snack. All you need is a small serving each day of walnuts, pecans, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews or almonds (the size of a shot glass).

   Try it: mixed in with salads and steamed veggies

3. Avocado—Avocados are high in heart healthy unsaturated fat, helping you feel satisfied. They may also help lower your LDL cholesterol by as much as 17 percent when consumed daily.

   Try it: on sandwiches and spread over toast

Do You Need to Lose Weight?

Get weight loss tips and a medically proven diet plan from Dr. Oksana Aron — Bariatric physician who can help you lose weight without surgery or fad diets. Call today at 718-491-5525 for your initial consultation or book online at WeightLossNYC.com

Men: Get active today

Men: How often do you exercise?

Every day? A few times a week? Almost never?

If you rarely ever get physical, you may want to take a look at the facts from a recent study of 17,000 men over a 20-year period. Read a few key findings connecting cardiovascular health and cancer; your life may depend on it. Staying fit improves survival rates of male cancers:

• Lung and Colorectal cancer rates were reduced by 68% and 38%, respectively, for men who had the highest levels of cardiovascular fitness.
• Risk for Prostate Cancer among men with cardiovascular fitness did not experience a reduced risk of prostate cancer, but they did have a significantly lower risk of death from prostate cancer, lung and colorectal cancer if they were fit in middle age.
• Even one metabolic equivalent increase (increasing the amount of energy used while resting when you increase the intensity of physical activity) reduced the risk of dying from cancer and cardiovascular disease by 14% and 23%, respectively.

Stay fit, live longer

The study supports the idea that staying active can help you not only enjoy a healthier lifestyle, but you can also have a better chance of escaping or surviving cancer. It’s never to late to get started.

Even men who aren’t considered obese but are overweight are at a higher risk of developing cancer. This highlights the importance of working with a specialist who can make sure your health, weight, diet and fitness level are right where they should be.

Medical Weight Loss can help

Need a reliable doctor who can keep you and your health in check? Contact us today at 718-491-5525 to set up your consultation with Dr. Aron, a weight loss expert who will be with you every step of the way.

Americans continue to gain weight

Several striking news reports reflect that in the US, more adults who are obese outnumber those who are just overweight. The LA Times reported notes from published in JAMA Internal Medicine quoting “adults who are obese now outnumber those who are merely overweight.”

[Researchers] estimated that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese as of 2012, and an additional 65.2 million were overweight.

• Washington Post remarks “"[this is] a startling shift from 20 years ago when 63 percent of men and 55 percent of women were overweight or obese and a depressing sign that campaigns to get Americans to eat healthier and exercise more may be failing.”
• CBS News (website) notes the ”analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012 to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity.” including details on “15,208 men and women age 25 or older.”
• TIME magazine iterated “40% of men were overweight and 35% of men were obese” — “30% of women were overweight and 37% were obese.” Numbers “are similar to those estimated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which suggest that one third of American adults are obese.”
• and MedPage Today remarked “33% of Americans ages 25 to 54, and 28% of those 55 and older, fell into the normal weight category of having a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-24.9.”

Am I obese? or just Overweight?

You can test your own body mass index at WeightLossNYC™ for free online now, and determine your health risk and obesity/overweight metric.

For more results, you can visit Dr. Aron of WeightLossNYC.com for a complete medical evaluation and treatment of your body weight, fat, metabolism and more.

What’s the Health Risk?

Excess sugar can not only lead to weight gain, but you also have other health concerns to worry about. People who drink 1 to 2 cans of soda a day can increase their risk for Type 2 diabetes by 26%. Additionally, daily sugary drinks can also increase your risk of heart attack, death from heart attack and heart disease.

—Oksana Aron,M.D.
Bariatric Physician

The Not-So-Sweet Side of Sugar

We all know that sugar isn’t good for our health, waistline or teeth. But what we don’t know about it—including where it’s coming from—can be even more important. Additionally, many contain genetically modified sugars (GMO) and are often unlabelled as such, yielding further obscurity.

Consuming sugary drinks such as sodas and fruit drinks were once thought to be the main source of sugar in our diet, but the latest from the U.S. CDC shows that Americans are getting their sugar mainly from their food, not drinks.

Without knowing this fact, many people may be unwittingly be consuming a lot more sugar than they think and are scratching their heads as to why they can’t lose those last few pounds.

How sugar sneaks into your diet & How to prevent it.

Healthy Tip

When checking the ingredients list on food packaging, make sure that sugar or its other names (such as high-fructose corn syrup HFCS or corn syrup, etc.) isn’t one of the first few ingredients. That way you’ll know that the food isn’t mostly sugar.

Medical Weight Loss Consultation

Lose the weight to reveal a healthier body. Stay motivated and keep the weight off with a healthy weight loss plan. Call 718-491-5525 to schedule your consultation with Oksana Aron, M.D., Bariatric Physician at WeightLossNYC™.

How to Control Your Portions and Your Weight

Portion control can slip up almost anyone no matter how hard you try. How do you know if you're eating the right amount of food? You can measure everything out, teaspoon by teaspoon… or you can try this simple guide.

Portion Sizes Made Simple

Looking for a quick, easy way to know you’re eating enough but not too much? Look no further than your own hand! Every time you prepare a meal or sit down to eat outside of the home, you can follow these guides to gauge how much you should be eating by simply looking at your hands. Here’s how to measure your portions with ease.

• Meat

  A serving of meat should be 3 or 4 oz., but what does that look like? It’s about the size or your palm.

• Pasta

  This carb-packed food should be no more than a 1/2-cup serving--or the size of your clenched fist.

• Peanut butter

  A quick snack, you need no more than a tablespoon of peanut butter. The distance of your knuckle to the tip of your thumb is just the right amount.

• Butter

  Go easy on the butter, but what does that mean? Try 1 teaspoon max on your toast or about the size of the tip of your index finger.

• Ice cream

  Ice cream can easily pack on the fat and calories, so avoid. A couple spoonfuls to taste; One cup is about the size of your closed fist.

Be in control of your weight

Controlling the number on the scale starts with controlling how much and what you eat. The serving size listed on food packaging isn’t always how much you should eat. But with these guidelines, you can easily keep yourself—and your weight—in check.

Power Tip

Need advice on what’s really going to help you lose the weight? A consultation with a doctor who specializes in medical weight loss is the first step to safely losing up 10 to 20 pounds a month. Call 718-491-5525 to set your first appointment with Bariatric Physician, Dr. Aron of WeightLossNYC™

Colorful Weight Loss Ideas

There’s a lot more science to how much we eat than we think. According to a new study called “Plate Size and Color Suggestibility” published in the Journal of Consumer Research, the color of your plate affects how much food you eat.

When there is a low contrast of color between your plate and food, you will serve yourself and eat more food—as much as 22 percent more—than when there's a high contrast of color between your plate and food. Over time, this can cause extra pounds and an expanded waistline.

The study also found that reducing the contrast of color between your dinnerware and background (tablecloth, place mat) can reduce over-serving by up to 10 percent.

Takeaway: Don't just vary the color of healthy foods such as veggies and fruits on your plate--also work on dining with plates in a sharp contrast to what you're eating so you pay more attention to portions. Choosing a dining "background" with a low contrast to your plate will enhance the effect.

Another tip: Serve on small plates for smaller portions. The larger the plate, the larger the portions!

Winning Tip: Make a weight loss diet plan that gets results quickly and safely. Schedule an appointment with WeightLossNYC® today by calling 718-491-5525