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

The Hunger Game

Our bodies are made of complex systems that constantly control and self-regulate countless aspects including temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and hunger…

Ghrelin: from the acronym GHR (“growth hormone-releasing peptide”) +‎ -lin (common hormone suffix), with an incidental pun on prefix greh- (“to grow”) and English growling.[1]

Energy and Hunger Management

As we have blogged before, ghrelin is a powerful protein that our bodies use to signal hunger to the brain, a naturally produced hormone which we can indirectly affect by application of some good habits.

• The One Easiest Weight Loss Tip Ever
• How Fatty Foods Drive Hunger
• Sweet Dreams of Weight Loss Come True

Medical weight loss addresses the hunger factor to help you reduce cravings and shed weight naturally by the body’s natural pathways. The benefits of losing weight may be obvious, yet worth considering some of the less familiar aspects as well.

• The Difference Losing 20 Pounds Makes
• Can Your Daily Schedule Cause Obesity?
• Lose Weight for your Wedding Day
• Health Benefits of Losing Weight

Manage Your Weight, Improve Your Health

You can discover how easy it can be to lose weight with physician supervision. Dr Aron is a bariatric physician — medical specialist in the field of weight loss.

Contact her office to schedule an appointment or Visit online at WeightLossNYC.com

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

Got Avocado?

What’s in your brown bag for lunch? While packing a lunch can be difficult (a sandwich again?!), here’s one idea to switch things up a bit and lose weight: eating avocado with your lunch can aid weight loss. Here’s how:

An Avocado a Day Keeps the Hunger Away

Consuming up a half of an avocado can help you feel as much as 26% more satisfied and can even keep you from wanting to reach for an afternoon snack later on in the day, according to a study published in Nutrition Journal. Those in the study reported a:

• 40% decreased desire to eat 3 hours after lunch, and
• 28% decreased desire to eat 5 hours later

Just a little avocado a day can go a long way in eating a healthy diet without overeating.

What’s in an Avocado

A whole avocado contains 250 calories and 23 grams of fat, most of which is healthy monounsatured fat, which can reduce bad cholesterol levels. It may even be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels, which has yet to be investigated.

Any way you slice it, avocados can be healthy for you and boost your weight loss efforts. Try some in a healthy green salad or spruce up a boring sandwich with it and notice the difference.

Want to lose weight fast?

Become our next success story at WeightLossNYC™. No gimmicks or crash diets, just sound advice for healthy living. Give us a call at 718-491-5525 today.

Why aren’t you losing weight?

Slow Metabolism could be a culprit

Fast, slow or so-so, your metabolism controls your weight loss. No matter how quickly your body burns calories, there are other factors involved. These are just some things that can slow down your metabolism, but the good news is you can easily control them.

5 Factors that can Slow your Metabolism

1. Stress

   How much stress are you under? It could be the reason you can’t lose those last few nagging pounds. When your body’s under stress, it releases the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to hold onto weight. Try to avoid stressors as much as you can, while also seeking out ways in which you can manage your stress.

2. Not exercising

   If you don’t burn enough calories through exercise, then your unused calories turn into fat. Be sure to exercise a few times a week to control your weight. Also wear a pedometer or track how many calories you burn through your exercise so you can keep up with your progress.

3. Poor diet

   Eating too much? Not enough? You’re asking for trouble. Feed your body the fuel it needs to get through the day and keep your body at a healthy weight. Believe it or not, eating too little or skipping meals could lead to weight gain. Instead, nourish your body with healthy natural foods to stay in top shape.

4. Not snoozing enough

   When you don’t rest enough, you can gain weight by disrupting your metabolic patterns. Sleeping an ideal amount of hours each night, however, can boost your metabolism. For adults, get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

5. Medication

   If you’re on any medications such as anti-depressants, they could cause you to gain weight as well. Discuss it with your doctor if you believe that’s the case and find out if there are other options that won’t lead to weight gain.

How to Lose Weight

Improve your health, too

If you haven’t noticed, keeping your metabolism in check means simply taking care of your overall health. While it’s important to want to lose weight, you also have to do it in a healthy, informed way. Follow the above steps and you’ll be on your way to a fitter figure, and you’ll also be leading a healthier and more fulfilled life

We can help

Dr. Aron is able to test your metabolism to see if it is slow.

Whether you have a slow metabolism or not, let Dr. Oksana Aron help you find your weight gain triggers and develop a structured plan for weight loss success. Please call us at 718-491-5525 and make your first appointment with WeightLossNYC™.

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™

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

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 of WeightLossNYC™. We’re here to help you every step of the way to your healthiest weight ever.

The Facts on Fat

Are you trying to eat right? You're probably overwhelmed with dieting tips and information--some good and some downright incorrect. Just when you thought you knew what you were doing, another new study comes out and changes everything.

The Fat and Skinny on Fat

Doctors and dieting gurus have been harping on staying away from saturated fats, but the latest news challenges all that. Surprisingly, new evidence from a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine questions popular advice to cut out saturated fats and to eat polyunsaturated fats to prevent heart disease (and weight gain).

In the University of Cambridge study, researchers found no evidence supporting dietary guidelines of avoiding saturated fats to reduce heart disease risk. They also found that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements didn't have any significant effect on reducing cardiovascular disease either. Rather than focusing on macronutrients, we should consider the food groups our meals are based on.

Fat is still… fat

So, what do you do now? Should you start eating saturated fats with abandon? Not exactly. Until further research proves saturated fats are completely harmless, the secret to staying healthy, losing weight and lessening your chances of heart disease is still the same advice: eat a healthy diet, stay active and don’t smoke.

Lose Weight Fast without surgery

Want to fit into that little black dress or slimmer wedding gown? You can start making progress on your weight loss today. Call WeightLossNYC at 718-491-5525 and make your first appointment with Dr Aron, Bariatric Physician.

Taste with Your Brain?

Over recent years many people have been reaching for artificial sweeteners, thinking that it’s healthier than the real thing. It turns out that your tastebuds don’t know the difference between sugar and sweetener — but your brain does.

A new study out of the Netherlands used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain responses in people sipping two different orangeade drinks — one mixed with sugar and another mixed with four artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K, cyclamate and saccharin).

The sugar and sweeteners were found to stimulate the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that detects pleasure. Only the sugared drink stimulated the caudate in the brain, showing that the human brain can tell the difference between a caloric drink and a noncaloric one.

Other research on artificially sweetened beverages include:

• They can activate parts of the brain that create appetite, but do not satiate it.
• Increased appetite has been found to occur in people who don’t consume artificially sweetened beverages often.
• People who drink artificially sweetened beverages regularly tend to weigh more than those who don’t.
• For those who consume a lot of artificially sweetened beverages, however, their brains, can become used to the sweeteners and may not necessarily cause them to eat more.

Sweet Opportunity

Visit WeightLossNYC.com to learn more about medical weight loss and how you can lose weight fast under physician supervision. Dr. Aron is a leading bariatric physician in Brooklyn.

Slow down your eating to speed up weight loss

When you sit down to eat, do you savor it slowly or do you gobble it up in record time? Did you know that eating quickly can make you gain weight because your body hasn't registered how full your stomach really is?

Well, that's not the only news. Taking your time to eat can help prevent you from overeating, but there's a difference in how this affects your body, depending on whether you're considered normal weight, overweight or obese. Read on for more details.

Eating quickly can make you gain weight because your body hasn't registered how full your stomach is. Taking your time to eat can help prevent you from overeating, but how this affects your body depends on whether you're considered normal weight, overweight or obese.

Bite for bite, pound for pound

In the study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, two groups were observed: one group of normal-weight individuals and another of overweight and obese individuals. Both groups were asked to consume two meals, one at a slow pace with no time constraints in mind in which they were asked to stop and put the spoon down in between bites, and a second one at a fast speed with an imagined time constraint, large bites and quick chewing without putting the spoon down for breaks.

The results:

• Both the normal-weight and overweight groups were less hungry after eating the slower meal.
• They also tended to drink more water, which could have affected the amount of calories they consumed.

What can we learn from this? Taking our time and enjoying our meals—healthy food, mind you—we can ensure we'll be taking in a proper amount of calories. Plus, don't forget your H₂O…

Get more than diet tips

Learn how to lose weight and stay healthy: Call us at 718-491-5525 today and schedule your first appointment with Dr. Aron

You Are Who You Eat With

Friends can be very influential in the way we dress, speak and even eat. So does that mean who we hang around with can make us fat? Obese, even? Researchers decided to look into this to see if that was the case.

What did researchers find?

Turns out that the people around us can affect what we eat and how much, according to findings from several studies published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

I’ll Have What She’s Having

When people know that others in the group are eating low-calorie food, it makes them more likely to want to eat the same, the data said. The same went for high-calorie food. People also ate similar quantities of food just to fit in. When eating in group settings, people tend to eat like their friends do, whether it's healthy or not.

Real Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Junk

Eating is a social behavior and we can use it for good. When dining out or having friends over for a dinner party, set a healthy trend. Select healthier options on the menu and opt to split a large dish to cut calories. Serve a nutritious spread of fruits, veggies and smaller-portioned foods at your next party.

Overeating and making the wrong food choices can make you gain weight, so it's especially important to mind what you eat when in the company of friends. Be the one to make the first move!

Whether 20, 50, or 100 pounds or more, Dr. Aron is here to listen and help. Read more about her medical weight loss program in New York.

Tips for Winter Weight Loss

While overeating and under-exercising in general is one sure-fire way to pack on the pounds, if you experience a minor slip-up, you can stay on track as long as you keep up with your exercise. Both exercise and diet are critical to your success, but it’s good to know you don't always have to be perfect.

Here are a few ideas for staying active and losing weight this winter season.

Stay Active and Smart

• Get your family on board with planning healthier menus for gatherings
• Only take a few bites of a dessert without overindulging
• Plan to take a walk outdoors right after dinner
• Create ways to burn extra calories such as walking laps around the mall while shopping sales or using the stairs several times a day
• Go ice skating or play ice hockey for outdoor exercise
• Get the blood pumping at the gym if it’s too cold outside

How to Enjoy your Holidays and Keep the Weight Off

Whether it’s Hanukkah or Halloween, Superbowl sunday or super-love Valentine’s day, temptations always exist.

Indulge in a few too many latkes?

Swipe a couple extra frosting-and-sprinkled sugar cookies?

Drank a little more eggnog than you’d care to admit?

You can still work Off the Weight

Celebrating the holidays doesn’t have to derail your new year weight loss resolution. A recent study published in the Journal of Physiology found that if you continue to exercise daily —even in short bursts— then your few extra nibbles won’t do much harm.

In a Bath University (U.K.) week-long study of 26 healthy young men, all were asked to overeat.

Half exercised for 45 minutes daily, while the other half remained inactive

The non-exercising group ate 50% more calories, while the exercising group overate by 75%.

The results: In just one week, the non-exercising group experienced a decline in blood sugar control. The exercising group, however, exhibited stable blood sugar levels. Additionally, “the activation of genes within fat cells in the non-exercising group were also found to be negatively changed to those levels needed for a well-functioning metabolism.”

Looking to improve your health and need some guidance?

Dr. Oksana Aron of WeightLossNYC™ is here to help you reach your healthy weight loss goals. Call today at 718-491-5525 for your initial consultation. Make this year your year to shine.

Her clinic specializes in treatment of obesity or overweight persons, who have struggled to lose weight via other methods and are seeking medical help.