Weight Loss - Halethorpe,MD

Unfortunately, there is no magic pill. It's all about diet (what you eat, not following anything temporary) and exercise. Have you considered Weight Watchers? They really teach you great eating and living strategies. I've lost most of my goal weight with them and really love their program. They have the highest long-term success rate of all the programs out there.

Good Morning N.,

You can contact Dr. Eric Berg's office at the Wellness Center in VA, ###-###-####, he will teach you how to eat healthy and by doing so the weight will shed right off. I went to his office and had a free consult. with the results of losing 15 lbs within a 3 months period. Most people diet before learning how to eat healthy which will help with not regaining the pounds lost.

Speaking from personal experience, if you do take something (sorry no suggestions), look at yourself first. No supplement is going to help unless you know WHY you are overeating and can stop yourself there. I am an emotional eater--bored, upset, stressed. I do plan to look into something but want to keep control--or at least be able to maintain control, for a while before trying something to handle those midmorning and afternoon snackings.
One thing that can help is writing down why you are eating. Is it breakfast, lunch or dinner time? Mid morning snack? because you feel overwhelmed? Do this for a week and then go back. It is kind of like going to the store and when you get home, realizing that you really didn't need something.

There are no over the counter supplements that have been proven safe and effective to curb hunger. You may want to talk to your doctor about it - there are several hormones, generally associated with hunger, that may be affecting your appetite. Unfortunately, many of them have no diagnostic test (such as GLP-1) nor a therapeutic replacement. My previous company has intellectual property rights to Leptin, and no one has yet developed a product the FDA has found worthy of approving to help against weight loss.

In fact, there was an LA Times story earlier today about hormones such as leptin that may determine your success in the battle against weight:
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-diet-ho...

However, there's a lot of research showing that behavior modification can be helpful. There are a few tricks.
1. Drinking a glass of water before eating will make you feel fuller.
2. Making sure each serving has greater than 5 grams of fiber will help you feel fuller and block the absorption of some of the carbohydrates
3. It takes the brain 20 minutes to feel full after eating - slow down, and you'll likely eat less

Even Rx products are not without risk. Phentermine is a stimulant, Meridia was just linked to cardiovascular issues (though it's been known for a long time there was the possibility) and Xenical has had some issues with liver toxicity.

Remember that serving sizes differ based upon the food. So, a serving of plain Cheerios gives you a lot more food than a serving of Frosted Flakes. Avoid sodium which can lead to water retention, keep fats and sugars in check, and think about seeing a dietician who can help you come-up with a reasonable plan for losing the weight in a healthy, productive way.

But, I'd really encourage you to talk to your doctor as well to see if it may be hormone related that you're not feeling any satiety during the day as it may be a hormonal issue you realistically can not control.

Sometimes, small tricks help keep control of our eating. "Over-eating" can have many meanings: too big portions, too much empty calories, snacking all day...Depending on how your are overeating, these simple tricks may help you control your food intake:
- Brush your teeth just after each meal, including snacks. The taste of toothpaste and feeling of clean mouth will stop you from craving food.
- Use a smaller plate. Seems crazy but it works, even if you take a second serving the smaller plate will make you used to smaller portions.
- When you feel like eating between meals, drink a glass of water first and wait a few minutes. Our body tends to mix hunger and thirst clues.
- Prepare your snacks in advance. I work from home and when I leave my office at snack time, I usually eat much more and less healthy than when I take my snack with me in the office.

Don't rely on magic pills. You want a fit and healthy body to carry your baby, not a thin weak one. prepare yourself for pregnancy by exercising (a good habit to keep when pregnant) and eating lots of folates and other important pregnancy nutrients.

I joined Weight Watchers. They have a program online or actual meetings. I like the meetings starting out because they give you a lot of help and encouragement. I lost 70 lbs before my first child and I lost all I gained plus 15 more lbs after I had her. I am now pregnant with my second child and I plan to do it again after I have him/her.

People at my work could not believe the difference in me and all wanted to know what I had done. I have helped 20 plus people that I work with loose weight by telling them about WW and giving them ideas and encouragement.

As far as the over eating thing, I would save a lot of my points for the time of day I over-ate the most (evening) so I was able to splurge a little when I needed it the most.

Good luck!

#1 way to stop overeating is self-control; you have to figure out when and why you are eating when you do - is it because you are bored or hungry or you are social-eating?? Figure that out and then do what you can to avoid it. I wouldn't take anything to help you with it - just have a good diet and exercise and check nutritional facts. I always look at foods with low fat and sugar, high fiber content. That works for me...and I only make enough food for one meal instead of having a ton of leftovers so I won't be tempted to keep eating it. Also, the healthy food tends to fill you and and stay with you for longer, so if you are eating junk food, it is easier to keep eating it without being satisfied. If you are still hungry, just put healthy foods around you to grab for a snack so you won't be tempted to grab junk food....have bananas, plums, apples, granola bars, etc and pretty soon you won't be hungry any more. If you are bored, start a hobby or maybe make a special drink to curb your sweet tooth like strawberry lemonade or whatever you like...but make healthier low-sugar versions...if you're a social eater, try to plan activities that don't involve food, or go to a place that is a little healthier than the normal restaurants. (I love Salsarita's where they have bare burritos and fresh veggies). There are various websites that have the nutritional facts for restaurants and you can go online before going out of the house and decide ahead of time what you are going to order so you won't be tempted to get the higher calorie items. Also - when you are going to the grocery store, try to have a list ahead of time and stick to it - a little planning goes a long way.
Good luck!! Fortitude goes a long way with weight loss!!

You may want to do a Cleanse or Clean Program. Most Cleanse programs are designed to have you eat foods that are very easy to digest so that your body can focus on "healing" itself and detoxing (which is also a great idea if you are about to get pregnant) and the happy side effect is that you generally lose a lot of weight. Talk to your doctor about doing something like this.

I did a cleanse over the summer and it wasn't terribly difficult and I felt pretty good at the end. It was pretty straight forward cutting out the stuff that you'd expect aren't very good for you -- No caffeine, No alcohol, No Dairy, No red meat, No complex carbs.

So instead of white rice, you eat brown rice. Instead of steak, eat chicken or turkey. Dress your salads with olive oil and vinegar rather than creamy dressings. Instead of croutons, top your salad with walnuts or pecans. Instead of snacking on chips, snack on almonds or sliced veggies or an apple or peach. Instead of cheese or sour cream, use fresh guacomole or sliced avocado. Instead of having sugar or candy, have a fresh fruit salad. Substitute good fats for bad fats, good carbs for bad carbs and you don't have to count calories.

Good luck.

Hi, N. - I shop with a company that has awesome weight management products. No drugs! They have an awesome weight loss site: VFL.com. They have helped lots of people lose lots of weight - in a healthy way! Many times when people start taking their vitamins they will lose weight; getting the right nutrients can boost your metabolism. Feel free to contact me if you'd like more info. Good luck!

Hi N.! I don't know about any pills or anything, but I thought I'd share what I do to stay at a good weight (or lose a little!)

Drink a full glass of water before eating ANYTHING. Sometimes you are just dehydrated rather than actually hungry. Plus, water fills you up so you eat less.

When you get home from the grocery store, wash and cut all your veggies and put in little containers. I find I'll eat a few pieces of broccoli dipped in dressing if the I can just get the broccoli out of the fridge and eat it. If I have to cut something up each time, forget it. I also make 2 or 3 salads and put them in tupperware. I'm trying to get my husband to eat healthier, too. He's working from home today, so while I was making the kids' lunches I cut up another apple and put it in a bowl on the counter. I just noticed the bowl is empty. I know my husband would never have eaten an apple until it was sitting there looking at him like that! He'd grab a handful of chips instead.

Chew gum! When I'm bored I feel like eating something. I'll chew gum so nothing else can go in my mouth. Brushing my teeth helps too.

Keep a food journal - write down EVERYTHING you eat. This tended to curb my "picking" - did I really want to write down "3 potato chips" or "2 bites of my daughter's mac and cheese"? Not really, so I just wouldn't eat it.

Good luck to you!!!!

Green tea (optional)
Several small balanced meals (4-6) instead of 3 large ones
Switch to whole grains, fruits, veggies, and (lean) proteins
Moderate exercise (I use the Wii active)
Read labels...avoid foods with too much sodium, sugar, and processed/boxed...when you eat out of a box, its hard to gage what you're 'really' eating. The food journal is a good idea
Everyone looses/gains weight in different ways. Make sure to find the culprit, and best method for YOU.
Good Luck :)

N.:

I know your pain. However, taking a pill to lose weight is not the way to go.

Join Weight Watchers or some other type of group. Change your lifestyle - if you need a pill to lose weight - you could be doing more damage to yourself than you realize - diet pills are NOT controlled by the FDA - the supplements could have something in them that your body will NOT like - I have a cousin who took a diet pill - I think it was the same thing that Anna Nicole Smith took - and her body FLIPPED OUT - her heart is damaged and other things are going wrong.

Go to your primary care physician and ask to be referred to a nutritionalist who can help you with proportions, healthy options, etc. like instead of a candy bar - eat celery with peanut butter or cheese spread. Carrots with ranch dressing (yes, I know these things are calories, but you can work around those).

I have to go to a gym. I can't do the home gym thing. Start walking with the dog or girlfriends - get exercise - every little bit helps. Walk where you can - we live close enough for groceries that I can pull the boys wagon behind me and walk to the grocery store. I eat lunch or a snack before I go shopping so I don't impulse buy.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

You can try out for safflower oil in your daily cooking it will help you to loose weight and feel lite. Safflower oil strengthen the cell membrane, boost heart health, reduce the level of cholesterol in the body.
http://www.fightobesity.net/safflower-oil-weight-loss-fat...

Answering via my dad's profile:
I've lost weight before getting pregnant, and pregnant as we speak. I would not advocate taking a diet pill, as you're expected to gain weight with #3 anyway. As with others below, I would recommend some weight loss program that advocates a lifestyle change. I use a program based on the Lindora system. A book to utilize would be "Lean for Life".
I just returned from a business conference where we had a doctor utilizing the weight loss program (Healthpointe 2.0) in his practice. The things that change in my life after completing this program are portion sizes, hydration, types of snacks, moderate exercise, multivitamins, and types of food (more fruits, veggies, and whole foods instead of processed high-everything-else-except-the-good-for-you foods.) For the multi-vitamins, considering you'd need a prenatal anyway, the vitamins are a good start for your body to be prepared for pregnancy.
So in short, find something that works for you. If you need a support group, you can do an organzied weight loss program. If you're self-motivated, picking up the Lean-for-Life book, and utilizing those techniques will help.
And one other thing mentioned by the doctor at the business conference that really enlightened me was about caffeine. He said that caffeine inhibits the enzyme that our body produces to eliminate/lose fat. So if you choose the easy route via a pill, I would not select a stimulant, like caffeine, since the weight you lose would come right back, even if you weren't expecting to be pregnant after miracle weight loss.

First you need to find out WHY you are overeating...stress, boredom, loneliness, habit? There is always a reason we overeat and until you figure it out you will continue to do it. No pill or quick fix is good for you or your body. Start making wise food choices. One way you can look at is before you put it in your mouth ask yourself if you would feed it to your baby? If the answer is no then chose something else.

Start exercising, go for walks with your kids. Really think about what example you are setting for your current children...are they getting heavy because they are copying your overeating? Are they healthy and active or not so much?

Try a Weight Watchers meeting. I have lost 60lbs and am a much healthier and happier mom. I still have weight to go but I am making small changes that will benefit my health and my kids. Good luck!

Try cutting as much sodium out of your diet as possible. Sodium is actually an appetite stimulant, not to mention the previously posted effects of forcing your body to store more water and fat. You can also add cinnamon which is an appetite suppressant.

You can also try the cabbage soup diet. On this diet you can stuff yourself with as much of the soup as you want and just eat the other items as laid out in the diet. This way you're not hungry all of the time because you have something that is actually in the negative calorie range (meaning it takes more calories for your body to process it than it contains), to eat to keep you full. I've also modified this and just eat a bowl of soup before I eat anything else. This way I always eat much less of my other meals, but I'm still getting to eat the things I like in strict moderation.

I don't know how you could work in more exercise. Since this is #3 you of course already have two children to look after and are presumably as busy as any mom with two children, but it will help to increase your activity level in any way you can think of, even if it's playing with your kids outside more often.

Good luck to you.

There are good diets to keep you sated and control the feeling of hunger. Protein with every meal and every snack is very important. I have a great plan that will help you feel sated. All you have to do is 2 meal replacements a day. The other meal is normal and healthy (not large portions). If you would like details on the diet let me know.

Dear N. D.

This program worked for me. I lost 30 pounds in 10 weeks and kept it off.

http://www.anatomystery.com/2010/09/11/a-weight-loss-prog...

Be sure you click on the Weight Management link.

Good Luck

Kim

The excess weight can transfer into what you need to gain with the baby. the key is to get on the proper, doctor approved regimen-and put everyone in the house on it-including hubby! I empathize-and believe me-I , too, have weight to lose! My daughter gained fifty pounds with her first-she was underweight to begin with-but it has taken over nine months to take it off. You know the drill-keep the junk food out of the house-and have lots of fruit and veggies to snack on. I think it is easier to discipline yourself now-with healthy baby being your goal-then to lose it later when you are caring for an infant and two other children and you are so tired you want to rip your face off! Best of luck!

Please don't take a pill to "curb" your hunger. If you want to learn how to lose weight successfully and safely, check out SparkPeople.com It is an incredible FREE program that will help you. I've lost 50lbs in a year with the help of that program. No pills, No gimmicks, No "Fad" diets. Just great support, and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.