Harvard Doctor on Weight Loss: It’s “a miracle that people aren’t even heavier than they are”
There are countless ways to lose weight, but they’re not all healthy. Nutritionists agree that nowadays it’s a lot harder to lose weight, considering how tasty food is.
An epidemiologist and nutrition expert at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Meir Stampfer, agrees that people experience a tough time when they try to lose weight because “there is so much great-tasting food, and it’s abundant and in your face all the time.
Stampfer has conducted a lot of long-term health studies and concluded that losing weight in a healthy manner should be based on limiting the amount of food, adding that:
“To me it’s kind of a miracle that people aren’t even heavier than they are.”
The size of portions have grown in the US with 138%, and food now contains a lot of sugar – especially the low-fat products.
Sara Seidelmann, who is a cardiologist and nutrition researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, has the same opinion:
“There’s absolutely nothing more important for our health than what we eat each and every day.”
Together, Stampfer and Seidelmann have written down some tips on how to lose weight for the long term.
Don’t Go on Low-Carb Diets
Seidelmann recently conducted a study which shows that people who eat either too few carbs or too many don’t live as much as those that eat about 50% carbs of their daily calorie intake.
Whole grains, nuts, beans, and vegetables are healthy foods.
Get Healthy Fats on That Plate
Stampfer says that “eating healthy fats helps people control their weight better than diets than exclude them.” Fatty foods make us feel full and contain more energy per gram than proteins and carbs.
Healthy fats come from olive oil, avocadoes, walnuts and chia seeds. There is fat even in oatmeal!
Eat A Little Less Than Usual
Reduce the amount of food you usually eat, and studies show that it might even help you live longer! Do not starve yourself, and as Stampfer suggests, “adopt a healthy diet, and eat just a little bit less.”
Strength Training
The brain and heart burn a lot of calories as you rest, but you can keep a healthy weight by adding a session of strength training, explains Stampfer:
“Muscle building can not only bring up your body’s metabolic rate, but also brings its own distinct health benefits that are often not as well appreciated as those associated with aerobic activity.”
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 2-3 regular strength session per week.
Muscle building will also help fight aging, improve mental health and fight off depression.
Healthy Food Doesn’t Have to Be Colorful
You don’t need a large colorful diet, as long as you get all nutrients from a few important healthy foods. University of Texas epidemiologist Marcia Otto said in an interview that:
“It’s O.K. if your diet is not very diverse if you’re focusing on healthy foods and trying to minimize consumption of unhealthy foods.”
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.
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