Author: Matthew Nuesse

Selfishness is Necessary for Weight Loss

Jul 09, 2026

In this post I would like to discuss a major mental barrier that we often encounter in our weight loss centers. This issue, for lack of a better term, is the fear of being selfish. The term “selfish” has an obvious negative connotation. And this connotation is well deserved if we use the definition stated by Merriam-Webster. The dictionary defines selfish as “concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself: seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others”. In my opinion, and in the opinion of many philosophers throughout history, selfishness is not necessarily a negative thing. According to Nietzsche, selfishness is a valuable trait for an individual to possess as it allows the person to achieve more from their own life. The desire to better one’s own situation does not need to be conflated with the disregard for another’s feelings or needs. These two things do not need to go together. Voltaire said the same thing in a similar way. He stated that “It is better to be a gay monster, than a sentimental bore”. His statement basically means that it is better to focus on one’s self and self-improvement than to always be focused on what others are doing.

We get so caught up in what other people are doing, whether it is celebrity gossip or politics, and generally these are situations we have absolutely no control over. We feed off gossip and friends’ drama. For Nietzsche, Voltaire, and myself, these are a waste of energy. A focus on self-improvement is the most noble of pursuits. It is the best path towards personal fulfillment and simultaneously the best way to improve society.

So, what does all of this have to do with weight loss? Quite simply, selfishness is required to live at a healthy weight in a society that is set up for people to be overweight. To lose weight and to maintain that weight loss you must be willing to do things that put your health first. You must be willing to order at restaurants that may cause the waiter to have to write down a bit more. You must be willing to decline invitations to go to the bar because you need to get a workout in. You must put yourself and your needs first.

What comes along with this are other emotions that are often seen as negative, these being pride and vanity. In my opinion, neither of these are negative either. People have the right to feel good about how they look. People should feel pride if they are able to lose weight and improve their health. Embrace these emotions. Understand that if you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin that you are not a bad person for wanting to change that (in fact, quite the opposite in my opinion!). If you accomplish a goal that few others can, you should know that you put in the work and embrace that pride. These are significant motivators that can keep you from sliding back into old patterns. Pride is good. So be a gay monster.

Diet Coke and Weight Loss

Jul 02, 2026

People often want to use a variety of “diet” or “0 calorie” products when trying to lose weight. Today we are going to talk about one of the most popular diet products out there, Diet Coke. Is it a good tool for weight loss or not?

Firstly, Diet Coke is a 0-calorie drink. It will not add any calories to your daily intake. With this being said, it should be a slam dunk “yes” for is this a useful product when trying to lose weight. It is not that simple, however. We are constantly asked about diet sodas in our weight loss centers. The truth is that there has been research linking diet sodas to weight gain at a higher rate than even regular soda. How could this be if Diet Coke has 0 calories? Most of the research I have read on it boils it down to 2 hypotheses. First, the artificial sweeteners in Diet Coke may artificially elevate insulin and make it harder for you to metabolize fat. Second, your body recognizes the sweet sensation when you ingest an artificial sweetener, but it does not get the caloric reward. You, therefore, become hungrier for sweets and are more susceptible to straying from the diet you are on.

With solid alternatives like Zevia soda, my opinion is that we can leave Diet Coke alone when trying to lose weight. This is what I always instruct my patients who are trying to lose weight quickly.

Does Quality of Sleep Improve Weight Loss?

Jun 25, 2026

In this blog post we will look at the relationship between sleep and weight loss. More specifically we will try and determine if getting more quality sleep can help you lose weight.

First off, it is common knowledge that getting good quality sleep is important to overall health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults ages 18-60 get at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night to maintain proper health. There really is no debate that a good nigh sleep can help with mood, injury recovery, energy level, etc. But just because getting a quality night’s sleep is healthy does not mean that it will help you lose weight.

So let’s turn to a recently published article studying the relationship between sleep and weight. The report, from 2022, showed that a low-calorie diet improved the length and quality of sleep. This makes sense. If you are taking in fewer calories your body will want to slow down activity and get more rest. This is a great additional benefit of low-calorie dieting but does not prove that sleep contributes to weight loss.

The study went on to demonstrate that a lack of proper sleep can interfere with maintaining weight after a significant loss. So we can answer the question of “Does quality sleep improve weight loss?” with “not really.” Sleeping better does not seem to contribute directly to losing weight but does seem to help those who have lost weight to maintain longer.

“Cheating” On Your Diet

Jun 18, 2026

I was recently on a weeklong vacation. Even when I am traveling, I like to try to eat as healthy as possible and keep my activity level up. During my trip I was consistently uploading to my social media pictures of the different restaurants we were eating at and how I ordered healthy dishes. After a few of these posts I thought to myself, “Maybe everyone else doesn’t want to eat this way on vacation.” I was making these posts to prove that it is possible to maintain a diet even when traveling but I felt that it came off as “you better maintain your diet when traveling.” I 100% do not believe this to be that case. In our weight loss offices we teach our clients that losing weight and eating healthy needs to be balanced with living a life you enjoy. Because of this my next post was on this topic exactly. Here is what I wrote, “Reality check! Our last few posts have been about staying on plan even when on vacation. The truth is – being 100% on plan 100% of time isn’t realistic. You should never feel guilty about having your favorite meal or indulging occasionally. This program is for life and in life sometimes you just want some lasagna and garlic bread 😁.” If you are trying to reshape your relationship with food to slim down, get healthy, feel more confident, etc. it is important to remember that sometimes you are going to give into cravings and that is okay. In our weight loss offices we never use the term “cheating” when referring to eating junk food. We simply call these situations “choices.” If you choose to have pizza, ice cream, French fries, etc. you should never feel ashamed or like you have messed up. You simply made a choice which will cause your body (and potentially weight) to behave in a certain way. If you go into these situations knowing the outcome and are ready to resume afterwards, I think straying from a strict diet can actually be a good thing. Doing so can drive home the point that a few slices of pizza will not completely derail a solid weight loss plan.

How Important Is Water for Weight Loss?

Jun 11, 2026

Let’s talk about an often-overlooked part of a weight loss journey – water intake. Of course most of us understand that keeping yourself hydrated is a healthy thing to do. Sufficient water intake can improve your energy and mood, aid digestive health, and even help you look younger. Obviously staying hydrated is important but can it aid in weight loss?

In our weight loss centers we highly encourage our clients to stick to a hydration routine when actively trying to lose weight. Our recommendation is to try to drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. I am one to always look for the scientific “why?” with programs I suggest. In this case there is evidence that staying hydrated can aid in weight loss in at least two major ways. Let’s look at one study from 2013 which looked at 50 overweight women. In this study they were asked to drink an additional 500 ml of water per day. The results were significant reductions in not only their weight but also their body fat from pre-study measurements. A similar study showed that dieters who drank 500 ml of water before meals lost 44% more weight than those on similar plans who did not consume the additional water.

So what are the two ways that researchers believe that water aids weight loss? First, it is understood that proper hydration keeps the body’s metabolism running more efficiently, leading to an increase in calories burned. Secondly, drinking more water can make you feel full. This can lead to fewer calories being taken in. So try increasing your water intake if on a weight loss journey. Even without changing your regular routine you may start seeing noticeable results.

Do GLP-1’s Slow Natural GLP-1 Production?

Jun 04, 2026

In this blog post I want to review an interesting article I just read regarding GLP-1 medications. The article was posted on BBC.com for those interested in reading it in its entirety.

One of the major (not the only major, just one of the major) issues with the new GLP-1 drugs (tirzepatide and semaglutide) used for weight loss is that once a patient stops using the drugs they almost always regain the weight lost. A study in 2021 showed that After 68 weeks of semaglutide injections, the average patient lost more than 15% of their body weight, but within 12 months of treatment ending, patients regained two thirds of their prior weight loss on average. On top of this, the weight gain happened much more rapidly than the weight loss. The question is “why?”

Dr. Martin Whyte states in the article that the doses of GLP-1 provided by semaglutide and tirzepatide are far greater than the body would naturally expect to receive, he says, which may suppress the body’s ability to secrete GLP-1 on its own. As a result, people’s hunger may return even more voraciously when they cease their doses. He hypothesizes that taking GLP-1 medication makes it more difficult for your body to make its own, natural, GLP-1. GLP-1 regulates hunger naturally so not producing it can cause hunger to become out of control. He goes on to state, “What may be happening, and we don’t know for sure, is that when you stop them, your body’s left in a GLP-1 deficit which has a major impact on the satiety signal going to the brain.”

Again, this is an assumption made by Dr. Whyte. Unfortunately, before approving this medication, this mechanism was not confirmed. The mechanism does make sense, however, if we look at how other natural hormones produced by the body respond when we take synthetic versions. When women go through hormone replacement therapy or men start testosterone replacement therapy, the extra hormones the receive exogenously slow the natural production of hormones in the body.

If this is the case, then the only treatment for success is to treat with these medications for life. This point is underscored by another doctor quoted in the article. Dr. Domenica Rubino states that “I try to explain that these are chronic medications, but everyone secretly feels, ‘Yeah, but you know what, I’m different, and once I hit my weight goal, I’ll be ok.’ But the reality is, the brain is quite powerful.”

The warning here, in my estimation, is that if you are going to start these drugs to lose weight then you better be prepared to stay on them for the rest of your life. You must also fully understand the long-term side effects and costs associated with taking them. I, along with Dr. Rubino, see a severe disconnect with this reality and the perception of people starting these medications for weight management. It is up to health care professionals to fully educate patients on these, and other issues, related to taking medications before recommending treatment.

Does Being Overweight Really Lead to Health Problems?

May 28, 2026

In this post I would like to discuss the health implications of being overweight. I want to stick to science and data here, as there are a lot of misconceptions about being overweight and how it affects overall health.

In our weight loss offices our primary focus is to improve the health of the clients we work with. This goal even takes precedent over simply reducing the number on the scale. There are certainly many unhealthy ways to lose weight which may contribute to more health problems. These ways we want to avoid at all costs.

So what does science say about being overweight and the impact it may have on overall health? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are several health disorders that may increase in incident due to being overweight. This list includes high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, gall bladder disease, cancer, depression, and arthritis. Certainly, this is not an all-encompassing list, but it comes from one of the most reputable sources available. Harvard University also sites being overweight to an increase in memory loss and reproductive issues.

It is important to note, however, that some people can keep their health and be overweight. Whether this is due to luck, good genetics, or some other factor is unknown. Continually monitoring your health at least annually will provide the information and data you need to determine if weight is or is not affecting your personal health and wellness.

Doctors Agree! Low Carbohydrate Diets are Better than Low Calorie Diets

May 21, 2026

I recently read an article on Today.com entitled, “Can’t lose weight by eating less? Why low-carb diets may be the solution.” In this article several doctors were interviewed and compared low calorie diets to low carbohydrate diets like keto. They were all in agreement that low carbohydrate diets were superior to their low-calorie counterparts. They listed a few different reasons for this.

First, the doctors stated that dieting by restricting calories was harder to maintain. Dr. David Ludwig was quoted as saying, “While people can lose weight over the short term, very few people can manage to ignore their hunger and fight through those metabolic problems to maintain their weight loss.” If you are not satisfied with what you are eating while trying to lose weight, then you are bound to fail. In our practice we are huge believers in this principal. The client must enjoy the process of losing weight. This is the reason we have created hundreds of compliant and delicious recipes, dining out guides, tasty pre-approved products, etc.

The second reason they stated low-carb is superior to low-cal is that low-carb diets better control insulin. Dr. Ludwig was again quoted as stating; “Insulin — you can think of (it) as the ultimate fat cell fertilizer. Too much insulin, fat cells get programmed to hoard calories. So there aren’t too many calories in the blood stream. And that’s why we get hungry.” In our weight loss offices we focus on insulin control. As Dr. Ludwig states, “Insulin elevation programs your body to prefer carbohydrate metabolism instead of fat metabolism.” Low carbohydrate diet, like the ones we use with our clients, keep insulin levels low, allowing more fat to be metabolized that with simply cutting calories.

As a final thought, I am a big fan of the low carb/low-cal model, which combines the effectiveness of both. I have found it to be more effective than either individual strategy and also maintainable for life.

Permanent and Natural Weight Loss – Part 2

May 15, 2026

In the last blog we talked about the concepts of losing weight naturally and permanently. In this blog I would like to go through some specifics on how to do just that. There are 3 main concepts that we teach patients in our weight loss centers to help them along their weight loss journey. Here are the top 3…

Eliminate refined carbohydrates – this does not necessarily mean to eliminate ALL Carbohydrates are found in vegetables and fruit and are healthy when taken in this way. Refined carbs on the other hand add no nutritional value and spike insulin immediately causing an immediate halt in fat loss. The foods we have our weight loss clients eliminate include candy, bread, pasta, sodas, etc.
Fast – There is a lot of strong evidence suggesting that intermittent fasting stimulates fat loss. Most of the data points to eating all food in 6 hours and then having a period of 18 hours where you don’t eat as the best combination for weight loss. In our offices this will be a typical pattern that we will recommend to our weight loss clients.
Work through plateaus – “stick-to-itiveness” is an especially important concept when trying to lose weight. There are going to be periods of slow loss even if doing everything correctly. These are typically called weight loss plateaus. There are many techniques to break these plateaus, but sometimes it just comes down to sticking with it and waiting it out.

I hope these three tips are helpful if you are trying to lose weight naturally and then keep it off permanently.

Permanent and Natural Weight Loss Part 1

Apr 30, 2026

Many people in the United States are looking to lose weight. Intuitively they want to lose body fat and keep it off for life. In part one of these two-part series I will discuss a few key points to permanent and natural weight loss.

In our weight loss centers we focus on getting people to lose weight, for that weight lost to be fat, and then build habits so the weight loss sticks for life. There are a few keys points that we focus on with our clients to help bring this concept into focus.

First, we want people to focus on changing their body composition (losing fat) and not simply losing as much weight as they can as fast as possible. I will go into more detail about how to achieve this in part two. This is a critical piece of the mindset when starting a weight loss journey. If you just want to lose weight fast, you could fall into the trap of losing water weight, or even worse, muscle.

Second, in our weight loss centers we advocate for not building a dependency on products to lose weight. Don’t get me wrong, there are some powerful and natural substances that can and should be used temporarily to help a person start the process of weight loss. We do not want people, however, to ever feel like these products are “necessary” long term to maintain their weight. Certain healthy products and supplements can be used for life, just understand that the power to maintain your weight comes from you.

Third, you must be OK with going through plateaus. Weight loss is going to stall from time to time even if you are doing everything right. Working through these stalls (again, more on plateau breakers in an upcoming post) can be the real difference from those who are successful long term and those who are not.

I hope this helps if you are just starting off on a weight loss journey. Please be on the lookout for part 2 which will include the particulars on how to lose weight permanently and naturally.