Author: Matthew Nuesse

Planning is Key

Oct 01, 2026

When embarking on journey that involves getting healthy, losing weight, or getting fit, planning is the number one strategy that can make or break your success. There is an old saying that “if you fail to plan then you plan to fail.” Many people we see in our health center are extremely motivated to change their health for the better. Unfortunately, most don’t know where to begin or how to do it long term. This is where a good plan can make all the difference. You will want to lay out in detail what you are going to do daily to maximize the chance that you will be successful. In our coaching sessions we have people take extremely specific actions daily. You might need to weigh yourself every day, track what and when you are eating, take certain vitamins at a particular time. The planning process will help with consistency and that will lead to better results!

We have the Responsibility to Live at a Healthy Weight

Sep 17, 2026

It is my belief that we not only have the ability to live at a healthy weight, but that we also have the responsibility to do so. We owe it to ourselves, our ancestors, and our community. In this blog post I would like to discuss this key concept that I often bring up with patients.

Today we live in the most advanced society ever. We have extraordinary modern conveniences, access to the best healthcare ever, and the ability to improve our social position if we choose to. Simply by living today we are among the luckiest human beings ever to live. I have no doubt that any English Lord from 1000 years ago would gladly change positions with a regular working-class American citizen of today. The advancements and potential increase in life expectance outweighs the power and prestige of being a nobleman.

On top of this, we are also fortunate enough to live in a developed society. Make no mistake, much of the world’s population still lives in situations that would make most Americans gasp. In this respect we are among the luckiest of the lucky. We are the societal lottery winners. And yes, I consider it just dumb luck that we ended up in this situation.

With all these advantages we have an obligation to lead the healthiest and most productive lives that we can. Just to be clear, I am not saying that we have no excuse for being overweight or living with preventable health conditions, I am saying that we have a responsibility to not live this way. We have a responsibility not to waste the opportunity that we have been given. The other 99% percent of human beings that have lived on the earth would gladly change places with you AND do their absolute best to live a happy AND healthy life.

I know that losing weight (if you are overweight), maintaining weight and living healthy can seem cumbersome. It gets to a point where some of us are so accustomed to convenience and ease that we completely reject anything that is difficult. Make no mistake, doing things that are a bit difficult and then reaping the reward of your efforts is one of the foundations for a fulfilling life.

So again, in my opinion, we have a responsibility to make ourselves a bit uncomfortable to make our lives better. We are talking here specifically about health, but the same mentality could be used to improve financial circumstances, relationships, or any other aspect of our lives that we control.

One final thought on our responsibility to be as healthy as we can, if we are dealing with preventable disease (this certainly doesn’t apply to those who are dealing with health conditions outside of there control), you owe it to your direct neighbors to improve your health as well. Healthcare is exceedingly expensive for all, and a lot of that cost is driven up by preventable disease. Health issues also contribute to a lack of productivity which, inevitably, hurts the economy. So, if you are not going to do it for your ancestors or those on the other side of the globe, focus on your health for yourself and your neighbors.

UDF Protein Shake Review

Sep 03, 2026

United Dairy Farmer’s protein shakes – sounds delicious and healthy. But are they truly a “healthy” alternative to the traditional malt? In this blog we will discuss calories, carbs, protein, as well as give an opinion on taste.

First things first, there are about a dozen different varieties of protein shakes to choose from at UDF. They have everything from traditional chocolate and vanilla to peanut butter and cappuccino. All have around 28 grams of protein which is more than a traditional malt at UDF. We were told by a worker that the higher protein content was due to the ice cream they specifically use for the protein shakes; ice cream which has a higher cream content.

Ok – so what about calories and carbohydrates of these versus the traditional malts? When we looked up this information, we were surprised to find that for the chocolate version (the one we tried) the calories and carbs (sugar) were HIGHER in the protein shake as compared to the traditional malt.

Now on to taste. We found the chocolate protein shake tasted like a Wendy’s chocolate frosty. This was not a bad thing, but we prefer the traditional malt shake taste more. Essentially it makes it a toss up on taste, all dependent on personal preference.

When it comes to what is healthier, we base our opinion on the fact that we are always looking for options that support weight loss and weight management goals. Thus, based on the nutrition content, the UDF protein shakes would not be a good option for someone focusing on either of these goals. It would be better to treat on a traditional malt than be deceived into thinking consuming more protein in a shake makes it healthy.

Why Exercise Isn’t the Best Start for Losing Weight

Aug 20, 2026

When it comes to losing weight one of the first things most people will try is exercise. Anything from going for a walk to high intensity interval training has been touted by some to help with weight loss. In this post I am going to introduce recent research that may contradict this notion.

According to recent research, exercise is not the best way to jump start a weight loss program. There are a few reasons for this. First, exercise will account for a small portion of your daily calorie burn. Most of the calories you use in a day is due to normal daily activities. Secondly, exercise can lead to eating more calories than we burn. Obviously, you will get hungry after exercise. Most people, however, eat more calories after exercise than the amount of calories they used. Third, exercise can lead to slowing down actively in other parts of your daily life (i.e., resting up). This can negate the overall calories burned in a day.

It is for this reason that in we advocate first starting with implementing a sensible diet over exercise. Creating a nutrition foundation first creates a solid base for building in activity down the road.

How Important is Tracking During a Weight Loss Journey?

Aug 06, 2026

Tracking things like your food, nutrition supplements, weight, water, etc. can seem like an extremely tedious task when beginning a weight loss journey. It can seem much simpler to just keep general mental notes about how you are progressing. So how important is tracking when trying to lose weight? My short answer is that it is invaluable for several reasons which I will detail in this blog post. In our weight loss offices we always have our clients track what they are doing. The main reason we have them track is that doing so gives us information that we can use to make plan adjustments along the way. Let’s say for example that your weight isn’t changing like we expected it to. In this scenario we can look at the pattern of weight loss on the tracking sheet to determine if changes are needed. Another key reason to track is your tracking sheet keeps a record of times that you have been “off plan.” If you are not following the plan that was working for you, you should not expect the same results.

So what should you be tracking? As stated above, the minimum level of detail we ask our weight loss clients to track is daily weight, all food consumed, supplements taken, water consumption and any notes or feelings they had throughout the day. Tracking can seem tedious at times but is a smart habit to implement if you want to lose weight right and avoid unnecessary frustration.

The Top 4 Techniques for Fast Weight Loss

Jul 30, 2026

So what specifically do we do? I get this question all the time. I often write about different techniques and methods to lose weight. I also review certain “diets” that are popular (especially with celebrities). I do, however, feel that there is a core set of techniques that are especially important when trying to lose weight. In this blog I would like to describe these four techniques in detail.

First off, I need to preface this entire blog by stating that when I refer to “weight loss” what I really mean is “fat loss.” There are certainly some easy ways to gimmick the scale to move lower which are unhealthy and unproductive. We don’t want our clients to be temporarily tricking the scale by losing water weight, or even worse, by losing muscle mass. While I understand that everyone who wants to lose weight inherently wants to reduce body fat, with some plans the two do not go hand in hand. With that out of the way let’s talk about the four most important weight loss techniques/strategies/tools (these can be used interchangeably) in my opinion.

Whenever a new patient comes into our weight loss center, we always have them change their diet. For some this can be a complete overhaul of how they are eating and for some it is only a slight modification. It is obvious dietary modification is essential for weight loss. It is important, however, to change your diet based on your individual needs. Gender, age, metabolism, health history and even likes and dislikes all play a factor in what eating plan will work for you. It is for this reason that we evaluate each of our weight loss clients thoroughly before making any recommendations.
Second, and of equal importance, is the taking of certain natural products to make the process easier. We will often make recommendations to our clients about taking certain supplements. These can help with hunger, stress, nutritional deficiencies, or simply help speed up the weight loss process. You should only use products that are natural and have no chance of forming a dependency. Some examples of products that we recommend include green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones.
Now let’s talk about support and accountability. If losing weight and maintaining it were easy we would not have the current obesity epidemic. The fact is people need to be surrounded with support, guidance and need to be held accountable for their actions. Without a proper support system any well intentioned plan is bound to fail in my opinion.
Finally let’s talk about maintenance. Eventually all our weight loss clients no longer want or need to lose weight. While this is certainly a cause for celebration, we need to have a maintenance program already in place, so we don’t end up back in the same situation. In our offices the mentality of maintenance begins on day one. We treat weight loss as an inevitability if our methods are followed. Maintenance, in many cases, is where diet programs fail.

I hope this helps answer some of the questions about how I advise our weight loss clients. Please contact one of our offices if you have further questions.

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.