Health

Category: Health

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.

Does a Poor Diet Cause Depression?

Jul 16, 2026

Today’s blog is going to focus on the relationship between food and mood. More specifically, does a diet filled with junk food cause depression? First off, it would be easy for me to make a snap judgement and say, “of course it does.” My life, after all, revolves around helping people make healthy changes to their diet to lose weight naturally. Instead of just assuming a poor diet causes any number of health conditions I prefer to look at the data and interpret it.

My simple answer to the question of “does a poor diet cause weight loss?” is NO. As shocking as this revelation may be I believe, based on what I have read, that there is another factor that causes both a poor diet and depression. So let’s look at the research.

One popular study on the link between diet and mood found that: “A dietary pattern characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and low intakes of animal foods was associated with a decreased risk of depression. A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and high-fat gravy, and low intakes of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression.” This sounds like a slam-dunk right. One’s diet obviously effects mood and can lead to depression.

We can’t stop here, however. What if the people in the study were depressed and then turned to easy junk foods for comfort? Luckily, researchers wondered about this as well and in another large analysis they looked at baseline diet and then calculated the risk of participants later developing depression. They found that, “A healthy diet (the Mediterranean diet as an example) was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing depressive symptoms.”

So that should put a bow on it. Diet directly affects mood. But wait, earlier I said that I don’t think this is the case. So why am I quoting all this research stating that food does affect mood? The reason is that I still don’t think that the research has dived deep enough to really uncover the source of the depression.

Correlation does not mean causation. Just because two factors happen together does not mean that one causes another. So what could cause both a poor diet and depression? The research is clear on this. Income-inequality, more specifically, having an extremely low income compared to the general society can contribute directly to a depressive state. People with a lower income are also much more likely to choose cheap, fatty, and unhealthy food.

In conclusion, I believe that maintaining a healthy diet can be beneficial in countless ways. It may even make you feel a little better emotionally. I don’t however believe that diets directly cause depression. Depression and poor diet can be seen to be more easily caused by having low income.

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.

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.

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.

5 Tricks for More Rapid Weight Loss

Apr 23, 2026

There are ways that you can temporarily trick your body into losing weight more rapidly. We often use these techniques in our weight loss clinic. Let’s go over 5 tricks you can use today to speed up your weight loss journey.

Drink more water. Increasing water will do several things to speed up weight loss. An increase in water intake will increase your metabolism, make you less hungry, and keep your weight from fluctuating due to digestion.
Use alternative products. Using alternative products with no calories or reduced carbohydrates is a good way to keep your diet from becoming boring while also speeding up results. Products like Mio, Zevia soda, and Palmini pasta are used in our weight loss clinics to help patients through their programs.
Snack only when hungry. Don’t snack out of boredom or routine. Learn to identify when you are hungry and snack on protein.
Eat all food in 6 hrs. This is called intermittent fasting. In our weight loss clinic we often use intermittent fasting to speed up weight loss. Research suggests that an 18-hr. fast is ideal for fat loss.
Write everything down. In our offices this is called tracking. This is a great way to understand how your body responds to your specific plan.

Try these techniques out or add them to your program to maximize the speed of your weight loss!

Does being overweight really lead to health problems?

Mar 05, 2026

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.