Every month, it seems another new diet makes headlines, promising a quick, simple way to drop pounds. But the reality is there’s no magic bullet.
“Weight management and health management are synonymous,” says Karen Handy, adult weight management director at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “If you focus on a healthy lifestyle, weight loss can follow.”
But weight loss theory can sound deceptively simple, says Mills-Peninsula primary care physician Lisa Hladik, M.D. “The less calories in, the more calories out through exercise – the weight comes off.” In practicality, however, people who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off make gradual - not drastic - changes in their diet and exercise routines.
“It’s about being realistic with yourself and asking, ‘What’s gotten in the way of me making these changes?’” says Handy. “See if you can problem-solve and come up with a new approach to weight loss.” Here are ways to help.