Category Archives: Uncategorized

Have you ever heard the term “Harm Reduction?” It is a concept that encourages better health habits without total abstinence. For example, if you are a mental health worker and one of your clients drinks a six-pack every night, encouraging her to drink one or two beers would be harm reduction. We’re not looking forContinue reading “Harm Reduction Could Be for You”

As we get closer to our publication date, Karen is reviewing some of the most significant texts that we read over the past few years. In Stop Losing and Win, we discuss Intuitive Eating, a concept (and excellent book) by Tribole and Resch, both registered dieticians. The authors teach their readers how to tune into body sensationsContinue reading “Control Your Environment”

My physical therapist was here this week and she mentioned that she had gained 10 pounds during the COVID-19 crisis. I did a quick calculation: “Goodness! I gained 20!” I’m not sure why I was so surprised–I know exactly how I did it. I have always been an emotional eater, and I am perennially happyContinue reading “The COVID 20 and Developing A Plan”

Having major surgery has put much of my life out of control. I can’t move the way I always have. Pain is intrusive. Time doesn’t even behave itself, foreshortening and stretching out in strange ways. In situations like this, I find that I need a plan for self-care more than ever. This plan doesn’t haveContinue reading “Little Steps on the Space-Time Continuum”

Both regular exercise and eating right feel really good. What is it, then, that has me dragging my feet when it comes time for the daily walk or exercise class? What attracts me to junky food, like a moth to the flame? What, pray tell, is that lethargy, thick as maple syrup, that sticks meContinue reading “Why is Inertia so Sticky?”

It is strange and new to have the scale telling me I have gained weight—and still feel good about myself. As a matter of fact, I am not absolutely sure why I feel so good in my skin. But one reason, I’m guessing, has been a real commitment to fitness that was spurred by myContinue reading “I Feel Good, Like I Knew That I Would!”

This is the time of year when hundreds of millions of people resolve to live better in the coming year. Atthe top of the list is losing the Christmas cookie weight plus a few additional pounds. Fitness is anotheroft-made goal, as you swear to Gods of the New Year that you will work out atContinue reading “Need a New Year’s Resolution?”

Believe you me, I know the feelings that bubble up when the scale is not cooperating! It’s as if all of yourgoodness, your many achievements, and your value as a human being simply disappear the momentthat dreaded number shows up. However, it’s important to note that this is but an illusion. You are fullyintact: intelligent,Continue reading “Weight Management is Not a Moral Issue”

It’s strange. I feel exposed and vulnerable since I put on 15 pounds. Here I am, a weight maintenance guru, failing to follow her most basic guidelines. Nonetheless, I have done it, and now I’m doing that thing we say never to do unless it’s a real emergency: dieting. I started a week ago whenContinue reading “Weight Gain is What Happens When You are Paying Attention to Something Else”

In a nutshell, no, it is not. According to registered dietician Ashley Jordan Ferira (2022), there are several metrics that are more meaningful when it comes to your overall health such as blood sugar, blood lipids, and inflammation levels. Even waist circumference and blood pressure are better measures of health than BMI which fails toContinue reading “Is BMI the End All and Be All of Good Health?”