Tag Archives: weight gain

What’s The Deal With Pregnancy Weight Gain

One topic that can be both confusing and agonizing for pregnant women is the topic of weight gain. Not only do doctors and midwives sometimes differ on the advice that they dole out regarding how much gain to aim for, they differ in how they handle situations where their patients gain too much weight or do not gain enough weight. Now, consider that all of your friends and family have different opinions and experiences with the topic of pregnancy weight gain which they are all too happy to share with you whether you like it or not. Top it all … Continue reading →

Low-Calorie Potato Chips Contribute to Weight Gain

I’m not a big potato chip eater but for those who are, you might think that going the low-calorie way is better. After all, you get to enjoy the salty crunch of a chip yet you aren’t taking in as many calories. Well according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association (I am still trying to figure that one out…what do they have to do with this?), low-calorie chips could actually be contributing to weight gain. That’s because these low-calorie chips contain fat substitutes. It is believed that these can confuse the body’s regulation of food intake, … Continue reading →

Sleep More Weigh Less

How many hours of sleep do you average per night? Now, answer this: How much do you weigh? According to health experts, the two are co-related. Sigh! New mothers, single parents trying to juggle three jobs and raise decent kids, and you ladies working the nightshift, I have bad news for you: According to a new study, women who sleep 5 hours or less per night weigh more on average than those who sleep 7 hours. Double sigh! The study, conducted by researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, found that women who slept for 5 hours per … Continue reading →

Weighing in on Lightweights in Hollywood

Eva Longoria says she is fat, but there’s a reason. The “Desperate Housewives’” star is not expecting a baby, but her TV character has two kids and could be adding more in the future. Okay, I have to stop there. Are you rolling your eyes at the idea that the teeny tiny actress is being called out in the media about her new slightly fuller figure? If going from a size zero to a size one or two is getting “fat” then women around the world are in serious trouble. For those of you who don’t watch the popular ABC … Continue reading →

Stress and Weight Gain

Stress and weight gain are often linked due to the effects of stress on the physiology of a person. Stress is an active part of our lives and hardwired into our biological make up allowing us to fight or flee from threatening and dangerous situations. What served our prehistoric ancestors well in situations involving evading a predator or a hostile enemy, leaves us tense with little sign of relief in a traffic jam at rush hour or standing in a long line at the grocery store. Sometimes people cope with stress by eating. Eating doesn�t just fulfill an emotional need, … Continue reading →

An Alzheimer’s Side Effect I Never Expected

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I talk about Alzheimer’s disease a lot here in the Health Blog because it is slowly stealing my grandmother from us. When I’m faced with a problem, my first urge is research. I try to learn what I can (and when it is health related, share it here). So I’ve read a lot about Alzheimer’s disease — the different stages, the history, the treatments, and even some famous people who are dealing with it. But all my research didn’t warn us about this: as my grandmother has progressed through the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, she’s packed on a lot … Continue reading →

Weight a Minute! Obsessing Over the Scale

I have a love/hate relationship with my bathroom scale. Okay, let’s be completely honest – I have a resignation/hate relationship with my scale. I have gained back eleven of the pounds I lost a few months ago, and there are days when I’d just as soon throw my scale out the window than step on it. Although, depending on my self-esteem on any given day, I admit that standing on the scale is pretty good punishment for it. Take that, you scale! However, despite the fact that the numbers are higher than I would like, several people over the last … Continue reading →

Is Obesity Contagious?

Okay. You can’t “catch” obesity like you catch a cold. But obesity can spread like a disease through social networks, according to research from Harvard University. The Harvard study found that if a close friend gains an unhealthy amount of weight, your chances of packing on the pounds increase by more than fifty percent. If you and your overweight friend are the same gender, your chance of gaining an unhealthy amount of weight is more than seventy percent. Why? Because being around heavyset people might stretch your perception of what is appropriate in terms of body size. It isn’t a … Continue reading →

Weight a Minute! A Few of My Not Favorite Things

Nights without sleeping and children with yelling, Hours on footsies with frantic-paced selling, Trying to cope with the stress it all brings – These are a few of my not favorite things . . . Lisa Pietsch has been telling me for a long time that I need to get more sleep and reduce stress if I want to lose weight. I understand the principle, but to understand it and then to apply it are two entirely different things. With four small children, books to finish editing, a house to clean, and home schooling, my life is pretty hectic. Then … Continue reading →

Weight a Minute! The Unfortunate Potato Salad Incident

My mom makes to-die-for potato salad. She starts with potatoes that have been baked in foil and then diced, adds chopped radishes, green onions, olives and sweet pickles, and then stirs in a sauce of mayonnaise, mustard, and reserved sweet pickle juice. The crowning touch – bacon bits. This salad has been made for every special occasion during my whole lifetime, but because it’s labor intensive, it’s only made maybe twice a year, if that. Two weeks ago, I’d had a great week. I was making wise food choices, I’d been exercising, I’d taken off another pound (and got to … Continue reading →