Episode 27: What we can control about obesity (The Abstract #4)

There are many things about us and around us that may increase our risk for obesity: the genes we were dealt at birth, the number of fast food restaurants in our neighbourhood and the unhealthy foods sold at grocery stores. A recently published paper in JAMA suggest that even having a cesarean birth may possibly increase our risk for obesity later in life. Many of these we can’t control. But there is something we can: our lifestyle! We may not be able to control how we were born but we can choose to eat, move, love, work and sleep in a healthier way that will help us stay at a healthier weight.

Links

Mode of delivery and childhood obesity: is there a cause for concern?

The Abstract is a special edition of the Lifestyle Is Medicine podcast where we explore a recently published peer-reviewed scientific paper so you can stay up-to-date on the latest research on how our lifestyle is medicine.

The Lifestyle Is Medicine podcast is produced by Pathways to Wholeness Lifestyle Medicine in Toronto, Canada. Pathways is a medical centre that promotes wholistic health through lifestyle medicine. Pathways provides compassionate, evidence-based medical care at two clinics in Toronto: the North York Lifestyle Medicine Clinic and Junction Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. Learn more at: www.pathwaystowholeness.ca

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Episode 19: How I lost weight (and kept it off!) using whole foods plant-based eating

In this episode we chat with Ben Feagan and hear his inspiring journey to a healthier weight using whole foods plant-based eating.

Ben has experienced it all. He was bullied as a child for his weight and tried various approaches to lose weight with little success. But then he learned about Seventh-day Adventists - one of the longest living people groups in the world - and the whole foods, plant-based eating pattern they promote, and everything changed. He lost weight and has successfully kept it off. Tune in to hear how the simple yet powerful principles of plant-based eating transformed Ben’s life.

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Episode 18: Sleepy and Heavy: The link between sleep and weight you need to know about

When we think of our weight, few of us will think about sleep. But did you know emerging science is showing a connection between poor sleep and weight gain?

We're so wired (literally) and busy that a good nights sleep is becoming an increasingly elusive part of our modern way of life. Yet, if we want to get our weight under control, prioritizing sleep is critical. In this episode, we explore some of the science showing a link between sleep and weight, the physiological basis for this link and end with some practical sleep hygiene tips.

Links

Sleep Calculator

Association between reduced sleep and weight gain in women

The association between sleep duration and weight gain in adults: a 6-year prospective study from the Quebec Family Study

Sleep, obesity and weight loss in adults: Is there a rationale for providing sleep interventions in the treatment of obesity?

Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite

The role of sleep timing in caloric restriction and BMI

Circadian system, sleep and endocrinology

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Episode 17: Be a Weight Loss Champion - The lifestyle medicine secrets of people who've lost weight and kept it off

In this episode, we explore the million dollar question: How do we lose weight AND keep it off? For the answer, we take a look at the Weight Control Registry, a database of thousands of individuals who’ve successfully maintained significant weight loss for over a year. What do they do to achieve such long-term success? Listen in for the answer.

Topics covered:

• Fork vs Feet: Is diet or exercise more important for weight loss?

• How much exercise is recommended for weight loss?

• What do the weight loss champions in the National Weight Control Registry do to maintain weight loss long-term?

Links

National Weight Control Registry

Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (CSEP)

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Episode 16: What should I eat for a healthier weight?

Lifestyle medicine offers a sensible, science-based and absolutely delicious way of eating for lifelong healthier weight. And unlike fad diets, this way of eating is not new - the healthiest populations have been eating this way for years. Listen in to find out.

Topics include:

• What should we eat?

• When should we eat?

• Extreme diets to avoid

• How many meals is best for weight management?

• And more!

Links

Scientific evidence for plant-based eating and weight management (ACLM)

Meal frequency and timing with Hana Kahleova

Meal frequency and timing are associated with changes in body mass index in Adventist Health Study 2 (Journal of Nutrition)

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Episode 15: How NOT to Diet - Lessons from the Biggest Loser

Up and down, up and down.

This is the experience of so many of us who are trying to shed some pounds. We lose the weight but it all comes roaring back. Why is that? And why are so many weight loss approaches so ineffective?

For the answer, we turn, ironically, to the hit show, The Biggest Loser.

Join us for part 1 of a series of episodes on a lifestyle medicine approach to weight loss.

Links

Persistent metabolic adaption 6 years after the Biggest Loser Competition (Obesity)

Lifestyle medicine approach to weight management (ACLM)

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