Daily Weighing? No Way!

Weighing yourself daily is one of the worst things you can do for yourself. It is not healthy for you to weigh yourself every day. The number on the scale is not the important part of your health or your quest for health. Your weight will fluctuate every day, and because we become emotionally tied to our weight, the ups and downs of everyday weight fluctuations can become very stressful. Weigh yourself once a week. Other than that, just stick with your healthy eating choices and workout routine. The weight loss will be gradual, but it will come. Now get off that scale!

You've Got to Stay Motivated

When you are trying to lose weight, you must stay motivated. A healthy lifestyle is not a one day, one month, or even a one year thing. Of course, there are barriers to a healthy lifestyle, and you must recognize your barriers and overcome them. It's like the movie "What About Bob" - you need to start with reasonable goals. Baby steps, as Bob would say. Take each day one at a time and make smart choices when eating and drinking.

Your Time is Precious - Use It Well!

In February's issue of Teen People, I am quoted as an expert in an article about how to manage your time successfully (pg 92--on news stands now). While time-management may not seem related to being healthy, it is actually really important. First--when you are always rushing around and super, over-busy, you don't leave yourself enough time to eat healthily (yeah, that's you chowing down a quick donut or bag of chips) or to exercise (no, running from activity to activity isn't exercise). What's more, you're probably not sleeping enough either and you may not know it, but lack of sleep makes it difficult to lose weight. Seriously, I am not kidding--it's chemical!! Check out one of these articles on MSN.com or USA Today.com. They both say about the same thing. So, organize your time so you can get everything in and still eat healthily, exercise and get enough rest.
Well, I'm off to work out, eat a healthy lunch and then take a nap (okay, so not the nap, but the rest is true!!)
Dr. Susan

Weight Loss and Health Should Go Together

In the 1/9 issue of People magazine there is long article about regular people who lost a huge amount of weight HEALTHILY!! They didn't use any crazy diets, surgeries or dangerous drugs. Instead they made a decision that they wanted to feel and look better. They started eating smaller portions of healthier foods. They also exercised. It took them months, or even longer (not just a couple of weeks) to lose the weight. These individuals can teach us something really important. When you feel strongly about being healthy, you can make up your mind to make choices that will make you become healthy. This is a process, not a quick fix. Kudos to all these people and to People mazazine for showing us that it can be done in a healthy, good for your body kind of way!!
I'm off to the elliptical trainer. Happy health!
Dr. Susan

Thin isn't always healthy: The Lindsay Lohan Story

By now you've probably heard that Lindsay Lohan admitted she has the eating disorder, Bulimia which is when you eat a lot and then make yourself throw up because you don't want to gain weight. Although it is important to be healthy, being too thin and especially depriving and hurting your body to get thin is definitely NOT healthy--in fact you can die from it!! Starving yourself or throwing up to be thin can be even worse than overeating or being overweight. In fact it is almost impossible to look the way Lindsay Lohan did and still be healthy!! Being at a healthy weight does not mean being super-thin. Your body needs food to grow healthily and if you're too thin you won't grow and develop the way you should. This is why girls with Bulimia and other eating disorders often end up spending a lot of their lives in the hospital.

There is a lot of pressure from people on TV and in the movies, to be skinny. Sometimes they make you feel that if only you were as skinny as them you would be incredibly happy, popular, have an amazing boyfriend and maybe even be rich! Hah!! This just isn't true--lot's of things in the movies and on TV aren't true. And Lindsay Lohan's admission proves it. Her life seems happy--even perfect--but actually she's suffering from an illness that could kill her. All because she wanted to be thinner than she needed to be.

If you are overweight and you don't like the way you look, it's important to do something about it. But that does not mean starving yourself, throwing up, taking drugs or anything else that can hurt your body. Make good choices, lose weight slowly and be healthy. If you don't need to lose weight, but you still think you do, it's important to speak to an adult you trust to help yourself begin get a healthier body image.
Be healthy and happy--they go together
Dr. Susan

Dr. Susan in TWIST Magazine

In the January '06 issue of TWIST magazine, look on page 74 for an article called "Love the Skin You're In". The 5 tips are from Dr. Susan's Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide. Cool, huh!!
Love yourself, love your health!!
Dr. Susan

Healthy Holiday Eating

It's that time of year again--the holidays have arrived and unhealthy food is everywhere!! You're probably thinking "I'll start my diet in January...that's my New Year's resolution". But, guess what that's not the way to go!! Your BIG DIET will hang over your head until January making you feel like you'd better eat every single fattening thing you can find until then. This is not only unhealthy, it won't work!! Instead, you'll feel guilty as you stuff your face now, and then in January, you'll deprive yourself to try and take away that guilt. Here's a better idea--forget the dieting!! Instead, don't deprive yourself of holiday goodies, just eat a little bit of everything instead of tons of it. If you want more, take home a doggy bag and have it the next day. The key is to NOT feel deprived now, in January or ever. Love your body--don't stuff it or starve it.
Happy holidays
Dr. Susan

You can be too thin!

A big kudos to Star magazine's 11/14 issue which shows us that although it's really important to be healthy and to lose weight when you need to--it is possible to be too thin. The Star points out that Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Whitney Houston and Daryl Hannah have all gained a few pounds and look great! Carrying extra weight can stress your heart and make it tough socially, but being too thin (and always trying to be thinner) could mean you're at risk for an eating disorder. If you think this may be happening to you, look for help at the National Eating Disorders website. Your health is most important!
Dr. Susan

Are 100-calorie snacks good for you?

There has been a lot of talk lately about 100-calorie snacks and whether they are helpful for people who are trying to lose weight. WebMD has a good article that talks about the positives and the negatives. The important things to know are that although most 100-calorie snacks are not necessarily healthy, they are small portions--which is really good!! You can give in to your craving without going completely overboard. So, keep a stock of 100-calorie snacks (instead of big bags or boxes of regular cookies or crackers), but don't eat more than one bag a day because the calories still add up. Other great substitutions are bite size-chocolate bars instead of big ones and donut holes instead of donuts. If you have any great substitutions, let me know. You can also find a whole section on fun substitutions that taste good but overeat in Dr. Susan's Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide.

Happy Snacking,
Dr. Susan
DrSusan@girlsonlyweightloss.com