Eureka Shorts Opens with Four Reasons Diets Fail Jan 23, 2013 listen to podcast This month on Eureka we’re talking obesity. So far it’s been all about how we’re putting weight on. We thought we’d share some advice on how to take it off. And it turns out its more than the old chestnut, “burn more than you take in.” According to Jessica Bartfield, a physician and nutrition and weight-management specialist at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care, only 20% of people who plan to lose weight actually do. In a recent article from the Loyola University Health System, Dr. Bartfield explains why. Underestimating calories consumed. We think we eat fewer calories than we actually do. Bartfield says proper recording helps you pay attention. She recommends writing down everything you eat to help increase self-awareness. Overestimating activity and calories burned. That twenty minutes on the elliptical might have been heart-healthy, but it didn’t burn as many calories as you think. Bartfield recommends getting around 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, but reminds us that weight loss doesn’t come through exercise alone. Poor timing of meals. To maintain energy and keep your metabolism speedy, Bartfield suggests eating a healthy snack every 3-4 hours and not going longer than five hours without eating something. Inadequate sleep. Getting less than six hours of sleep stimulates the production of a hormone that increases your appetite. It also increases cortisol levels. Both contribute to weight again. Her remedy is simple: sleep more to eat less. “Dieting requires practice and good instruction,” Dr. Bartfield says. “It’s a skill, much like riding a bike.” Thanks for listening to this Eureka Short. Its science in bite-sized form. [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.] As the Writer & Communications Specialist for Charles River, Dustin Grinnell writes and edits science articles as well as public relations and employee communications material. He has worked previously as a research scientist, science journalist and medical writer and has a Master’s degree in Physiology from The Pennsylvania State University.
