Dr. Daniel Cronk, Jr., Erlanger Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery CenterQ: How do I break a cycle of holiday eating that’s continuing into the new year?
A: As a doctor who helps people lose weight for surgery, I often get the question from my patients how they can get “back on track” after a time of less-disciplined eating. To me the principles are the same whether you have had weight-loss surgery or not. First, you need to know how much you are eating.
Most of us have no idea how many calories we are eating on a daily basis, and until you know this, it is impossible to make a real change. I advise my patients to use their smartphones and an app such as My Fitness Pal to log everything they eat. To be extra precise, this includes using an inexpensive food scale to get an exact idea on portion sizes. Once you have an idea of how much you are consuming, the next step is to go online and use a macronutrient calculator (easily found on Google) to determine how much you should be eating based on your age, gender, weight, activity level and the amount of weight you want to lose.
If you are diligent about following your calculated macronutrient guidelines and logging your foods religiously, you cannot help but get back on track.
– Dr. Daniel Cronk, Jr., Erlanger Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Center; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society