How to lose weight and keep it off

Written by: Dr. Andre Posner

Many patients ask us how to keep off the weight that they have lost while dieting. It’s important to understand the difference between dieting and healthy lifestyle. “Dieting” is a period of time that has a finite beginning and end, during which time a person has dedicated him or herself to losing weight. The problem with “dieting” is that once the objective has been reached, people tend to think that the battle is over and gradually return to the unhealthy habits let led to a weight problem in the first place. It is much healthier to view weight loss as a lifestyle that is sustainable long-term.

Replacing the types of foods that lead to our weight issues, such as sodas, fried food, chips, junk food in general, excessive sugar, and fast foods with healthier food choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, free range eggs, grass fed milk, whole grains, and, whenever possible, organic and minimally processed foods won’t just lead to weight loss, it will lead to a healthier you.  It’s about understanding that we only get one body for this lifetime, and we need to take care of it if we want it to take care of us.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off (long term success) involves losing weight gradually with the assistance of healthier food choices. It’s important to know that the new habits being formed are simply a healthier way to live life, and they will help you to live healthier and, quite possibly, longer. When done correctly, these healthier food choices, especially low-carb or healthy carb diets, will help the dieter to lose weight gradually without feeling excessively hungry.

Conversely, when people try to starve themselves, they may lose weight rapidly in the beginning, but they usually eventually return to the habits that lead them into trouble in the first place, because they’ve never found a happy medium whereby they can lose weight gradually without feeling hungry. Certain diet medications, such as phentermine can, when used short term, help suppress the appetite and assists the individual in the transition to a healthier way of eating and living. If you feel as though you would benefit from losing weight, as your doctor or talk with a dietitian.

Dr. Andre Posner is currently accepting new patients.

You have two options for making an appointment with Dr. Andre Posner at his two locations. Which one you choose depends on your health care needs.

For more information about this blog or to schedule an appointment about weight loss, call Dr. Andre Posner at (215) 785-9677

If you don’t have a primary care provider, you can schedule an appointment at Lower Bucks Hospital Community Health Center at 215-785-9677 or visit /community-health-center/ to learn more.

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Doctor Andre Posner is a board certified family physician.  He was born in the 1960s to Peace Corps volunteers in French West Africa. He completed his undergraduate training at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1990 and attended medical school at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his training in Family Medicine in 2000 at Frankford hospital. He is experienced in hospitalist medicine and has won multiple awards for his work in training and supervising resident physicians in the hospital setting. He currently practices holistic family medicine with an emphasis on weight management.