Cumc Weight Control Center Offers Holiday Weight Management Tips

NEW YORK (Dec. 21, 2007) – The plethora of culinary delicacies available this time of year can be tempting. Office parties, vendor food baskets, irresistible family recipes, familiar food cravings and the sheer stress of the season can make managing your weight at this time of year especially challenging. To help fend off extra unwanted pounds that can contribute to health problems, the Weight Control Center at Columbia University Medical Center offers the following Holiday Weight Management Tips:

1. Don’t skip meals. Don’t skip meals because this increases the chances that you will overeat at holiday celebrations, probably on high calorie food choices. Also, don’t go to the party hungry. Have a healthy snack that includes some protein beforehand so that you will be less likely to overindulge.

2. Beware of liquid calories. Alcohol calories add up quickly. Two gin and tonics can have more calories than a bacon cheeseburger. Before you know it, you may have swallowed the calorie equivalent of a meal. Try seltzer with a twist of lime.

3. Keep up with your activity. Make sure you make time to continue your regular exercise routine. If you don’t have one, start walking. Take a walk with a friend, even if it’s in the mall. Activity can also provide good relief from stress.

4. Beware of mindless eating. Savor your food. Chew slowly. Before you go for a second helping, drink a glass of water, and ask yourself if you are really hungry or just eating for the sake of it. Put your mind between your mouth and the food.

5. Choose your treat. If you know you absolutely must have that slice of pie for dessert, forego the eggnog. Do not indulge in those random holiday treats around work.

6. Budget your calories. Watch your portion sizes. Don’t fill up with the high fat hors d’oeuvres before you even start the meal.

7. Be realistic. Have a reasonable weight maintenance goal during the holidays so that you don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Realize that you might indulge a little bit here and there, but don’t let that be an excuse for going overboard.

Physician-Faculty Available for Interviews:

Judith Korner, M.D., Ph.D., founder and director of the Weight Control Center at CUMC, has extensive experience assisting patients lose weight. Dr. Korner is a renowned expert in the science and treatment of weight management. She is the author of multiple research papers, review articles and textbook chapters, and heads several research studies investigating the hormonal aspects of weight control.

Michelle Lee, M.D., is a board-certified endocrinologist. Her research interests lie in the hormonal regulation of body weight.

The Weight Control Center at Columbia University Medical Center specializes in assisting patients with their weight loss goals to achieve improved health. The center’s physicians are board-certified endocrinologists, specializing in the area of bariatric medicine. In addition to offering successful strategies for weight loss, center health care professionals evaluate weight related health risks such as insulin resistance, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea. Weight loss may help decrease the risk of developing these conditions or help improve them. The center advocates a multifaceted approach to long term weight management. Components of an individualized and comprehensive weight loss plan may include: nutrition, physical activity, behavior modification, medications, or surgery. The center is also actively engaged in research including investigating the hormonal regulation of body weight as well as the use of new and emerging therapies for weight loss. To learn more about the center, call 212-305-5568.

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About Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, nurses, dentists, and public health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. www.cumc.columbia.edu

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Dental Medicine, Mailman School, Michelle Lee, Physicians Surgeons, Weight Control Center