Acupuncture for weight loss

For individuals who have lost weight and want to avoid weight regain, less TV watching, reducing intake of high-fat foods and increasing exercise may aid in maintaining a healthy weight, according to a new Annals of Behavioral Medicine study.
More physically active people who have lost weight manage to keep the weight off and control their appetite more effectively than obese people who have not lost weight and do not exercise.
But in addition to exercise and staying active, research led by Dr. Suzanne Phelan, assistant professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University indicates that weight loss maintainers also have a healthier home environment with fewer TVs in their homes and less fatty foods stocked in their kitchens.
Phelan’s study examined behaviors and home environmental factors of 167 people who had successfully lost weight and two additional groups of 153 obese individuals who had been participating in weight loss management programs but remained obese.
“You have to pay attention to your home environment if you want to succeed,” says Phelan. “Do you have TVs in every room? When you walk into your kitchen, do you see high-fat food or healthy food?”
Calories expended in the physically active group averaged 2,877 calories per week compared to 792-1,003 calories expended in the obese groups. Weight loss maintainers also had more exercise equipment than the obese participants.
Those who kept a healthy weight had more self-control and were about three to four times more likely to exercise than those who were obese or overweight. They were more likely to spend time thinking about food intake.
“The home environment of the weight-loss maintainers contained fewer high-fat foods and televisions and, thus, may have demanded fewer self-control resources than the more ‘toxic’ home environments of the obese,” says Phelan.
“If you want to be more active, create opportunities for exercise that are always within reach. Don’t just rely on motivation,” adds Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University School of Medicine’s Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Connecticut. “We should be propagating the awareness that lasting weight control is about skill power, not just willpower.”
In addition to a healthy home environment and exercise, acupuncture can aid in maintaining weight loss. Acupuncture can speed metabolism, reduce food cravings and decrease appetite.
Acupuncture & Massage College’s Community Clinic offers acupuncture treatment for weight loss management. For information or to schedule an appointment call (305) 595-9500. For information about AMC’s Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs ask for Joe Calareso, Admissions Director. Nov. 10.