Top 4 Tips From The Latest Weight-Focused Research

is there anything as frustrating as watching the scale not move in the direction we want?

I attended a two-day summit focused entirely on weight-related topics. It covered medications, calorie timing, PCOS impacts, blood sugar, and the mental aspects of weight loss. Here are my top four takeaways that I think you'll find as interesting as I did.

1. Calorie timing Didn't Have the Impact We Thought. 

Have you ever heard the saying "eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper"? Although "pauper" is outdated, it seems we no longer need to follow this advice. We used to think our bodies burned calories differently throughout the day, requiring different meal sizes. However, research shows that while large dinners can increase hunger the next day, they don't change how well we burn calories.

What about intermittent fasting? Eat as much as you want, but only during a certain window of time, such as 6 or 8 hours per day. The rest of the time, you avoid meals but focus on hydration. Again, the research wasn't that compelling. When your friend loses weight doing this, it's likely because they are in a total calorie deficit as a result of only eating within that window.

That's not to say intermittent fasting can't work. Many of us thrive on rules that don't restrict certain foods. This research highlights the reason why it may work: the unsexy truth of being under your daily caloric allotment by about 500 calories to support weight loss.

2. Ozempic and other weight loss medications work pretty great. 

Research consistently shows that GLP-1 medications like Wegovy/Ozempic and Mounjaro help users lose 5% of their initial weight. This is the benchmark for classifying them as successful. Weight loss can plateau, which is a common frustration among my patients. It's especially tough when you have an end goal in mind and aren't getting there, particularly with the long-term use of these medications.

These medications also help lower blood sugar and prevent further damage from high blood sugar levels. However, Ozempic isn't for everyone. It's best suited for individuals with a BMI of 30+ or 27+ with signs of cardio metabolic disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, sleep apnea).

3. If you've been advised to lose weight, focus on the percent lost  instead of getting to a specific BMI/clothing size.

A BMI of 22 isn't the only way to reduce your health risks. Improvements in health markers like fertility, blood pressure, and insulin regulation can happen with just a 5-10% weight loss. For example, a 250lb person can see significant health benefits with a 12.5lb weight loss.

4. High-normal blood sugar is causing damage, years before turning into diabetes. 

Blood sugar is usually measured in two ways: a single reading of your current blood sugar level and a test called HbA1C, which looks at your values over the past 3 months. When your HbA1C is in the high-normal range of 5.7% to 6.5%, you may be termed "pre-diabetic." Even without progressing to Type 2 Diabetes, this range can still cause damage over the years.

High blood sugar causes nerve damage, leading to symptoms like burning feet, vision problems, and kidney issues. These changes start much earlier than originally thought. Medications like metformin and Ozempic can help stop this damage by lowering blood sugar levels, but supplements have been particularly effective in reducing existing damage.