Category Archives: Lose Weight Fast

THIS is the super simple reason why youre not losing weight.

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When you decide you want to lose weight, often the first thing you will do is restrict your calories.

This is the worst thing you can do.

Lisa Young, a nutritionist and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University told Womens Health that cutting too many calories can actually stall weight loss.

"Restricting calories too much almost always backfires," Lisa explained.

Restricting calories too much almost always backfires.

She added that this is because the body needs calories in order to burn calories. Lisa likened it to when you want to light a fire you need to throw kindling on the fireplace to ignite it.

The nutritionist continued the fire analogy by encouraging you to think of food as your bodys kindling.

When you are eating enough food, the body uses this food for fuel and then turns the fat it has stored into energy.

Good news dieters! The 23 foods that contain NO calories because you burn more than you consume as you eat

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APRICOTS - Calorie content: 12 kcals per apricotEating apricots is said to help reduce the risk of strokes, and heart attacks. They're also full of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, which all promote good heart health

However, Lisa said when you restrict calories, your body goes into starvation mode and will begin to break down lean muscle tissue in oder to reserve its energy stores.

This can slow down the metabolism which can not only make you feel sluggish, but make it harder for you to lose weight.

This ties into previous studies that have shown people who skip breakfast are more likely to put on weight than people who dont.

Studies have also found eating healthy food regularly helps keep you full and is one of the best ways to lose weight.

If you are actively trying to lose weight, the National Institutes of Health said women should eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day and men should eat around 1,900 calories.

If you are eating less calories than this per day, it becomes tough for the body to perform basic functions that keep us healthy.

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This is the MAIN reason you're not losing weight and it's simple to fix - Daily Star

May 06, 2017

Baseline average in the phentermine group was 229.6lbs vs. 209.7lbs in the OPTIFAST group

This article is written live from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 2017 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. MPR will be reporting news on the latest findings from leading experts in endocrinology. Check back for more news from AACE 2017.

A medically supervised weight loss program over 6 months led to a significant improvement in glycemic control, presented Jonathan Allen, MS, RD, from the North Florida Regional Thyroid Center, at the AACE 2017 Annual Meeting.

The rise of obesity over the past 40 years has brought with it a significant rise in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, carrying health, financial, and social burdens. A loss of 5% of body weight has demonstrated significant improvements in blood pressure, lipid levels (eg, HDL, triglycerides), and blood sugar. A loss of 1015% of body weight has also demonstrated a higher likelihood of achieving health improvements.

Weight loss recommendations start with an initial lifestyle modification, including improved dietary intake and more physical activity. Medication therapy is also available for patients who have severe comorbidities as are medically supervised meal replacement programs when major dietary interventions are warranted.

Allen and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to assess phentermine and the OPTIFAST diet program on weight and diabetes outcomes at 6 months. They reviewed 15 patients who completed treatment with phentermine and 6 patients who completed 6 months of the OPTIFAST program with HbA1c >6%. At baseline, the average in the phentermine group was 229.6lbs vs. 209.7lbs in the OPTIFAST group.

The analysis showed a significant effect on HbA1c where phentermine therapy led to a 0.06% increase vs. a 1.8% decrease with OPTIFAST (P<0.001). There was a 50.3lbs (17.9%) decrease in weight among phentermine patients vs. 13.6lbs (6.0%) decrease in weight among the OPTIFAST patients. Moreover, one-third of the patients in the phentermine group had a decrease in antidiabetic medications and all participants in the OPTIFAST decreased antidiabetic medications by 50% or discontinued completely.

In general, improved glycemic control was seen following a 6-month, medically supervised meal replacement weight loss program. "Despite reduced or discontinued diabetes medication, sustained weight loss promotes improvements in long-term blood glucose control," concluded Allen.

For continuous endocrine news coverage from the AACE 2017 Annual Meeting, check back to MPR'sAACE pagefor the latest updates.

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Significant Improvement in Glycemic Control With Weight Loss Intervention - Monthly Prescribing Reference (registration)

CHICAGO A new, nonsurgical weight-loss procedure which involves inserting a tube down a patient's throat and suturing the stomach is safe and effective, a new study finds.

During the procedure, which is called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, doctors insert a long tube down a patient's esophagus to the stomach. Then, they sew "pleats" into the stomach, which makes it resemble an accordion.

The procedure reduces the volume of the stomach, so that patients feel fuller faster and therefore eat less, said lead study author Dr. Reem Sharaiha, an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Sharaiha presented her findings here today (May 6) at Digestive Disease Week, a scientific meeting focused on digestive diseases. [The Science of Weight Loss]

Because the procedure is "endoscopic," and thus does not involve cutting through the abdomen, the procedure is not considered surgical.

The new procedure could be a good option for people who are obese, meaning they have a BMI of 30 or higher, who either cannot undergo weight-loss surgery due to medical conditions or do not want to have surgery, Sharaiha said during a news conference in advance of her presentation. The procedure is not intended to replace other weight-loss surgery options, but rather to offer an additional, "safe and reliable, cost-effective" option, she said.

In the study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, Sharaiha and her co-authors compared the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty to two options for weight loss that do involve surgery: laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic banding.

Both of those operations involve making small incisions in a person's abdomen to allow surgeons to reach the stomach. During a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, surgeons cut away a large portion of the stomach, making the organ smaller and sleeve-shaped. During a laparoscopic banding operation, surgeons wrap a band around the upper portion of the stomach (rather than cutting the organ), so that only a smaller section of the stomach is left to carry out its functions.

The new study examined 91 patients who underwent the endoscopic procedure, 120 patients who had laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 67 patients who had a laparoscopic banding operation, Sharaiha said during the press conference.

One year later, the researchers found that the patients who had the endoscopic procedure had lost, on average, nearly 18 percent of their body weight, while laparoscopic sleeve patients lost an average of nearly 30 percent of their body weight and laparoscopic banding patients lost an average of more than 14 percent of their body weight.

The endoscopic sleeve patients lost less weight than the laparoscopic sleeve patients but had a much lower rate of complications: 1 percent compared with 10 percent, Sharaiha said. In addition, endoscopic sleeve patients were able to leave the hospital the same day of the procedure, she said. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy patients in the hospital for about three days, on average, after the operation, and laparoscopic banding patients stayed in the hospital for a day and half, on average, after the operation.

The endoscopic procedure also cost less than the laparoscopic sleeve procedure, according to the study. The endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty cost, on average, $12,000, while the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy cost $22,000 on average. The laparoscopic banding operation cost $15,000 on average.

Sharaiha noted that most the patients who underwent the endoscopic procedure had to pay out of pocket, while insurance usually covered the other operations. It's possible that this affected the results, as previous studies have shown that people are more adherent to weight-loss guidelines if the individuals need to pay for the procedures themselves, Sharaiha added.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Weight-Loss Procedure Makes Stomach into 'Accordion' Without Surgery - Live Science

Verify: Is tequila good for you?

Dana Thiede, KARE 7:21 PM. CDT May 06, 2017

Stock Image (Photo: KARE)

In recent days, we've noticed posts and videos popping up on social media touting the medicinal benefits of the clear liquor, saying it helps you sleep, lose weight, and can even cure a common cold. Question is, are those claims true, or a hearty shot of hyperbole?

To answer the question "Is tequila good for you?" KARE11's Cory Hepola talked to two expert sources: Simeon Phelps, Beverage Director for the popular Nico's Taco and Tequila Bar in Minneapolis as well asAllina Health Dietician Elizabeth Vander Laan.

Phelps brought up agave, a cactus varietal that is the main ingredient in tequila. Some experts tout its ability to replace sugars, aiding in weight loss. Agave's anti-inflammatoryand immune-boosting properties have also been cited, and the website sheknows.com claims the Aztecs used agave syrup to treat wounds because of its antibacterial properties. Three years ago, the American Chemical Society did report that a sweetener created from the agave plant could help certain people with diabetes lose weight.

So if tequila is made of agave it has to be good for you, right? Not so much, said Vander Laan.

"There's not even that type of sugar left in it because it's fermented out," Vander Laan said, talking about the process of distilling agave into tequila.

Does it really help you sleep?

"It's a depressant, so it might help you actually get to sleep, but I'm not sure it's that restful sleep," asserted Vander Haan. The National Sleep Foundation agrees, saying alcohol interrupts your circadian rhythm, blocks REM sleep and can aggravate breathing problems.

How about weight loss? "An ounce and a half of hard alcohol is about 80 calories," says Vander Haan, not even mentioning the sweet, caloric stuff tequila is frequently mixed with.

And that whole dead about curing colds? "They used to use it back in the 30's, back when you could order all sorts of crazy things for the Sears catalog, right? No, there's no evidence to support that," Vander Haan insisted.

At this point, we can safely say KARE 11 has verified that tequila is NOT good for you, despite some of the claims you may have seen on social media. Vander Laandoes say that moderate alcohol use of any variety may have some positive heart benefits for some, but alcohol is also hard on your liver, increases the risk of certain cancers, and can be addictive.

If you're going to drink tequila this Cinco de Mayo, Vander Haan says to do it in moderation, and if you're not a tequila drinker.... don't start swilling it for your health.

VERIFY SOURCES:

Elizabeth Vander Haan, Dietician, Allina Health Systems

Simeon Phelps, Beverage Director,Nico's Taco and Tequila Bar

Help our journalists VERIFY the news.Do you know someone else we should interview for this story? Did we miss anything in our reporting? Is there another story you'd like us to VERIFY?Click here.

2017 KARE-TV

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Verify: Is tequila good for you? - KVUE

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Or maybe youve hit your 40s and are now struggling to keep your waistline in check (when in the past you could eat what you wanted without gaining a pound).

Both are common problems and the natural response for many is to blame it on a slow metabolism.

Its common for people to think there must be something wrong with their metabolism if theyre struggling with their weight, says dietitian Juliette Kellow.

But while everyones metabolic rate the speed at which we burn calories varies and does start to drop as we get older, its important not to fall into the trap of automatically thinking its the main reason for piling on the pounds or battling to stay slim.

Dr Thomas Barber, an obesity expert and associate professor in clinical endocrinology at the University of Warwick, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, agrees.

Only a small minority of obese patients have an underlying condition contributing to a slow metabolism, he says.

So the majority of us have no excuse to blame our excess weight on a slow metabolism but that doesnt mean there arent things we can do to give it a boost. Heres how:

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In theory, every time we eat we enhance our metabolism. Everyones metabolism goes up for two to three hours after any meal because of the extra metabolic processes required to digest food and absorb its nutrients, explains Dr Barber.

The key to keeping your metabolism fired up is to space meals out

Juliette Kellow, dietitian

Its one of the many reasons experts recommend eating regularly and not skipping meals. Going for long amounts of time without eating means your body thinks its about to be faced with a famine, so your metabolism slows down in preparation for this, adds Juliette.

The key to keeping your metabolism fired up is to space meals out regularly throughout the day, so you benefit from the calories burned through digesting and absorbing meals.

Thats not to say you should constantly graze. Relentless munching and mindless eating can mean a stack of calories far more than even a stoked metabolism can burn off, with the result that the weight piles on.

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Certain foods, such as chillies, are associated with a heightened thermogenic effect (the amount of calories needed to process the food weve eaten), explains Dr Barber.

Other foods, including ginger, pepper, grapefruit, coffee and green tea, have also been linked to speeding up our metabolism. However its unlikely eating these foods alone will affect weight.

Positive findings are usually too insignificant to conclude eating X or Y food will burn more calories, Dr Barber confirms.

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So enjoy them as part of a healthy, balanced diet but remember that eating them in excess wont help you lose weight.

Include protein-rich foods lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tofu and Quorn, for example at each meal.

Studies show protein-rich foods cause a 20-30 per cent rise in metabolic rate compared with just a 5-10 per cent increase for carbs and less than three per cent for fat.

One study found a high-protein, low-fat diet produced double the fat burning effects of a high-carb, low-fat diet.

A study published this February compared a group of people eating wholegrains with a group who ate refined white grains.

After six weeks, the researchers found those in the wholegrain group passed more stools with a higher calorie content and had a slightly higher BMR (basal metabolic rate) than those in the refined white grains group.

After adjusting for other factors, the average daily loss for the wholegrain group was 92 calories a day.

More studies are needed to confirm these findings and identify whether this is an effective way to boost our BMR.

But we already know wholegrains provide good amounts of fibre (we should aim for 30g a day) and are associated with a number of other health benefits, including a reduced risk of bowel cancer.

So choose brown rice or pasta, wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals and oats if they boost our metabolism, even better.

It may not be what we eat but how we eat it that has an impact on how many calories we burn.

In one study, adults who ate a meal over 10 minutes burned 30 calories.

When they ate the identical meal on a separate day over 40 minutes they burned 81 calories. Slowing down also gives the brain the time it needs to receive the Im full message from the stomach and helps to keep us fuller for longer, which reduces the amount we eat.

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How to lose weight without going to the gym

Eat each meal slowly and give it your full attention that means no television, smartphones, computer screens or other distractions.

Take your time chewing and put your cutlery down between mouthfuls.

Crash dieting and extreme calorie reductions slow metabolism as our body thinks food is in short supply and so responds by conserving energy exactly the opposite to what we want to achieve when were trying to lose weight.

In times of starvation (which is effectively what happens with a crash diet), the body starts to break down muscle as well as fat to provide it with the calories it needs to function.

This is bad news for our metabolism because the less muscle we have, the slower our metabolic rate and the fewer calories we burn.

Then, when we go back to eating normally, a slower metabolism means we dont need as many calories as before, so we pile weight on more quickly.

Instead, follow a healthy eating plan which reduces calories slightly and exercise regularly to burn calories and strengthen muscle.

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The benefits of exercise are two-fold. First, aerobic activities such as running, cycling and brisk walking increase the amount of calories we burn.

Plus, aerobic exercise can lead to the afterburn effect, where the body continues to burn calories faster for many hours.

Strength training also helps to build lean muscle. Muscular activity is a very good way of burning calories and enhancing metabolic rate, says Dr Barber.

The more muscle we have, the higher our BMR. Exercising regularly is even more important as we age.

By the time we are in our 30s, our body starts to lose muscle and the more inactive we are, the faster this happens.

The full version of this article appears in the May edition of Healthy Food Guide.

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How to boost your metabolism: Burn more calories with these simple tricks - Express.co.uk

Women's Health

'I Fell In Love With THIS FoodAnd It Helped Maintain My 90-Pound Weight Loss' Women's Health I was always chubby growing up, but my weight really ballooned in my teens. I ate fast food for lunch every day at school and could easily go through a 12-pack of soda over the weekend. On top of that, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease when I ... and more »

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'I Fell In Love With THIS FoodAnd It Helped Maintain My 90-Pound Weight Loss' - Women's Health

By Linda Searing By Linda Searing May 5 at 3:08 PM

The question

Fasting has gained some popularity as a weight-loss tactic, generally practiced intermittently or on alternate days. But is it a viable alternative to the standard method of restricting calories consumed daily?

This study

The study included 100 adults, more women than men, who averaged 44 years old, were obese and relatively sedentary. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: For six months, one group restricted daily calorie consumption to 75 percent of their normal amount. A second group fasted on alternate days by consuming only 25 percent of their normal amount of calories on those days and consumed extra calories (125 percent of normal) on the other days (which were called feast days). The third group made no changes to their normal eating pattern. For the next six months, the goal for all participants was to maintain their weight where it was at the end of the first six months. Throughout the study, participants were asked to not change their daily physical activity habits. After a year, weight loss was essentially the same 5 to 6 percent, on average for the group that restricted calories daily and the group that fasted on alternate days. Those who did not change their eating habits recorded, on average, a slight gain. More people dropped out of the study from the fasting group than from the daily-calorie-restriction group (38 percent vs. 29 percent), primarily citing trouble adhering to the fasting regimen.

Who may be affected?

People trying to lose weight. More than 70 percent of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, which can contribute to a number of health problems. Excess weight has been shown to play a role in such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and some types of cancer. Although a plethora of weight-loss programs and methods exist, plans with long-term success rates tend to be those in which participants take in fewer calories and burn more through physical activity.

Caveats

All participants were obese; whether the weight-loss methods would have the same effect on other people was not tested. Some of the eating data came from records kept by the participants. The weight-maintenance period was relatively short. Participants were provided with food for all their meals for the first six months and then met weekly with a dietitian or nutritionist to learn how to continue the eating plan on their own.

Find this study

Online in JAMA Internal Medicine (jamainternalmedicine.com; click New Online).

Learn more

Information on choosing a weight-loss program can be found at niddk.nih.gov (search for choosing weight loss). Learn more about the effects of weight on health at cdc.gov (search for healthy weight).

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals.

[Read More]

[Exercise aerobics, weight training, tai chi really does help your brain]

[Vitamin D protects your bones and may help you ward off colds]

[Heartburn drugs may alter your gut microbiome]

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Every-other-day fasting isn't any better for weight loss than just eating less - Washington Post

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Diana Johnston and Dana Smith will have something extra special to celebrate on Mothers Day: The mom and daughter have lost 110 pounds together.

Each woman is 55 pounds lighter after Smith started a quest to lose weight last summer and Johnston joined her last fall.

My mom kept seeing my weight come off and it just kept coming off and pretty soon, she was not having it and she jumped [on board], Smith, 41, who lives in Everett, Washington, told TODAY.

I was just so unhappy with myself and the weight. My knees hurt, everything hurt. I cant believe how much better I feel. Just amazing, Johnston, 65, who lives near her daughter, added.

The women, who are both 5 feet 7, said their weight gain started after they began having children. Smith reached 230 pounds after hectic mornings with her kids meant shed skip breakfast, then end up on the couch and gorge on food because she was so hungry. She doesnt eat meat, so shed overload on carbs like pasta, chips and cereal.

Meanwhile Johnston reached 265 pounds, blaming her sweet tooth on the gain. She was bad (sugar) was her thing, Smith said, recalling that her parents could buy a whole party-size cake and eat the whole thing over a couple of days.

Dana Smith's weight reached 230 pounds.

Last July, Smith was fed up with being overweight and out of shape. Her husband loves hiking, but she was unable to keep up and embarrassed to show him she was out of breath. She bought a Fitbit, started hiking with her kids and began focusing on portion control. Today, shes a pro on the trail.

I just fell in love with hiking. Its one of the things were doing as a family now its a reward, its really cool to be able to do that and not be out of breath and dying, she said.

For more inspirational stories, check out our My Weight-Loss Journey page

Johnston was inspired watching her daughter get fitter and slimmer. But as she visited her grandkids, she noticed Smith wasnt asking her to take them anywhere because she knew it would be too hard for her mom with the extra weight.

Diana Johnston, far right, was motivated to lose weight after looking at pictures of herself at her son's wedding: "I was appalled at how big I was," she said.

I wasnt able to participate and I decided I cant do that. Im only 65, Im not old. I dont want to be an old cripple sitting in a chair, unable to get out of it, Johnston said. I just decided thats it.

With the two women encouraging each other, the quest to slim down became easier. Heres how they lost the weight:

Johnston and Smith simply started eating smaller amounts and decided to stop eating as soon as they felt full. Paying attention to calories matters: Go for half a burger, instead of the whole thing. Limit yourself to one ladle of chili.

We still eat things that we want to eat, we just eat less of them, Smith said. My husband will still make us pizzas, but hell make us little tiny, skinny ones.

RELATED: Join the Drop 10 TODAY Challenge!

The mom and daughter have lost 55 pounds each in eight months.

Johnston, who always had that big sweet tooth, gradually began letting go of sweets. Now, shes cut most sugar out of her diet and says she doesnt miss it: The cravings just stopped.

I just dont have that desire for it, she said. I feel so much better, now I love shopping for clothes. I look better, I feel better, Im happier it just changes everything.

Smith was impressed: I would have never thought she would have given up sweets.

At one point, Johnston complained that she wasnt losing weight. She told Smith was only eating a couple of pretzels, but then realized she was probably eating five handfuls of them.

The lesson: If you want some pretzels, count out seven or eight, take them out of the bag and then put the bag away. If the bag is open, youre going to reach in it again, Smith warned.

Johnston, second from left, says her knee pain is gone after losing weight. Smith, right, now enjoys hiking.

Smith, who used to always skip breakfast, now makes sure she doesnt leave the house without a good morning meal.

For Johnston, the big rule is eating nothing after 7 p.m.: I go to bed and Im kind of hungry and thats good.

Besides hiking, Smith has been exercising at home Monday through Thursday with 30-minute workouts on DVDs. Johnston doesnt like to exercise, but she aims to take at least 10,000 steps a day, whether through walking or marching in place.

You could just see the light come back when her knee pain started going away, Smith said. Something as simple as moving and losing some weight can

Make so much difference, Johnston finished the sentence.

Follow A. Pawlowski on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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'It changes everything': How this mom and daughter lost 110 pounds together - Today.com

At 23 years old, Jessica Weber has taken her extreme weight-loss transformation viral. As People reports, Weber reached 383 pounds last year and decided to make a change and go down the path toward a healthier lifestyle after having an emotional talk with her mom.

My mom actually started crying, and told me she thought Id die before her. It just hit me hard, and I knew I had to start losing weight. It became my motivation!

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To get her on the right track to eating less and living a healthier lifestyle, Weber underwent vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which is a surgery that removes a large portion of the stomach to help with weight loss. As a result, the amount of food that can be consumed is limited and it incites "full" feelings after eating small amounts of food.

You May Also Like: The Exact Method I Used to Lose Almost 40 Pounds

Candidates for this type of procedure typically include those who have a BMI of 40 or more (normal BMIs are between 18.5 and 25) and are at least 100 pounds over their recommended weight. However, the surgery alone is not a permanent solution for losing weight. It helps train your mind and body to eat less, but it requires a great commitment post-surgery as well (following a healthy diet and exercise plan) to maintain your results and avoid the risk of complications.

Weber did exactly that, and in 15 months, dropped 185 pounds. To keep her weight in check, she sticks to a low-carb, high-fat diet, and according to her Instagram account, logs a pretty intensive fitness regimen.

Im not perfect by any means, and I do stray off of it, but thats what I stick to for the most part, she toldPeople. So far its been a constant struggle. I have to wake up every day and convince my mind that this is the right thing to do. So many people dont understand that its a mental battle more than physical.

You May Also Like:Dramatic Photos Show How One Woman Dropped 6 Dress Sizes...By Losing 2 Pounds

One big (and very common) side effect of extreme weight loss is excess skin, which Weber experienced a great deal. I was always prepared for it, but it is still such a struggle to deal with daily, she said. Ive seen some people lose weight and have it not be such a problem, but I wasnt that lucky. To turn a less-than-ideal situation into a positive one, Weber bravely took to social media to share her journey and motivate other people to stay strong along the way throughout their own personal body struggles.

I wanted to be open about it on Instagram because I wanted people to realize what obesity does, she said. That they can make changes, but theyll also face problems with loose skin in all areas. I want people to not be scared, or feel hidden of what they accomplished after weight loss!

Although she was nervous and hesitant to post her photos for the world to see, Weber said she's glad she did and she's surprised by all the kindness she's received.Seeing everyone so positive has been the best feeling. It makes me more open about my journey!

As far as next steps, Weber is focused on losing her last 3848 pounds, and then has plans to undergo a tummy tuck, which will get rid of the excess skin and reshape her abdomen.

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This Woman Isn't Afraid to Show What Drastic Weight Loss Really Does to Your Body - Yahoo News

You may not recognize John Mackeys name, but you definitely know his business. Mackey is the founder and CEO of healthy supermarket chain Whole Foods Market, and he has a new book out called The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longetivity . In his book, Mackey details how he became a healthy eater after growing up eating junk food, and the vegan diet he says revolutionized his life.

In a new interview with NBC News about his book, Mackey says he became a vegetarian in his 20s, but started eating fish when he dated a woman who wasnt a vegetarian. And gradually, over time, I was starting to gain weight, he says. My biometric measurements were not as good as they used to be. I was getting older. I just thought, Oh, this is coming with age.

But Mackey says his health began to improve almost immediately after he adopted a vegan diet. I started losing weight and I felt better, he says. After a year, his health plateaued so he cut out sugary and highly refined foods as well. When I stopped eating all those processed foods and combined that with a plant-based diet, my health was just amazing, he says. I weigh the same as I weighed when I was 18 years oldIm an extremely healthy person now.

Mackey points out that he went from being a kid who wouldnt eat vegetables to teaching himself to love every single vegetable out thereand he urges people to try to do the same. You can teach yourself to enjoy any type of food , so why not teach yourself to love the healthiest foods in the world? he says. When you combine the things our body naturally craveswhole starch foods (sweet potatoes, brown rice, beans, etc.) with fruits and vegetablesyou can eat all you want and you'll lose weight.

Experts say that while people can lose weight on a vegan diet, it's not a guarantee. (Also, not that gaining weight is inherently a bad thing, but eating all you wanteven if it's healthycan still affect how much you weigh).

If your goal is to lose weight, the process involves many more aspects than just what you eat and whether you follow a plant-based diet . Sure, exercise is a factor, too, but so many other things come into play. Components like stress and sleep, along with things you can't fully control, like health conditions and hormonal fluctuations, can play a big role in your weight as well.

Many studies have shown that veganism is associated with a lower weight, Fatima Cody Stanford, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A., instructor of medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells SELF.

For example, a cross-sectional study of more than 70,000 people published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2013 found that vegans had the lowest BMI of people with different dietary habits (ranging from non-vegetarian to vegan), even though everyone ate the same amount of daily calories. And a meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrients in 2014 looked at over 100,000 study participants and found that vegan diets are linked to a lower risk of developing obesity (as well as hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease). Another meta-analysis published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in 2015 discovered that people on a vegetarian dietespecially those on a vegan dietsaw better weight-loss results than dieters on other eating plans. Of the more than 1,000 people who followed a specific diet for nine to 74 weeks, vegans on average lost about 5.5 more pounds than non-vegetarian dieters (vegetarians lost about three pounds more than those on a diet that included meat).

Sonya Angelone, R.D., a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells SELF that veganism can cause weight loss simply because its a form of food restriction. Anything that restricts food, even temporarily, can promote weight loss in the short term, she says. Certified dietitian-nutritionist Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., CEO of NY Nutrition Group , agrees. When most people think of veganism, they think of eating strictly veggies and cutting out high-fat animal foods like cheese, burgers, and bacon, she says. Naturally when you eliminate fatty animal foods, you may notice weight loss due to less calorie intake, and of course, animal fat is typically artery-clogging fat, which is not recommended .

Although there aren't as many processed vegan foods as non-vegan ones, they're still out there. Plenty of foods like chips, non-dairy ice cream, and cookies may fall into the vegan category but still not be healthy , Angelone says. As a result, a person may end up eating a diet thats technically vegan, but high in sugar, carbohydrates, and calories. The limited category of things vegans can eat can lead to nutrient deficiencies, Angelone says, so vegans need to be careful to get enough calcium, iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and omega-3 fats.

Vegans also may deal with cravings and have to work harder to be satiated, potentially leading to eating more than they used to. It can be even harder to keep portions and calories in check when eating a strict vegan diet because, by eliminating good quality sources of protein like eggs, fish, dairy, and organic lean meats, it can be harder to stay full and keep cravings in check, Moskovitz says. That's why she recommends vegans focus on consuming more protein-rich foods such as beans, lentils, quinoa, soybeans, or tofu, on a daily basis.

Of course, there are many vegans who eat nutritiously with no problems, but being healthy while vegan can actually be pretty hard work. Luckily, you don't have to go vegan to reap the benefits of a plant-based diet. If you want to go vegan because you truly believe in the lifestyle, have at it. But if you're considering striking foods you love from your life and going vegan just in an effort to lose weight, it's absolutely not necessary. If you'd like to eat a healthier dietwhether weight loss is a goal of yours or notStanford says its important to make sure youre incorporating lean protein, vegetables , whole grains, and fruits into your diet. It is also important to realize that the less processed a diet the healthier it is overall, she says.

It's also important to remember that undertaking a diet that's too restrictive for you can lead to dangerous bingeing and yo-yo dieting , which over time can contribute to problems with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

That's why it's key to figure out how to fuel your body and mind in a way that's safe and realistic for you. There is no one strategy that is universally effective in helping people to achieve a healthy weight, Stanford says. And, of course, if youre struggling to find a diet that works for you, seek out a certified dietitianhe or she can help guide you toward an eating plan that best suits your needs.

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Going Vegan Really Isn't a Magic Diet for Weight Loss - SELF