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ST. LOUIS Losing weight isa struggle for many people, but a new weight loss device recently approved by the FDA may be the easiest way ever to shed pounds.

Washington University Medical School helped develop the device, the Aspire Assist, but one doctor warnedit may gross some people out.

Its a feeding tube that removes some of the ingested food, Washington University Medical School Doctor Vladimir Kushnir said.There is a significant ick factor to aspiration therapy that you have to get over.

Eric Wilcoxon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, once weighed more than 400 pounds.

I lost close to 100 pounds within the first year, he said.

Wilcoxon now weighs 268 pounds. Even better, he can eat whatever he wants.

If I want to go out to dinner and have a steak, Im going to eat a great big meal, he said.

Wilcoxon credits the Aspire Assist for his miraculous weight loss turnaround.

About 30 minutes after a meal Wilcoxon pumps out one third of the food from his stomach or about one third of the calories hes consumed.

I was fat, I was obese, and I was sick of being that, he said.

The device is connected to a port on the skin, which is secured to a tube inside the stomach. When the port is opened, the stomach contents empty into the toilet. The process takes about 10 minutes. Wilcoxon has a port on his stomach; he connects the device to his port and siphons or aspirates the food into the toilet. He does this faithfully.

With every meal Wilcoxon drinks lots of water and he chews the food into tiny pieces so it can flow throw the small exit tube. He eats less because it takes him so long to eat.

People dont grasp how much you have to chew your foodin order to aspirate (it), Wilcoxon said.

Not only has Wilcoxon lost weight, he no longer is required to take blood pressure, diabetes, or heart medicine. And life with his family is so much better.

Its been life-changing, definitely, said Christy Wilcoxon, Erics wife.

Doctor Kushnir said the Aspire Assist is for people who are moderately to severely obese. Most insurance companies do not cover the cost, which is about $8,700.

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New weight loss method requires patients to get over 'ick' factor - WGN-TV

This article originally appeared on Medical Daily.

We've all heard that to lose weight we need to do two things: eat less, exercise more. This makes sense: Burning more calories than we consume will lead to weight loss.But this exercise-based approach provides only short-term results. Now, researchers at Loyola University of Chicago confirm that a healthy diet, not exercise, is the key to losing weight and keeping it off.

"Our study results indicate that physical activity may not protect you from gaining weight," said Lara Dugas, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine,in a statement.

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Previous researchhas found exercise does help people lose weight by burning fat. A 10-month study split 141 obese or overweight people into three groups to see how cardio affected themgroup 1 had to burn 400 calories doing cardio, 5 days a week; group 2 had to burn 600 calories doing cardio, 5 days a week; and group 3 did no exercise. Most participants lost 4.3 percent of their body weight in group 1; group 2 lost a little more at 5.7 percent; and the control group actually gained 0.5 percent.

A new study claims that diet may be a more important component of weight loss than exercise. Reuters

The benefits of exercise on weight are notable, but most studies don't take into account its behavioral effects. For example, working out makes people hungrier, which means they are more likely to consume more calories. This suggests how much and what we eat has a bigger impact on our weight than exercise.

In the newstudy, published inPeer J, Dugas and her colleagues examined about 2,000 adults from the U.S.and four other countries: Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica and Seychelles, to measure their physical activity levels and weight change throughout the course of three years. Participants wore tracking devices accelerometers on their waists for a week, to tracktheir energy expenditure and step count. Weight, height and body fat were also measured at baseline, one year and two years after.

In the beginning, Ghana participants had the lowest average weights (139 pounds for both men and women), and Americans the highest weights (202 pounds for women, 206 pounds for men). Ghanaians were more fit han Americans; 76 Ghanaian men and 44 percent Ghanaian women met the U.S. Surgeon General physical activity guidelines, while only 44 percent of American men and 20 percent of American women met the guidelines. Adults need 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking, each week, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

Surprisingly, participants with higher rates of physical activity actually gained more weight than those with lower rates. American men who met the guidelines gained a half pound per year, while American men who did not meet the guidelines lost 0.6 pounds. This shows there's no significant relationship between sedentary time at baseline, and subsequent weight gain or weight loss. The only factors that were significantly linked to weight at baseline were age and gender.

From our study it is not evident that higher volumes of PA [physical activity] alone are protective against future weight gain, and by deduction our data suggest that other environmental factors such as the food environment may have a more critical role, concluded the researchers.

Exercise-focused weight loss regimens yield low success ratesbecause we tend to poorly estimate calories we consume and calories we burn. For example, a 2010studyfound when participants were asked to consume the amount of food they believed they burned in calories, they ended up eating two to three times the amount of calories they burned. This suggests calorie expenditure doesnt really count for much.

Diet is a major factor in weight control; portion sizes and what we're eating is crucial to maintaining a healthy body weight. To lose weight and improve health, we need to both eat well and find the time to exercise.

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Eating Well May Count More Than Exercise for Weight Loss: Study - Newsweek

A surgery developed at East Carolina University that can put an end to insulin shots for patients with diabetes has been recognized as a "standard of care" for some patients with the chronic disease.

More than 20 years after Dr. Walter Pories published evidence that a type of bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery led to a long-term remission of diabetes symptoms, the official journal of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care, has said the operation should be considered a way to treat type 2 diabetes in patients who are obese.

"The thought was always that diabetes was an incurable, progressive disease, but with a fairly simple operation that takes about an hour, you can cure it," said Pories, the founding chair of the Department of Surgery at ECU's Brody School of Medicine. "We found that diabetes disappears completely between two to four days after surgery."

Type 2 diabetes is a long-term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance and a relative lack of insulin. Long-term complications include heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and poor circulation, which can result in limb amputation. It generally occurs as a result of obesity and not enough exercise, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the World Health Organization.

In eastern North Carolina, 11 percent of the population suffers from diabetes, surpassing state and national averages. According to the ADA, 1.4 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with diabetes every year.

"It's an epidemic here, and it's my belief that we have one of the highest diabetes rates in the United States," Pories said in an interview this month with Public Radio East.

It affects African-Americans, who make up 22 percent of the state's population, at a rate 1.7 times greater than non-Hispanic whites, according to the American Diabetes Association. And a quarter of all people with diabetes don't know they have it, says the National Institutes of Health.

But two decades ago, Pories found his work with a type of weight-loss surgery that creates a small stomach pouch and reroutes the small intestine to it pointed to a remission of diabetes.

Beginning in 1980, the outcomes of 837 patients who had weight-loss surgery at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, now Vidant Medical Center, were meticulously recorded and studied by a group of ECU physicians led by Pories. In 1995, he was the first to report hard evidence that diabetes was no longer a hopeless disease but could be reversed by bariatric surgery.

"It was met with resistance and disbelief, especially when it became apparent that the 'Greenville gastric bypass' operation pioneered by Pories also reversed hypertension, decreased the prevalence of cancer and improved other health issues," said Dr. Betsy Tuttle-Newhall, chair of the ECU Department of Surgery.

Gastric bypass is now established as an effective and safe therapy for morbid obesity and its associated conditions. And no other therapy has produced such durable and complete control of diabetes mellitus.

Pories, 87, is still on the faculty at ECU's Brody School of Medicine, where he is involved in diabetes research and serves as a professor of surgery, biochemistry and kinesiology. He was recently honored as an "Icon in American Surgery" by the American College of Surgeons for his work. Pories is the first North Carolina surgeon to receive this honor.

Peter Makuck to read at ECU

Longtime eastern North Carolina resident Peter Makuck will present a public reading from his poetry and fiction on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in ECUs Bate building, room 1026.

Makuck, distinguished professor emeritus, taught English and creative writing at ECU from 1978 until his retirement in 2006. Founder of the internationally acclaimed literary journal Tar River Poetry, he also is the author of eight books of poetry and four collections of short stories, including one of each published in 2016.

Makuck grew up in New London, Conn., and has a doctorate in American literature from Kent State University. He has been a Fulbright Exchange Professor at Cambery, France, and a visiting writer at Brigham Young University and N.C. State University. He and his wife, Phyllis, live on Bogue Banks.

Five Makuck short stories have received honorable mentions in the Best American Short Stories collections, and a personal essay on guns was named a Best Essay of 2000. For poetry, he has received the Zoe Kincaid Brockman Award for best book of poems by a North Carolinian.

The reading is sponsored by ECU's Department of English. Admission is free and open to the public.

Upcoming events

Thursday: Reception, Desegregating Health Care in Eastern North Carolina, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Laupus Library Fourth Floor Gallery. An exhibit celebrating Dr. Andrew A. Best and Dr. Milton D. Quigless and their work to dissolve racial barriers in eastern N.C.s health care centers.

Thursday: Reception, Tenth Photographic Image Biennial Exhibition, 5 p.m., Speight Auditorium and Wellington B. Gray Gallery. A national juried exhibition of photographic images on display through March 3.

Saturday: Spring Day of Dance, 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., Messick Theatre Arts Center. Classes in ballet, modern, jazz and tap designed for ages 10-11, 12-13 and 14+. Contact galaskat@ecu.edufor more information.

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ECU Notes: Journal: Weight-loss surgery should be a standard of care for some diabetes - Greenville Daily Reflector

Whole grains have been shown to be superior in the diet when compared with refined grains, suggests new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Whole grains increased calorie loss by decreasing the number of calories retained during digestion, while simultaneously speeding up metabolism.

Previous research has indicated that whole grains and high dietary fiber intake have several health benefits, such as for glycemic control and insulin sensitivity. However, scientists have been unable to agree whether whole grains and fiber help to regulate weight.

The grain food group includes rice, oats, wheat, and barley. While whole grains contain the whole-grain kernel and include brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-wheat flour, refined grains are starches that are processed and milled to remove the bran and germ to prolong their shelf life. Examples of refined grains include white rice, white bread, and white flour.

Milling empties the starch of dietary fiber, iron, and B vitamins. Although iron and B vitamins can be added back into the refined grains, the fiber is not often reintroduced.

In the new research, investigators conducted a study over 8 weeks that included 81 men and women aged between 40 and 65. All food was provided to the participants over the course of the study and included either whole grains or refined grains. Participants were asked only to consume the food provided, return any uneaten food, and continue with their usual levels of physical activity.

"We provided all food to ensure that the composition of the diets differed only in grain source," says senior author Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D., senior scientist and director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

For the first 2 weeks, all participants ate the same type of food, and the calorie needs of each individual were determined. The participants were then randomly assigned to either a group that included whole grains or a group with refined grains.

The differences between the whole-grain diet and refined-grain diet were mostly in grain and fiber content. Type of food, meal structure, and energy and macronutrient composition were similar in both groups.

The researchers compared the effects of whole grains and refined grains on resting metabolic rate and fecal energy losses, in addition to how full or how hungry the participants felt. Measures of the study included weight, metabolic rate, blood glucose, fecal calories, hunger, and fullness.

Results showed that the group that ate whole grains had increased resting metabolic rate and greater fecal losses compared with the refined grain group. Furthermore, the increases in fecal energy losses were not because of the extra fiber, but from the effect of the fiber on the digestibility of other food calories.

Participants who consumed whole grains - an amount that matched the recommended daily allowance for fiber - lost almost an extra 100 calories per day than the participants who consumed refined grains without much fiber.

"The extra calories lost by those who ate whole grains was equivalent of a brisk 30-minute walk - or enjoying an extra small cookie every day in terms of its impact," says Roberts.

Roberts' colleagues included Phil J. Karl, Ph.D., first author of the study, an alumnus of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, and a nutrition scientist at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA.

"Many previous studies have suggested benefits of whole grains and dietary fiber on chronic disease risk. This study helps to quantify how whole grains and fiber work to benefit weight management, and lend credibility to previously reported associations between increased whole grains and fiber consumption, lower body weight and better health."

Phil J. Karl

The study used commercially available products that used whole-grain flour. The team hypothesizes that using foods with whole-grain kernels might affect metabolic rate and fecal loss further. Fullness, hunger, and diet satisfaction did not appear to differ significantly between the two diets.

Read about how whole grains could extend lifespan.

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Whole grains increase metabolism, may help promote weight loss - Medical News Today

If you want to lose weightand get into shape, some gyms are now offering high-tech, 3D body scanners to help you track your progress.

A few months ago, musical theater actress Sarah Loman came to TMPL gym in New York City to see if a new approach could help.

Shes struggled with her weight and wants to make major changes to her body. Im in a career path where its all about how you look, she told CBS News.

TMPL and dozens of other high-end fitness centers around the country are now offering this 3D scanning technology. A special camera takes hundreds of body measurements from how much muscle you have to where youre storing more fat. The scanner then creates a 3D computer model of its subject in less than minute.

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The technology was first used in the world of fashion, so tailors could get precise measurements.

Clients at TMPL gym also fill out an extensive health survey.

That informs us as to how to exercise, eat, possibly supplements to correct whatever is going on with the metabolism so we can make changes in that body composition, said gym owner David Barton.

The computer-generated images can be compared over time to show exactly how a persons physique is changing.

The noticeable progress helps keep Loman motivated. You see the number on the scale, but the number on the scale doesnt break down how much of that is muscle, how much of that is water weight, how much of that is body fat, she said.

In about four months of dieting and exercise, she lost 30 pounds and gained three pounds of muscle.

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Can 3D body scanners help with weight loss, fitness? - CBS News

This Mornings psychotherapist pair reveal to Now which celebs theyve cured of phobias and how they make their marriage work

This Mornings resident psychotherapists Nik and Eva Speakman have helped dozens of celebrities, including Holly Willoughbyand Vicky Pattison, to overcome phobias and issues not to mention ordinary people whove been told they will never be cured. The show recently won a gong at the National Television Awards, so it must be doing something right. Here, Nik,55, and Eva, 47 who live in Rochdale and have two children, Olivia, 20, and Hunter, 11 talk about their amazing miracle cases, working on This Morning and how they cured a lady who was scared of Simon Cowell

Youve helped so many people on This Morning over the past seven years. What is it you love about the show?

Nik: Its the best daytime show. It offers so much support and advice across so many areas.I was at a charity function recently and a man thanked me for saving his life. I told himI didnt recognise him. Hesaid: You dont know me, but I decided to kill myself. I dropped my wife and daughter off, I went into the house, I had my last cup of tea and I put This Morning on. You were working with someone and you cured them. I realised then that there was hope for me.

Eva: It doesnt get any betterthan that.Is it true you helped Holly Willoughby cure her fear of ghosts?

Nik and Eva are happily married with two kids

Nik: A fear of ghosts is unusual and yes, we did work with her on that. But actually, she was more scared of flying. Holly was ona kids show years ago and she went on a plane for it. They turned the engine off and she had no ideait was going to happen. Anyone in that situation would be completely terrified.

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Eva: We helped her and she flew a few days later. She posted on Twitter that she was over it.

How can people cure their fear of flying without spendinga lot of money?

Nik: You have toput things into perspective. If someones scaredof flying, theyshould download this amazing app called Plane Finder. Youll see the sky is full of planes. You have to ask yourself: Why?

Eva: If your phobia were justified, wed all be fearful of flying, so what you have to do is change your perspective. You have to ask how many of your flights got there safely? The answer is they all did.

Has Phillip Schofield ever asked you for help?

Eva: No. The only thing hes ever mentioned is that he hates the scraping of cutlery. We were talking about Im A Celebrity and the one thing he cant stand is the scraping of metal when theyre eating on the show!But hes never asked for help.

Last month on the show, you helped Stephen Day, who suffered from PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and was having terrible convulsions

Nik: Stephen was challenging, because numerous health officials had told him he was incurable. We saw him having fits and hed tried to kill himself three times last year. Knowing hed got that low was a lot of pressure but after a 50-minute session with us, he was cured. It was so emotional.

Eva: We all cried.

Whats been your most rewarding case?

Eva: Those inthe emergency and armed forces stand out. Itsnice to give something back to the brave people protecting us.

Whats the most bizarre phobia youve been asked to cure?

Eva: There was a lady on This Morning who had a phobia of Simon Cowell! She worked in Tesco and she would get really edgy when it got to going past the magazines.

Nik: Watching The X Factorwas horrendous for her. EvenI was thinking: Really? But it turned out that her father had this look when she was littleif anyone did anything wrong. And hed recently died and she was grieving. So when Simon did the same look on TV as her dad used to when they were in trouble, she linked thatfear to him.

Eva: We managed tocure her and they broughtout a host of people in Simon Cowell masks!

Are phobias irrational?

Eva: Having a phobiaisnt irrational. The fearitself is irrational.

Is there anything youhavent cured?

Nik: No. What we do is change peoples perspective. We provide people with new evidence to get them to change how they think.

Have you got any phobias?

Eva: Both of us had phobias in the past. I had a fear of heights and spiders.

Nik: I had a fear of cockroaches.

Eva: We worked on each other to get rid of them.

Nik: And now weve got spiders and cockroaches as pets!

Vicky Pattison has creditedyou with changing the wayshe feels about herself. She said she didnt feel she deserved to be loved

Nik: Her management arranged for us to meet with her but she didnt want to come along!

Eva: Shed had a late night and all she wanted to do was sleep. She had a bit of a barrier up.

Nik: I remember her saying: How long am I with you? We told her it was three hours. She said: I tell you what, let me have a sleep for three hours.

Eva: We said: Give us an hour and tell us what you think then. Within an hour, we were the best of friends.

Whos been the most challenging celeb to work with?

Eva: Vicky was a lovely challenge because she changed so quickly.

Nik: [Strictly Come Dancing champion and TV presenter] Ore Oduba was challenging. He was standing in for Phillip on This Morning and was nervous. We had 15 minutes with him and he had to prep for the show at the same time.

Which celebrity would you love to work with?

Nik: Id love to work with Lady Gaga. She recently said shed been suffering from PTSD. We knowshe can get over it.

The Speakmans wants to work with Lady Gaga

What can people do about eating too much if theyre trying to lose weight?

Nik: You need to set a goal. Just saying: I want to lose weight, wont work. You need to say:By June, I will have lost 2st. Suddenly you have a clear plan.

Eva: Keeping a diary is great. You can write down your goals, what youre eating and when you plan to exercise. That way, its like an appointment. Nobody overeats because they want to. Its important to look at why. It could be loneliness, for comfort or if you feel bad about yourself.

Why are people addictedto sugar?

Eva: Because it gives you an increased level of feelgood endorphins. Were always seeking to feel better and we become addicted to things that give us an unnatural high.

What about partying toomuch how can people tone down their drinking?

Eva: A big factor is your friendship circle. If youwant to curbyour party lifestyle and someone phones you, tell them you loveyour nights out but youre restricting them. And if they phone, dont answer the call,as theyll talk you into it!

It can be easy to feel like youre not enough in this day and age. What are your tips forself-confidence?

Nik: You need to take stock and look at how far you have got. We often forget where we started in life. We also compare ourselves to others. But if someone started their journey two years ago and youve only started this week, then youll feel a failure. Instead, you need to say: I admire that, and set itas a goal.

Eva: You should also look at who made you feelthat way and do they have a valid point. If you have people who love and care for you, you should feel proud thatyoure loveable.

Would you mindif your children went into showbiz?

Eva: Olivia and Hunter are such positive, well-balanced and kind kids. Whatever makes them happy, well both support them.

Do they mind you being on TV?

Eva: No, not atall. Theyre both very supportive.

Nik: Our mission is to make a big difference. Were working with Amsterdam University at the moment to get our therapy [Schematherapy] recognised.

Youve both got long, blonde hair. Do you coordinate styling?!

Eva: Nik recently had his hair cut.

Nik: I got a big thumbs-up and then I started growing a beard and got massive thumbs-up!

Eva: Hes looking really good.

Youve been married more than 20 years. Whats your secret?

Eva: We laugh a lot. We do heara lot of sad and emotional stories, but the ending is brilliant. Sharing that is fabulous.

This Morning is on ITV at 10.30am on weekdays.Visit itv.com/thismorning

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Nik and Eva Speakman: 'We don't coordinate our hair anymore!' - CelebsNow

WANT to lose weight fast? Making this one food swap will increase your calorie-burn.

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If you want to get a ripped six-pack you're going to have to work hard and curb some of your bad eating habits.

But there are some simple things you can do to help rid you of your spare tire.

The key to losing weight is to burn off more calories than you consume and there are certain foods that actually help you burn fat faster.

20 fat-burning foods that help you lose weight

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Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

Researchers have found that swapping refined grains for whole grains is one simple thing you can do to burn more calories.

Making this one change can help you burn an extra 100 calories a day, according to the Tufts University study.

The Boston-based researchers split 81 people into two groups: One group ate a diet rich in whole grains, with a fibre content around 40 grams a day.

The other consumed mostly refined grains, with only around half the fibre.

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We provided all food to ensure that the composition of the diets differed only in grain source, said Phil J. Karl, PhD, first author of the study.

Whole grains and fibre work to benefit weight management

Results revealed that after six weeks the people who ate the the whole-grain diet lost an additional 100 calories per day.

This is the equivalent of doing a brisk 30-minute walk, the authors revealed.

Substituting refined grain foods like white rice and bread for whole-grain foods like brown rice and oatmeal, increases calorie loss by reducing the calories you retain during digestion.

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High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage right now and for good reason. Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein and your body uses protein to build and repair tissues.

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Reasons why Fibre is such an important part of a diet

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They also speed up your metabolism and the extra fibre boost means you will probably have more regular bowel movements youll poo out more calories.

Many previous studies have suggested benefits of whole grains and dietary fibre on chronic disease risk, added Phil.

This study helps to quantify how whole grains and fibre work to benefit weight management.

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Healthy diet plan to help you lose weight: Burn 100 extra calories a ... - Daily Star

Men's Fitness

7 weight-loss lies people need to stop believing Men's Fitness There's plenty of nutrition nonsense out there. The problem? With all these myths and bad ideas floating around, too many people are getting duped into ridiculous diets, absurd nutrition rules, and flat-out nonsensical notions that will ultimately ...

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7 weight-loss lies people need to stop believing - Men's Fitness