Dr. Ann

If you want to lose weight, get your insulin level down! Insulin is your body’s fuel storage “fat hormone.” The higher your insulin level, the hungrier you are and the more receptive your fat cells will be to accumulating more fat and the more resistant they will be to giving it up. In fact, weight […]

Exercise most days — If you don’t accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days of the week you are virtually guaranteed to accumulate belly fat. And the more the better! Eat an abundance of non-starchy veggies and fruits. Enjoy beans daily. Avoid the “Great White Hazards” — white flour products, white rice, white […]

Hitting the gym for better weight control? Try thinking about it as “fun and pleasurable” and not “exercise” for best results. In an intriguing series of two separate experiments, researchers from Cornell’s famed Food and Brand Lab found that we eat significantly more after physical activity perceived as “exercise” vs. the same activity perceived as “a pleasurable pastime”. In the […]

Here are some easy ways to save money while improving your weight control: Control your portions. This can reduce your grocery bill along with your restaurant bill and scientific reports find that consistently controlling portions may be the fastest direct route to weight loss.  Dump liquid calories (sodas, fruit juices/drinks, sport drinks.) These liquid sugars cost […]

In an exhilarating new study, scientists found that simple changes to diet translated to big improvements in mood. For this three-week, clinical trial, 76 university students with poor diets and moderate to severe depression symptoms were randomly assigned to one of two groups—either the “diet change” group or the “regular diet” group. The “diet change” […]

Exercise is simply stellar for weight control. Check out all the different ways exercise can help you stay lean! Exercise burns calories. Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity (insulin action) which boosts calorie burning potential. Exercise builds lean body mass (muscle). The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn.  Muscles burn fat very effectively […]

If you want to burn more calories after a meal and experience reduced hunger, add a liberal dash or two of red pepper. Studies have shown that capsaicin, the component in chili peppers that provides its hot kick, can mitigate hunger and boost metabolism. Try adding some to my delicious bell pepper recipe! Healthy Stuffed […]

For the morbidly obese at imminent risk of life-threatening obesity-related complications, weight loss surgery can be acutely life-saving.  However, its extraordinary initial efficacy, like any other lose-weight-quick scheme, is clearly attenuated over time as many patients find they can eventually consume at or near their pre-bypass level.  I once met a clinical psychologist whose job […]

Whether you are trying to lose a few pounds or keep the scale steady – here are some super-easy steps for priming your fat-burning machinery and revving up metabolism. Steer clear of the “Great White Hazards.” (white flour products, white rice, white potatoes, and sugar)  These foods lead to rapid surges in blood glucose and […]

1.  Substituting non-fat Greek plain yogurt for mayonnaise, sour cream, or cream in my dressings, sauces, soups, and tuna or salmon salads 2.  Substituting a big bed of chopped spinach for the noodles/pasta in my spaghetti and other dishes that feature pasta (I throw frozen chopped spinach in the microwave and squeeze out all of […]

The advice to eat “an apple a day” got a huge boost thanks to a study whose healthy results even shocked the lead investigator.  For this study, 160 middle age to older women were randomly assigned to eat either 75 grams of dried apples a day or 75 grams of prunes a day for a […]

  In an eye-opening study that puts a whole new spin on sleep and wellbeing, investigators found that improving sleep quality over time boosts health and happiness on par with winning the lottery! For this study researchers followed the sleep patterns of 30,500 UK adults for a period of four years. Study subjects who reported […]