Weight-loss ads and television shows regularly profile people who have transformed their lives through major losses of 30 kilograms or more. These weight-loss ambassadors try to inspire us to do the same…
Doctors are not morally obliged to ensure patients follow their advice.
Image from shutterstock.com
The NSW Supreme Court decision to overturn damages awarded to an obese man whose doctor failed to refer him for specialist care to help him lose weight has been widely welcomed by medical and legal experts…
Some GPs are reluctant to broach the issue of weight for fear of offending their patients; others aren’t convinced by the evidence.
Image from shutterstock.com
Almost two-thirds (62%) of Australian adults and one fifth (21%) of children aged five to nine years are either overweight or obese. The prevalence has increased by 5% in the last decade and is strongly…
Excess kilojoules, rather than dietary fat, leads to weight gain.
Image from shutterstock.com
If food is labelled low fat, it’s got to be better for weight loss, right? Wrong – it’s the total kilojoules that matter most for weight loss. Looking solely at fat content only gives you part of the picture…
Unrealistic advertising can severely damage individual self-esteem.
Ed Yourdan/Flickr.
Body image may be the western world’s ugliest export. Images of thin, toned women and hyper-muscular men are conveyed via television, magazines, movies and the internet to the global market.
The ideal…
Detox diets may do little harm, except to your bank balance, but neither do they do a lot of good.
katstan
Detox diets make amazing promises of dramatic weight loss and more energy – all achieved by flushing toxins from the body. Toxins have very little to do with it; detox diets “work” because of the very…
There’s no good evidence to show cutting carbs works better than just cutting calories.
Skley
There seems to be an endless number of fad diets and “golden rules” for weight loss. One of the most popular of these rules is that cutting carbohydrates (carbs) is the best way to lose weight.
The most…
Focusing on weight as the problem and weight loss as the solution makes social and economic inequalities invisible.
Isaac Brown Stocky Bodies
Anti-obesity messages are everywhere – in news, in entertainment, and in public health campaigns. We are constantly being told that fat is bad for us, and that in order to be healthy we need to lose weight…
Labelling a person as “obese” may not always be helpful in prompting positive changes in behaviour.
HighContrast
OBESE NATION: It’s time to admit it – Australia is becoming an obese nation. Today we launch a series looking at how this has happened and, more importantly, what we can do to stop the obesity epidemic…
Psychological influences on weight problems are extremely important, but are often overlooked.
vistavision
Researchers have been telling us for decades that being overweight is not good for our health. Medical journals are full of articles that link overweight and obesity to just about every disease and illness…
The TGA is still slow to act on products making dubious weight-loss claims.
puuikibeach
Little seems to have changed inside the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). And that’s despite two years of reviews into the shortcomings of its regulatory processes and the release, late last year…
Successful weight losers have higher levels of nerve activity than those who struggle to lose weight.
Flickr/the great
If you put a group of people on a calorie-restricted diet, you’ll see that some seem to lose weight easily, while others struggle to shed each pound. This difference doesn’t just come down to how much…
If you’re not meeting your weight-loss targets, you need to eat less or move more.
Flickr/lism
People who struggle to lose weight often blame their difficulty achieving a healthy weight on their “slow metabolism”. So is this a real barrier to weight loss, or is the real culprit an excess of food…
Too many pharmacists legitimise celebrity-endorsed fad diets and misleading weight-loss products.
Ell Brown
Welcome to the tenth and final instalment of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Dr Rachael…
Prescription weight loss medicines are expensive and don’t produce lasting results.
Flickr/Flashstep
Welcome to part nine of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Lennert Veerman, Senior Research…
Losing weight and keeping it off can be hard due to hormonal changes.
Colros
Welcome to part eight of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Joseph Proietto, Professor…
Promises of a quick weight-loss fix mask the realities of liposuction.
Laura Mary
Welcome to part seven of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, health sociologist Rhian…
Miranda Kerr lost her pregnancy weight and was back on the runway six months after giving birth.
AAP
Welcome to part six of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Caroline Homer, Professor of…
How much weight can be lost from reducing calorie intake is generally misunderstood.
Flickr/puuikibeach
Welcome to part four of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Deakin University Public Health…
Your long-term weight loss success is dependant on both exercise and nutrition.
Kenny Holston
Welcome to part four of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Deakin University nutrition…
Group therapy programs aim to counter the influence of these images and reduce body dissatisfaction.
Flickr/jaimelondonboy
Welcome to part three of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Professor Susan Paxton, from…
Diet pill manufacturers take advantage of consumers' desire to look and feel better.
Flickr/jypsygen
Welcome to part two of The science behind weight loss, a new Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition.
Here, Michael Vagg, Clinical…
Fad diets might give you short-term “results” but they’re unlikely to keep the weight off.
Flickr/HTB
Welcome to The science behind weight loss, a new Conversation series where we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. In our first instalment, renowned nutritionist…
Over time, smokers gain as much weight as the rest of the population.
Flickr/Difei Li
One of the few positives put forward by smokers to justify their habit is that it helps keep their weight in check. And while smoking may be harmful to their health, so is obesity.
So how does this claim…
Adjusting your protein intake can help you lose weight or build muscle mass.
Neric Blein
For most people, successful weight loss comes down to two things: eating less and exercising more. But new research shows we may have been underestimating the role protein plays in losing weight and building…
On March 18, 2011, I submitted my first complaint about the promotion of SensaSlim to appropriate authorities – the Complaint Resolution Panel (CRP) which hears complaints about alleged breaches of the…
