The timing of food intake might affect your weight loss efforts!

OK guys, first of all, I am sad to say that I missed the symposium on alternate-day fasting at Obesity Week! I know I talked it up last week, so I feel terrible that I can't report back to you about it this week. I was so upset -- I (and many others) kept wandering around the area where it was *supposed* to be held, only to fail to find it. So I can't tell you yet what was presented there -- I'll have to wait until the audio and slides become available for me to view online next month.

BUT.

I *did* attend a symposium that dealt with the timing of food intake in a slightly different way, and discovered something new: that increasing your calories at breakfast and decreasing your calories at dinner might have a significant impact on your weight loss success! A study just published in July in Obesity examined the effects of two parallel diet groups: each group ate 1400 kcal per day for 3 months, but the first group ate most of their calories in the morning (700 kcal at breakfast,  500 kcal at lunch, and just 200 kcal at dinner), while the second group ate a more traditional American pattern with the most energy intake in the evening (200 kcal at breakfast, 500 kcal at lunch, and 700 kcal at dinner).

You can read the study itself here.

The results were striking: the big-breakfast group lost more weight, more inches off their waists, had greater improvements in insulin and fasting glucose levels, and even had drops in their triglyceride levels (while the big-dinner group's triglycerides actually increased). Perhaps most importantly, the mean satiety scores were significantly higher in the big-breakfast group, and hunger scores were lower -- so they felt more satisfied on the same amount of calories! Food for thought....

I'm in Atlanta for Obesity Week! ...about to hear evidence behind intermittent fasting....

This is the first time ever that The Obesity Society and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery are coming together for a combined annual scientific meeting. I've perused the program and am particularly interested in attending several of the sessions, including one at 1:30pm tomorrow about alternate-day fasting for weight loss and cardio-protection in humans, fasting to reduce cancer risk, and intermittent fasting and brain health. I am really looking forward to hearing the current scientific evidence behind this concept after hearing on The Diane Rehm Show this past March about Dr. Michael Mosley's diet sensation, "The Fast Diet."
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-03-13/dr-michael-mosley-fast-diet

He promotes severe calorie restriction (under 500 kcal/day for women, 600 for men) on two non-consecutive days every week, claiming that it will help promote weight loss, decrease the risk of dementia, and increase longevity. But this concept has largely been based on animal studies, and the UK National Health Service posted information (updated in May) about the limited research supporting it:
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx

The session here at Obesity Weeks tomorrow is supposed to outline research in humans, so I am quite curious to see what will be presented, and whether it will support intermittent fasting!

This just in: bariatric surgery leads to better sex

It may not come as a surprise to you that obesity is associated with increased body image dissatisfaction and decreased sexual satisfaction, but a study that was just published online yesterday in JAMA Surgery (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2013.5022)  found that women lost about 33% of their body weight at the end of one and two years after surgery, and that they reported "significant improvements in overall sexual functioning and specific domains of sexual functioning: arousal, lubrication, desires, and satisfaction." Given that about half of women who seek bariatric surgery to treat their obesity report sexual dysfunction and psychosocial distress, these findings are really promising. Also of note, the women experienced significant improvements in reproductive hormone levels, as well as in body image.

We have known for some time now that bariatric surgery is associated with improvements in medical diseases like diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, but now there's proof that it's good for your sex life, too!