Bodyweight management

In this article, you will learn about what I think is the best fat-loss diet and the connection between overweight, obesity, and eczema.

As an eczema patient, it’s important to display some kind of bodyweight management. When a person develops eczema he is 8% more likely to become overweight or obese. But the opposite is also the case. A person that develops overweight or obesity is more prone to having skin problems like atopic dermatitis.

Effects of obesity on the skin

A 2017 study of American women found that skin barrier and moisturizing functions were significantly impaired by obesity, resulting in considerable dryness and roughness, compared with nonobese women.

Atopic eczema becomes a problem due to chronic inflammation in the whole body due to high caloric intake. That creates systemic inflammation combined with insulin resistance, demonstrated by altered levels of interleukin (IL)-6, leptin, adipokines, and insulin.

In another study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, online March 16, 2011, the findings point to the same conclusions:

• Small children who are obese may be more likely to develop severe eczema
• Compared to children who weren’t obese, kids who became obese between the ages of 2 and 5 years old had more than three times the risk of developing the condition. If they were even younger when they became obese – babies or toddlers – their risk of the uncomfortable skin disease seemed to be even higher.
• Children who are obese for a long time are more likely to get eczema. If you’re able to reverse the obesity with weight loss, children may be less likely to develop eczema, or eczema symptoms may improve.
• Overall, the researchers found that obesity was nearly twice as common in children and adolescents with eczema. About nine of every 100 study participants with eczema were obese, compared to only five out of 100 without the skin disease.

The cost of overweight and obesity

The economic side of the matter is quite disturbing and the future outlook is not good. Healthcare costs are expected to rise dramatically in the coming years and place an already hard-pressed global healthcare system under even more pressure. For example, obesity is responsible for 70 percent of all treatment costs for diabetes, 23 percent of treatment costs for cardiovascular diseases, and 9 percent for cancers.

BodyMassIndex

Health care providers use the Body Mass Index(BMI), which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height, to define overweight and obesity. People who have a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered overweight. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or greater. You can calculate your BMI to learn if you are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese may increase the risk of health problems. Your health care provider can assess your individual risk due to your weight.

A good indication of whether one is eating healthy is by looking at BMI and the body’s overall impression. A BMI in the lower part of the normal spectrum may indicate that too many unhealthy foods and sugars are not consumed. If the body appears “trimmed”, it is a good indicator that you are on the right track with the current diet.

To keep the weight in check you have to exercise and eat healthily. In my free book Eczemahealingguide you can read more about a healthy diet that is optimal for fighting both eczema and weight problems. You will also learn some mental techniques to keep doing the right thing as a part of your future life.

The best fat-loss diet

My way of managing weight is in my honest opinion the best fat-loss diet. It is free, easy to do, and only demands a little self-discipline to get a lasting weight loss. If you keep to the routines and methods described you will be able to stay fit, lean, and healthy for life.

I am a small guy but even a small guy can put too much weight on sometimes. Of course, I can not relate to being overweight or obese, but I can share my methods to be in charge of my body weight.

Normally I put on some weight in the winter months. To get ready to hit the beach in the summer I start trimming down at Christmas-time by doing what I consider the best fat-loss diet and routines.

I have some rules that make it more like a routine than a struggle to lose weight. I guess it will work just as well if your start weight is somewhat higher. Then you will probably also see much quicker results at the beginning as the potential for losing weight is higher.

The routine

The meal plan for ordinary days:

• Only coffee (with a little oat-milk) and carrots from I wake up and until lunch
• At lunchtime, I have three pieces of rye bread with eg. cold cuts, salmon, mackerel, hummus, pâté.
• At about 15 o’clock porridge made from oatmeal and müsli, no added sugar
• For dinner, dishes with meat, fish or vegan steaks, falaffel, etc. as a protein source. Rice, bulgur, lentils, pasta, couscous ect. as a carbohydrate source. Rough green vegetables e.g. fried aubergines, broccoli, cabbage, scallions, carrots, etc. as a fiber / vegetable source.
• After dinner there is no more food meaning that I will be fasting about 16 hours, before I have my next meal at about 12 o’clock the day after. That is called intermitted fasting and a very healthy way to live. You basically give your body a chance to digest properly and a pause to have some of the many benefits that fasting have to offer. I use the app Zero on my phone and apple watch to keep track of my progress in this matter.

The porridge is made like this:

• 35 grammes of oatmeat + 35 grammes of müsli with no addad sugars
• Add about 2 dl. cold water
• Microwave for about 2.5 minutes at max wattage
• Add 1 dl. of oat milk and 1 teaspoon of raw cocoa powder
• Stir and let it sit for about two minutes

During the day there are no sugary soft drinks or similar things since they are not part of the life I want to live. Only juice, coffee, non-alcoholic beer, or pure water with sparkles.

By keeping with this routine you do not have to think too much about what to eat and convincing yourself to eat healthy at every meal.

Of course, this diet is a little boring, but it is healthy and cheap. In fact, I find it to be the best fat-loss diet since it is so straightforward. It keeps you full and you always know what and when the next meal is there. By dividing the day into small manageable timeslots it is much easier to “stick-it-out” to the next meal.

The routine for days with intensive strength training

If you want a stronger body, but at the same time do not want to gain fat, then this meal plan is perfect. I’ve been doing it for a long time and it works. It’s pretty impressive what an increased amount of high quality protein can do when you combine it with intensive training a few times a week.

The meal plan on (one day before and one day after) training day:

• Breakfast consists of 250 grams of minced chicken, cooked with water, a bit of rice, boulion and curry.
• Peeled carrots (about 200 g) for the drive to work
• At lunchtime I eat two or three pieces of rye bread with e.g. cold cuts, salmon, mackerel, hummus, liver pate (chicken or alm.) or rice dish consisting of 250 grams of minced chicken, 100 grams of peas, one can of pineapple in pieces and a shot of coconut milk. Made in Rice cooker from Sistema.
• Fruit or the rest of the rice dish from dinner relieves hunger until dinner.
• Dinner, dishes with meat, fish or vegan steaks, falafel, etc. as a source of protein. rice, bulgur, lentils, pasta, couscous el. lign. as a carbohydrate source. Rough green e.g. fried aubergines, broccoli, cabbage, scallions, carrots, etc. as a fiber/vegetable source.

The rice dish with chicken, pineapple and coconut milk is made as follows:

The rice cooker is filled with:

• One cup of rice + 2 cups of water
• 450 grams of minced chicken
• Sal
• 100 grams of frozen peas

Heat the minced chicken meat, rice, salt, and water in the microwave for approx. 12 minutes at max. Wattage.
Add 1 dl. coconut milk, 1 teaspoon curry, a can of sliced pineapple in juice, and the frozen peas.

Stir and wait for approx. two minutes. Then there is a healthy hot dinner dish with high protein content.

General advice

During the day, there are no sugary soft drinks. Only juice, coffee, non-alcoholic beer or clean water with or without bubbles. As a snack, there is fruit, nuts and more carrots.

By following this routine, one does not have to think so much about what the next meal should consist of. Thus, it is easy to eat healthy at every meal. The bonus of this meal plan is that you can feel a marked improvement in the gym, while not gaining fat.

Of course, these meal plans are a bit tedious, but they are healthy and inexpensive. They keep you full and you always know what and when the next meal is. By dividing the day into small manageable time slots, it is much easier to “persevere” until the next meal.

Protein is not just protein

Many people probably think that proteins are simple building blocks that you just have to have enough of to stay healthy. But few are aware that proteins are a key term for a collection of amino acids. They are the real building blocks that our body needs to do everything relating to repairing cell damage, maintain and build muscle, secrete hormones, etc.

Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. The composition of amino acids can be very different, depending on the type of protein in question. Here the difference between vegetable and animal is noticeable, as the animal proteins to a greater extent contain the combination of amino acids that the human body needs. It is actually quite logical that meat products contain the building blocks that is needed to build muscle, etc., while the composition of our body is less reminiscent of a plant.

There are 20 different amino acids from which the body can make protein. A distinction is made between the essential and the non-essential amino acids. There are 8 essential amino acids. They are characterized by the fact that the body can not make these from other substances. There are also 12 of the non-essential amino acids and these the body can produce from other substances.

No sugar

A major part of the best fat-loss diet is to get rid of added sugar in your foods. The study also shows that high sugar levels can damage your brain and cause or worsen dementia.

The exclusion of sugar is no big problem and your body adapts quite rapidly. It is just like turning the volume of your stereo down and your ears will adjust. The craving for sugary foods hangs on for the first couple of days. At the beginning of the process, you are most motivated and eager to do the right thing. That helps to get through the first “tough” days and after that, it becomes much easier. Things like raisins, fruits, and daddles are small explosions of sugary taste and you will be surprised how easy it is to relinquish added sugar.

The video below is one of the best if you really want to learn about the mechanics behind the obesity epidemic. They are need-to-know knowledge if you are serious about your health. You that you will be surprised by the facts that are presented.

Morning boost

To start the day with coffee and carrots are my prime choice. It is a power-boost of caffeine, fibers, vitamins, and antioxidants. Did you know that coffee has higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries?

Sometimes you will feel a little hungry at about 9 o’clock, but in a few hours, you will start your daily eating window. The foods I have listed all contain a high amount of protein, medium fats, and low natural sugars. On top, they have lots of fibers and healthy whole-grain carbohydrates to give energy and provide a feeling of satiety.

If you buy it – You eat it !

Another important part of the best fat-loss diet is to clean your house of any food that is not in sync with your goals and diet. This is again an important part of what I think is the best fat-loss diet.

To keep on the right path you must make a grocery list and stick to it. I have a saying: “If you buy it, You eat it”. Healthy foods need to be the only ones leaving the supermarket with you.

For the tempting times in the evening where the cravings come rushing in it is important to have a backup-plan in place. The plan is to have some healthy snacks ready in the cupboard. A bag of raisins, nuts, daddle or salty breadsticks can be the “emergency foods”. And when you crave a coke, then have some fruit juice. They may have the same calories, but now you got all the good vitamins instead of empty calories.

In the video below you will get even more knowledge about why we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic. This knowledge is good if you want to take back control of your lifestyle choices.

Weigh yourself often to stay on track

It is crucial to jump on the scale every single day to maintain progressive fat loss. It has been confirmed by science that people who lost weight and kept it off have daily weigh-ins. If you get two “high” measurements you might feel your progress has stalled. That is normally not the case. You can just not see the trends if you only step onto the scale some days. Below you see the fluctuations of my daily measurements. They are canceled out when you zoom out to Year-view.

When I do my weight managing routine the result is a slow but steady lowering of my body weight. The rate of weight loss is just above one kilogram a month, which is a healthy rate to reduce your weight.

Exercise – Keep muscle and lose fat

In any fat-loss diet, you have to get your body moving.

You have to find some kind of exercise that appeals to you. I lift weights for one hour two times a week and aim at getting 10.000 steps every day. My apple watch keeps track of all the exercise data and the daily weigh-in is also going into Apple-health.

By exercising you maintain your muscle mass and by performing weight- or resistance training you build bigger muscle. When your muscle mass is greater your body burns more calories even when you are not training. It is just like a car with a big engine. It will have a higher fuel consumption when idle than a car with a small engine.

Going slowly in the weight loss process minimizes the risk of losing muscle mass. And doing progressive resistance training while in a caloric deficit, you tell your body to hold on to the muscle. Because of the high nutritional content on the diet, I experience muscle growth while slowly becoming leaner. That is really what you want!

Walking – Fat loss acceleration

Walking is the easiest way of spending more calories and keeping muscle mass. The activity can be done everywhere and is free. The risk of injury is also extremely low compared to eg. running, playing football, or any other high-intensity sport. Combined with the fat-loss diet that I find to be the best, you can expect to see a gradual weight loss. But remember to be patient. Sometimes it takes just as long to fix it as it took to break it :-).

If I should recommend two videos about weight loss and walking it would be these two. They are my “go-to”-videos if I need some motivation myself or if people are asking about weight loss advice.

Discipline

Committing to a healthy fat-loss diet and getting the exercise done can be hard. But if you do not eat healthily and burn more calories by training you will keep gaining weight. Some application of daily discipline is needed to stay on the right track. After the initial motivation has faded you have to rely on rules, routines, and self-discipline. It might be helpful to read my article about how I use and apply discipline to stay clear of my eczema condition and keep fit. Every day!

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Before we dive deep into the subject of weight loss medicine, I would like to show you PLENITY. This is by my standards a smart product, that is not a drug, but a “Weight-loss device” according to the US. authorities FDA. By eating less you will lose fat and combined with a healthy diet, you are good to go.

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Prescription Medications to Treat Overweight and Obesity

How do weight-loss medications work?

Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity work in different ways. For example, some medications may help you feel less hungry or full sooner. Other medications may make it harder for your body to absorb fat from the foods you eat.

Who might benefit from weight-loss medications?

Weight-loss medications are meant to help people who may have health problems related to overweight or obesity. Before prescribing a weight-loss medication, your doctor also will consider

• the likely benefits of weight loss
• the medication’s possible side effects
• your current health issues and other medications
• your family’s medical history
• cost

Health care professionals often use BMI to help decide who might benefit from weight-loss medications. Your doctor may prescribe a medication to treat your overweight or obesity if you are an adult with

• a BMI of 30 or more or
• a BMI of 27 or more and you have weight-related health problems, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.

Weight-loss medications aren’t for everyone with a high BMI. Some people who are overweight or obese may lose weight with a lifestyle program that helps them change their behaviors and improve their eating and physical activity habits. A lifestyle program may also address other factors that affect weight gain, such as eating triggers and not getting enough sleep.

Can children or teenagers take weight-loss medications?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration External link (FDA) has approved most weight-loss medications only for adults. The prescription medication orlistat NIH external link(Xenical) is FDA-approved for children ages 12 and older.

Can medications replace physical activity and healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight?

Medications don’t replace physical activity or healthy eating habits as a way to lose weight and especially fat. Studies show that weight-loss medications work best when combined with a lifestyle program. Ask your doctor or other health care professional about lifestyle treatment programs for weight management that will work for you. Weight-loss medications don’t replace physical activity and a healthy fat-loss diet.

What are the benefits of using prescription medications to lose weight?

When combined with changes in behavior, including eating and physical activity habits, prescription medications may help some people lose weight. On average, people who take prescription medications as part of a lifestyle program lose between 3 and 9 percent more of their starting body weight than people in a lifestyle program who do not take medication. Research shows that some people taking prescription weight-loss medications lose 10 percent or more of their starting weight.

Weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your starting body weight may help improve your health by lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides. Losing weight also can improve some other health problems related to overweight and obesity, such as joint pain or sleep apnea. Most weight loss takes place within the first 6 months of starting the medication.

What are the concerns with using prescription medications to lose weight?

Experts are concerned that, in some cases, the side effects of prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity may outweigh the benefits. For this reason, you should never take a weight-loss medication only to improve the way you look. In the past, some weight-loss medications were linked to serious health problems. For example, the FDA recalled fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine (part of the “fen-phen” combination) in 1997 because of concerns related to heart valve problems.

Possible side effects vary by medication and how it acts on your body. Most side effects are mild and most often improve if you continue to take the medication. Rarely, serious side effects can occur.

Again this proves that doing your weight loss in a healthy way and natural way is the best option. Sticking to the fat-loss diet described above will the best choice you can make for yourself.

How long will I need to take weight-loss medication?

How long you will need to take weight-loss medication depends on whether the drug helps you lose and maintain weight and whether you have any side effects. If you have lost enough weight to improve your health and are not having serious side effects, your doctor may advise that you stay on the medication indefinitely. If you do not lose at least 5 percent of your starting weight after 12 weeks on the full dose of your medication, your doctor will probably advise you to stop taking it. He or she may change your treatment plan or consider using a different weight-loss medication. Your doctor also may have you try different lifestyle, physical activity, or eating programs; change your other medications that cause weight gain; or refer you to a bariatric surgeon to see if weight-loss surgery might be an option for you.

Because obesity is a chronic condition, you may need to continue changes to your eating and physical activity habits and other behaviors for years. Or even a lifetime to improve your health and maintain a healthy weight.

Will I regain some weight after I stop taking weight-loss medication?

You will probably regain some weight after you stop taking weight-loss medication. Developing and maintaining healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity may help you regain less weight or keep it off. Federal physical activity guidelines (PDF, 14.2 MB) recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and at least 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activities. You may need to do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to reach or maintain your weight-loss goal.

What medications are available to treat overweight and obesity?

The FDA has approved five drugs—orlistat (Xenical, Alli), lorcaserin (Belviq), phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), and liraglutide (Saxenda)—for long-term use. You can keep taking these drugs as long as you are benefiting from treatment and not having unpleasant side-effects.

Some weight-loss medications that curb appetite are approved by the FDA only for short-term use, or up to 12 weeks. Although some doctors prescribe them for longer periods of time, not many research studies have looked at how safe and effective they are for long-term use.

Pregnant women should never take weight-loss medications. Women who are planning to get pregnant also should avoid these medications, as some of them may harm a fetus.

Wegovy/Semaglutide – by Novo Nordisk

Approximately 650 million adults are estimated to live with obesity worldwide. So for that reason, the market for anti-obesity medicine is enormous. The medical firms that bring products to market that can reduce obesity will have a real “money tree”.

This drug is one of the most promising medicines for obesity. Novo Nordisk has taken one step forward in its ambition to move its Type 2 diabetes drug semaglutide into the giant and largely untapped obesity market. Semaglutide is an analog of the human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone. It induces weight loss by reducing hunger, increasing the feeling of fullness, and thereby helping people eat less and reduce their calorie intake.

Novo Nordisk has in January 2021 unveiled plans to invest $80 million in expanding facilities at its production site in Denmark. The facility currently manufactures products for oral diabetes treatments and will be expanded to ensure capacity for future production of these products. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
 
For Novo Nordisk it is an important step in building and ensuring future capacity for the production of Rybelsus (oral semaglutide). Their factory in Denmark is currently the primary site of production of oral semaglutide, and they say it is critical to invest timely in capacity expansion to meet future demands.

The money tree has been planted!

FDA Approves New Drug Treatment for Chronic Weight Management, First Since 2014

This press statement is good news for Novo Nordisk.

Today (04. june 2021), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy (semaglutide) injection (2.4 mg once weekly) for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol), for use in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. This under-the-skin injection is the first approved drug for chronic weight management in adults with general obesity or overweight since 2014. The drug is indicated for chronic weight management in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg/m2 or greater who have at least one weight-related ailment or in patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater. 

“Today’s approval offers adults with obesity or overweight a beneficial new treatment option to incorporate into a weight management program,” said John Sharretts, M.D., deputy director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “FDA remains committed to facilitating the development and approval of additional safe and effective therapies for adults with obesity or overweight.” 

Approximately 70% of American adults have obesity or overweight. Having obesity or overweight is a serious health issue associated with some leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and is linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer. Losing 5% to 10% of body weight through diet and exercise has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in adult patients with obesity or overweight.

Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake. The medication dose must be increased gradually over 16 to 20 weeks to 2.4 mg once weekly to reduce gastrointestinal side effects.

The study

Wegovy’s safety and efficacy were studied in four 68-week trials. Three were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (including 16 weeks of dose increases) and one was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized withdrawal trial in which patients receiving Wegovy either continued with the treatment or switched to a placebo. More than 2,600 patients received Wegovy for up to 68 weeks in these four studies and more than 1,500 patients received placebo.

The largest placebo-controlled trial enrolled adults without diabetes. The average age at the start of the trial was 46 years and 74% of patients were female. The average body weight was 231 pounds (105 kg) and average BMI was 38 kg/m2. Individuals who received Wegovy lost an average of 12.4% of their initial body weight compared to individuals who received placebo. Another trial enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes. The average age was 55 years and 51% were female. The average body weight was 220 pounds (100 kg) and average BMI was 36 kg/m2. In this trial, individuals who received Wegovy lost 6.2% of their initial body weight compared to those who received placebo. 

Side-effects including Cancer

The most common side effects of Wegovy include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal (stomach) pain, headache, fatigue, dyspepsia (indigestion), dizziness, abdominal distension, eructation (belching), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in patients with type 2 diabetes, flatulence (gas buildup), gastroenteritis (an intestinal infection) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (a type of digestive disorder).  

Wegovy should not be used in patients with a history of severe allergic reactions to semaglutide or any of the other components of Wegovy. Patients should stop Wegovy immediately and seek medical help if a severe allergic reaction is suspected. Wegovy also contains warnings for inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), gallbladder problems (including gallstones), low blood sugar, acute kidney injury, diabetic retinopathy (damage to the eye’s retina), increased heart rate and suicidal behavior or thinking. Patients should discuss with their healthcare professional if they have symptoms of pancreatitis or gallstones. If Wegovy is used with insulin or a substance that causes insulin secretion, patients should speak to their health care provider about potentially lowering the dose of insulin or the insulin-inducing drug to reduce the risk of low blood sugar. Healthcare providers should monitor patients with kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy and depression or suicidal behaviors or thoughts.

The FDA granted the approval to Novo Nordisk. Semaglutide 1 mg injection (Ozempic) was first approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017.

What other medications for fat loss may be available in the future?

Researchers are currently studying several new medications and combinations of medications in animals and people. Researchers are working to identify safer and more effective medications to help people who are overweight or obese lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for a long time.

Future drugs may use new strategies

• combine drugs that affect appetite and those that affect addiction (or craving)
• stimulate gut hormones that reduce appetite
• shrink the blood vessels that feed fat cells in the body, thereby preventing them from growing
• target genes that affect body weight
• change bacteria in the gut to control weight

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