Americans have long been obsessed with losing weight. According to historians, the notion of dieting to lose weight in American stretches back more than 150 years. Over time, the idea of the best way to drop pounds has changed considerably. In the 1960’s, doctors began to tout a low fat diet as good for everyone – not just high-risk heart patients. By the 1980’s, the low fat approach to dieting became the most prominent ideology in the United States, promoted by the health media, physicians, and even the federal government (remember the food pyramid?). As researchers began to study nutrition m ..read more

If you’re on social media, you may have seen hashtags like #SheddingForTheWedding or #SweatingForTheWedding. These hashtags are typically used by brides and grooms who are looking to drop some weight before the big day. If you’re getting married, you may even want to do the same. But, how can you shed for the wedding? We all know that it is far too easy to gain weight. Losing it can be much more challenging. Too many diet plans require you to drastically slash calories, drink gross shakes, or work out for hours a day. These diets may work in the short-term, but often result in gaining back eve ..read more

When thinking about your motivation for losing weight, your biggest concern may be how you look – both in and out of clothes. Yet, excess weight can also have an effect on your health. In particular, when you carry too much weight around your middle, it can put you at risk for certain health problems. In this way, your waist size is linked to your health. By measuring your waist size in one of two ways, you may be able to determine your risk of developing certain conditions, like cardiovascular disease. You can then take steps to drop pounds and reduce your waist size if needed. The Ideal You ..read more

As many of us know, it is far too easy to put on weight – and pretty challenging to drop pounds. If you are noticing that your jeans are a little snug or simply want to make a lifestyle change, you may be wondering just how fast you can lose 5 pounds. Generally speaking, you can average losing 1 to 2 pounds per week with dedication. You can lose more than 1-2 pounds per week, but how you lose the weight matters. Things like crash diets can quickly backfire and you’ll end up re-gaining the weight you lose. The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off over the long term is by steadily l ..read more

Weight loss is different for each person. 10 pounds of lost fat may affect your body in different ways, depending on your starting weight, how fast you lost the weight, and the kind of changes that you made to your diet. Some people may notice 10 pounds of weight loss in their lower body first, in their face, or even around their midsection. How Will You Look After Losing 10 Pounds of Fat? Although the results will be different for everyone, it can be helpful to think about what losing 10 pounds may look like for you. To help you visualize what 10 pounds of fat looks like, think about everyday ..read more

If you’re like many Americans, you may have gained a few extra pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, gaining weight is all too easy – and losing it can be hard. There are a number of diets out there, from ones that have you drinking hot lemon water to those that require you to track the “points” of everything that you eat. Another popular diet, metabolic confusion, allows you to alternate how many calories you eat each day, with the goal of “tricking” your metabolism into working harder. While it may work in the short term, a metabolic confusion diet is difficult to maintain over ..read more

For most Americans, stress is a part of life. According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, 75% of us experienced a symptom of stress in the past month. While stress isn’t always bad, it can have a serious impact on our health over time. In particular, stress and anxiety are associated with weight gain. When we experience stress, our bodies release hormones to help us handle the stressful event. If those hormone levels stay elevated due to ongoing stress, it can cause us to overeat, eat too many high calorie foods, and ultimately, put on weight. Losing this weight can ..read more

Most of us have parts of our bodies that we don’t exactly love. Perhaps you carry extra weight around your middle, or maybe you really want to tone up your arms. For many Americans – women in particular – saddlebags are a common “problem” area. Saddlebags are the fat deposits found on your outer thighs. This type of fat can be easy to gain, but difficult to lose. Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of your saddlebags – starting with an effective weight loss program. At Ideal You, we help you improve your metabolism so that you can burn fat more effectively. Depending on your unique body che ..read more

The science is crystal clear: too much sugar is incredibly bad for our bodies. According to a study published in the British Journal of Medicine, consuming too much sugar is associated with a number of health conditions, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and other issues.  Of course, the difficulty for most of us is that sugar is tasty. Whether it’s ice cream, cookies, candy, or even added sugars in a salad dressing or a slice of bread, sugar appeals to our taste buds. This can make cutting sugar incredibly hard. Reducing sugar intake has a number of benefits for ..read more

  Each year, approximately 45 million Americans start a diet. According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), while dieting may work in the short term to reduce weight and lower blood pressure, most people regain the weight that they lost after a year.  This comprehensive study involved nearly 22,000 participants who followed a range of popular diets, including paleo, ketogenic, and counting calories. Although these individuals lost a moderate amount of weight over the first 6 months, after 12 months, the benefits of these diets had mostly disappeared. The BM ..read more