A few facts are crystal clear:

• Myriad adults would improve their health status and potential longevity by losing a few pounds. Five percent seems to be the magic number to reap health benfits.
• Two thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese, including many Medicare beneficiaries.
• Losing weight, even a few pounds, and keeping those pounds off is tough work which requires tenacity.
• Primary care providers (PCPs), including general and family practice physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and others; aren’t known for addressing or spending the time it takes with clients to counsel them on weight control. (In all fairness, they haven’t been allotted the time until now.)
• Susan Yanovski, MD, in her 11/24/11 New England Journal of Medicine editorial Obesity Treatment in Primary Care – Are We There Yet? (abstract), stated: “less than 50% of PCPs report consistently providing weight-control advice to adults and less than 25% report regularly referring people to other providers who may help them with weight control.”
• It’s well known that PCPs receive a minimumof nutritional science in training and it’s highly unlikely that many have obtained the skills known to be effective in weight management counseling from studies on long term weight management.

Yet despite these facts, on November 29th, Medicare (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) announced in their Decision on Intensive Behavioral Counseling for Obesity that it will start to cover obesity counseling services when provided by PCPs (as defined by CMS).

OK, I'll admit it, I'm a bit addicted to Biggest Loser and I found myself getting dragged into another season last night.

Why do I like it? I enjoy watching the transformations people accomplish. These are particularly enjoyable towards the end of each season as people are approaching their goal weights. I also enjoy the transformations shown at the end of each show of the contestant who was voted off. They're impressive! I also like that the show portrays losing weight and keeping it off as very difficult...an effort that takes a constant and continual commitment.

Link to Warshaw's blog 4 Ways to Prevent and Treat Prediabetes posted on U.S. News and World Report's website on 5/13/2010.

What’s vtrim and what have I experienced first-hand?

Yes, we’re once again in depths of the post holiday New Year's resolution ritural. And yes, the most common resolution is: lose those unwanted pounds – again or still. But, think - are you really ready to lose weight and do the daily work to keep off those unwanted pounds?