Memorial Physicians reveal the secret to weight loss

How can I lose weight? It’s one of the most common questions patients ask, according to Josh Ellison, MD, a family medicine physician at Memorial Physician Services’ North Dirksen Medical Associates. To those patients and to the crowd that attended the “Ask Our Doctors” event held at the Williamsville Community Center earlier this month, Dr. Ellison says: Write it down.

Keeping a journal to log everything you eat does two things. It creates an accurate picture of the number of calories you’re consuming on a daily basis. This is important because it’s easy to underestimate what you’re actually eating. It also makes you accountable for your choices – good and bad. Whether you have a banana or a Twinkie, you have to write it down and count the calories.

Dr. Ellison and his colleague, Joe Bilyeu, MD, also a family medicine physician at Memorial Physician Services’ North Dirksen Medical Associates, shared this and more at the recent “Ask Our Doctors” event, shown above.

“What it comes down to – young or old, active or inactive – is counting calories,” Ellison says. “Compare it to a savings account. When you put money in and don’t take it out, it grows.”

Once you’ve determined how many calories you consume in a day, the next step is to cut a couple hundred (your doctor can help you determine a safe, healthy goal for caloric intake) and add in some exercise. That combination – eating less and moving more – is the “secret” to weight loss.

If you’re looking for a primary care provider, Memorial has you covered. Visit MemorialMD.com for video profiles of our physicians accepting new patients.