Blog

March is National Nutrition Month

Today about half of all American adults have one or more chronic diseases, often related to poor diet.

Mar 1st, 2023

February is National Heart Health Month

Heart disease doesn’t happen just to older adults. It is happening to younger adults more and more often. This is partly because the conditions that lead to heart disease are happening at younger ages.

Feb 1st, 2023

2023 Update: Medications for Weight Loss

When people lose weight, their body begins sending signals to the brain that there is a decrease in stored energy. The brain then sends hormonal and chemical messages that increase appetite, hunger, and cravings and decrease metabolism.

Jan 4th, 2023

January is Healthy Resolutions Month

Some people's challenges are more daunting than others, and it can be disappointing when we abandon our resolutions after only a few weeks. No matter what you have resolved to do this year, it is always best to approach it with a plan.

Jan 1st, 2023

Top Strategies to Make the Holidays Healthier

What foods will you ADD to your shopping list and your menu? Make sure you have plenty of condiments, add-ins, extra HMR foods and fruits and vegetables on hand. Prep and plan as much as you can in advance, so you have meals and snacks ready.

Nov 1st, 2022

Addressing weight regain after bariatric surgery

The average weight loss for patients who undergo bariatric surgery is around 33% of initial body weight compared to an average weight loss of 10% with anti-obesity medications and 3-5% with a low-calorie diet and lifestyle modification.

Oct 16th, 2022

What Are Anti-Obesity Medications and How Do They Work?

There’s no magic pill that will help you lose weight, but there are several anti-obesity medications that can give you the extra boost you need to lose weight and keep it off. Here’s a look at how they work.

Oct 15th, 2022

If It's Not My Thyroid Then What Is It?

Fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, poor concentration, memory issues, sweating, heart palpitations – your internet search says these are all symptoms of thyroid disease…but what happens when thyroid blood tests are actually normal?

Oct 15th, 2022

Responding to Women’s World Critics

The Woman's World article was intended to debunk fake information from gaslighting functional medicine selling bogus thyroid supplements and promoting magical thyroid diets. I do not approve of the headline. Fatty liver disease is not a thyroid disorder.

Oct 5th, 2022

Hepatic Hypothyroidism is Not a Thyroid Disorder

Hepatic hypothyroidism can be misdiagnosed as Hashimoto’s or a T-3 conversion problem by functional medicine. They may gaslight you with unnecessary thyroid supplements, thyroid diets or extra T3.

Sep 26th, 2022

Treatment of Hepatic Hypothyroidism

Hepatic hypothyroidism is not a thyroid disorder and is not treated with thyroid medications, thyroid supplements, or a thyroid diet.

Sep 26th, 2022

10 Steps to Healing a Hypothyroid Liver

Hepatic hypothyroidism is not a thyroid disorder. Officially known as "intrahepatic hypothyroidism" thyroid tests are normal and the root cause is a fatty liver.

Sep 4th, 2022

Medical Gaslighting and Hypothyroidism: You May Have Hepatic Hypothyroidism

Hepatic hypothyroidism is not a thyroid disorder. Thyroid tests are normal and thyroid supplements or taking extra T3 does not work. Medical gaslighting occurs when hepatic hypothyroidism is misdiagnosed as a thyroid disorder.

Sep 4th, 2022

The Thyroid Diet Won’t Help Hepatic Hypothyroidism

The thyroid diet won’t help hepatic hypothyroidism because it is not a thyroid disorder. In fact, thyroid diets don’t even help people who do have a thyroid disorder because you can’t eat for your thyroid.

Aug 26th, 2022

Fatty Liver and Your Heart

Worldwide rates of obesity have reached pandemic levels. Excess body fat, especially belly fat or visceral adipose tissue increases the changes for fatty liver disease also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD.

Aug 15th, 2022

ELF is a New Test to Assess Fatty Liver Fibrosis Risk

The ELF test allows doctors to assess risk of disease progression in patients with advanced fibrosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with a simple blood test instead of a more invasive liver biopsy. The ELF Test has been extensively studied.

Aug 15th, 2022

Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide (Mounjaro vs. Wegovy)

The approved indication for tirzepatide is diabetes although studies have found that it is a highly effective weight loss medication. My experience has been that insurance companies will only cover tirzepatide for a diabetes diagnosis and not for obesity.

Aug 10th, 2022

2022 Update: Medications for Weight Loss

Most people who have used medications to help them lose weight report making better decisions about food, thinking about it less, and feeling more in control.

Aug 6th, 2022

How to Get Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for $25

Mounjaro offers a savings card for patients with type 2 diabetes and commercial drug insurance. You are required to check a box affirming that you have type 2 diabetes to download the card.

Aug 4th, 2022

Hepatic Hypothyroidism

Hepatic hypothyroidism also known as "intrahepatic hypothyroidism" is when an injured fatty liver is resistant to otherwise normal thyroid hormones.

Aug 1st, 2022

What You Need to Know About Fatty Liver

Fatty liver or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disorder in which too much fat builds up in the liver. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) occurs when that extra fat causes inflammation and scarring of the liver.

Jul 16th, 2022

Mounjaro Savings Card Help

The Mounjaro savings card is 4 pens for $25, but some pharmacists struggle with making the card work. Here are a few tips. Although Mounjaro is works for weight loss in people who do not have diabetes, the savings card is only for people with diabetes.

Jul 1st, 2022

Deciding on a Weight Loss Medication

Before you decide on any weight-loss medication, it is important to work with your health care provider to decide which option is best for you. Prescription weight loss medications, also known as anti-obesity medications or AOMs work by helping you consume

Jul 1st, 2022

How to Get a Prescription for Mounjaro (a.k.a Tirzepatide)

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is a medication approved for the treatment of diabetes. Even though the approved indication is only for diabetes, newly released research has shown that tirzepatide is the most effective weight loss medication ever.

Jun 8th, 2022

Tirzepatide is a New Medication for Diabetes and Weight Loss

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is known as a dual incretin agonist or a “twincreatin” because it works on the receptors for 2 hunger hormones GIP and GLP-1. A study found that the average weight loss with tirzepatide is an astounding 22.5%.

Jun 7th, 2022

My Honor Serving as Medical Reviewer for EndocrineWeb

It has been my honor to serve as a medical reviewer for EndocrineWeb since 2017. This website is designed for medical professionals to learn about important topics in the fields of endocrinology, diabetes, metabolism, and obesity medicine.

May 1st, 2022

Proud to Serve on The Global NASH Council

The Global NASH Council was formed to bring together international experts to discuss, collaborate and contribute to the field of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD and NASH).

Jan 30th, 2022

Long-term hormonal and metabolic adaptations to weight loss

Weight recidivism occurs because reducing body weight triggers adaptive mechanisms that drive weight regain. Body weight is tightly regulated by hormones from the GI tract, pancreas, and adipose tissue that act primarily in the hypothalamus to regulate foo

Sep 29th, 2021

7 Steps to Healing a Hypothyroid Liver

Hepatic hypothyroidism is caused by having a fatty liver. A healthy liver is vital for optimal thyroid hormone function. To cure a hypothyroid liver, follow these 7 steps.

Sep 1st, 2021

Semaglutide (wegovy) is now FDA-approved as a weight loss medication

The long-awaited approval of wegovy or semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly injection for weight loss has been considered a “game-changer” by obesity experts. This is because the weight loss in clinical trials is far superior to any other weight loss medication.

Jun 6th, 2021

Plenity is a New FDA Cleared Supplement for Weight Loss

Plenity physically fills the stomach, and when taken right before a meal, there is very little room left in the stomach. The concept is like a temporary gastric balloon taken before each meal.

Jun 6th, 2021

Comparing Anti-Obesity Medications

The discovery of leptin in 1994 marked the understanding of obesity as a hormonal disorder with new approaches to identifying medications for treating obesity. Leptin is a hormone made in adipose tissue. Leptin deficiency is associated with severe obesity

Jun 5th, 2021

9 Ways to Stay on Your Diet while Traveling

Being away from home and your typical routine can present challenges for staying on the diet. That just means it will take a little extra planning to make sure you have what you need to continue losing weight.

Jan 1st, 2021

Resolving to Change? You May Have to Begin Again…and Again

There will always, always be obstacles and set-backs. Change is hard! But a set-back is not the end - unless you say it is. And a necessary element for achieving your goals, no matter how big or small, is continuing to work toward them amidst setbacks.

Jan 1st, 2021

How to Stay Motivated through the Tough Times

Sometimes, you’re on a roll with your diet and exercise/weight loss, but other times… not so much. How do you stay motivated at times like that? How do you stay committed?

Nov 16th, 2020

How Does Having a Fatty Liver Impact Your Health?

Oct 1st, 2020

How to Make Healthy Eating Easier

Wouldn’t it be great if the day you started a diet, you stopped craving any other foods? The reality, however, is that we all have food temptations that ride right alongside our best intentions for weight loss.

Sep 23rd, 2020

The 5 Key Components of Setting SMART Goals

When you set out to make any sort of change, no matter what it may be, setting a goal to work towards, or many small goals to break up the long road ahead, gives you a way to measure success.

Sep 2nd, 2020

Do you have a fatty liver?

Fatty liver disease is the most common type of chronic liver disease and the number 2 cause for needing a liver transplant. It’s caused by a buildup of fat in the liver and can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Aug 3rd, 2020

Stop Relying on Willpower to Lose Weight

We all face difficult diet scenarios every day. All it takes is a trip to the office break room to put your entire day’s success in jeopardy! The best way to successfully manage your calories is to have strategies that you can tap into when you are in a to

Jun 1st, 2020

Change is Hard – So Let’s Make it Easier!

Have you ever thought, “I know what I need to do, I just have to do it!”? Moving from the “knowing” to the “doing” is such a common barrier for all of us because, let’s face it, change is hard.

May 1st, 2020

Take Control of Your Hunger Hormones to Lose Weight Fast

In this book, I show you how hormones affect your cravings and satiety cues, making you feel hungry when you don’t need to eat or leading you to eat the wrong foods.

Apr 4th, 2020

Fatty Liver Disease: The Hidden Epidemic

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD (pronounced na-ful-dee) is one of the most widespread and yet frequently underdiagnosed diseases in the United States and worldwide. Fatty liver disease is the number one cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S.

Feb 29th, 2020

Your Insider’s Guide to HMR Lingo

You may have noticed that we use a lot of abbreviations and expressions here at HMR. These language "shortcuts" help to quickly explain some important program concepts so you can easily internalize them.

Feb 15th, 2020

Belviq Withdrawn from the US Market Due to Potential Cancer Risk

On February 13, 2020 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that the manufacturer of Belviq, Belviq XR (lorcaserin) voluntarily withdraw the weight-loss drug from the U.S. market because a safety clinical trial shows an increased occurrence

Feb 14th, 2020

HMR Ranked #1 for Fast Weight Loss for Fifth Consecutive Year

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the HMR program offered at Atlanta Endocrine Associates the #1 Best Fast-Weight Loss Diet for 2020. It’s the fifth consecutive year that HMR’s intensive, yet simple program has held the first-place position.

Jan 7th, 2020

4 Tips for Keeping Your New Year Resolutions

The New Year often starts with resolutions – we resolve to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, or sleep more – but, change is hard. Where do you even begin? We’ve got you covered!

Jan 7th, 2020

How Much Weight You Can Expect to Lose in HMR if You Stay “In the Box”

Staying in the box means being fully compliant with the HMR program. And when this is done, you can expect to have consistent weight loss week after week.

Oct 1st, 2019

The Myth of Slow and Steady Weight Loss

The totality of the evidence does not support the myth that gradual weight loss improves long-term outcomes.

Sep 1st, 2019

Why Meal Replacements Work

According to the Journal of American Dietetic Association, “meal replacements were given the highest rating for weight loss and weight maintenance for people who have difficulty with self-selection and/or portion control”.

Aug 1st, 2019

New Meds on the Block

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are among the latest classes of diabetes medications to receive approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Apr 18th, 2019

About the HMR Program for Weight Management™

For the past four years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the program created by HMR and offered by Atlanta Endocrine as a No.1 Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet. Losing weight quickly is motivating and can help you stick to the diet longer.

Apr 10th, 2019

Is Your Allergy Medication Making You Gain Weight?

When histamine receptors are blocked by an antihistamine medication, the brain doesn’t receive the “I’m full” signal like it normally would. The body also can’t burn calories effectively when the histamine receptor is blocked, lowering metabolism.

Mar 19th, 2019

7 Ways to Get Physical Activity

Physical activity, also known as “exercise” is something that’s easy to miss if any roadblock comes in the way. Everyone knows the health benefits of regular physical activity but making it a daily habit can be a challenge. Find different types of physical

Mar 18th, 2019

# 1 Again!

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the HMR program offered at Atlanta Endocrine Associates the #1 Best Fast-Weight Loss Diet for 2019. (41 different diet plans were evaluated.)

Jan 2nd, 2019

How to Outsmart Food Triggers and Traps

When it comes to eating right, knowledge is definitely power. And prevention is key. With solid planning and a weight loss program that keeps you prepared, it’ll be easier not to fall for food traps or succumb to triggers.

Jan 1st, 2019

Decision-Free Meal Replacement Diet Kickstarts Stagnant Weight Loss

A new study known as the OPTIWIN study found that a decision-free weight loss meal replacement program was an effective intervention providing the current standard-of-care behavior and lifestyle treatment for obesity.

Dec 28th, 2018

HMR® at Home

HMR at Home® is an intensive weight loss program for people who are unable to attend the in-clinic HMR program and need a more flexible option. You can lose weight rapidly and build healthier routines that last with this home version of the HMR program.

Dec 27th, 2018

Mindfulness-Based Eating Helps People Lose Weight

Obesity is a disease, not a lifestyle choice. Overeating is caused by out of control hunger hormones. Weight-gain and obesity can result from hormonal imbalance leading to chronic and maladaptive eating-related behaviors.

Dec 20th, 2018

HMR® Digital Weight Loss Plan and Phone Coaching Now Available

Losing weight and then figuring out how to keep it off for permanent weight loss is really challenging. Our staff is here to support and coach people to lose a lot of weight and learn new, healthier skills for the long term.

Dec 12th, 2018

Yo-Yo Dieting Linked to Increased Risk for Early Death

Successful weight loss is permanent weight loss. It can be so frustrating when you work hard to lose weight only to see it creep back on over time. Long term weight loss can be difficult, requiring the help of a specialist.

Dec 9th, 2018

Thyroid Supplements Can Do More Harm Than Good

Iodine is good for the thyroid, but more is not better. In fact, if you flood the thyroid with iodine, it will stop functioning.

Aug 24th, 2018

How a Diabetes Medication Became a Weight Loss Medication

People who take Saxenda lost on average lose 10-15% of their body weight in about 6 months. And continuing the medication prevents weight regain which can occur if the medication is stopped.

Jul 16th, 2018

A Diet Plan to Lose Weight Fast

Health Management Resources (HMR) made the top of the list of best diet plans because you can lose up to 66 pounds in 26 weeks on the Decision-Free plan. You can also lose 37 pounds with the Healthy Solutions option.

Jun 27th, 2018

Consumer Marketing and Obesity

A new study by the Hudson Institute has evaluated the links between obesity and consumer marketing.

Jun 21st, 2018

Very Low-Calorie Diets Can Reverse Diabetes

I recently presented research at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists in Boston, Massachusetts demonstrating the benefits of very low-calorie diets (VLCDs). VLCDs have made a resurgence in the past few years. Th

May 27th, 2018

Obesity Pharmacotherapy and Alice and Wonderland: Which Cake Will Make You Smaller?

Obesity is a chronic disease that involves interactions among genetic, environmental and behavioral factors. Obesity is treated with medications just like other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or hyperlipidemia.

May 25th, 2018

Which HMR diet program is right for you?

At Atlanta Endocrine Associates and the HMR Weight Loss Program we are here to help you attain your weight loss goals. But we know that everyone is an individual and what works for one person, may not work for another. HMR has multiple diet options to suit

May 12th, 2018