Blog

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

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

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

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

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?

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.
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top Five Reasons Most Diets Fail

If weight loss was as simple as cutting back on high-calorie foods, more dieters would find success at keeping weight off. Most plans take an approach to dieting that fails to address issues vital to losing weight permanently.
Apr 17th, 2018

Sweet Tooth Gene Linked to Lower Body Fat

The researchers found that people with a variation of the FGF21 gene have slightly less body fat than others. They also found that people with this genetic variation crave more sugary foods, have more carb cravings or have sugar addiction.
Apr 13th, 2018

Medical Treatment for Food Addiction

Food addiction can have different symptoms including binge eating, intense cravings, sugar cravings, eating for pleasure, stress eating and binge eating. There can be especially intense cravings for sugar, fat and salt.
Apr 6th, 2018