It’s no secret that at the beginning of every new year, people are focused on losing weight. One of the most common questions I get is about what diet do I recommend. So this year I thought we would try something new and exciting. I challenge all of you to lose more weight than me over the first 2 weeks of February. No, this is not a crash diet, but merely a kick start to a weight loss plan for the whole year. So, if you are game, read on.
We will be following the DASH diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It was developed and researched under the guidance of the National Institutes of Health to reduce high blood pressure, but has actually been shown to lead to weight loss. To me it seems to be a well balanced healthy diet plan that if implemented long term can lead to a significant change in your dietary lifestyle.
Here are the general guidelines of our DASH to health contest
- All those who wish to participate can weigh in and get their blood pressure taken by Hilda or Linda anytime after February 2nd. I will weigh in with Hilda on that morning.
- Follow the DASH diet plan for the next 2 weeks (see the resources below)
- Weigh out in the office before February 13th. I will have Hilda check my blood pressure and weight on that afternoon.
Although we will only be checking the change after 2 weeks, I am hoping that everyone will see a significant change and want to continue with the dietary modifications forever. Everyone that loses a higher percent of weight than me during those 2 weeks will receive a DASH diet book. In addition, as an added incentive, everyone who loses more than me will be entered into a drawing for a FREE CoolSculpting treatment. CoolSculpting is a great way to get rid of those isolated areas of fat that just won’t go away no matter how much weight you lose.
The idea for the 2 week challenge came to me when reading The DASH diet for hypertension : lower your blood pressure in 14 days–without drugs by Dr. Thomas Moore one of the researchers that studied the diet. This book is available at the San Antonio Public Library. You can also view a PDF of the diet plan from the NIH. You can also find more information at DashDiet.org and DashforHealth.com. The latter is a site designed by Dr. Moore that has a subscription option to help guide you at a reasonable price.
Regardless of the diet plan you choose to follow this year, think of CoolSculpting for those stubborn areas of fat that you just can’t get rid of. We have had good success treating the abdominal area (including that little pooch of Mommy fat after C section) and the love handles. We have also begun to treat the upper abdomen with the new CoolSmooth applicator to shrink that upper fat that I see in a lot of hispanic women especially. After losing weight the rolls around the bra strap usually become more apparent and those are perfect for CoolSculpting. I even see women that are thin everywhere else, but just have big saddlebags and the new CoolSmooth applicator has been a tremendous advance in treating that area.
Good luck to those of you who think you can lose more than me over the course of 2 weeks. Trash talking is welcome, but don’t try to tempt me into breaking the diet with sweets (you know who you are). If you have to lose the pounds anyway, you might as well enter the contest for a chance to win a free CoolSculpting treatment. Even if you did not plan on losing weight but are interested in CoolSculpting, this is a good opportunity for you to win a free treatment. As they say – What do you have to lose?
