How To Indulge and Win The Battle of The Bulge During The Holidays:Written by Joey Dweck
If you are trying to lose weight, holidays literally are heaviest time of year. So how do you eat, drink and be merry while you’re counting every single calorie? By getting a buddy who will help you make right choices bite by bite. Scientific studies have shown that people who diet with partners are much more likely to lose weight and to keep it off. And there’s no more crucial time to have a buddy on your side than from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. “During holidays, you can use all help you can get,” says Alan Gettis, a nutritionist and clinical psychologist in River Edge, N.J. “I urge my clients to get a full-time year-round a buddy, it could be a husband or a wife, a neighbor or a friend. I’ve also been telling my clients about www.WeightLossBuddy.com, where they can sign up for a buddy for free.” But don’t wait for first feast to find a buddy, says Susan Holmberg, a nutritionist and behavioral therapist in Oradell, N.J. “Once you start overeating, you don’t want a buddy,” she says. Buddies give you moral support and help you identify bad eating habits and patterns because they have been there, too, she says. “You may want to have more than one buddy,” she says. “You can have one on phone and one who exercises with you and goes to parties with you. You can make deals with your buddy where you both go to party but only one of you goes through buffet line or where you agree to split one meal.” Buddies also are like therapists and coaches, who listen to you and keep you on right path. “Your buddy should be a person you can share your feelings with and rely on in a pinch without fear that your feelings will be used as ammunition against you,” Gettis says. Holmberg says that www.WeightLossBuddy.com is particularly helpful to people who may be reluctant to change because those who sign on can choose a either real-life buddy, someone in their geographical area they can meet and exercise with, or select someone to work with solely online or via phone. “Sometimes anonymity is good,” she says. “You are much more likely to try it if you don’t have to meet person.” Gettis points out that with www.WeightLossBuddy, “you can find someone with similar goals, and both of you can support each other.” Buddies also take on active roles, getting you to stop a bad habit and replace it with a healthy one. Gettis likens process to a marathon, where runners are tempted to give up before 26th mile because it is so difficult to stay course. “The 18- to 19-mile mark is crucial one,” he says. “During a marathon I was once in, I came upon two guys running – one was hurting, and other was encouraging him to keep running. I followed them for two to three miles, and one kept saying, ‘Leave me.’ The other kept saying, ‘I’m not going to.’ And I thought, ‘What great friends!’ Then I heard one hurting say, ‘What’s your name?’”
| | Coping techniques for children (including boys) who have early development of breasts Written by Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC
Gynecomastia (Male breast growth) Male breast growth has significant emotional consequences for a pre-pubescent or adolescent boy. This condition is often an invitation for teasing from peers. Most boys faced with this tend to hide their chest when in public or to stay out of group activities altogether. Typically, boys suffering from gynecomastia avoid swimming, taking their shirts off, and other activities where others can see their breasts. Some are so bothered by this condition that they don’t even share their pain with parents, peers, and do not understand why they are having this problem. It is important to engage children early on, so that they can come to understand their condition and how to cope with it. Surprisingly, gynecomastia is a condition that affects between 40 and 60% of all males. Breast development easily happens during adolescence and may have many possible causes, including psychiatric drugs, like Risperdal®.
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