To keep weight off, lose it correctly

Q: I lost 35 pounds over the past six months but have started gaining it back. I worked so hard. What can I do to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? — Sara M., Eugene, Oregon

A: You bring up a big problem most dieters face: rebound weight gain. Research published in the journal Obesity shows that for every two pounds you lose, your body signals an increase in appetite that leads to taking in 100 more calories a day than you were while dieting. Weight regain.

If you need to lose weight, do it through lifestyle changes, not extreme calorie depravation, so you’re shedding no more than one to two pounds weekly.

While you avoid red and processed meats, added sugars and refined grains, add in seven servings daily of fruits and veggies.

Plus, aim for 300 minutes of physical activity weekly, along with strength training.

Q: I’m trying to stop my teenage kids from drinking soda, but they just aren’t convinced that it is so bad for them. Help! — Susan H., Boise, Idaho

A: There are five proven reasons that sugary soda is harmful:

1. Sugary beverages cause weight gain in children and adolescents. One study found that adding the beverages to your teen’s usual diet ups calorie intake by 17 percent.

2,3&4. The fructose that’s found in regular table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, where it’s used to sweeten many beverages leads to overeating because its calories don’t make you feel full like calories from healthier complex carbs do; contributes to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (epidemic these days) that can cause cirrhosis; and causes increased visceral belly fat that’s associated with everything from cancers of the colon, breast and prostate to heart disease.

5. All sugary drinks can trigger elevated blood sugar, triglycerides and lousy LDL cholesterol, as well as insulin resistance, which leads to metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately these reasons may not be enough to persuade your kids to stay away from sugary drinks. Young people feel invulnerable and don’t like to be told what to do.

But you may be able to use their desire for independence to make them take a stand against being manipulated by the beverage industry. Let them know that companies spent more than $1 billion in ads for sugary drinks and energy drinks in 2018 — and it was especially targeted at Black and Hispanic youth.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.