Timothy Caulfield lost 25 pounds and kept them off.
He watched his portion sizes, avoided junk food and adopted a healthier lifestyle.
“One of the biggest mistakes is the belief that if you work out, you can eat whatever you want. I made this mistake,” he said.
“What is required are sustainable lifestyle changes. Stuff you can maintain forever. I think people should think healthy lifestyle, not restrictive diet.”
Caulfield is a professor at the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Health Law & Policy. He works closely with the Canadian Obesity Network and its chairman Dr. Arya Sharma.
Thinking in healthy ways and maintaining a stable weight are among the issues that Sharma will address during a recently-announced talk in St. Albert on Nov. 5. Entitled Stop Being a Yoyo, the talk will raise support for the Canadian Obesity Network and address weight biases and discrimination, as well as weight management myths.
“One of the most common problems is that people go on weight loss and then they put everything back on again,” Sharma said.
“Some people get a gym membership, but exercise also increases appetite. There are lots of topics that people are curious about and it’s not easy to find credible information.”
Not everyone’s body works the same way, Sharma said. For example, some big people can be very healthy while some skinny people may suffer from health issues. He added that people have unrealistic expectations about their diets, which cause them to feel frustrated.
To keep the topic comfortable, Sharma said he will make the talk entertaining – not just focusing on numbers and charts.
“It’s going to be more of a lighthearted look at this because it needs to be entertaining. It’s a difficult topic,” he said.
Caulfield said Sharma provides interesting information that is not only relevant to those wanting to lose weight but to the broader debate on obesity.
“Few people know the topic as well as Dr. Sharma,” he said.
The talk will take place at 7 p.m. at the St. Albert Inn & Suites. Tickets are available at www.drsharma.ca or at the door for $25 a person. All proceeds will go to support the Canadian Obesity Network.
