The Truth About Obesity, Exercise, and Nutrition

There is a plethora of misinformation regarding obesity, diet, and exercise due to lack of supporting evidence on these topics. There are myths and facts about what exactly encompasses a healthy lifestyle that interfere with the ability to lose weight and stay healthy. These include topics such as the effects of small sustained increases in energy intake or expenditure, establishment of realistic goals, rapid weight loss, readiness for weight loss, physical activity, breast-feeding as well as the effects of eating breakfast daily, early childhood experiences, eating fruits and vegetables, weight that cycles up and down, snacking, and the environment. There are evidence-based approaches that can help guide people in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, weight loss, and physical activity. Pediatricians and health care providers should be aware of these approaches when counseling patients on a healthy lifestyle. [Pediatr Ann. 2018;47(11):e427-e430.].