Have you ever been on the weight gain - weight loss see saw? Ever lost 10 pounds, only to relax on your diet for a few days and then find yourself gaining it ALL back - and then some? I have - and more than once too! It is, without a doubt, the most frustrating thing in the dieting world! Up and down, up and down, til you're thouroughly sick of the whole dang process and just give up. Then you (or I do anyway) just eat whatever I want and tell myself that I didn't care. Of course, then summer would come close again and I'd see pictures or commercials on TV of super thin models beautifully decked out in their brand new SKIMPY bikinis.

So, with all of these ups and downs - both physical AND emotional, it's no wonder we start thinking "genetics" or "slow metabolism". We blame our parents!! What could be a better excuse for our weight than blaming them, right? Frustration brings us to the point where we will grasp at any available straw to explain or excuse those extra pounds. Well, I have some surprising news for you.... 

Recent studies in obesity have shown that genetics plays a huge role in our weight. We all know that genetice determines hair color, and whether we grow tall or are doomed to "shortness!" Why then does the inclination towards weight seem to get the stiff shoulder? No longer. If mom has a disapproprotionate amount of weight distributed around her hips, then there is a 50% chance that at some point in your life you will too. If Dad has a "beer belly", then there is a 50% chance that it's a beer belly in your future - or it's already there!

In a strictly controlled study, two groups of over-weight women were given a diet and exercise plan to follow. (I'm simplifying this!!) At the end of the study, it was found that the women with a genetic predisposition towards obsiety, lost less weight than the other women. Desite the fact that they followed the exact same diet and exercise plans! So not only do we have this tendency to be overweight (thank you very much Mom and Dad), but we also don't lose the weight as fast as those who come from families without this gene. Talk about having the odds stacked against you! 

So, does all this genetic bad news mean that you should give up on your desire to lose those extra pounds? Absolutely not!! What it can and will do is allow you to understand why your husband loses weight just by saying the words and you have to work for weeks just to lose 5 pounds! Well over one half of the poeple who start a diet fail because of frustration and lack of immediate results. Use the knowledge you gain by looking into the genetics of your family to determine if that's the true cause of previous failures. Relax. Calm down. Research. You can't just order up a genetic test, but you can look around at family gatherings and pretty easily see what's up. If it is genetics, just knowing that the results will be a little slower - no matter what diet you try - should help to ease some of the frustration you feel. 

Bistro MD gives you one great option. Personally, I enjoy having all my meals prepared and delivered to me. I hate to cook almost as much as I hate to do the laundry!

Dr. Caroline Cederquist, is a mother of four and a full time MD - so she knows the value of time. What do most of us do when we are hungry and in a rush? Why stop at the closest fast food restaurant of course! If you knew, however, that you had a good, healthy meal waiting for you at home, wouldn't it be that much easier to forgo the quick hamburger for a delicious prepared meal? Is it for me!

Losing weight has never tasted so good is the motto at Bistro MD. Besides the prepared meals you get a diet and exercise plan tailored to your specific needs. You receive weekly encouragement emails and dieting tips, information on debunking all the fad diets you've probably tried, andDr. Carolines helps you to understand how your body reacts and what to do to lose weight and keep it off for ever.