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Dr. Murdy

Home>Dr. David Murdy

About Dr. David Murdy

I am a board-certified Internal Medicine Doctor. For the last two and a half decades I have specialized in medically-supervised weight loss and obesity related illness. I co-founded betterMD, Inc. in 1999 and have maintained a busy private practice in my hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. I have a beautiful wife and four incredible sons that keep me young at heart!

Benefits of Strength Training

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]While we often think of strength training as only body building for the young and glamorous the benefits of strength training are critical for long term health. Many daily activities require peak strength for short periods: sweeping, vacuuming, carrying groceries even getting in and out of your car. Add to that vacation and sports activities like carrying your luggage or golf clubs and you can easily list 10 daily activities that require strength to accomplish. Many Americans are woefully weak in such day-to-day strength activities and that can foretell earlier disability and even make weight loss harder. Muscle burns more calories than [...]

By |April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Exercise|0 Comments
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12 Stress Management Techniques You Can Use Immediately

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text] Stress and Eating You cannot always control stress in your life, but you can control how you choose to deal with it. One of the common (but least effective) ways of coping with stress is by overeating. If you choose foods as an outlet to deal with stress, is it because you feel you "deserve it", or "owe it to yourself"? Many people who rationalize things this way also admit that they feel no better after overeating, and often feel worse. It is never easy to change habits that have been a part of our lives for many years. Some possible [...]

By |April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues|Tags: , , , |0 Comments
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Ten Ways to Mend Your Cheating Heart

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text] The following is a self-reported slip excerpted from a patient's checklist: The Slip: I basically did not [follow my] fast this week Doing at the time: We were on spring break Thoughts before and after: Food really didn't taste as good, or "feel" as good eating it as I thought it would! Feelings before and after: It wasn't worth it! Future strategy: try harder to refrain - it isn't forever! Was it "spring break" on your weight loss program last week? Maybe next week? Sometime in almost everyone's weight loss program it's "spring break". Why do we tend to be "all [...]

By |April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues, Weight Maintenance|Tags: , , , |0 Comments
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If Your Resolve Has Shrunk But The Pounds Remain…

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]You’re getting serious now. Your wishful resolutions have failed and the scale doesn’t lie. Your weight is still a risk to your health, your self-image, your vigor, and with all the new insurance deductibles, your wallet. Are you ready to take action? You’ve read all the latest fad diet books and articles. You have seen the celebrity success stories day and night, but you want your OWN success story. You want to live it, not read about it on some tabloid magazine cover. You want to fit in clothes you’re proud to wear. You want significant weight loss, and you want it [...]

By |April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Getting Started, Medical Research|Tags: , , , , , |2 Comments
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Infertility and Weight Loss

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]A PCOS and Weight Loss Fairy Tale: Some say having kids is difficult, others say not having kids is more difficult. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) stops many women from easy conceptions and one patient sought support for medical weight loss from us at betterMD after years of infertility treatments, costing thousands of dollars, failed to produce a pregnancy. Her OB doctor told her it was worth a try. Nothing else had been successful. Her initial weight was 226 pounds and her height, 5'5", gave her a BMI of 38. After six weeks on our Total Meal Replacement program, she was down 31 [...]

By |April 3rd, 2016|Categories: Medical Research, Success Stories|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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First You Have to Row A Little Boat

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text] Quite a few years ago an eating disorders patient moved to a distant city and left me with a book that she felt had described her progress. It was First You Have to Row a Little Boat by Richard Bode. In it, he describes himself as a youth eager to sail big boats. He meets a mentor and with a salty turn is told, "The first thing you have to do is learn to row a little boat". He is crestfallen but takes his lessons and finds secrets he didn't expect. First he learned that he had to pull on both [...]

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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What Is Your SPF Rating?

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text] Many patients in weight loss programs face a tough challenge as they transition from active weight loss to maintenance. This is critical since the skills needed for the active phase of weight loss are not identical to those needed in long-term maintenance. Even those who have lost well over 100 pounds and kept it off for over a year can face a common sense of failure. One patient dubbed it her SPF rating; her Self Perceived Failure rating. Whether it is unrealized expectations, hidden stressors, depression or just past weight loss failures resounding in your ears many patients face a fear [...]

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues|Tags: , , , |0 Comments
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Depression Complicates Weight Management

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]Depression is the most common psychological barrier to long-term weight management success. Depression is a medical illness characterized by sadness, fatigue and loss of interest in usual activities. For many years depression has been hidden as a socially unacceptable condition but recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment have lead to greater understanding and more effective intervention in this all-too-common problem. Lifetime prevalence of depression may be as high as 20% for adults. Many of these episodes are associated with emotional setbacks, family deaths or similar situational triggers. Even repeated smaller stressors are a cause of depression in some as the battering [...]

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Emotional Health|Tags: , |0 Comments
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Defending Your Weight Loss Efforts

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]Most people acknowledge the health benefits of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Unfortunately, too many people either do not understand the full scope of the risks associated with obesity, or they have no knowledge of the commitment and effort weight management requires. Otherwise we'd never hear comments like, "Oh - that's okay. One little brownie isn't going to kill you." One little brownie probably won't kill you, BUT a lifetime of poor food choices and uncontrolled eating behavior can! No doubt, most of our readers have been tempted in this manner at one time or another, but there's another program-killer that's [...]

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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Predictors of Long-Term Weight Control

[fusion_builder_container background_color="" background_image="" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_position="left top" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_webm="" video_mp4="" video_ogv="" video_preview_image="" overlay_color="" overlay_opacity="0.5" video_mute="yes" video_loop="yes" fade="no" border_size="0px" border_color="" border_style="" padding_top="20" padding_bottom="20" padding_left="" padding_right="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" hide_on_mobile="no" menu_anchor="" class="" id=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][fusion_text]Research and clinical experience have identified predictors of long-term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Knowing these factors can dispel some myths about what it takes for weight loss success and focus your efforts on what counts. Three types of factors have been pinpointed for success: personal, process and treatment factors. Personal factors that predict success are higher initial body weight and higher sense of personal effectiveness. High initial body weights actually predict better success than lower weights! Being determined and convinced that you can make a difference is critical. Process factors that predict success are regular involvement in the program and [...]

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Lifestyle Issues, Medical Research|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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