Weight and Television Commercials

I had dinner last night with my son Brian who not only is on our sales and marketing team but also has been on the Serotonin-Plus program. Brian made the observation last night that virtually every commercial on television is tempting viewers with 5 dollar P-zones from Pizza Hut, 5 dollar foot longs from Subway, McDonalds Big Macs etc. Certainly, these commercials must work very well because they keep running them. Moreover, the ease of getting home delivery has been enhanced by internet ordering or even just touching your I-phone.

Brian suggested DVR-ing your favorite shows and skipping the commercials. This will eliminate the "temptation" that these commercials invoke. These companies are very smart in their advertising campaigns and they know how to appeal to the hedonistic parts of our brains. If we do not see their commercials, we may not feel the "Mac attack".

obesity as a disease

I am responding to a comment yesterday in response to my entry about the 147 billion dollars a year being spent on obesity-related health problems.

The writer queried as to why, if the government is so concerned about these excessive health care expenditures related to obesity conditons, does it not cover obesity treatment. Alcohol,and drug addiction programs are available through government intervention, so why not obesity?

I share this concern and I think the point here is that obesity is mistaken for some syndrome which is under an individual person's control, whereas the other addictive problems such as alcohol are viewed differently.
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I believe that weight issues are very freequently present because of neurochemical imbalances and other physical issues that are NOT under someone's "control". I believe that virtually everyone who is overweight does not want to be this way, and this crosses racial, gender and socioeconomic diffeerences. As a matter of fact the % of obesity has risen in higher socioeconomic groups at a faster rate than other groups.

Obesity is a DISEASE in and of itself, Yes, it causes other disease states, similar to alcoholism being a disease, yetr causing other disease states such as liver failure. We, as a nation need to treat obesity as a disease and offer treatments for it. If we do not become more aggressively involved, there will be no answer to healthcare reform because expenditures on comorbidities will bankrupt any system put in place.

weight loss and Americans

Yesterday on the front page of the USA Today newspaper was an article detailing the extent of how obesity is costing America billions of dollars in medical care. Americans who are 30 pounds or more above a healthy body weight are costing the country 147 BILLION dollars in obesity-associated medical problems in 2008 and this is DOUBLE the amount from 1998. Obesity accounts for 9.1% of healthcare expenditures whic is up from 6.5 % in 1998.

Obesity is the biggest reason for healthcare cost increases and most of this 147 BILLION dollars is being paid by taxpayers as over 50% of the obesity-related expenditures are taking place in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

As the President and our elected officials are working through healthcare reform, it is imperative that the obesity epidemic must be addressed and steps taken to reverse this trend. Otherwise, the entire system will collapse from lack of money to pay for the services and medications required.

weight loss and microwaves

The prevalence of obesity has risen dramatically over the past several decades and there are multiple reasons as to why. The growth of fast food restaurants, more sedentary life style due to computer usage and many other issues have been postulated to contribute to this growing health problem.

I am not certain it is a coincidence that the advent of the microwave seems to correlate with the rising obesity epidemic. It is quite simple to pop a premade, prefab dinner or lunch into a microwave and have a hot dish ready in 5 minutes. Pizzas, lasagna, hot pockets and snack foods such as popcorn are at your fingertips within a 5 minute period. Convenience and decent taste make these microwaves meals and snacks an easy choice at times, especially when you are busy.

Some of these meals carry nice sounding titles such as "Weight Watchers", "Lean Cusisines" etc...but....check the calorie counts and it has been our experience trhat peole who rely on these meals do not see the type of aggressive weight loss results that you desire.

Technology such as the internet and microwaves have made our lives much easier. But it has come at a price..and that price has been worsening health as a nation.

weight loss and supermarkets

First, congrats Suzanne on not reaching for that 5th french fry at the beach!

I was checking out of the supermarket and I was noticing that virtuallyt every check out lane had an incredible array of candy bars and hogh-caloric snack foods staring you down. I started thionking of the time when "children-friendly" check out lanes were in vogue because a number of people were complaining that when checking out, their kids would harangue them for candies, reach for them etc.

Well, certainly things have noit changed much. The Three Musketeers are still greeting you on virtually every check out lane.

Do supermarkets have a social responsibility to remove all of these? Do thje fast food chains have a social responisbility to remove the value meals and combos/supersizes from their offerings?

These are businesses and they are trying to make money. Make no mistake about it, these businesses know full well the psychological aspects of positioning these snacks in front of you when you check out.

It is our own responsibilty to go shopping when we are not in a "hungry" mode and NOT be tempted by the various snacks at the checkout lane. These businesses create jobs and it would be bad for the economy to have them not succeed. However, this does not mean that we cannot control our own actions.

weighy loss and happiness

Many patients tell me that when they achieve significant weight loss their global sense of "happiness"improves dramatically. Feeling better physicially and feeling better about how you look goes hand in hand with increasing "happiness". The road to this goal is paved with barriers, saboteurs, etc., but the end result leaves you feeling happier in many ways. If we all know that the happiness levels improve, then why is America 65% overweight?

Instinctual human behavior patterns explain part of this. Intellectually, we know that losing weight is "good for us", but to some extent we are an immediate gratification species, and when a good looking food source appears, it is very difficult for us to say "no".

Always try to mentate the reasons why you want to lose weight and try to focus on your current "happiness" level now and how that would change when you reach your weight loss goals. This will provide you with impetus to "just say no" when those high-caloric food sources appear.

weight loss and alcohol

Last evening I was at a social function/business mixer and I was introduced to a number of people as a "weight loss doctor". The social function had free wine and beer and most people were talking with a drink in hand. I was asked about our weight loss program and whether alcohol could still be compatible with our plan.

Here is the issue about alcohol: In addition to the calories the alcohol contains, there is a general metabolic slowdown that occurs in people who consume alcohol regularly. The chronic use of alcohol will slow down your weight loss efforts. A glass or two of wine a nite seems innoculous, but when it comes to losing weight, it is not innocuous at all.

Having an occasional drink is compatible with our plan, but I would ask you to take a step back, assess your current alcohol usage, and realize that for you to lose weight you must curtail that usage.. Fuerthermore, to keep the weight off, you need to maintain thatreduced alcohol usage. Also, alcohol tends to reduce inhibition and control, and eating behaviors may change as well.

weight loss and my medical practice

This morning's entry is not going to motivate you to lose weight, give you insights into a way of navigating around this weekends food challenges or in any other way help your weight loss efforts. This one is kind of a therapeutic rambling for me. So, if you are looking for weight loss advice or inspiration this morning, click this off now.

Yesterday I saw a long-standing medical patient who remembers when I first opened my doors 21 years ago. That was way before serotonin was a glimmer in my brain and all I did was mainstream internal medicine. The office was much quieter and there were many less workers and 1000% of my attention was on my medical practice. Medical patients knew very well if they were ill, we would ALWAYS see them the same day of their illness, we would not keep people waiting past their appointment times and we treated people with the utmost of respect. This allowed me to transition to a "no-insurance" based medical practice 15 years ago. Evening hours, Saturday hours and after hours meetings visits at the office were a mainstay, separating us from other practices in the area. This allowed us to stay free of insurance companies...people were/are willing to pay extra money for this concierge type of service.

The growth of our weight loss program has been extraordinary and now we are seeing acceleration of our program expansion to other physicians around the country. Personally, this feels incredibly great for me because not only are we helping people become healthier in the d.c. area (and much happier) but we are also starting to help lots of people i other areas. With the obesity crisis being the nation's largest health concern, our intervention could ultimately positively affect millions of people.

Back to my medical patient. Yesterday she asked for a frank discussion with me and proceeded to tell me that she senses a change in my medical practice in that she finds it harder to get me to the telephone. Staff (she did say they are very poilte and helpful) seems to try very hard to not have to get me personally on the phone to answer questions. Moreover, when she comes intot he office, she sees lots of weight loss posters, brochures etc.

I have been thinking for awhile about whether my medical patients see me morphing away from being their medical doctor and more towards being a 100% weight loss doc. I have been self-examining my attitude and approach to my medical practice and this is what I have come up with: I still very much love my medical practice and relationship with my patients. I still run up to the office on Sundays when a patient is ill and when a person needs immediate attention, my staff and I are all over the case. Just yesterday we saw a young man with abdominal pain who saw a different physician the day before and was misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome when in fact, my exam, our immediate setup of a CT scan, an antibiotic injection and calls to surgeon resulted in him being diagnosed with acute, non-ruptured appendicitis and he was in the operatoing room 5 hours after seeing me for the firts time. My staff and I had this all done while many weight loss patients were being seen.

I guess I probably cannot do lots of telephone hand holding anymore because of my responsibilities to our weight loss program but I do know that my medical patients are still getting lots better, more attentive and timely treatment than they could get elsewhere. I also know that our program to help people lose weight is saving lots of lives and I have a responsibility to continue to grow these efforts. Yes, this is a business as well, but I am very fortunate in that for me, this is clearly not all about the business/money....it is about helping lots of people. I try very hard to be the same bright eyed and bushy tailed medical doctor I was over 2 decades ago, but I also know that part of my calling now is to help our patients and people who are not my patients, become healthier.

Sorry for the long and fragmented writing this morning. This helped me! Thanks for listening.

weight loss and secrecy

First, thank you Sarah for the positive comment yesterday. We are trying very hard to think of ways to get into our patients' heads everyday to help them keep their weight loss goals at the forefront of their minds, as we all know that as soon as those thoughts become distant, we will go back to old behavior patterns and the weight will go right back on,

Many of our patients tell me that they are "secretive" about their weight loss efforts, meaning they do not tell anyone they are in a weight loss program. I encourage them to try to look at this differently, meaning that they should let people know about their mission to lose weight. When your friends, family, co-workers know you are in a weight loss mode, they are more apt to be respectful and supportive of your efforts. If they are unaware of your efforts, the ususal unintentional sabotaging behaviors will continue, i.e. offering you food sources of high-calories, prodding you to eat foods that will have you gain weight, etc.

When people around you know that you are seriouslytrying to lose weight to make yourself healthier and happier, perhaps they will support your efforts by encouraging you, having healthier food choices available at their events, etc. Moreover, you may be seen as a role model for the ones who also need to lose weight. Let people know about your efforts....tyhis can be helpful to you and your loved ones!

"too Busy"

At pretty much every patient encounter I ask questions about following one of the phases of our dietary plan, how much exercise took place, whether a food diarys was kept and if this blog and chat room has been read daily. Almost always, I do not get a "yes" to all of these inquiries and although I do not ask "why", the person will usually quickly offer up this explanation: " I was too busy."

Quite frankly, this is a very good reason. Between work responsibilities, family needs, travel time, etc., there is precious little time to focus on yourswelf. Writing in food diaries, exercising, reading this (brilliant...okay, maybe not brilliant) blog etc takes time...and time seems to disappear on us.

To lose weight and maintain that weight loss requires focus and attention. The more distracted we get with life's activities and our daily responsibilities, the less success we achieve in weight loss. Remember at all times that without our health, all of the other things that seem so important become much less so. Losing weight will allow you to live longer , be healthier, and maintain your current lifestyle. Do not get "too busy" to forget these important reasons as to why losing weight is so important to you.

Weight loss and the United States

Yesterday I was reading an internet story about the controversy about the President's choice for Surgeon General. The issue is that she apparently is obese, and with the nation's largest health concern being obesity, what message is this sending to the American public?

First, my thought on this is that if this person is the most qualified person to address all of the nation's health issues, then it makes no difference what weight/height/skin color etc she is.

Second, perhaps a great move on her part is to openly address this issue by publicly talking about her difficulties with weight control, empathizing with the 65% of Americans who are overweight, and commit herself to a weight loss strategy to become a role model for the millions of Americans whose health is at risk from their weight problems.

The Swine flu makes the headlines yet deaths associated with this pale, and I mean really pale, in numbers compared to the amount of death daily that occurs from heart attacks, strokes, diabetic complications, breast cancer, colon cancer, etc...Weight problems kill many Americans and the country must become involved more actively in reversing this epidemic. Perhaps our new Surgeon General will lead the charge in making some inroads into this major health epidemic.

Weight loss...The War vs the Battles

During this time of year, many of us take vacations and upon return, are dismayed by what we see on the scale. I try very hard to keep the patient upbeat, explaining that a vacation week is very challenging, and certainly, the fun of any vacation includes the food/restaurants associated with the trip. If some weight gain occurs, it is NO BIG DEAL. The example I provide is this: Your weight loss goals are the "War" and every week will be somewhat of a "Battle". There will be times in which we may lose that week, but if we have more "wins" than losses, the weight will keep coming down. Internal issues, external saboteurs, etc. will make vacation weeks quite difficult to lose weight. The point here is to make the weeks before the vacation and after the vacation "win" weeks. Take note of what happens on the scale and that have the fortitude to aggressively counteract what happened on the scale the week before.

As I tell everyone entering our program, for some reason we have been built, as humans, to be a weight gaining specie. Least we doubt that, please tell me how many of you crave broccoli as opposed to chocolate. Losing weight is a war to some extent, but it is a great war to win..your life can depend on it.

weight loss and travel

Yesterday I asked a patient an innocent question about her travel plans this summer and she became a bit teary eyed and told me that she doesn't travel on airplanes because of her weight. She went on to explain that it is very embarrassing to try to fit into one of the coach seats and when the planes are at full capacity, she has people right next to her and she senses their disdain. Therefore, she elects to travel via automobile which of course limits her distances for travel.

The personal sensitivities of being overweight, as this relates to sensing other people's negative reactions, may often result in withdrawal from functions and events. Losing that weight and regaining self confidence and self-esteem will complement your health benefits.

Planning your exercise

At every patient visit, I usually inquire about what exercise took place that week. More often than not, my questions are usually met with "it was a busy week"..."I walked..." or an anxious laugh occurs and I hear " I just don't have the time..."

For some people, exercise is a stress-reducing action which becomes somewhat addicting, meaning that if an injury occurs and the habitual exerciser cannot exercise, that person becomes very keyed up. We have all heard of the "runner's high", and there are definitely internal chemicals that spike during exercise that result in a global"feel-good".

Unfortunately, for most others, the thoughts of running on a treadmill, sweating on an elliptical or attending a spin class is abhorrent.

Obviously, as you lose weight, it becomes easier to exercise as you are moving around less pounds.

If you are not exercising regularly right now, I implore you to set up an appointment with Joanne. This is FREE and part of what you are paying for. Joanne can help you decide what the best exercise will be for you, and this does need to be individualized because everyone is unique with their orthopedic limitations, time constraints, etc.

There are two ends of the weight loss equation: calories coming in and calories you are burning off...try to work on both ends!

weight loss and alcohol

If you have ever been to a casino, you will have experienced the casino's attempts to ply you with alcohol. You will be approached by very pretty cocktail waitresses and handsome cocktail waiters approaching you offering free drinks. No limit...all you care to drink for free!

This is not done because Meyer Lanski, Bugsy Siegal and the rest of the founding fathers of Vegas felt guilty burying their victims in the desert and mandated free drinks to the casino customers. More likely, it was apparent to those, even without a psychology degree, that people "loosen up" under the influence of alcohol and will bet more aggressively and with less wisdom.

Alcohol does loosen inhibitions and takes critical thinking awa to some extent. This goes beyond gambling tendencies and certainly will affect eating behaviors. Aside from the caloric content of the alcohol itself as well as the slowing of the metabolism it causes, we will often find ourselves reaching for food sources that would not be on our radar screen if were not drinking alcohol.

If you are trying to lose weight (and unless you were surfing the internet for cheap hotel rates and hit this blog by mistake, you probably are in a weight loss mode) then you really want to eliminate alcohol or keep it to a bare minimum. On a number of levels, alcohol will sabotage your efforts.

Role Models

The comment on yesterday's subject matter was basically how, as parents, can we pull back the high-caloric food sources we raised our children with. Moreover, as all of their friends were getting the state of the art video games, we succumbed to that pressure only to find our children in front of these games snacking on chips, drinking sodas, and NOT being outside exercising.

This is a very difficult issue because children do not feel the potential health ramifications of their weight problems. As adults, we do feel threatened physically by weight issues and that is a strong motivation for us to forego high-caloric sources.

First and foremost, being a good role model for your children is important. If your children see you making healthier choices and avoiding the high-caloric snack foods perhaps they will feel compelled to follow suit. Also, perhaps they are unaware of all of the health ramifications of weight problems so a family meeting to have this as part of the discussion may be helpful. Lastly, incentivizing them with non-caloric rewards for successsful weight loss efforts is unfortunately the most powerful motivator for children.

weight loss and family members

Yesterday I saw a teenage female in our program who has not been very successful in losing weight. Basically, her parents coerced her to start the program and the motivation was not there to begin with. Obviously, for a person to achieve signifcant weight loss, there must be motivation from within; not parents or a spouse "pushing" them.

It is a delicate situation when you have a family member or friend who needs to lose weight and although you have his/her best interest in mind, it seems almost presumptious or "pushy" to even suggest a weight loss program. Even more so, when the affected person is your child, who does not have their own monetary resources, "control" is in the hands of the parents.

Young people are not worrying about heart attacks, strokes or diabetes. Their motivation to lose weight is from a vanity perspective. It is difficult to address these issues with your loved ones for fear of hurting their feelings. However, to not address the issue or offer help could be deemed as somewhat irresponsible. A fine line indeed.

weightloss and lists

We all lead very lives and between work, home and personal responsibilities there seems to be precious little time to think/concentrate/plan our daily dietary needs to fulfill our weight loss efforts. Often choices are made on the run and those choices do not turn out to be the best.

I refer to the term "potholes" to describe the problems we figuratively step into as this relates to sabotaging our own weight loss efforts. These may include skipping breakfast because you are too busy in the mornings, having to go through drive thru fast food for dinner because of the late baseball practice that your child is involved with, having to be in an airport during mealtime, etc.

I strongly encourage you to take some time and write out a list of all the potholes pertinent to your specific challenges. If you know where each and every pothole is, there is less chance of stepping into them and interfering with your weight loss efforts.

How would your life change?

Today I want you all to think about that question: How would your life change if you reached your weight loss goal?

Are the answers mostly "intangible", meaning "I will have a better chance of living longer...I will have less chance of heart disease..." or are the answers more "tangible" such as "I will fit into that beautuiful dress that is is in my closet" or "I will be able to run faster when I jog".

There are some very important reasons that prompted you to pick up the phone and be willing to invest so much time, commitment and money to your efforts...I want you to remember all the reasons why your weight loss efforts are so important to you

weight and the swwine flu: the immune system

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31866883/from/ET/

The above link describes a possible association of the more severe cases of the Swine flu with obesity. Apparently In Michigan, it was noted that there was a disproportionate anount of serious cases in people with obesity. One thought is that the obese tend to have a higher incidence of asthma and other respiratory diseases so this would put them at higher risk of more serious respiratory sequelae when infected.

We always think of the cardiovascular complications of obesity, but the immune system may be yet another possible health risk.

weight loss and lifestyle

First...REMINDER!!!! Serotonin-Plus walk at Burke Lake Park today, 10AM..meet Joanne and gang at the minigolf course area. Wish I could be there but patients need me in the office this morning!!!

Last night my family celebrated my daughtr, Kym's 23rd birthday. Kym will be leading our group meeting starting soon. Please, as a reminder, if you are interested, call us ASAP as spaces in the group are limited to 4-6 people.

Ellen has lost over 30 pounds, looks great and has reached her goal. Last night I noticed that she was still avoiding all breads and high-caloric foods. When I asked her how she is able to maintain this focus and not "let her guard down", she told me it was fear of developing pancreatic cancer. Ellen's mother, Arlene, a very wonderful woman, succumbed to pancreatic cancer last year. She was overweight for years. Her death at age mid 70s could have possibly been avoided had weight been under control.

We always think about the aesthetic ramifications of weight loss, but the health benefits can be life-saving. If you are still struggling with weight issues, take a step back, and think of all the wonderful people in your lives and how much you would miss them and they miss you if you were no longer here. Achieving and maintaining your weight loss goals will increase your odds of being here.

Serotonin-Plus Walk Tomorrow!!!!

PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN OUR TEAM FOR A WALK AT BURKE LAKE PARK TOMORROW, SATURDAY, JULY 11, 10AM...MEET AT THE MINIGOLF COURSE AREA. FITNESS TRAINER JOANNE WILL LEAD THE GROUP AND COME OUT AND MEET DONNA AND BABY !!!!!

Free Breakfast

Many cost-friendly hotels offer free breakfast as part of their package. if you are traveling with your spouse anbd children this free breakfast can save you lots of money to start the day. usually, they have out eggs, bacon, sausage but also bagels, donuts, muffins, cereals, etc. If you are in a weight-conscious mode, you can still partake of this free breakfast by sticking to the protein choices and NOT go for those great lloking donuts and pastries. Do not give in to the "All You Can Eat" mentality we all associate with buffets. Your children can get away with a trip to that donut bar...if you are trying to lose weight you cannot give in these saboteurs.

weight loss programs

Often, new patients come into our program who prfess a certain "embarassment" about needing help to acheive weight loss. We always reassure them that there is no need to feel "weak" or embarrassed...67% of Americans are overweight, 35% obese: if it was easy to lose weight on your own, those statistics wouldn't even be close to what it is now. Everyone is overweight does not want to be. Taking the step of asking for help is difficult but ften necessary to achieve the outcomes you are seeking.

Obviously, you cannot stay in a program forever, but the program gives you a great jump-start and hopefully lotss of ideas for a permanent lifestyle change. Moreover, we encourage our patients, even when they leave their formal visits, to still come back to weigh-in on our scale..soemtimes coming to the office creates an "accountability" factor that is helpful.

After your formal visits are finished, you are still welcome to utlize our free services such as our health and wellness meetings, the nutritioist meetings, our soon-to be group meetings...all at NO charge.


Do not ever feel bad about resorting to a program (especially ours!) if you need help in losing weight. Attempting to do it on your own is often too difficult and getting a medical jumpstart can be incredibly helpful.

weight loss and procedures

I was approached yesterday by a group that wants to get referrals from us for a laser procedure that "dissolves fat".

It is important to distinguish between weight loss and body sculpturing procedures. Liposuction, lipodissolve injections, laser treatments and other cosmetic procedures are NOT weight loss procedures. Often, people do not realize that these procedures will not result in significant weight loss. Certainly from an aesthetic standpoint, some of these procedures may result in a better appearance.

I am asked by patients for my opinion about some of these procedures and here is my answer: Everyone is entitled to feel and look their best, and if changing the external appearance in a way that is not medically dangerous, makes the person feel higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, then go for it.

Why I love helping people lose weight is because not only do our patients look younger and feel better about themselves, but we are also helping them live longer and avoid catastrophic diseases. Liposuction and lasers can do the former, but not the latter.

weight loss and medications

Harvard Health Weight-loss drugs have drawbacks - Harvard Health
Q:Is there a diet pill available that is safe to use and really works? View Full Story


If you check out the above story, once again, it is pretty clear that losing weight is ALWAYS more than taking a pill. I am now getting lots of questions about HCG injections. People are ordering this off of the internet, God knows what is being shipped to them, and then they ask for a physician to do the injection or a friend/family member who is in the medical field. This HCG injection is accompanied by a 500 calorie a day diet. Give me a break...this is not sustainable, not accomplishing any behavior modification, and has a ZERO chance of long-term success.

Losing weight and keeping it off requires a multidimensional strategy aimed to induce a life-style change permanently. This is VERY difficult, requires lots of work, but it CAN BE DONE. There are no real "short-cuts" in this process, although I see a program such as ours as a great jump-start to the long process. Beware of any pill/injection/etc that promises "easy weight loss". No such thing exists....yes, the surgeries such as gastric bypass and lap banding will produce lots of weight loss, but many people start gaining the weight back over time.

weight gain and vacations

July is probably the most "vacationed" months of the year. Many of these trips are planned around beaches, theme parks and other venues that are ripe with food sources that will be most definitely challenge your weight loss efforts.

Bringing a cooler to allw you to have some food sources that will be more dietary-friendly, going to reastaurants that will allow for better choices and keeping your alcohol intake to a minimum will go along way in minimizing the weight gain that normally would have occurred.

The other important issue is not to "beat yourself up" or be embarrassed and cancel your next appointment with us if weight gain occurred. This is the exact time to come back in and let us help you get refocused.

weight loss and groups

Last nite I was invited to a medical patients (not a weight loss patients) house for a cookout, and there was not one normal-weight person present there (besides myself, who needs to not be overweight least my patients will think I have no credibility.)

The great thing is that no on seemed to be intimidated that the (self-professed) guru of weight loss in Burke was there potentially observing and monitoring peoples eating behaviors there. We are talking about chips, regular sodas, beers, many bun-containing burgers/barbeque pork, and when the cookies came out (this was no more than 5 minutes after the food had been consummed) the discussion turned to which was better, the peanut butter cookies or the double chocolates. The really cool thing is that everyone was eating so much, no one made me self-conscious by not plowing it down.

What I observed last nite, was almost a "group mentality" thing. To further expalin, if some of the people there, when offered the high-caloric foods, said: "No thanks..I am trying to lose weight so I really should not have any of those...", perhaps the others who did not start out conscious of the massive calories they were ingesting would have taken a step back and curtailed thier own consumption. But last nite, with everyone (well, not the doctor, but most of the people there were lawyers, so they probably thought I was weird anyway) involbved in an eat-a-thon, it must be okay if evryone is doing it, right?

The point here is not be afriad/intimidated even in a group setting to "just say no". You may be surprised that you will have others follow suit.

weight loss and sabotage

Thank you for the comments yesterday Ellen and Suzanne.

Concerning the "special" promotions that our fast food friends inundate us with to try to get more of our business...yes, it seems ludicrous that when the nation's leading health problem is obesity, corporate America tries to fatten us up even more. But, I guess we can understand this somewhat because profits are involved and these are companies trying to turn more profit, keep peole employed, etc. But how anout what we do to each other??? No offense to the nursing and teaching professions, which I believe to be two of the most noble professions of them all, but I hear stories all the time from my patients in those fields about how there is constantly high-caloric snack foods being brought into the break rooms. All one has to do is to look around to see the extent of weight problems to realize that bringing cupcakes and chocolate into work for others to eat, when , in fact many of the "others" are overweight, is HARMFUL. Is it really a "nice" or "good" act to harm others? Would you bring alcohol into a workplace if you knew there were a significant number of alcoholics working there? Would you bring discounted hotel coupons for Las Vegas hotels if you knew many were gamblerholics? Why is bringing high-caloric snack foods to a workplace with many overweight people any different?

Yes, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Ben and Jerry's all want you to spend lots of money buying their foods and snacks, and I am sure that it is nothing personal and it is not their agenda to get you to die early from heart disease, diabetes, etc. Keeping a social awareness of the obesity epidemic is something we all, individually, should keep vigilant of, and not harming people's efforts to change to a healthier lifestyle

weight loss and holidays

Happy Holiday weekend! We do have office hours this morning and tomorrow (what's next, Dr.Scrooge making people work on Christmas day???) but we are closed this afternoon. The weather is supposed to be very nice so plan some outside recreational activities.

Reminder: at the cookouts and gatherings alcohol will be the number one culprit for derailing your weight loss efforts followed by excessive carb intake. Try to strategize your approach to the events you will be attending and have a "plan" as to how to NOT make the hoiliday weekend an eat and drink-a -thon that will make you get on that scale this week and shake your head in dismay. Learn how to attend these functions and have a great time without having to consume too many calories.

And...if you do gain a bit of weight because of the holiday events, do NOT cancel your appointment next week! We understand that certain times are more challenging than others and the one week NOT to cancel your appointment is the one wheree weight is gained. We can help you refocus and get that weight off.

Enjoy!!!!

weight loss and group meetings

Some weight loss programs (most notable Weight Watchers) utilize group meetings as part of the accountability/behavior modification strategies inherent to their program. I have found that many people choose to remain "anonymous" during their weight loss efforts. We have attended health fairs at malls and other venues and note that many overweight people will not stop by our booth, not because they are not interested, but rather, because they are self-conscious. I have also noted over the years that there are a significant number of our weight loss patients who do not tell their friends/family/colleagues that they are doing our program. Why? Fear that they will be viewed as "weak", not being able to lose weight on their own, or fear that if the "fail" they will be looked at as "losers".

Many psychological issues are involved associated with weight control problems. Sometimes hearing other people's struggles/issues and how they adapt can be quite helpful towards your own efforts. Serotonin-Plus has not held any "live" group discussion forums, and me, being the old guy who doesn't twitter, facebook, link-in or text very much wants to offer a live (no, not a webinar or chatroom) group meeting venue for our patients. This will, of course, be free of charge to anyone who is or has been in our program. The meeting will be facilitated by a graduate student, Kymberly Posner, who is working towards her graduate degree in counseling. The last name may ring familiar and if not, then you are clearly NOT invited to participate.

Kym has been taking many courses in graduate school that are preparing her very well to lead groups in discussions. I hope she will not blush too much if she reads this, but the reason she has been offered this role is not because of her last name, but rather because of her 4.0 course track record, her invitation to join Mason's graduate honor society in counseling, and her exemplary performance in her group counseling classes. Having said all of this, it is important to note that she is not a licensed clinical counselor and has no accreditation. Her facilitating role will be strictly as a layperson, and we do not want anyone to think that a board certified psychologist or licensed counselor will be leading these group meetings.

Logistics? The group will be limited to 6-8 people, will be conducted initially for 60-90 minutes, location will be the waiting room in our Burke office, healthy refreshments will be provided, you will need to sign a release that you understand that Kym is not a licensed psychologist or counselor, and it will be conducted on a weekday evening at 730PM. When will it start? As soon as we get feedback and interest. Interested? Write me at: drposner@spdiet.com

I am proud of the "free" services we are providing such as our group walks, health and wellness seminars at Springfield Country Club, nutritional counseling and now the offering of group meetings. These services are a great accompaniment to your weight loss efforts, and this is what separates our program from any other in the area. We are not just dispensing pills, giving B-12 shots, or trying to sell you supplements and prepackaged foods. We are providing you with an incredible array of services!

weight loss and boredom

Many people reach for high-caloric snack foods when they get bored. Being house-bound on stormy days provided much boredom as we can only take so much Seinfeld, Friends, and at a certain point, Everyone HATES Raymond.

Whether it be a slow day at work, being house-bound by weather or attending to an ill child...it is important that you do not start succumbing to the boredom-induced snacking. Try to NOT have around the house those food sources (popcorn, nuts, etc) that will usually be reached for.

Make use of that dusty exercise equipment in the basement. Have a really good IPOD selection of music ot TV in front of that machine as you work out to make the time go faster.

Also, try to NOT do distracted eating, which means sitting in front of the TV or computer screen with a fod source next to you.