weight loss and body bat

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33079907/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/from/ET

The article above discusses the impact of "body fat" on life expectancy in women. To no surprise, the development of significant body fat will result in a markedly decreased life expectancy.

Our new INBODY machine measures body fat and segmental lean muscle mass. If you have been out of the program for awhile, I would encourage you to stop by for a free anaylsis and learn what the current status is of your own body fat.

As always, if we can be of help to you in your quest for better health and thereby better happiness, please let us know.

weight loss and group meetings

Last Friday evening I attended the induction ceremony of Kymberly Posner to the Chi Sigma Iota society, which is a counseling academic and Professional Honor Society. This is the George Mason Chapter. I, of course, was the proud daddy, and watching Kymberly get called fo her pin and certificate was lots of fun for me.

Kym moderates our group meetings and for a number of peole, group meetings can be very helpful. Hearing other people's challenges and issues can give the other people in the group lots of helpo. Also, sharing your challenges and hgow you approach them can be very helpful to others.

Please write Kym at: kposner@spdiet.com if you have an interest in joining the group meetings.

weight loss and fasting

First, I want to wish all of my Jewish patients and their families out there a happy holiday. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement...the day in which people pray to be forgiven for their sins commmitted in the previous year. This day results in the "slate being wiped clean" by God so the next year you can commit yourself to a much better behavior pattern. Jewish people who follow the holiday fast for the entire day...giving up food and drink.

The idea of "fasting" to someone trying to loose weight sounds appealing. There are some programs and products out there purporting to cause healthy weight loss based on fasting and "cleansing".

However, going into a fasting mode or skipping meals results in a generalized metabolic slowdown and therefore "fasting" is NOT a recommended weight loss technique. We stringly encourage our patients to eat three meals a day and snacks.

weight loss and having help

Good morning...first...Suzanne...I am hoping ofr a speedy recovery for your Mom. I do know the feeling of seeing the physical decline of our elderly parents and the difficulty in getting the good,attentive care neeeded. Many guilt feelings along the way, most of them completely withour merit and unwarranted, but we still beat ourselves up.

We are now up to 11 nominees for the Adam Katz Serotonin-Plus Program. As mentioned, in honor of Adam, we are donating 2 free programs a month to people in our community whose lives would be markedly enhanced with weight loss, but yet cannot afford our program. We have entered our first patient last week and she is doing GREAT. If you know of anyone who may be a good candidate for the program, please submit their name and a brief history/background.

I had a patient several days ago who started the program with her husband and daughter. The daughter went off to college and the mom told me she was doing less exercise now because she was doing this with her daughter and now that her girl is not around, she is not getting out as often. I enclouraged her to find someone else (husband?) to become the workout buddy. Alternatively a friend or co-worker. Rest assured, there are LOTS of poeple around you who similarly would love to lose weight. Do not feel shy about approaching people you know who are trying or talked about losing weight, and schedule workout sessions together.

Posner Predictions: Lions 16 Skins 9 sorry Zorn fans....the guy is going to be replaced soon.

weight loss...a gift of health

Good morning...first, kudos to Ellen Posner for hosting a great poetry fest last night at Brion's Grille. Co-sponsored by George Mason University, this event brought different people from different backgrounds, together to share their work. Serotonin-Plus was proud to be a sponsor of this wonderful event. It is humbling for me to see the talent that people have and how their words can move people.

Second, I would encourage all of you to read the comment to the blog I wrote yesterday. A very insightful, reality-based commentary that will male you step back and think lots. I so appreciate your comments to what I write and I encourage all of you to become engaged in the discussion.

We gave a free program (1200 dollar value) as a door prize last night. The person who won thios was not overweight but the gift was transferrable. She will present this to a person i her life she cares about to help them become healthier. As you start planning holiday gifts, I encourage you all to think of non-caloric gifts as a way of saying "i care about you." Cookies, cakes and other damaging food sources will hurt the very people you love if they have a weight problem. Give life...not hurt.

childhood obesity

This morning I read a story in the paper about a high school athlete who died on the football practice field while running. 6 feet , 1 inch, 383 pounds and at age 17 died from a heart attack. A very sad and tragic event.

The life expectancy of the younger generation is less than their parents generation...this is the first time ever that this trend is occurring and the reason: childhood obesity.

If you have children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren or other very important young people in your life, and their weight is a problem, please be proactive and be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Rewarding children with non-caloric gifts is something we are not used to doing, but we must learn to nurture and "treat" our young ones in ways that will not harm them.

Remember: poetry fest tonight...Brions Grille University Mall, fairfax Virginia 845 pm...FREE!!! great entertainment! Come join me and my staff!

weight loss.... "Bad" vs. "Good"

First, I want to make sure that all of you poetry-inclined people should be reminded that this coming Friday evening there willl be a poetry fest where a number of people will be reading their original poems. This will take place at Brion's Grille in the University Mall, Fairfax Virginia starting at 830PM. Ellen Posner, who organized this wonderful community event in conjunction with Geroge Mason University will be the MC. Our comoany, Serotonin-Plus is a sponsor. Come on out, have a (healhty) snack and drink and listen to some fascinating work performed by local poets.

Now to a point which I correct patients on lots of times per day. Often, when a person comes in having gained some weight for the week, he/she willl lament before they step on the sale that they were "bad" this week. Alternatively, when a person knows they had an aggressive weight loss the comment is usually "I was "good" this week.

I ask of all you not to ever equate choosing food sources that were not effective in helping you lose weight as being a "bad person" and conversely, you are not a "good" person just for the fact of restriucting calories. Thos of you who have had weight problems your entire life may have been made to feel "bad" by family mem\bers and that thought carries over. This feeling will result in self-loathing behavior which firther contributes to the complicated psyche an overweight perosn will frequently experience in their weight loss endeavors.

You are not "Good" when you los weight nor "Bad" when you gain. You are always a GOOD person (except gfor you Cowboy fans.....oh, come on, just teasing) and if had a week in which you made some poor dietary choices, then you can make it up by being aggressive the next week.

weight loss and "salads"

Good morning...First, I would ask you to check the comments that people write in response to my entries...many of them have lots of great suggestions and yesterday there was a particularly insightful comment that may help lots of people who travel...check it out and "Anonymous"..thanks for posting it!

When we hear/think of the word "salad" we equate this with healthy eating. I just wanted to bring up the point that it most certainly depends what is in that salad. For an extreme example, the calorie count of a "premium" salad at McDonalds, with the dressing, is more than their quarter pounder with cheese. When a salad is loaded up with high fat cheese, nuts, fruits and other ingredients that are high fat components, the salad is then no different than eating a sabotaging food source.

Clearly, a salad based on vegetables, low fat protein, no croutons etc will be a much better choice.

weight loss and controlling the environment

Good morning....

Many of our patients travel as past of their occupations making following our dietary plan very difficult...Being in airports, eating at hotels, and attending nighttime business meetings over cocktails are all challenges that derail our efforts to lose weight.

If these are cirumstances that occur rarely, then the battle that week is lost, we pick ourselves back up and make the next bunch of weeks more successful. However, if this is the "norm" and travel is frequent then a different attitude is needed: The environment will not change for you...YOU NEED TO ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT Learnign how to aqttned business meetings and NOT do the alcohol and excessive carbs, planning meals around airport time etc are all things that need to be adapted to in order to achieve the weight loss success you are striving for.

weight loss and sacrifice

To a great extent, we, as human beings, are built as an immediate gratification specie. We tend to load up credit card debt, because we want clothes/household goods even though we may not have all the money needed to purchase them, we tend to have an abysmally low savings rate and we have difficulty saying "no" to food sources that will derail our efforts to become healthier and happier. Not using the credit card and delaying purchases, putting money in our 401K accounts and not eating high-caloric food sources is basically delaying gratification. Having enough money for retirement, not haviung vredit card debt and losing weight does not result in immediate gratification, but, the long term results of these efforts will position us much better in life. Sacrificing the immediate, harmful behaviors for the long term "good" is difficult, and sometimes goes against "human nature" but this sacrifice will ultimately make you much healthier and happier.

Okay....I have to say it....What a Giants game!!! Not to be disrespectful to my patients who are Dallas fans, but watching Eli Manning go down the field at the end of the game brought back Superbowl memories.

weight loss and football sunday

Good morning....tennis match for me this morning then i am fixed to the tv for the entire day...ends with my G-Men playing Dallas...i really do not feel good about this game for my team....

For those of us who watch football and for those of you who are burdened by having your spouse/kids/friends fixated on football and stuck in the house, please take time to think about the food choiced being offered up to the people watching the games...home "tail-gating" is the norm, wth beer, chips, sandwiches, etc all being served....it is kind of tradition.

Take the time to plan out your food choices and remember that you can most certainly root for your team and enjoy the games WITHOUT having to drink lots of beer and/or eat lots of high-caloric foods. Do NOT let one day get awy from you because you can undo 6 days of great focus and control by eating and drinking unhealthy one day...

Thanks Megan and anonymous for your notes/comments yesterday....very very intense stuff. I am very happy you engage the topic and write stuff...it helps me understand better and perhaps therapeutic for you to write it...

weight loss and family

First, thanks again to all of you reading this and your comments are energizing...

I am writing this entry tonight as opposed to tomorrow morning to give myself an extra 15 minutes of sleep...but doing this reminds me of a great Billy Crystal joke about elderly Jewish people in Florida....he says that the old people eat lunch at 10am, dinner at 4pm and breakfast the night before....well, here is your old jewish doctor writing his blog the night before...next thing you know I will be eating at the early bird specials! As n aside, to any of you out there from the Jewish persuasion, happy Jewish New Year!

Tonight my travels brought me to a place called "Elevation Burger" at the National Harbor...a pretty high-priced burger place. As a physician who has a weight loss practice, I cannot help but watch behavior patterns of people. Tonight I saw a very nice mother and daughter come into the place and the daughter was about 15 years old. Just watching their interactions, you can just tell how loving and caring a mother she is. Both were significantly overweight. I witnessed the daughter order a double cheeseburger, fries and an Oreo cookie milk shake. Clearly, the amount of calories to be consummed were enormous.

Here lies the disconnect: Childhood/adolescent obesity is the nation's largest health concern and the life expectancy of our children is less than ours. Why would a loving mother "feed" into the obesity problem of her most precious possession, her daughter? Why would the mother not set a role model example by losing weight herself and only frequenting restaurants that offered healthier choices? If her daughter had a drug addiction, would the mother bring her into a place where drugs were sold?

My thoughts on this are the following: Parents, especially the mother, are NURTURING to their children and we all grew up equating "nurturing" with feeding our children. We reward our children with "fun" foods and we bond with our children over food/eating events. Also, the last thing we ever want to do is to make our children feel "ugly" or lower their self esteem, so bringing up weight issues is very unsettling .

I would ask all of you to try as best you can to NOT contribute to anyone's weight problems. Whether if be avoiding caloric laden gifts on holidays/birthdays, providing people you cook for healthy c hoices, etc...be part of the solution to our nation's largest health concern...help your children and loved ones become healthier and happier.

Weight and self-perception

Good morning...First, I want to thank all of the contributors yesterday to the blog with your fascinating comments. Very insightful and thought provoking.

Self-perception: Some of the comments yesterday were about overweight individuuals being perceived as "lazy" when, in fact, laziness has very little to do with weight problems. This gets back to the issue of self-perception and reality.

I have had a number of patients tell me that they never saw themselves as being overweight. What stunned them was an event, such as seeing a workplace photo and seeing what they looked like in tjhat photo. The reality of the appearance in the photo was contradictory to the self-perception of what their own idea was of the body type. I have had many people tell me they were shcoked when they saw a photo...and could not understand how their brain did not allow them to see that they were suffering from a very bad weight problem.

This is why I emphasis so much the issue of writing down your weight once a week and having a plan as to what to do if that number is not to your liking...whether it be visits to my program, following a caloric restricted diet on your own, weight watchers or whatever, it is important to face "reality" at least once a week, because the brain can sometimes play tricks on us as this relates to self-perception. feel free to comment...I enjoy very much reading what you guys and gals think about these issues....makes me a better doctor...and I don't have to pay you for the consult!

weight and the workplace

This morning we are entering the first patient into our community program, The Adam Katz Serotonin-Plus Work Ready Program. This program will provide our 12-week weight loss program at no cost, to a person who cannot afford our program and would benefit from significant weight loss in their quest to become healthier, more self-confident and more employable.

This is a very senstive subject, but I bring this up and look for your comments and opinions: How does being overweight affect one's prospects of gaining employment, or if employed, achieving promotions/raises etc? Does a potential employer look beyond the resume at an overweight person and think : "if this person cannot control his/her weight, how can the person keep the job responsibilities under control?" Is there an inherent bias against overweight people meaning that if 2 employees have equal credentials, time at the position, equal skillsets, will the gym-going, athletic person get the promotion instead of the overweight one? Certainly, the military is blatant about this...if you do not achieve their weight standards, the active duty person will not get promoted and may even face forced retirement.

Clearly, if anything, losing weight cannot decrease a person's chances of gaining employment and/or achieving promotions. It seems completely unfair that a person's appearance has any bearing whatsoever on this, but reality is often unfair. Let me know your thoughts.

weight loss and tax

First, thanks Megan for the comment and now we are on Facebook??? laughing...your old guy doctor is soooo not with this new stuff....twittering, facebooking, myspacing...I do need to get into the 21st century,...you know, i still carry one of those old doctor bags in back of my car for whn i make a housecall....got it my first year in medical school..1977....laughing,..i am really becoming a dinosaur!!!

I have been reading with interest the concept of putting an "unhealthy " tax on things like sugar containg soft drinks and other food/drink sources that contribute to the obesity epidemic. I have mixed feelings about this. Certainly I believe we all agree that cigarettes shoud be taxed up the wazoo because thos who choose to smoke will have their health seriously affected and then we all "pay" for this by having to pay higher insurance premiums.

Perhaps do this yourself...i.e. "fining" yourself everytime you eat/drink a food source that derails your efforts to be happier and healthier. "rewarding " yourself (non-calorically) by healthy eating behaviors (massage, buying a piece of jewelry based on success milestones) works for many....perhaps for some "punishment" is a better motivator. The government , by taxing higher hurtful drink/food sources will make that decision for us.

Weight loss and affordability

First, thanks for the comments...before I write these entries I check to see what comments are posted and I appreciate very much the thoughts/comments that are shared. LOTS to be learned from other people and if there are readers out there who do not check out the comments tyo my blog, please do because these comments (except for the guy who periodically posts a website trying to sell some supplement called "phentremine"..this person is invited to permanently be banned from posting) can be very helpful to others.

Second: Much sadness with the death of Patirck Swayze from pancreatic cancer. He fought courageously. Although Mr. Swayze was not overweight, this cancer is associated with obesity, and its diagnosis is a death sentence, usually in less than one year. For those of us over 30, I think everyone was captivated by the movie, Dirty Dancing.

Third: I have three staff members down in Alabama helping a GYN physician, Dr. Rogers and his staff opening up their Serotonin weight loss clinic. Jessica informed me that he had about 150 people at his "launch" event, and the biggest concern from those who didn't sign up was the "cost". Yes, 120o dollars fro 12 weeks to lose about 30 pounds, 2ooo dollars to lose about 50, and perhaps 4000 dollars to lose 100 pounds is seemingly very "costly". However, let's look at this from a different angle: What is the long-term "cost" of being obese? Total up the cost of medications for the co=morbidities associated with obesity such as diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia etc. How about if a serious event occurs such as a heart attack, stroke, or cancer diagnosis? How much does this cost in terms of medical treatment and lost wages from not being able to work?

Basically, it really is the case that a markedly overweight person cannot afford NOT to lose weight, and yes, short term paying for the help needed to lose lots of weight will "cost" money upfront, but not losing the weight will ultmately cost much more money. The investment to lose weight and become healthier and happier is probably one of the best investments one can make.

Weight loss and "buddying up"

First, thank you very much Carmen for your nice comment...sometimes I wonder how many people are following this and whether it is being helpful, so your comment gives me motivation to wake up bleary eyed (laughing..guess all of you notice the typos i make) and write this daily.

Today's sermon, oops, I mean entry, is about finding people to "buddy up" with on your weight loss efforts. Often, we are self-conscious about our plan to lose weight...fear of failure...fear of being isolated, etc. However, you can bet that there are many people in your circle of friends, relatives, co-workers etc that want to lose weight. Seeking them out and asking them to work together on these efforts can be quite helpful. From sharing recipes, to starting exercise together to lending eahc other support...all of these and more can be accomplished by having others "be with you" along the journey.

Post something on a community bulletin board at work...gently approach a close friend or relative and pithc the idea...do not be afraid to be the "leader" of a group that creates a fun competition such as a "biggest loser" event.

Having others with you along the pathway to become healthier and happier can make your efforts much easier!

weight loss and TV ads

Good morning.,..

Some of the best adverisements on television that help us get more patients are not the ones we run...it is the incessant commercials from fast food places and other restuarants that entice people to eat their "fun" foods....but it is exactly these food sources that contribute to the growing obesity epidemic in America.

Yesterday, I was astounded to see a Taco Bell commercial which showed some HUGE concoction of beef, cheese, fillers, and other stuff wrapped in this tortilla thing...and all for 89 cents!! 89 cents??? Are you kidding me??? You could feed a family of 4 on that type of food for less than 10 dolllars. Then comes the "meal deals" advertised that make us feel like a dummy if we dont include the chips or fries and soda.

Some of the sit=down restaurants offer up "unlimited fries" and I watched the football game at a place Thursday nite which ha the pitch : "ALL YOU CAN EAT WINGS AND UNLIMITED BEER" for 25 bucks.

Beware of marketing hype and I strongly recommend that you stay away from fast ffod places and "unlimited, all you can eat" places.

Servicing You Better

Good morning....

Growth is great...from a personal standpoint, I am watching our program expand to other states, allowing my original development, the serotonin product, morph into an incredibly effective weight loss program which is now helping people in numerous states with the nation's most important health concern: obesity. Locally, our program has expanded tremendously and I am certain that we are now the largest medically supervised weight loss program in the D.C. area. All of this is exciting as we are helping so many people lose weight. From a business standpoint, it is also fun seeing the growth of a business.

However, sometimes growth has its price...and that price is sometimes the attention to detail and getting side-tracked from your core principles that made you/your program so popular.

This week, it has come to my attention that we have, as an organization, perhaps experienced too rapid a growth that has taken its toll on some of the attention to detail re: customer service that I have always prided myself on as being the very best in the area. I/we are taking every step we possibly can to make your experience here GREAT every time you visit us.

I know that sometimes on Saturday morning, we have so many patients to see that at times, it seems unruly. So many people, due to their busy work schedule or location in this area, must be seen on a Saturday and we try our very best to accomodate their needs. Clearly, if you want more time with our staff for your visit, Saturday is not the best day to book your appointment.

What I want all of you to know is that if you EVER feel that your experience here was NOT a GREAT one, then here is my cell number: 703-609-0388. I do not think that many doctors make themselves the customer service representative. I am making myself this person for the organization. (For now, and this may be a limited time offer! laughing!) If you have any issue that makes you feel that you did not get your "money's worth" here, call me and I will do my utmost to make this "right".

As I see my program going to other areas of the country, the staff and I are dedicated to making certain that we never forget who are our most important patients: YOU

In Memorium

Yesterday, my son Brian called to inform me that his closest friend in the world, Adam Katz, passed away in an automobile accident in the early morning hours. My family and I have known Adam for over 16 years. He went to high school, religious studies, summer camps and college with my son. Many a night, the boys would have the crew over for poker games that would end in the wee hour of the morning and my wife and I would awaken to see a bunch of guys snoring on various couches, love seats, the floor etc, with empty soda cans and stale pizza remnants in the box.

Many of us have experienced the loss of a loved one, such as a parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent, sibling...this is the circle of life unfortunately. The loss of a child is in another category. For any of you who are parents out there, you know what I mean. We have confronted death in older family members and we grieve, but we are able at some point to move on.

I wanted to use this morning's entry to recognize the goodness, kindness and contribution to this world that Adam brought with him. Our hearts go out to his parents, sister, fiance and everyone else whose lives he touched.

My son told me that Adam had gone through an incredible health transition, shedding well over 100 pounds of weight. As an organization, we have decided recently to give away 2 free programs a month to people who had little resources, were out of work, and perhaps needed to get healthier to improve their chances of gaining employment. We will add Adam's name to this community program, calling it 'The Adam Katz Serotonin-Plus Work Ready Program", and everytime we help someone who needs our help but cannot afford it, this will be a tribute to Adam Katz.

weight loss and mindsets

First, thanks Suzanne for the kind comment...I am glad Paul climbed the mountain successfully...after my episode of mountain sickness in Colorado, largest mountain I plan on climbing is the hill at Burke Lake Park.

The comment from Ms. Anonymous: "I have a sign on my refrigerator that says: Life is too short so eat good chocolate and good wine.....First: here is the Doctor's advice: REMOVE IT!!! Replace it with a sign that says "LIFE WILL BECOME SHORTER IF YOU DRINK TOO MUCH WINE AND EAT CHOCOLATE"

"Immediate gratification vs. Delayed gratification"...think this issue through as you go through your week. Eating/drinking a derailing food source is an immediate gratification. losing weight and becoming healhtier, happier and looking younger is a delayed gratification. using your credit card to buy a widescreen tv is an immditae gratifiaction. saving money for retirement is a delayed gratification/

Our human nature makes us want the immediate gratification but long term health requires us to strive for the long term. A difficult trade-off, but one that we all need to consider ...on many fronts.

weight loss and exercise

I am hanging out tonight watching the U.S. Open tennis matches and I am thinking to myself if I had a better backhand I could have been able to make my living playing tennis. Okay, that is BS, I may have been able to make my high school tennis team.

Actually, I was thinking that when I run in the mornings, it is an effort to get up early, fo to thje treadmill and I am trying to think of reasons why I shouldn;t do it, run out of excuses, go down and run and then I am happy when it is over and glad I did it. However, when I play tennis, I enjoy this activity and it really does not seem like I am "exercising".

The point here is that we should all try to find the type of exercise that we find fun as opposed to boring. Some people love running...i do not, especially on a treadmill, but outside running is better. Some people loath swimming...too much time to shower, change etc.

Seek out activities that you enjoy, yet will burn off calories. Try to find exercise partners that will allow the time to pass more quickly. Do not force yourself into doing exercise that you loath because you will find yourself finding every reason in the world why NOT to do it.

weight loss: when to "start"?

Good morning....staying darker so much later now...ughhhh

Suzanne had a comment yesterday as to when to "start" a weight loss effort.

I often have patients come in for consultations and the prospective patient will say something to the effect "I am going away next week so I want to start when I get back...". The concept of "starting" and "stopping" a weight loss effort is a mindset that we try to help our patients change to soem extent. When you decide to become healtheir and thereby happier, the "start" should be that very second. I call it the "prison mentality" when someone wants to delay their efforts, because similar t a person who knows they are going to prison the next week, that person will want to "blow it out" before by eating and drinking lots. Also, for someone to lose weight and keep it off, there is no "end" of the process...it is a life-long effort to maintain the new healthier lifestyle..

You are choosing to be healthier , live longer and be happier with more self-confidence. The "start" of your efforts should be NOW and there should be no "end" to your efforts.

the big push....

Good morning and happy Labor Day....I wish you all a very relaxing day

The end of the summer brings upon us what I consider the fastest passing time of the year....Fall...football...halloween...thanksgiving.....christmas....new years..... soooooo fast and so many opportunities to put weight back on....especially the Thanksgiving thru New Year's time frame. It is almost impossible to not succumb to some of the holiday foods that are traditional. Our friends and family show their love for us by giving us food.

I implore you to use these next few months to really get serious about your weight loss efforts in anticipation of what will be a very difficult time period as this relates to trying to lose weight. Halloween candy is just around the corner as well as that Thanksgiving feast and then the food and alcohol that accompanies our Christmas and Hannukah celebrations. Get real aggressive in your efforts and if you need our help, please call on us. We are here for you!

weight loss and appointments

Good morning...just getting off on a tangent here but the Sunday of Labor Day weekend always invoked mixed emotions as a child...the end of a very long summer..impending school with the excitement/trepidation this would brings..getting back to friends in school...football season starting...and...the fact that the Jerry Lewis telethon was on all night...those were the days when all stations basically ended their programming at 12am...fior those of you who remeber, the Star Spangled Banner would play and then the screen would go to some sort of test pattern....Now, the airways are filled of repeat sports highlights and infomercials...

Yesterday I saw several patients who had not been in for several weeks, became distracted in their weight loss efforts, and almost cancelled their appointments for yesterday because of their lack of success the 2 preceeding weeks. This is a strong psychological issue, meaning that although intellectually, the affected person knows that we will not "chastice" or treat the person as a "failure","loser" etc., there is a certain embarrassment factor of "letting us down". In reality, of course no one disappoints us if that person gains weight during the program on any given week. We SO understand the challenges and factors involved, and when a person has a difficult week, that is EXACTLY WHEN we should see that person. The worst thing they can do is cancel that appointment. So, please, if you have had a difficult week, do not feel that you should cancel your appointment , use that week to try to lose the weight you gained and then come back so the scxale will show a better number...youi will deprive yourself of the prescription medication and our support that week, and this support will be helpful for sure.

weight loss and combinations

Good holidayweekend Saturday morning....it is staying darker later and later into the morning.....ugh

We are so used to ordering food sources in combinations..."burger AND fries"...macaroni AND cheese"...apple pie AND ice cream"...peanut butter AND jelly"

One of the ways we can change our habits to improve our chances at long ternm weight loss success is to assess the combination choices we make. Many restaurants are very accomodating when you request some other choice than the usual combination....substitute a sald for those fries....order a vegetable insteasd of pasta in the "meatballs AND spaghetti"...

Small changes as recommended over time will result in a difference.....

weight loss and the holiday weekend

First, I want to thank Laval and Carmen for your very nice comments...I know all of my patients are busy and it is difficult to find the time to breath sometimes, no less log on and read this blog, so it is nice for me to know that this forum is helping some of my patients stay "focused". I have learned so much about why losing weight is so diffcult for so many people. Staying in the "zone" and remaining focused on your efforts is incredibly difficult and as soon as this focus is lost, we find ourselves back in old behavior patterns.

Okay team, we have a holiday weekend upon us. Picnics, parties, get-togethers, opening of colege football season...all of this is out there awaiting us. At every turn, there will be alcohol, high-caloric food sources and other sabotaging items and choices that could derial our efforts to be healthier and happier. Remember the mantra: There is no food i can eat that will taste as good as the weight loss feels.

Plan this weekend to enjoy the events, the people interaction, etc without having to succumb to poor food choices...lets stay focused!!!!

Weight loss and keeping focus

Good morning to my faithful readers out there....I am not sure if there are 5 of you out there, 50, 500 or 5000. I do know that when I see my patients I ask them whether they are reading these entries daily and i dare say that less than 10% of my them say "yes". Of course I am not hurt or insulted by this, but I do positively implore them to try to make this a daily ritual. Why? Certainly not that what I am writing is the most inspiring, thought -provoking prose that will motivate everyone reading it to lose weight every day. It is because I understand that for people to lose weight and keep that weight off, they have to remain focused. As soon as we stop thinking about our weight loss efforts, I guarantee that weight will start going up again. It takes NO effort or focus to gain weight...it takes LOTS of effort and focus to lose it.

How can you remain focused? Certainly, keeping an awareness of your weight by WRITING IT DOWN ON A CLIPBOARD NEXT TO YOUR HOME SCALE and acting quickly on any weight gain observed will help keep you from ever putting lots of weigth back on. Thinking daily about the reasons why you need/want to lose weight will help you remain focused. Getting a daily dose of your good ol' doctor may also keep your weight loss efforts on the forefront of your mind and allow you to make better daily choices.

When you have personal issues, work stress, etc. it is difficult for you to focus on "you". The focus is necessary and for you to lose weight and keep it off, you must remain focused.

weight loss and holiday weekends

As the summer draws to a close, there is one last event, and that is the 3 day Labor Day weekend. No matter what your plans, whether it be travel out of athe area or parties/picnics locally, there will be many food sources put in front of you that could be detrimental to your weigth loss efforts,

I would implore you now to start thinking about this and planning your days to ensure that you have a solution(s) in the event that you are not in control of your food environment i.e. being at a pasrt, ballgame or other where there tends to be food and drink choices that could derail your efforts.

"Planning" is an important concept with the long term success in weight loss. Please take the time now to think abnout the upcoming weekend and what you can do to not find yourself in situations where you cannot avoid high-caloric foods.

why food to address emotions?

Most of us are "emotional" eaters...we are happy...we celebrate with food...we are sad....we reach for "comfort" food....we feel anxiety, we try to quell this with food or alcohol...

Learning how NOT to succumb to food intake when we feel emotional changes will go a long way in not having a weight problem exacerbated by a mood change. We are all human ( except for me when I take a pseudofed) and we will always have emotional ups and downs. It is life..and life deals all of us some interesting challenges. Making ourselves less healthy by detrimental eating behaviors will do nothing to solve the mood issue other than self-flagellating for not staying focused on our weight loss efforts.