weight loss and age

First of all, before we start, just a bit of a football update...Giants need to win out by beating the Panthers and the Vikings and then they need Green Bay or Dallas to lose one of their games over the next 2 weeks. Dallas plays the Skins tonight. GO REDSKINS HAIL TO THE REDSKINS I AM ROOTING FOR DAN SYNDER TO SMILE TONIGHT

Okay, back to business....last week I had several patients enter the program with their initial goal being unrealistic..they wanted to get back to their college weight.

Setting a realistic weight goal is important but it must be remembered that our bodies' change as we age and metabolism slows down. Heck, I went off to college 155 pounds..if I weighed tha now my patients would think I had a malignancy.

Do not look at the charts...the ideal weight for you will take into account lots of factors and we are available to help you determine what an ideal (and realistic) weight shoudl be for you.

Do not set your goal too difficult to maintain...getting there is one thing..maintenance is an entirely different picture.

Aim for a weight that keeps you healthy, off some medications that were there only because of the weight and a weight that makes you feel attractive to yourself . Ask our opinion as to what that weight is for you.

"I like my,,,"

Last week I had a patient who had a difficult week and he professed that one of his roadblocks is : "I like my beer." I started thinking about the things that most people like and if you ask anyone that question.."What do you like?, you will get lots of common answers and lots of unique ones. On the food side, you are going to hear lots of high calorie "likes". On the activity side, you are going to hear lots of sedenary "likes" (such as "I like to watch football")

However, the answers that you will not hear much will be these "likes".."I like to live for a long time in a healthy state"...or ..."I like to feel proud of my appearance" or.."I like to feel high self-esteem". These are the type of "likes" that drive people to pick up the phone and call us for help in losing weight or motivate them to do something about their weight on their own.

One of the problems is that some of our "likes" conflict with others.....such as the beer and the desire to live healthy and play with your grandchildren. I guess the issue is that we truly cannot "have it all" and choices must be made. For the gentleman who "likes my beer", he cannot drink 2-3 every nite and expect to live a long healthy life with his obesity. He has to make a choice.

I suggest that you explore all of your own "likes", make a priority list, and decide which of your "likes" are most important to you. This will guide you on how aggressive you want to be about your weight issue.