Eating a good food source provides an immediate gratification. Losing weight, feeling more energy, looking younger, fitting into your clothes, coming off medications: all of these are delayed gratification. What makes weight loss so difficult is that we to a large extent are an immediate gratification specie. It is difficult for us to delay the things we like to do/feel. We are battling lots of internal instinctual behaviors when we say "no" to a highcaloric food source.
I had a patient tell me yesterday : No food tastes as good as losing weight feels.
That is a great mantra and one to all incorporate to help us say "no" to food sources that will sabotage our efforts to lose weight and keep that weight off.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
weight loss and matching exercise to intake
This morning Suzanne (yes, the famed Suzanne of blog-commentators) presented for her followup visit and she related to me that a medical issue this week precluded aggressive exercise. She still lost weight however and she told me that she adjusted her food intake (lowering) to account for the less exercise this week.
This is an important point and one we have covered before. Definitely worth mentioning again: Whether it be the metabolism slowdown as we get older or times in which exercise is less, we must adjust caloric intake to account for these changes or weight will increase. To some extent, this is a numbers game: 3500 calories to a pound....lets say you ate just 35 calories less a day for 100 days....this would account for losing 3.5 pounds a year. If you did this for 20 years, you would have lost 70 pounds! 35 calories a day is minimal....but these calories add up! So, if you are burning 200 calories less a day because of an injury, you MUST lessen that food intake to match this.
Small changes (either positive or negative) over a long period of time can result in incredible differences. I urge you to be cognizant of your exertion levels and match that food intake so as to not gain that weight back!
This is an important point and one we have covered before. Definitely worth mentioning again: Whether it be the metabolism slowdown as we get older or times in which exercise is less, we must adjust caloric intake to account for these changes or weight will increase. To some extent, this is a numbers game: 3500 calories to a pound....lets say you ate just 35 calories less a day for 100 days....this would account for losing 3.5 pounds a year. If you did this for 20 years, you would have lost 70 pounds! 35 calories a day is minimal....but these calories add up! So, if you are burning 200 calories less a day because of an injury, you MUST lessen that food intake to match this.
Small changes (either positive or negative) over a long period of time can result in incredible differences. I urge you to be cognizant of your exertion levels and match that food intake so as to not gain that weight back!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
weight loss and staying fit
I am in Colorado today and Breckenridge is ata very high altitiude. Aside from having some altitude sickness headaches (i am a doctor,..i should have known better and come prepared!) I tried running this morning and lasted all of 1.75 miles and that is way off my usual 5. I was huffing and puffing....felt like I had asthma.
I used to think of myself as being in pretty decent shape for an old doctor guy, but the experience was humbling for me this morning. I started imagining now as to how a person who does not exercise at all will handle this type of environment with simple exertion such as walking.
Exercising does not only help your weight loss efforts but also helps your cardiopulmonary conditioning which could help prevent heart attacks and other life threatening situations when your body is stressed such as being at a high altitude.
I look forward to coming back and seeing you tomorrow! (huffing and puffing as he is writing this)
I used to think of myself as being in pretty decent shape for an old doctor guy, but the experience was humbling for me this morning. I started imagining now as to how a person who does not exercise at all will handle this type of environment with simple exertion such as walking.
Exercising does not only help your weight loss efforts but also helps your cardiopulmonary conditioning which could help prevent heart attacks and other life threatening situations when your body is stressed such as being at a high altitude.
I look forward to coming back and seeing you tomorrow! (huffing and puffing as he is writing this)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Supporting Our Patients
Weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight is complex and individual ...
As we continue to grow and expand both our medical practice and weight loss program we understand, especially for my patients who have been with me for years (some twenty!), that there are and will be many changes to our practice which for some people can be unsettling. Our goal with these changes are to offer you more and more support in many different areas and would like to discuss these changes and services with you. For more information please check out our "event tab" and "chat room" on the website www.spdiet.com
We want to assure everyone that we are constantly thinking about how to meet everyone's individual needs and address all possible aspects of meeting and maintaining your weight loss goals. We had a patient who felt like the follow up visits, although they said worked to help her continue to lose weight, were a bit "impersonal" as she saw many new faces each week. I want everyone to know that for those of you who need and want more time and attention we offer that service to each of you as an extended "free" visit with our Regisitered Dietation. This extended visit is offered to you as often as weekly in addition to your weekly follow up visits. Our follow up visits will be about 5 - 10 minutes focusing on specific aspects of the program, we will check your bp, weight, answer any questions you have and help keep you motiviated.
Other services we offer include (we try to continually evaluate and add new services to support our patients so please let us know if there is a service you would like to see offered as part of our program):
*weekly follow up visits on site and now virtual to make sure you are able to stay focused on vacation, when you're out of town, and/or if you are out of the area
*extended one-on-one visits with our Registered Dietition (RD)
*monthly health and wellness seminars run by our Fitness consultant and RD
*free exercise classes Tuesday & Thursday evenings (meet at the office) from 6pm - 7:30pm
*Once a month group walk at Burke Lake Park
*Group walks NOW on Monday & Wednesdays at 6:00am (for early birds)
*Starting in September group counseling sessions!!!
**Giving Back** In February 2010 we are offering a Free Community Program based on financial need and health criteria - We are working now to partner with community businesses so that 5 individuals a month may participate in our "Weight Loss & Work Ready" program. We hope to have businesses offer job training and internships for those individuals in the program who are out of work.
In order to offer and support these services, continue to offer new services, and keep your in office wait time to a minium we must continue to hire train, and cross-train our staff. We appreciate your patience as new staff members are being trained and feel free to always request to see myself, Donna, our PA, or the acting PA/NP or MD on site when you are in the office.
Also if you or any of your family members are looking for new opportunities please contact us as we have a few open positions in our office to include front desk support, nursing, and field sales.
Lastly, I want to thank each and everyone of you for helping us fine-tune our program to esnure that we are providing the very best weight loss program in the entire area. Your feedback/suggestions etc are VERY important to us. Please e-mail us or call us at 703-866-4144.
As we continue to grow and expand both our medical practice and weight loss program we understand, especially for my patients who have been with me for years (some twenty!), that there are and will be many changes to our practice which for some people can be unsettling. Our goal with these changes are to offer you more and more support in many different areas and would like to discuss these changes and services with you. For more information please check out our "event tab" and "chat room" on the website www.spdiet.com
We want to assure everyone that we are constantly thinking about how to meet everyone's individual needs and address all possible aspects of meeting and maintaining your weight loss goals. We had a patient who felt like the follow up visits, although they said worked to help her continue to lose weight, were a bit "impersonal" as she saw many new faces each week. I want everyone to know that for those of you who need and want more time and attention we offer that service to each of you as an extended "free" visit with our Regisitered Dietation. This extended visit is offered to you as often as weekly in addition to your weekly follow up visits. Our follow up visits will be about 5 - 10 minutes focusing on specific aspects of the program, we will check your bp, weight, answer any questions you have and help keep you motiviated.
Other services we offer include (we try to continually evaluate and add new services to support our patients so please let us know if there is a service you would like to see offered as part of our program):
*weekly follow up visits on site and now virtual to make sure you are able to stay focused on vacation, when you're out of town, and/or if you are out of the area
*extended one-on-one visits with our Registered Dietition (RD)
*monthly health and wellness seminars run by our Fitness consultant and RD
*free exercise classes Tuesday & Thursday evenings (meet at the office) from 6pm - 7:30pm
*Once a month group walk at Burke Lake Park
*Group walks NOW on Monday & Wednesdays at 6:00am (for early birds)
*Starting in September group counseling sessions!!!
**Giving Back** In February 2010 we are offering a Free Community Program based on financial need and health criteria - We are working now to partner with community businesses so that 5 individuals a month may participate in our "Weight Loss & Work Ready" program. We hope to have businesses offer job training and internships for those individuals in the program who are out of work.
In order to offer and support these services, continue to offer new services, and keep your in office wait time to a minium we must continue to hire train, and cross-train our staff. We appreciate your patience as new staff members are being trained and feel free to always request to see myself, Donna, our PA, or the acting PA/NP or MD on site when you are in the office.
Also if you or any of your family members are looking for new opportunities please contact us as we have a few open positions in our office to include front desk support, nursing, and field sales.
Lastly, I want to thank each and everyone of you for helping us fine-tune our program to esnure that we are providing the very best weight loss program in the entire area. Your feedback/suggestions etc are VERY important to us. Please e-mail us or call us at 703-866-4144.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Am I Hungry?
As you are eating your meals do you ever take pause to ask yourself the question: "Am I hungry?" Seems like a very simple querstion that makes sense, but I doubt that many of us think about it often. Clearly, after a full meal at a restaurant when that dessert tray arrives and the waiter asks "Did you save room for dessert?" I would think that no one at that table feels "hunger" at that point.
We are very used to finishing the portions that have been put in front of us and much of this was learned when we were children.
I would recommend taht at all times during your meals you take a step back and ask yourself whether you still feel hungry and if the answer is "no", then it is time to stop!
We are very used to finishing the portions that have been put in front of us and much of this was learned when we were children.
I would recommend taht at all times during your meals you take a step back and ask yourself whether you still feel hungry and if the answer is "no", then it is time to stop!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
weight loss and getting help
I have had many patients enter our program who told me they agonized somewhat about their decision to enter a program for weight loss because they were "embarassed" that they could not do this on their own. Clearly, if losing weight was relatively easy to do without help, 65% of Americans would not be overweight. Everyone tells themselves to "eat less and exercise more", and with the best of intents, "diets" are then employed and for a short period of time the "routine" is changed but then we always seem to fall back to old habits.
The need for help in losing weight transcends all racial, cultural and socioeconomic factors. The overwhelming majority of overweight people, regardless of income, need some type of help/support in their efforts. From family support, to reading books about weight loss to attending a non-medical program such as Weight-Watchers to paying for an aggressive medically supervised weight loss program such as ours, help is very much needed.
A person should not feel "weak" or embarrassed about seeking help in his/her weight loss efforts. Getting a jump-start in your efforts can be very helpful in making significant progress towards the goal of losing siginicant weight and keeping the weight off. No reason to ever feel embarrassed about seeking help!
The need for help in losing weight transcends all racial, cultural and socioeconomic factors. The overwhelming majority of overweight people, regardless of income, need some type of help/support in their efforts. From family support, to reading books about weight loss to attending a non-medical program such as Weight-Watchers to paying for an aggressive medically supervised weight loss program such as ours, help is very much needed.
A person should not feel "weak" or embarrassed about seeking help in his/her weight loss efforts. Getting a jump-start in your efforts can be very helpful in making significant progress towards the goal of losing siginicant weight and keeping the weight off. No reason to ever feel embarrassed about seeking help!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Healthcare reform and obesity
Some problems may not have good solutions. I am being asked frequently by my patients about my thoughts about healthcare reform. From limiting choices to rationing of healthcare, many of my patients are very concerned about the future as this relates to the access/quality of care.
Here is some of my take: With the aging baby boomer population that is living much longer than their parent's generation, the demand for healthcare will continue to soar. The generation under the boomers are far less in numbers and cannot possibly pay enough into the system to fund the healtcare needed for the boomers. Throw into the mix the millions of "uninsured" and the entire system cannot be funded.
First and foremost is the need for tort reform. Physicians will continue to order test upon test so as to be able to defend their positions in the event of a malpractice suit. The way the current system exists, plaintiffs and their "have you been injured?" lawyers have a free shot at doctors and hosipitals. They know full well that the cost of defending a suit is much more than offering some type of settlement, so why not sue, sue and sue some more and hope that the malpractic e companies will offer a settlement? Simple solution to this: Make plaintiffs and their attornies cover the cost of the attornies/court fees/lost time at work IF they lose their case. This makes it simple: if you have a good case, take your shot. However, if it is frivilous or weak and you lose, then the plaintiff and their lawyers will pay out lots. This will save BILLIONS of dollars in testing ordered by physicians.
Second: Lets focus on preventative care. As mentioned earlier this week, America is spending 147 BILLION dollars a year on obesity related health issues. Let's add on smoking, drugs, and other issues that make us less healthy as a nation. Place some of thoise stimulus bucks on programs to help people PREVENT medical illnesses. As healthcare providers, we are so focused on the treatment of disease states and not emphasizing the prevention enough.
Third: Insurance companies...(to quote Billy Crystal from Mr. Saturday Night.."Don't get me started..") Much more regulation of their predatory practices are needed.
There are fourth thru thousandths of issues that could be discussed.
Our focus here is to prevent illnesses associated with obesity. We can all do our part by assessing our own health risks and taking the steps necessary to prevent health problems.
Here is some of my take: With the aging baby boomer population that is living much longer than their parent's generation, the demand for healthcare will continue to soar. The generation under the boomers are far less in numbers and cannot possibly pay enough into the system to fund the healtcare needed for the boomers. Throw into the mix the millions of "uninsured" and the entire system cannot be funded.
First and foremost is the need for tort reform. Physicians will continue to order test upon test so as to be able to defend their positions in the event of a malpractice suit. The way the current system exists, plaintiffs and their "have you been injured?" lawyers have a free shot at doctors and hosipitals. They know full well that the cost of defending a suit is much more than offering some type of settlement, so why not sue, sue and sue some more and hope that the malpractic e companies will offer a settlement? Simple solution to this: Make plaintiffs and their attornies cover the cost of the attornies/court fees/lost time at work IF they lose their case. This makes it simple: if you have a good case, take your shot. However, if it is frivilous or weak and you lose, then the plaintiff and their lawyers will pay out lots. This will save BILLIONS of dollars in testing ordered by physicians.
Second: Lets focus on preventative care. As mentioned earlier this week, America is spending 147 BILLION dollars a year on obesity related health issues. Let's add on smoking, drugs, and other issues that make us less healthy as a nation. Place some of thoise stimulus bucks on programs to help people PREVENT medical illnesses. As healthcare providers, we are so focused on the treatment of disease states and not emphasizing the prevention enough.
Third: Insurance companies...(to quote Billy Crystal from Mr. Saturday Night.."Don't get me started..") Much more regulation of their predatory practices are needed.
There are fourth thru thousandths of issues that could be discussed.
Our focus here is to prevent illnesses associated with obesity. We can all do our part by assessing our own health risks and taking the steps necessary to prevent health problems.
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