Stress Eating

I know virtually everyone is reading the financial news with disbelief. Our paper wealth is dissipating before our very eyes as we watch our elected officials point fingers at each other. Many of you that had planned on retiring soon, selling your houses, etc are now facing more years of working.

At times like these, almost instinctually, we will start reaching for high-caloric food sources as some type of "treatment" for the stress and anxiety. Unlike valium or xanax, you do not need a prescription for chips or cookies. Also, we do not perceive those high-caloric food sources as potentially "addicting" such as the prescription tranquilizers.

I would estimate that more than 90% of people who have weight problems would consider themselves "stress eaters". Please log onto: www.stresseaterdiet.com and read Linda's blog abut weight loss and stress eating. Perhaps recognizing this pattern and exploring it more will allow you to avoid the stress eating pattern that will damage your weight loss efforts.

America is an incredibly resilient nation and we all just have to hang in there and things will most definitely get better. In the meantime, as mentioned previously, INVEST IN YOUR OWN HEALTH! Buy a good piece of gym equipment, hire a trainer, etc....your investment in Wall Street is now shown to be a very bad one....your investment in keeping you alive in a healthier and happier status is a much wiser investment.

The Sertortonin Plus Burke Lake Walk

Well, the sun did start coming out, the trail was not that muddy and about 7 of us did the 4.68 miles. For those of you who were thinking about coming but the weather held you off, please mark your calender for the third Sunday of every month at 9am Burke Lake Park....as the weather gets colder just check the blog or my office phone number about weather the walk is still on. Next walk: Sunday October 19 9am.

We actually bumped into a very nice woman who was at the park to meet with a walking group (not ours) and by mistake she wandered over to our group. We engaged her in conversation and she wound up walking with us. She was telling me about her recent cessation of cigarette smoking, and during the walk, I accompanied her in the back of the pack becasue her pace was limited due to the smoing and weight issue. At the very front of our group was a woman who has lost well over 100 pounds with our program. It was amazing to see just how much energy she had and the very fast pace she was able to do. As I was walking with the new woman, I was reassuring her that the smoking cessation and the weight loss will result in her having the same stamina/energy/endurance as the person who led our group and outpaced everyone else. As a physician, I was able to see in front of my eyes the "before" and "after" of just how weight issues affect exercise abilities.

Anyway, for those of you who did not come to the park, i sincerely hope that you did exercise yesterday at home! Remember....NO EXCUSES for not exercising regularly!!!

Serotonin-Plus Invest In Yourself Walk

Okay...its not sunny....the birds arent singing....the park trail is wet...it was a late saturday nite, ESPN starts its football coverage soon, yada yada....lots of reasons why NOT to exercise. Well, let me give you one good one: Regular exercise will make you healthier, make you look younger and help you get to that weight that you want to be at. There will always be reasons we will find why NOT to exercise...why? because it doesnt feel good! Admit it...when you are running, getting that heart rate up, it doesnt feel nearly as good as sitting down, having a good meal, glass of wine and nice conversation.

Regular exercise requires making a commitment to yourself that you WILL exercise 3-4 times a week, not matter what else is going on. It is soooo easy to fall out of the habit of regular exercise and so difficult to get into it....

With that sermon, here goes: Posner will be at the park this morning at 845am at the mini golf area...I am leaving a telephone recorded message telling people the "formal" walk is off because of weather, but anyone who wants to join me, COME ON OUT!!! Put on the muddy sneakers, wear a baseball hat and some rain gear, but come on out!!! Let's show Mother Nature that she canot take away our commitment to be healthier and live longer. See you soon!

Serotonin-Plus Walk and Exercise

Rainy Saturday but I think the forecast is better for tomorrow.

Please call: 703-866-4144 tomorrow morning if you have any doubt about the weather affecting the walk. We will meet at the minigolf area of Burke Lake park at 845-900, then go down to the amphitheatre area near the trail and then start the walk (or run). Again, this is not a race ....no pressure...just a fun walk to kick off our Fall "Get back to Exercise" theme.

Concerning exercise, as mentioned last week in one of the blog entries, please consider "investing in yourself"., i.e. if you do not have any good exercise equipment in your home consider purchasing a nice treadmill or a good elliptical machine..perhaps a rowing machine..whatever eqiuipment you would use. As the weather gets colder/darker, those of you who look at your exercise as an "outside" activity wll in fact start getting less and les exercise. Having equipment in your basement in front of a good tv set or stereo system allows you to exercise no matter what the temperature or darkness factor. I know these pieces of equipment are costly, but it is a GREAT investment in improving your health.

Please join us tomorrow!!!

weight loss and antiaging

Yesterday I received an invitation to speak at a meeting of the Anti-Aging Society in December. The conference is taking place in Las Vegas. I have been asked to speak about the usage of oral serotonin as part of a weight loss program. My first thought was this: Antiaging in Vegas? Booze, blackjack, staying up the entire night eating, drinking and gambling...this is a really good venue for anti-aging! No, just teasing...my first real thought was: Will I hit my 16 against the dealers 10, or should I take adventure of the surrender option they have in Vegas?

Okay, let me get serious now: my first thoughts were about the association of weight with the aging process. With excessive weight leading to the early development of diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, sleep apnea, certain cancers and other serious conditions, clearly a detrimental weight results in more rapid "aging" process. Aesthetically, being overweight results in a person looking older than the chronological age.

At this conference, I am certain there will sellers of skin care creams, supplements of dubious merit, spa treatment machines that result in a more youthful appearance, etc. However, weight loss, probably more than anything else offered at this gathering is probably the most powerful "anti-aging" procedure/intervention that a person can do.

Self-accountability

Yesterday we saw several patients who started our program, and for business travel reasons, family issues, etc. would up missing a number of appointments and came back in over a month since their last visit. A fairly significant weight gain occurred. We of course are not upset/angry or in any other way disappointed in the person. We do try to help the person self-analyze to find out what happens when they leave the weekly medical supervision that makes weight gain occur. Clearly, when we get distracted and lose focus, we start returning to old behavior patterns such as not planning our meals, not counting portions of foods, reaching for quick foods, doing distracted eating, etc. The result, of course, is the weight going right back up. Weekly, when someone comes for folowups, we of course weigh the patient, discuss the challenges of that week, provide encouragement and advice, etc. This "accountability" is a very powerful psychological motivator to keep "in the zone". On your own, this accountability becomes a "self" accountability and this oftens waivers in its' strength.

By writing this blog everyday, encouraging our patients to just come in and use our scale after they finish the formal weekly visits to our program, staying in touch with Linda via e-mail, or even coming in once every 1-2 months for an appointment, perhaps we can help you reinforce your self-accountability as this relates to your weight loss efforts. The long term success of your efforts can be enhanced by developing strong self-accountability systems. Keep that clipboard next to your scale and recod those weekly weights, analyze trneds, and then have a gameplan to do somehting about it if you see a rising pattern. You can ALWAYS pick up the phone or send us an e-mail if you need help. When you formally leave your weekly visits, you are still part of the Serotonin-Plus family. (Oops..did I just rip that one off from the Olive Garden commercial?)

weight loss..War vs. battle

When patients come in for their weekly visits and some weight gain occurred we try very hard to have the person understand that not every week willbe successful as that relates to losing weight. Due to business travel, personal stress, etc., sometimes focus is lost a bit and when that happens, a weight gain will occur. Remember that a weight gain for a week does not make you a "failure". Keep fresh in your mind the reasons as to why you want to lose weight, regather your forces and focus, and make the next week more aggressive. Remember that the "war" is an assault on the excessive weight that puts you at health risk and also makes you not feel good about yourself. Each day is somewhat of a battle, and some days the battle will not go completely in your favor. Thats okay..the big picture is the long term reduction of the weight and all the positive efects that brings with it.

Always try to keep very fresh in your mind the reasons as to why you committed yourself to losing weight. Oftentimes, our instinctual behavior patterns will make these reasons blur a bit, but if you can marshall those forces to keep the reasons clear and at the forefront of your minds, it will be easier for you to say "no" to the food items that will harm you.