I would like to relate a good story I heard from one of our patients yesterday. She came back from a vacation having LOST almost 4 pounds, and of course, this is not the ususal result after a vacation. I asked her how she did it.
First, she went to a resort spot which was NOT an "All-Inclusive" meaning that the family would pay for each meal. Second, she brought with her a collapsable cooler and went to a market and bought low caloric yogurt. cheeses, and some other easy protein choices. She further explained that she would fix her own breakfast and lunch following very carefully the dietary plan, but then allow herself and to enjoy a dinner at one of the resort restaurants. In this way, she did not feel deprived in that her dinner meal was at a restaurant, yet she did not need to succumb to the higher-caloric meal sources for breakfast and lunch. She also explained that this actually saved her lots of money as well.
Of course, bringing coolers, shopping for food, etc. is "work" and when on vacation, we are trying hard not to work. However, this is just one way of doing it. I have had another patient tell me that before the trip he made a list of all the food/drink sources that would harm his plan to lose weight that he would usually do on a vacation, and he scratched through 50% of them. He allowed himself to do "1/2" of the usual, and he returnmed having gained no weight. Usually, vacations would mean 4 pounds of weight gain for him previously\.
The point here is to THINK about it before you go on vacation. Check out the resort's restaurants' menus online, and plot which restaurants would be best to go to. Avoid buffets as best as possible. You can have a great vacation and not derail your plans to be healthier and happier.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
weight loss and socioeconomics
Yesterday we had a young female patient come in with a small child with her, and she was here for a consultation about our program. When Melissa provided the information about our program, the woman was very interested, but when the cost of the program was outlined, she said she couldn't even come close to affording it.
Clearly, a personalized weight loss program such as ours should not be only for people who have enough disposable income to afford it, but yet, what is the answer to this dilemma?
First, insurance companies should be REQUIRED to offer coverage for at least part of a medically supervised weight loss program. These companies have been doing nothing more than dramatically increasing premiums, denying coverage to those people with preexisting medical problems, cutting fees to physicians and forcing doctors to change their prescribing habits. Isn't it time that the government stepped in and mandated that these companies become more aggressive in their contribution to reduce the nation's largest health concern. Believe me, there will be tens of thousands of times more deaths this year in the U.S. caused by obesity-related diseases than the swine flu.
Secondly, perhaps some of the monies that have been going to flying AIG executives around the country, bailing out companies that have been incompetently managed, etc. can be diverted to health clinics in poorer areas that can offer weight loss and other preventative care to people who cannot afford it.
We have been investigating bringing our program out to Native American reservations, as the obesity rate is incredibly high in that population. Our program can be taught to other medical people, and does not need a nice suburban office space to provide the services. We are exploring how we can perhaps package our program and have it delivered through other providers at a much lower cost to people who cannot afford the services we provide in Burke.
Anyway, sorry for this relatively angry rant this morning, but I feel very bad when someone who really wants to do our program does not have the resources to pay for it. Obviously, it is not fair for us to give some people "discounts" or free programs, other people pay full price, etc. I would greatly appreciate your comments on this discussion...feel free to post on our chat at: www.spdiet.com or write me at: drposner@spdiet.com
Clearly, a personalized weight loss program such as ours should not be only for people who have enough disposable income to afford it, but yet, what is the answer to this dilemma?
First, insurance companies should be REQUIRED to offer coverage for at least part of a medically supervised weight loss program. These companies have been doing nothing more than dramatically increasing premiums, denying coverage to those people with preexisting medical problems, cutting fees to physicians and forcing doctors to change their prescribing habits. Isn't it time that the government stepped in and mandated that these companies become more aggressive in their contribution to reduce the nation's largest health concern. Believe me, there will be tens of thousands of times more deaths this year in the U.S. caused by obesity-related diseases than the swine flu.
Secondly, perhaps some of the monies that have been going to flying AIG executives around the country, bailing out companies that have been incompetently managed, etc. can be diverted to health clinics in poorer areas that can offer weight loss and other preventative care to people who cannot afford it.
We have been investigating bringing our program out to Native American reservations, as the obesity rate is incredibly high in that population. Our program can be taught to other medical people, and does not need a nice suburban office space to provide the services. We are exploring how we can perhaps package our program and have it delivered through other providers at a much lower cost to people who cannot afford the services we provide in Burke.
Anyway, sorry for this relatively angry rant this morning, but I feel very bad when someone who really wants to do our program does not have the resources to pay for it. Obviously, it is not fair for us to give some people "discounts" or free programs, other people pay full price, etc. I would greatly appreciate your comments on this discussion...feel free to post on our chat at: www.spdiet.com or write me at: drposner@spdiet.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"buddying up"
Yesterday we entered a number of people into our program who came in as couples...a mother/daughter and then friends. Having support along the way is very important, and clearly, having a relative or friend start their effort at the same time can be quite helpful. It is difficult to embark on a weight loss effort when everyone around you is not paying attention to calrie counts, not planning exercise time, etc. Having one or several people who are on the same mission as you will help your efforts.
Please do not be embarrassed to seek out people to work out with, discuss recipes , exchange ideas as to how to make it more fun to lose weight. With Americans having a 67% overweight rate, I know there are people at work, church, family members etc. who want to lose weight.
Your good doctor turns 53 today. Do you notice that the older we get, the less excited we are about our birthdays???
Please do not be embarrassed to seek out people to work out with, discuss recipes , exchange ideas as to how to make it more fun to lose weight. With Americans having a 67% overweight rate, I know there are people at work, church, family members etc. who want to lose weight.
Your good doctor turns 53 today. Do you notice that the older we get, the less excited we are about our birthdays???
Monday, April 27, 2009
hot weather, fluids and weight loss
First of all, thank you Suzanne for the very nice comment yesterday...for those of you who did not read the comment, Suzanne was very complimentary about the daily blog and said that she could almost hear my Nuuu Yooork accent voice in her head saying the things I am writing...and that is EXACTLY what I want to do (minus the annoying accent), which is to get into my patients' heads daily with stuff to think about...because once again, if we stop thinking about issues, we go automatically back to old behaviors and the weight starts going back on.
It has been very hot outside and during the warm/hot months we tend to drink lots more fluids. Some fluids overtly are harmful to our weight loss efforts....non-diet coke, pepsi, beer, etc. As we ingest these drinks we know full well that they will impact on our weight loss efforts. However, have you seen the caloric count on a large glass of ornage juice??? Cranberry or other fruit juices??? VERY HIGH!!! Water, flavored waters such as Propel (grape is my favorite and they are now a corporate sponsor...laughing...teasing!!) Please get used to checking the nutritional labels on every drink that you take in other than plain water and if the caloric count is not 20 or below, switch to a different drink. At Starbucks or any other coffee place that sells the iced drinks, be careful of the calorie count...ask them what is the amount of calories that are in the drink you are ordering. Paying attention to these "small" details can really add up!
It has been very hot outside and during the warm/hot months we tend to drink lots more fluids. Some fluids overtly are harmful to our weight loss efforts....non-diet coke, pepsi, beer, etc. As we ingest these drinks we know full well that they will impact on our weight loss efforts. However, have you seen the caloric count on a large glass of ornage juice??? Cranberry or other fruit juices??? VERY HIGH!!! Water, flavored waters such as Propel (grape is my favorite and they are now a corporate sponsor...laughing...teasing!!) Please get used to checking the nutritional labels on every drink that you take in other than plain water and if the caloric count is not 20 or below, switch to a different drink. At Starbucks or any other coffee place that sells the iced drinks, be careful of the calorie count...ask them what is the amount of calories that are in the drink you are ordering. Paying attention to these "small" details can really add up!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
One full year of blog entries
I noted that today is my 365th blog entry. A full year of writing my thoughts, my obeservations, and abstracts from our patients' experiences that may be helpful insights along the way of trying to lose weight. Recently, I have become quite militant in querying my patients as to whether they are reading this daily. When the answer comes us a "hummm, well, I try..." I cut them off and say..."you know...i am writing this pretty much every day (please excuse yesterdays travel day as a miss) so I expect my patients to read it every day!
Okay, before you go off thinking how full of himself Posner is that he expects his writings to be amazing, life-altering, revelation-provoking prose, let me just say this: One of the things I have learned from seeing thousands of patients atempting to lose weight, is the more they think about their challenging issues, the more successful they will be. As soon as we stop thinking about it, we will revert to old behavior patterns, and you and I know those are not good patterns for losing weight or keeping your weight off. To lose weight, one must think, plan, organize, face the challenges, etc. I am trying to use this blog to get into my patients' heads everyday...just giving them a thougth or two that may provoke them to think more about their strategy for controlling their caloric intake that day if not that week. When you are in your formal visit stage of our program we see you once a week, have a weigh-in, discuss that weeks challenges, etc. You feel accountable and you feel the support. When you leave the program visits, we want you to feel that same senastion of support and accountability. Between my blog and my staffs chat room with daily entries from Robin and Joanne,we are trying very hard to stay with you on this...even when you leave your visits. This is what separates ourt program from all the others out there...we are offering support systems that are part of what you already paid for....no memberships, additional fees, etc.
So, that explains why Posner jumps on you when he finds out you log on daily to the internet but do not take the 1 minute to read the blog and chat. These can be incredibly helpful for your long term weight control..make use of them please!!!! Please feel free to post comments, make recommendations for subjects etc. I/we would LOVE to hear from you. Now, on to my next 365 days!!!
Okay, before you go off thinking how full of himself Posner is that he expects his writings to be amazing, life-altering, revelation-provoking prose, let me just say this: One of the things I have learned from seeing thousands of patients atempting to lose weight, is the more they think about their challenging issues, the more successful they will be. As soon as we stop thinking about it, we will revert to old behavior patterns, and you and I know those are not good patterns for losing weight or keeping your weight off. To lose weight, one must think, plan, organize, face the challenges, etc. I am trying to use this blog to get into my patients' heads everyday...just giving them a thougth or two that may provoke them to think more about their strategy for controlling their caloric intake that day if not that week. When you are in your formal visit stage of our program we see you once a week, have a weigh-in, discuss that weeks challenges, etc. You feel accountable and you feel the support. When you leave the program visits, we want you to feel that same senastion of support and accountability. Between my blog and my staffs chat room with daily entries from Robin and Joanne,we are trying very hard to stay with you on this...even when you leave your visits. This is what separates ourt program from all the others out there...we are offering support systems that are part of what you already paid for....no memberships, additional fees, etc.
So, that explains why Posner jumps on you when he finds out you log on daily to the internet but do not take the 1 minute to read the blog and chat. These can be incredibly helpful for your long term weight control..make use of them please!!!! Please feel free to post comments, make recommendations for subjects etc. I/we would LOVE to hear from you. Now, on to my next 365 days!!!
Friday, April 24, 2009
recognition of the need for weight loss
Good morning again from Orlando....the lecture went very well yesterday...audience seemed to be connected and interested..from the podium I didn't see one person snoring.
After the talk, I spoke with a number of doctors attending the antiaging convention and I was particularly interested in a discussion I had with 2 nurse practitioners who own annd operate a wellness center in Louisiana. These very nice NPs told me that the state medical board very carefully scrutinizes any practice doing "weight loss" and in that state, NPs do not have the authority to write prescriptions for weight loss medications. Even in programs that do not use prescription anorectics, the state audits and monitors very carefully anyone advertising "weight loss" services. The situation is such that very few practitoners in that state want to get involved in a formal weight loss program because of fear of the state regulators sanctioning them.
When you read studies that show the most "unhealthy" states with the highest obesity rates, Louisiana is near the top. What would possibly be the motivation of the state government to frown upon medical professionals trying to actively intervene with the obesity epidemic? Something seems amiss here. The point however is that one of the reasons why America as a whole is losing the war on obesity is because of ineffective government involvement, and in the apparent case in Louisiana, even throwing roadblocks up. With the current Preisdent's emphasis on access to medical care for everyone, perhaps local, state and federal health agencies can start focusing on one of the major issues that will lead, if unchecked, to higher percentages of heart disease, diabetes, cancers etc ...and that issue is obesity.
After the talk, I spoke with a number of doctors attending the antiaging convention and I was particularly interested in a discussion I had with 2 nurse practitioners who own annd operate a wellness center in Louisiana. These very nice NPs told me that the state medical board very carefully scrutinizes any practice doing "weight loss" and in that state, NPs do not have the authority to write prescriptions for weight loss medications. Even in programs that do not use prescription anorectics, the state audits and monitors very carefully anyone advertising "weight loss" services. The situation is such that very few practitoners in that state want to get involved in a formal weight loss program because of fear of the state regulators sanctioning them.
When you read studies that show the most "unhealthy" states with the highest obesity rates, Louisiana is near the top. What would possibly be the motivation of the state government to frown upon medical professionals trying to actively intervene with the obesity epidemic? Something seems amiss here. The point however is that one of the reasons why America as a whole is losing the war on obesity is because of ineffective government involvement, and in the apparent case in Louisiana, even throwing roadblocks up. With the current Preisdent's emphasis on access to medical care for everyone, perhaps local, state and federal health agencies can start focusing on one of the major issues that will lead, if unchecked, to higher percentages of heart disease, diabetes, cancers etc ...and that issue is obesity.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
weight loss and looking younger
This morning I will speak to physicians who are attending the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine meetings in Orlando. We noticed that this is the only "weight" discussion occurring the entire 4 days of seminars. Most of the talks are about aesthetic procedures..liopdissolve, injection therapy, natural hormones, etc. Once again, from an aesthetic standpoint, looking younger (significantly) almost always accompanies weight loss. I am thinking about so many of our patients who appear to drop years (even decades) when they finish their formal visits with us.
It is important to remember that you do not have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars trying to look younger. If you are overweight, making signifcant progress in reaching your goals will make you look so much younger. How many of you can really believe that I am 73 years old? (Laughing....okay....I really am turning 53 and trying desparately to look no older than 52)
It is important to remember that you do not have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars trying to look younger. If you are overweight, making signifcant progress in reaching your goals will make you look so much younger. How many of you can really believe that I am 73 years old? (Laughing....okay....I really am turning 53 and trying desparately to look no older than 52)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
