We entered a new patient into our Bethesda office yesterday and she said that she had been seeing our television commercials for months. The program seemed intriguing, but yet, she would not pick up the phone to call for an appointment because she felt "weak" admitting to herself that she cannot lose weight on her own. She had tried several commercial plans such as Nutrisystems, Jennie Craig etc, but results were limited. Her frustration was mostly based on the fact that "I know what to do" (i.e. eat less , cut back carbs, exercise more, etc.), but nor being able to follow through. She was embarrased to admit that she needed help.
With 65% of Americans being overwight, 35% obese, clearly most people who are overweight have difficulty achieving their weight loss goals on their own. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to enter a physician-monitored program , but if a person wants a "jump-start" to help get motivated and "into the zone" then reaching out for help is nothing to be embarrassed about. Whether it be a support group, Weight Watchers, or the very best medically supervised weight loss program in the world (sorry..had to get in the plug!), oftentimes it helps to have some type of accountability/support/jumpstart that will allow the person to see immediate success. It is so important to see results fairly quickly because this, in turn, motivates us to keep going.
It is "normal" to need some type of help when embarking on a weight loss mission, and we try very hard to have our patients understand that it is no sign of "weakness" or "character flaw" to have to reach out for help.
On a non-medical note: The Mets are now only 1.5 games out of first...could make for a fun summer pennant race!!!
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