Your Health

Eye-Opening Reasons to Lose Weight

If you’re overweight, you know you should shed those extra pounds. But do you know why? Obesity increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke. Take a look at a few more eye opening reasons to lose weight.

• Keeping your weight well below the obese category can slash your risk of breast cancer and protect you from the most aggressive form, according to research cited from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
• Leading birth defects specialists from the Teratology Society say maternal obesity during pregnancy puts both mom and baby at risk. Studies indicate obesity doubles a woman’s chances of having a baby with neural tube defects and increases her risk of developing complications during pregnancy.
• Being overweight contributes to sleep apnea, a condition in which you momentarily stop breathing during sleep. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure and serious circulatory and heart problems.

The bottom line: Losing weight reduces your risk for developing many serious medical conditions.

Talking to Your Doctor about your Weight Loss Goals

Since many medications are dosed according to an individual’s weight, your doctor may plan to more closely follow your medication dosages as your weight decreases. 

I recommend reviewing your current medication doses with your physician and identifying which ones may need to be adjusted as you lose excess weight.

As you get closer to your healthier weight, perhaps your doctor will adjust the number of medications prescribed to you or change their dosages.  For example, the conditions of high blood pressure and diabetes may become significantly improved as a result of the increased walking, better nutrition, and the weight loss that accompanies a weight reduction program.

It is quite common for individuals to have their physicians advise them that they no longer require some of their medications once they have reached a healthier weight. 

Plan ahead and discuss your weight loss goals with your physician; be aware of the effects of weight loss on medication dosage to more safely adjust your medication, if needed, as you lose weight.

There are many, many benefits that accompany your weight loss success!

Did you know?

300,000 deaths each year in the US are associated with obesity.

Nutrition Corner

Surviving Parties, Barbecues and Other Diet-Busting Summer Events

If summer events conjure up visions of creamy cole slaw, foot-long hot dogs and bowls of potato chips, you need to brush up on your summer survival skills.

• Don’t let summer events throw you a curve ball! Stick to your new, healthy habits by getting some exercise and eating healthy on the day of the event.
• Offer to bring a vegetable tray or fruit salad. This ensures you’ll have something nutritious to eat if you’re faced with high-fat, high-calorie party fare.
• Drink plenty of water. Besides filling you up, water will keep you hydrated on those scorching summer days.
• Don’t go hungry. If you are “starving” when faced with a buffet of finger foods, you’re more likely to fall into a picking frenzy.

A Message from Pam Powderly, Dietitian

Fiber:  The Secret Weapon in Weight Loss

Mention fiber and most will envision bowls of bran cereal. You know, the type of bran that looks like rabbit food pellets.   In reality, there is a whole world of fiber choices just waiting to be noticed.

Before I go any further, it is important to explain what fiber is.  Fiber is the part of plant food that the body cannot digest.  Fiber is characterized into two groups: soluble and insoluble but will save that discussion for another time.

Now that you know what fiber is, I can tell you why it is an important weapon in your weight loss program.  Foods that are good sources have more bulk than low fiber foods.  This gives you satiety, a more satisfying feeling, which usually slows down eating and the amount consumed.  Actually fiber is a multitasker.  It has been shown to have many benefits including aiding in diabetes management, heart health and digestive health.

Fiber comes in many forms and shapes.  My favorite sources are fruits and vegetables. As most of us already know apples are a very nutritious snack but it is the skin that bumps this food up on the nutrition scale.  As a matter of fact, all fruits and vegetables that are eaten unpeeled are good sources of fiber.  For those who find it difficult to consume sufficient fiber (25 to 35 grams daily), from food sources, there are fiber supplements.

Now that I have given you the inside information on fiber, I hope that you will make it a goal to include fiber in your daily diet.

FIVE Non-Food Ways to Reward Yourself

The next time you seek a delicious treat to overcome a bad day or calm your frazzled nerves, don’t reach for the refrigerator. Instead, choose non-food rewards to do the trick.
Choose from these five ideas, or create your own list: 

1. Read a good book.
2. Meet a friend for a walk in the park.
3. Watch a funny movie.
4. Dance with your kids (or by yourself!).
5. Take a candlelit bubble bath

Food for the Soul

Want to Boost Your Chance for Weight Loss Success?

Get a “diet buddy.” Ask your spouse, your mom, your best friend or a close colleague to take the weight loss plunge with you. You can exercise together, share success tips, exchange healthy recipes and encourage each other every step of the way.
 

STAYING on Track

When you want to lose weight, distractions and detours seem to pop up everywhere—baby showers, business lunches, birthday parties, grab-n-go dinners, breakfasts-on-the-run, etc. What can you do to stay on track?
Try these tips:

Set a goal. How much weight do you want to lose? What’s your deadline? Write your goal down and keep it with you so you can refer to it often. Post your goal around your house and office to serve as daily reminders of what you want to achieve.

Divvy it up. Instead of getting overwhelmed by all those extra pounds you need to lose, break your goal down into manageable chunks.

Make it real. If your goal isn’t realistic, change your goal or change your deadline. Don’t set yourself up for failure.

Be prepared. Don’t sacrifice your weight loss goals because of a busy schedule. If you want healthy, convenient meals and snacks, stock up on no-fuss weight management products.

Get support. Your weight-loss counselor can be a great resource when times get tough. Whether you need a cheerleader or just someone to hold you accountable, think of your counselor as a vital lifeline to success.

Celebrate the victories. Whether you reached your weekly weight loss goal or you worked out five times this week, take time to celebrate and savor each milestone

Small Changes in Your Life can Add Up to Big Results!

You can build on those successes to see changes in your health and your waistline!

Do- Take a family walk after dinner.
Don’t- Eat late at night.
Try- Your burger with just lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Achieving Results!

Secret Appointment Leads to Extreme Makeover Win.  Forty-four year old Neil Platt of Naples is the latest Extreme Makeover Challenge winner after his mother made him a secret appointment to join the Results Weight Loss program with his father.

In July, 2008 Charles Platt who weighed 316 pounds, enrolled in what he thought would be a solo journey to lose 126 pounds. Soon he realized that the successes he was seeing could be shared with his son, Neil. So in October, Neil’s mother made the call and Neil was asked to confirm his secret appointment.

Neil’s first thought was the fear of affording a weight loss program but now realizes the absolute savings this investment has brought him. Today after a weight loss of 64.8 pounds, with a continuing goal towards losing 46.9 more pounds, Neil has discovered the savings is more than just money. He has seen significant health cost savings in his daily life that far outweigh the program costs, while reversing his weight induced High Blood Pressure and borderline Diabetic health concerns and potentially huge future medical problems. Neil relates with a smile that there is a priceless value knowing that he has improved his health for a healthy relationship with his soon-to-be eighteen year old daughter and thirteen and eleven year old sons. He is now able to ride bicycles, play basketball and do things that he had not been able to do before.

As a father and son weight loss team Neil and his dad turned the program’s goals into a personal competition, which enticed them to work together and harder.  Neil firmly believes that doing the program with someone close to him made it easier, because each of them enjoyed seeing their loved one reach personal successes and they appreciated each other’s struggles and visions for success. Besides the support network and ability to share food cooking ideas they both enjoyed the time together and look forward to a continued effort in maintenance, which has its own challenges.

For fifteen years Neil has worked in kitchens in his job and more than most, he thought he knew a lot about food. What he soon discovered was his food preparations at home were damaging to his health much more than he thought. His kitchen experience allowed him to work closely with his Results Counselors at each weekly visit and plan food for the next week. Being able to bring recipes back to them and share cooking ideas and food planning also changed his cooking concepts at work.
Neil knows first-hand that men can act like they don’t care about their image, but deep down they do. Neil when registering for the weight loss challenge said; “When I reach my goal with results Weight Loss Makeover, I will look as good on the outside as I feel on the Inside.”

Although Charles had a four month head start, when Neil first enrolled and lost 8.4 and then 8.6 pounds in a week, it made him a believer that this could be a great challenge for the both of them. He knew that he and his dad could do the program together and look better; and the results speak for themselves. Both Neil and his dad, Charles wished that others had someone to share their Results Weight Loss program with. Neil’s dad has lost over 101 pounds with Results Weight Loss and is still going strong; having always weighed more than Neil he is now ahead in total weight loss. Neil who now weighs just a few pounds more than his dad says… “…the challenge is still on”.