Dr. Posner's Blog
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Los Blog: Confidence
February 11, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Feeling “confident” allows us to make a better impression with others. Whether it be a social situation or business, exuding confidence helps us to be successful in either of these situations. Weight loss instills a higher confidence level. When we feel better about ourselves, this becomes evident to other people. There is no question that weight control leads to better opportunities for advancement. This may not be fair but it is reality.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Age and Motivation for Weight Loss
February 10, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Last evening I saw an 81 year old woman moving slowly with the aid of a cane who has recently been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. Her desire for weight loss is mostly health related…her weight issue is contributing greatly to her very poor mobility and the recent neurological disease diagnosis complicates this even more. Her last days on this earth will be much better quality of she can move around. We had several days ago a 14 year old enter the program. he moves around fine, but self-esteem on a scale of 1-10 is 0. His weight loss success will make him feel so much better about himself. Your reasons for weight loss at your age? Well, somewhere in the middle of health concerns and vanity driven issues. The older we get, the more health issues take precedence. The younger we are, the more we are concerned about swimsuit season. Reasons are motivators, and not that we want any serious health issue or really bad appearance be present to motivate, but it is reality that we, as humans, need motivation…a proverbial kick in the ass. Whether it be the fear of not being able to walk vs. the fear of having school kids call you “fatty”, age will dictate just how powerful these motivators are.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Getting Away With It
February 9, 2012 - 1 Comment »
When I was 17 I ate at least 3X the mount of calories I consume now. Additionally, as a freshman in college, I also drank my share of beer on the weekends. Now I do not drink at all and I do pay attention to my admixture of carbs and other food sources. I weighed 155 at age 17 and 168 now. If I went back to my freshman college ways of eating and drinking I would probably weight well over 200 pounds. I cannot get away with it anymore. Similarly, think of your individual situations. The things you could “get away with” years ago are not things that will escape a negative weight impact now. Aging slows metabolism. No question about that. We need to continually adjust our intake to offset that metabolism decrease if we want to not gain weight. Another aspect of this: some people just have higher metabolisms than others. It is frustrating for women to see their husbands pound down so much more food and have no weight control issues. Males are fortunate to have higher levels of metabolism in most cases. For long term weight control you must see what you can “get away with” as this relates to carb, fat and alcohol choices.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Resting on Your Laurels
February 8, 2012 - 2 Comments »
For those of you who read this pretty often, you have witnessed by bias to the New York Giants football team. I was watching their parade yesterday and their speeches. I began to think that to repeat the next year is almost impossible. Rare has a team done this two years in a row. Why? One of the reasons is the “hunger” for winning the Superbowl results in extreme effort, fortitude and performance. Once they reach the pinnacle, there is a bit of a let-down. Okay, Dr. Vince Lombardi, what does this have to do with weight loss? When a person embarks on a weight loss effort for purposes of a specific event…getting into that dress for a child’s wedding, trying to look hot for your 30th school reunion, trying to fit into that sexy swim suit…once you have reached that milestone, it is very difficult to not “rest on your laurels”. Once a “finish line” is passed, we will tend to relax and start going slowly back to old behaviors. This steamrolls into the regaining of all the weight. To keep the weight off we all must remain alert, strong and always keep our eye on the goal. In this case it is not the Superbowl win, but rather, keeping us healthier and happier.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Health by Committee
February 7, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Today I am visiting with the head of the Airline Owners and Pilots Association in Maryland (AOPA). We were introduced to their organization for purposes of discussion about how the SP Weight Loss Program could help pilots who are experiencing weight control issues. Being overweight affects sleep patterns (sleep apnea) and therefore daytime alertness and energy. For pilots to keep their licenses they must pass yearly physicals and apparently obesity is a possible cause for losing the ability to fly. When an organization supports and recommends a health initiative to their members and perhaps provides a financial incentive, more people are apt to take advantage of this benefit. And when groups of people embark on a health effort, it becomes health by committee…more pressure for everyone to become involved and successful. Evaluate your organization and if you feel SP can be of help to your company/colleagues, please contact me as I would love the opportunity to speak with the health benefits person. Seeing our program help people in many different places is a personal “high” for me. Taking on the nation’s most serious health problem and making a difference is what “doctoring” is all about.
