Dr. Posner's Blog
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Being Treated Differently
February 15, 2013 - 0 Comments »
Do you notice that as your successful weight loss efforts progress, you may be treated differently? This reminds me of a story one of my patients told me….her job was to lecture to physicians about new devices that her company sold them and she would be in front of a group of 20-30 doctors. Before her weight loss, she said that she could see the physicians nodding off to sleep, be playing with their smart phones and in many ways not attending to her talk. However, when she lost the weight, she notices that all the eyes in the audience were glued on her. I also remember a tv story that had beautiful models dress up in “fat suits”, had some creative makeup and such done to make them look markedly overweight and had them walk down a busy street. The cameras then showed what happened when they shed the costumes, put on a sexy dress and walked down the same street. Now, in the obvious case of the models, who cares whether horn dog men you don’t know choose to gawk at you or not? Chances are that you would rather have strangers not look. However, lets go to the case of the corporate managers looking at files of employees deciding which one of them gets the promotion. Whether it be females or male being considered or females and/or males making the decision, I think we all know that being “in shape” only increases your chances of that promotion. Yes, we are treated differently based on our weight. Sad fact, but true. It should only be the “inside” that counts, but the packaging does make a difference.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2013 - 0 Comments »
Happy Valentine’s Day to all but I do need to raise one question before we begin today’s topic: If during Influenza season, physicians doubled their prices for office visits, the public would be in an uproar. So, on Valentines Day, when prices for flowers triple, why doesn’t anyone take notice??? Okay, now to the subject: Valentine’s Day and gifts…I was in CVS yesterday and saw an amazing array of boxes of chocolates, heart shapes, stuffed animals packaged with the chocolate and every imaginable concoction of multiple calories in a box. And we buy them and give them to others…why? To quote my Jewish brethren from Fiddle on the Roof: ”TRADITION”. With obesity being our nation’s most serious health issue, are we truly doing 68% of the recipients (overweight % of Americans) any favors by giving each other candy? The answer is obviously “NO”. The triple priced flowers are a much better gift.,..a coupon for a massage, a jewelry item….lots of other great gifts that do not involve sabotaging someone else’s efforts to be healthier and happier. Please be cognizant of who you are giving gifts to and do not make a poor decision that hurts someone.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Society and Expectations
February 13, 2013 - 1 Comment »
I work out every morning and recently bought this Netflix thing. My kids think that Daddy is finally shedding some of the dinosaur image. Anyway, I got into watching this show called “Madmen”. It takes place in the early 1960s and follows people in and around a high pressure advertising agency. I guess that one of the reasons I am so captivated by this show is because I grew up in New York in the 60′s and my father was a clothes buyer in Manhattan. I remember him and every man going off to work wearing hats and my mother, like most, remained home. In the TV program, most of the women are quite “Zoftig” meaning really big boobs, big butts and the obvious use of bras and girdles that accentuated these areas. In fact, I do remember as a kid that pretty much all the women you saw walking around Manhattan had that look….the show is being quite factual in its depiction. I guess the point of this blog is that society does play a role in creating a certain “expectation” and there is a pressure to some extent for people to conform. Over the past 20 years, the society “expectation” is more “thin is in” so the big boob/big butt look has been replaced by the big boob (often implants) small butt, skinny waist look. Does this “expectation” create a pressure to conform? Is this a “god” pressure, meaning that it adds an element of motivation to your efforts or is it detrimental? Lots of people will say outwardly that they do not care what society “expects” but I am not sure if this is 100% true. I would love to hear your thoughts…please comment!
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Things That Sound Like Weight Loss
February 12, 2013 - 0 Comments »
Lipodissolve, liposuction, Zerona cold laser for fat emulsion…all of these sound as if there is a simple method of losing weight. No, these cosmetic procedures are body contouring procedures and not weight loss procedures. Perhaps a few pounds of fat can be sucked out of a person, but by no means is this a surgical procedure designed to help a person lose weight. Gastric bypass, gastric sleeves and similar procedures are designed to produce weight loss, although the long term behavioral modification changes associated with these procedures are suspect. Do not be fooled into thinking there is a simple, in office procedure that will help you lose and maintain a significant amount of weight. Losing weight requires work…lots of it. We all know that and it is important not to get distracted by advertised procedures that make weight loss sound “easy”.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Life
February 11, 2013 - 0 Comments »
I feel somewhat philosophical today so I was thinking about a line from a John Lennon song…To paraphrase, I believe it was something like this “Life is what is happening while you are making other plans…” I believe this line to mean that so many of us think about what is going to happen the next day, next month, next year, next ten years etc, that we often forget that the present day is what we are living now. By focusing too much on what could/may happen/what we want for our future, we all sometimes forget to focus on what is happening presently. This lack of focus can lead to behavior patterns that may ultimately adversely affect those plans we are making and focusing on. One example I will never forget from my medical practice: I had a very nice gentleman that worked for the government and for almost 20 years he told me the exact date he could retire and about the dream house he was building in Williamsburg right on a golf course. He hated his job, hated the commute and could not wait for his date to arrive. I was seeing this patient (this was before the SP Program existed) for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and pretty much all the co-morbiditiies you can attribute to obesity. When his retirement date arrived, he came to the office to pick up his medical record, shook my hand and gave me a hug and told me the only thing he would miss about Northern VA was me and my practice. One week later I received a call from the ER at a Williamsburg Hospital….the guy was DOA. He spent years being very unhappy, using food and alcohol as a treatment, and had one week in the dream house he was planning for decades. Live life every day, and bullshit to the line I sometimes hear from people that I cannot stand: ” ‘Live every day as if it was your last one”. If you knew it was your last one, eat and drink whatever the heck you want, spend all your money unwisely, because it does not matter what may happen in 20 years. But if you want great years ahead of you, live life today, and make the right decisions today.
