Dr. Posner's Blog
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Snacks
May 6, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Last night we went to a show at Robinson Secondary School, “How To Succeed In Business”. I saw this on Broadway less than 2 months ago with Nick Jonas and Beau Bridges. The Broadway production was great. These kids put on an AMAZING production. The lead roles, the chorus, the choreography, the orchestra….simply amazing. I was expecting a less-than summer camp type production with a piano player and highlights from the show. Not the case. Kudos in every which way to the kids, the teachers and everyone else involved with this. So what is Posner going to criticize? You guessed it: intermission. Raising money for the drama corp is a great idea but the only “snacks” available were (you guessed it) candy bars and chips. Why not some fruit? Healthy protein bars? Some other choice than Three Musketeer bars, chips and Pepsi? (well, they did have a few bottles of Diet Coke) We are so used to “snacking” on all the wrong foods for successful weight loss efforts, and the community, as a whole, should set all of us up for some chance at success and not offering anything at all resembling a “healthy” snack plays into the problem, not being part of the solution. Once again, to all the drama corp, orchestra, teachers at Robinson: What a phenomenal performance!!!!
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Program: Relative Cost
May 5, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Yesterday I did a consult on our weight loss program to a gentleman referred from his primary care physician. His weight was over 300 pounds and he was already taking blood pressure and cholesterol meds and said he is now a borderline diabetic. I explained the program to him but when the pricing came up, he kind of stiffened in his chair and I could see immediately this was shocking to him. He thanked me for the information and left. I felt really bad that I was not able to help this person solely because it did not fit his budget. Safe and effective weight loss should not be only for people who can afford it. However, I started thinking about the relative “cost” of him doing nothing about his weight. Cost of medication, lost time at work, less wages at work because I have no doubt his colleagues stand a better chance at promotions if they appear healthier cost of gasoline for the car, etc. These are all “costs” of doin g nothing. And God forbid, a sudden stroke or heart attack? This would cost tens, if not hundreds of thousands in lost income. The ultimate “cost” of being obese far outstrips the costs involved in becoming non-obese.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Changing Lives
May 4, 2012 - 0 Comments »
Why does Posner go to work every day smiling? Okay, stop your minds from wandering to anything other than “PG” thoughts, so I will answer this: because every day I get to see people whose ives are changing in front of my eyes because of their successful weight loss efforts. Let me tell you about a story from this week which is only representative of the many, many same type of stories. We entered a young gentleman, about 13, who plays baseball. When he started the program, his height and width were about equal. Often I have parents bringing a young person in, but I can tell that child is being “forced” to do this. In the case I am describing, this young gentleman really wanted this is in a very determined way. This week was about his 10th week in the program and he has shed about 37 pounds and looks amazing. The smile on his face as he described to me the quickness and improvement on the baseball diamond was priceless. His confidence level was beyond a “10″ and there is no doubt that his socialization at school has gone from a “0″ to a “10″. As adults, the same thing happens and I get to enjoy seeing this daily. At our upcoming Fashion Show , I will see a many patients who, before they lost the weight , would NEVER get up in front of others and essentially say “look at me”. On May 19, we will have bunches of people smiling and saying “look at me”. Weight loss changes lives and I thank all of you for allowing me to be a part of this.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Hope
May 3, 2012 - 1 Comment »
Everyone of us has “hope” for a number of things. We “hope” to : have good health for ourselves, families and friends, have successful business careers with financial stability, have the world be at peace. have fun times with good friends, and list goes on and on….we all have lots of hope. People who suffer from depression often lack hope. They live under a cloud and cannot see the hope of sunshine. For some, there only hope is an exit from this world and hopefully to a better place. When you achieve weight loss, lots of your ‘hope” becomes reality. You will be healthier, you will experience better chances of business success and you will achieve the hope of being happy. Derailing food sources or alcohol to dull your nighttime anxiety offers no hope. Make the right choice.
The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: (Role) Models
May 2, 2012 - 0 Comments »
I really had fun last night after work. We had a meeting of our models for the upcoming May 19 extravaganza. (Yes, I said “extravaganza” because this will be soooo much fun). We were going over the format of the NY Fashion Show, where the models will be positioned, how they will walk down the red carpet, when the entertainment segments will occur etc. As I was watching the interactions between our models, I started thinking ti myself how cool this is. Here are a bunch of people who NEVER would have thought on strutting themselves on “stage” in from of others, and her they are discussing where to turn to the audience and show off their “New You” look. The confidence and self-esteem that were built up because of their weight loss were immeasurable. Weight loss breeds heightened self-confidence . How much more important is that than the immediate gratification of a derailing food source? Once again, mark your calendars for Saturday, may 19, 1230 PM Springfield Country Club. We are helping ECHO with clothes donations and the show will be incredibly fun and inspirational. One of our entertainers used to play with Bobby Darin, several of our models are spouses of people who you read about in the papers and on the news, and the most important reason for coming: bringing awareness of the weight crisis in America and either participating or just plain old observing the inspirational stories of people whose lives have changed because of their weight loss success.
