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The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Reality vs. Guessing

December 19, 2012 - 0 Comments »

Very often when I have a new medical patient or SP patient come in, as we approach the scale and height measure, I ask them what they believe their height and weight are.  It is amazing how often people provide numbers that are not reality.  I do not believe I have ever height measured a person whose reality height is more than the person’s guess and concerning weight, you guessed it, the scale almost always shows a number greater than the person thought.  Does this mean we have a bogus height measure and weight scale in our office that intentionally depresses the person?  Nope.  What it does mean is that often people do not have a reality check on their weight.  Similar to when the stock market is going down, people do not rush to log onto their retirement accounts and see how much money they are losing, when it comes to weight, human nature is such that we do not want to confront reality.  It is too painful sometimes.  However, for long term weight control, it is important to WRITE THAT WEIGHT DOWN WEEKLY on a clipboard next to your scale and then make adjustments based on what you see.  We all know when our clothes start not fitting, but you must get on that scale and see what the weight is in reality, and then make your move…to us if you need help or something on your own…but a move must be made.  Otherwise, the snowball rolling down the hill scenario takes place.  It is important in your weight loss journey to face reality and then act on it.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Do C-Sections Make a Difference?

December 18, 2012 - 1 Comment »

I saw a report on NBC News yesterday describing a study showing that children delivered via c-section have a higher rate of obesity than those delivered naturally.  Why would this affect weight control?  The theory is that when the baby is delivered naturally, the infant is exposed to certain bacteria while traveling down the vaginal opening while the baby delivered by c-section is not exposed.  Some of these bacteria are involved in the processing of food and that may affect futuristic food absorption.  Posner’s insight:  The psychological. social and genetic factors contributing to weight control issues are far more critical than bacteria that may or may not be sitting in your GI tract through different delivery methods.  I suppose this could be some very minor contributing factor, but on the scale of 1-10, it is an 11.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Portion Control

December 17, 2012 - 0 Comments »

About 18 months ago I got a yellow lab from Lab Rescue.  Jake is a great dog..very loving and playful.  Like most labs however, he is totally possessed by food and has that doleful eye look that makes you want to give him food when you are eating. Jake was quite a thin guy when I got him and on the first vista to the vet, he was 83 pounds.  When I brought him in for his yearly checkup, he was up to 105 lbs and the vet told me that he was overweight and as labs are prone to hip issues, it would be best to cut his portions.  In addition to cutting out the additional human food that we would give him at our meals, we cut back his portion of the dog food we feed him.  This past week we brought him in and he was 20 pounds down. The vet was very pleased with his progress.  So what does this have to do with a weight loss blog concerning humans?  Here it is:  Dogs do not control their own food intake.  We do.  We also control our food intake.  In the case of Jake the Dog, just by cutting portions of his usual food AND eliminating deleterious snack foods, he lost 20 pounds and is in great shape now.  If we do the same, i.e. cutting portions, especially of carbs, and avoid the poor snack choices, we can lose lots of weight.  By the way, our hips will thank us for this as well.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Fast Food

December 16, 2012 - 0 Comments »

I usually rag on all fast food establishments but yesterday I wandered into a Quiznos sub place.  The salads they offer are basically something you can build on your own….lots of vegetables. chicken and you can avoid of course the fat-laden cheese and the heavy salad dressings.  I would suppose Subway is the same.  As opposed to the prefabbed salads offered at the hamburger places, these seem much better.  When in a pinch, these places can provide a relatively non-harmful meal choice.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: One Chance

December 15, 2012 - 0 Comments »

The other day I was thinking to myself (after my habitual waking up at 445 am without the need for an alarm, even on Sundays) that I will never revisit the era of “sleeping in”…the aging process leaves me in the same situation as many other guys in their mid-late 50′s…early morning awakening.  Joints?  Who out there my age or older wakes up with completely loose, non-stiff joint?  The point is that as we transition through life, we all only get once chance of being in our 20′s having a meal plan at college, not having the responsibilities of paying mortgages, cars etc.  We are given one chance in this world to make our mark, garner great memories and experience what life has to offer.  One chance.  To make the most of this once chance, we need to do the balancing act:  Yes, enjoying life includes the various foods and drinks that make us feel good, but on the other hand, we want our one chance to be free of disease, pain and suffering.  Your successful weight loss efforts improve your chances at every stage of your life…and as you age, it becomes even more important.