The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Program

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Fear of Failure

bposner — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:28:39 +0000

Sometimes, it is the fear of failure that drives us to heightened resolve and fortitude. However, at times, fear of failure results in a lack of even trying and therefore a self-fulfilling failure. The fear is 1- that you will let yourself down and 2- you will disappoint others around you whose opinion/judgement affect you. When it comes to losing weight, I believe everyone that has struggles chronically with weight control can relate to the sensation of “fear of failure”. Frequently, I have patients tell me that their entry to the SP Program is their “secret” and they do not tell the spouse, friends and family. The reason? The fear that they will put the weight back on. Is fear of failure a productive human emotion? Well, if 60,000 home fans are screaming at the kicker about ready to kick that game winning field goal, perhaps that fear of missing the kick and disappointing millions of fans watching and believing in you will propel that kicker to the best kick of his life. If the overweight person is paralyzed in his/her efforts because of fear of failure, then this is very detrimental. Focus on the wonderful ed-results of your successful weight loss efforts as opposed to the fear of failure. What awaits you are improved health, more energy, looking younger, ridding yourself of medications and having much higher levels of confidence. Turn your fear of failure to the eager anticipation of success.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: I OWE IT TO MY________

bposner — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:35:12 +0000

Fill in the blank: I OWE IT TO MY___________ TO LOSE THE WEIGHT. Here are some that come to mind:

Your children: They want their mom and dad to be alive in good health. You mean so much to them and your absence or serious illness would take away time with them and their children. Also, as you age, you never want to be a “burden” on the children, and a serious illness and incapacitation may require their help and vigilance…the last thing you wanted to happen.
Your friends: They are your “friends” for a reason….they have been there for you and you have been there for them.
Your profession: You have probably been/are a very important part of your profession/work team and your absence may diminish the quality of the work and the positive impact on society.

But here is the most important one:

YOURSELF: You have worked very hard to get where you are…going to school, raising a family, making a name for yourself in your profession and countless other aspects of your life that make life so worthwhile. Do you deserve to have those, and more, taken away from you? Absolutely not. Your successful weight loss will strengthen your chances of enjoying all the wonderful people and things in your life. You owe it to yourself.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Mel Brooks Trivia Time..and Yogurt

bposner — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:21 +0000

Okay, any Mel Brooks fans out there? He is the director of classic spoof pictures such as Young Frankenstein (Where Wolf? There Wolf) and Blazing Saddles (the eating beans around the camp fire scene). One of my favorites: Spaceballs, which spoofed all the Star Wars pictures. There was a scene when the Harrison Ford /Hans Solo character (played by Bill Pullman) lands on a planet and meets the Yoder character. However, the Yoder is called Yogurt, and is played by Mel Brooks himself as a little leprechaun-type character with a Jewish/Yiddish accent. Hans Solo and the Chewbaca character (played by the late John Candy) are overtaken with awe as they meet Yogurt and say: ”It’s Yogurt, the magnificent”, “Its Yogurt the Almighty”, “It’s Yogurt, the Wonderful”….and then the Yogurt character says, in a very funny Yiddish/Jewish accent, “No, No, No boys, no more fuss…I am just PLAIN YOGURT.” So now, as all of you are thinking that Posner has finally lost it and writing old movie reviews instead of a focused blog that may help your weight loss efforts, here goes: The “Greek Yogurt” that everyone is now infatuated with is NOT the type of protein we stress in the SP Program. As long as your yogurt intake (considered a dairy in our program) is 80 calories or less, I do not care whether it is Greek, acidophilus containing or PLAIN yogurt. The Greek yogurt should NOT be used in the counting of your protein exchanges. We have found that the “traditional” proteins, in the forms of poultry, seafood, fish, edges, and yes, even red meat are much better for weight loss than any other form of protein, including the “Greek” yogurt. And now, WITHOUT THE USE OF THE INTERNET, the first 10 people that answer this trivia question correctly get a free bottle of Serotonin-Plus: Which actress played the Princess Leia character in Spaceballs?

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Summer

bposner — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:29:35 +0000

Finally, we are seeing temperatures where they should be this time of year and as difficult as it is to believe, next week all of the community pools open up. Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial commencing of the summer season and for most, pools and beaches are part of the summer. This also means wearing swimsuits and being “seen” by others. Does weight control affect our desire to avoid these situations? Is there a gender difference in this sensitivity? I believe that no one will dispute that at a more ideal body weight, most people will have no problem wearing a pretty revealing bathing suit out in public. I believe that females tend to be more sensitive about this situation, as once again, guys get more of a social “mulligan” on these issues. There are so many fun events, parties and other social functions during the summer that revolve around a water setting, and to avoid these functions because of a weight sensitivity is unfortunate. How to correct this? 1- Try to NOT let a perception that others will “judge” you based on your weight affect your desire to attend and 2- lose the weight so you do not feel self-conscious. Clearly, on the priority list of why you should lose weight, this reason falls close to the bottom, but when your company has that special pool side function and you are getting ready for this and feel the need to just not show up, then this reason does come a bit higher on the list. Losing weight allows you to be more comfortable around others and heightens self-confidence. There is no immediate gratification food source that does this.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: ” I am TIRED of…”

bposner — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:19:02 +0000

Fill in the blank….”I am tired of______”. My list? The Met’s losing, having stiff back muscles in the morning, waking up at 5 in the morning, even when I do not have to, watching new stories about crooked politicians, the traffic lights not being synchronized on Route 123 in the mornings, and the list goes on and on and on. How about your list? What are you “tired” of? For any of you experiencing daily pain of any sort, this would most definitely be on your list. For those taking medications, I would bet this is on the list as well. Would your list be shortened by effective weight loss? Absolutely. Sometimes I hear from a new patient entering the program this statement: “I am TIRED of being fat.” I quickly tell the patient that we do not use the “f” word in our program (the “C”–cheat and “d”–diet words being the others we do not allow). However, I believe what the person is really saying is that he/she is tired of the accompanying symptoms that are a part of being overweight. This also includes being tired of feeling tired. Shorten your list…and how? to lift the quote off of our Serotonin-Plus teeshirts: Just Lose It!

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Desperation

bposner — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:55:41 +0000

What makes us feel “desperation”? In sports, this usually refers to a team that is down with only a few minutes to play, and they need to score or else they lose. In business, this usually refers to a situation where a business is losing money and that business needs a certain new initiative to work well, because if not, the business goes bankrupt. From a health standpoint, desperation usually comes from a new diagnosis or problem that requires an immediate “fix” or else, serious disease or death may ensue. Whether we feel desperation in sports, business or health, this tends to produce a very focused, concerted, “all in” mentality that gives the best chance of succeeding. Focusing on weight loss, how often does the affected person feel “desperation”? Frustration is a more applicable term to describe what we feel most. Fortunately, some horrible diagnosis has not already been made and we are NOT under that “desperation” guillotine that makes us REALLY have to succeed , or “else”. Desperation usually leads to a stronger effort, and to some extent, I wish I could instill a bit more desperation in all of my patients. I most certainly do NOT wish any “bad” diagnosis on you, but I wish I had some software program that would allow me to place a headset on a person and show them , hypothetically, what it would feel like to have that diagnosis, and instill the desperation motivation that would breed a higher chance of success. I want all of you to feel an element of desperation, because in time, if left unchecked, you will feel this for real. ( Sorry for the bummer of an entry this morning….I had a medical patient the other day get a really bad diagnosis and I feel so bad for the person and the family.)

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: The Swing

bposner — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:56:20 +0000

Okay, football analogy time: Your favorite team is tied getting near the goal line in a drive. You can almost taste the 7 point lead the team is about to take. They are at the 8 yard line, they fake a run, instead throw a pass. Oh no, intercepted, and the defensive back runs the other way 92 yards and scores a touchdown for the team you loath. Not only did your team NOT go up by 7, but now they are down by 7. So, this is basically a 14 point swing of events. Okay, a weekend is coming up, you have time to plan your meals, exercise, and do all the things you know you need to do to get those 3 pounds off before weigh-in time on Tuesday. Oh, no, the weekend included alcohol, you succumbed to some poor eating choices while at that party that you decided to let your guard down, and now, the weight is up 3 pounds. So, essentially, this has been a 6 pound “swing”…the 3 you didn’t lose and the 3 you gained. The point: when you are in a weight loss effort, you should expect of yourself at least a 1-2 pound loss a week (and if you are in the SP Program, more). When you gain weight due to lack of focus, not only did you not make headway, but you lost ground…a negative swing. Conversely, when a patient comes in smiling after a cruise and proudly shows off their 2 pound weight loss, I actually pat him./her on the back for a true 5 pound swing…the 3 they didn’t GAIN , as expected, and the 2 pound loss. Make YOUR swings POSITIVE ones.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Breast Cancer

bposner — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:08:05 +0000

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all. A simply beautiful day with the sun shining and a great opportunity to tell your mother just how much she means to you. Last night we were at an event in which Serotonin-Plus was one of the sponsors. The organization is Men Against Breast Cancer. The most important risk factor for developing breast cancer is genetics. Obesity, however, is an independent, controllable risk factor. We always think more about the sequelae of obesity being diabetes, heart disease, arthritis etc, but not much is focused on the cancer risk. Aside from breast cancer, pancreatic, stomach and other cancers are at higher risk in the obese person. There are no immediate gratification food or drink sources that are worth the potential devastation of these diagnoses. Use today, Mother’s Day, to be very thankful if you, the Mother, are healthy to see your children and grandchildren, and everyone else, feel the same thankfulness if you are healthy enough to be there to show your Mom how much you love her. Illness, such as cancer, can take this away from all of you. Use this as a motivation to stay steadfast in your weight loss journey.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Easy

bposner — Sat, 11 May 2013 10:02:07 +0000

Someone gave me this little gizmo that sits on my desk that has letters on the top that says ‘Easy” and when you press the button, a pretty loud voice says “That Was Easy”…I keep it as a joke because I tell my staff that I will only press this when something happens in our practice/business that was incredibly easy. It has never been pressed. Any physician and/or business owner will tell you the same thing: NOTHING comes “easy”…building a practice, maintaining an independent medical practice in this current environment, trying to grow a business nationally….nothing along the way has been “easy”. So now lets turn to your weight loss efforts. Easy? Hardly. There is NOTHING easy about 1- giving up food/drink sources you like and comfort you 2- planning meals 3- counting portions 4- being around bunches of people eating and drinking like there is no tomorrow and you tare saying “no”. And the list goes on and on and on. If it was “easy” , America would not be 68% overweight. It is very hard, and no one can press that button that says “That was easy”.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Rooting For You

bposner — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:13:54 +0000

First, thanks for the comments generated by the topic of spouses and the support/sabotage they may provide during your weight loss journey. Let’s keep with the theme…who REALLY roots for your success? Your friends? Some may be threatened by your success because it may, to them, highlight their own failure in succeeding. Your spouse? As Betty pointed out in her comment, sometimes spouses get threatened by the increase in attention directed to the now much thinner spouse. Co-workers? They too, are often trying to sabotage your efforts for fear that you will now get the promotion, get more positive attention etc. Now, please don’t get me wrong…there are PLENTY of spouses/co-workers/friends that are rooting very much for your success. Now, I can tell you that in the “100% rooting for you” category are 1- your children and 2- Doctor Posner and the SP staff. It helps to have people “rooting for you” because it is these people that will give you lots of positive support, pat you on your back for your efforts and try in every way possible to help your efforts. Daily, I have the great fortune of seeing people whose lives are changed so positively by their successful weight loss efforts. It’s kind of funny, but the “usual” is for doctors to get burned out, over time, by doing the same things daily. But for me, I am getting more energized day after day by having you allow me to be a part of your journey. Treating blood pressure or adding a new diabetes med is not even a fraction of the satisfaction I get by seeing you become healthier, look younger, stop medications etc. Rooting? The staff and I are your most loyal fans.