SP Diet Plan

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: The Weight of the Nation…Whose “Fault”?

bposner — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:51:30 +0000

I started watching the HBO documentary last evening that started airing: ”The Weight of the Nation”. The 4 part series is discussing the nation’s obesity crisis from several aspects. Honestly, my first impression was that it is kind of boring…lots of recounting of statistics and some interviews with obese people focusing on the discrimination at the workplace. One of the topics discussed was the concept of “fault”. Is obesity the “fault” of the affected person? The series explained how obesity is due to a complex interplay of genetic factors and environmental issues. When you take a step back and think about it, pretty much every medical condition can be attributed to the same thing. Lots of smokers do not develop lung cancer. However, for the smokers who do, the “fault” is the smoking primarily of course, but ther e are some genetic predisposition factors that contribute, so to some extent the “fault” is also blamed on genetics. Concerning the obese person, where can the “fault” be attributed to? If cinnamon buns are in the shopping cart with Pepsi alongside it, an outside observer would attribute “fault” to the obese person doing the shopping. However, you do see a number of thin people with cinnamon buns and Pepsi in their cart. (Actually, one interviewed woman on the show said that random people who are strangers will actually come up to her in the store, take some items out of her cart and say “You don’t need those”). Posner’s take: Let’s forget about “fault” and move on to a solution. Blaming your genes or others blaming your emotional strength and makeup for the problem doesn’t solve anything. Lets all agree that the weight problem is some combination of genetic factors and environment so lets focus on the things we need to do to correct the situation. You cannot pick your parents and grandparents but you can pick what items go into your shopping cart. Let’s all spend more time thinking about solutions than playing the blame game.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: National Awareness

bposner — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:07:56 +0000

I spoke with a gentleman yesterday who owns a company that specializes in obtaining government contracts. My query was inspired by the burgeoning national awareness of the obesity crisis. I have not seen the first of the 4-part HBO series that started airing last night about obesity in the United States. The gentleman told me, when he checked his government contract data base, that very surprisingly, there was little-no activity on weight loss programs being brought to the military, Indian reservations, TSA (uh, has anyone besides me noticed that over 90% of TSA workers are overweight???), FBI, Federal marshals, etc. How can this possibly be? Obesity is costing the tax payers billions of dollars of money (government workers have great insurance) and yet, there are probably more government contracts being awarded to put toilet bowls in government buildings than addressing this issue? We, as a nation, must take much more aggressive steps to ward off what I believe will be a complete financial meltdown when the baby boomers start crashing and burning medically. Reducing obesity will dramatically reduce the costs to us, individually, and the tax payers, which of course are “us” as well. I am glad HBO decided to put these issues in the national spotlight and hopefully will inspire a more coordinated effort to provide solutions.

Reminder: The Event of all Events will take place May 19, 2012, 1230 PM Springfield Golf and Country Club. 8301 Old Keene Mill Road Springfield VA. Plan your day to be there!!!

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: “I Hate You”

bposner — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:51:28 +0000

Nataliya was telling me a story the other day about a person who saw her, made a positive comment about her conditioning/shape, and then followed this with a “funny” line: ”I hate you”. This of course, was meant as a joke, but, unfortunately there is some truth to the “human nature” reaction of jealousy. If your neighbor or co-worker won the 250 million dollar lottery, would you REALLY be thrilled for that person? Or would a more likely reaction be : ”Damn it, that should have been me.” Not everyone in your world is “rooting” for your successful weight loss efforts. The people in your life that truly love you want the best of health and happiness for you, and there is no jealousy involved. These are the people that will support and enable your healthy efforts. However, not everyone in your world has this “unconditional” love for you and there will be some people who are rooting for your failure. Why? Because YOUR success highlights THEIR failure to some extent. So when you slim down to that weight that will make you a head turning knockout, there in fact will be some people around you (those that have told you that you are too skinny, a little dessert can’t hurt you, etc) who will, to some extent, “hate you”.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Mother’s Day

bposner — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:40:17 +0000

I wish all of you a very happy and healthy Mother’s Day. My mom passed away about 6 years ago. She was a smoker her entire life. Had she not smoked, she probably would have been around more years to enjoy the company, warmth and love of her children, grandchildren, and now, a great grandchild. Smoking robbed her of this opportunity. Weight issues? The same. They rob the affected person of the most amazing quality time…love of the family unit. Next time you have in front of you a derailing for source that does nothing more than immediately gratify you, think twice about (cumulatively) what this robs you of. Make the smart choice. Choose life and love.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Regional Differences

bposner — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:40:31 +0000

First, to Pam: GO RANGERS!!! (Uh, oh…Posner just had the crowd turn against him!)

Last night I hosted Kelly and Holly, 2 Physicians Assistants from a Dublin Georgia OB/GYN group that will be starting an SP center in their practice. We took them to dinner at the Springfield Golf and County Club (the sight of THE major social event next week) and the on the buffet table were fried chicken and fried catfish in addition to the salad bar, soup, a veal dish and vegetables. Before we went up for food, the ladies were telling me about how down south, one of the major obstacles in helping people lose weight is the types of fried foods that are “usual and customary”. It is true that certain regions are known for different types of foods and “down home Southern cooking” usually implies lots of fried foods and fatty foods. When you look at the state variation in obesity rates, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana are always in the top 3. We often eat in patterns that we developed in our younger years and we all need to be cognizant of the “home grown” food sources that derail our weight loss efforts. Now for the last question: Did Posner go to the dessert bar at the buffet? Answer: What happens in the Springfield Country Club stays in the Springfield Country Club.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Hidden Costs

bposner — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:59:34 +0000

First, I want to thank the NY Fashion Show models for coming out last night for the logistics meeting. The positive energy emanating from the group is intoxicating. The event will be MC’ed by Liz McEwen, head of the former Congressmen’s Spouse Association and her husband, Bob, was a former Congressman from Ohio. Entertainment will come in form of singer/songwriter Brooksie Wells, who played with Bobby Darin (no, Posner will NOT sing Mack the Knife at the event) and Nataliya and Donna are performing an incredible dance routine, which has been practiced for months. This is THE event in the area on May 19, so come on out and be a part of this gala…and bring those clothes for donation to ECHO.

“Costs” are sometime obvious. You go to dinner and pay your bill. The “cost” is on the check. You go to the pharmacy and pick up your blood pressure, diabetic,cholesterol or acid reflux meds. The “cost” is detailed to you by the pharmacy staff. ”Hidden costs” are those that you sometimes cannot see or place a dollar figure on. What are the hidden costs of being overweight? Discrimination at the workplace for promotions or raises, costs of gasoline for your auto, lost time at work secondary to illnesses or hospitalizations and more, Being overweight carries with it lots of hidden “costs”. Yet another reason for you to be resolute about your efforts to lose that weight. It will save you lots of money and emotional distress over time. And emotional issues are most certainly a hidden cost.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: The Herd Mentality

bposner — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:32:12 +0000

Okay, this may sound like sour grapes because the Rangers lost last night and I was at the game, but here goes: DISGUSTING place!!! I know I am showing my “Grumpy Old Man” side, but the smell of vomit and beer farts pervaded the place. Almost every male (and female actually) were slugging down beers, hot dogs, nuts etc. There were people passed out in the men’s room with vomitus all over them. I took my son in honor of his MBA graduation, and he had a great time as his dad was almost passing out from the stench. Stadiums exemplify the concept of the “herd” mentality. Let me go to another scenario, much more classy, nice smells, etc: A fine restaurant and you are with a group of people. The waiter starts taking “drink” orders and everyone before you orders a club soda or diet soda. Are you hesitant to order that glass of wine? Would you be less hesitant (especially if it was a business dinner) if everyone before you ordered an alcohol drink? Same scenario, but this time the waiter comes witht he dessert cart. If everyone queried by the waiter before you declines, are you hesitant to order the double chocolate cake with ice cream? Would you be less hesitant if everyone before you (especially overweight people) did order a dessert? Even though we are humans of high intellect (well, judging from last night at the Verizon Center at least some ) we still are subject to the “herd mentality” as this relates to our eating and drinking behaviors. For long term success however, learn to separate yourself from the herd and do your “own thing” which is hopefully the correct behaviors for long term health and happiness.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Why We are in this Mess

bposner — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:07:24 +0000

Our marketing director told me that she went to a Burke OB’GYN practice to drop off some flyers about the SP Program. We obtain most of our new patients from “word of mouth” referrals, internet marketing and tv ads. A very small number of new patients come from referrals from other physicians. Nataliya was told by the office manager that “they are not interested” and do not leave the materials. Okay, lets dissect this. Does this practice have any overweight patients? With America being 68% overweight I suppose the answer is “yes”. Are these physicians in the practice treating women for issues that may be related to their weight such as abnormal periods, infertility, hypertension,gestational or post partum diabetes? Most likely, the answer is “yes”. Are these physicians offering a weight loss solution to their patients? For sure, I know the answer to this is “no” as I do get many new patients from their practice, not because they were referred, but rather, we are in the same town and they hear about our program from others. Does SP have a reputation as being unsafe or unethical? I really believe the answer to this is “NOOO and NOOO”. So why, pray tell, does the office manager of this practice say “we are not interested”? This story is indicative of one of the major reasons our country is in this healthcare mess. The overwhelming majority of doctors just “don’t get it”. Ply your patients with drugs for disease states, but do little to nothing to prevent them. If you do not offer a solution to a major problem, then refer them to someone who can. I rarely watch tv news, but I believe O’Reilly has a “Patriots and Pinheads” segment. Congratulations OB/GYN practice…You are PINHEADS!

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: Attention

bposner — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:14:56 +0000

Do you like attention? Some people more than others gravitate to be the “center of attention”. What makes that person the COA is usually a combination of personality, aura and looks. As a woman, if you want lots of attention, you know exactly how to dress to get that attention from both men and women. Sometimes you do not intend to become the COA and it is not a good one, such as falling down accidentally at a restaurant. Sometimes the COA cannot be avoided, such as delivering a keynote speech at a conference. Sometimes being COA is very uncomfortable, such as the morbidly obese person trying to get into the airline seat. Your successful weight loss will bring attention along with it, as your family, friends and co-workers will pay more attention to you. You will hear comments about how “good you look“, other, more jealous comments may be: “are you ill?”. Embrace the attention that weight loss brings you as most of it is incredibly positive.

The Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Blog: The Grill

bposner — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:10:47 +0000

Last night was a great one for firing up the deck grill. I made steaks for everyone and then realized that it is so easy to keep the fire on, throw some chicken breasts on the grill and wrap them up for the next evening, and all they need is to be warmed up. Lots of preparation time was saved for the next night. There is no doubt that most of us are very busy and there really is not much time to prepare meals. However, for successful weight loss, “fast foods” brought in from the local burger or pizza place just won’t cut it. Sometimes, preparation time can be reduced significantly by preparing meals at one time. Another example: for those of you that do not start retching when you think about hard boiled eggs, make a bunch of these on a Sunday and keep them refrigerated for the entire week. A great Phase 1 breakfast would consist of eating 2 of these and a tbsp of cottage cheese and then out the door. If prepared on a Sunday night, your breakfast preparation time is zilch. Use that grill to make several of your dinners for the week. It just makes it easier…and “easier” translates to better chances of the dietary plan being followed.