Comprehensive Medical Weight Loss
Healthy food choices at the grocery store are the foundation of a nutritious diet. During your medical weight loss program, learning how to be a careful and knowledgeable supermarket shopper will help you make healthy food choices and continue to follow a diet that maximizes your ability to keep weight off and stay healthy.
The best workouts are those with a clearly set plan and realistic goals. Taking time to consider your fitness goals before heading to the gym gives you a chance to learn different techniques, become mentally prepared for what you are going to do and figure out the logistics of how you’ll do it.
This is a complicated process for a lot of people. For one thing, Hollywood projects an image of “thinness” and “healthy” that is highly warped. Celebrities who are border-line malnourished are bombarded with paparazzi attention every time their jeans look a tad too tight. This idealized concept of an optimal weight is not something that you should aim for. Instead, focus on working towards a healthy weight level for your height, build and activity level.
The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) has been at the forefront of educating physicians on the evaluation and treatment of obesity and medical weight loss for 45 years. Dr. Lazarus has been very involved with the ASBP having helped teach their Obesity Medicine Review Course for the past several years. He also serves as the ASBP’s delegate in the American Medical Association (AMA).
When you’re trying to lose weight, finding a healthy meal at a restaurant can seem difficult, but it’s possible to find something that will fulfill your needs at nearly any eatery. By learning a few strategies that help you make smart, nutritious choices when eating out, you can help yourself keep every meal worry-free during medical weight loss.
Vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice to reduce the consumption of meat. There are several forms of vegetarianism. At one end of the spectrum there is veganism, which eliminates all meat and animal byproducts from the diet. Pure vegetarianism is the elimination of all meat, while ovo-lacto vegetarians will not eat meat, but are okay with eggs and dairy. There are some vegetarians who will also eat fish or white meat, but eliminate the consumption of beef and processed meats.
Dr. Ethan Lazarus invited a collection of physicians to think about the influence of weight bias and the stigmatization of obese people at the Spring Obesity Conference of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians this past spring. In his talk, he reviewed the ways people are treated differently due to their weight, and presented the idea that obesity medicine doctors should become a primary aspect of the health and wellness equation.
In June, the American Medical Association officially recognized obesity as a disease, though the condition has long been regarded as a medical concern. Much more than an issue of excess weight and aesthetic dissatisfaction, living with obesity puts you at a greater risk of developing serious medical complications. One such obesity-related disease is type-2 diabetes, also commonly referred to as adult-onset diabetes.
Having worked with individuals on weight loss over the past 10 years, I've had the opportunity to watch countless patients lose weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, I've also had the opportunity to watch countless patients lose weight only to regain it down the road. I'd like to share some of my observations on the differences between these two weight loss groups.
