Motivational Letters

Last night I was scanning the Internet, looking for words or pictures that might be motivating in the context of weight loss or exercise. Unfortunately, none of the words were that motivating; not because they weren't true, I just find most of the quotes unrealistic in the real world of weight loss. Losing weight is not easy at all. Keeping it off is even harder. So, it's important each day that we realize we must work (mentally) to keep ourselves on track as best we can. A short high intensity workout is great for the body, but won't result in [...]

You have had a good week and feel totally in control. Now you are facing the long weekend with dread. Holidays, parties, and special occasions can present a challenge as quite often the focus is on food. The trick is to be prepared, avoid the anxiety that sometimes comes along with dieting and celebrate at the same time. The following are a few suggestions to help you have fun and still control your eating. ? Planning ahead is important. Try to anticipate what foods might be available and have a general idea of what you might eat. ? Try to [...]

We all experience hunger, but we tend to give in to it too quickly. We eat the wrong types of foods (quick carbs), or we eat too quickly allowing too much food into our gastrointestinal tract. When we haven’t eaten for a while our insulin, which tends to be high in most of us carrying extra weight, allows a shifting of glucose into the cells. That creates a sensation of hunger, along with secretion of another hormone from the stomach—ghrelin. Following that slight drop in blood sugar there is an outpouring of counter regulatory hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, glucagon, and growth [...]

This week I’ve encountered so many clients dealing with cravings for carbohydrates. I feel for them, because carbohydrate addiction is real! It is also very difficult for many people to understand the intensity and the frustration of trying to counter the overwhelming drive for sweets and breads. This past Saturday we were fortunate enough to listen to Dr. Robert Cywes (a Bariatric Surgeon from Florida), give a wonderful talk on this topic. Who would have thought that a surgeon could make sense and give tremendous advice on such a difficult-psychological topic? Rather than attempt to summarize his points, I felt [...]