Fiber - Getting to the "Bottom" of It

Everybody and their brother recommends eating a high fiber diet. And it's good advice. Fiber naturally regulates the motility of the gut. If the bowel is moving slowly, and you are constipated, fiber will increase the "flow of traffic." (Tim is writing this with me.) If, on the other hand, you have diarrhea, fiber will natuarally slow things down.

When starting OPTIFAST, our patients have noticed a range of bowel activity. But many have told us that taking a fiber supplement has been helpful in keeping things more normal!

While resources vary, many experts recommend 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Each OPTIFAST bar contains 4 grams of fiber. Knowing that you can use 2 bars per day, you need 12 more grams of fiber each day to get to the minimum requirement.

Benefiber is a 100% natural soluble dietary fiber that is taste-free and grit free. You can mix it with water, OPTIFAST soups and shakes; each serving contains 3 grams of fiber. So 4 servings a day of Benefiber will provide the 12 additional grams of fiber you need each day to make the minimum of 20 grams/day. You can purchase Benefiber in cannisters or individual packets at our clinic, and you can find it in many stores.

If you'd prefer, there are many other fiber supplements on the market: Metamucil, Citrucel, Fibercon, etc. Just make sure they are sugar free.

When transitioning to regular food, we encourage that you select foods that contain natural fiber - not only for your bowel regularity, but for its other health benefits as well (cholesterol lowering and reduction of diverticular disease, for example).

We're all in this together, and doing well!
Linda Gromko, MD

Organizing Your Food Helps Keep Track

One of our participants offered a great idea yesterday. She was having trouble tracking her daily meals, and developed the following system:

She has a separate food box for each day. She fills her boxes in advance, each with five meal replacement servings. Then, she simply eats the contents of the box through the day. When she's done, she's done.

How beautiful: simplicity! It reminded me of a "Mediset:" the pill boxes that are divided up, labeled Sunday through Saturday. In some Medisets, there are four openings per day - representing doses for morning, noon, dinner, and bedtime.

Our participant's system is certainly working for her; she's lost over 25 pounds in the first six weeks!

Tips like this keep us all going strong!

Tim and I have lost a combined total of about 40 pounds since mid June, and have found the plan to be very workable. We like the way we feel.

And, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

Announcing the Summer Kick-Start!

Queen Anne Medical Weight Loss announces a new program: the Summer Kick-Start!

An abbreviated program, designed especially for those with 10-20 pounds to lose, the program features:

• 4 weeks on OPTIFAST Meal Replacements
• 2-4 week transition back to "Real Food" (or continuation on to the full OPTIFAST Program)
• Medical supervision
• Complete nutrition
• Ease: no shopping, no cooking -- less thinking about food
• A "Serious Solution to Weight Loss."

This is a particularly good option for people with BMI's under 30.

Individuals considering this Summer Kick-Start may contact Program Director Tim Franklin for a complimentary - and private - consultation at (206)281-7163 x 15.

We're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

Should we try to lose weight when we are under stress?

Conventional wisdom says "Don't take on a weight loss program when you are under an unusual amount of stress."

And I guess there's something to that. The idea - I guess -  is that with less stress, you can focus more on your weight loss efforts.

But I'd ask, "When are we not under stress?"

As we said in an earlier Blog, time will go by with or without us! If you are under stress, remember that with OPTIFAST, you will greatly simplify your food routine. Additionally, you'll know you will be getting the nutrition you need. By the time your stressful period has eased up, you'll  feel relieved - and you won't be carrying that extra weight!

I've personally had a stressful few years - with a husband on Home Kidney Dialysis, his recent four-month hospitalization for a major open-heart surgery, and a move to a wheelchair accessible home because of his 24-hour-a-day care needs.

But during these recent chapters, I've been following OPTIFAST - and losing weight! While there hasn't been much that has been within my control recently, my personal weight management has been one area where I have taken control. And it feels great!

It's also rewarding to watch my son Tim - and our program participants - lose weight, too.

After all, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

It's Summer - at Last! And Hydration is More Important Than Ever!

When following the OPTIFAST Program and other diets, it is critical to get enough fluid to drink. Our bodies, after all, are composed largely of water. As we lose weight, we excrete more fluids and waste products as urine.

We get a significant amount of water in the foods we normally eat. When our eating changes, we must be conscious of getting enough water.

Here are some important Hydration Tips to keep you healthy:

• Drink a minimum of two quarts (64 ounces) of water each day.

• Try to drink water or a non-caloric beverage between each OPTIFAST "feeding."

• Remember that some beverages - like coffee, caffeine tea, and colas - act as diuretics. This means they make you pee more, so you may become dehydrated more easily. We all know these beverages can be great helps during a diet; just limit them to the recommended maximum of 24 ounces each day.

• Exercise increases your fluid requirements. Be sure to take a water bottle with you when you work out.

• Summer heat increases your fluid requirements also. Drink more water and other fluids to allow for water loss from evaporation.

How can you tell if you are not getting enough fluid?

Our bodies have a variety of mechanisms to manage our fluid balance. If you are not getting enough fluid, your body will tell you by one or more of these signs and symptoms:

• Thirst

• Your urine will appear more concentrated, i.e. more yellow than usual. (When you are getting enough fluid, your urine will look almost as pale as water - except for the first urine of the day which is always more yellow.)

• Light-headedness, dizziness, or fainting - especially when getting up too fast

• Dry skin and lips

• Headaches

• Nausea

• Fatigue

• Generally feeling less well

As always, we at Queen Anne Medical Weight Loss want to see you succeed in your weight loss, and we want you to do it as safely as possible.

Remember, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

Groups are Starting in July!

Queen Anne Medical Weight Loss is happy to announce that Group Sessions will begin in July, 2010.

Our participants will attend one of the following sessions (or both, for that matter!):

• Mondays, 12 noon -1 PM
• Wednesdays, 5:15 - 6:15 PM

Group sessions will be held in the 2nd Floor Conference Room of our building at 200 W. Mercer in Seattle. It's roomy and comfortable with plush leather chairs around a conference table. It's perfect for meetings, and it reminded Tim and me of Donald Trump's Board Room.

But in our meetings, we plan to:

• Explore helpful information to enhance our weight loss
• Gain support and suggestions from each other - all on a similar path
• Help us all ensure that THIS time, our weight loss will be permanent!

Plus, we have some great door prizes to help motivate our participants!

Group support is one of the components that makes the OPTIFAST Program so effective. After all, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD