Long Term Weight Management: It's Not a Sprint to the Finish!

 I overheard Tim Franklin, our Program Director, talking with a client,

"Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint!" he said.

So true! But how human it is for us to want to lose our weight at lightening speed. It's sometimes hard to remember that it's taken a lifetime of habits and patterns to develop our weight problems in the first place.

Like Tim, I want to remind us all to remember the following:

1.  Stay on the Program.
2.  Don't freelance.
3.  Just get through today. Trust the Program.
4.  Easy to say, but try to ignore weight fluctuations; Weigh at the Office only - for consistency.
5.  Know that many people share similar struggles, and we're finding solutions together.

Many of us are moving towards Transition! This is where we are reminded that we are learning how to manage food for the rest of our lives.

We're not in this just for a prom dress anymore; we're in this for long-term, sustained results.
And remember, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

Thin Feels Better...

Now that we are completing the 10th week of OPTIFAST, I've lost over 20 pounds and almost down to my "thinner weight." Clothing fits better, and my energy level has improved. What a relief it is to be doing this diet and seeing such good results. Most of all, I am beginning to feel like myself again.

I started on my weight loss quest about 11 years ago. At the time I weighed 213. My wake up call came when I nearly fell on my mom, then in her mid eighties - a tiny woman with osteoporosis.

The horror of almost falling on top of my tiny mother jolted me: what if I had broken her little body?

After 8-9 months on Weight Watchers, I lost just under 50 pounds. The diet was sound, and I have referred many patients to Weight Watchers over the years. The best part of my weight loss was embracing physical fitness. For the first time in my life, I really started exercising: spinning, weight training, and even rowing on Lake Union! It was great fun for me, and a tremendous stress relief.

I was able to maintain my weight loss for almost 10 years. Then, my husband was diagnosed with kidney failure, and the need to do Home Dialysis cut into my exercise time. Many hospitalizations later - for Steve, I found that I was gaining - not exercising as much. Furthermore, I entered into an addictive relationship with Starbucks scones and those enormous nutritionally empty hospital cookies.

I remembered that slogun: "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!"

It was clearly time to get back on track, and it's been surprisingly easy to do so. OPTIFAST is easy to follow. You just "give it up" to OPTIFAST, i.e. follow the program, and it works!

I have no delusions: the scones and cookies can't come back - at least not with any regularity.. Fortunately, I've brought the exercise back - and it's wonderful. More and more, I realize that excess weight is a chronic condition which requires careful management. I understand that I'll be monitoring weight forever.

The benefits? I get to walk the talk when dealing with Metabolic Syndrome, high cholesterol, Adult Onset Diabetes, etc. I don't have to feel "asynchronous" when helping my patients manage these conditions. If I can exercise and lose weight, they can too.

The last time I lost weight, I found it surprising - and sad - to find that people seemed to think I was more intelligent when thinner. It was as though the IQ went up as the pounds came off! I could only imagine the discrimination, the loss of opportunity for people with many more pounds to lose!

I noticed that I felt more "human:" more included in the human race. Nobody watched when I was eating - of course, I was no longer eating the enchilada salad with real sour cream and the fried dessert.

It was just easier to be thinner. And it's easier already.

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

"Tip from the Trenches" #1

Anything that makes your weight loss program even a little easier is a bonus. Follow our "Tips from the Trenches" from those who know:

Tip #1:

Don't get caught without your OPTIFAST food when there's a chance you might get stuck in traffic, etc.

Use quart-sized Ziploc-style bags to assemble a few provisions: Ready-to-Drink shakes, powdered shake mixes, or a bar or two. Hide these in your trunk or glove box so you'll never get caught without.

Remember, not having your Meal Replacements available - in the face of hunger - is a temptation to go off-program!

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