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

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