Posted by Patient Help Desk on May 15, 2008 under Weight Loss Tips | 
Alexa Altman, the show psychologist on the popular television show “The Biggest Loser” shares her ideas for keeping emotionally fit by discussing five factors to keep you emotionally fit in her “Feeling Good” column. She mentions that that are many psychological similarities among the shows successful contestants, who have lost weight and are taking a sort of ‘personal inventory’ to keep it off in the long term. She also adds that it is important that it is helpful to acknowledge an area of strength and how it has helped you in attaining a healthy body and mind; on the flip side, she says it is very helpful to take into account the area(s) where you feel you are having trouble and how they may be limiting your success in losing weight and keeping it off.
The five psychological factors she explains include staying connected to personal goals. To reach your goal, she says, you have to know wat it is you’re trying to achieve, how to go about achieving it, and what it will look or feel like once you do. She says that one’s goals should be realistic, clear, and measurable.
The second goal is to create and expand support. This refers to having a social support system, such as friends and family, who will be there for you through the good times and the bad.
The third goal is what she refers to as “gray thinking”. This involves the tendency we as human beings have of thinking in terms of black and white-or good and bad. By processing information and ‘filing’ it away into little categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, you set yourself up for failure because one small mistake becomes monumental when one is in this mindset.
The fourth goal is to utilize resources. These are “anything that contributes to your weight loss success and well being”. These resources are typically similar with those that are attempting to lose weight in the long-term Support from loved ones, a personal trainer, a food journal…whatever you feel you need on your “journey”, do not hesitate to establish these resources and use them whenever you feel it is necessary to do so. The last goal is to identify problems early. In order to successfully lose weight, you must identify and address whatever it is that is getting in your way and keeping you from feeling healthy and happy. Stress, a bad relationship, emotional eating…each person has his or her own “roadblocks” to success. By being honest with yourself and doing your best to achieve these goals, you can begin acknowledging and practicing completely what has contributed to your success and celebrate the positive gains you’ve made!
Posted by Patient Help Desk on May 4, 2008 under Bariatric Research News |
Are you familiar with your Body Mass Index (BMI) score? You may want to learn yours, especially if you’re struggling with excessive weight. You see, this number can help to determine whether you’re at risk for cardiovascular problems!
To calculate your BMI score, you need to figure out the ratio of your weight to your height, squared.
Typically, a “healthy” BMI score is one between 18.5 and 24.9. Countless clinical studies have shown that the higher the BMI score, the greater your likelihood of developing a wide array of harmful conditions. Among these are: diabetes, arthritis, low-back pain, skin and psychological disorders, menstrual disturbances, and various cardiovascular problems.
How Effective Are BMI Scores for Those Considering Weight Loss Surgery?
But before you panic, it’s important to consider that BMI scores are NOT fool-proof. They can fail to accurately recognize body fat among athletes and more muscular people, while also miscalculating decreased muscle mass, such as that of the elderly.
The overweight and the obese may be misrepresented by BMI scores, as well. Traditionally, medical experts believed that the overweight and obese could ward off cardiovascular risks by undergoing bariatric surgery.
These procedures were performed on men and women with BMI scores of 40 or higher, or those at least 100 pounds overweight, considered “morbidly obese.”
The problem is, many patients are considered overweight, but NOT obese; these men and women generally have BMI scores between 35 and 40. These individuals can be afflicted with dangerous conditions, including heart disease or dependent diabetes. As such, these patients are good candidates for weight loss procedures. Amazingly, research has shown that the overweight may find the surgeries more beneficial than the morbidly obese!
A ground-breaking University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study focused on this proposed connection between bariatric surgery guidelines and how they related to BMI scores and cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that several subjects displayed significant heart disease risk factors, as well as BMI scores lower than 40.
Valuable Benefits for “Obese” Patients
What does this mean? Well, those patients considered “obese” but not “morbidly obese” would definitely improve their cardiovascular health by undergoing bariatric surgery. This is because certain moderately overweight individuals don’t store fat in their cells as efficiently as the morbidly obese. Therefore, their cardiovascular systems are not as susceptible to potential damage.
Surprisingly, even those men and women with BMI scores as low as 30 can as poor cardiovascular health as those with much higher scores. “Our results show that cardiovascular risk factors do not necessarily worsen with increasing obesity,” says Dr. Edward Livingston, chairman of GI/endocrine surgery at UT Southwestern and the study’s lead author. “They also support the concept that obesity, by itself, doesn’t trigger an adverse cardiovascular risk profile or increased risk of death.”
