Northeast Ohio Bariatric Medicine Newsletter

January 2012 
In This Issue
Nutrition Classes
Do I Need Professional Help
Online Diary Programs
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
Greetings!
Welcome to 2012. Are you ready to get back into the normal swing of things after surviving the holidays? Did you come through the holidays with a few extra pounds? If so, don't worry. Almost everybody gains a few pounds over the holidays. The difference between those who are successful in the long term and those who fail is that those who fail don't get back on track.

Simply resolve to start today and get back on track. Call us for an appointment to help increase your ability to lose weight.
My sig

Nutrition Classes 
6 Week Educational Series

 

ClassroomOur winter nutrition classes are starting in just a couple of days. We are offering the following classes:

 

  • Canceling Your Cravings
  • Stress Management and Weight Loss
  • Manage Your Carbs Manage Your Weight
  • Fats and Proteins: The True Story
  • Pulling It All Together
  • Exercise for Excellence

 

 

 

 

Sign Up Now. Even if you miss one class, you can make it up in the next quarter at no additional charge. One registration fee covers all the classes, materials, and snacks.

 

Winter Nutrition Class Schedule*

Wednesday, January 4th

Wednesday, January 18th

Wednesday, February 1st

Wednesday, February 15th

Wednesday, March 7th

Wednesday, March 21st

 

To register for the winter Nutrition Classes, call now:

(330) 473-4525 or (800) 673-5308

*Schedule may be subject to change

Dr Hart photlDo I Need Professional Help
by Robert A Hart, MD

It seems that every time you pick up a magazine or browse the Internet you see more articles and advertisements for weight loss programs, supplements, and gimmicks. Despite all of these great "advances" most people still have considerable difficulty losing weight and keeping it off.


There is a relatively short list of weight loss techniques that have been scientifically validated in good clinical studies. Most weight loss gimmicks tout "scientific evidence" but really have little to back up their claims. Let's take a look at one of those few proven steps to long term weight loss.

Professional Help
   Several large studies have shown that when individuals have face to face meetings every 2-4 weeks with a health care professional they have a much greater probability of successful weight loss. It appears that a higher level of accountability is a powerful incentive for weight loss. In a recent large weight loss study, those who met regularly with the health care provider lost more than 10% of their initial body weight. Those who did not participate in regular follow up had only a minimal weight loss.

   I advise my clients to follow up frequently during the first 3-6 months of their weight loss program, then less frequently during the maintenance phase. Further, I suggest returning for a short term 3 month intensive "refresher" when a client on maintenance experiences a sustained weight gain of greater than 5 pounds.

   If you have successfully lost weight on your own and kept it off, then just keep doing what you have found successful. However, if you own efforts are not successful, give us a call at 330-473-4525 for professional help with your weight loss program.
Diet Journal
Online Food Diaries 
by Robert Hart, MD
 

Are you looking for the best way to keep track of your food intake? Do you have difficulty remembering to write things down? Looking up calories too much of a pain? Then consider using one of the many online food diary programs available today. Some require a monthly fee, while others are provided at no charge. Let's take a look at just a few of my favorites.

 

Subscription Sites

 

   These sites require a monthly fee to access your data. These sites several advantages over "free" sites. First, they are free of those nuisance ads. Second, they tend to be faster than comparable free sites. One of the most pleasant findings on subscription sites is the "quality" of the users. Since users have to pay to belong, there aren't any freeloaders  clogging up the user forums with lots of worthless garbage comments. My experience has suggested that the subscribers on paid sites are more serious and this leads to much better online forums with many inspiring stories and motivational tips from fellow users.

 

My favorite subscriber sites are:

 

http://www.MyFoodDiary.com

 

This is a great site. It is also the fastest site I have used. It has lots of foods in the database and allows you to build and store recipes as well as all your own favorite food items. The more you use this site, the faster it becomes.

 

http://www.CalorieKing.com

 

This is another good site. Sometimes offers special deals on long term subscriptions. Calorie King is a quality organization that strongly supports obesity research. They are serious about helping people lose weight.

 

Free Sites 

 

Free sites are...well...free. This is their main advantage over paid sites. Some of the newer free sites now have features that rival the best subscription sites. The advertising is somewhat of a nuisance. Also, free sites have a little more potential for dangerous malware, spyware, and other hidden dangers that could damage your computer. If you use a little caution you should be OK. 

 

My favorite free websites:

 

http://www.MyFitnessPal.com

 

I'm currently using this site. I have an iPhone and really like the iPhone app. It is fast and simple. The food database isn't always accurate since anybody can add to it, but it is the most extensive food database that I have found. I also like the reporting and the social media aspect of the site. It also remembers all your favorite foods. The advertising is not too intrusive.

 

 

http://www.SparkPeople.com

 

I haven't used this site for a while. Has lots of features including a neat meal planning module that can set up an eating program for a variety of calorie ranges. It also can be adapted to vegetarian diets. My main complaint with this site in the past was the slow speed of the pages (not good when trying to enter data in a hurry) and all the junk posts in the user forums from persons who weren't really serious about what they were doing.

 

These are just a few options. There are many more out there. Check out your options. I suggest sticking with one for 3-6 months, then switching if you want to try another approach.

 

No matter which plan you choose, you are more likely to be successful if you keep a regular food diary.  

 

 
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact me. Have a great winter. Stay warm and healthy.

Sincerely,

 


Robert Hart, MD
Northeast Ohio Bariatric Medicine
Free Protein Bars
Do you read our monthly newsletters? As a way of showing our appreciation for your continued interest in our newsletters, we would like to offer you a free box of protein bars (flavor of your choice) by simply saving these coupons and redeeming them at our office. For each 7 coupons that you bring to the office (each coupon must come from a different newsletter), we will give you one box of 7 bars for free. Start saving your coupons today!

 

January 2012 Protein Bar Coupon