Have you joined one of the many social networks online? It seems to be the current way to communicate, network, and simply share and interact with your peers. It is a great means for mass communication when you have a life changing event or a social promotion you would like to invite everyone to at once. You can share pictures and life's events quickly and then review everyone's comments. You may finally meet your next door neighbors through online networking.

 

The American College of Wellness has joined the masses. You can find ACW's Obesity Management on Facebook and LinkedIn. We are increasing our network to increase your network. If you are a member of any social online networking site that you believe ACW should join, please send a request to cao@collegeofwellness.com and we will review and act upon it. We look forward to "friending" you!

 

We use reverse psychology strategies regularly within our communication and dealings with friends, family, and even our clients. Reverse psychology reminds me of the education used with addiction programs to help people conceptualize their ambivalence to change. This form of behavior change involves doing a cost/benefit analysis:
 
Benefits of no addiction                Benefits of addiction
  
Costs of no addiction                    Costs of addiction
 
One of the problems we face with clients is that people who have not had a weight problem or other addiction really don't understand what they are getting into when they decide to join a program or make a change. It is much like getting married. You hear it explained, you see other people who are "happily" married, but it is not until you have the experience of marriage yourself that you can really "get it". There is too much fantasy and not a good way to bring about reality before the experience. I see this a lot with the weight management patients who join a new program and are excited, temporarily. It is even more prevalent with bariatric surgery patients who expect everything to be perfect and changed once they awaken from the surgery. As the clinician, have you ever stopped to think that your client or patient might have a benefit to staying overweight? Have you really stopped to evaluate your client and ask them these difficult questions of cost/benefit analysis? Review your strategies, step outside your comfort level, and listen to your clients. Use some reverse psychology to see where he or she is coming from and what barriers to change they truly have. Suggest your clients list all the "pros" or benefits of staying overweight, i.e., "I don't have to worry about calories" or "I don't have to waste time exercising". Then review them in an awakening sense of how narrow and unhealthy the statements are. This helps your clients conceptualize where they truly are in their readiness to transcend the stages of change. If they don't find the statements in the benefit of staying addicted to food or other substances ridiculous or necessary of change and they truly believe their is benefit...then it is not the right time for them to be meeting with you regarding changing behaviors. We don't like change, yet, we try to force change through external motivators like meeting with a professional whom we hope will give us motivation or physically intervening with bariatric surgery. It works for some, but not all. Make sure you are taking the time to evaluate your client. If you feel their needs are beyond your services, referral is necessary, or simply a break in service until they have reached a new stage of change.

Your weight management program needs to have a focus - a specific plan, an enthusiastic coordinator, a mission and the Total Approach to client care and management. In order to create this program there are a several areas that must be implemented for the greatest success of your clients. The COMS program emphasizes the education that a coordinator or Obesity Management Specialist should have to work with this clientele. However, COMS cannot educate personality. The leader of your obesity management program must be able to "cheerlead" even when the clients are not succeeding. Hiring your coordinator (or being the coordinator) begins with personality.

 

Once you have your coordinator in place, the next step is creating duplicity - can every employee provide the same education and care as the other? COMS provides the information and educational handouts that can create the standardization your program needs. All staff should be able to provide the same message. Establish the assessments with a check list of how each assessment should be performed. COMS' case study does just this; review the Standards of Care online and create a similar standard for your practice.

 

Your clients lack accountability; this should be apart of your mission. Accountability to show up for appointments is your revenue generator, but it is also a way to increase the success of your clients thus increasing the success of your program and finally increasing clients through word-of-mouth. You can create accountability through weekly weigh-ins, group support or education meetings, measurements or other tracking options. Make sure your clients know that you are tracking and then follow through. If you have a client cancel or not show for an appointment or weigh-in - call him or her! That is accountability. They most likely didn't show up because they feel they have failed - cheerleading comes into play here. Get them back in with an encouraging phone call.

 

The diet! Having an established, easy to follow dietary plan is very important. Also knowing your standards of practice and limitations is very important. If you are not a registered dietitian or nutritionist, then you need to make sure that your program does follow the recommendations of the ADA or you can be liable for your dietary suggestions. Provide easy menu planning, "healthy" fast food options, frozen options, etc. Ask the client what methods have worked in the past and work from there to create a healthy dietary plan. Use online resources to assist your clients' tracking.

 

For overall success in your program make sure you incorporate all three aspects of the COMS program - diet, exercise, and behavior modification. You need to also utilize planning for long term maintenance and what to do for setbacks and weight regain. Don't deprive, but set realistic goals that integrate food choices and balance. These are life long lessons for your clients!

 

For more information on developing your program, resources and education, forms and standards of care, visit www.collegeofwellnes.com/COMS

 

 

 Obesity Management Specialist

I realize less people will die of the H1N1 virus than obesity related deaths this year. However, we hear pandemic flu and we react. We prevent. We no longer "share" with our neighbors and we wash our hands regularly with alcohol solutions. I notice I turn away and hold my breath when the woman next to me coughs. I react, I prevent.

 

Clinics, emergency rooms, physician offices separate patients according to their symptoms to prevent possible contact with H1N1. Somehow this pandemic grips our core - we change our habits...what about the obesity epidemic? H1N1 and other flus will pass by early spring - old news. Obesity will still be here. Why won't it grip us? Why wont we change as quickly and dramatically? What will it take? It affects all of us financially, medically, personally - our fees, our security. When will the obesity epidemic match the H1N1 pandemic attention and change?