Tag Archives: best weight loss surgeon

What Are the Options for Weight Loss Surgery?

Posted on November 04, 2019 by CFWLS

What are the options for weight loss surgery? The most common options done worldwide are: gastric bypass, Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB), and sleeve gastrectomy. I’m going to give you the basics on all of these. You can also watch our complete online webinar on Weight Loss Surgery Options.

Gastric bypass has been around for a long period of time. The first gastric bypass was done in 1955. It’s been around for over 60 years. It’s a well-studied operation. We know what happens to people who have gastric bypass. We know the problems that arise and what to do about the problems. It’s a very well-studied operation.

Adjustable gastric bands have been around in the US since 2001. Worldwide they’ve been around since the early 1990’s. Why do you care how long an operation has been around? We talk about long-term problems and long term results. By medical definition, long-term means 10 years long. That wouldn’t matter if I was talking about brain surgery, heart surgery, or knee surgery. It doesn’t matter. With weight loss we’re going to be talking about things that literally can last 20, 30 or 40 years. If you’re fairly young it could be 50 or 60 years. Looking at the long-term issues is very important and how it impacts your health for your lifetime.

The sleeve gastrectomy is the new kid on the block. It’s not a new operation. We used to do the surgeries for other reasons not including weight loss. About 15 years ago a hormone was discovered called ghrelin. It’s a hormone made by part of the stomach that makes you feel hungry. We thought if we took that part of the stomach out, we’ve actually done two things. First we’ve made you a smaller stomach so you can’t eat very much. Secondly, when you take that part of the stomach out, ghrelin levels go way down. Since ghrelin makes you feel hungry, hunger levels go way down in its absence. If you think about it, one of the potential downfalls of every single weight loss plan in the world is hunger. If we can control hunger it’s a lot easier to lose weight and keep the weight off. Sleeve gastrectomy is the fastest growing option out there. It is the most common operation for weight loss right now. Last year about 2/3 of all operations done for weight loss were the sleeve gastrectomy in the US. It’s over 95% of what I do these days because it works so well and we see a quick recovery with very low risk. It keeps your anatomy normal.

How does CFWLS compare to the national average? Obviously we’re doing this for weight loss to improve medical problems and improve your life. We’re doing the same thing as everyone else in the world but we’re seeing better weight loss. We have a 15.8% better average weight loss at 2 years. We have good education and weight loss. We give you a full year afterward. And with that better weight loss we also see better reduction in medical problems: Diabetes 78.6% vs 62.3%, HTN 62.5% vs 46.9%, lipids 70.7% vs 45.3%, sleep apnea 69.4% vs 56.6%, and GERD 74.3% vs 16.6%. Some people think weight loss surgery shouldn’t be done on patients with GERD. But we’ve seen it get much better, not worse. Again, it’s not the operation. It’s what you do with the operation. If you do the right things it can fix these medical problems.

Why is the education and support so important? We have Weight Management University for Weight Loss Surgery™. It’s a 12-month post-op program. It includes all kinds of thing including the following: preop and postop text books, monthly support group, 12 WMU4WLS courses, access to a private membership site via CFWLS.com, “Losing Weight USA” (weekly live webinars with access to Dr. Clark), and a private Facebook support group.

What should you do? You need to decide what’s best for your unique situation. There is no right or wrong here. What I encourage you to do is give us a call and set up a 1:1 consultation to discuss the options. Let’s you and I sit down and go over your situation. Everybody’s situation is different. Give us a call at (757) 873-1880 or email us at success@cfwls.com.

I have some final thoughts for you. Weight loss is the most important step you can make to improve your health!! There are so many medical problems that are directly related to weight loss. If we can control weight, we can control medical problems. If we can control all these medical problems it gives you the best chance of living a long, healthy life.

Watch the online seminar and give us a call (757-873-1880) and set up your 1:1 appointment. If weight is contributing to your health problems let us help you. I hope to see you very shortly here in the office.

The Top 10 Dieting Mistakes

Posted on October 07, 2019 by CFWLS

We all make mistakes, especially when we’re trying new things like weight loss. With weight loss people have typically tried many things. These are going to be some of the more common mistakes. You need to see it as an opportunity to change, and hopefully for the better.

Mistake #1 is “kinda” working on weight loss. Kinda working on weight loss does not work! We often want that quick fix. We have to learn the skills over a period of time. If you’re just going to “kinda” work on it, it isn’t going to work. Skills have to be learned. Then, they have to be ingrained and become habit. They have to be practiced over and over and over again so they can become lifelong habits. Think about a serious athlete trying to make the Olympics. They can’t just “kinda” work on it. Commitment is absolutely essential. You can’t expect perfection. We’re going to make mistakes.

Mistake #2 is making weight loss too complicated. Yes, weight loss is hard, but you really need to stick to the basics. The basics are: dietary changes, behavior/habit modification, and increased activity and fitness. Those are the basic concepts. It sounds easy, but obviously it’s not so easy. I put together a webinar about a month ago that went over some really important concepts about controlling weight. It really boiled down to controlling insulin levels. It was about all the things you need to do to control insulin levels. Diet has to be the cornerstone of all that. Slowly work on all the basics and you will continue to make progress. With any type of change you need to ask yourself two questions: Can I do it? Is it worth it? If you can’t answer yes to those two questions you’re going to struggle and not make that long term change.

Mistake #3 is not exercising! Exercise does not make you lose weight faster. So many people come in and say they’d be losing weight faster if they were exercising. It’s probably not true, but it’s still very important. It’s absolutely essential to preserve lean body mass. The natural part of aging is losing lean body mass at a rate of 1% a year. LBM is what drives your overall metabolism. Simplistically speaking, a pound of muscle burns a lot more calories than a pound of fat. It’s actually a pound of well-trained muscle (think of the Olympic athlete) burns calories like crazy versus a pound of fat. You want to have a fuel-burning machine. Muscle does that. Our overall metabolism is dependent on how much lean body mass we have. The better trained the lean body mass, the higher the metabolism will be. You can increase your metabolism with better trained muscle. It burns a lot more calories than untrained muscle. So exercise is extremely important. It doesn’t make you lose weight faster. It makes you lose weight longer and makes it so much easier to keep that weight off.

Mistake #4 is avoiding the scale. I’ve said many times that the scale is the best monitor we have. Patients often say they don’t weight themselves routinely. They only weigh when they come into the office. Why would you think that’s a good idea??! I’ve said many times that you need to stand on the scale every day. The best time to weigh yourself is early in the morning. It’s the most accurate. If you forget to weigh yourself in the morning, just wait until the next day. Your weight will go up during the day. Make that part of your morning routine. The reason is to reflect on the previous 24 hours. What was different about that previous 24 hours? You’ll figure out the little things that matter. It may be as simple as you had to much salt or you didn’t have a bowel movement. Those little things that we typically eat really matter and will show up on the scale. Once a week doesn’t work. How many of us can look back on a week and figure out what we did differently during that week versus the previous week? Literally two days I can’t remember what I did differently. Looking back on 24 hours is relatively simple. What worked? What didn’t work? You’ll figure those little things out that affect day to day weight.

Mistake #5 is believing that genetics is responsible for your weight. Genetics does influence our weight. But if we are using genetics as a reason for our weight that’s just an excuse. When you really look closely at that thought process, weight is more likely contagious than it is inherited. We tend to do the things we surround ourselves with. If everyone in your family is overweight it is slightly genetics but it’s very likely what they’re eating and doing. It tends to be contagious. We do the things that the people we hang around do. That’s true in our family and social life. It’s going to be a very rare situation where genetics is truly the reason. Weight is more likely contagious rather than inherited.

Mistake #6 is giving in to saboteurs. Friends, family, and acquaintances will all try and sabotage you. They will say the following: “You deserve this.” “A little won’t hurt.” “It’s the holidays!” There will be saboteurs. Be prepared to say, “No thank you” in multiple different ways. Deflect the comments by changing the subject. Explain to them the importance of this and that you want to recruit them to help. Tell them you value their support. You want them to help you rather than hinder you. Sometimes they don’t realize they’re sabotaging your progress.

Mistake #7 is being inconsistent. It’s that mentality of, “I’ve been good all week. I’m going to take the weekend off.” “I deserve this vacation because I’ve been so good.” Consistency goes along with commitment. Ask yourself those questions: “Can I do it?” “Is it worth it?” A bad weekend can undo 2 weeks of hard work. You tell yourself that you can slide just a little bit. You’ll find that you’ll slide a lot. It’s really easy to gain weight. It’s incredibly easy to gain weight. Write down your motivations for weight loss and review them often. “Why am I doing this?” “Where do I want to go with this?” Hopefully you’ll realize being consistent is worth it.

Mistake #8 is not eating enough. The common thinking is less is better. The reality is starvation has never been a good weight loss plan. Starvation is cutting way back but history has shown that it isn’t successful for weight loss. Fifty to sixty years ago some semi-starvation experiments were done. Around WW II there were contentious objectors. These people refused to join the military so they were asked to help by being put on semi-starvation diets. They found that if you cut those calories in half of what someone normally would be eating, people didn’t actually lose weight. They lost weight for a while but their metabolism slowed way down to make up for the calorie deficit. Part of the problem with just decreasing calories, and to continue to decrease calories, is that it only tends to work for a short period of time. Your body adjusts fairly quickly and it will slow your metabolism way down. It can slow it down to almost 50%. That is your body’s survival mechanism which is good if there truly is a famine. However, most of us aren’t living in a famine. Part of the issue with the semi-starvation diets is they cut their protein way back. If you’re getting sufficient protein, typically your calories will be decent. Weight loss will become more difficult. It will also become really easy to regain weight.

I had written that mistake #9 was skipping meals. It’s actually not such a bad thing because intermittent fasting works really well. Intermittent fasting is just skipping meals. I do encourage people to eat breakfast for a couple of reasons. There are also reasons to skip breakfast. There isn’t a right and a wrong here. I’ve become convinced about that. Some of it depends on what you’re eating for breakfast. If you tend to eat a high carbohydrate breakfast, studies show you’re going to be eating 300-400 calories a day extra because you tend to be hungrier. If you’re going to eat a high protein breakfast you tend to stay full longer and you eat about 200 calories less a day. Most people don’t wake up starving. For certain individuals, skipping meals can actually work nicely. Skipping meals can actually be a good thing.

The NEW Mistake #9 is thinking that meal “timing” doesn’t matter. It DOES matter. The same meal late in the evening has a greater insulin response. If you eat that meal earlier it will have a different insulin response. This goes along with skipping meals. Some people do much better with eating 2 meals a day. We already talked about intermittent fasting. It works. There’s no doubt about it. Insulin is key to weight control. The longer time you can spend with lower insulin levels, the easier it is to lose weight. The concept of eating multiple small times throughout the day will never work well. If you’re sensitive to carbohydrates or somewhat insulin resistant, the small meals throughout the day will never work for you. The reason is that, no matter what, whatever we eat will raise insulin levels. Carbohydrate just does it the most. You want to spend as much time as possible with low insulin levels. Skipping meals will give you more time with lower insulin levels. Eating the same amount of calories but spreading it out throughout the day is asking your body to stimulate insulin levels multiple times throughout the day. That concept doesn’t have a whole lot to do with how many calories you’re eating. It’s just a pattern of eating. Timing matters. It’s a really rare person that controls their weight well by eating a little bit multiple times throughout the day. That’s just not my patient population. That’s not who I see. There are some individuals who aren’t that sensitive to carbohydrates. Those people will be fine eating small meals throughout the day.

Mistake #10 is having that “All or None” mentality. It’s feeling that you’re either doing everything great, but if you make a mistake you’re all done and throwing in the towel. This is a learning process. We’re human and we won’t be perfect every day. Accept the mistakes and move on. You didn’t gain the weight overnight. It didn’t happen with just one meal or one bad day. When you have that bad day, chalk it up to a learning experience. Figure out what you’re going to do differently when you’re in that same situation next time. Figure out those tools you can utilize to prevent you from falling off the deep end and get back on track for the next meal. Don’t beat yourself up.

In summary, to err is human but it does not define your destiny. Don’t let mistakes derail your weight loss plan. Dust yourself off and keep going. At CFWLS this is what we do. We’re here to help you. If you need some help just give us a yell. If you have any questions give us a yell here at CFWLS. Call, send an email, or walk in the door. You should be checking your body comp. Make sure you’re losing fat not lean body mass.

If you would like weekly weight loss tips and recipes and a chance to ask me questions, subscribe to Losing Weight USA! Remember it’s your life! Make it a healthy one! Have a good evening everyone. Take care!

Gluten Sensitivity – Part 2

Posted on September 30, 2019 by CFWLS

Wheat flour-why are you everywhere?!! There are a couple of good books that I mentioned in the article. One is “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis. Also a good book is “Grain Brain” by Dr. David Perlmutter.

A quote from Dr. William Davis: “The world’s most popular grain is also the world’s most destructive ingredient.” A quote from Dr. David Perlmutter: “gluten is our generation’s tobacco-addicting and potentially causing long term problems.” I think there’s some real truth to both of those statements.

Wheat has fed the world. It’s been around for a while. The proliferation of wheat products parallels the expansion of our waists. What truly raises blood sugar the most?? White sugar? Snickers bar? Banana? Whole wheat bread? The answer is whole wheat bread. It raises blood sugar more than anything else out there. Wheat is the dominant source of gluten. It’s found in everything (cosmetics, shampoo, and more). Wheat constitutes about 20% of all calories consumed worldwide. How many aisles in the grocery store are actually dedicated to wheat/grain products at the grocery store? There’s the bread aisle, baking aisle, snack aisle, cereal aisle, pastry aisle.. Wheat is almost everything. You have to “let go” of a few myths: Low fat, high carb diet is good. And, cholesterol is bad.

Wheat was first cultivated @330 BC and was Einkorn wheat. Wheat has dramatically changed over the past 50 years. It’s been over 2000 plus years now. Hybridized and crossbred to make it resistant to disease and drought is one reason it has changed. It means we can grow a lot more wheat. But it also means an increase in yield (10X from 50 years ago). It’s a good thing we can feed people. The problem is that modern wheat has been so modified that today’s strain could not survive in the wild without the fertilization/pest control. Unfortunately with all this modification it really hasn’t been tested that much to see if it’s actually safe. It’s just assumed that the new strains are going to be safe. But there are a lot of assumptions out there that don’t prove to be correct. So we don’t know if it’s true or not. We just assume these hybrids of wheat really are safe. Wheat gluten has undergone significant structural change with the hybridization. It’s a different thing now than when it was 2000 years ago.

I s wheat addictive? Obviously a lot of drugs are addictive. Exogenous drugs can supercharge or hijack the CNS. Examples of these drugs are: cocaine, tobacco, and heroin. The endogenous opiod-like products are endorphins. Endorphins give us some of those “highs” (exercise highs). There are other exogenous opiod-like peptides that are found in wheat (gluten exorphins and gliadorphins-prominent part of the wheat). So there is some kind of “feel good” property when we first eat these things. It’s more than just a blood sugar rush. There are other things that are actually occurring. Can they actually make you crave “another hit?” Certain people may be more susceptible just as people who are more susceptible to alcohol or heroine.

Wheat/carbs lead to increase blood sugar swings which then increases insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that turns on fat storage, especially in the abdominal area. Wheat also increases inflammatory markers. When inflammatory markers go up we also tend to gain weight in the abdominal area. Also, it reduces the production of Adiponectin (heart protective and aids in weight loss). If we reduce adiponectin, we’re going to have a harder time losing weight.

People with celiac disease have to avoid all aspects of gluten. It is a major problem. Antibodies to wheat gliadin are found in the blood. It causes inflammation of the intestinal tract. Gluten also affects Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Reflux is probably one of the biggest problems that I see that wheat can cause. Get rid of the grains. Gluten can cause bloating, cramping, gas, constipation ,diarrhea and more.

Wheat can increase blood sugar easier than most everything else. Diabetes was unseen in the hunter/gatherer societies until the introduction of cultivating wheat/grain. Wheat consumption parallels diabetes and obesity. The average weight consumption is about 133 pounds a year.

Does wheat make you age faster?? Wheat, carbs, and fructose all increase Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE). It causes stiff arteries, increases cataracts and slows neuronal connections (dementia). So….wheat free is (potentially) anti-aging!

LDL is often referred to as “bad cholesterol.” Actually only parts of LDL are bad. Diet influences this. Carbs/wheat will increase VLDL and triglyceride formation, and subsequently increase small LDL’s. Gluten can potentially make heart disease worse. Insulin turns on lipogenesis in the liver, therefore increasing production of small LDL and triglycerides.

AGE (advanced glycation end-products) causes the loss of skin elasticity (wrinkles). Wheat can cause acne. Foods that increase blood sugar and insulin will also increase acne. Wheat definitely causes dermatitis herpetiformis (uncomfortable and unsightly patches on the skin). Wheat can also cause mouth ulcers, acanthosis nigricans (darkening of the skin), psoriasis, pyoderma gangrenosum (hair problems) and hair loss.

Thomas Edison said, “The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.” There’s a lot of truth to that statement. Dr. David Perlmutter said, “The origin of brain diseases is in many cases predominately dietary. Although several factors play into the genesis and progression of brain disorders, to a large extent numerous neurological afflictions often reflect the mistake of consuming too many carbs and too few healthy fats.” Our ancestors didn’t have sugar and wheat as available to them. Their diet consisted of 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat. The USDA diet is 60% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. That’s a lot different. The problems with our health have evolved very quickly over the last 40 years with this recommended diet. Maybe we need to re-think this. Almost all degenerative conditions are associated with inflammation and the biggest instigators of inflammation are carbohydrate and often gluten (both increase production of cytokines). The assault on the brain is much harder to recognize until it’s too late. It’s also harder to measure. The real question is, “What if we are all sensitive to gluten from the perspective of the brain:” (Dr. David Perlmutter). If we got rid of gluten would we have a lot less brain disorders?

I already talked about the exorphins which are temporary. But inflammation affects everything including the brain. The following can be affected by wheat: worsening ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, worsening migraines, brain fog, and mood swings.

The bottom line is wheat is everywhere and it’s probably not helping you. What do you do? Going gluten free doesn’t mean eating gluten free! Many things that are labeled gluten free are just substituting one starch for another. Eating gluten free is not a bad idea but it doesn’t mean you need to eat the foods that are labeled as gluten free. Remember the “core” of your eating plan: hydration (water is best), good protein sources, and colorful vegetable and salad. The best foods have no labels on them. There is no such thing as carbohydrate or wheat deficiency!

You can get those books just about anywhere. Wheat Belly is by Dr. William Davis and Grain Brain is by Dr. David Perlmutter.

Gluten Sensitivity – Part 1

Posted on September 23, 2019 by CFWLS

I want to start out with some humor. It’s a cartoon. The doctor is talking to the patient and says, “The high carb diet I put you on 20 years ago gave you diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Oops.” How true is that?!

I have a graph that shows what’s happened over the last 20 years or so. It’s the year versus the number of diabetics. The number of diabetics was fairly stable in the early 80’s into the 90’s. As the population grew, it went up a little bit. It was stable at about 6-7 million. Then in 1992 the US Government endorsed a high-carb, low fat diet. The American Diabetic Association and the American Heart Association followed suit with similar recommendations in 1994. Then in 1994 the graph started going up. From the early 90’s at 6 million diabetics to the 2000’s and now it’s over 20 million. That’s a huge increase in a short period of time. Coincidence??? I don’t think so.

Gluten has been around for a long period of time. It’s a Latin word that means glue. It’s a large water soluble protein found mainly in grains. Wheat is the biggest culprit. It gives elasticity to dough. It helps it rise and keep its shape. There are a lot of disorders that can be related to gluten. We call them gluten related disorders. It’s an umbrella term of any disease that is triggered by gluten. This includes Celiac Disease (the one that you hear about most), gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy. You sometimes hear the term gluten intolerance. The real term is gluten sensitivity. Intolerance means you don’t tolerate it well. All of these are immune related disorders. Your immune system is responding to the exposure of gluten. For some people it can be a life threatening problem. If they get even close to gluten they have all kinds of problems.

Celiac disease affects about 1-2% of the population. The prevalence of this is going up and up. We’ll talk about why later. There’s something different now about the wheat than there was years ago. Unfortunately it’s never been tested to see if it’s a safe thing. Some of the symptoms are chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, and malabsorption. It’s a true anti-inflammatory response in the intestinal tract. The diagnosis is made by endoscopes. A biopsy is taken. The treatment is a gluten free diet. There’s no other treatment.

Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity means you don’t have the full blown disease. These people feel there are certain problems that arise when they eat gluten. You may or may not have any intestinal complaints. Multiple symptoms are improved when gluten is removed. This is much more common (30-40% of the population).The percentage of the population continues to go up.

A true Wheat Allergy is like an anaphylaxis. It’s like someone allergic to peanuts eats one by mistake, they go into anaphylaxis. This is a very quick onset. The others have a slow onset. A wheat allergy is much rarer.

Gluten is made up of glutenin and gliadin. There’s also water which gives the dough its elasticity. It tends to be everywhere! That’s where the problems come in. Many grains and products have gluten in them. Where is it hidden? The obvious one is wheat. Anything that has wheat in it is going to have gluten. It’s also found in barley, bulgur, cous cous, matzo, rye, spelt, and more. There are grains that don’t have any gluten in them. Some of those grains are relatively rare. Some of them are common like potato, corn, rice and millet. I’ve made a list of things you wouldn’t guess have gluten in them: baked beans, beer, blue cheese, bouillon, most cereals, chocolate milk, energy bars, egg substitutes, hot dogs, fruit fillings, ice cream, imitation crab meat, ketchup, vinegar, mayonnaise and meat balls, Gluten is added to a lot of things you wouldn’t really expect. Oats may or may not have gluten. French fries are made out of potato. But before they’re frozen they are actually sprinkled with wheat flour so they don’t stick to each other. A lot of cosmetics have gluten. Medications, play dough, some shampoos, some vitamin supplements have gluten. There are a lot of things that are code words for gluten. Sometimes they’ll put it as the genus species of the actual plant. There will be hidden gluten. Keep in mind that gluten free does not mean low carb. It could actually mean high carb.

Gluten sensitivity can cause all kinds of symptoms. From a GI standpoint, they can be somewhat similar symptoms as true celiac disease but not quite as dramatic. The GI symptoms are: abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, GERD, gas, stomatitis, and mouth ulcers. There are also symptoms of gluten sensitivity that have nothing to do with the GI system such as: migraines, brain fog, fatigue, fibromyalgia, joint/muscle pain, numbness, eczema, skin rashes, depression, anxiety, anemia, folate deficiency, asthma, rhinitis, and eating disorders. There are neurologic symptoms. Gluten can set off schizophrenia. It could be a factor in autism, peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, ADD, and ADHD. We see this diagnosed all the time nowadays. It actually could be a gluten problem.

There are some antibody tests to diagnose for gluten sensitivity. However, they’re going to miss a lot of people. The only good way is a diagnosis of exclusion. You remove gluten from your diet for at least a month and then try and reintroduce it. If your symptoms come back, it’s probably due to gluten. It’s not the most scientific thing in the world to do but it actually works pretty well. It’s like an elimination diet. The treatment is a gluten free diet. Those with gluten sensitivity often have the false impression that “cutting back” is helpful, but really need to avoid all gluten. I want everyone to keep in mind that if you eliminate gluten, no nutritional deficiency will occur.

It’s really amazing some of the symptoms that can be related to gluten sensitivity. I already mentioned a lot of them. Some other symptoms are: autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Hashimoto’s), bone pain, cancer, heart disease, infertility, dental problems, skin problems, and more. Gluten sensitivity can have a lot of things to do with things you never expect. The only way to know is getting rid of the gluten. Obviously we think of gastrointestinal problems associated with gluten sensitivity.

Unfortunately there are no real standards for testing gluten intolerance. The simple way to do it is to get rid of the gluten. We can measure anti-gliadin antibody (IgA) in the blood or stool. If you measured everyone’s blood, 12% have antibodies to anti-gliadin. There are 30% in the stool. It can cause an immune reaction. If something causes an immune reaction there can be damage. The reaction is usually an inflammatory reaction. Cytokines develop and are released. The Gold Standard is gluten free for 1 month, then re-introduce. If symptoms pop up, then you are sensitive to gluten.

Gluten-free should not mean eating all the junk/processed food that is labeled as gluten free. It doesn’t correlate with low carb. The “Core Diet” is just 3 things: hydration (water), good protein sources, and salad stuff. That’s what you should eat. Get rid of most everything else. Do I agree with trying to keep a gluten-free diet??? Absolutely!

I have more to say about gluten and I’ll post another article next week. We’ll delve into this more and look at all the major body organs that can be affected by gluten sensitivity. I’ll go into a little more detail with that.

If you think of questions, don’t hesitate to call (757-873-1880), text or stop by. This is something that’s really common. I think this is something that’s going to become more and more important. Part of the problem is that the wheat that’s being grown now is not the same wheat that was grown 100 years ago. It was genetically modified (GMO’s). You hear about GMO’s all the time. The problem with GMO’s is whether they’ve been tested for safety.

Remember to stop by and get your body comp checked.

Remember, it’s your life. Make it a healthy one.

Weight Regain and Getting Back on Track

Posted on April 29, 2019 by CFWLS

You’ve regained some weight. It happens. What are you going to do about it?

First, lets talk about the reasons for re-gaining weight and recognizing some of this back-sliding. Take charge of your thinking. We’ll talk a little about self-management skills and some tips to get you back on track and lead you to success. picked up a very good book recently. It’s written by a psychologist who’s very attuned to this problem. She’s written previous books. She wrote The Beck Diet Solution. Her name is Judith Beck. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with weight to read it. It’s not a diet book but how you actually change your behavior towards eating. She and her daughter took it one step further. They put together the next step in all this called The Diet Trap Solution. It looks at different behavior traps and mindsets that we fall into and what do you do about it. Very good book. I haven’t quite completed it yet. I might take some of those ideas and put them into a talk like this.

What are the typical reasons for regaining weight? The biggest reasons are shifting your calories to more carbohydrates and not exercising. I hear so often that a patient is doing so well and then they drift off on the exercise. I preach on this over and over again. Keep that carbohydrate ratcheted down. Everyone has a carbohydrate tipping point. When you get above that tipping point you will struggle. For those people who have a really high tipping point, they’re probably not struggling. For those of us who have a low tipping point, we shift and we struggle. Count your carbohydrates!

There are other things that tend to affect this. Lack of sleep increases stress which leads to eating more comfort foods. Lots of things occur when we don’t get good quality sleep. Sleep is the way we recover. We get worn out during a day. We need to recover. If we don’t get good quality sleep we never actually recover. Stress hormones don’t go down. Increased stress causes an increase in cortisol. You become leptin resistant. It’s a hormone made by your fatty tissue. It makes you feel satisfied when you eat something. Therefore, we increase comfort foods again which causes increased fat storage. Certain medications can cause weight gain. The biggest culprits are the psych meds like anti-depressants. The only exception I’m aware of is Wellbutrin. It has a chemical appearance similar to some of the appetite suppressants. For some people, Wellbutrin helps them lose weight. A lot of the blood pressure meds and most diabetic meds cause weight gain. Depo Provera causes weight gain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone not gain weight. I would encourage you to use a different birth control. Medical conditions such as thyroid problems can cause weight gain. The thyroid regulates your overall metabolism. Menopause obviously affects half the population. Aging is also a culprit. As we age, some of the hormone levels go down, specifically testosterone. Estradiol levels go down with menopause. Estradiol and testosterone both help you preserve lean body mass which keeps metabolism higher. As estradiol levels go down during menopause, estrone levels go up and cause fat storage. It gets easier to gain weight as you go through menopause. There are things we can do to combat that.

Many times we gain weight back because we start going back to old behaviors. Almost all relapses occur within 90 days. It occurs fairly early. Sometimes during that 6-9 month period we really see people starting to struggle again because the old behaviors start sneaking back in. New behaviors have to become a habit. Backsliding occurs when you overeat any food after a lapse. This is often triggered by an event or situation (stressful relationship, social influences, etc.). Once we start doing this we drift back to our old behavior. You need to use coping responses to combat the relapses. The following helps: positive self-talk, exercise, meditation, deep breathing, and discussions with supporters. You want to have these coping mechanisms in place because these backsliding situations will always develop. It can be a positive situation or negative that causes the backsliding. Sometimes this happens when we start categorizing food. I’m not a big fan of diet depravation. The exception is that if there is truly a trigger food that sets off your eating (you can’t eat just one potato chip-you eat the whole bag) then you need to stay away from it. That’s something you have to figure out yourself. But for most foods I don’t like to categorize them as “bad.” If we treat things as truly bad, it creates tension which leads to obsession. It’s really working on portion control. If others are telling you that you can’t have certain foods, it often leads to rebelling.

You want to take charge of your thinking. Typically errors in thinking almost always accompany ineffective coping skills. We want to change the strategy to help take control of your thinking. Avoid the trap of perfectionism and unrealistic things. An unrealistic goal would be to be the same size you were at age 18. Use positive self-talk. Listen to yourself. What are you saying? Are you making excuses?
Are you making rationalizations? You want to challenge yourself, but you also want to be reasonable with yourself. Challenge yourself to commit to your goals. Learn to make better decisions. Don’t let your emotions cloud those decisions. We are emotional animals. We let emotions take control and that never works.

Develop self-management skills. Learn how to identify and change behavior patterns. Self-management tools include learning to: communicate effectively (be open and honest), problem solving (assess, plan, take action), self-monitor (track coping skills), mange conflict (handle relationships effectively(, cope with emotions (recognize healthy/unhealthy feelings), avoid thinking traps (challenge irrational beliefs), manage stress effectively (meditation, exercise), and mange time (“to do “ list, et priorities, follow a plan). There’s never enough time so we have to prioritize things.

Tips to help get you back on track. First, don’t beat yourself up. We all backslide. Try to figure out what event triggered a relapse and learn from it. Second, be patient. Creating new habits takes time. It’s something we have to work on over and over. Third, think outside the box. If you’re doing something that’s not working for you, it’s time to change what you’re doing. By doing the same things you’ve always done, you’ll get the same result. Those are one of the definitions of insanity-doing the same thing over and over again and think we’re going to get a different result. Take a different approach. If you’re struggling and have questions, talk to one of the counselors here at The Center for Weight Loss Success. We have multiple programs here. I’m not a counselor. I’ll tell you what you need to do. A big part of it is how you make that happen in your life. Sometimes sitting down with one of the counselors and figuring out what you’re struggling with and what the solutions are can be a big help. How can I change this? Change is hard!

Tips to re-start! Try one of the “Jump Start/Quick Start” 2 week programs at CFWLS. It simplifies things using some of the shakes. It’s a simple thing to do. You have to translate that eventually into long-term. If you’re struggling and you’re going to do just one thing: count your carbs! You’re getting the most bang for your buck right there. Even when we think we’re doing well, we drift. If you’re going to do two things: count your protein! It’s easy to count. You want to make sure you haven’t drifted on that too. If you’re going to do three things: count your exercise! Write it down! If you don’t how we are going to know what was really wrong? We may think we’re doing everything right. But if you don’t write it down, we’ll never really know that. Typically writing it down will change your behavior. So simple things but not necessarily easy.

Tips for success! Arm yourself with knowledge. Use the info through the programs and staff at CFWLS to help you recognize backsliding and take the steps to stop it in its tracks. Go back and review the information. Acknowledge and celebrate when you take control of that first slip. Realize that we’re not going to be perfect. Keep supportive people around you. Recruit people to help you. The staff at CFWLS is always ready to help.

I mentioned we have the “Back on Track After Weight Loss Surgery.” We also have the whole digital program as well. You do it yourself. There are PDF’s you can download and print. There are a lot of things that go along with it.

If there are questions give us a yell here at CFWLS. You can email us at success@cfwls.com

The phone number is 757-873-1880. Stop by and get your body composition analysis done. You should be receiving the recipes and weekly weight loss tips. Tune in to Losing Weight USA each Tuesday at 6:00pm for the next webinar. Remember it’s your life. Make it a healthy one!

What If I Can’t Find a Qualified Bariatric Surgeon or Comprehensive Program in My Area?

Posted on July 16, 2018 by CFWLS

If you cannot find a qualified bariatric surgeon or comprehensive follow up program in your area, you will have to either compromise what you want/ need or continue your search until you find the surgeon/program that will meet and/or exceed your expectations.

A few experienced surgeons offer a travel program for surgery. At the Center for Weight Loss Success, we offer such a program for appropriate surgical candidates. Not only does the program include surgery with arguably the most experience bariatric surgeon in the United States who has performed over 5,000 weight loss procedures, but it also includes our comprehensive Weight Management University for Weight Loss Surgery™ program. In addition, it is one of the most affordable options available in the United States. You can learn more about it at www.cfwls.com

The bottom line is that you have to be comfortable with your choice. We are fortunate to have many excellent bariatric surgeons in the United States. Your long-term success is the most important thing under consideration here. I hope this book has helped to inspire you, answer your questions and better prepare you for an amazing journey. Only you know if this journey is something that is right for you. If we can be of further assistance in any way, please let us know at success@cfwls.com. If you desire additional information and would like to view helpful videos that address each of these questions, please visit our main website at www.cfwls.com or at www.myweightlosssurgerysuccess.com.

Rhonda’s Opinion: Travel to the surgeon/program of your choice – it’s all worth it!

What if my insurance doesn’t cover weight loss surgery?

Posted on April 09, 2018 by CFWLS

If your insurance doesn’t cover weight loss surgery, you are not alone. Unfortunately, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, less than 1 percent of those who meet the criteria for surgery actually have surgery⁵. A big reason for this is lack of insurance coverage.

If you find you do not have insurance coverage, there are self-pay surgery options available (some more affordable than others). The self-pay cost of weight loss surgery procedures varies by the type of procedure and geographical area in which it is offered (urban areas tend to have a higher fee). Generally speaking, the average cost for a gastric bypass ranges from $18,000 to $25,000, while the adjustable gastric banding surgery costs anywhere from $17,000 to $30,000. The sleeve gastrectomy procedure is newer and a price range is not as readily available. A ball Park Range is anywhere from $14,000 to $22,000. The price range is also influenced by the supportive program aspects that may or may not be included, the number of follow-up visits, and for the laparoscopic adjustable banding, whether or not any adjustments are included.

The self-pay cost of weight loss surgery generally includes the cost of anesthesia, the hospital facility fee and the surgeon’s fee. There may also be additional costs for diet and fitness plans, behavioral modification therapy and nutritional products before and/or after surgery. However, some fees include these services. For example, at the Center for Weight Loss Success, our comprehensive weight loss surgery pricing including the costs for anesthesia, the hospital and the surgeon is as follows:

Gastric Sleeve – $13,995.00
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band – $16,995.00
Gastric Bypass – $18,995

However, in addition, an exclusive comprehensive 12 month program is included with these fees. It is called Weight Management University for Weight Loss Surgery™ and includes the following:

You may be surprised that all of these products/services are included, but it’s the right thing to do for optimal long term results and has resulted in a high degree of patient satisfaction and improved outcomes. For those that travel for surgery, some services are offered online instead of on-site. No matter who you choose as your bariatric surgeon, make sure that there is a comprehensive program available and ongoing support prior, during and after surgery.

Also, most experienced bariatric surgeons/centers have financing options available. You will want to verify this and explore your options. How much is adding 5-7 years of quality life worth to you?

Rhonda’s Opinion: You will find a way to pay for it…I did and I did not make very much money at the time at all. You are worth it and Dr. Clark’s program is one of the most comprehensive and affordable programs available anywhere.

Self-Pay Weight Loss Surgery is common – we offer the most comprehensive and affordable options on the East Coast! Learn more at: Self-Pay Surgery

Thanks to Dr. Clark...