In this installment of patient success stories, we share a new perspective on weight management. This is the story of someone who has struggled with not only weight and body issues, but also substance abuse. Vilma has worked closely with this patient to help improve her body image and healthy food intake, making small steps in the direction toward overall healthier living. Betty is an inspiration for all those struggling to transition into a healthier lifestyle for life–though major change can be hard, long-lasting improvements can be accomplished through incremental and achievable steps.

Name of Client: Betty
Age: 34
Ethnicity: Caucasian
City: SF Bay Area
NHF Services: Mental Wellness

Problem Treating: Poor body image, eating disorders, obesity [BMI= ~ 38]

Major Issues:
• Addictive personality.
• Dependence on more than one chemical substance.

Sub Issues:
• Binge eating.
• Poor body image.
• Low self-esteem.

Summary:
Betty is a ‘recovering’ patient working with Vilma to improve her overall health, wellness and body image. She is recovering not only from her chemical dependency to methamphetamine, alcohol and other drugs, but also from the emotional pain (anger and low-self esteem) that results from her struggles in dealing with her addiction.

This emotional instability has led her to developing an emotional-based eating disorder–binge eating. She is obsessed with wanting to be thin so is skipping meals and exercising strenuously to help her lose weight, only to later binge on high-fat and processed foods. Read more...

Yet another holiday season is upon on us!

Thanksgiving marks the start to the holidays, as well as the start of when family, friends and colleagues gather around the dinner table for memorable feasts, potlucks and parties. Along with endless feasts, comes limitless consumption of calories and the

inevitable holiday weight gain!

On average, Americans gain about one pound during the holiday season. However, for people who are overweight or obese, they are more likely to gain five pounds, according to a National Institute of Health study, “Holiday Weight Gain Slight, But May Last A Lifetime”. (1) Read more...

How many times have you embarked levitra vs viagra on a journey to ‘eat healthy’ or ‘lose weight’ or anything of the sort that warrants needing to keep a food log? Whether recommended in an article in your favorite health magazine or required by your dietician/nutritionist prior to creating a meal plan, FOOD LOGS can be the death of any ‘diet’ or healthy aspiration before you’ve even set your hands on a bag of baby carrot sticks.

Many of us have been there . . . We start off energized and motivated to keep a food log in the morning of Day 1. We think, ‘I don’t cialis vs viagra eat that bad, but I can’t keep the weight off. So let me prove that it’s not what I eat that’s causing problems!’ By mid-afternoon you’ve kept a clear (and pretty healthy) log. By 3 pm, you’re starting to snack and pick at food, maybe indulge in some desserts—and you record some of your indulgences due to guilt, lack of keeping track or whatever the reason. Then, famished after a long and stressful day of work, you grab a handful of pretzels as you walk into your house and later a couple more. Then you think, ‘Do I count the broken pieces on this log too?’ And the recordings start to get a bit blurry and incomplete.

Needless to say, keeping a written record of your consumption–both food and drink–can be exhausting, demotivating and outright inaccurate. Read more...