Foundation Bariatric Affiliates welcomes Nathan McClure
by Ben Michaud, Retail Nutrition Manager
Foundation Bariatric Affiliates welcomes Nathan McClure as Manager of WeightWise MarketPlace Operations. Nathan comes to FBA from Foundation Bariatric Hospital of Oklahoma, where he managed the WeightWise MarketPlace. His experience includes management of General Nutrition Center (GNC) locations and he received his Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He now plays a key role in the development and operation of all MarketPlace locations. Nathan’s new role includes the oversight of hiring and training of all MarketPlace employees, designing the store environment, customer relations and managing product lines and inventory. Nathan reports to Ben Michaud, Retail Nutrition Manager.
Avoiding the temptation of convenient foodsby Chris Corcoran, MS, RD/LD, WeightWise at Edmond Dietitian*
Results from a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine revealed “The presence of children in the household is associated with higher total fat and saturated fat intake among adults.” More specifically, “adults with children ate high fat foods more frequently than adults without children, including salty snacks, pizza, cheese, beef, ice cream, cakes/cookies, bacon/sausage/processed meats and peanuts.” The authors suggested that in response to time constraints often present in families with children, adults may purchase or use convenience foods more frequently than adults without children. Although adults may buy convenience foods for their children, the authors hypothesize that the adults are more likely to eat the convenience foods if they are in the household, which can have a negative effect on their diet due to the higher fat and calorie content of convenience foods.
Professionals have often debated and discussed how diets of parents and adults affect diets of children, but this article presents an interesting twist that the diets of children can directly affect the diets of adults in the same household.
Foods marketed to children are usually high in sugar, fat, or calories and are low in nutrient quality. These foods, even if purchased for children, can be very tempting to adults. To avoid the temptation of low nutrient quality convenience foods, avoid purchasing them all together. Easier said than done, right? Try these tips to reduce your reliance on convenience foods when pressed for time:
- Set aside a small amount of time each week to plan ahead. Briefly outline meals for the week, prepare a grocery list and shop accordingly. Stick to the items on your list; consumers often buy well in excess of the items on their list.
- Cut up fruits and vegetables as soon as you return from the grocery store. Cutting up fruits and vegetables makes them readily available and convenient for an afternoon or evening snack, or for mealtime.
- Make a family commitment to a healthful lifestyle.
- Lead by example and teach children great eating habits. Do not let children have the final say in food purchases. While it may be difficult to avoid convenience foods all the time, strive for nutrient dense foods most often.
 | Ideas for convenient nutrient packed snacks:
- Small piece of fruit
- Low-fat string cheese
- Light or no-sugar-added, fat-free yogurt
- Sugar-free pudding, gelatin or popsicles
- Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.) with low-fat ranch dressing
- Light or low-fat popcorn
- ½ whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
- Dry, whole grain cereal
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The bottom line is convenience foods are exactly that, convenient. While it may be difficult to avoid all convenience foods, it is also possible to have nutrient dense foods readily available for snacks and meals. Try the suggested tips to decrease your reliance on convenience foods when on the go. Remember, the foods you buy for your children can have an influence on your diet, which could have the potential to negatively affect your weight loss.
*Source: Laroche, H.H.; Hofer, T.P.; Davis, M.M. - “Adult fat intake associated with the presence of children in households: findings from NHANES III” Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 2007; 20:9-15.
POWER in your postoperative workoutby Megan Thiedeman, M.S.S., ACSM-HFI, WeightWise at Sonterra Exercise Physiologist
“Exercise is arguably the most important means of maintaining weight loss after your surgery.” If you have not already heard this comment from any of our WeightWise staff, you likely will at some point. But what services are offered by the WeightWise Bariatric Program to ensure exercise is at the core of the post surgery recovery process? One word - POWER! Last month, the fitness staff at the Huebner HealthPlex launched the newly developed Postop Workshop and Exercise Restart program appropriately referred to as POWER. This workshop will professionally guide a patient’ recovery from weight loss surgery into a safe and effective exercise program.
POWER has been developed primarily for patients who are between their second and fourth post-surgical weeks. It is a 90-minute educational course highlighting the following topics: deep breathing techniques, joint flexibility, low-impact aerobic activity, ideas to increase daily activity and basic strength training movements. During the class, the fitness staff will also discuss and demonstrate a static stretching routine and a simple seated exercise routine that can be done from home. The class will also highlight the various services our Foundation Fitness Centers can offer to ensure exercise finds a place in the surgical recovery process.
This workshop is provided at no cost to our patients. POWER is currently offered at all of our HealthPlex locations. For more information including class dates and times, please contact Megan Thiedeman in San Antonio, Texas at 210.478.5331 or Somer Thompson, in Edmond, Okla. at 405.359.2472.
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Stop hypertension before it starts, Part 1: Artery damage
by Kathy Carmichael, ARNP, WeightWise at Edmond Patient Advocate
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a much too common condition than can lead to serious complications if left untreated. Research has proven that an individual’s diet and weight play a significant role in the onset and persistence of hypertension. Conversely, positive changes in our diet and subsequent weight loss can be used to effectively reduce elevated blood pressure.
Hypertension is often referred to as “the silent killer.” This is because its damage can be done to your body quietly for years before any symptoms develop. It is our goal at WeightWise to identify and eliminate this potential life-threatening disease in our patients. The Mayo Clinic at Rochester, MN, recently published an overview of the effects of hypertension on our body which was quite concise. Over the next few installments of our WeightWise newsletter, we are going to look at some of the health consequences directly linked to hypertension and learn how we can avoid the downward spiral of this disease and continue on our upward pursuit of wellness.
Damage To Your Arteries
Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic with a smooth inner lining that allows blood to flow freely to organs and tissues. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of this blood flowing through your arteries can eventually cause arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. The increased pressure alters the cells of the inner lining of the arteries making the walls thick and stiff (arteriosclerosis). This is commonly referred to as “hardening of the arteries.” When fats pass through the altered cells, they begin to accumulate and cause atherosclerosis.
These changes can affect arteries throughout your body including obstruction of blood flow to your heart, kidneys, brain and extremities. The damage can cause chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease and aneurysms. An aneurysm occurs over time as the constant pressure of blood traveling through a weakened artery can cause a portion of its wall to enlarge and form a bulge. This bulge can then rupture and cause deadly internal bleeding. An aneurysm can occur in any artery in your body, but is most common in the aorta which is your body’ largest artery.
Watch for our next issue of WeightWise news where we will highlight “Hypertension and Your Heart.”
The new face of Oklahoma support groupsby Jim R. Keller, Ph.D., Director of Behavioral Health
WeightWise of Oklahoma has developed three support group options for both surgical and non-surgical patients and their loved ones starting in 2007.
Banding Together is a group dedicated to Lap-Band patients and their loved ones and meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.
StapleMates is geared toward our Gastric Bypass patients and their loved ones and meets on the first Thursday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.
Success is a new group designed to support our non-surgical weight management patients and their loved ones. We are currently finalizing the class schedule and will announce the group dates and times soon.
Our support groups combine educational guest speakers and peer-to-peer discussion as a way of enhancing a patient’ weight management effort and providing support from those who have been there - your fellow patients. Our groups are casual, comfortable and no registration is necessary. Everyone is welcome so come join us!
All groups meet in the second floor classroom at our WeightWise at Edmond HealthPlex located at 1800 S. Renaissance Blvd. (15th and Kelley). For dates, times and topics, please visit the support group page on WeightWise.com.
You are invited!
The WeightWise Bariatric Program provides several support groups, seminars and member events each month throughout 2007. At each of our HealthPlex locations in Oklahoma and Texas, WeightWise hosts these events with guest speakers and exercise classes to encourage everyone to succeed and get involved. In addition, we have many exciting group exercise classes going on right now!
Each WeightWise event is open to all members and many are open to loved ones as well. For more information about our upcoming schedule of events, visit our events page on WeightWise.com or call us at 1-866-948-9473.
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