In today’s episode, Dr. Simonds welcomes Lovie Watson, Obesity Technician at Dr. Simonds Metabolics & Weight Loss. Lovie not only works at the practice but also has an amazing weight loss story and shares her experience and how she finally found success with her weight loss. With Dr. Simonds help, Lovie has lost over 100 lbs. and has kept the weight off!
Even with her degree in nutrition, Lovie struggled for most of her life. She visited many other weight loss providers in the past, but never achieved lasting weight loss until she met Dr. Simonds and his staff. They provided a personal plan and a course of action that provides long term weight loss. She felt absolutely no blame, shame, guilt or fault that other weight loss professionals and doctors made her feel in the past.
Most importantly, she felt empathy, compassion, encouragement and concern for her health and weight loss goals not only by Dr. Simonds, but by the ENTIRE staff of providers, nurses and office staff. The results speak for themselves.
Watch Lovie’s weight loss story here.
Q: I can lose weight in the summer, but I have a hard time keeping it off in the fall and winter. I’m worried that I will regain my weight with the holidays approaching. Any Advice?
A: This is a common problem for so many patients. We definitely have this culture of overeating surrounding the holidays. It’s important to recognize the problem and come up with a solution. Make the decision to not get caught up with the holiday eating and establish some new behaviors.
Setting goals for yourself and preventing weight gain with the help of medications is highly effective. If you haven’t been to our office in a while, we suggest you make an appointment or give us a call if you’re not a patient yet. We are currently offering telephone visits too! We are here to make weight loss as convenient as possible. Don’t wait until after the holidays to get back on track.
Q: Is the keto diet expensive? I’m interested in trying it, but not sure if I can afford to keep up with it.
A: Absolutely not! It’s not any more expensive than any other diet. Foods such as cheese, eggs and butter are items that most people are already buying. We find that keto dieters are much less hungry and consume less food, therefore they are spending the same amount of money or even less than others. You don’t need fancy ingredients for the keto diet. It’s all about finding substitutions and foods that will keep your insulin levels low. It can be very basic and simple. And there are tons of foods to choose from and so much variety.
We have many great recipes on Dr. Simonds’ Instagram, The Casual Keto Doctor.
Q: How often should I weigh myself? I’ve heard many different views on this subject and was wondering what you recommend to your patients. And, are there better ways to track my progress?
A: We really think it depends on the patient. Unless you are obsessive over the scale, we highly recommend weighing in more frequently. The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning, unclothed and before eating and drinking anything. This will provide your true weight. Weighing yourself more often has a way of correcting bad behaviors too. Therefore, we recommend weighing yourself on a daily basis.
Q: I was looking at the Metagenics Fish Oil supplements online and would like more information on which one is best for me. I noticed many different varieties of the EPA-DHA, like 300, 500 or 1000. Does the higher number mean that it’s better?
A: We understand that this can be confusing and the short answer is, Yes the higher the EPA, the better the product.
Q: Am I allowed to have weekly “cheat days” while following a low carb diet? Or will they set me back too much and limit my progress?
A: Cheat days will set you back so we usually don’t recommend them. The purpose of a low carb diet is for your body to enter and remain in a state of ketosis for optimum fat burning. Cheat days, in which you are consuming high carb foods will certainly kick you out of ketosis. It can then take up to one week for your body to enter ketosis and begin burning fat again.
The only time that we may recommend a cheat meal is if a patient has experienced a weight loss plateau after being on a low carb diet for some time. If you do happen to derail from your diet, don’t be hard on yourself. Just make sure to get back on track at your very next meal. Instead of having a cheat meal, try to make a low carb version of whatever it is that you’re craving. You’ll see that most of the high carb foods that you are craving can be modified to fit your diet.
There are so many great alternatives! We even have a market pantry at both office locations for some great low carb snacks, shakes, chips and bars.
Q: Food cravings are a big problem for me. I’m currently following a low carb diet and can’t stop thinking about food. How can I conquer the cravings?
A: You may actually need to lower your total carbohydrates to help with the cravings. If you find that’s not helpful, weight loss medications prescribed by a licensed provider are extremely helpful. Cravings are a mechanism that your body uses that makes you gain weight. We recommend and prescribe a few different varieties to help control cravings and control the appetite.
Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about CBD oil and its benefits. Is it true that it can help with weight loss?
A: CBD does act on the appetite receptors and those that regularly use CBD products consume fewer calories and have a decrease in cravings and inflammation. We have found that many patients that regularly use CBD have fewer cravings and a reduced appetite.
It’s important to purchase your CBD from a reputable source. We carry CBD products from Naternal that are high quality and we’ve had excellent feedback from our patients. CBD is also helpful for joint pain, mood, depression and sleep. Naternal just released a new CBD that focuses on better REM sleep and it’s a great product. Dr. Simonds tries every product himself before recommending anything to his patients.
If you’d like to try CBD, we are currently offering 50% off all CBD products. Give us a call or stop by during our office hours and we’ll be happy to help you choose the right product for you.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment and get started on your weight loss journey!
