6 minute read
WEIgHT MANAgEMENT
Dr. Patrick Reardon
pracTIcInG and preachInG Healthy Weight Management By Donna Hurst
Photo by William Stewart
living life in the fast lane often translated to the drivethru lane for bariatric surgeon Dr. Patrick Reardon. Fast food meals on the run, fat and calorie laden snacks and anything else tempting and quick were standard fare for the busy surgeon. On the other hand, Reardon regularly preaches to his patients about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. But after being appointed medical director for The Methodist Hospital’s Bariatric Surgery Program, Reardon knew he wasn’t practicing what he preached.
“I didn’t like the old picture on my physician profile for the Methodist Weight Management Center because of my weight and appearance,” he says. “Also, I knew my wife had been losing weight successfully on Methodist’s high-protein diet.”
Reardon’s wife, Dr. Debra Harvey, a family medicine physician, had been exercising four days a week prior to enrolling in the Step LITESM program but was unable to lose weight. “After joining the program, I learned a lot about why I had a hard time losing,” Harvey says. “I wasn’t eating enough protein, and I was eating way too many carbohydrates. I also learned a lot about portion control. I was able to lose 29 pounds in the first four months.”
His wife’s success led Reardon to become a patient of the Methodist Weight Management Center, and he started the Step LITE program of powdered supplements combined with appropriate eating behavior at work and home.
“After about three months on the program, I had already lost 30 pounds,” Reardon says. “I am healthier than I’ve been in years.”
A Weighty Matter
Like Drs. Reardon and Harvey, many people struggle with weight issues. For some, a few pounds of weight loss is all that’s needed. However, others who have substantial weight to lose may have other health problems impacting their quality of life such as high blood pressure, joint problems, low energy or type 2 diabetes, making the need for weight loss that much more important. Research shows that individuals who lose as
Dr. Leslie Cohan
little as five to 10 percent of their body weight can achieve noticeable improvements to their health, putting them on a path to a more positive lifestyle.
Losing weight often requires more than just diet, exercise or willpower. For lasting weight loss, individuals need the right tools and knowledge. The Methodist Weight Management Center offers a comprehensive array of programs that provide patients extensive resources and support from dedicated dieticians, psychotherapists, pharmacists and nurses.
One component, Medical Weight Management, is a safe, medically monitored dietary program, designed for qualified patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. The program helps patients achieve a slightly more rapid weight loss than is likely with a standard diet. The three-phase approach starts with a healthy meal replacement beverage, transitions to food through a guided, reduced calorie diet and finally moves to the last stage, which encompasses education and group support to assist in maintaining a healthy weight.
Tipping the Scales in Favor of Better Health
For some obese individuals, diet, exercise and medication are not enough. Weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) is the only option today that effectively treats morbid obesity in people who have not been successful in their attempts to lose weight through conservative measures. Methodist surgeons perform gastric bypass and LAP-BAND® surgeries using safe, up-todate techniques. Reardon says bariatric surgery is safe and effective in helping patients to lose weight. The risk of complications is very low, and the health benefits are very high. “The surgery not only improves your health and extends your life, but significantly improves the quality of your life,” he says. “Our goal is to help patients achieve these benefits in a safe, efficient, cost-effective and minimally invasive manner. In addition, we are an American College of Surgeons Center of Excellence for weight loss surgery.”
Bariatric surgery improves or resolves many of the diseases associated with morbid obesity. On average, the lowest weight loss follows the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, the gastric sleeve is next best, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the best at achieving excess weight loss. Reardon performed Methodist’s first laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery about 14 years ago.
A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that in short-term outcomes for laparoscopic Rouxen-Y gastric bypass in 275 patients: n Excess weight loss at 24 and 30 months was 83 percent and 77 percent, respectively n In patients with more than one year of follow-up, most of the comorbid diseases such as hypertension and diabetes were improved or resolved n 95 percent reported significant improvement in quality of life
houston-area obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Leslie Cohan, a patient of Reardon’s, has seen life-changing results since undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery four years ago.
“I was huge and wanted to lose about 140 pounds,” she recalls. “I was able to lose some weight on my own, but I was tired of trying and couldn’t do it anymore.” Obesity sometimes has a genetic component, and it runs in Cohan’s family. Other family members also have had bariatric surgery and some others are planning to.
“It was tough to be an obese physician,” she says. “I was having trouble doing what I needed to do. I was out of breath going up stairs, and my legs, knees and hips hurt. I knew I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing the way things were going.”
Since having the surgery, Cohan can now run several flights of stairs, walk and hike — and breathe easier. She has been successful in keeping the weight off by no longer feeling compelled to clean her plate and by regularly participating in Zumba®, an exercise class based on Latin dancing. After seeing Cohan’s results, several of her patients also have had bariatric surgery.
“I can eat most things that I like, and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything,” Cohan says. “Bariatric surgery is one of the best things I’ve done for myself, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” n
Eat Right with Step LITESM
A moderate weight management program
Losing a few pounds isn’t always easy. Getting started can be just as tough. The Methodist Hospital’s weight management team has a program for people who want to lose a moderate amount of weight.
Methodist’s Step LITE program offers a realistic approach to healthy nutrition and weight loss and will provide an option to anyone who desires up to two pounds of safe weight loss per week (varies with body type and activity level) and lifestyle change.
The program is designed to improve health and produce the weight loss results that individuals want. Licensed, registered dietitians and licensed, professional counselors share the tools needed to lose weight and begin a healthier lifestyle. Unlike The Methodist Hospital’s Medical Weight Management Program, which is very low calorie, the Step LITE flexible, personalized eating plan includes the same great tasting products available only through the Medical Weight Management Program, plus a low-calorie food plan including meal replacements with bars, beverages, soups and snacks.
Those enrolled in the Step LITE program attend weekly check-in and group sessions. Led by licensed professionals, sessions cover a variety of topics including lifestyle change, healthy eating, grab-and-go eating, stress reducers and more. Sessions focus on group activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.
Take the first step ... Step LITE
Call 713-441-5964 and register for the Step LITE start-up class of your choice.
