Aesthetic Medicine

Archive for the ‘Diet | Nutrition’ Category

The Duchess of Windsor once said, ‘You can never be too rich or too thin.’ Many Americans are fixated with the thought of being thin, since more than half of American adults are overweight and of that number, about one-quarter are obese. The media offers us a concept about body image that many of us cannot relate to.

We all know that losing weight can prevent heart diseases, stroke type II diabetes, high cholesterol, angina, certain cancers, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and back pain. The thinner we are the longer is our reasonably healthy life expectancy. By understanding the many factors that contribute to weight gain such as genetics, psychological components cultural issues, physical activity and individual metabolism, we can individualize a diet plan. Most patients are amazed at how much healthy food they can eat and still lose weight! A successful diet plan is focused on the health benefits but the cosmetic results are amazing.

A great tool to evaluate our weight is the Body Mass Index (BMI) and the higher the BMI the greater the health risks. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute state that weight loss medications are useful for individuals with a BMI greater than 30 with no risk factors and a BMI greater than 27 for those with risk factors. Calculate your BMI now! Most patients do not have to reach their ideal BMI since it is not always realistic or desirable. Some medications may have side effects so all patients interested in weight loss should talk to Dr. Gerard Cappiello about the benefits and risks of these medications.

At Rinnova, diet programs are available with or without medication and with or without liposuction. Each patient get a complete history and physical examination, electrocardiogram and blood work The patient is then seen in the office weekly for their medication, monitoring, BMI evaluation, urine analysis and appropriate vitamins. When patient has reached a healthy weight and is happy the way he or she looks we begin to calculate the amount of calories needed to maintain the weight. The Rinnova plan has been proven and successful. Come and join the hundreds of patients that have lost the weight and kept it off.

The medical press has stated that the BMI (body mass index), which is used to calculate risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, death rate and a myriad of other medical problems may not be the most accurate predictor.

A more accurate predictor may be the waist and hip circumference. In both women and men, a waist greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men, may be associated with a 3 times increase of heart disease. Having a big waist may raise the death rate even in men and women that are not overweight. In fact, having large hips and a small waist reduces the risk of heart disease.

The problem appears to be visceral fat. This type of fat surrounds our organs such as intestines or liver. The menopause, hormones, pregnancy and overeating may stimulate the subcutaneous fat. A good diet will greatly reduce visceral fat and subcutaneous fat and therefore reduce chronic diseases and premature death. Genetics alone determines who has more fat cells in the hips or in the waist. Hundreds of abdominal crunches daily will not give anyone a flat tummy. Read the rest of this entry »

A patient said to me “I lost a thousand pounds and gained a thousand pounds”. This illustrates how difficult it is to lose weight. At our facility we can help with an effective and practical diet program.

Our program is not drastic and is meant for long-term weight loss and lifestyle change. Being at or close to ideal weight is not only healthy, but will make you look and feel wonderful. Weight loss has to do with calories and the class of foods you eat which are converted to fat. As we evolved over time, our bodies have learned to store energy in the form of fat. During times of the foods shortage fat could be broken down to provide needed energy. In today’s world, the problem arises when the body stores fat in the absence of a food shortage. Read the rest of this entry »