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Management Center offers weight loss help


The April 8 Wellness Wednesday, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Children’s Hospital lobby, will feature the MUSC Weight Management Center. Staff will be available to discuss weight loss options and obtain individual body mass index.

by Joshua D. Brown, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Tonya Turner, Registered Dietitian
The MUSC Weight Management Center offers a number of programs to serve the different needs of different people. Programs include a strong emphasis on helping people to make long-term lifestyle changes that are important for success in the long run. These changes serve as the ABCDSs of lifestyle change. The necessary changes include:

Activity
Exercise is crucial to the long-term success of any weight-loss program. No single exercise program is right for everyone, so each person should create and work towards an exercise program that is effective and reasonable to the individual.

Behavior
Habits and behaviors are important contributors to lifestyle and weight. Most behaviors are automatic and without thought. Monitoring behavior is one of the most important tools for changing one’s lifestyle and managing weight.
 
Regularly graphing weight and keeping eating diaries are beneficial habits to develop.

Cognition (Thinking)
Thought patterns are as important as behavior patterns. Associations with food and your thoughts about dieting affect the ability to successfully watch your weight. One should become more aware of these thought patterns and change them to avoid overeating or sabotaging a diet.

Diet
Successful long-term weight loss and overall health depend on a healthy diet. A registered dietitian can help form an eating plan that works for you.

Support systems
The process of losing weight and growing accustomed to new ways of dealing with food can be difficult. Friends, family and coworkers can be great sources of support; they can also be detrimental to attempts to make lifestyle changes.
 
During Health 1st Wellness Wednesday on April 8, MUSC’s Weight Management Center will be available to further discuss these steps. Come have your BMI calculated and talk about the programs MUSC offers. Visit http://www.MUSChealth.com/weight or call 792-CARE (2273) to schedule a free consultation to learn which program is best for you. (Discounts and payroll deduction options are available to MUSC affiliated employees)
 
With 30 years helping others attain healthier weight, the Weight Management Center is staffed with the Lowcountry’s most comprehensive team of weight management specialists, including registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, physicians, psychologists and nurses.
 
Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.




Friday, April 3, 2009


The Catalyst Online is published weekly by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. The Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to The Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.