Revive Medicine- Medical Weight Management & Lifestyle Medicine

Chia is a little seed that is power packed with fiber and healthy fats which aid in weight loss, digestion, heart disease, and gut health.

1/2 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt, Vanilla Flavor or one small container (or flavor preference of your choice)
1/2 cup Almond Breeze unflavored milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
H**p hearts for more protein (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine almond milk, yogurt, and chia seeds. Whisk until blended. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute the seeds if they have settled.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, chop fresh berries and add to the top of the breakfast bowl.

400 calories, 22grams protein

Recipe and photo from:
Moderatelymessyrd.com

May is a great time to focus on mindfulness as the spring flowers are in full bloom and the weather encourages life and vitality!

Mindfulness encourages us to focus on being aware of what we are feeling and sensing, without any interpretation or judgement. It includes deep breathing, guided imagery, and other ways to relax the body and mind.

For many of us, our mind is preoccupied with planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or negative thinking that can become draining and overwhelming. This leads to increase stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. By practicing mindfulness, one is able to distract their attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around them. mindfulness has been shown to improve attention. Decrease job burn out, improve sleep, and improve metabolic health.

Having the right support system when you are trying to lose weight is critical.

Here's how to Take Charge of Your Social Group

1. Does your friend group eat out a lot? If so, take charge of WHERE your friend group eats, confirming that there are healthy choices for you to enjoy as well.
2. Does your friend group drink a lot? If so, plan other social activities that involve physical activity or the outdoors. Explore new options around your area! Discover your local community.
3. Talk about it. Share with your friends and family about your journey and what changes you are implementing. You might be surprised that others may be encouraged by you.
4. What about celebrations? Take the initiative and bring fruit and veggies to parties so there is a healthy option for you. Suggest other home-cooked meals or snacks for others to bring to the party as well! Figure out what you'll indulge in ahead of time and let your friends know your plan.

You DIDN’T!!!!

Weight loss is never linear. You’ll have days the scale will go up and down along your weight loss journey. Look for trends instead! Be kind to yourself ☺️

There’s a better way to lose weight….

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to try to make lifestyle changes. Instead of moving in the right direction, our thoughts and prior experiences make us believe we’ll never get it right. Or perhaps, like my own personal life recently, you’re thrown off from your regular routine and feeling like you can’t get back into the right groove (yep, even your doctor struggles with this!)

If you’re feeling me on any of this, try to focus on what you CAN do instead of all the things you think you should be doing.

For me, this week I can:
~Find time to move my body regularly
~Make sure my fridge is stocked with healthy choices as I notice more emotional eating creep in
~Spend time in prayer and silence to settle my mind

Don’t let all or nothing thinking get in the way of your continued success!

What CAN you commit to today? Remember any amount of progress is still progress!

Just keep swimming! Progress not perfection! 🙌

This Shrimp salad is refreshing and filling!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, deveined, peeled and cooked
• 2 ripe, f resh avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced, divided
• 1/4 cup salsa verde, homemade or store-bought
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 f resh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• 1 cup mango, diced
• 1 medium sweet pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 bag (10 oz.) baby spinach leaves

1. Place one half of one avocado, water, salsa verde, lime juice and honey in a blender.
2. With the blender on puree setting, blend until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, cucumber, mango, red pepper and cilantro.
4. Divide spinach and remaining avocado onto six plates, top with shrimp mixture and dressing.

To get a different result you have to change your behaviors. If you’re not committed to doing that, you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. There is no magic pill, potion, or injection. You’ve got to put in the work. Check yourself and your expectations.

🤔Define the emotion you are having
⏲️Delay eating for 10 min
🥰Distract yourself with another enjoyable activity

♥️February is Heart Health Month

💗Heart disease is responsible for one out of every five female deaths – more than all forms of cancer combined.

💜Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
* Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or upper belly (abdomen) discomfort
* Shortness of breath
* Pain in one or both arms
* Nausea or vomiting
* Sweating
* Lightheadedness or dizziness
* Unusual fatigue
* Heartburn (indigestion)
These symptoms may be vague and not as noticeable as the crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks.

🧡How to prevent heart disease

* Quit smoking
* Eat a healthy diet. Opt for whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and lean meats. Avoid saturated or trans fats, added sugars, and high amounts of salt.
* Exercise and maintain a healthy weight. If you're overweight, losing even a few pounds can lower heart disease risks. Ask your health care provider what weight is best for you.
* Manage stress. Stress can cause the arteries to tighten, which can increase the risk of heart disease, particularly coronary microvascular disease.
* Avoid or limit alcohol. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women.
* Follow your treatment plan. Take medications as prescribed, such as blood pressure medications, blood thinners and aspirin.
* Manage other health conditions. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes increase the risk of heart disease. See your doctor for routine screening and be your own advocate when you feel like something isn’t right.

The key to successful habits that become life changing is relying on consistency and commitment rather than feelings and mood.

Treating your weight goes beyond diet, exercise, and meds. It includes healing your mind, acknowledging the emotions behind your cravings, and channeling that energy into something productive.

This is my patient’s art work which she has started to do when she has cravings. She is not only successfully losing weight, but improving her awareness and mental health. If you are an emotional eater, consider making a toolbox of things you can do instead to calm your mind and distract you from food.

Weight care beyond the scale. This is why I love what I do. 🤗

It's easy to be motivated at the start of the year. But when we set goals that are too lofty, we often give up on them all together. Thankfully, everyday is a new opportunity to get 1% better.

This month, work on setting a SMART goal to help you get closer to where you want to be.

Specific- what specific thing will you do this week or this month? Perhaps it's committing to 1 veggie with lunch and dinner, or drinking 64 oz. of water each day.

Measurable- instead of just saying you'll move more this week, set a measurable goal that can be quantified. " I will move my body for 10 minutes each day, no matter what"

Attainable- set a goal that you can actually achieve. If it's not possible for you to get to bed at 9pm each day, don't have that as a goal. Instead, consider an earlier bedtime by 15 minutes each week until to get to your goal bedtime.

Realistic-sometimes we promise to make big changes when our motivation is high that we can't follow through on. Instead of telling yourself you won't have any indulgent foods or treats, be realistic and allow yourself to have a planned treat each week. This helps you feel less restricted and your brain doesn't feel like you are doing something impossible.

Time sensitive- give yourself a time frame in which you want to accomplish your goal. Without setting a deadline, it's easy to put taking action.

What SMART goal are you committing to?

🎉Look what came in the mail today! Honored to be nominated by my peers as a Northern Virginia Top Doctor. Thank you to all my colleagues.

It is truly a privilege and joy to take care of patients on their weight care journey. 💕👩🏻‍⚕️

A lot of people come and see me and expect that I can waive a magic wand and hand over a medication that will just help them magically shed the pounds without putting in any work. Lifestyle is the foundation of a healthy weight loss plan. We know that highly processed foods, inactivity, poor sleep, and stress are all major contributors to an unhealthy weight. Without being willing to make changes to these things, it’s impossible to fully heal yourself.

BMI is a poor indicator of weight health because it doesn’t take into account muscle mass or body fat.

Someone with a normal BMI (under 25) might have elevated body fat % increasing their risk of metabolic disease.

Likewise, someone with a high BMI in the range of obesity (>30) may have high muscle mass and low body fat.

Just like books, you can’t judge people by their appearance. It’s what’s going on in their insides that counts.

having a body composition machine in my office, allows me to get the whole picture and see what’s really going on inside of my patience. This allows me to better direct care and figure out what we need to focus on. I find this, especially helpful and patients who are losing weight rapidly, patients who are on a high saturated fat diet (which I don’t encourage), and patients who just can’t seem to lose the weight because their muscle mass is so low (sarcopenic obesity).

Schedule a consultation with me to learn more about what’s going on inside of your body and to get an effective weight loss plan that helps you achieve a healthy and happy weight.

This chickpea salad is a quick and easy way to get fresh veggies and protein in. Great as a meal or side!

🥙 Recipe:
A can of washed and filtered chickpeas.
4-5 tablespoons canned corn.
1/4 finely chopped red onion.
1/4 chopped red bell pepper
A handful of finely chopped parsley
Seasoning: salt, oil, lemon.