If there is one subject that any weight loss organization doesn’t want to talk about, it’s gaining weight. It’s an unfortunate reality for some of us, and it’s not one we are proud of. Why is it that we feel like a complete failure when we gain a pound or two? Most of the time, we know why it happens: i.e., the 2 pieces of pizza we ate, the 2 glasses of wine, the ice cream we devoured. We know when we are doing it that it is wrong, at the time, we don’t care. It’s afterward that we feel the guilt. For that moment, we give up what we want the most, for what we want at that minute.
Now we are in no way telling you that it’s ‘ok’ to gain, that is definitely not part of our program, we are just letting you know that if it happens, how to deal with it. Consistent gains are not what we are referring to. We are talking about mere “snaccidents”, not full binges.
Behavioral Medicine reports that you’re most tempted to stray from a healthy eating plan when:
It’s late at night
You’re tired
Alcohol is involved
You’re hanging out with friends.
Sound familiar? It may be impossible to completely avoid these things, but it’s good to be aware. Also, just because a food is considered “healthy”, it doesn’t mean you can eat an unhealthy amount of it.
Do you feel like you are angry at yourself for being “weak” and caving to your cravings? Do you feel like you have failed yet again? -Accept it. You did it, own it. Don’t beat yourself up, but rather just move on. You are human. You make mistakes. Yes, we all do. Failure? Not so much. Quit being so hard on yourself.
Pick yourself up and let us help you get back on track! You can’t change the past. Focus on what is within your control–today and the future. With our help, you can do it. The key is accountability.
If you haven’t seen us in months, and don’t want to come back because you have gained, please do. Come back, you could use our help now more than ever. No judgement…just get back on track. You’ll be glad you did! Our goal has always been to help you reach yours!
I started this journey on a whim on May 1st, 2017 weighing 235 pounds. What killed me the most is that I weighed more than when I was pregnant with my twins 19 years ago, and they weighed 7 lbs 5 oz each. I had a hysterectomy in 2005 after which my weight just continued to increase. I have never dieted nor exercised more than walking on a trail. I have a very happy marriage and my husband has never complained about my weight, but I just became comfortable with being so overweight. To celebrate almost any occasion we would go out to dinner, which was a large part of the problem.
I was very nervous going into my first appointment at the Elevation Medical Weight Loss clinic but the doctor was very understanding and gave me a plan. This has became more than a just diet, but a new way of life. I now look at EVERY single label, whereas before I never even glanced at food labels. I couldn’t believe the amount of calories and carbs in some of the drinks and foods I was consuming every day.
At my first appointment I rattled off a goal weight number, which I never really expected to see. Now, here I am on Sept 21st, 2017, just 4 and 1/2 months later and I have reached my goal weight of 180 pounds. I have lost 7 inches from around my waist, and can now fit into regular size clothing instead of plus size. When I take selfies with my friends, I can hold the phone down instead of way up in the air to get a slimmer angle. I can now walk flights of stairs that before left me completely out of breath, I even stepped outside of my comfort zone and started beat boxing with friends and actually love doing it! If I can do this and make it work, anyone can. I not only did this for myself but for our 4 sons, since I have found that a healthy mom is a happy mom. We still celebrate by going out to dinner, only now I am much more conscious of my choices and my order has far fewer calories and carbs.
When you decide to live a healthier lifestyle and talk to us about wanting to lose weight, we discuss the nutritional aspect of the types of foods in order to help you choose a weight loss program to fit your goals. We further recommend that you set a plan for your meals as a way to more easily stay on task and get to your goals.
One aspect of dieting that we would like to emphasize is setting aside a day to plan ahead for your week’s meals. This includes getting groceries for the week (preferably) from the list of foods that we recommend), prepping the necessary items to make the meals, and cooking ALL of the food needed for the week. If you have 12 containers, you can lay it all out and partition each meal in each container. Since we often recommend eating 2 large meals a day, you can plan ahead for the other 6 days of the week.
The 9 days meal plan that we prescribed consists of larger meal portions. Depending on if you are taking the diet medications (phentermine, or Adipex) for weight loss, your caloric goal may be 800-1300 calories a day split into 2 large meals. If you are on the weight loss program, your calorie goal may be around 600 calories a day, which is also split into 2 large meals. Even at 300 calories per meal, the meal consists of a larger serving of meats (4 oz of chicken, 10 oz of vegetables, and 2 large glass of water) to keep you full since you will be eating leaner cuts of meats and fill the tank with plenty of vegetables and water.
So what does meal prepping look like? It takes effort, but you get what you put into it– in the end, it helps you get a step closer to your goal.
Have all the ingredients laid out
Lots of lean meats and tons of vegetables
Have all your ingredients laid out — lots of lean meats and tons of vegetables.
Green, leafy vegetables like collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens are low calorie and taste great.
Preparing all the asparagus and broccoli in aluminum foil for grilling.
Summer squash makes another flavorful side dish. It will serve as a rice/potato/bread substitute.
Roasting sliced tomatoes on a pan and simmering thinly cut beef.
Setting shrimp on the skewers and have chicken tenderloins marinated and ready to grill with several lean burgers.
Shrimp and chicken take no time on the grill.
400 calorie meal
Another 400 calorie meal
This is what a 300 calories meal look like
Overall, the entire process of getting groceries, prepping food, cooking, storing, and cleaning up took 6 hours to make 14 meals for 1 person. But this small sacrifice means that you are done for the week and one step closer to being a better you.
Due to increasing demand, we are extending our walk-in hours and appointment availability for both new patient weight loss consultations and medication refills.
The new hours will include Tuesdays 12p-3p in the Weirton office and Wednesdays 11a-2p in the Green Tree / Pittsburgh office effective immediately.
Elevation Medical Weight Loss in Weirton is helping to support the annual Energy Express School Supply Drive. Energy Express is a summer reading and feeding program that is held in over 75 locations throughout West Virginia for approximately 6 weeks to strengthen children’s reading and writing skills. This year, the Weirton site is holding a school supply drive for the children in the community. Bags of donated school supplies can be dropped off directly at the Weirton Elementary School or to our clinic before 1 PM Friday July 21st.
Items the kids need include:
Crayons
Pencils
Markers
Pens
Notebooks
Deodorant
Combs
Loose Leaf Paper
Toothbrushes
Body Wash
Hand Sanitizer
Binders
Shampoo
Folders
We will drop of the donated supplies to be distributed on Saturday July 22nd from 10 AM until all supplies have been distributed at the Weirton Elementary School. We would like to thank everyone for their support and generosity.
It’s been awhile since we had a recipe posting, but we’ve been saving this savory low-carb, recipe for Spring. We use a vegetable spiralizer (found in local home goods store or on Amazon). A vegetable spiralizer is definitely a safer alternative for your fingers to a mandolin slicer. If you don’t have the tools, you can chop the zucchini into thin slices with a knife and still serve a great meal.
Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce (247 calories per serving, 23 g of carbs) *prep time 10 min, cook time 20 minutes* Serves 10
Ingredient
Calories
Carbs
93% lean beef, 2 lb
1379 calories
Zucchini, 12 large, washed
648 calories
80 grams
Tomato sauce, canned, 28 oz
227 calories
52 grams
Tomato paste, canned, 6 oz
139 calories
32 grams
Onion, 1 medium, minced
46 calories
11 grams
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 tsp (optional)
10 calories per serving
Water, 3/4 cup
Garlic, minced, 2 tsp
Oregano, 2 tsp
Sugar, 2 tsp
32 calories
8 grams
Salt, 1 tsp
Basil, 2 tsp (fresh or dried)
Black pepper, ½ tsp
Sugar, spice, and everything nice.. MaiLan thinks it would be nicer if we can put 2 lb of sugar instead of 2 tsp
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, black pepper, and 1/4 cup of water in a large saucepan on medium heat.
2. Stir to crumble and brown the meat.
3. Stir crushed tomato, tomato paste, and 1/2 cup of water into the pan until a rolling boil. Simmer on low and stir occasionally for another 5-10 minutes.
We had every intention to use fresh tomatoes, but someone else claimed them.
4. While the meat sauce is simmering, use a vegetable spiralizer to turn the zucchini into noodles.
5. One zucchini (33 calories, 6 g carbs) will yield about 2 cups of zucchini noodles. A serving is 3 cups of zucchini noodles. Spiralize the zucchini into desired thinness. You may want to request for help from an experienced taste tester.
4. In a large microwave-safe bowl or plate, microwave the zucchini for 2-3 minutes on high for every 3 cups you plan to serve.
5. Combine zuchinni noodles with 8 oz of meat sauce. Add on a tsp of grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Each serving is under 300 calories, which works with the plan.
It may be 2017 already, but at Elevation Weight Loss it feels like the new year doesn’t really begin until February. Especially with all the extra time we needed to lose those “holiday” pounds.
Feeling more satisfied with smaller portions of food.
Shopping for new clothes is more enjoyable.
Reduced joint and back pain.
Less dependence on many daily medications (but ask your family Dr. first).
As part of opening up our second location in Weirton, we would like to take this opportunity to provide accessible weight loss services to more individuals. If you are even slightly motivated, we can help you get to your best health for 2017.
We have a referral program where you can send a friend or family to us for both parties to receive credit toward your services. If you have questions, ask about our referral program here.
Lastly, we have certain hours that Dr. Cooper will be in for new patient evaluations for weight loss and medication refills. If you make an appt, it will limit your wait time and we can get you in faster; also some additional hours may be available by appt only. Usually our clients are accustomed to making appointments in any healthcare setting, so you can make appointments with us; however, walking in during these hours is absolutely OK.
PHYSICIAN WEIGHT LOSS HOURS
*for new clients and medication refills*
We are excited to announce that we are opening a second location in Weirton, WV off Three Springs Dr. exit 4.
This week we will be assembling furniture and doing some final touching up. We are hoping to see you either this Saturday, January 28th 2017 from 3p-5p for a pre-launch. Our official opening date is Thursday, February 2nd 2017 at 11am.
