Cordova Weight Loss Clinic - Fastest Clinic in Town!

Weight Loss Makes You Healthy

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Probably the most common reason people want to lose weight is to look better. As the saying goes, beach bodies are made in the winter. So while we still have some winter days left, come see us at Cordova Medical Clinic! With phentermine to suppress your appetite, a healthy diet, and some regular exercise, we can have you ready for summer quickly.

A close second reason for losing weight is for improved health. We all know that being close to our ideal weight is good for us, but I’ll bet you didn’t know how good!

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is very common – about 75 million adults, or 1 in 3, have hypertension. It increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, two of the biggest killers in the US. We won’t give you phentermine in our clinic if your blood pressure is over 140/90. It’s easily the most common reason we turn patients away – to go see their PCP to get the blood pressure under control. (Once it is under control, we can then treat you with phentermine.) And yes, according to the NIH (National Institutes of Health) losing weight lowers blood pressure in many people, even with as little as 10 pounds of weight loss.

Diabetes is a huge risk factor for heart disease and stroke, along with many other health problems – kidney disease, eye damage, nerve problems, and infections, to name a few. Type 2 diabetes is something you may have a genetic predisposition for, but we’ve been having an epidemic of type 2 diabetes for a couple of decades now because of obesity, poor diet choices, and inactivity. If you lose weight, you are most likely also developing a couple of other new habits – eating better and exercising. This could keep you from ever developing type 2 diabetes at all. And if you already have it, there is some chance that you can control it much easier, and avoid the bad effects of it as you lose weight.

High cholesterol is associated with obesity and overweight, and it is a cause of – wait for it – heart disease and stroke! Are you starting to see a pattern here? Healthy diet and losing weight will have a positive effect on your cholesterol levels. And exercise increases HDL, the good form of cholesterol.

Even cancers of some types are increased by being overweight. These include esophageal, breast, liver, pancreatic, gallbladder, colon and rectal cancers.

A man once came to see us for weight loss with elevated cholesterol (despite being on a medication for it) and mild hypertension (under 140/90). Hal (not his real name) wanted to change to a statin for his cholesterol because he didn’t like the side effects of his cholesterol med. But Hal had mildly elevated liver enzymes, and those can sometimes worsen on statins, so I was hesitant to give it to him. I told him it was likely that his liver enzymes were up from fatty liver disease, meaning that his liver was obese. But we just didn’t know for sure. However, we agreed that we would recheck his labs after a month of therapy, so I gave him a statin and phentermine. He started eating healthier foods and smaller portions, and he started working out daily. Hal was fed up with these problems, and he was all-in on getting healthy! He returned in a month and we were amazed! He lost over 10 pounds that month, and his liver enzymes actually decreased, and so did his cholesterol. Hal went on to lose about 60 pounds over the next 6 months, and he looked and felt like a new man. And of course he was much healthier.

If you want to look better, feel better, or be healthier, come see us at Cordova Medical Clinic! We look forward to helping you on your weight loss journey.

Realistic New Year’s Resolutions

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Research shows that about 50% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions, 25% are broken within the first 2 weeks, and only about 8% actually achieve them at all. Here’s some advice on strategies to set realistic obtainable goals for your new year.

 

Be Specific

Try not to be too general when setting a goal. If you’ve committed to ‘ do more exercise’ you need to be sure you define what that means. Let’s be real, who doesn’t benefit from doing more exercise? The problem is, when you’re not specific it’s easy to let exercise fall by the wayside. You would be better off committing to a certain number of days a week or minutes per day even if you start small and work your way up.

 

The All Or Nothing

Try to stay away from words like ‘No’ & ‘Never’. Words like these can really set you up for failure. If you say ‘I’m NEVER going to have ice cream again’ and you go to a birthday party and you have it, then you can feel like you’ve already broken your resolution. This can cause someone to stop working towards his or her goal. The thing to remember is, any effort towards your goal is better than no effort at all.

 

Don’t Get Discouraged

Remember, none of us are perfect. Don’t turn mistakes or temporary failures into excuses to give up. It’s better to identify what caused the mistake, set up a new plan, and move forward.

 

The Big 3 – And A Suggestion

The three most common New Year’s Resolutions are pretty easy to guess: exercising more, losing weight, and saving money. Exercising and losing weight are similar goals, both improving your health, your looks, and how you feel. But you can save money by doing these things as well: even if you spend money to try to lose weight, you should save a ton of money by eating healthy food from your grocery list. Restaurants are fun, but you should avoid them if you are trying to lose fat and get healthy. Most restaurant servings are way too large, and have too many fats, carbs, and calories. And the food you get averages about 20% of the cost of the check; the rest of your restaurant bill pays for convenience, service, and profits. Make a healthy grocery list, go shopping, and stick to your list.

 

Achieving your ultimate goal isn’t about how long it takes you to get there, but more importantly it’s recognizing what your goals are, being realistic, and staying committed. Cordova Medical Clinic is a great place to help you get started. We offer the appetite suppressant phentermine right here in our clinic to help you reach your goals. Let’s make 2020 your year!

Low Carb Vs Keto Diet

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There are several diets that are very similar that fall into the low carb category: keto diet, carnivore diet, Atkins diet, Paleo diet, Whole 30, and just plain old low carb. The biggest difference that the keto diet has is its reliance on high fat. Keto diet says to do this for the three macro nutrients – high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbs. For example, a man who is using MyFitnessPal app to try to lose 2 pounds per week is supposed to eat 80 grams of protein, 53g of fat, and 200g of carbs. But if you follow the keto diet, you are supposed to get your carbs down to 20g per day – super low! They encourage certain kinds of fat, such as avocado oil, coconut oil, and ghee. Does keto work? Yes, it can be effective for weight loss. However, our main complaint with this diet is that it could be hard to follow long term.

 

Low carb, on the other hand, is relatively easy to follow long term, and is excellent for weight loss as well. A low carb diet on MyFitnessPal might look like this: 120g of protein, 100g of carbs, and 80g of fat. You want to make sure all of your macronutrients are healthy. This means low fat meats, mostly low carb vegetables, healthy starches such as brown rice, whole grain bread, and sweet potatoes. Avoid fried foods, white potatoes, corn, sugary drinks, and processed foods. Low carb vegetables include greens, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and spinach. This is something you can follow for life.

 

If you want to try one of these diets, we can prescribe phentermine to help curb your appetite as you get started. Download MyFitnessPal to your phone and start using it to follow your progress daily. It also has excellent articles about diet, recipes, and exercise. If you have further questions about diet and lifestyle, we will be happy to assist when you visit us here!

New Year, New Habits!

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New Year, New Habits!
Are you motivated to lose weight? What is your reason for this goal? To feel better? To look better? To improve your health? You may have said ‘Yes!’ to all 3 questions. Then why are you not losing weight? Or still gaining? I can tell you the answer in one word: habits!
Habits are relentless behavioral forces that can make or break you. Think about the things that you do daily, or nearly every day. There is little effort in them because they are ingrained habits. Some are good, some are bad. Now think about which habits are causing you to gain weight: the poor quality foods, the large portions, the lack of exercise, not enough sleep.
Getting rid of a bad habit is simply a matter of substituting a good habit where a bad habit once was. Do not try to simply give up a bad habit – replace it!For example, don’t just resolve to stay away from fast food. Decide to shop twice a week for healthy food and to always have some on hand for a meal or snack. Don’t just resolve to watch less TV. Decide to spend that wasted TV time exercising.
It will take some time. It will take chipping away at a bad habit every week or month, and possibly restarting sometimes. But the more intentional you are with replacing your bad habits, the more likely they are to stick. And no one wants temporary weight loss. We want to remain slim and fit!
Start small, but with an eye on gradual improvement. Start walking briskly 15 minutes a day. After a couple weeks, bump that up to 30 minutes. Then start running for just a minute or two in the middle. (Check out the app C25K – Couch to 5K. It’s a great program for gradual improvement over about 9 weeks.)
Go on Google or YouTube a few minutes daily to learn about healthy foods. Become an expert on this! It will educate you and motivate you.
Summer is coming. That means shorts and bathing suits come out of the closet. We can prescribe phentermine that will decrease your appetite and boost your energy level. These will help you get started. But first make some goals, do some reflecting on your habits, and make a plan. Then come and see us!

Is Intermittent Fasting For You?

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Is Intermittent Fasting For You?
Intermittent Fasting (IF) as a way to lose weight is not new, but it has received a lot
of attention lately, perhaps with New Year’s Resolutions on many people’s minds. I
have not personally tried intermittent fasting, but I have researched it and I have a
few pearls for you.
Intermittent Fasting (IF) is not a diet; it is a way of eating. We all fast, at least for as
long as we’re asleep at night. The idea behind IF for weight loss is to extend that fast
beyond the usual 8-hour sleep window. For example, the most popular IF is the
16/8 fast. You don’t eat for 16 hours, then you can eat during an 8-hour time frame,
which you can pick. Some skip breakfast, eating from 1pm to 9pm. Some prefer to
skip dinner, eating from 7am to 3pm. The idea is that about 12 hours after you begin
fasting, your body begins breaking down fat for energy. Good, right? Well, yes, but
breaking down fat doesn’t need a magic window of time. Even if you eat off and on
all day, you will still break down fat off and on throughout the day if you have a daily
calorie deficit. The only way you’ll be sure you’re eating with the proper deficit is to
count your calories. It’s not hard at all; my favorite method is with the MyFitnessPal
app, but there are many other apps and methods to choose from.
Some people talk about IF allowing you to stop counting calories or macros – “just
eat whatever you like!” As if this method makes healthy eating and caution about
portion size unnecessary. Not true! Studies have shown that Muslims sometimes
gain weight during Ramadan, their holy month of fasting. It’s because some of them
binge eat when the sun goes down. Common sense must be your guide in both
quantity and quality of food (see my blog for December 2017 – 6 Weight Loss Facts).
There are many roads to weight loss and healthy lifestyle. IF has worked for a lot of
people. It might work for you, if you can follow a reasonable diet during your non-
fast window. Phentermine, the appetite suppressant we prescribe, could be a big
help during your fast. Before you try IF, though, ask your PCP if it’s safe for you.

2019 New Year Resolutions

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2019 New Years Resolutions

Got any 2019 New Years Resolutions yet? Let me suggest an early one – lose weight in 2019! If you’re like most Americans, you know that this resolution should be your first priority. There are two ways to lose pounds: eat fewer calories and burn more calories. In other words, diet and exercise. At Cordova Medical Clinic, we can help you with both of these. We prescribe phentermine, an appetite suppressant that you take once daily. It has been prescribed in the U.S. for nearly 6 decades, and it works very well. Phentermine is in the stimulant class, so it not only suppresses appetite, but it also gives you an energy boost, helping you to begin a new workout program easier. Our nurse practitioners will carefully screen you, and then you return in one month for a re-evaluation.

We all want to improve our health and avoid heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and a dozen other health issues related to being overweight. Also, we want to feel better and look better. That is why weight loss should be number 1 on your list!

We are friendly and fast, so don’t delay your resolution. Get a jump start on being healthy and looking great in 2019 – Come see us at Cordova Medical Clinic!

Resolutions, Phentermine, Exercise!

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In our last blog, we made the point that diet is 80% of weight loss effectiveness, and exercise is only 20%. We prescribe phentermine for most of our patients. It lowers your appetite and gives most patients an energy boost. So phentermine can help with both mechanisms of weight loss. Come see us if you think it might help you.

But exercise not only helps with weight loss and weight maintenance – it has tons of health benefits.

A 2012 study by the NIH showed that exercise can extend your life by about 3.5 years if you get the recommended amount (2.5 hours per week of moderate exercise). And even if you only get half the recommended exercise, you’ll live nearly two years longer. Those who got twice the recommended exercise lived 4.2 years longer than sedentary people. So the more you exercise, the more benefit for your longevity. And you don’t have to knock yourself out to get decent results.

Longer life is great, but what about quality of life? What does the research say about that? Research shows that regular exercise can prevent completely or delay the onset of 35 chronic disease conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, many cancers, polycystic ovarian disease, depression and anxiety, bone fractures/falls, erectile dysfunction, and many more.

If you can prevent or delay these conditions, you will feel better and spend a lot less time as you age in the doctor’s office, hospital, pharmacy, and on those ridiculously long phone calls with your health insurance company. Plus, you’ll save many thousands of dollars that you can use for fun things for you and your family.

The research also shows that if you, say, had to have your appendix out, if you’re a healthier, fitter patient you are going to have way fewer complications afterwards and a shorter hospital stay.

This January is time to make some New Year’s Resolutions. I encourage you to make regular exercise your top resolution! Come see us at Cordova Medical Clinic if you need help getting started.

Get Your New Year’s Resolutions Started Early With 6 Weight Loss Facts

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January resolutions are just around the corner! For this blog, I’ll be summarizing an article written by Alice G. Walton for Forbes.com in September 2013. If you’d like to read the entire article, which I highly suggest, please click here.

 

  1. Dieting beats exercise. Of course, you’re doing your best when you do both, but you simply cannot out-exercise bad eating habits. Eating fewer calories is 80% of weight loss effectiveness. Phentermine can help reduce your appetite; come see us to learn more about it.
  2. Exercise does boost your metabolism. Exercise helps keep your metabolism up, which makes maintaining your weight loss so much easier. And of course, it provides tons of other benefits as well: better sleep, feeling stronger, better heart health, stronger bones and joints… I could go on and on!
  3. You may have to work harder than others to maintain your metabolism. Research has shown that formerly sedentary people who recharge their metabolism may never quite get back to normal, so they may have to work harder than their always thin friends to get and stay trim. Not a pleasant fact, but something you may have to deal with.
  4. There is no one best diet. Paleo, low-carb, low-fat, vegetarian, and dozens of others will all work, but you have to decide to stick with it.
  5. A calorie is a calorie…BUT! It’s true a calorie can come from any source, be it fat, carbs, or protein. But to be healthy, you want to eat mostly highly nutritious foods, like fruits and veggies and whole grains and low-fat meats. Avoid the junk food – you’re likely to feel full quicker with higher fiber foods like fruits and veggies, and therefore eat fewer calories.
  6. Habits are the key. You can’t eat right for just a few weeks or a few months and then expect to stay thin and healthy. You have to decide that this journey is about a change in lifestyle, one where you are constantly learning about your food intake and exercise habits for the rest of your life. Start with a few small changes, and once those are ingrained, add a couple of new ones. You can make it happen!

 

Come see us at Cordova Medical Clinic to get started on your New Year’s Resolutions for 2018!

MyFitnessPal To Lose Weight

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I recently participated in a 7-week Transformation Challenge at the gym I belong to.  We all tried to improve our strength and stamina over that period, with a baseline workout on Day One that was repeated on the last day.  But most people were also trying to lose weight.  My goal was to lose 10 pounds over the 7-week period.  And for one of those weeks, I was going to be on vacation. Yikes!

 

I didn’t quite reach my goal – I lost 7.5 pounds.  Looking back on it, I lost all of that in the first 4 weeks, then I plateaued.  And I think I know the reason why: I stopped keeping a journal of my calorie intake.  I had decided to enter all my food and exercise into the MyFitnessPal app on my phone.  At about 4 weeks, I decided I didn’t need to do that any more because I knew about how much to eat and what kinds of foods to eat.  Maybe so, but I wasn’t accountable for all of my calories, so my actions didn’t follow the plan.  I know this to be true because I didn’t lose weight for 3 weeks: if I had a calorie deficit, I would’ve still been losing. (My exercise remained the same throughout.)
MyFitnessPal not only helped me lose weight, but it taught me a few things.  I started reading labels more.  I discovered new protein-rich foods that are also low-calorie, such as Greek yogurt.  I learned on vacation that a dozen raw oysters on the half shell are only 114 calories and have 12 grams of protein.  You can bet I repeated that snack!  I also found out how to use the barcode reader on MyFitnessPal to enter a new food, which made using the app even easier.  I plan to lose a few more pounds in the next month, and I know I will do it with MyFitnessPal.  If you want to lose weight, give MyFitnessPal a try.  I think you’ll like it.

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