Improving your health through weight loss

Often I sound like a broken record, but we do need to concentrate on the things that we think are important. As a dietitian, I cannot modify your medications, that is not in my "scope of practice", but I can counsel you on one of the best ways to get healthy that I know, and that is getting into a healthy weight range.

The BMI tool is a helpful resource to give you a general idea of what your health risks are in relation to weight status, but like any other tool it does not provide a total picture of what is going on. When it is used as a tool to assess health in relation to others, it could have some positive indicators. I object to the use of it to "categorize individuals" as far as either being overweight or obese or morbidly obese. I think we as a health profession, need to learn how to use the tool without derogatory classifications. Individuals who are overweight , obese, or morbidly obese, realize they are, and do not need to be reminded by having a "label". Just my thoughts....
Anyway, I personally have utilized my knowledge to "get to a healthy weight" for years. And I have been moderately successful when I applied the principles that I know. I kept thinking that if I could just reach the weight that was good for me, I could maintain it. With the help of findhealthysolutions, I have been able to move into a different BMI category, from overweight status to "healthy status". My challenge now is to maintain that . I am implementing what I have preached. Exercise is the number one indicator of whether or not weight loss will be maintained. I am trying. Plus I am listing to my inner hunger cues and continuing to use the take shape for life products, 2-3 a day. So far it is helping me "hold tight" we will see.

My story is that I was on the program for 3 weeks and noticed a reduction by half in my triglycerides and cholesterol. I have lost 20-25 pounds and feel great. Hope to continue with the program. Now, my goal is to introduce it to others. I want you to become as healthy as you can. Let me know how I can help.www.findhealthysolutions.tsfl.com. Check it out, see what you think.

Managing your weight for the holidays

Christmas in September???? NO WAY

No, this is not an advertisement for how many more days till Christmas, or a friendly reminder about how to navigate through the holiday buffets . This is real information on how to be 20-25 pounds lighter by the holiday season.

Imagine how good that would feel and how much healthier you could be ...
how would that drop in weight affect your arthritis,
your blood pressure,
your diabetes??

We all know that weight loss has a positive impact on all those issues.
If you join findhealthysoloutions, and follow the eating plan you will lose 2-5 pounds a week. Since there are roughly 16 weeks till mid December, you could easily lose 25-30 pounds by then. The beauty of the program is that it is easy, straight forward , and you get my support all the way through the weight loss, the transition to regular food , and the maintenance plan to help support long term weight loss.

I will be at Foster's Eastside Pharmacy in Mt Vernon, Ohio the second Thursday of the month from 4-5 . Hope to see you there.

find health solutions

Find Health Solutions is the name of the program I am offering for weight management. It is based on meal replacements which are shipped directly to your house, it is cost neutral as compared to food costs, and best of all, it comes with me as a support/health coach. So far I have seen individuals who enroll in the program have some fantastic results and want to help provide the support to them to continue with the process. I will be working with Thomasina Crock, RN to introduce the program to counties in Central Ohio.
I will be at Foster's Eastside pharmacy in Mount Vernon on the second Thursday of the month 4-5:00 and in Coshocton at the Moose Lodge the second Tuesday of the month 6:30-7:30. Of course you can always email me for more information.


A recipe that I would like to share today, is one of my favorite...it is vegetarian and soooo easy to prepare.

Grilled portabella-pepper sandwich.
2-3 large portabella mushroom caps
Italian Dressing 1-1/12 cups
Soy Sauce 3 tablespoons
1 small red or green pepper
2  100 claorie whole grain round sandwich buns
2 slices swiss cheese
Sliced tomato, onion, fresh spinach

Mix Italian Dressing and soy sauce in 7x9" glass pan. Place mushroom in marinade for 2-8 hours or overnight.
Place mushrooms on grill  (300-350 degrees). Place on grill and cook each side until vegetables are slightly charred and softened on both sides about 2-4 min total. At the same time, grill the pepper and or onion.
Place mushroom, onion, pepper, spinach on bun. Top with swiss cheese and enjoy.

Per serving
Calories: 260
Carbohydrate: 30 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Carbohydrate choices: 2

Diabetes Self Education

I have been asked by Health Education On Demand to help them field test on line education materials about Diabetes. I am excited to offer this to all blog readers. There is no cost to it, but I would like your feedback on the quality of the information and how easy/hard it is to use.
I have checked with the company to make sure that your privacy is protected. That is important to me. The only info that I would need to sign you up is your name and email address. I have spent about 4 hours this afternoon previewing materials that they have available and have selected those pieces that I believe would be of assistance to you in learning about Diabetes.It will come in installments, so you can casually read it as it interests you. No pressure
So often we turn to the internet to provide information about diabetes, but I always get concerned that patients that I deal with are getting accurate information and not "old wives tales". The materials gathered are all from well established sources. There is a variety of types of media that are represented from YouTube to narrated power points to pictorial representations. So there is something for every type of learner..
Email me at floschermer@gmail.com to sign up. I just need an eamil address and your name- first and last.  I would love to see what you think of it.

7stePs to Daibetes Control Fall Schedule

A brief update to let individuals in Central Ohio know that 7stePs to Diabetes Control has started establishing its Fall Schedule for 2011.
A Diabetes Education program that is accredited like ours is, can provide tremendous insights for you about your diabetes and how to better control it. Our program will be taught using the same basic information that you would get at Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or a University Hospital because we all need to meet the same criteria.
The 7steP program however, is brought to where you are, rather than having you come to where the program is. We like to locate our programs in physicians' offices when possible.That is where you come for help with managing your diabetes...that is where you can count on getting accurate information. We also have located several "Silver Sneaker" programs which are renting space to us to provide the program. As a Senior, if you are taking care of your health by exercising on a regular basis, you want to know how to take care of issues like Diabetes. We are excited about being able to bring quality programming to those areas.
Here is our schedule as we know it today September 5. Please let us know if you are interested in participating.
Marion Ohio- to be scheduled
Coshocton Family Physician Group in Coshocton September 13 and 15 12:30-5:00.
Fredericktown Ohio- Dr William Elder's office. October 4 and 6  1:00-5:30. Registration deadline is September 14.
Upper Arlington, Ohio at Studio 50. Introductory talk will be presented September 27  by Dr Tracy Schermer and Florence Schermer CDE, and Classes will be November 1,8,15 9-Noon. Registration deadline is October 26.
In addition, stay tuned for class dates at the Sanctuary in Danville Ohio . 

Snacking and Diabetes it's not all its cracked up to be

Recently I have seen some articles about the role of snacking in diabetes control and it is causing me to rethink that piece of advice. In years past the suggestion was made to eat 6 small meals a day to help control blood sugars.This made sense based on the action of many of the oral and  insulin products that were on the market at the time.

Many of the newer medications that are used function in a different manner. They may not have the peak action that formerly needed to be paired with food. My experience with 6 meals a day is that individuals often find it more difficult to work in times to eat during the day.

In addition, more frequent eating may mean more calories, resulting in more weight gain. That could be counter productive.

The one time it actually does make more sense is in pregnancy, if you are diabetic. During pregnancy there are increased demands on the body and challenges to the way the body handles insulin and glucose.
Meeting with a dietitian to discuss your diet plan is an important part of taking care of yourself. If you are a diabetic, make sure meeting with a dietitian is part of your check list  of self care behaviors. Dietitians are here to help you interpret food into proper nutrition to help your body.  Enjoy the summer sunshine while you can.

Bright days in June

Sunshine has finally come to Ohio and we are all basking in the delight that it brings. The dogs, the plants the people are all thrilled with the change in perspective . We are hopefully putting in a garden this weekend. Yummy tomatoes, squash, corn, beans, and the standard easy to grow items. I have a great set up because I encourage everyone, buy the plants and then sit back and have a cool drink while my son in law and husband plant, weed, and generally take care of the garden.
It works pretty well, because we find that it does a great job of bringing together the generations - grandsons, daughter and son in law and grandparents in something that we can say belongs to all of us. In March the boys and I started tomato plants , peppers and some basil and are almost ready to put it in the ground. I like having them be part of the whole package, and I think they take pride in it also.

    So what is new for me in the realm of nutrition? 

• Well, we continue to offer Diabetes Self Management Education classes around Ohio and are really enjoying empowering participants in managing their own illness. Our team provides terrific, accurate  information but participants have fun and form new relationships. Programming this summer is in Fredericktown beginning June and then will be scheduled for beginning August.

• Find Healthy Solutions is a program that I am offering that assists individuals with weight loss, maintenance and then transition back to regular eating. I feel like it is a fairly comprehensive program and am pleased to say that I have been able to shed about 2 pounds a week consistently on the program and improve my lipid levels substantially. I will be hosting a presentation at Foster's Eastside Pharmacy on June 24 4-6PM. Come by and I would be glad to tell you more about it.

Well, enjoy the rest of the day. Talk with you later.Flo

Learning the ropes

I am frantically attempting to complete an Online course that I signed up for in December.It is on blogging and using other updated media for our business. I like the ease that it provides in setting up new programming. I think that while I am here I will try to finish up with the program so that I can take the next session if I can.
It really provided a lot of cool opportunities that I could see integrating into what we do . We could look amazing with very little effort. Makes me want to take more of the sessions. Wait and see...one step at a time.

A bad weather day and a big cancellation

Tonight we have at least 3-4" of snow out there. Glad the trip home was uneventful, it is always a little bit on the edge whether or not the car will make it up the hills and around the bend. Always worry some about traction.

Today we had to cancel the evening presentation due to snow. Probably a good thing , given the weather , but none the less,it was a little disappointing. The blog came trough for cigarette cessation. I am excited to preview it and post it.

Enough for tonight, not much to write about. Later

Thinning down to gearup

Today is the last day for my second job. I will do 45 minutes of chart rounds and then be on my way to job #1. I think thought wise this will be a good move so that I can concentrate onjust one thing
The weather is rain today, changing to ice, snow etc by tonight. Hope it is later tonight that that happens.
Well, best get ready for all three career moves today, One of the few days this will happen. Have a good one!

Establishing a Business as a dietitian

I have been thinking about establishing a private practice for quite a while. It wasn't until I was approached by two other dietitians who had similar thoughts that the idea really started to take shape. We had the talent and the desire, and are learning the mechanism of all of it.
Making a business work when all 3 partners are employed elsewhere is somewhat of a challenge. Days are sometimes long and it seems like I don't know what free time is anymore, but none the less,  Mid Ohio Nutrition Specialists are making some interesting decisions.
First order of business for me was to establish a DSME program so that we could reach individuals in smaller towns in Ohio. After much work that was accomplished in January of this year.  I thought we could just roll out programming in February, but found out that there needed to be a little more "lead time" when it comes to advertising a new program. With the help of Staples, professional looking posters were designed and placed in appropriate locations. Enough for today, I will try to "journal" more later.

Another nutrition blog

This is a new blog that is really an extension of MidOhionutrition.wordpress.com. There I have developed many informational pieces on diabetes as well as cardiac health. I hope to be able to provide information on nutrition each month. I am finding that it is challenging to find my voice and develop interesting topics on nutrition .