I just wanted to post a video from one of our many success stories, Brook. She was kind enough to share her story with the Indianapolis area by being featured in Clarian Bariatrics commericals. Brook is a great example of how weight loss surgery can change your life.
If you would like to learn more about the bariatric surgery process, please come listen to one of our Indianapolis-based surgeons discuss treatment options and much more at a FREE informational seminar. Dates, times and the ability to RSVP can be found by
clicking here.
The following blog was written by Misty Hawkins. I'm writing today to give you an idea of which topics are covered in the Behavior Change Group offered by
Clarian Bariatrics.
Last Tuesday we focused on why people want to get Bariatric surgery and our unhealthy relationships with food. Now, I know that everyone's ultimate goal is to "lose weight" but what are the "real reasons" - how will losing the weight change your life for the better? Will losing weight help you live without as much pain? Will you be able to keep up with your family and children? Your reason could even be as simple as finally being able to shop in whichever clothing store you want…instead of being forced to go to the "plus size" stores!
I think at the heart of everyone's yearning to lose weight is the desire to get back in control of your life - and that means no longer letting food control you. Everyone in the group could give me an example of eating for the "wrong" reasons: Eating when they were angry or sad, eating when they were watching T.V. or studying, and even eating to make themselves happy. The problem is these are unhealthy ways to use food and often lead to weight gain and more unhappiness. You can often use your "real reasons" for losing weight to change your relationship to food and get back on track!
Come to our group to talk about these issues and learn to overcome unhealthy relationships! Next week, we will be talking about cravings and how to fight them! The Behavior Change Group is offered 7 PM to 8 PM every Tuesday night except for the fifth Tuesday of the month. I hope you'll stop by and see us and, if you like, you can share your story!
Each year, Clarian Bariatrics likes to give thanks to our community physician partners for the resources they provide us in giving patients a new life. In the past this has been a holiday greeting card, but we wanted to take a different approach this year and highlight some of our success stories in a Thanksgiving card. This is where you come in!
As one of our patient successes, we are asking that you please submit a photo (or two) that features you doing something you never thought possible. This could be participating in a competitive race, modeling the latest fashions or spending quality time with friends and family – anything at all! We will need about 150 images to create the card, and can think of no better way to give our thanks than to “show off” how amazing our patients are.
We are asking that the photos please be submitted electronically. Unfortunately, we will not be able to scan photos as the resolution is not high enough for printing. Please send your photo(s) or questions directly to Andy Pollen at apollen@clariannorth.com by October 2. If you submit a photo and do not get a verification e-mail that it was received, please send it to clarianbariatricscb@gmail.com. Sometimes our spam filters block out attachments from non-Clarian e-mail addresses!
We thank you in advance for you help!
This week we have had two great news stories, which feature
Clarian Bariatrics staff members! Below you will find an interview with Dr. Samer Mattar, Indianapolis Bariatric Surgeon and Medical Director of our weight loss surgery program, and Erin Light, Fitness and Health Specialist.
Chair squat
Indianapolis Star - Indianapolis,IN,USA
Erin Light, fitness coach for Clarian Bariatrics and a certified personal trainer, ... Light trains people taking part in Clarian Bariatrics' supervised ... |
Are you a fan of Clarian Bariatrics on Facebook? If not, what are you waiting for? We post a variety of photos, news articles and event reminders on there weekly. It's your "instant" news spot!
This story is very personal as my grandmother has been battling this disease for the past two years. Although she was never obese during her lifetime, it shows that Alzheimer's is indiscriminate in whom it can affect. I simply want to share this article in the hopes that it can raise awareness of this horrible disease. The first few paragraphs are below, and the full text can be
found here.
Obesity is on a rampage, with the World Health Organization pegging the numbers at more than 300 million worldwide, with a billion more overweight. With obesity comes the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and hypertension.
Now comes more discouraging news. In the current online edition of the journal Human Brain Mapping, Paul Thompson, senior author and a UCLA professor of neurology, and lead author Cyrus A. Raji, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues compared the brains of people who were obese, overweight, and of normal weight, to see if they had differences in brain structure; that is, did their brains look equally healthy. If you would like to learn more about Indiana weight loss surgery, causes of obesity and how bariatric surgery can change your life, please join us at a FREE informational seminar. Click on the image at the right of this post to learn more.
Click the link to read part two of Erin Light's
Indianapolis Star series on chair exercises. These informative pieces feature Carla Belle, one of our recent success stories.
Are you our friend on Facebook? If you were, then you would have seen this posting right when it was published last Thursday! Our Facebook page is incredibly active, and it's a great forum for former and current patients to stay connected. We are constantly updating events, reminders, photos and news articles that could help you on your journey.
Click below to add us as a "friend."
I will be posting two parts of a great motivational blog from one of our success stories, Bob. He is so great about providing ideas and suggestions to all of us at Clarian Bariatrics, and I think he has some awesome advice to contribute to our blog readers as well. Look for part two on Friday!Recently, I had a nice chat with a woman during the Heartland Walk for Health at the Indiana State Fair. Although she’s not a bariatric patient, she’s lost over 50 pounds since December through dieting. However, she’s been feeling a little “down” lately since her weight loss has slowed down. She’s hit the dreaded “WALL.”
I shared my post-surgery experience with her. I’m almost 18 months post-surgery and have lost about 155 pounds. And, I’ve seen at least a couple of plateaus in my 18 months. I told her this is common among those of us who have lost a lot of weight. Then I shared my approach for beating the “blues." I hope it’ll help her and maybe it might help someone else, too.
I call it…CELBRATE YOURSELF!
When you feel a little down because the weight loss has slowed, realize that your REAL goal is not to lose weight…it is to GET FIT. Your weight was just one of the things standing in your way of getting fit.
Then, think of some of the things you can do now, that you couldn’t do before your weight loss… and CONGRATULATE YOURSELF FOR IT! You’ve done a pretty good thing here. You should feel good about it. For example:
- I congratulate myself every time I mow the lawn now. A year ago I couldn’t mow the lawn!
- I built my wife a raised garden bed this spring. 1,800 pounds of stones and mortar, then shoveled in 2000 pounds of dirt. But, I built it as much FOR MYSELF as I did for my wife! Every time I look at it now I marvel at what I did. A year ago that wouldn’t have been even a dream!
- I can work around the garden for an entire day now. GOOD JOB! PAT MYSELF ON THE BACK! A year ago… no way I could have done that! (Unfortunately, I’ve discovered the poison ivy in my garden. But, a year ago I didn’t know I had it! WOW!)
I just wanted to share with you all some recent news articles featuring Clarian Bariatrics patients and staff members.
Check out this great profile of Carla Belle, one of our recent success stories. The Indianapolis Star will be tracking her progress and fitness routine with Erin Light.Bypass surgery and work are getting her back in shape | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis StarSource: www.indystar.com
Click the link below to checkout the first exercise article, where Erin and Carla demonstrate some chair exercises that are great for all patients.Superwoman | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis StarSource: www.indystar.com
Finally, Erin Light was recently interviewed by the Indianapolis Recorder about smart water choices. Check it out below!The Indianapolis Recorder > Health > Tap or bottle it?Source: www.indianapolisrecorder.com
Hi everyone, it’s Lorie. You know we all have good and bad days and wonder if it is all worth it. I know myself I have had a rough couple of weeks, and today I read this inspirational story that was sent to me in an e-mail by Mike Kramer. It was perfect for me and I thought I would share it with all of you. I hope you get something out of like I did. Enjoy.
The world can be a beautiful place, full of possibilities and life. You can feel invincible and in control. But it’s not always like that, is it? The world can also be a stressful, upsetting, confidence-crushing place. At times, it seems like even something as clear-cut as weight loss is harder than it really needs to be. Is it worth the trouble, you ask. Why am I banging my head against the wall? Is it really doing any good?
You’re darned right it is!
When life and your mind are full of troubles, when things seem out of control, you’ve got to take control of what you can. When confidence is low, that’s exactly when you need to be at your healthiest, your strongest, your most energetic. There’s no better time to create your own little corner of sanity and positive feeling. The best way you can do that is to stick with those small daily weight loss goals.
You can be the hammer, making things happen, or you can be the nail that sits there and gets pummeled over and over. If you’re starting to feel like a nail, it’s up to you to keep your program moving forward. Gather yourself together, draw a line in the sand and refuse to give in to the doubts and temptation to give in or quit.
You’ve probably heard this story before, but since you’re here, it’s worth retelling: A frog, hopping around the farm, minding his own business, fell right into a pail half-filled with cream. Swimming frantically, he found the sides too steep and too high. Determined not to give up, he continued to struggle. He kicked and squirmed, kicked and squirmed until at last his churning had turned the cream into a block of butter – allowing him to hop right out. He never gave up!
Here’s how your story and his intersect. If he only saw the hopelessness of his situation and started feeling sorry for himself, he would have sunk to the bottom. But instead he kept kicking. He kicked not because he knew it would help him escape, but because he was compelled to, he had no choice. He kicked because the alternative was no alternative at all.
From the frog’s point of view, all he was doing was treading water (or cream), doing what he could in a bad situation. If you keep kicking, even if it just seems like you’re treading water, you’re actually causing real change that will make a huge difference later on. There will be good days; there will be bad days – sometimes several in a row. There will be lazy days and discouraging days. But there will also be days of revelation, days of making a breakthrough, days of being proud of whom you are becoming, days of wanting to climb on top of your success and reach for the stars, because you just know that anything is possible.
These are the days that make it all worthwhile. These are the days that let you deal with those other, not-so-great days. Once you know those bad days will be there, it’s easier to accept them at face value and deal with them. But you have to keep kicking on those bad days to get to the good ones. If you’re not kicking, you’re sinking.
Don’t let the world or your own doubts take away one of the most positive things you have going for yourself – your determination to create a healthier, more energetic, more vibrant, more wonderful YOU.
So you think you want to have Bariatric surgery? So, you think you can do this alone? I beg to differ. You can read all the information posted on any Web site, soak up all the info from Oprah and TLC, but you have no idea what your contemplating until you speak to a patient first hand. Every story is different every patient is different every situation is different. The common denominator in all successful Bariatric patients, and in every Bariatric story and situation, is the support system.
If you have surgery in a weight loss surgery center that does not have an adequate support system in place, and you do not have an abundance of supporting people around you, do not stop looking. The Indianapolis Clarian Bariatric Center is supportive on more than the level. The search for a proper fit is so important; do not settle for just any old place to change the rest of your life.
Yes, we stand behind our beliefs, we believe what we say and we walk what we talk. Those are very important items when considering weight loss surgery. No person can do this alone, the education aspect alone could be overpowering. Whether your support system is family, friends or loved ones we are always here to lend a hand, loan an ear or offer a word of encouragement.
The people who work at
Clarian Bariatrics believe in our passion. We want all of you to succeed and the only way to do that is support! Support does not mean, contribute to lifestyles that will harm a Bariatric patient, and often it is given to our patients in an honest straight forward manner, but it is given in love. Support groups. walking groups, copings skills classes, cooking classes are all ways to build a stronger foundation for a successful outcome. Come and visit us at our education seminars (we have one this week) and take the steps to changing the rest of your life.
In my last blog post, I talked about how happy our Indiana post-bariatric surgery patients are about the excess energy they have. This time I want to talk about some of the more entertaining comments I have heard.
For most of us to tie our shoes is not an exciting thing, it is commonplace and does not give us any cause for celebration. However, I have learned that for a morbidly obese person this is not generally the case.
More than once in my year at
Clarian Bariatrics I have heard from a patient how very exciting it is that they are now able to tie their own shoes! Now every time I tie my shoes I get an excitement and joyful feeling that I have helped someone have a reason to celebrate.
Another story highlighting the need to educate children early on the dangers of improper eating and a sedentary lifestyle. This article, from the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, can be found by
clicking here. The first few paragraphs are below:
The prevalence of overweight in the US population is among the highest in Mexican-American children and adolescents. In a study of 1,030 Hispanic children between the ages of 4 and 19, published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine found less than optimal diets in both overweight and non-overweight participants.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), in 2005-2006 the prevalence of overweight among children (2-19 years) from all ethnic/racial groups was 15.5%. For Mexican-American males and females (2-19 years) the prevalence was 23.2% and 18.5%, respectively. Although the US environment encourages a sedentary lifestyle and excess food intake, the Hispanic population is burdened with additional risk factors for childhood obesity including parental obesity, low socioeconomic status (SES), recent immigration, acculturation to US diet and lifestyle, and limited health insurance coverage.
We have received a lot of wonderful emails and comments about the successes that bariatric surgery has helped bring into peoples’ lives. And some of the biggest successes have come from the enjoyment from and ability to participate in a lot more physical activities. I’m learning about people who can do all kinds of activities from spending all day working in the backyard to walking the entire Indianapolis Mini-Marathon this year! We are truly enjoying hearing from you as you continue your journey to a healthier life, and we would love to hear more!
Is there something you have accomplished with your efforts to live healthier?
What opportunities have you taken advantage of since you have experienced weight loss?
Let us know! Your success is proof and inspiration to others.
Just because we are heading out to the track today and John Barnes will be meeting with the former patients, I wanted to share (one last time) his story. Check it out below!
If you are a post-operative patient at Clarian Bariatrics then you have probably heard about
our special reunion event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. I am so excited that we will have so many of our success stories together in one location!
If you are coming tomorrow, please remember that we will be doing a support group at 3 p.m. and John Barnes will be joining us for a quick talk. You can also learn more about the bariatric pit crew concept and, of course, enjoy watching the race cars practice!
The event will be rain or shine, and I cannot wait to see all of you!
I saw this article in the Obesity Action Coalition newsletter and thought the informaiton was too important not to share. Overweight and obese women are less likely to receive an accurate reading from ultrasound screenings aimed at identifying fetal abnormalities, new research reveals. Such screenings also seem to be less effective among women who are diabetic prior to their pregnancy.
"We were asking the question, 'Are birth defects less likely to be detectable with prenatal ultrasound in women who are overweight or obese, compared with women of normal body-mass index,'" explained study author Dr. Jodi S. Dashe, who works in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
For more information,
please click here.
“The support of family, friends and medical professionals is crucial to the success of patients,” Samer Mattar, MD, FACS, Medical Director for Clarian Bariatrics, said. “It is important that these individuals understand that morbid obesity is a disease and they can be part of the treatment through positive thinking before and after the procedure.”
The comparisons between car racing and bariatric surgery are plenty. Think of the patient as a car in disrepair. A surgeon – or mechanic – can come in and fix the inside to improve function, but without dieticians – or fuel specialists - to provide proper education the work would be for naught. Additionally, exercise consultants and psychologists need to be available to help the patient adjust to a new life and habits, just as the tire changer rotates wheels for optimal performance.
Similar to race car drivers, patients are members of a team, which includes other post-surgical patients. It is essential that individuals regularly participate in team building exercises, like support groups and cooking classes, as a way to share struggles and success stories. They can also rely on their friends and family as their cheering section.
Mattar suggests that patients should attend at least four support group sessions each year post surgery, meet with a family physician regularly and visit with his or her weight loss surgeon at least once a year depending on how long the person has been post-operative.
“Just as if a patient owned a race car, they should regularly visit with ‘mechanics,’ undergo maintenance checks and get tune-ups if needed,” he said. “This way, potential problems are diagnosed early and any difficulties that a patient may have, whether medical, mental, social, financial, domestic or spiritual, can be addressed.”
Click on the "Victories at the Track" image at the top right to learn more about the pit crew concept.
I received this e-mail earlier in the week from a former patient who will be participating in the Mini-Marathon this weekend:
Almost one year ago, you helped me change my life. Now I am inviting you and all of Clarian Bariatrics to join me for my next life changing event, as I finish JOGGING my first 1/2 marathon Saturday, May 2nd, with the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. Even if you are unable to be there as I cross the finish line, I wanted to say thank you for helping me, help myself.
Almost 100 pounds later, I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you.
Ms. C
Stories like this that make my job so fulfilling! If you are running this weekend, best of luck to you. If you have a story you would like to share with the Clarian Bariatrics family, I would love it hear it. I know that each of you has things to celebrate, and we want to share in that joy.
Best of luck, Ms. C!
May is such a great month to be in the Indianapolis area. I'm not a huge car
racing fan, but you cannot help but feel the excitment as we build up momentum to the Indianapolis 500. Who's going to take it all this year? Will Danica pull off a big victory? Will Helio get back in gear after personal set backs? Those are just two of the huge stories that will play out this month!
Another great racing related story is that of John Barnes, CEO and co-owner of Panther Racing. John underwent weight loss surgery with the help of Clarian Bariatrics about 18 months ago and has lost more than 120 pounds!
If you have visited this blog regularly, you may already be familiar with John's story, but if not, visit
ACallToChange.org and click on the Clarian Bariatrics tab to view video of John and hear about how bariatric surgery changed his life.
For all the former patients, check your mail next week as we have an exciting announcement for you that relates back to John and his story!
One of
Clarian Bariatrics' success stories is about a lovely lady who entered her first 5K run recently. She was in the office the other day and we could feel her exuberance. She sent this detail in an email:
“I ran about ½ mile total of the 3.1 miles and I ran on every street we were on. I am very proud of myself to have even entered, let alone finish. To think that just one year ago I weighed almost 400 lbs and smoked 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day! We are all truly blessed.”This is a TYPICAL scenario for many people who have undergone weight loss surgery. They regain their lives…and then some! This woman would never have dreamed of accomplishing what she did the other day. I invite you to share your stories or dreams of a healthier, better life.
Are you ready to do something you never thought possible? Then join us at a FREE informational session to learn about bariatric surgery costs, problems caused by obesity and how weight loss surgery can save your life. Click on the image at the top right of this page to see upcoming dates!
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