Nutrition Counseling

Nutrition Counseling General Overview
Shocking Statistics

• Results from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.
• According to the National Center for Health Statistics, greater than 40% of men and women older than 35 years are obese. This percentage continues to increase every year
• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese in America
• Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990
• It has been calculated that 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories.

This means that in order to lose 1 pound we have to walk for about 12.5 hours. So don't expect fast weight loss and remember to eat sensibly.

Obesity is an increased percentage of total body fat compared to normal. Obesity is caused by an excess of caloric intake in the diet relative to caloric output by physical activity. Genetic and environmental factors are equally important in obesity.

Overweight is an increased body weight relative to height. Obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and pulmonary hypertension. It also adds a tremendous amount of stress to the joints.

Body mass index (BMI), expressed as weight/height2 (BMI; kg/m2), is commonly used to classify overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9) and obesity (BMI greater than or equal to 30.0) among adults (age 20 years and over).

The newly revised 2005 Food Pyramid is an excellent resource for those individuals who want to eat better every day. It is important to realize each food group provides some, but not all of your daily required nutrients. It is important to know for good health not one food group is more important than another. Good heart healthy advice is to keep fats, oils, and sweets in the small tip of the pyramid to a minimum.

As you progess through your individual weight loss or maintenance program we will help you take a closer look at fat, added sugars, and how many servings you need daily from each of the food groups based on your age and current activity level. Moderation is the key, not deprivation!

As part of any weight loss or maintenance program, you need to exercise. The number of calories you burn depends upon weight, activity, and intensity level. If you exercise at a higher intensity level, you will be working harder, expending more energy and burning more calories. This is what will help you obtain your weight loss goal faster, or help you maintain your weight forever. This is a basic concept of the calories entering the body in the form of food energy, must be eliminated through activities of daily living and exercise, or the end result over time is weight gain. Remember weight gain leads to being overweight which has the potential to lead to obesity. Obesity carries risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and arthritis.

Exercise tables are at best approximations for calories burned. The number of calories you actually burn could be slightly higher or lower depending upon your intensity level and your weight. Please see below for approximations:

We offer several different nutrition counseling programs here at the South Florida Center for Cosmetic Surgery with locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Pre Surgical Weight Loss

If you are someone who is contemplating having abdominoplasty and your surgeon recommends to lose weight prior to surgery, we have a specific program tailored to meet your needs.

Weight Management

Another program we offer involves assisting in weight management after you have had one of our procedures, post bariatric surgery or after major weight loss and would like to maintain your weight after surgery, or if you have already lost weight and are interested in maintaining healthy proactive lifestyle choices to a healthier, happier you this program would benefit your needs as well.

Weight Loss

The third program we offer involves offering assistance in weight loss for anyone considering cosmetic surgery or not. Anyone who has some weight they would like to lose for an upcoming event within a certain timeframe, as well as someone interested in having one on one nutrition counseling throughout the course of their weight loss for an unlimited amount of time based on their goals and expectations is all part of the third program we offer.

We at the South Florida Center for Cosmetic Surgery use tools such as the Body Mass Index (BMI), the newly revised 2005 Food Pyramid, and Exercise Charts to make our nutrition counseling services as thorough and understandable as possible.