I was talking with someone today who told me that when she thinks of losing weight all she can think of is lots of celery and lots of sweat. I laughed so hard that I knew I needed to use it for our first blog. Many patients have this misconception about starting a weight loss program. They think that they need to buy special workout clothes, exercise balls, free weights, join a gym and purchase foods that they have never before put in their cart. They associate it with dread and exasperation.

A new patient - let’s call her Beth, came to the Hickory office last week and said to me, “I am hoping you can help me. I don’t know why I can’t lose weight on my own – I have cut way back on what I eat. It must be because my metabolism has slowed down from not eating enough.” I said to her, “Let’s take a look at what you are eating.” Sure enough, she was eating right around the amount she should be in order to be losing at least one to two pounds a week.

Well, it's official. Every year around this time Sports Illustrated marks the opening of bikini season with the release of their annual Swimsuit Edition. It is around this time that women all across America brave pasty and lumpy reflections as they stand in front of a full length mirror to try on last year’s suit or consider buying a new suit for the summer. For some of us, we are hoping to hide indefinitely under layers of long pants and baggie sweaters. But alas, capitalism is there to give us a shot of reality and force us to admit that the time to dig out our summer wardrobe in right around the corner. The torture of it all can give new meaning to the phrase ‘March Madness”.  But, in fact, March is the perfect time to prepare so that you can melt away the extra pounds and strut your stuff on the beach before the temperature reaches 85 degrees. Here are some tips to get you ready:

#1: Allow up to 6-8 weeks for delivery

Yes, it may still be frosty outside in the morning, but you need plenty of time to allow yourself to get results. Don't rely on that master cleanse to do your dirty work the week before. Start today! Give yourself plenty of time to get in shape. If you’ve been sitting around all winter your body is not going to just snap back into shape in a couple of weeks. Give yourself about 6-8 weeks of eating well and stepping up your exercise before you expect to see any significant results. Your body will need that time to adapt to the changes in your metabolism and start working harder for you.