“I want to ride roller coasters and climb mountains. I'm going to be better at age 40 than I've been for my whole life. I feel great!”
Kimberly Ouderkirk, 38, describes her experience with the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program at Auburn Memorial Hospital by saying: “Food doesn't control me anymore. I'm in control. I used to have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and serious knee issues, but all that's over.”
Dr. Wendy Scinta, medical director of the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program at AMH, confirms that many health problems can be cured through weight loss. Scinta, recently certified by the American Board of Bariatric Physicians, is the only board certified bariatrician in central New York. She is proud that Kimberly has been so successful with her weight loss without having bariatric surgery. The Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program is unique in offering both surgical and medical management of obesity.
Kimberly began the program in late November and has lost 100 pounds in 30 weeks. She was working with a nutritionist who referred her to Scinta. After attending an informational meeting, Kimberly says, “I knew this was the program for me. I knew Dr. Scinta cared about me and was going to help me.”
After required pre-testing, Kimberly began with a full meal replacement program, eating only Optifast shakes, soups and bars under Scinta's close supervision. She met with the doctor weekly.
“It was a vacation from food,” she recalls. “For the first two weeks, it seemed like a nightmare, until I made adjustment in my behaviors - I quit watching TV because it went with snacks; I gave up stopping at the store for food on the way to and from work; I learned to avoid stressful situations. Once I did that, it didn't seem hard anymore. It was actually comforting because the new behaviors became automatic. Hunger was never the issue, because I had something to eat every three hours.”
Helping her through the process were educational group sessions in which she learned about what role food was playing in her life and what to do instead of eating when she was upset or angry.
“Kimberly had a very good sense of her own issues and was very honest with herself,” Scinta said. “Everyone has food triggers. Once you recognize them, you can deal with them. In the group meetings, we develop strategies to address unhealthy eating behaviors. We also offer a lot of one-on-one counseling.”
Another important part of medical weight loss is focusing on physiology, according to Scinta.
“We look at numbers - the body mass index, the metabolic profile and metabolic rate, so as to maximize energy expenditures which burn calories. You can under-eat and store fat, and many people don't know this. We also offer teaching about the food groups, portion size and other information by a registered dietitician. I had Kimberly on extra protein at the beginning so she would not lose muscle.”
Exercise is another essential facet of weight loss.
“As the director of a child care center and a swimmer, Kim was already more active than most people we usually see,” Scinta said. Kimberly added, “The more weight I lose, the better I feel and the more active I become. I'm riding a bicycle now and playing kickball.” She said she is planning on hiking in the Adirondacks in September.
Scinta commented that she usually doesn't push exercise during the early stages of the full meal replacement phase of the program because it makes people feel hungry and they tend to overeat. But as they transition to partial meal replacement, she encourages increasing exercise. Participants in the program usually alternate weight loss phases with maintenance phases. During maintenance, about one hour to 90 minutes exercise per day is recommended to maintain weight loss.
Kimberly is still losing several pounds per week, but she is not setting any particular goal except to continue to feel healthy and good about herself.
“I've always wanted to be a size 12, but it's not about numbers anymore,” she said. “I'm in control of my life; I feel young, active and happy.”
“She's an inspiration to all of us,” said Jen Avery, Scinta's office manager, who is also a participant in the medical weight loss program and has lost 60 pounds.
Beverly Miller is the director of community relations and the Hospital Foundation at Auburn Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Wendy Scinta, medical director of the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program at AMH, confirms that many health problems can be cured through weight loss. Scinta, recently certified by the American Board of Bariatric Physicians, is the only board certified bariatrician in central New York. She is proud that Kimberly has been so successful with her weight loss without having bariatric surgery. The Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program is unique in offering both surgical and medical management of obesity.
Kimberly began the program in late November and has lost 100 pounds in 30 weeks. She was working with a nutritionist who referred her to Scinta. After attending an informational meeting, Kimberly says, “I knew this was the program for me. I knew Dr. Scinta cared about me and was going to help me.”
After required pre-testing, Kimberly began with a full meal replacement program, eating only Optifast shakes, soups and bars under Scinta's close supervision. She met with the doctor weekly.
“It was a vacation from food,” she recalls. “For the first two weeks, it seemed like a nightmare, until I made adjustment in my behaviors - I quit watching TV because it went with snacks; I gave up stopping at the store for food on the way to and from work; I learned to avoid stressful situations. Once I did that, it didn't seem hard anymore. It was actually comforting because the new behaviors became automatic. Hunger was never the issue, because I had something to eat every three hours.”
Helping her through the process were educational group sessions in which she learned about what role food was playing in her life and what to do instead of eating when she was upset or angry.
“Kimberly had a very good sense of her own issues and was very honest with herself,” Scinta said. “Everyone has food triggers. Once you recognize them, you can deal with them. In the group meetings, we develop strategies to address unhealthy eating behaviors. We also offer a lot of one-on-one counseling.”
Another important part of medical weight loss is focusing on physiology, according to Scinta.
“We look at numbers - the body mass index, the metabolic profile and metabolic rate, so as to maximize energy expenditures which burn calories. You can under-eat and store fat, and many people don't know this. We also offer teaching about the food groups, portion size and other information by a registered dietitician. I had Kimberly on extra protein at the beginning so she would not lose muscle.”
Exercise is another essential facet of weight loss.
“As the director of a child care center and a swimmer, Kim was already more active than most people we usually see,” Scinta said. Kimberly added, “The more weight I lose, the better I feel and the more active I become. I'm riding a bicycle now and playing kickball.” She said she is planning on hiking in the Adirondacks in September.
Scinta commented that she usually doesn't push exercise during the early stages of the full meal replacement phase of the program because it makes people feel hungry and they tend to overeat. But as they transition to partial meal replacement, she encourages increasing exercise. Participants in the program usually alternate weight loss phases with maintenance phases. During maintenance, about one hour to 90 minutes exercise per day is recommended to maintain weight loss.
Kimberly is still losing several pounds per week, but she is not setting any particular goal except to continue to feel healthy and good about herself.
“I've always wanted to be a size 12, but it's not about numbers anymore,” she said. “I'm in control of my life; I feel young, active and happy.”
“She's an inspiration to all of us,” said Jen Avery, Scinta's office manager, who is also a participant in the medical weight loss program and has lost 60 pounds.
Beverly Miller is the director of community relations and the Hospital Foundation at Auburn Memorial Hospital.
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