We share one man's experience with a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) to support his 155# weight loss. Take a listen and find out why the surgery itself is not the "quick fix" some believe and how it really is only the tip of "weight loss" iceberg. Regardless, with the necessary focus, it can be life changing with the right team and support system.  Learn more about Rob DiMedio, the VSG Everyman, this incredible human, before jumping in to listen. Head to Instagram @my_weight_is_history to meet your friendly neighborhood VSG Man as he manages food, feelings, finances and fitness one post at a time!

Weight-loss surgery changes the shape and function of the digestive system. A  (VSG) may help you lose weight and manage medical conditions related to obesity. Conditions include diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and risk factors for heart disease and stroke - according to the Cleveland Clinic.

VSG is guidelines are based on BMI (Body Mass Index). With a BMI of 40 or higher someone may be a candidate. It may also be an option for an adult at:

Something that makes the VSG, or gastric sleeve, so popular is its excellent success rate, between 80% and 90%. On average, people who undergo this weight loss surgery lose 60-70% of their excess weight within one year. However, weight loss after surgery depends on one's ability to change behaviors in eating and activity. Also, being in good mental health is important for the demands of following a treatment plan.

Outside of the above, very clinical and sterile notes - weight loss surgery can come with long held stigmas, some health complications, and patience... a lot of patience. Getting to the point of accepting the surgical weight loss route as a solution likely comes with frustrations and challenges - countless weight loss attempts, compounding health complications, accepting vulnerability, possible medical bills, multiple doctor visits, and of course the surgery itself. 

I want to be clear - I do not know of this first hand and what I know can not compare to the experience of personally going through it all. I've been in surgery with surgeons to view and learn the process, I've support many individuals pre and post surgery. Again, my experience from the "other side" pales in comparison to going through it.

This is why Rob is here to help us all learn and understand more about just what this life changing experience can be for everyone involved. I appreciate the VSG Everyman for sharing his story. I know you will too. 

Please, share this with someone you love and care about. It would mean the world to me that this messages gets spread further to support the many people in our lives. 

Always love and appreciate you - Ryan

Dietitians are always on the look out for solutions to make my clients life easier while achieving their health, performance, and mindset goals. It's not every day I come across solutions that are so impactful and simple to implement (delicious, also!). When I heard my Dietitian friend had found a way to do just that, I had to have him on to talk about it.

Omega-3 may improve many aspects of our health and performance:

Who wouldn't want these benefits? Of course, no one wouldn't. These are benefits that can improve your health and performance right now. However, it's fair to acknowledge that some people are unsure if taking these supplements actually do anything. So can improvements in the omega-3 status in our blood be tested beyond just asking - how do you feel? Yes, with the Omegaquant Omega-3 Index at home test. It measures the amount of EPA and DHA in the blood. Studies show 8% is the optimal level of omega-3.

This is just what Tony Castillo MS, RD did with 10 clients over 24 days with EO3, an omega-3 Multi-Nutritional Smoothie with 1600 mg Omega-3 (820 mg DHA, 550 mg EPA), 20 g protein, additional vitamins & antioxidants from apple, pear, and black currant. These clients were chosen for their compliance as well as their current activity level. All were previously consuming fish and supplementing with Omega-3.

How did their Omega-3 index over the course of this experiment? Listen in to find out! 

Thoughts/Topics to discuss:

- Benefits Omega-3

- Testing Omega 3 index and ranges, where to test

- Supplemental vs food derived Omega-3 to improve outcomes… into EO3 and why it was used

- Results from experiment? Omega-3 index improvement?

- Benefits of EO3, taste, frequency of use? Benefits vs other supplemental Omega-3?

Tony Castillo has amassed a wealth of knowledge in the sports nutrition world while working with the University of Florida and most recently the Toronto Blue Jays. He is owner of Nutrition for Performance, online nutrition coaching, with a mission is to provide individualized, tactical strategies to improve overall performance through nutrition and lifestyle modifications. It was great to have another voice and opinion on how we can utilize fueling strategies with our clients so you know how to best Fuel You!

You can find more about Tony and what he does at nutritionfp.com and on Instagram @coach_tonycastillo

Thanks for listening! It would mean the world to me if you followed and shared this episode. If you could also take seven seconds to give the show a 5 star rating, it would help and support others to make the sustainable changes in their life that can impact them beyond measure.

Always appreciate you - Ryan

Here's a Meal Time Challenge for you, your family, and friends.  

1.) Eat more slowly and don't rush your meals. Put you fork down between bites! 

2.) Chew thoroughly

3.) Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV and putting down your phone. Eat in silence… at least from TV and phones. 

4.) Focus on how the food makes you feel. Stop eating when you're full. 

5.) Time your meals - how can you spend more time eating mindfully 

Mindless and Distracted eating may be creatine more of challenge than you think. 

Recalculating macros, finding new recipes, tracking your food endlessly - these are solutions to some problems, but it may be just putting the cart before the horse. 

I challenge you to spend more time with you food, eating honest-to-goodness meals, and just be present.  

Here is a link to the study I reference in the show: Carli A Liguori, Cassandra J Nikolaus, Sharon M Nickols-Richardson, Cognitive Distraction at Mealtime Decreases Amount Consumed in Healthy Young Adults: A Randomized Crossover Exploratory Study, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 150, Issue 5, May 2020, Pages 1324–1329, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa022 

Share this with someone you love and care about. It would mean the world to me that this messages gets spread further to support the many people in our lives.  

Always love and appreciate you - Ryan

We know travel can throw us off our current goals and path our ultimate success... the secret is that it should (in some way).

Alright, what do I mean by that? Travel is a time to explore, take a break from usual routines, try something new. Be where your feet are, if you will. Sticking rigidly to your usual meals and exact routine may only leave you tired and frustrated. So, take time to focus on what's around you - and keep focused on only what you can control. 

In this episode I talk about three trips & tricks that can keep you experiencing all that is around you on your vacation or business trip, while also finding yourself achieving your goals... all while not being too overbearing. 

1.) Rule of Three: control with less control

2.) Up with the sun, down with the dark

3.) Hydration after 40,000 feet

Which one of the three tips resonates most with you?

It would mean the world to me if you liked and shared this episode with someone you care for and love. We'll all be better for it. 

Always appreciate you - Ryan

Billy Riddle is a force of creativity, attentiveness, and truly is collaboration personified. He has a calm and confident demeanor, a silent leader if you will. I highlight this because you may not find this very often in the kitchen of busy restaurants. However, that is just where Billy has evolved from - as a celebrated Philly based chef, he's developed his own style of cooking, but most recently his own style of delivering food and food experiences through social media and web based platforms. 

It isn't a small task replicating the flavors, fragrances, fun, and feel of a well thought out restaurant it's menu like Spice Finch in Rittenhouse Square in Philly - in a digital format. This is just what Billy and his Fiancé, Top Chef Season 6 finalist, Jen Carroll, did, with Carroll Couture Cuisine, where they offer custom food experiences and consulting. They flexed their skills to deliver the ultimate food experience to everyone at home through their Patreon and Crowdcast channels.

In this episode I specifically loved when Billy talks about how to best support customers and clients at 29:21, go check it out. 

Find Billy on IG: @chefbillyriddle

If you loved this episode, it would  mean the world to me to like and share with people you love and live alongside with. It's been my mission to support you and all my listeners by bringing content that helps find the intersection between Satisfaction, Satiety, and Biological Need for each individual to feel more confident in their nutrition and lifestyle goals. Thank you for listening and supporting my mission.

Always grateful for you - Ryan

Calories count in all areas of nutrition related goals, none more important that building muscle.

Catch Dominic anywhere on social media and you can tell he has a spark about him. He’ll tell you that, “energy is everything.” He’s interviewed a number of amazing humans on his Pure Ambition podcast which supports his mission of empowering others to become the best version of themselves. As a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and content creator as well, he’s reaching the world in a number of ways to spread his energy.

He’s currently sharing his experience transitioning from football to endurance training, with the Philadelphia Marathon coming just around the corner in November 20, 2022. During this time he’s raising money for Selfless Solutions @selfless_solutions, supporting the people of Tanzania with education and resources to build programs and systems that will continue to build equality.

His skill in connecting with people is being leveraged by supporting Upswing Fitness, a social media platform ‘uniting the world through wellness’. There he is leading other trainers to become the best versions of themselves for their clients and to continue his mission.

Thoughts/Topics Discussed:

- Interviewing some incredibly inspirational people - what do they have in common? How are they different from the gen pop?

- You're the Head of Growth at Upswing, how are your supporting your mission in that role?

- Transitioning from football to endurance events, you had to push your body and mind - what skills/mindsets did you already have? What, if anything, did you implement from your podcast guests?

- Balancing strength training and endurance can be a slippery slope for people seeking body comp goals. What challenges have you come across? 

- What steps can people take if they feel they have the bandwidth to work on themselves to become the “best version of themselves”?

Meal plans are like hammers, practically useless and even dangerous if you don't know how to use them. One of the more controversial topics in the Dietitian world is whether or not to give a client a meal plan.

I've said:  meal plans won't work for clients 

I've also said: meal plans are the answer

What's more important is the individual I was speaking with or about. It's important to know why and how we're using a meal plan. I believe that I'm only failing a client if I give them the answer without showing them how I got to it. I'm only giving them a short lived solution by telling them what to eat instead of how to eat. 

In 2017 the International Journal of Behavior Nutrition and Physical Activity publish an article showing that meal plans were associated with improved food quality, variety, and improve body weight status. In this episode I'm sharing three more reasons why meal plans work.

Always appreciate you - Ryan

It was a common statement I heard often when busy professionals running around NYC stopped in my office at the request of their primary care physician. Their health had slipped away when they weren't looking and they were struggling with the questions of - how did it happen? how did I get to this point?  Unwanted weight gain, high cholesterol, uncontrolled blood sugar, gout, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease... the list of health challenges piled up on people and before they knew it they were being offered a medication regimen to fix it all. Luckily, the doctors and offices I was associated with  

"I wish I knew then, what I know now"

It was a common statement I heard often when busy professionals running around NYC stopped in my office at the request of their primary care physician. Their health had slipped away when they weren't looking and they were struggling with the question of - how did it happen? how did I get to this point?  Unwanted weight gain, high cholesterol, uncontrolled blood sugar, gout, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease... the list of health challenges piled up on people and before they knew it they were being offered a medication regimen to fix it all. Luckily, the doctors and offices I was associated with recommended working with a Dietitian prior to starting or increasing medications. 

Our group of Dietitians was able to support and reduce the need or stop the need all tougher for using medication. It wasn't magic. It wasn't a special pill or powder. It was honesty to goodness education, application, and accountability. Sure, when we had patients that weren't ready for the stage of change we offered, they were told that medication was the best course of action. However, this is far and few between. Most patients understood the severity of their situation and were able to make the necessary changes to their lifestyle and food choices.

I'm sharing the three biggest lifestyle habits that led these patients to the challenging spot they found themselves in and how you or a loved one can stop themselves from falling into a similar trap.

Here are the three that I saw in the majority of patients I saw:

1.) Allowing their environment to control food choices: not advocating for proper food choices at work or home

2.) Justifying "Activities of Daily Living" as exercise instead of dedicated movement

3.) Repeating the past, reapplying the same failed diet habits despite them failing multiple times

If you found this episode to be beneficial for you or a loved one, please like and share. It would mean the world to me if you could rate this five stars so I can keep delivering to you all. 

Always appreciate you, Ryan

In the journal, Circulation, an article entitled "Temporal Patterns of Self-Weighing Behavior and Weight Loss in the Health eHeart Study" from November 2018 analyzed six different patterns of scale weighing over the course of 12 months with 1042 individuals in conjunction with weight loss goals. Weighing daily and more consistently was associated with significantly more weight loss, 1.7%, than "non-weighers" or weighing weekly.

I've observed more success and less feelings of anxiety about progress when my clients have made a regular habit of daily morning weights - however this is also associated graphing the trend, discussing weekly fluctuations, and appropriate goal setting. It's incredibly important to understand this is anecdotal, but also observations from a seasoned clinician. 

In a 2016 article from Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics titled "Weighing everyday matters: Daily weighing improves weight loss and adoption of weight control behaviors" found that daily weigh-ins was associated with adopting weight control behaviors. These include reducing snacks between meals, cutting on dessert potion sizes, exercising and increasing steps daily.

Does this mean you should also take daily morning weights if your goal is weight loss? It depends. I'll say that even a hammer can be considered a "bad tool" if used inappropriately. Using it inconsistently, improperly, and without direction - it can be destructive and damaging. 

The benefits of daily weigh ins have shown in research, however if you feel you are becoming fixated on a number, increasing frustrated, or allowing the number to make you deviate from day to day consistency - it may not be for you. On the flip side, if you have someone in you corner walking you through what the scale can do as a tool it can lead to solid accountability, less anxiety about single data point (ie doctor office visits), more clarity around progress (ie overall trend).

Regardless of your decision to use the scale or prefer more "off scale victories" - find what honestly works for you and what it most empowering. 

Always appreciate you - Ryan