Weight loss options

For Valley residents looking for options to lose weight, Valley Baptist Medical Center holds free “Introduction to Medical & Surgical Weight Loss Options” patient information seminars in Harlingen on the first and second Tuesdays of the month.

Upcoming dates for these free seminars include Tuesday, June 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Valley Baptist’s Woodward Conference Center, 2101 Pease Street (located on the first floor of the hospital, through the “South Tower” entrance); and on Tuesday, June 9, also from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., in the Boggus Education Pavilion (located across the street from the Valley Baptist Emergency Room).

Dawn Rodriguez, RN, BSN, Director of the Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Program at Valley Baptist Medical Center, said the seminars can help Valley residents learn more about ways to reduce weight and pursue a healthier life “with the people and activities you love, and with the confidence you deserve.”

In addition to being a surgical nurse, Ms. Rodriguez has gone through bariatric surgery herself – and so can personally understand the concerns of weight loss patients.

Along with exploring medical and surgical weight loss options, Ms. Rodriguez also shares a wealth of information about healthier eating and pursuing a healthier lifestyle with her patients.

For example, Ms. Rodriguez says that eating a healthy diet which contains certain vitamins and minerals can not only help a patient with their health physically, but also in managing stress. Here are some of the foods she recommends to her patients:

Whole Grains – They are an excellent source of B vitamins which boost energy and combat the fatigue commonly associated with stress. Foods that contain whole grains include whole-grain breads, breakfast cereals, brown rice, and oatmeal.

Fruits and Vegetables – Eating fruits and vegetables with anti-oxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene can help decrease the production of free radicals which damage cells. Good sources of vitamin C are bell peppers, broccoli, oranges, strawberries and cantaloupe.

Good sources of vitamin E are spinach, blueberries and olives. Foods with beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, kale and romaine lettuce.

Magnesium helps regulate stress hormones. When the body experiences chronic stress you may experience headaches or fatigue. Foods with magnesium include spinach, salmon, black beans and navy beans.

Nuts and Seeds – Nuts and seeds have vitamin E and help boost the immune system. You can find vitamin E in almonds and sunflower seeds. Zinc also helps with the immune system and you can find it in brazil nuts, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.

In addition, Ms. Rodriguez advices her patients to try to get adequate sleep – and to try to stay active through an exercise routine.

“Staying active is a great way to relieve stress and burn some extra calories that you may have taken in,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “If you have your workout at the beginning of the day, you will be less likely to sabotage your day with unnecessary sweets.”

For more information about medical and surgical weight loss options, contact your physician or Ms. Rodriguez at (956) 389-6896 or by e-mail at dawn.rodriguez@ValleyBaptist.net; and visit www.ValleyBaptist.net/medical-services/surgical-and-medical-weight-loss.

For information or to RSVP for an upcoming bariatric surgery seminar, please call 1-888-902-5433.

Valley residents can also call that same toll-free number for information on other upcoming educational offerings at Valley Baptist, including a free “Dessert with the Doctor” with Dr. Michael Eisen on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. on: “Preparing for the Long Run — Getting Ready for a Marathon or Half Marathon”; and a presentation at a free H.O.P.E. Stroke Support Group meeting on prevention and treatment of “brain attacks” with Dr. Ameer Hassan, Endovascular Neurologist, on Tuesday, May 19, at 6 p.m. (both events will be held in the Woodward Conference Center at Valley Baptist-Harlingen).

Weight loss options