An evening wth Stacey Halprin

Imagine it’s Sept. 11, 2001, and you are living within 1.5 miles of Ground Zero in New York City.

Now imagine you weigh in excess of 500 pounds and can’t walk more than a few hundred feet at a time.

Stacey Halprin struggled to move her 550-pound body to her apartment window as the planes hit the World Trade Center. Watching in horror, she realized two things – her country was under attack, and her weight held her captive.

At that moment, with a sudden sense of awareness and clarity, Halprin made a promise to lose weight. Since Sept. 11, Halprin has lost more than 300 pounds and maintained her weight loss for nearly seven years.

On Thursday, Sept. 11, the anniversary of the day her life was changed forever, Stacey Halprin will share her story with an Indianapolis audience. St. Francis Spirit of Women proudly sponsors this very special event at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

GO GREEN when eating!

A diet based more on plant-based foods than meats and dairy can lead to extra years of healthy living. This very same diet reduces environmental damage and farm animal suffering.
Here are some tips for eating green:

1. Shop for safer, more sustainable fish. Find fish that are good for you (high in healthful fats, low in environmental toxins) as well as good for the ocean. http://www.oceansalive.org/

2. Eat grass-fed meat and dairy products. Look for meat, poultry and dairy products from animals raised on grass, not grains. Emerging science points to higher levels of anti-inflammatory fatty acids. An added plus is that these animals are not typically given routine antibiotics. What differentiates “grass fed” beef from conventional meat will soon be available from the American Grassfed Association http://www.americangrassfed.org/.

3. Buy pesticide-free produce. Buy produce raised without synthetic pesticides, and on land free of sewage sludge (biosolids) which can contain industrial waste and pollutants.

4. Avoid chicken raised with arsenic. Buy certified organic, which is arsenic-free, or from local producers who can assure arsenic was not used.

5. Be a “locavore”. Buy locally produced foods, when possible. This helps reduce the number of food miles, and supports the economic health of your local foodshed, and helps you learn how your food is grown.

6. Avoid plastic bottles and food packaging. Not only are disposable bottles, made from fossil fuels wasteful, the plastic packaging is often made with polyvinyl chloride or #3 plastic. This plastic used in cling wrap and some squeeze bottles may contain phthalate which can leach into foods or liquids, act as a hormone disruptor, and can increase the risk of reproductive damage and asthma.

7. Know where your food comes from. Ask Congress for country of origin labeling on all unprocessed foods. This is standard in European countries and would be under the auspices of the USDA.

8. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet. Pay attention to omega 3 fatty acids, eat 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

9. Choose your foods wisely. Avoid partially hydrogenated oils which can be a source of trans fats and is a sign of low quality food. Minimize processed and refined and most fast food. Eat whole, fresh foods whenever possible.

Are Your Relationships Making You Fat?

Please allow me to share a quote from fellow eating disorder therapist, Judith Viorst, "In giving up our impossible expectations, we become a lovingly connected self, renouncing ideal visions of perfect friendship, marriage, children, and family life for sweet imperfections of all too human relationships."

I love Judith's point that it is our unreasonable expectations of others that make life so difficult. We see a movie or tv show and "wish" that our husbands were as romantic as Tom Cruise's character was in the movie.......we became disenchanted with our imperfect non-movie life. Reality is the essence of good mental health and good relationships, fantasy is never an appropriate substitute.

So I ask you to consider: Are the relationships in your life making you fat? Do you wish you could change people? Are you able to identify relationships in your life that make you hungry?

In order to identify relationships that might be unhealthy for you and your weight loss, answer the following questions:

• Who are the most important people in my life?
• How often do I see them?
• What are my expectations of them? And them of me?
• How do I eat before, after and during my visits with them?

The answers to these questions will help you start to see how you relate to other people and how that affects your intake of food. Some unhealthy relationships may leave you feeling empty, sad, or angry.

How do you experience these feelings so that you do not overeat? Try:

• Journaling
• Talking them out with a supportive friend or therapist
• Setting limits with people, saying NO
• Nurture yourself so completely that you do not look for that in others or in food.

How do I start the process for Bariatric Surgery approval?

The first step in making an appointment is to complete the on-line registration at https://bariatrics.stfrancishospitals.org. Once completed, one of our insurance specialist will contact your insurance company to make sure the surgery is a benefit on your policy.

Many insurance companies have certain criteria that must be met before they will pre-authorize the surgery. We submit Pre-determinations on all bariatric surgeries. This process can sometimes take 3 or more months.

For more information or if you want to know what your insurance company requires to approve bariatric surgery, please contact Nancy Johnson, Insurance Coordinator or Misty Kimble, Insurance Specialist at St. Francis Weight Loss Center, 317-782-7525.