Susan Sewell

Susan Sewell, program director for Jewish Hospital's Weight Management Center, says involvement in a group such as CPSP has many benfits for members."Anytime you gather a group of people who are going through the same thing (it will) help validate their experiences and emotions," she says.If a person is the only overweight person in his or her family, he or she might feel isolated and feel that no one really understands what he or she is going through, Sewell says."(Families) might understand, but they don't 'get it,' " she says.Being around people who do get it takes that sense of isolation away, Sewell says.Groups like CPSP also allow members to "practice social skills with people they feel safe around, and then transfer those skills to family, work, or social situations," Sewell says.In addition, members who come away from a meeting feeling good about themselves, carry that increased self-esteem into their daily lives, she says.
...
Sewell says, "There is a strong connection between carbohydrate intake and feeling better," but she is not aware of specific medical research that proves this connection.She says many of her clients report improved mood after eating simple carbohydrates, like bread, cookies and cake.Another explanation for why people overeat, she says, might be that when people take the time to sit down and eat, their breathing patterns change.They begin breathing more deeply, which leads to relaxation, Sewell says.Sewell says 35 percent of the population is genetically predisposed to be overweight, but they still have control over lifestyle factors like diet and exercise, which can help prevent the predisposition from becoming a reality.
...
Being happy with oneself at any size or shape is unusual in a society which says, "If you don't come in an airbrushed package, you can't feel good about yourself," Sewell says."I would hope," she says, "that people of any size could feel good about themselves."What about health?Sewell says healthy eating is the important thing, not body size.But if someone is not eating healthfully, then that should be addressed, she says.

Connie's desire to bring who she calls "people of size" together for fun, support and socializing has been a success, group members say.Changed lives, like Tommy's, are a rewarding outcome for Connie.Tommy says, "Friends look at me and say, 'You're a big guy, and you're so conceited.What's up?' " He says because he is finally happy, he sees himself as attractive.Tommy says he can now "live life to the fullest like anyone else would."

Susan Sewell, a dietitian with the Jewish Hospital Weight Management Program, said all that can change.

"A lot of food focus goes on during the holiday season," Sewell said."Try to find events, or make things happen in your family, that are not so food-focused."

For example, Sewell said many families go out for an Easter brunch or attend a family dinner.

"Go to the park and take a walk instead, or go on an Easter egg hunt so you're not just having people sit around the house waiting for the food to come to you," she said."That's not what the day is about.There's more to the day than food.There's more to do than just eat."

Sewell said it is perfectly acceptable to not offer guests traditional Easter candy, such as jelly beans and chocolate.

"There's no harm is saying we're not going to have those around," she said."Preplanning is the key.And if you do have some things, choose small, individually pre-wrapped chocolate eggs.Don't have like a bowl of M&M's sitting around that you pop a bunch in your mouth at once."

If candy is part of the Easter basket, Sewell said put small amounts in little bags to reduce portions.

She said the hospital's weight management program focuses on changing people's attitudes about food, including holiday bingeing.

"Try to find alternatives for kids' Easter baskets so it doesn't involve food," she said."Put coins or stickers inside, or give a bunch of toys or crayons."

The key, Sewell said, is in getting people to realize that food is not the big win.

- Susan Sewell, director, The Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center

Susan Sewell, R.D.The Jewish Hospital Weight Management Center

"National Marrow Donor Program" > More Details

Susan Sewell is a 15-year veteran of the hospital and the director of the Weight Management Center. She says the program has taken non-surgical knowledge of obesity and applied it to surgery.

"Weight-loss surgery is a tool to help people put into practice all the things they've learned through their years of dieting," she explains.

For people who have participated in Weight Watchers and other weight-loss programs that advocate eating five small meals a day and chewing food thoroughly, "We are good at bringing these things to life, through counselors and behavior modification, because for the first six months after surgery they feel like a fish out of water."

Sewell says about 250 people participate in the program annually, evenly split between men and women, professionals and non-professsionals. Most are between 40 and 60 years old, and need to lose 160 pounds or more. Their conditions sometimes are connected to back or knee problems, or sleep apnea, Sewell adds.

"You lose some of your insulation, which is obvious," says Susan Sewell, registered dietitian and director of the center."Your body's used to having some additional fat as insulation."

And as people lose weight, their metabolism shifts, Sewell says."Once you're done losing weight, your metabolism will readjust."

Sewell and colleagues routinely hear complaints from clients that they're always cold as they watch the pounds fall off.It usually takes six to eight weeks for the body to adjust, Sewell says.

She hasn't noticed that clients who exercise regularly are warmer-natured than clients who just cut calories to lose weight.Everyone who loses weight is chillier, at least for the short term.

"I hear it pretty much across the board," Sewell says.

Cold intolerance is also "more apparent" in people who are on more aggressive weight-loss plans, she says.