A New Practice

“In my training, I found myself telling patients, ‘Remember to eat healthy and exercise more,’ but then wondering why they came back in worse shape. Getting healthy and staying healthy should be easier than this, right? That’s when I realized that some folks don’t even know where to start.”—Michael Weingarten, D.O.

Attending Physician

By Michael Weingarten, D.O.

PENDLETON South Carolina—(The Pendletonian)—December 2024—Let me start by saying how excited my family and I are to be welcomed to the Pendleton area. The area is beautiful, and the people have been beyond amazing. We have been involved in the schools, the local recreation department, and are now even more excited to be part of the healthcare in the area.

I have always preached that getting healthy and staying healthy should be two of the easiest things in our lives, but with the way our lives and society are now structured, this couldn’t be further from the truth, and getting healthy is challenging. It seems there’s always a diet, exercise, or lifestyle fix being promoted by someone who doesn’t know you personally, your environmental constraints, or your personal preferences. They offer a one-size-fits-all approach, but that’s not how we are designed. As individuals. As a community.

In my training, I found myself telling patients, “Remember to eat healthy and exercise more,” but then wondering why they came back in worse shape. Getting healthy and staying healthy should be easier than this, right?

That’s when I realized that some folks don’t even know where to start.

My goal with this column, going forward, will be to provide some general health-conscious ideas that can be tailored to someone’s individual desires, goals, and constraints. My goal with my practice in Pendleton is to help each individual with those goals. Get healthy, stay healthy.

One of my favorite questions now is to ask people what is the best diet? What is the best exercise program? They think for a minute and then answer with some crazy fad diet or some exercise program that no one other than a professional bodybuilder or fitness model could ever do. The likely answer given is something unrealistic for that person. In theory, any of those fad diets or exercise programs will work, but are they sustainable?

The correct answer is that the best diet or exercise program is the one you can actually do. The one you’re actually willing to do. Persistence is key. Sure, people can diet for a few days or even a few weeks, but what happens when they stop and return to normal? Instead of making temporary changes that might give some short-term results, what kind of lifestyle changes can we make?

When it comes to healthy choices, there is rarely one answer for everyone (except as regards smoking). Each person is unique, but each person can make one small change. Maybe it’s as simple as limiting sugary drinks, working on portion size or meal timing, taking a walk in the evening, or changing whatever your day-to-day requirements dictate. If I’m going to a youth sports event, knowing I’ll have to eat dinner from a bag, it means I should make better choices at breakfast and lunch.

There’s an adage known as Occam’s Razor: the simplest answer is usually the correct one. The same applies to healthy living options. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t need to be a complex maze of decision making. Find a problem, pick a solution. Stick with it long enough to see results.

As always, I am more than happy to discuss personalized, healthy lifestyle choices with any individual. I believe in working together to build healthier lives, healthier families, healthier communities.

Reader Query: Recently, I learned that I have a body-mass-index (BMI) of over 40, which indicates I am severely obese. At age 50, what would we discuss during our first office visit?

Dr. Weingarten: Yes, that BMI would put you in the severely obese class, but there are other ways to gauge your health, too. The first thing we would talk about are other conditions associated with excess weight—diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol (and countless others), and test for and treat them if present. We would then establish a plan and a timeline—and pick ONE thing you can change. For example, lowering your calories from beverages (there are countless options). We would meet again a week or so later and talk about how well you have accomplished that first goal. The final thing we would talk about is taking the next step: that BMI would likely qualify you for medical or surgical intervention. Both are risky and both are potentially expensive, but we would have a lengthy conversation about risks vs rewards before proceeding. The most important thing to remember is that it will take time, regardless of what options we choose, but that with hard work and commitment, getting and staying healthier is an achievable goal for anyone.