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As founder and director of Winners for Life,
a weight management clinic in Denver [www.foodiseasy.com],
Spangle teaches both nurses and patients how to
manage stress, anger, and depression without food,
how to identify the emotional void that people
use food to fill, and how to change eating habits
for the long haul.
“A lot of nurses tell me they are drained
after a shift of walking through the hospital
each day,” Spangle said. “I explain
there is a difference between the walking you
do on a shift and the walking you do for exercise.
The first is draining, the second will energize
you.”
Several years ago, Spangle and a nursing colleague
encouraged each other to go walking after work.
As soon as Spangle got home she put on tennis
shoes and went for a gentle, consistent 20-minute
walk. She says she was amazed by how quickly her
energy levels increased.
“People tell me they are too busy to exercise,”
Spangle said. “What they need to ask themselves
is how can I find the time to exercise despite
being busy? We all know people who have chaotic
schedules but who make exercise a priority.”
Through her work in the field of weight loss,
Spangle has counseled many patients who use food
as a quick fix for fatigue, depression, even as
a reward system.
“Once people realize the ways in which
they are relying on food, they can begin to make
positive changes,” Spangle said. “Food
is fuel, nothing more. It shouldn’t be used
as a way of coping with real-life issues.”
Counseling by example
Lisa Peters, RN, BSN, claims to have one of the
most rewarding jobs in nursing. As a health educator
at St. Joseph’s Mercy Center for Health
Management in Clinton Township, Mich., Peters
spends her days helping patients change their
lives through exercise and good nutrition.
Peters says her job is easy because she practices
what she preaches. She not only lost 70 pounds,
but she’s also kept it off for five years.
“After having children, I put on weight
and was never able to lose the extra pounds,”
Peters said. “I really hated the way I looked
and felt.”
Peters did Weight Watchers to shed the first
40 pounds, then switched to weight-loss supplements
and meal replacements to lose the last 30. St.
Joseph’s is one of 108 medical clinics across
the country that administers services through
Health Management Resources.
“As a supplement-based program, we provide
patients with shakes, energy bars, and prepackaged
entreés that can aid them in their weight-loss
efforts,” Peters said.
“In addition to the food selections, patients
attend weekly meetings and classes where we teach
them how to adopt healthy behaviors.”
Peters says the St. Joseph’s approach is
an effective model for all nurses to use with
patients.
“When we counsel patients on obesity issues,
we keep the conversations very positive,”
she said.
“Rather than telling them everything they
are doing wrong, we focus on ways they can make
positive changes in their life such as taking
a 10-minute walk each day, or using a meal replacement
at breakfast or lunch.”
When she was heavier, Peters admits she lived
a more sedentary lifestyle. When she decided to
lose weight, she formulated a personal care plan.
“As nurses, one of our greatest strengths
is writing care plans,” Peters said.
“My personal plan included taking a healthy
lunch to work every day, and waking up a half
hour earlier to exercise. After several weeks,
it was easy to do with less sleep because I had
so much more energy.”
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