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Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to Check-up Chat with EvergreenHealth. I'm Caitlin Whyte. And today, we're sitting down with Dr. John Dockins, Chief Bariatric Surgeon and Bariatric Surgery Medical Director at EvergreenHealth Weight Loss and Bariatric Care. We will be talking about what everyone wants to know, especially as we head into spring and summer, some easy changes that lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Now, doctor, a common misconception about being healthy means losing weight. Now, what does it really mean to live a healthy lifestyle?

Dr. John Dockins: That's an excellent question. A healthy lifestyle is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. Not all diseases are preventable, but a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from heart disease or lung cancer can be avoided. There are a lot of scientific studies that have identified certain types of behavior that can contribute to the development of disease and early death.

So health is just not only about avoiding disease, though. It's also about physical, mental, and social well-being, that sense of happiness and fulfillment that comes when you live in a lifestyle that promotes that. When a healthy lifestyle is adapted, you know, usually a more positive outcome for health and happiness is for individuals and also other people in the family, including children. And so, you know, focus for healthy lifestyles is about promoting the day-to-day activities that make you feel good about yourself. And it's not about being skinny or certain clothing size, it's really about your overall wellness.

Now, if people are experiencing weight-related or health-related complications, promoting a healthy lifestyle may help alleviate some of these concerns, but it's mostly about living a day-to-day healthy lifestyle.

Caitlin Whyte: So, whatever healthy means to you, what is the first step in setting goals and the best way to reach them?

Dr. John Dockins: I always tell patients, you know, your focus really needs to be thinking about what you want to accomplish. You know, we use this mnemonic called setting SMART goals, and I'll go through some of that. And the real focus is changing lifestyle habits in a multitude of ways, including nutritional modification, exercise modification and behavioral health.

And if you think about this concept of a SMART goal, it's a mnemonic. The first one is specific. A specific goal should be simple, sensible, strategic, and something you can easily conceptualize. You know, saying, "I want to lose weight." You know, it's not very specific. You know, you want to think about, "Okay, how many pounds do I want to lose?" Or "Why do I want to lose a certain amount of weight?" So you want to be very specific, you know, "What do I want to accomplish and why is it important to me?"

A goal should be measurable. You'll be able to see if you're making progress as you go. You'll know if you've accomplished your goal and you want to have numerous measurements along the way. A goal should be achievable. You want it to be realistic, attainable, something genuine you can accomplish in a timely manner. And I have some patients that say, you know, "I want to lose 30 pounds, you know, in the next month." And that's not very attainable, achievable or realistic. So we have to let people to really think about what's a short-term goal. For example, I just saw a patient today. "I want you to lose a pound a week over the next month." That's an attainable goal and it's measurable. So that's what it means to have achievable goals.

You want things to be relevant. You know, you have to ask yourself, "Is this goal relevant to me? Is it the right time? Will it help me meet my needs to move forward in life?" So, you know, your goals are very personal and so you have to have something that's going to work out for you in the long-term.

And then timely. We want a goal that can be accomplished within a certain timeframe. You can adjust the timeframe, you know, as usual. But if you want to run a marathon, you know, you're not going to be ready to run a marathon in a month, right? So you have to really give yourself time to prepare and train. And these are kind of the basics of setting SMART goals.

Caitlin Whyte: Now let's start small. What are some simple changes that someone can make in their everyday routine that would lead to building that healthier lifestyle?

Dr. John Dockins: That's a great question. There are basic principles that I always tell people to make these simple changes and it starts at night. I really encourage getting eight hours of sleep at night. That's the first step. You know, you want to have a healthy lifestyle, the night before, try to go to bed and get at least eight hours of sleep at night.

Another thing we can do is get up and get moving. We recommend about 30 minutes, you know, of physical activity per day. It doesn't have to be consecutive, but you can do a 10-minute walk here or a 10-minute walk there. But physical activity is a crucial step that you can take to get healthier.

I recommend staying hydrated. We recommend about 64 ounces of water daily. It's really important for overall health. We really want people to monitor and limit their calorie intake. If you look at food labels, it's usually based on a 2000-calorie diet and almost nobody needs a 2000-calorie diet unless you're training for the Olympics, you know? And so a lot of the hallmarks of it is really paying attention to what you're putting in your body, whether it's reading food labels or using apps, but you have to pay attention to how much energy you're putting into your body. That's a really crucial step you can take.

I think socializing is a really important step. You know, spending time with friends and family is really important. We're very social creatures. And if you socialize, I think that's a good, healthy thing for people to do. Obviously, smoking is a very bad habit and so one way to get healthy immediately if you're a smoker is to quit smoking and obviously limit excessive alcohol intake. Those are two small things that you can do to really improve your overall lifespan.

I always think that setting a good reward system, you know, if you have a good week when you are exercising and, you know, eating a healthy diet and getting sleep, maybe you could treat yourself for a week of good behavior. You know, go to the movies or buy yourself a new item of clothing or take a trip somewhere. I think rewards setting is a huge component and it keeps people motivated and paying attention to what they're doing, which is trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

And lastly, I would say visit your primary care physician. And I think this is important because a lot of people don't really go to the doctor as much as they should, at least for an annual physical. You might feel like you're doing well, you know, with the healthy lifestyle, but, you know, get your cholesterol checked, get some blood work done, get your normal health screening. I think that's really important because you may think you're doing everything appropriately, but your doctor may be able to pick up some things that could work with you in terms of achieving your long-term health. So that would be kind of eight pointers that I would recommend to build a healthier lifestyle.

Caitlin Whyte: Yeah. And, you know, making these changes can be pretty daunting for people, just uprooting their lifestyle. So what are some resources that people can turn to for guidance?

Dr. John Dockins: That's a great question. There are a couple of books that we recommend to patients that I, you know, really stand behind. One is called Atomic Habits by James clear. You know, it really lays the foundation for building good habits and breaking bad ones. There's also another habit book called the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Those are two pretty standard books that we recommend for patients to take a look at and it really helps people.

Also, I think any kind of application you can use to self-monitor is really crucial. The Lose It! is one that we recommend a lot for patients out here. And MyFitnessPal is another one that's probably the most common. The key is really self-monitoring. And I think these apps do a really good job of allowing you to enter, you know, your calories, your calorie goals, your exercise goals and set timers and things that can allow for you to stick with it.

If you're interested in, you know, losing weight or getting healthier, there's nothing wrong with seeking care. Our Weight Loss and Bariatric Care program has dieticians, wellness coaches, medical doctors that are all here to help people lose weight. There are behavioral health counselors that are available to help people stick with their rewards system and making sure that they're sticking to the wellness and the healthy living goals. And so that's what I was saying, the books, apps and just seeking care. You know, if you need somebody to help you exercise, you can get a personal trainer. If you want somebody to help move your nutritional habits, visit with a dietician. And that with the apps are a really good starting point.

Caitlin Whyte: And as we wrap up here, what is some final advice for anyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle, but again is just unsure where to start?

Dr. John Dockins: Absolutely. I'm a bariatric surgeon by trade, I also do medical weight loss, but I tell patients all the time that, you know, the hallmark of what I promote is lifestyle therapy and that goes to this kind of healthy living. And so there are a couple of key things I like to focus on. The first thing is, you know, a meal plan. You really want to make sure that you're taking in a reduced calorie diet if you want to lose weight that's based on your basal metabolic rate. Meal replacements can help, but visiting with a dietician and really getting some education on what a healthy diet looks like, you know, is really crucial to your long-term health.

Physical activity is really important. We recommend voluntary aerobic physical activity. You know, getting up to about 150 minutes a week or about 30 minutes a day, at least three to five days. And there are personal trainers and fitness coaches that can help you with that.

I really believe self-monitoring is the key to long-term success and it's part of this whole behavioral modification. So set goals, and we talked about what a SMART goal looks like, reduce your stress levels and avoid stimulus that may decrease your chances of reaching your long-term goals and seek care if you're struggling to stay positive.

In order to live a healthy lifestyle, it is challenging. You know, a lot of people beat themselves up because they might not be able to achieve their goals or they feel like it's difficult. But I'm always here to encourage people that if you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you want to lose weight, you want to avoid bad habits, you know, talk to a healthcare provider. Make these specific goals and being encouraged as you go through your life.

I'm very supportive of people when they try to improve their health. And these basic lifestyle therapy principles are the same anywhere across the country. You want to modify your diet. You want to change your behaviors. You want to get some physical activity. And if you can do those on a day-to-day basis over the long-term, you know, you'll be healthier in the long-term.

Caitlin Whyte: Well, Dr. Dockins, thank you so much for your time today. We appreciate having you and for these great tips.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about the services at EvergreenHealth Weight Loss and Bariatric Care, please visit EvergreenHealth.com/weight-loss.

This has been Check-Up Chat with EvergreenHealth. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.