Welcome to our Weigh Different Blog and allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Julie Gilbert. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a family doc. I have been practicing family medicine in the Salem area since 1995. While I enjoyed all aspects of a busy family practice, I particularly appreciated getting to know generations of families and watching them grow. My frustration came when I was not always able to keep them well. At times it felt like I was just holding some of my patients’ hands as they progressed in their chronic diseases like heart disease or diabetes or arthritis. I’d prescribe one or two or three more pills. Maybe I’d advise weight loss but I had no idea how to help in this area where so many of my patients struggled. I wanted my practice to be different, way different, but I just didn’t know what needed to change.
Then I discovered the American Board of Obesity Medicine. And I had a revelation. Obesity is actually a disease. And a complicated disease at that. No wonder my “eat less, move more” advice didn’t work. I was so energized by this new found evidenced based, scientific knowledge that I became board certified in obesity medicine. And for the last four years, I have been practicing strictly medical weight management, helping patients understand the disease of obesity, make sustainable lifestyle changes, feel better, get healthier, de-prescribe some medications, (yes, that’s a thing) and the byproduct? Weight loss! I love it!!! I am practicing the best medicine in the 25+years I have been a physician.
I had to practice way different** in order for my patients to weigh different.
So I’d like to share some of my thoughts in this blog I call “Weigh Different.” I’ll be writing about things like Weigh Different hormones, Weigh different food, Weigh Different sleep, and Weigh Different thinking, etc. Now I have to warn you; I am not a writer. Wait. Let me say that a little different: I am not a writer… yet. You may not be where you want to be in your health and weight…yet. I believe we can get there together.
*(ok, I have to mention I am a dog owner too. I have a Bernese Mountain dog named Maisie. She is the cutest and if you come by the office you might see her here.
**For the grammarians out there, I understand I should be using an “ly” on the word different when used as an adverb. Thank you, Sr. Marina, for allowing me to use poetic license here.
