Create Your Home Spa


There are few things in life more indulgent than a relaxing spa day. A few hours of peace and quiet, healthy food and little light exercise goes a long way. De-stressing your body not only helps clear your mind but it also helps clear your body.

You lose more weight the less stressed you feel.

Here are 9 ways to use common, everyday food items for a head to toe de-stress.






Fresh Air-
Take a page from the spa resort's book, they always recommend starting each day with fresh air. Take an easy walk followed by deep stretching. This gets the blood following and lowers blood pressure, naturally.

Green Tea-
Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and helps to cleanse the kidneys, liver, bladder and urinary tract. Brew a pot and sip it hot or cold throughout your spa day.

Good Hair-
Dry winter weather can really take a toll on our hair. If you have any full fat mayonnaise in your fridge or pantry use it in your hair. Full fat, regular mayonnaise makes a fantastic deep moisturizer. Message one 1 cup into dry hair, cover with plastic, and let it sit for 30 minutes before washing it out.
You can also make an all purpose moisturizer (hair, face, eyes, body, feet) using coconut oil and vitamin E (see recipe below).

Eat Clean-
Keep your meals light and cool. Lots of raw vegetables, herbs and some seafood is perfect for your spa day.

Set Your Space-
Create a quiet atmosphere with soft lighting or soft natural lighting, scented candles, relaxing music or complete silence. Use this time for inspirational reading, bible study, prayer, or meditation.

Re-Fresh Your Face-
Reinvigorate your skin with an herbal facial steam. Toss some lemon slices, mint or rosemary into a pot of boiling water. Let the water cool for 2 minutes then cover your head and shoulders with a towel, hold your face over the steam and breathe.
After you have steamed and opened your pores, beat 2 egg white and apply this liberally to your face and neck. Let the mask dry and rinse it way.

Full Body Soak-
Wet 2 cups of coarse salt in a bowl. Wet your skin with warm water then rub the salt all over your body, vigorously. Draw a bath and soak in warm water. Rinse again in the shower and imagine the salt has absobed all those little stressors and washed them down the drain. Dry completely and apply moisturizer.

Hands & Feet-
Soak your feet and hands in very warm (not hot) water mixed with a bath gel and 2 Tablespoons of Epsom Salt. Pat them dry and exfoliate with your pumice stone (feet, not hands). Apply olive oil (or all purpose moisturizer) to soften cuticles, then push them back. Rub your feet heavy with moisturizer, wrap them in plastic and cover with thick socks. The warmth helps the moisturizer to penetrate the skin. Remove the wraps and rub the moisturizer into the skin.

Most Important-
Promise to do this often!


All Purpose Moisturizer
14-20 oz pure coconut oil
2 Tbsp vitamin E

(any 100% natural essential oils can be added)

A Path to a New You


By Michal Baird, MD, Medical Director – Metabolic Medical Center -
“I want to lose weight–I need to lose weight”–How many times have you said these words to yourself? “I’ll do better tomorrow”– and you do…until late afternoon or evening hits and it all falls apart. This scenario plays out again and again.
Those of us at Metabolic Medical Center understand. We will guide you through that never-ending cycle of:
Soon you’ll be saying, “I’ve got more energy than I’ve had in 10 years!”  Your new cycle will be:
How Do We Do It?
We begin by getting to know you—your preferences and your lifestyle. Then we proceed to a medical evaluation that includes:

  • A full metabolic blood panel
  • An EKG
  • Body measurements
  • Blood pressure, pulse, weight, and height
You will visit with a technician who reviews all of our eating plans with you. A physician continues the evaluation by reviewing your medical history and performing a physical examination. We then provide you “your” customized eating plan.
As a full time physician with a full time family, I know what it is like to be busy. We will help you fit a healthy mindset into your contemporary American lifestyle, a lifestyle that is full of toddlers or teenagers (or both!), ballparks and weekend travel, and the demands of single parenthood. You’ve got precious little time for your health, or so you have come to believe.
Good Health and More Energy in Just Two Weeks
Metabolic Medical Center can get you on track for good health and more energy in as little as two weeks. We’ll address your needs and customize our eating plans to fit your personality, even if you say:

“I’m a picky eater!”
“I love my wine!”
“I love to graze and eat tailgate food!”
“I have to eat out for work.”
“I eat what my kids eat (or don’t finish).”
You name it. We will help!
Most of our plans involve a blend of protein supplements and food. We get many compliments on 
our shakes. They are so good that a number of out-of-state folks order them online. We also have developed our own concoctions, such as Dr. B’s Magic Shake, a local favorite.
Our Goal For You
The eating plans also include vitamin supplements. We choose these with your current medications and needs in mind. Some of our patients take appetite suppressants; others do not.  This option is guided by the patient’s medical history. Our goal is for you to have fun, lose weight, and get healthy and love life!

Metabolic Medical Center was born in 1996, lovingly put together by Dr. Douglas Jones, a local endocrinologist. Dr. Michal Baird came on board in 2003 and has been medical director since December 2005. We are one of the oldest weight loss centers in the Lowcountry, and our continued success bears out our experience and expertise. We opened our first office in Mt. Pleasant. Some of our patients were driving quite a distance to see us, so we opened satellite offices in West Ashley, Bluffton, Murrell’s Inlet and Columbia. The programs are the same, and you will see many of the same faces staffing each satellite. We encourage continuity. We are not a franchise. We are proud to be locally born and bred.
We Can Help!
For help creating “The Path to a New You,” please call Metabolic Medical Center today at 843.971.1919 (Mt. Pleasant office), 843.573.9910 (West Ashley office), or visit us online at www.goingmetabolic.com.

Choose the Healthiest Meats

 
Whether you're currently losing weight or maintaining a healthy lifestyle with any of Metabolic's dietary programs, you'll notice we always emphasize LEAN meat. For most meat, more fat means more flavor. You don't have to sacrifice flavor and tenderness for leaner options.
 

Read the Label

The USDA grades meat based on juiciness, flavor and texture. That's it. They do not take any nutritional value into account. The grades labeled "Prime" are fatty cuts with layers of marbling throughout. "Choice" labeled cuts are higher quality but leaner meats and "Select" labeled cuts are the leanest meat with little to no marbling.
 

Know Your Numbers

Some fat is essential to a healthy diet. How much fat varies with each person according to dietary needs and lifestyle. Know before you go to the store what your daily/weekly fat intake should be so that you can make the best meat decisions possible. If you need help determining what that healthy number is, call your nearest Metabolic Medical Center, we'll be glad to talk to you.
 

Free At Last

Meat products are moving past a focus on fat content and into environmental and ethical concerns, (think grass-fed beef and free range chicken). These options tend to naturally have less fat. Since they have less they can be tougher than traditionally raised livestock and poultry. The flavor is described as being much better, however, cage-free and grass fed options tend to be more expensive.
 

From the Ground Up

Ground meat is a wonderful convenience but pay close attention to the package. "Regular ground beef" can contain as much as 30% fat. If you're looking for leaner, look for 90%-95% lean options and add seasoning to flavor the meat. This applies to ground turkey and chicken as well. You may think the healthier ground option will come from poultry, and for the most part it does, but check those labels too for your leanest option.
 
 

 
Graphic by Tantika Tivorat
How to Choose the Healthiest Meats

Fitness Tips for a Healthy Heart

February is Heart Health Month!
Ways to Strengthen Your Heart

There are dozens of ways to strengthen your heart. It's a muscle and it benefits from exercise. The best exercise for your heart? Any aerobic activity you do will benefit your heart. Aerobic activities are so good for you because they stimulate and strengthen your heart and lungs, thereby improving your body's use of oxygen.


What to do?
  • Start walking- It's free, you can do it anywhere and it's a great place to start if you do not already exercise
  • Swim
  • Ride a bike
  • Hike
  • Run
Start slow and grab a buddy. Try to get 30 minutes a day 3-4 times per week and then increase either time duration or the days (or both). You believe how good you'll begin to feel.

content provided by the American Heart Association

Early Warning Signs of Heart Attacks in Women

February is Heart Health Month! Know the signs.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women.  Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Would you recognize the early signs of a heart attack?

  • Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness. or pain in the center of your chest, which lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
  • Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach
  • Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
  • Nausea or vomiting, light-headedness or fainting, breaking out in a cold sweat
Womens' most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. Women are more likely than men to experience these other listed symptoms and usually attribute it to acid reflux, the flu, or the natural aging process. If you experience these symptoms especially the jaw pain, shortness of breath and nausea, call 911 and get to the hospital right away.

content provided by the American Heart Association

Heart Healthy Nutrition

February is Heart Health Month! Heart Healthy Nutrition

Eating healthier doesn't mean giving up everything you love; just eat smarter. Many of us over-indulge in a big portion of meat and a little portion of vegetables. We also tend to over-indulge in salt- most coming from processed and pre-packaged foods.

That's where Metabolic Medical Center can help you. We've been helping people just like you lose weight through proper diet for over 20 years. One of the side effects of our customizable weight loss programs is better cardiovascular health. Once you begin eating better, you begin feeling better, making diet and exercise easier to maintain.

Would you or someone you love benefit from a heart healthy diet? Call an office closest to you and make an appointment.


content provided by the American Heart Association

What's Your Number?




February is Heart Health Month!
What's your (cholesterol) number?


Cholesterol isn't a bad thing, in fact, your body needs cholesterol. Your body produces about 75% of needed cholesterol in the liver and the other 25% comes from the food you eat- animal products.

There are two types of cholesterol "good" (HDL) and "bad" (LDL). Cholesterol only becomes a problem when you have too much of one or too little of the other. High cholesterol has no symptoms so the only way to know what your levels are is through a blood test.


What is the ideal level? Less than 200 for total cholesterol. (the total is found by adding the HDL number to the LDL number) What to think about:
  • The higher the HDL, the better- it should be 60 or higher
  • The lower the LDL, the better- it should be less than 70
What should you eat to balance your cholesterol?
  • dark colored fruits and vegetables
  • lean meats and poultry without skin
  • fish
  • fat-free and/or low-fat dairy products

Metabolic Medical Center is here to help you lose weight and be healthier. All of our programs support a heart healthy diet. Come in today and see how our weight loss programs can help you manage and prevent health risks.


content provided by the American Heart Association

The Power of Produce


See how fresh produce can fuel your weight loss.

Metabolic Medical Center is ready to give you the tools you need to succeed with
your weight loss. It's no secret WE LOVE VEGETABLES!!! but, have you ever wondered
why we love vegetables so much? Vegetables, especially fresh vegetables hold secrets to
successful weight loss.

  • Vegetables contain fiber and fiber helps keep you feeling full and satisfied making you less likely to overeat
  • As you consider adding more vegetables to your diet, you being to think about other foods that may need to be limited from your diet
  • Mindful eating will quickly snowball into other mindful health choices
  • The more different your vegetable choices are the more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you get naturally

How to add vegetables throughout your day:
  • 1 handful of raw kale to your morning smoothie, blend well (you'll never know it's there)
  • Add spinach to your lunch time salad instead of plain lettuce
  • Try one new vegetable 1 time per week with dinner
  • Snack on raw veggies throughout your day
Have other ideas? Share them with us!

Weight loss in Columbia SC

Map of Columbia weight loss office

Weight Loss in Columbia, SC

If you are looking for a weight loss specialist in Columbia, SC - try Metabolic Medical Centers. Metabolic weight loss has been around for over 15 years and have helped thousands of Columbia residents lose weight.

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The Metabolic Medical Center office is located @ 2100 N. Beltline Blvd., Columbia, SC.
Call 803-758-5858 for information and scheduling.

Metabolic Medical Center Features
  1. Weight Loss specialist in Columbia SC
  2. Board Certified Physicians
  3. All weight loss products provided with programs
  4. Best weight loss office in Columbia
  5. Professional Staff
  6. Prescription appetite suppressants (in-house)
If you are looking for medical weight loss in Columbia SC, look no further. Metabolic Medical Centers will help you lose weight fast and safely.

 

Columbia areas served

Arcadia, Forest Acres, Irmo

Columbia Weight loss Offices


Columbia, SC2100 N. Beltline Blvd. Suite A, Downtown
Columbia, SC 29204
803.758.5858
Tuesday  7:30-4:00
Wed  8:00-4:00 (no doctor)
Thursday  7:30-1:00  3:00-6:30
Friday  8:00-1:00

Harbison
7 Surrey Court, Irmo
803.772.5151
Columbia, SC 29201
Wednesday  8:00-5:00

Official Website: Metabolic Medical Center in Columbia

Metabolic Medical Centers of Columbia

2100 N. Beltline Blvd

Columbia, SC  29204

Water for Weight Loss



1. Water suppresses the appetite.
2. Water helps to metabolize stored fat efficiently
3. Water helps flush retained water (excess weight) out.
4. Water helps to rid body of salt.
5. Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by preventing dehydration.
6. Water prevents sagging skin.
7. Water helps rid the body of wastes.
8. Water helps relieve constipation.
9. Water helps the kidneys to function properly which allows the liver to do  its job (metabolize stored fat) … but if
the liver has to do some of the kidneys
work because of lack of water FAT gets stored instead of metabolized... and weight loss STOPS.
10. When we get enough Water, our fluids become balanced, our endocrine gland function improves, fluid retention
is alleviated, more fat is used as fuel by the liver, natural thirst returns, and there is a loss of hunger... 

How much water should we drink???


2 quarts or 8 glasses or 3-4 water bottles


And the overweight person needs 8
more ounces for every 25 pounds of
excess weight. And drink more water
when you exercise or if the weather is
hot/dry !!!