BariatricPal.com has Elizabeth Anderson, RD in Boston, MA this week as the reporter at large for Obesity Week 2014. Find out what Elizabeth discovered on Day 1.

Here are some nuggets from just a smidge of the hundreds of lectures and presentations offered today. There are so many to choose from--it's tough to pick. What guides my selection? Information that could be useful, inspiring and life-changing for my bariatric patients.

At a lecture on feeding cues we learned that our visual signals are the strongest cues for eating, not smell. Surprising! I think a certain cinnamon roll company might take objection to that. This got me thinking, what can I do to reduce my visual cues of tempting treats? Here's a quick list I came up with: avoid nighttime TV,(those commercials!) bypass the cracker and cookie aisle in the grocery store, use an alternate route home rather than the local fast food strip. Life is hard, don’t add stress with sugar plums dancing in your head.

At a seminar on motivation, we learned that lasting motivation is built from a combination of importance + confidence. We have to truly value the change we want to make and we need to feel that we can actually do it, to get started.

Weight stigma is unfortunately alive and well. At the ASMBS Integrated Health Update we were reminded that weight discrimination is still held as socially acceptable in many countries including the US. People with excess weight report skipping or cancelling healthcare appointments if they've been a victim of weight bias in their doctor's office. We know from history that stigma is a barrier to healthcare and disease prevention--think leprosy, AIDS, cholera, drug addiction. Let's get obesity off that list. Insults, sneers and bullying do not, have not and will never inspire weight loss. In fact, research shows they have the opposite effect.

Looking forward to another jammed packed, informational day tomorrow.

'See' you then!--Elizabeth

When I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I had to go to a new OB, he weight shamed me nearly the entire time I was pregnant at 32 weeks pregnant, I dropped him as a Dr.

@ thanks for the updates! I could not make it there, so it's great to hear what's going on!!

It would be wonderful if we could get our reporter at large to do an interview with one of the program sponsors...perhaps a Q&A with questions from the forum posters? (maybe pushing it for this week but maybe next year...)

@@amponder good for you! We need to be active participants in our health care. I understand some Dr.'s think that being harsh or giving tough love is what an obese person needs but more often than not they are 100% wrong! We are probably the harshest on ourselves, and what we need is understanding and guidance.

So we need to seek out and find the doctors that are ready willing and able to assist us in our goals to get and stay healthy!!

When I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I had to go to a new OB, he weight shamed me nearly the entire time I was pregnant at 32 weeks pregnant, I dropped him as a Dr.

So sorry to hear you had to go through that. Glad you entrust your care to a more deserving, respectful and professional provider now.

@ thanks for the updates! I could not make it there, so it's great to hear what's going on!!

It would be wonderful if we could get our reporter at large to do an interview with one of the program sponsors...perhaps a Q&A with questions from the forum posters? (maybe pushing it for this week but maybe next year...)

@@amponder good for you! We need to be active participants in our health care. I understand some Dr.'s think that being harsh or giving tough love is what an obese person needs but more often than not they are 100% wrong! We are probably the harshest on ourselves, and what we need is understanding and guidance.

So we need to seek out and find the doctors that are ready willing and able to assist us in our goals to get and stay healthy!!

I'll be sharing summaries from some of the 100s!!! of posters displayed at OWeek 2014. Stay tuned.