Well Wisconsin Radio

Disclaimer:  The information in this podcast does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should not be used as a substitution for healthcare from a licensed healthcare professional. Consult with your healthcare provider for individualized treatment or before beginning any new program.

Interviewer: Hello and welcome to Well Wisconsin Radio, a podcast discussing health and well-being topics with experts from all around the U. S. I’m your host, Alexis Krause, and today my guest is Anish Amin. Aneesh is a senior health coach with WebMD and feels health coaching is such a beautiful field to work in. Aneesh has been with WebMD’s coaching services since 2011 and specializes in tobacco, weight management, and pain management. He has a degree in biology and exercise physiology from the University of Kentucky. He’s certified through ACSM with various credentials, and he’s also trained in mental health first aid. Anish believes that well-being is not just about our physical components, but the emotional role it plays as well. His hometown is London, England, and he currently resides in Tampa, Florida with his family. Anish, thank you for joining me today.

Guest: Thank you for having me. A pleasure to be here.

Interviewer: Well, I’m so excited to dive in and talk about the Positively Me program and different components of our well-being. So, many people have tried to lose weight or maintain their weight, um, throughout their life, and I just was curious, what are some common barriers that people face when they’re working toward that weight goal?

Guest: Yeah, so there’s definitely, you know, some barriers that people do face when approaching a weight loss journey and a couple common ones, you know, I would notice would be the knowledge factor to understanding weight loss techniques and the strategies that come along with them. So, you know, as an example, there’s many diet plans that are out there nowadays, and a lot of them involve, you know, temporary fixes; Uh, not more of a lifestyle behavior change. So, let’s say somebody wants to start cutting out carbohydrates completely. You know, the body will be able to use the stored adipose tissue for an energy source, which in turn allows for the weight loss to occur. And then when they start to incorporate those carbohydrates back into the diet, the body remembers that internally and the weight gain process starts to occur again. You know, so the confusion of why this is happening can lead to somebody feeling discouraged, making it more of a challenge for them. And, um, another area common barrier that people, uh, would, would experience would be the hormone balance. So, you know, for, for weight loss to be successful, hormones have to be in balance. And a lot of times people are stressed out and, you know, the lack of sleep from job duties or daily family activities, things going on with the kids and such, and, you know, these all affect the hormonal balance. So, if they’re exercising, they’re eating correctly, and they notice the weight’s not coming off, it can lead back to that state of confusion, therefore making it more of a challenge.

Interviewer: So, we understand that weight loss is very complex, and it’s often discussed in a narrow context of just work on your diet and exercise. Could you tell us a bit about some of the other areas of wellness that you work with people on and, when they bring weight loss to you, what are some other aspects that you might talk about with them?

Guest: Yeah, definitely. You’re right. You know, weight loss is not simply just about the nutrition and exercise. Um, the mental, emotional aspect of wellness, it plays a big part in the journey as well. And, you know, some other areas of wellness we work on can vary depending on where the person is in their stage of change model. So to me, a big rule of thumb is to meet the individual where they’re at in terms of their readiness to change. So, you know, if they’re in pre-contemplation, um, or contemplation where they want to change something in six months, iff they’re in the preparation stage where they plan to change something within the next month, it gives me a better idea of where we need to start off with when helping out on their journey and outside of the diet and the exercise, we, we can focus on very various areas. Um, and a few examples, um, would be, for example, performing relaxation techniques, you know, like, uh, deep breathing or, uh, different forms of meditation, you know, whole body scans, guided meditations. You know, these type of these areas can allow them to, uh, somebody is wanting to lose weight, have the ability to control what they can control and have some body positive positivity. You know, it can allow them to develop these coping skills when faced with tough decisions. It helps individuals avoid emotional eating, you know, other unhealthy behaviors and a couple of other areas that we can also work on as well that are connected here can be the social wellness and sleep to. So I definitely think it’s important to build and maintain meaningful connections, you know, to foster a supportive social network, engaging positive social interactions. And, and these, all these areas can help have that mindset of feeling healthy. So, um, you know, getting enough sleep, they can help with the weight loss because not getting enough sleep, for example, it can, it can increase the cortisol levels. Which can lead to the weight gain as well there. So, you know, there’s different areas around it. The mental emotional aspect, the sleep, the meditation, uh, different areas like that.

Interviewer: I love that. You talked about the healthy mindset and it’s, it’s all encompassing.

Guest:  To me, they, uh, you know, they all, they all correlate together. You know, we can’t have one piece focusing on one, one piece and not focusing on others. To me, it’s, uh, it’s, they’re all intertwined.

Interviewer: Could you tell us a bit about the Positively Me program through WebMD that’s available to the state of Wisconsin group health insurance program members and why this program has been so effective?

Guest: Yeah, the, the Positively Me program, it’s definitely, it’s a fantastic program to take advantage of through the state of Wisconsin and WebMD and, you know, it’s available for those individuals who, who fall within a certain BMI range upon completion of a biometric screening and health assessment. And, um, in the Positively Me program, the individuals will get to work with our coaches. We all have a minimum of a four-year degree in areas of fitness and wellness. A lot of us have master level backgrounds as well. So, um, being in the Positively Me program, the members get to talk to coaches who have gone through specialized trainings and certifications regarding weight management. Uh, the program typically entails coaching sessions every two to four weeks where a coach will reach out to the member and we’ll be able to set some goals that the member’s wanting to work on. Um, The Positively Me program uses a topical approach where seven different topics are addressed. Um, you know, and these topics can include tracking, cognitive restructuring, positive thinking, diet, environmental support, time management, sleep, exercise. And, and what we do usually is we’ll set an initial 5-10 percent weight loss target from what the member currently weighs. And then we can always readjust to reassess accordingly when they meet those milestones. And, uh, the program definitely utilizes proven methods and techniques, you know, to help someone on a weight loss journey. So I do feel it’s extremely effective. Uh, it’s a very structured program. The more frequent coaching sessions, you know, keep the member held accountable. Um, another key component actually of the Positively Me program is the accountability where the member has to weigh in weekly as part of that program and they have the ability to either text us the weight on a weekly basis or, you know, they can sync an app within the portal where it can, can upload, uh, automatically. So it is more intense, um, but it utilizes proven methods and techniques for somebody on a weight loss journey.

Interviewer: Yeah. I think those proven methods are really helpful and, um, encouraging people to want to participate. You don’t want to give your time to something that maybe isn’t proven to work before. Could you tell me a bit about how support from a health coach like yourself can assist people who are having a tough time losing weight or have some of the barriers that we talked about in the first question?

Guest: Yeah. So, you know, being in the field for many years as a health coach myself, uh, the most satisfaction I get is when I’m able to help somebody change their life in a positive manner, physically and or mentally. We’re, we’re here to help bridge that gap. Between knowledge and behavior change, you know, we were able to provide personalized education, and we can help identify underlying barriers to change and root causes to unhealthy choices. You know, as coaches, we definitely actively listen to the member, you know, and that can help set some realistic, attainable plans, goals. We can create actionable plans as well alongside that. Lastly, I would say offering the ongoing support and accountability, um, helping individuals navigate complex wellness information to make these informed choices.

Interviewer: And how frequently do you recommend that someone meet with a health coach when they’re just starting out?

Guest: So in all my years of experience, you know, we found that most people they’re more successful um when they can start out a weight loss journey if they’re able to meet every two to three weeks, for the first few months. I know what some people may be thinking is that it’s too much and it can take a lot of time out of their day. Um, but it’s definitely all for their greater good, you know, for the greater health of improving functionality, you know, and, uh, definitely don’t get me wrong. I get it. We live in a busy world nowadays, you know, and usually the meetings with a coach, telephonically typically last about. 15-20 minutes per session. So, you know, I feel it’s not too much time taken out the days. Um, most challenges are faced though, when beginning a weight loss journey or trying something new for the first time. And this is why I feel it’s fundamental to start out every two to three weeks. Um, but then as the members start to, to get into a groove and, uh, see some, some positive changes being made, then the health benefits that come along with them, they start that, that allows them to start increasing their motivation. It allows them to start increasing their confidence. And, um, usually at that point, when that point occurs, I feel it’s usually a good transition to extend the periods between the sessions to every four to six weeks or so. So usually I’d say start out two to three weeks for the first few months, get into that groove, into that mindset. And then after that, after the first few months or so, we can, uh, we can increase the, the, we can space it out, you know, to every four to six weeks.

Interviewer: Yeah, I like that. The 15 minutes, I think that’s a bite sized chunk of time. You know, every other week, every two to three weeks when you’re first starting out, it seems doable.

Guest: Yeah, definitely.

Interviewer: I kind of want to pivot now to talk a bit about GLP1s. So if you turn on the news or you watch the headlines, you’re definitely sure to see information on the GLP1s for weight loss. And while these are not currently covered by the state of Wisconsin’s group health insurance program for weight loss, we understand that some of our listeners may pay out of their own pocket for some of these drugs for weight loss. Um, what kind of information and support can a health coach provide to someone who is using these medications?

Guest: So GLP1s are definitely a, uh, they’re a hot topic in recent months, like you said, Alexis, and, you know, there’s definitely been numerous studies to show the benefits and, you know, being as a health coach here, our WebMD stance on the weight loss medications, is per the clinical advisory board, the CAB. Our WebMD Health Services coaches we should focus on the lifestyle changes to promote the weight loss. Um, you know, the medications that are prescribed for weight loss, they should not be the focus, you know, or suggested during the conversation. However, um, you know, the content or information we can share, it’s not used to treat, diagnose or prescribe to the individuals. You know, unfortunately, it is beyond our scope of practice as health coaches to offer specific treatments, diagnosis or prescriptions to our participants. Um, you know, medications, they’re prescribed to help a patient lose weight while continuing healthy lifestyle changes. And one thing we can say is you know when medications are used in conjunction with lifestyle changes on average a patient may lose 10% or more of their starting weight versus patients who do not take the medication. Um, you know, during coaching sessions, we are able to provide individuals with approved resources. So, um, you know, there’s the, uh, the MedlinePlus.gov website, for example, where we can guide them to specific articles and resources on there to help out with the questions that they may have regarding the medications. Um, there’s also the, uh, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, the website with that again, we’re able to guide them to those type of resources and pinpoint, you know, what kind of questions that they do have. So, unfortunately, we can’t do, you know, the diagnosis and treat prescribed individuals, but we are here to help with approved, Clinical Advisory Board approved websites and resources.

Interviewer: Okay, that makes sense. And would you say it’s safe for a member to buy GLP1s for weight loss from compounding pharmacies or have the drug prescribed through these online websites? I know you said you can’t do that yourself, which makes sense, um, as a health coach, but are there any side effects that you’re hearing from members who choose to, to take some of these GLP1s?

Guest: Yeah, so generally it’s not, you know, considered safe to, to buy these GLP1 medications for weight loss from the compounding pharmacies or online websites. You know, one of the, the main reasons is these, these sources, they, they do often lack FDA approval. And, you know, that can potentially provide medications with unknown quality or purity, safety concerns, you know, so, um, it’s not generally considered safe to buy them from the online sources or the compounding pharmacies and, um, we do recommend to really consult a healthcare provider for a prescription from a licensed pharmacist to ensure that proper usage and monitoring of those GLP1 drugs. And there’s a few common side effects that we can experience from taking these type of medication, you know, and some of them such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, abdominal pain, upper respiratory tract infections. Um, there’s some other serious, less common, but some, some more serious side effects. For example, you know, it can gallbladder problems or low blood sugar, the hypoglycemia, it can, it can cause allergic reactions, you know, they can cause pancreatitis. Um, so there’s definitely some side effects and, you know, that come along with that. But, um, again, it’s all about, you know, to, to reach out to their healthcare provider, the, the primary care physician and, uh, ensure that proper usage.

Interviewer: Yeah, that’s kind of scary to think about some of these not even having FDA approval if you’re, you’re looking on these compounding pharmacy websites. I didn’t realize that.

Guest: Yeah.

Interviewer: The WebMD Wellness Portal has various programs to assist people with addressing weight management or healthy eating among many other topics. Could you tell us a bit more about these programs and resources? How can these support participants with their overall well-being goals?

Guest: Definitely, indeed! You know, the, the portal has many options available. for people to utilize and, um, a few of them that come to mind, you know, we’ve got a program called the Coach Connect. So that is a, it’s a text messaging-based service where the participant or individual, they have that capability to have a back-and-forth dialogue with a health coach, you know, they can initiate the chat. Simply by going to the message in part in their profile and you know, our coaches are very efficient and will usually respond within 24 hours. Um, another program, another resource that we have is the Group Caching. Group Coaching, it is free to sign up for individuals on the portal. You know, it’s ran by our health coaches, where it’s a, uh, it’s more of an interactive group based virtual coaching experience.  Um, and it allows the individuals to engage with other like-minded people, you know, on the health and wellness topics that are most important to the individuals themselves, you know, and at the same time, this allows having the expertise and guidance of one of our health coaches as well. topics included in that component with the group coaching. Um, you know, there’s nutrition, there’s exercise, sleep, the mental emotional again, and they usually last about 30 to 45 minutes. Um, and you’re able to schedule. You can look at the schedule online in the WebMD portal with the name of the class and the dates that they’re available, and then you can register for it for it that way. So, um, that’s another one. Another one I could think of is the Daily Habits. So this one is where, where the participants are able to set their own goals and they have to track their progress throughout the month. The Daily Habits is there to, to help individuals with accountability, which to me, I feel is always a good thing to have, um, if we have our own self accountability. Um, the end of the day, we’re doing the weight loss for ourself, you know, and having that accountability component can be very beneficial, the self-accountability. Um, so there’s other options that are available to individuals outside of the core elements of wellness. And, um, one of them would be the meQuilibrium that they can take advantage of where it’s a program accessed. Um, you can use a computer. You can use your smartphone, but meQuilibrium is really designed to improve the resiliency factors. And the individual would take a questionnaire, you know, that results in a score representing the resiliency, the level of resiliency across four areas. And that’s mind, body, surroundings, connection. Um, and then that score, you know, assesses the resources you have available to deal with life’s challenges on a scale of 0 to 100. So, um, your meQ score the meQuilibrium score, it can change. It rises as you complete skills and you’re able to adopt healthy habits, you know, boosting that resiliency score. So, uh, it does recommend actually a series of resilience building skills and activities based on that individual’s assessment. Um, so it’s designed similar to the coaching where it’s, uh, in bite sized units and it can be completed on the go again, using the, uh, the app or the desktop. And, um, the last one I did want to talk about is the WebMD partnered with the TogetherAll to offer a clinically moderated, uh, online peer to peer mental health community, um, which, which empowers individuals to anonymously seek and provide support. So in all, there’s many wonderful, you know, programs available for the individuals to take part in. And, um, the objective, as I mentioned earlier, it’s for, for people to bring in all these programs collectively. And build on each program to, to help work towards reaching the, the big picture or the, or the ultimate goal.

Interviewer: Wow, it sounds like there’s a lot on the portal that maybe I didn’t even get to explore yet myself so that’s great!

Guest: It’s worth checking out.

Interviewer: Yeah, definitely! What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out or restarting their weight loss journey?

Guest: So, to me, I’m definitely a big believer of, of starting out small. You know, a weight loss journey is no easy feat to accomplish. Um, it, it takes a lot of drive, a lot of dedication. It takes a lot of determination, uh, to make these changes. And, um, you know, People undergoing a weight loss program will most likely have ups and down, and the weight will fluctuate throughout the journey. So, um, you know, I would say one thing is to remember to be patient with yourself. You know, first and foremost and celebrate the victories as big as they are or as small as they are. Um, I feel we should definitely focus on small sustainable changes to those lifestyle habits and routines and, you know, really set realistic goals and, more importantly, prioritize consistency over the quick short term temporary fixes. You know, it’s uh, it is surprising how many community groups are out there where people can go to get support that they need and utilizing all the technology we have at our fingertips, the support groups we have as well. You know, they all allow for that positive behavior change. And, um, I would say as well, if somebody slips up, that is totally okay. You know, I feel it’s a learning experience that we can take from that to further better ourself. And I like to tell people, you know, we can’t change the past, but we can impact the future. And just as an example, myself, you know, I’m a health coach and I’m not perfect, but I tell myself to improve something by one percent each day, you know, no matter what it is. Um, yeah. Now, that one percent may not sound like much, but over time, it can it can really add up, you know, and it could be improving the core components of wellness, as we’ve been talking about there. Or it could be outside of that, you know, it could be doing something myself doing something better as a father or as a husband. It could be learning a new hobby. It could be, you know, learning new information. And, uh, one thing I would say as well is I’m controlling what I can control, and that gives me the best way to keep a positive outlook and, and to definitely keep, keep striving for greatness.

Interviewer: I love that! Keep striving for greatness. Well, as we start to wrap up here, Anish, uh, what’s one piece of wellness encouragement that you’d like to leave our listeners with when heading into 2025?

Guest: So the new year is right around the corner, you know, and, uh, time definitely does fly. I really would like to encourage listeners to, to start thinking about, uh, now to start thinking about areas to focus on, uh, now so then we can get a head start going into 2025. You know, a lot of times people set New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year, and then we can let days go by, weeks go by, months go by, without making changes. And, and then it can, it can turn into, you know, the mindset of oh, there’s always next year to make the change. But, you know, I feel if we start to plan in advance, um, it definitely allows for a easier transition going into the new year and that they are more likely to succeed with the positive changes that need to be made. You know, and as I mentioned as well earlier, this is a hard, long process, and it does come with ups and downs. And I really would recommend or encourage individuals to definitely, you know, stick with it and not give up. Positive self-talk is vital during a weight loss journey and, you know, having the mindset of we can achieve anything if we put our minds to it. Um, and lastly, I wanted to, you know, just let everybody listening, just remember that the coaches will be here for you. You know, you’re, you’re our main priority. And if it’s whether to lose five to 10 pounds, if it’s whether to lose a hundred pounds, we will, we’ll walk the walk alongside with you and help you in any way, shape or form that we can.

Interviewer: Thank you so much for being with us today. We really appreciate it.

Guest:  You’re welcome. Thank you for having me.

Positively Me:  The Positively Me program isn’t just another weight management program. It’s a 12-month program of one-on-one mentoring that addresses the whole person and all facets of wellbeing including nutrition, sleep, stress resilience, exercise, and more. Those who qualify for the program will learn how weight loss journeys are more than just exercise and eating right. Learn about Positively Me by calling 1-800-821-6591 and talk to a coach to see if this program is a good fit for you.

Health Coaching: WebMD Health Coaching connects you with a real person who cares about your well-being. Aside from supporting you with goals related to nutrition, sleep, physical activity, and stress, we also offer specialty coaching that is more tailored to your individual needs than ever before. Learn about coaching by calling 1-800-821-6591. You’ll get connected with programs that will be most impactful for you. Here’s what a fellow Well, Wisconsin coaching participant said about their experience.

Coaching Testimony:  Well Wisconsin is a very instrumental program, packed full of information, personalize support. Uh, I am appreciative of this program because, uh, I have been able to set goals that are realistic, uh, that fit my lifestyle and, uh, my interests. Um, I found myself being able to easily reach those goals, um, through support from the program. And I believe that, uh, programs of this nature should be expanded to schools, especially public schools where there are children, lots of them. Uh, I am very, very pleased with my progress and my confidence in exercising, developing and maintaining nutritional habits, that are good for my body. Thank you, Well Wisconsin.

Health Coaching Continued: Learn about coaching by calling 1-800-821-6591. You’ll get connected with the programs that will be most impactful for you. Thanks for listening to Wall, Wisconsin radio. I hope you enjoyed this show. You can find our survey in the Well, Wisconsin portal and our transcripts and previous episodes all at www.webmdhealthservices.com/WellWisconsinRadio. If you’re listening to this podcast on your platform of choice, be sure to subscribe so you can never miss an episode.

• See if you qualify for Positively Me Program by calling 800-821-6591
• Talk to a health coach individually or sign up for group coaching today by calling 800-821-6591

• Coach Connect
• DailyHabits
• MeQuilibrium
• Togetherall