Safe and healthy ways to shed pounds
COURIER L 30 IFE, NOV. 1-7, 2019
HE A LTHCARE S POT L IGHT
idelis Care, a Statewide
health plan with more
than 1.7 million members,
opened its new community
office located at 2133
86 Street in Brooklyn. Local
dignitaries and community
partners joined Fidelis
Care for a ribbon cutting and
grand opening celebration at
the office last month.
Staffed by Fidelis Care
representatives that speak
several languages (Russian,
Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish),
the 1,900 square-foot
community office is a hub
where local residents can
learn about health insurance,
apply for enrollment,
or receive help renewing
their current coverage. Located
near the D line of the
New York City Subway, the
street-level office provides
residents with a convenient
location for personalized customer
service.
“The mission of Fidelis
Care is to deliver the highest
quality customer service
while ensuring access
to quality, affordable health
coverage,” said Pam Hassen,
Chief Member Engagement
Officer. “As the Bensonhurst
community continues to
evolve, our commitment is to
promote health and wellness
and be an invaluable partner
and resource for those in
need.”
The Medicare annual election
period will run from October
15 through December 7
and enrollment for Qualified
Health Plans through New
York State of Health will begin
on November 1. Local residents
can call 718-685-5280 to
make an appointment to meet
with a Fidelis Care Representative.
Fidelis Care’s Bensonhurst
Office is open Monday
through Friday, from 8:30 am
to 6 pm and Saturday 9 am to
5:30 pm.
About Fidelis Care:
Fidelis Care is a missiondriven
health plan offering
quality, affordable coverage
for children and adults of all
ages and at all stages of life.
With more than 1.7 million
members Statewide, Fidelis
Care believes that all New
Yorkers should have access
to affordable, quality health
insurance. For more information,
call Fidelis Care at
1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-
3547) or visit fideliscare.org.
Follow us on Twitter at @
fideliscare and on Facebook at
facebook.com/fideliscare.
Health
Maintaining a healthy weight is a great way
to avoid sickness and disease. According to
the Obesity Education Initiative, sponsored
by the National Institutes of Health, as people
become overweight and obese, their risk for developing
a host of ailments, including coronary
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers,
and hypertension, increases.
But the consequences of being overweight or
obese are not only physical. Psychological side effects
like anxiety and low self-esteem have been
linked to overweight and obesity as well. With
such serious consequences linked to being overweight,
it’s no wonder so many men and women
are looking to shed pounds.
As adults embark on their weight-loss journeys,
they can expect to encounter a host of “miracle”
solutions to weight loss that will promise
skinnier waistlines seemingly overnight. But the
best way to lose weight is to do so safely and nutritiously.
Avoid short-term diets. Many adults know
someone who has experience with a “get-thinquick”
diet that promises to produce slimmer
waistlines in a matter of days or weeks. While
such diets might actually be able to deliver on
their promises, short-term diets rarely lead to
long-term weight loss. When attempting to lose
weight, men and women should want to shed
pounds and keep those pounds off. Short-term
diets may require dieters to make unreasonable
sacrifices to produce rapid weight loss. But such
sacrifices can rarely be made over the long-haul,
and doing so might even be unhealthy. Approach
your diet as a long-term commitment that requires
a lifestyle change, not temporary and difficult
to-maintain restrictions.
Eat only when you’re hungry. Eating only
when you’re hungry may sound obvious, but many
people eat as an emotional response to diffi cult situations,
while others may eat as a way of dealing
with boredom. If you routinely respond to stress by
eating, fi nd a healthier way of coping, whether it’s
going to the gym for a workout or taking the dog for
a walk. In addition, don’t respond to boredom with
food. If boredom is setting in, pick up a book or call
a friend and plan an activity together. You may be
surprised to learn how much weight you can lose
when you limit eating to only those times when you
are truly hungry.
Eat at home. Even though many restaurants
now provide calorie information on their menus,
dining out does not afford adults the opportunity to
control their diets as much as eating at home does,
as dieters can control each and every ingredient
that goes into their meals when eating at home.
Don’t forget to exercise. A healthy, low-calorie
diet is only half the formula to healthy and sustainable
weight loss. Adults looking to shed weight
also must commit to routine exercise if they want
their weight loss to be both healthy and lasting.
Men and women, especially those people who
are considerably overweight, should take things
slowly at fi rst, gradually committing to more vigorous
exercise as they lose weight and their body
grows more acclimated to daily exercise.
Losing weight can be difficult, but adults who
commit to healthy and nutritious weight loss are
more likely to lose weight and keep the weight off
than those who look for quick fixes.
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