Dr Lockie's Blog - Latest News

Start Exercising - The Right Way

7th May 2021

Physical activity plays a vital role in our health and wellbeing. But for a myriad of reasons, actually getting that activity on a regular basis is often much easier said than done.

To help make it easier to clear some of the roadblocks to increasing our current rate of physical activity, we have teamed up with our colleague, exercise physiologist Paul Peglar, to help educate our clients on this important subject.

Get The "Start Exercising" Poster

First we have produced a small poster which contains helpful tips to getting started. Download the START EXERCISING poster here

Print it out and use it as a reminder of what you might do to get active. Following the common sense suggestions might just be the trigger you need to make a start.

"Just Start Exercise" Education Sessions Start Soon

Our second initiative, is the new Just Start Exercise sessions which will be held monthly in Dr Lockie's rooms at Stafford, which are designed to help educate and inspire clients.

The sessions are open to all of our clients (not just bariatric patients) and it will be a great chance to learn and have your questions and concerns answered.

The first session is on Monday May 17 at 6pm - 6.45pm

Topic: How To Exercise

Check out the flyer for the first session here.

Be sure to phone us on 3355 2011 asap to secure your place at this session.

We feel that this session especially will be a great first step to help get people started.

We encourage you to take advantage of these initiatives that could lead a healthier you!

Tips to Maintain Your Mental Wellbeing Through Covid-19

27th March 2020

Central to how we operate here at Dr Lockie's Practice is care and concern for our patients' wellbeing. At present we all doing all that we can to support our patients in any way we can.

We hope that you are coping in the current situation, but we are aware that it is not necessarily easy for everybody.

Our psychologist, Dr Michelle Van Vuuren, thought that a short article (in PDF format) produced by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) would be useful in providing some coping strategies for those who may encounter some anxiety during this time.

It also provides some tips on how you might approach the subject with children.

Please click the link below to open the document in your browser. (PDF 117kb)

https://drphillockie.com.au/files/newsletters/20APS-IS-COVID-19-Public-P2_2.pdf

Finally, please remember that we encourage you to avoid coming into the practice for any upcoming appointments if possible. In many cases we can organise a Telehealth (video) Appointment. Contact us to discuss if necessary.

Please read our article on attending clinic prior to attending.

This will make a real difference in helping prevent the spread of this virus.

Shirley Lockie

Covid-19 Update March 22 2020

22nd March 2020

I thought it would be helpful to explain the current approach to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The current QLD Health policy is for all covid-19 patients to be admitted to public hospitals. There will be NO covid-19 patients admitted to the private hospitals. The aim is to keep the private hospitals as “clean” hospitals, and allow elective surgery to continue. However, my intermediate lists in the public hospital are likely to be cancelled in the next few weeks.

Therefore, the aim of the practice will be to continue to operate regularly in private hospitals.

Please continue to practice good personal hygiene and social distancing. The practice is being regularly cleaned and disinfected. If you wish to have a telecast appointment rather than come into the practice, we are happy to facilitate this.

Click here to make a Telehealth Appointment online.  Alternatively, phone us on 3355 2011  to arrange it.

Please remember if you are feeling unwell, DO NOT ATTEND for your appointment.

Phil Lockie
Surgeon

March 2020 Support Group Cancelled

16th March 2020

Due to the current Covid-19 situation, the March Support Group has been cancelled.

We will provide further advice in due course about the status of future scheduled Support Groups.

We apologise for any incovenience this may cause.

Crucial Covid-19 Information for Patients

16th March 2020

Steps you can take to assist our practice in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

The practice staff will do everything they can to assist you and the practitioners will do everything to run to time.

• Please attend appointments  a maximum 10 minutes early
• To reduce the number of patients in the waiting room please DO NOT attend  early
  • You will be asked to wait in your car
• Please do not attend with anyone not essential to your appointment
• As per previous communications, telecast appointments can be offered and should be considered as a first option
• Use the gel on arrival
• All staff will NOT shake hands
• The toilet on site will now be used for staff only
• Avoid coughing /sneezing  or use appropriate protection and gel

We Need Your Help

The practice will continue to keep cleanliness  a priority  but we need YOUR help to do so.

Thank you for your cooperation, I shall keep you posted of any further developments .

Dr Phil Lockie

Surgeon

Dr Lockie Awarded BSR Leading Contributor Status for 2019

13th February 2020

Good News! We have just been awarded Gold Status for a fifth year running - more to come soon.

For the fourth year running, Dr Lockie's Practice has started the new year by being awarded gold status of Leading Contributor for the Bariatric Surgery Registry (BSR).

Dr Lockie and his team continue to demonstrate the committment in delivering the best possible outcomes for their patients by being at the forefront of evidence based bariatric practice.

Dr Phil and Shirley Lockie and the entire team are driven by a passion for and a pursuit of excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric surgery. After working for around 12 years together as a team, they continue to lead the way in their field.

The Bariatric Surgery Registry measures quality and safety outcomes for patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Australian and New Zealand hospitals and is part maintained by  Monash University.

The BSR also has the support of Australia and New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society (ANZMOSS - formerly OSSANZ) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) as it is of vital importance in monitoring and evaluating patient outcomes across Australia and New Zealand.

Click here to read more about the Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Put yourself into that supportive team environment by taking a free (no charge, no obligation) initial consulation with Shirley Lockie, Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistant.

 

BARIATRIC SURGERY JUST THE BEGINNING TO SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS

4th April 2019

The following article has been reproduced with the kind permission  of St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, publishers of Best Practice Magazine.

Currently bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity  and associated co-morbidities such as diabetes. However, to sustain long-term weight loss success and for resolution of co-morbidities, St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital’s upper GI and laparoscopic surgeon, Dr Phil Lockie warns that surgery needs to be combined with behavioural and dietary change.

Latest results from Dr Lockie’s practice, demonstrate weight loss outcomes better than the national average, and he credits these results to his team approach before and particularly following a patient’s surgery.

“We know, through experience, that bariatric surgery is not an easy option, and it is important that patients participate in the pre and post-operative psychological and dietetic support that we offer to sustain their weight loss,” said Dr Lockie.

Dr Lockie’s patients at 12 months post-surgery had an average BMI of 30 (compared to a national average of 32.5); an excess weight loss of 80.2% (compared to a national average of 64.8%); and a total weight loss of 31.3% (compared to a national average of 25.5%).

Dr Lockie’s pre and post-operative care program for patients includes the following key elements:

Bariatric co-ordinator: a complimentary consultationfor patients to discuss their surgical options and learn how the practice works. This helps guide the patient through the process and acts as a point of contact for questions.

Dietician: regular sessions in person and over the phone with a dietician to discuss diet changes immediately post-surgery, and then at specific intervention points like hair loss at three months and managing appetite beyond twelve months. Vitamins and micro-nutrients are checked
on a regular basis by Dr Lockie and the dietician.

Psychologist: patients are provided with pre- and post-op sessions to help put in place the fundamental lifestyle changes required to help consolidate behavioural change. Behavioural change is essential for long-term weight management. The team’s psychologist specialises  in bariatric patients and has completed a PhD in weight  loss patients.

Weight loss support group: a monthly support group provides the opportunity for patients to discuss their concerns in a group setting under the supervision of a psychologist. Guest speakers present on a regular basis on a range of topics including post-weight loss plastic surgery.

Specialist consultations: as part of weight loss surgery is managing and improving weight related co-morbidities such as diabetes, we collaborate with a number of specialists at St Andrew’s, both pre-operative, in-hospital and post-operatively, to ensure patients are as well as possible prior to surgery, have the best possible management of their co-morbidities in hospital and as they lose weight post-operatively.

Exercise: patients are encouraged to attend the support group with an exercise physiologist and have the opportunity to book individual one-on-one sessions with the exercise physiologist. Formal and incidental exercise is important for long-term weight management.   

Dr Lockie said bariatric surgery should be regarded as a tool to aid weight loss and the importance of behavioural factors (eating behaviour, diet and exercise) cannot be overemphasised.

“Modification of poor behaviour or food choices, through dietary and psychological assistance is important for long-term success. Our team members, have been working together for ten years, and are here to provide as much support as needed,” he said.

Getting Fit In Ten Minutes (or Less)

19th March 2019

Each January millions of people make New Years Resolutions to eat better, lose weight or exercise more. A staggering 8% of people actually achieve their goals, although your goal of cutting out all carbs or running every day may seem like a fantastic idea, you must ask yourself how sustainable this is.

You need to set your self realistic milestones and goals, your end goal may be to run 10kms but first aim to run for 5 minutes each day. The way to sustain a new healthy lifestyle is easing your way into creating habits, you should focus on becoming 1 per cent better at something each day.

The 5-minute run

Running has huge benefits on your health, studies show that even running a few minutes a day can improve your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and help you lose weight. Runners of all fitness levels have shown that they have a 30% lower risk of death from all causes and a 45% lower risk of death from heart attack or stroke.

As your fitness levels improve you will need to increase the time and pace of your run to maintain the benefits, if you are time poor a great alternative is interval training.

Interval training is a form of exercise that involves short periods of high-intensity exercises designed to get the same benefits in a shortened time period. The benefits of high-intensity training include improved endurance, lowered blood pressure and blood cholesterol.

Researchers have created an approach known as 10-20-30 training, essentially you jog for 30 seconds at a comfortable speed, then you pick up the pace for 20 seconds, then for the last 10 seconds you sprint as fast as you can. You then repeat this circuit five times without a break, rest for 2 minutes, then repeat the cycles again. The whole thing will last 12 minutes, not including warm up or cool down.

Create an at-home circuit

We understand that sometimes you don’t have the time or budget to attend a gym, creating an at-home circuit allows you to workout with convenience. The ideal fitness regime will consist of a warm-up, cardiovascular workout, resistance training, flexibility exercises and a cool down.

There are a number of exercises you can complete using the furniture around your house. The at-home circuit should be strenuous and completed as quickly as you can, the good thing is that you are finished within 10 minutes.

Your at home circuit should include star jumps, push-ups, step-ups, squats, planks, tricep dips, wall-sits, lunges, push-ups, and side planks. You need to do each exercise for 30 seconds, going as hard as you can and only taking a 10 second rest between exercises.

The 12 minute Yoga Routine

Yoga improves flexibility, muscle strength and creates healthier bones. A 2016 study by Loren Fishmen discovered that a 12 minutes yoga routine is all you need to improve your general health and help prevent osteoporosis.

To stimulate osteocytes it is recommended that you hold each pose for 12 to 72 seconds and focus on your form. Your pelvis should always be level and your standing leg should be facing forward. It is essential that you can feel your muscles tensing as you need to build muscle to build bone. Using Fishmen’s technique there are a number of beneficial poses to complete including, tree pose, extended triangle, warrior, extended side angle, locust, bridge, reclining, and the corpse pose, hold each pose for 30 seconds on each side.

The nine-minute weight training session

Strength training is a great way to improve your flexibility, reduce injury risk, build muscle and maintain an overall healthy body. You don’t need to join a gym or dedicate hours of time to do weight training, all you need is a set of dumbbells and a timer. You should aim to find a square or hexagon ended dumbbell at a comfortable weight, try the 2kgs and if they’re too easy get a heavier weight.

A report in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism investigated whether short strength training sessions with different lift techniques could improve strength. The investigation found a program of nine, 60-90 second exercises achieved significant strength gain. The report indicates that you don’t need to spend 5 days a week at the gym for 2 hours at a time, in the study even the individuals that spent the least amount of time at the gym still made gains.

To complete the 9 minute training session, select weights that are heavy for you but still give you the ability to complete eight to 12 repetitions. When doing your exercise try and target all areas of your body by including lunges, squats and chest press. Complete a set of three exercises for 60 seconds without a break, then take a 60 second break and continue onto the second set of exercises, repeat for the third set. For best results try and repeat these exercises at least three times a week. As your strength gains remember to upgrade your dumbbells to a heavier weight.

The 2-minute walk

If you don’t have time to complete a 30 minute walk a day, have you ever considered a 2 minute walk every hour? A report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that you don’t necessarily need to exercise for a long time as long as it’s consistent. Finding time for a 30 minute walk each day can seem daunting but getting up every hour for a 2 minute walk is a great way to get your daily exercise and also avoid the issues associated with constant sitting.

The best way to try the activity is to set your timer for 2 minutes every hour, go for a quick walk wherever you are, then repeat 15 times daily.

Mindfulness for 10 minutes

Improving your physical appearance can be more difficult if your mind isn’t in the right place. There are currently a number of anecdotal evidence and recent research that suggests mindfulness can impact a persons ability to maintain or improve their physical wellbeing. Mindfulness has the ability to reduce symptoms of anxiety, enhance cognitive functioning and may even improve a person's immune response.

Author of Ten to Zen, Owen O’kane says that taking 10 minutes a day of mindful thought will create the right headspace to set you up for the rest of the day.

To participate in the activity lie down and be completely still. During this time begin with checking in on your emotions, assure your self that all emotions you are feeling are normal. Now find your own calm space, place your arms across your chest and start alternatively tapping with each hand 20 times. Once you have found your calm place, spend 2 minutes concentrating on your breathing and focus on mindful thoughts. Once the exercise is complete think about how you feel and try to introduce this exercise into your daily routine.

If you are experiencing trouble with weight loss, there could be an alternative. At the Dr Phil Lockie Surgery we offer a free, no-obligation consultation with our Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistant, Shirley Lockie, to answer your questions and discuss your options with obesity surgery.

*Dr Phil Lockie Surgery advises that all people should seek advice from their General practitioner before engaging in physical activity.

Dr Lockie Awarded BSR Leading Contributor Status for 2017

25th February 2018

For the second year running, Dr Lockie's Practice has started the new year by being awarded gold status of Leading Contributor for the Bariatric Surgery Registry (BSR).

Dr Lockie and his team have again demonstrated the committment in delivering the best possible outcomes for their patients.

Dr Phil and Shirley Lockie and the entire team are driven by a passion for and a pursuit of excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric surgery.

The Bariatric Surgery Registry measures quality and safety outcomes for patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Australian and New Zealand hospitals and is part maintained by  Monash University.

The BSR also has the support of Australia and New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society (ANZMOSS - formerly OSSANZ) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) as it is of vital importance in monitoring and evaluating patient outcomes across Australia and New Zealand.

Click here to read more about the Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Put yourself into that supportive team environment by taking a free (no charge, no obligation) initial consulation with Shirley Lockie, Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistant.

Latest Research Shows Benefits of Lap Band Surgery for Type-Two Diabetes Sufferers

14th May 2017

CORE Study

The latest research coming out of the prestigious Monash University's Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), suggests that Gastric Band (Lap Band Surgery) can be effective in the treatment of type two diabtetes sufferers who are overweight (BMI 25 - 35).

About 90% of those with type two diabetes are overweight or obese.

The study, which took place over a 6 year period showed that compared to the control group which lost an average of 1.8% of body weight, those who were given the sugery lost an average of 12.8%.

There were other significant benefits as well which lead report's co-author, Prof John Wentworth, to advocate for the change in guidelines which currently recommends this procedure for those who are obese (BMI > 35).

Read more about the research here.

The Bariatric Surgery Registry measures quality and safety outcomes for patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

STAMPEDE Trial

Another study from the USA published in the prestegious New England Medical Journal conducted by Cleveland Clinic (STAMPEDE group) appears to confirm these findings.

This study, with a five year follow up period, compared treatment following bariatric sugery compared to the best possible medical treatment alone.

Resolution of diabetes at 5 yrs was 5% medical patients compared to 29% gastric bypass patients and 23% sleeve gastrectomy patients.

A range of other health benefits in the bariatric group were also recorded including improved quality of life and reduced insulin usage. These patients had a pre operative BMI between 27 and 43 (mean of 37.5).

See the report summary here.

Dr Lockie at the Leading Edge of Bariatric Practice

At Dr Lockie's practice, his multi disciplary team can provide you with the best options for your individual circumstances.

Being a leading contributor to research in this area and through his Brisbane Institute of Obesity Surgery (BIOS), his team are at the leading edge of best practice in this field.

If you think you could benefit from a weight loss procedure and are currently overweight, make contact to get a free (no charge, no obligation) initial consulation, knowing that any future procedure is only ever done in the patient's best interest.