2019 Fireside Chat: Facing the Truth, Regain Happens!

Steven Reyes, EdD has specialized in the field of bariatric psychology since 2005. Since then he has worked with thousands of people striving to achieve and maintain their health long-term. He is affiliated with multiple Centers of Excellence (COE) bariatric programs in southern California where he conducts pre-surgery psychological assessments and facilitates pre-surgery educational classes. He speaks regularly on the local weight loss support group circuit and coaches patients from all over the country helping them deal with issues they face after surgery.

Dr. Reyes is best known for his compassionate coaching and therapeutic approach in helping others with their psychological and physical well-being. With a unique background in marketing, physiology, and addiction, he offers a keen understanding of countering the influences that can sabotage lasting change. Dr. Reyes’ doctoral research included a phenomenological study of the post-surgical adjustment issues with weight loss surgery patients between one and two years post-op.

As an active member of the weight loss surgery community, he is passionately committed to helping people implement and maintain their own long-term behavioral change strategy. Whether helping someone one-on-one or in a group setting, his zest for health and life are evident in his interaction with others.

Dr. Reyes is an Associate Member of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), member of the American Psychological Association (APA), and has served as a contributor/writer for ObesityHelp.com, Splurge! Magazine, Shape Up America!, and BariMD. He maintains a private coaching/therapy practice in Southern California (SoCal).

> Learn more about Dr. Reyes

Lora Grabow, LMSW is an obesity medicine provider who partners with other medical providers to empower patients to holistically change their lives. Her approach to health and wellness focuses on something missing in most methodologies, a piece she calls “headwork.”

As the owner of her own counseling practice, Lora has partnered with a thriving obesity medicine clinic in Grand Rapids, MI. Since 2003, she has helped countless medical and surgical weight loss patients to transform their lives. Lora has built her expertise through serving patients, teaching many individuals and groups, continuing studies and professional writing.

She is a contributing author for the Walk from Obesity newsletter, Obesity Action Coalition, and ObesityHelp. Lora is an active member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and serves on the ASMBS Integrated Health committee. She is a sought out professional speaker and presented at the International ObesityWeek Conference and as a regular keynote speaker at the Michigan Bariatric Society Conference.

By sharing knowledge, asking questions, challenging perceptions, and delivering the truth, Lora empowers patients and equips practitioners. She desires that all may be healthy in body, mind, and spirit.

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Sameer Murali, MD is an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician, currently practicing in Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Dr. Murali will be the first to tell you that his interest in overweight and obesity stems from his own lifelong struggle with weight. During his medical training, Dr. Murali realized that his struggle with weight overlapped with the struggle of the majority of his patients. He decided to pursue a career in obesity medicine, which offered him the opportunity to better himself while helping his patients.

As an obesity medicine specialist, researcher, speaker, and lead physician of one of the largest bariatric surgical programs in the world, Dr. Murali has developed a unique perspective on managing weight. He acknowledges the importance of medical and surgical interventions in weight loss, but emphasizes that behavioral and cultural changes are essential for long-term maintenance of weight loss.

Dr. Murali's newest challenge lies in creating bridges between the clinic and the community to broaden the reach of healthy behaviors and raise the standard of wellness in our society.

> Learn more about Dr. Murali