Body Wise*

*The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose or treat ANY medical condition.

The Skinny on Weight Loss and Fad Diets

By Reba Akin

Fad diets are all the talk in the lunch room. Atkins, South Beach, zone, grapefruit, and one of the latest, the acai berry, recently featured on Oprah. Don’t eat fat, eat less carbs, exercise, don’t exercise, take the pill, etc. Confused about how to lose weight? You’re not alone. With all the information circulated and marketed, it is little wonder people give up and plop on the couch with a bag of chips and the remote.

Let’s leave the pounds of hamburger, fat-free cookies, and canned shakes at the grocery store. Many of these diets do more harm than good. The high protein diets can be hard on the kidneys, while the fat free and liquid shake diets leave your body famished. Actually, after moving from shakes to a balanced meal, the starved body holds onto the calories, causing weight gain and inhibiting further weight loss. Information today can be misleading. Studies and research can be found to support — and counter — almost any point of view. Let’s set aside the confusion of sometimes contradictory diets and focus on the one weight loss strategy the medical community agrees that works: lifestyle choices.

The average person can achieve a healthy weight, be physically fit, and decrease their risk factors of disease by making healthy lifestyle choices. These are small, simple adjustments to the way we approach living. When we consider that healthy weight loss should occur at one pound per week, we recognize that small life changes do add up to permanent loss. Simple as that, no flashing lights, and it won’t cost you $29.99/month.

The first step to take before embarking on a weight loss plan is to visit a doctor for a full physical. Rule out causes of fatigue such as a deficiency in B vitamins, anemia, or hypothyroidism. Fatigue is a common complaint that decreases motivation and affectively inhibits weight loss. Hypothyroidism, a common illness mostly among women, is a physiologic cause of both fatigue and weight gain.

Before making changes with your clean bill of health in hand, start a diet journal for two weeks. Write down what you eat for meals including amounts. Write down your exercise — frequency and duration. Review your journal with a calorie counter as a reference. Add up your consumption and calories burned with exercise. Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume.

Start to move. Exercise is a natural mood and energy booster and improves sleep. These benefits decrease the desire of synthetic high calorie uppers and downers like sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Park your car further away from the office or store. Get off the bus a stop early. Take the stairs. Join a gym or club. Ride a bike. Turn on your iPod and dance. Choose to move.

Add food. Psychologically, we do better with adding rather than avoiding. Weight loss is a choice. It is not that you can’t have it, you choose not to. Start your day with protein for breakfast such as a smoothie or a few eggs and whole grain toast. Make breakfast count; it is the most important meal. Add a piece of fruit daily. Add carrot sticks with hummus for a snack. Enjoy a large salad with each dinner. Fill-up with healthy foods, adding the good stuff so there is little room for the bad. Continue the journal. Journals keep us honest and help us stay on track.

Don’t fret over the scale. More important is waist circumference. As you increase your muscle strength and lose weight you may not see the weight drop, as muscle weighs more than fat. Waist measurements focus on dangerous abdominal fat. Fat around organs increases the risk of heart, kidney, and liver disease. Unfortunately abdominal fat is the most difficult to loose. Step it up a notch. Add core work such as Pilates, yoga, or a core exercise class to your routine. Shave off more of the high calorie choices: fried foods, fast food, sweets, and alcohol. If you are having fast food two times per week, go one time per week. If your salad is paired with two glasses of wine, have one.

Weight loss is not hype. It doesn’t cost money and it need not require radical overhaul. Weight loss is a choice. It is your choice. Take simple steps in a steady way and soon you’ll be admiring the person you see not on television but in the mirror.

Reba Akin, ND, is a naturopathic doctor and licensed primary care physician in Oregon. Her approach to holistic healing seeks to reverse disease and optimize personal health. Dr. Reba is a partner in the healing process who stresses prevention and self-care. She listens, educates, and supports her patients. She can be contacted at drreba@bewelleveryday.com.