Monthly Archives: October 2017

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Weight loss? How is it done?

In my last post, I discussed how to begin a weight loss journey.  Today I will dig deeper on this topic.  Most patients come to me  with the desire to loose weight, but they barely eat.  Skipping meals, eating sweets or consuming high calorie beverages are very common.  These same patients  tell me that they exercise  consistently or are getting back into it .

In my experience , there are two primary reasons patients fail to lose weight.

Scenario #1:  A woman eats balanced meals including clean fuel three times daily , and yet weight loss remains elusive.   She eats oatmeal with eggs and sausage in the  morning, and  yogurt and a chicken sandwich for lunch.  Dinner consists of beans, rice, and a chicken breast.    She is not eating poorly, but I see why the weight remains.  Quite simply, clean fuel intake has increased, but dirty fuel intake remains unchanged.  You cannot do both.  It is not enough to simply eat more clean fuel and lose weight.  Dirty fuel intake must severely decrease for effective, sustained weight loss with or without exercise.  Moreover, decreased dirty fuel means more clean fuel is necessary.  Otherwise, you will get hungry.

Scenario #2:

A man weighing 300-400 lbs experiences steady weight gain yearly, but only eats 1-2 meals daily.    He walks 30-60 minutes daily and still the weight remains.  When a person skips a meal, the body’s metabolism will go in to “emergency mode” and seek to burn as few calories as possible because it physiologically does not know if and when it will get its next meal.  Hence, failing to eat slows down the body’s metabolism (the ability to burn calories).

Not only is his metabolism slower, but he is very hungry by the end of the day,  and stops for  takeout  where he eats a  dirty fuel meal consisting of a  fried chicken breast sandwich, large fries and a milk shake, thereby consuming 2000 calories  in one meal.   Of course, by eating dirty fuel, the body has no choice but to absorb this meal directly as fat rather than burn it.  Again, clean fuel stimulates fat burning.  The absence of any food at breakfast and lunch with dirty fuel for his last  meal means that his body holds on to every calorie,   and he has unopposed fat absorption over the entire day.   This scenario leads to excessive weight gain and is very common.

In all,  eating three meals  daily containing fruits/vegetables and clean fuel will lead to long term fat burning and  weight loss success as long as dirty fuel intake is eliminated or severely reduced.  My goal  is to eat meat or dirty fuel no more than once daily three days weekly.   Exercise is helpful, but weight loss is not substantial without profound dietary changes.

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Weight Loss Foods

At least twice weekly, I have a patient who is interested in taking a weight loss drug such as  phentermine, a commonly used cheap weight loss drug  that suppresses the appetite.  It can  increase your calorie burn with the risk of an elevated heart rate.  It is not a safe drug.  I once had a phentermine patient with a heart rate of 200 in the emergency department (ED).  Phentermine works better in combination with a healthy lifestyle.  Most patients do well when eating at least three healthy meals daily and drinking plenty of water.

However, I say why take phentermine once daily when you can do a weight loss food three times daily and achieve a similar result with less health risk.   All of the clean fuels (oatmeal, whole grain rice, whole grain or vegetable pasta, white and sweet potatoes, beans/peas, and corn) are associated with smaller waist lines.  I frequently prescribe drugs that require you to take a medication three times daily so it is not a big stretch to eat a certain food three times daily.

I feel the best way to begin this journey is to start one meal at a time.  For example, I took several months mastering breakfast before working on other meals.  Breakfast is easier to change because most people eat the same breakfast food daily.  I eat oatmeal 3-4 days weekly, and will have Special K Cinnamon Pecan Cereal with almond milk the other days of the week.  This first step led to early weight loss.

From there, I cooked a vegan dish every weekend  until I found something good enough eat.  Early on, I combined these dishes with whatever my wife cooked.  Then, I started putting together meals once I developed a working list of foods my family would eat.  I lost 30 lbs by the time I mastered breakfast and lunch meals.

Of course the other way to start the journey is to abruptly alter your entire diet.  While many have success doing this, most patients are unwilling to take that plunge so readily, and have entire pantries or refrigerators solely responsible for housing the most vile of foods, dirty fuel.   Many will find it difficult to dispose of so much food. It is quite a feat to confront and give up foods you may have consumed your entire lifetime.

In conclusion, the best way to start out strong is to get in the habit of consistently preparing  and eating clean fuel foods and treating it as a medication you should take three times daily.