Dear David and Trish,

I’ve been a very naughty girl! I was on a very strict weight loss diet until Thanksgiving. Well, I “binged” and ate oodles of Tom Turkey and friends over the holidays. Now, I’m am really demoralized, and am afraid that I will follow the same pattern as before. That is, discouragement, and a complete abandonment to my commitment to a long-term weight loss program.

Can you help?

Sincerely,

-Grieving in Grasonville

Dear “Grieving”,

And your letter is perfectly timed! This is part III of our “Fat Trilogy”… and we will discuss how to lose weight most effectively, and keep it off.

We know, you’ve heard that one before. But it’s true. Trying to reduce weight only through caloric restriction is the goal of millions of dieters nationwide and, unfortunately, the single-most important reason why over 90% of all diet initiatives fail!

As we mentioned last week, when you attempt to restrict your caloric intake, your body prepares itself for "famine." It begins to hold on to its stores of body-fat by effectively slowing your metabolism... ultimately making your problems worse as the "diet" fails and you resume normal food consumption. This shifting of metabolism significantly exacerbates the effect of the “binges” as you describe them. The body is just itching to store calories, and, when you present them, the body is a tremendously efficient fat-storing machine.

We are NOT saying that a negative balance in the calorie in/calorie out ledger is not necessary to lose weight. What we ARE saying is it is vitally important HOW this deficit is created. We have found it to be much more effective to create a condition of naturally higher basal metabolism (the amount of calories burned throughout the day and night, during normal non-stressed conditions) than to embark on a food deprivation campaign. And, anyway, food is just too darn good, and spiritually essential, to do that. And we all know that Cheeseburgers and Dairy Queen are part the Oshman’s Basic Food Groups!

In case we haven’t mentioned it lately, ALWAYS consult your trusted medical practitioner (if they’re not trusted, dump them and find another) before starting a diet and exercise program.

Here is a short list of “truths” that you need to face in order to effectively develop and employ an effective weight-loss program:

- If you've been overeating, or eating a high-fat, high-sugar diet for a long time, it becomes even more difficult to begin “energizing” your body for fat loss. To make a very complicated scenario understandably simple, the enzymes whose job it is to pluck fatty acids from the blood- stream and send them into storage get lazy and inefficient at their job. Therefore, though you may be doing everything right, it may take you a long time before you can "reprogram" these enzymes to work in support of your new, leaner, more active lifestyle. So be patient!

- At the risk of being repetitive (or even being a nag!), skipping meals and starvation diets DO NOT work, even for short term weight loss. The body will adjust QUICKLY to caloric deprivation, and make it harder and harder to shed those unwanted pounds. I have known people who are literally consuming less than 800 calories per day GAIN WEIGHT! Imagine their frustration!

- DO NOT depend on cardio-respiratory exercises to lose weight. Bet that throws you off. But, truly, though aerobic exercise DOES burn calories and utilize fat stores if done at the correct pace, it ALSO lowers that important “basal metabolism” number. In other words, the body will adjust it’s normal caloric expenditure to compensate and adjust for short term intense workouts. You work harder at losing, and your body works harder at storing. YIPES!

- The most effective method for effective short and long-term weight loss is eating smaller portions (share your meal with a friend, and stay away from the super-sizes!), more frequent meals (ranging from six to eight per day), stay away from high glycemic (simple) carbs, and do strength training to increase muscle mass and INCREASE your basal metabolism.

The secret is (OK… it’s no longer a secret!) that if you lose weight correctly, the same approach will KEEP it off. The only difference is that the amount of calories consumed can increase once you reach your target weight. See the two processes as different is a common mistake, and will most likely result in the dreaded “yo-yo” effect.

In our nutritional counseling, we frequently recommend our clients identify what we call the “passion foods”. These are the foods that make you feel truly satisfied, and happy, and content, and glowing all over! If you have been reading our column for a while, you know what foods make US happy… ice cream, cheeseburgers, chocolate, etc. But you probably have one, or a dozen, of your own. By all means, NEVER eliminate those foods from your diet. The results could be catastrophic (mainly, you become a total grouch!).

OK… it sounds somewhat campy, and ludicrous, but food is NOT the enemy. If you see it that way, you have already lost, because you are at war. What you must do is surrender, give up the battle, and see food for what it truly is… a source of sustenance and pleasure which is truly innately good. It is our abuse and imbalance (usually as a result of lack of understanding) that is the villain!

A true life-style change is the only means of long-term weight loss. Examine your priorities, admit your needs and weakness, and start living your life differently TODAY! Don’t make you goal fat or weight loss. Make it being healthier, happier and more full of joy and life. THIS can happen every day, starting today!

END