Weight Loss

Many Americans are obsessed with weight loss. Millions of dollars are spent each year on weight loss programs, diet books, diet foods, miracle drinks, and surgeries in order to get our bodies to shed those extra pounds. With the latest resurgence of the popular Atkins diet, also known as the "low-carb diet" or the "protein diet", millions of people are emptying their pocketbooks to jump on board. These high-priced “low-carb” foods, which include “nutrition” bars and ready-to-eat meals along with tons of meat, cheese and dairy products, deny the body proper nutrition. Dr. Atkins has successfully convinced many people that carbohydrates are the enemy, when in fact the body needs carbohydrates more than any other food. While it is important to limit simple carbohydrates like white flour and sugar, complex carbohydrates like whole grains are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are crucial for good health.

There is also a real danger in excessive protein consumption, which is at the heart of the Atkins diet. Dr. John A. McDougall, author of "The McDougall Plan", and "McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss", said the body of a healthy adult man uses less than 20 grams of protein a day. When an individual consumes large amounts of protein, the body does not have the means to store the excess and so it is eliminated by the liver and kidneys. The elimination of this protein overworks these organs, causing damage to organ tissue and proper function. For individuals who already suffer from kidney problems, such as diabetes, the increased stress from a high-protein diet can have serious consequences.

Additionally, the kidneys use minerals from the body to help eliminate this excess protein. The most important mineral that is sacrificed in this process is calcium. Calcium deficiency leads to osteoporosis later in life. McDougall cites a case study of the Bantu tribe in Africa versus a group living in the United States. The Bantus subsist on a low-protein vegetable-based diet and have virtually no cases of osteoporosis, while a genetically related group of people studied in the United States who consumed the typical American diet rich in meat and dairy, had high osteoporosis rates. Native Eskimos who consume a diet extremely high in protein from sea life have the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world.

When a person eliminates carbohydrates from his diet, he also eliminates fiber. Fiber is a crucial part of the human diet and it is not found in animal-derived foods. Fiber binds to toxic substances in our bodies and washes them out of our system. It allows for rapid movement of food through the intestines, preventing harmful bacteria from building up due to constipation. Fiber also binds to cholesterol, explaining why a high-fiber diet is associated with healthy cholesterol levels and lower heart attack rates. Fiber is also important in regulating blood sugar by encouraging carbohydrates to be absorbed at a slower rate, which keeps the blood sugar levels balanced. Overall, a person on a low-carb, high-protein diet puts himself at risk for kidney stones, osteoporosis, heart attack, and constipation among other complications.

How can we stay healthy and lose weight? According to McDougall’s research, the diet that best supports health and healing for humans is a pure vegetable diet based around starch foods, with the addition of fresh fruits and vegetables. Carbohydrates provide the most efficient and available source of energy for our bodies. They are plentiful in vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins and essential fats. To deny the body the carbohydrates it needs is irresponsible and dangerous. Eating a variety of whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruit, along with eliminating (or at least limiting) one’s intake of saturated fat and cholesterol-laden foods, is an effective way to promote weight loss while providing for the body’s needs.

The term Ayurveda is slowly becoming a household name. Pronounced Aa-yer-vay-da and originating from India, it is said to be the world’s oldest healing science. As more people turn to natural solutions for their health problems, the popularity of Ayurveda continues to grow.

There is much skepticism about the myriad of fad diets that come and go, so it is wise to turn to ancient wisdom that has stood the test of time. We see more and more evidence that crash diets are no solution for long term weight loss. For starters, we see that the weight lost on such diets is often quickly put back on once the dieting stops. And there is also evidence that some crash diets can have detrimental side effects to our health, sometimes long term.

So what we should be looking for is a holistic solution that allows us to lose excess weight and keep it off, while also improving our overall health. The Ayurvedic approach is the perfect answer.

The Ayurvedic system can be applied to every person’s body type (unlike some diets that may help certain individuals, but cause problems for others) and it is an overall health system that works towards wellness physically, mentally and spiritually.

Ayurvedic healing and weight loss is generally done on an individual level, with a plan being tailored to the individual, however there are some guidelines that are helpful to everybody.

Here are some tips that are applicable to people of all body types who are trying to reduce their weight.

If you want to go on a diet:

• A mild, long-term plan is more natural than crash diets.
• Winter is not a good time for dieting because the cold can lower one’s resistance and body heat.
• Reducing or Lightening therapy is helpful, with a light diet, fasting, digestive (spicy) herbs and mild laxatives.

To lose excess weight and maintain a healthy body weight:

• Do not overeat – especially cold, oily and heavy things.
• Do not sleep right after eating.
• Do not eat late at night.
• Avoid refined sugars.
• Avoid carbonated drinks.
• Cook with spices like cayenne, tumeric, black pepper, ginger and rock salt.
• A teaspoon of grated ginger with a pinch of rock salt is a good appetizer.
• A teaspoon of ghee with rice aids digestion.
• Avoid drinking water immediately before or after meals as it will slow digestion.
• Excess consumption of water may produce obesity.
• Avoid eating substances prepared with wheat like cakes, pastries.
• Avoid eating meat products, they slow digestion and cause heaviness.

Aside from the above suggestions on eating habits, we should also look at our overall lifestyle. Naturally we need to have regular exercise to maintain a healthy body, and we should also try to reduce stress, as stress is often the cause of bad eating habits. Stress can be reduced by various relaxation and meditation techniques, and a calmer mind will give us more willpower to control our eating and lifestyle habits.

Since 1990 Hawai'i has seen huge increases in the proportion of people who are overweight or obese. Between 1990 and 2003 Hawai'i's rate of overweight people increased 19 percent, and the rate of obesity has doubled. In 2005, 33 percent of adults were overweight, and 20 percent were obese. That means over half of the people in Hawai'i are either overweight or obese.

So what can you do to prevent obesity or lose weight if you are one of those people who struggle with weight problems?

The first thing you need to realize is that to lose fat (and keep it off) takes time and ultimately requires a change of lifestyle. You’ll need to work on developing good eating habits and regularly engage in some sort of physical activity. The key is to make this lifestyle change both gradual and enjoyable. In the beginning, don’t worry too much about what habits or foods you need to give up. Rather, focus on what healthy foods and activities you can add to your life. When you start eating healthier and engaging in more physical activity, you’ll begin to feel better, you’ll have more energy, and your desire for unhealthy foods or habits will gradually fall away.

Quick Fixes Don’t Work

Trying to change your diet drastically overnight or adding strenuous physical activity too quickly is not a good idea. Not only can it be physically unhealthy, but chances are it will be such an unpleasant experience for you, that you won’t be able to stick to it. The key is to make realistic goals and expectations and to be patient and determined. It may have taken you 20 years to put on an extra 50 pounds, so it is going to take some time to shed that unwanted weight. A 10-day fad diet isn’t going to do it. You may be able to lose some weight quickly, but in many cases, it will just come right back.

Finding the Right Balance

To begin losing weight, you will initially have to burn more calories than you eat. Later on, when you have achieved a healthful weight, you just need to try to maintain your weight by eating the same amount of calories as you burn off. It doesn’t take a math degree to figure this out, just use common sense. You simply need to eat smaller, more frequent meals, rather than giant, excessively large portions.

And Don’t Forget to be Active

Exercise is one of the most important things when it comes to preventing weight gain or losing weight. It’s simple. If you eat more calories than you burn off, then what you didn’t burn off will usually convert to fat. So the key is to EXERCISE. Do whatever it takes to move your body and sweat a little bit. Go for walks, swim, run around with your kids, have fun, and just stay active!

The following are some helpful tips on what foods you should add to your diet, and what foods you should try to cut back on: Things to eat more of:

• Fresh veggies (a wide variety of colors, including dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, romaine lettuce, chard, etc.)
• Fresh fruits (a wide variety)
• Whole grains (whole wheat breads, whole wheat pastas, brown rice, etc.)
• Plant proteins (like tofu, beans, lentils, seeds, nuts, and nut butters)
• WATER (very important to healthy weight loss because it helps flush excess out of your system and also helps your body function properly)

Things to cut back on (and eventually eliminate from your diet if possible):

• Sugar (including foods that contain table sugar, fructose, or corn syrup, like sodas, cakes, desserts, and the like. It is important to read labels because even breads and crackers may contain sugar.)
• Meat (including beef, pork, spam, chicken, eggs, and fish. This can be hard, so the best is to initially try to avoid red meat and then eventually try to reduce intake of the others.)
• Refined carbohydrates (white flour, enriched flour, fortified flours, white pasta, etc.)
• Processed foods (like spam, chips, basically all pre-packaged, manufactured foods that contain lots of preservatives and additives – i.e. big words in the ingredients list that you can’t pronounce.)

With today’s growing trend of unhealthy lifestyles and health issues like obesity, heart disease, and breast cancer, it is no wonder that the availability vegetarian products are on the rise. Most supermarkets have started carrying items like soymilk and vegetarian alternatives to meat because all types of people, not only vegetarians, are interested in buying them. Family physicians have promoted eating more fruits and vegetables for years, but it is the growing number of deaths which are diet-related that has now prompted many people to begin to change their eating habits.

In a recent article by ABC News, the correlation between an increased amount of body fat and cancer of the breast was shown to be high. Studies have brought to life how the average American diet is excessive in calories and fat, especially saturated fat, which you find in all meat and dairy products. It went on to say that a diet high in fat or calories that results in an increase in body fat may promote breast cancer by increasing levels of hormones, which in turn raises estrogen levels. High estrogen levels are a trigger for breast cancer because it is an “estrogen dependent” cancer.

Most diets that contain more plant products are usually lower in fat because of the elimination of all of the saturated fat that comes from meat. While fat is an important part of everyone’s diet as a source of energy, most fat should be consumed from unsaturated sources, like avocados. So in general, women who follow these diets tend to be thinner and have less potential for the synthesizing of estrogen in fat tissue, and in turn they have less potential for breast cancer.

The article went on to talk about how emphasizing of a vegetarian-type diet could not only help to reduce the chances of breast cancer by helping to reduce body fat, but could also increase a person’s intake of necessary vitamins and nutrients. If a person were to increase the amount of complex carbohydrates they ate, for example, they would be increasing their intake of fiber, vitamins, minerals and nutrients known as antioxidants, and antioxidants are believed to help in the prevention of many cancers.

In another article by ABC News, Cyril Kendall, PhD, a research associate in the department of nutritional science at the University of Toronto, spoke about how beneficial a vegetarian diet was in the fight against heart disease, which is the number one killer in North America . She pointed out the fact that if we were to look at the human evolution over the past 10 million to 15 million years, we were predominantly vegetarian. She said that the great apes of present day are for the most part eating a vegetarian diet, and that in turn humans were designed for basically a fruit, nut and vegetable diet.

Kendall said that they conducted a study to see how diet affects a person’s percentage of LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol in the body. They had one group eat a diet that was low in saturated fat and cholesterol and included about seven servings of fruit and vegetables per day along with some key foods like raw almonds and sources of soluble fiber. And then they compared it to a healthy diet which included statins, which are cholesterol reducing drugs. In both cases, a significant reduction of LDL was observed in two weeks and proved how powerful a person’s diet can be in maintaining their health. But she noted that a person would have to continue the mostly vegetarian diet if they wanted to keep the levels of LDL low because they can shoot up as quickly as they come down.

Obesity continues to be a huge problem in Hawaii and the United States as a whole. Last month, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported survey results for 2007 showing that 25.6% of Americans are obese, up nearly 2 percent from just 2 years ago.¹

Happily, the CDC also reports that residents of Hawaii make up one of the top five leanest states in the nation—with an obesity rate of 21.4 percent.² However, this means one out of five residents are too fat. If you count among them, there is reason to be concerned. Research indicates that as weight increases, so does your risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

How do I know if I am obese?

Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. BMI is calculated using height and weight. For example, a 5-foot, 9-inch adult who weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which puts this person into the obese category. A BMI from 25 to 30, is considered overweight, while a healthy BMI is in the 20 to 25 range. To determine your BMI, there is a free online calculator you can use at www.halls.md/body-mass-index/av.htm.

How do I lose weight and keep it off?

While you may be able to lose pounds quickly on the latest fad diet, to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight usually requires long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits. The key to losing weight is that you must use up more calories than you take in. Switching to a vegetarian, plant-based diet is a great way to reduce calories and help you lose excess weight. Research by the Mayo Clinic has shown that, on average, people who follow a vegetarian diet eat fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians also tend to have lower body weight relative to their height than non-vegetarians.³

Small changes can add up to big benefits

Dr. William Dietz, Director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity makes a good point, "We need to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, engage in more physical activity and reduce the consumption of high calorie foods and sugar sweetened beverages in order to maintain a healthy weight." The good news is that even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight (e.g. going from 200 to 190 pounds) can improve your blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels and decrease your risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity. Simply switching to a vegetarian, plant-based diet and getting a little exercise can easily achieve that kind of weight loss. So don’t get discouraged, losing weight doesn’t have to be difficult. If you are overweight or obese, be sure to check out this month’s Health Tip for some healthy and effective ways you can lose weight.