Hardly a day goes by that we don’t get questions about weight loss. Sometimes it’s in relation to a back problem, but most of the time it’s a general health concern.
On a daily basis there are dozens of advertisements for weight loss programs, pills, tricks, and low-fat this or that. Unfortunately, there is rarely anything of substance to these, they’re just more gimmicks to get your money. If you are truly concerned about your weight and want to learn what the issue is, then read on. I will not be laying out an eating plan for you or telling you about a vitamin or herb that will melt fat away. In fact, there is nothing I will be telling you that will make me any money. What I am going to tell you about is the information I used to confront my personal weight problem, which I continually (but now successfully) struggle with on a daily basis.
First of all, you need to understand that the opinions I have may or may not apply to you. If you believe something that is opposite to my experience, that is perfectly ok with me. This is not a forum for debate, rather I am just interested in letting you know what has helped me. That being said, let’s continue.
I’ve been a heavy person most of my life. Even when I was a kid, I struggled with my weight. I went to the doctor, who put me on very low calorie diets (800-1200/day) and my dad made me run at least a mile before dinner. These things helped, temporarily, but the weight always came back. This continued into my adult life. Eventually, I realized I had to do something that I could adhere to, something manageable. Calorie counting and low fat are not long term solutions, especially if you understand why you gain weight in the first place.
I attended a continuing education lecture on nutrition given by a man who had once weighed 300 pounds, but was now under 200. He had done this solely through diet modification. What he had done was the Atkin’s diet. If you have an undying belief in low fat that will not be swayed, you might as well stop reading now. The reason Atkins has been unpopular is because of the dogmatic (though scientifically vague at best) view that eating fat both makes you fat and clogs your arteries. What Atkins knew, which has been repeatedly verified in the scientific literature, is that the problem is not fat consumption, it’s carbohydrate consumption.
In the most basic terms, carbohydrate consumption causes the pancreas to secrete insulin, and insulin drives fat into cells, which makes you gain weight, hold onto it, and deposit cholesterol in your artery walls. This is not an opinion, it is a physiologic fact. Very simply then, if you eat fewer carbs, you will secrete less insulin and deposit less fat. However, there is a unique threshold for each person that varies based on activity levels and other factors, some of which are genetic. A blog is not the place to elaborate on this, if you are interested in understanding more about this, here are some very helpful links:
Gary Taubes, Author of Why We Get Fat and What to do About It
Gary Taubes, Author of Good Calories, Bad Calories
Atkins
The first two are links to Amazon pages for the two best books available on the subject of weight loss, the third is the Atkins website. You can read some of the Taubes books online, and they are available on Kindle and through your local public library. The Atkins site should dispel any belief that a low carb diet is a “bacon and eggs” diet. I recommend Atkins because it is well thought out and allows you to phase in more carbs over time once you have reached your goal weight.
Since beginning a low carb lifestyle, I have personally lost over 25 pounds and have kept it off for over a year. I need to lose even more, but it’s an ongoing process. It’s worth the effort to evaluate this for yourself, especially if you’ve been unsuccessful in prior weight loss attempts. Good luck!
Dr. Powell