Weight Loss made Easy

Hello Dear Readers,

     Perhaps, like myself, you snarfed down too many eggnogs and Christmas cookies over the holidays and now find yourself carrying around some extra poundage.  It really shouldn't have come as a surprise to me when I weighed in a full 15 pounds over my ideal weight on Dec. 28, after my unrestrained holiday binges.  There was a Christmas, years ago when I was idealistic and freshly out of naturopathic medical school, that I made only wheat and dairy-free holiday treats that were sweetened with honey or molasses only, and lo'and behold, there was no weight gain that year.  But alas, my resolve to eat healthily year-round slipped some time ago, so here I am, starting yet another New Year off with the resolution to lose weight.

      At least, after all these years, I've gotten pretty good at it.  Trust me, you won't find anyone who has tried more diets in her lifetime than me.  I have lost 20 pounds in a little over a week (and gained every pound back the following week) on the Scarsdale Diet.  I've eaten enough eggs, cheese and meat to clog an artery stretching all around the world while on the Atkins Diet.  And then there was the Pritikin Diet - probably the healthiest of the bunch so far, but who can stick with that little fat for long?  When I was in naturopathic medical school I tried the Bloodtype Diet (I am bloodtype A) for 3 months, during which I lost 30 pounds and all of my environmental allergies went away!  Since then, the Bloodtype Diet (by Peter D'Amato, ND) has been my go-to diet for weight loss and allergy control.  One would think, since I feel  great on this diet, that I would stick with it year-round.  But alas, the ways of the flesh are weak.  When confronted with a plate of cheese and crackers or, even worse, some of my own homemade fudge, it's off the plate and onto my waist!

     My soon-to-be 55-years of experience in this life, as well as the nutritional education I received to become an ND, have taught me a few things about how to lose (and maintain) weight.  In just a few weeks, I've managed to shed 8 of those 15 extra pounds (and this is without really trying.)  Here are a few tips to make weight loss a little easier and less torturous:

1.)  If your fat is primarily in your belly region, you'll do best on a low-carb diet.  This means cutting way back (or eliminating) anything made from flour (pasta, bread, baked goods,) corn and potatoes, and sugar (even the natural ones like honey and maple syrup.)  Vegetarians have a hard time on this approach because even the vegetarian protein sources like beans and soy products are too high in carbohydrates.  This is a diet of meat, fish eggs, cheese,lots of vegetables, and a small amount of fruit and nuts.  

If your fat is primarily in your hips and thighs, you'll lose weight most efficiently on a low fat diet (like the Pritikin Diet.)  Whole grain carbs are o.k., in moderation (you will still lose weight much faster with no white flour or processed sugar, though!)    Animal fat should be severely restricted - only fish and low-fat meats and poultry with all the visible fat and skin removed.  Only skim milk and low-fat cheese.  All vegetables (even potatoes and corn) are fine, as long as you limit the amount of oil added to them (and of course, they certainly cannot be breaded!)  Fruits are also fine for this group.

If you tend to carry your fat equally distributed over your body, the Mediterranean diet will work best for you.  This is a balanced diet of fish, lean meats, olive oil, lots of vegetables and fruits, and whole grains.  Substituting olive oil for butter, grilling instead of frying, and again, cutting out the sugar and white flour will help the pounds to drop off.

2.)  What all of these diet strategies have in common is the avoidance of processed sugars and anything made with white flour.  That is the bottom line.  Very often, I'll simply tell people to do that and it's enough. 

3.)  It doesn't take that much exercise to promote weight loss, but you must do something in the way of movement everyday.  Brisk walking, including some hills, is fine.  I like to incorporate exercise into my regular day, so walking the dog does it for me.  You need to move in some manner for about an hour each day (it can be broken up into smaller periods of time:  say, 2-1/2 hour sessions.)

4.)  Drink enough water.  It really does fill you up, and prevents a state of stagnation.  My formula for figuring out how much water you need is the following:  divide your bodyweight by 3 - this will give you the ounces you need to stay well-hydrated.  You can then divide that number by 8 which will give you the cups of water you need to drink everyday.  Stay away from other beverages, except sparkling water.  Even diet sodas have been shown to cause weight gain over time - probably because they encourage sweets cravings.

5.)  Write down absolutely everything you eat and drink in a diet diary.  It's amazing how much this simple act promotes weight loss.  Without the facts staring us in the face, we humans seem to be masters of self-delusion ("those few crackers I ate before dinner couldn't possible be enough calories to worry about.")  Also, if the weight loss slows or plateaus, it's nice to have the record of what you have eaten to analyze what's going on.  This is also a really great way to discover food intolerances.

6.)  Have some protein in every meal and snack.  Good sources of protein are:  a hard-boiled egg, a wedge of low-fat cheese,  marinated tofu (one of my favorites - very filling and satisfying,) a handful of nuts or spoonful of nut butter, and of course, meat, poultry and fish.  Having some protein in every meal and snack keeps your blood sugar nice and balanced.  Peaks and valleys of blood sugar cause hunger and cravings and actually encourages fat to deposit in the belly.

7.)  Be patient!  It didn't take you a week to put on the extra weight and you're not going to be able to take it off in a week.  Weigh yourself once a week, or at most twice a week.  Weight loss happens in fits and starts - sometimes, despite your best efforts, it plateaus for a few days, then drops 2-3 pounds overnight.  If you weigh yourself everyday, this can get discouraging.

Any of these diets can be altered for vegetarians, although the ultra-low carb diets are difficult for non-meat eaters.  Vegetarian sources of protein (beans, soy, nuts) in general are too high in carbs themselves to really make this happen.  I try to steer vegetarians toward a balanced Mediterranean diet, or their Bloodtype diet.

So I'm back on my Bloodtype A diet - more or less for the rest of 2012.  Oh sure, nobody's perfect - there will be times when I indulge in some delicious local cheese (cow's milk cheese is off the "A" diet,) or have cannoli for dessert (especially since I'm planning a trip to Italy in a few months!)  But life is long, and I encourage you to never get too down on yourself for dietary shortfalls.  Just get back on that horse tomorrow!  You can do it - make this the year you reach your ideal weight.  You'll feel so much better!