Eat Less and Exercise More Is NO Way to Lose Weight

So, we've all heard it: to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat.  Or: Eat Less, Exercise More.

Phooey!  We've been trying that for about 20 years and our population is more obese than ever!  It simply doesn't work.  I wholeheartedly endorse regular exercise, and I will go deeper into that in a later post.  The numbers tell the story.  From 1960 to today, adult obesity has soared from 13% to 66%!  Eating less and exercising more simply does not work.  In fact, eating less is often counterproductive.  One of my patients was down to 800 calories per day, exercising one hour daily and still gaining weight.

What we are learning is that hormones have everything to do with total body weight and its distribution.  We all know that thyroid is involved in weight gain, but it is often the secondary problem.  The primary problems most often are cortisol and estrogen.  These are complex areas of discussion and we will discuss them in more depth in the following weeks.  But let's glance at them first.

Let's look at cortisol first.  This is the main stress hormone and it gets you ready to run or fight.  It decreases thyroid function and causes heart disease, anxiety, elevated estrogen, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, insomnia, accelerated aging, lowered immune system and increased abdominal fat.  So, if you have a big belly, you probably have high cortisol levels. 

High estrogen levels, called "Estrogen Dominance", effects both men and women.  In fact, by age 55 the average male will have more estrogen in his body than his wife!  High estrogen causes salt and fluid retention, low blood sugar, thyroid problems, exhaustion, irritability, mood swings, sweet cravings, breast pain and swelling throughout the month, sleep disturbances, headaches and weight gain especially to the buttocks.  So, if you have a big butt and swollen, tender breasts, you probably are Estrogen Dominant.

Next week, in the second part of our three part series, we'll look at the effects and treatment of High Cortisol.

Healthy and Fun Date Night

I apologize for being so long in getting back to this blog.  Time just got away from me.

I promised tips on a healthy date night.  So, let's reflect on what we've talked about already.  We've learned to eat more vegetables and meat and less dairy and grains.  We learned that fried chicken is not as bad as the press it gets, but don't eat it everyday.  And we learned about the glycemic index and eating foods that don't spike your blood sugar quickly.

What about eating at a restaurant?  First of all remember the 80/20 rule.  Make 80% of your food choices good choices and then have fun with the other 20%.  I recommend looking at this weekly.  If you eat 21 meals in a week, then make good choices with 17 of them and then you can make some questionable choices with the other 4.

That means that if you've been good all week, then eat what you want when you're at the restaurant.  But, there are good choices you can make at the restaurant as well.  You could get baby back ribs with coleslaw and mac and cheese.  Or have a side salad with black beans. BBQ is always a healthy choice, but potato salad and dessert have to be weighed against what else you've eaten that week.

Remember that pasta is a low GI food.  So, Italian food is a good choice.  Be careful, though, because many Italian restaurants will serve a pound of pasta on the plate.  That's actually four servings.

If you want a hamburger, try to pick a side besides french fries.  Sweet potato fries are a better choice, but they are still a high GI food.  Yet, if you've done well all week, then have the fries, too.  The same thing goes with fried chicken.  Try to choose a side besides potatoes.

So, by following these simple suggestions, you can have a healthy and fun date night!

Next week, come back and learn how to

Lose Weight without Eating Less and Exercising More