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Weight
Loss: Is There a Better “Weigh?”
Andy Ascher, N.D., M.H.
With summer just around the corner maybe you have noticed
that last year’s outfits are a little snug. Then
you recall that the same problem occurred last year! How
can this trend be turned around? What must you do to lose
weight - permanently? The secret to weight management
is no secret at all. The problem is that we keep looking
for the magic pill that will slim us down overnight or
the effortless diet that will proclaim we can eat all
of the chocolate cream pie we want while losing 1 pound
per day.
Let’s simplify weight management for just a moment.
An extra 500 calories to your daily requirement adds about
one pound of stored energy (fat) every week. This fat
is neatly tucked away on the hips, thighs or waist. After
one year this extra 500 calories per day adds about 50
pounds of fat! It is easy to see how one gains those extra
pounds year after year. On the other side of the coin,
losing weight is just the reverse. If you eat 500 less
calories than your required daily caloric intake you will
lose about 1 pound per week. Don’t think even for
a moment that you can starve yourself into thinness without
suffering from poor health. Your body has built-in mechanisms
that tell you it’s time to eat, time to breath,
time to rest, time to drink and time to sleep. You cannot
avoid these functions without serious side effects. In
general, weight gain and weight loss happen at relatively
the same pace.
The American diet includes too many fat-rich, sugar-laden,
and nutrient-poor foods and drinks. “Diet”
foods and “sport” drinks are deficient in
the good fats that the body requires for proper function
and contain manufactured nutrients that never saw a live
plant. These types of foods do not lead to weight management
and do not facilitate healthy body function. So, what
should we be feeding our bodies? You guessed it –
nutrient-rich foods: food that is rich in vitamins, minerals
and balanced in fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Where
do these foods come from? You guessed it again –
fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, whole
grains and high quality meats. The aim should be to balance
your intake to supply all of the nutrients the body needs
for optimum weight and health.
I know that calorie and nutrient counting is a little
challenging. The key is to create a weekly menu template
based on the foods you like to eat. You can easily add
and subtract similar foods from your breakfast, lunch
or dinner without appreciably altering the nutrient food
value. This approach gives you maximum variety with minimal
hassle of constant calorie and nutrient counting.
To assist you in creating your menu template, I am offering
a free 3 to 5-day diet analysis to the first 20 people
who call me at Nutrition Clinic in the month of April.
I will give you a printed analysis of your past diet and
a recommendation of how you might alter that diet to safely
and quickly reach your weight goals. Call Nutrition Clinic
for details on how to begin recording your 5-day diet.
Beginning in April I will be offering a 3-part lecture
series on weight management at Nutrition Clinic. I will
cover the principles of good health, digestion and how
nutrients are assimilated, whole food nutrition and exercise.
We will also cover the 21-Day Detoxification program to
provide a base for achieving the desired results of any
weight loss plan. Every lecture will be filled with valuable
information you can start using right away.
Dr. Andy Ascher is a Naturopathic Physician with 13 years
of healthcare experience. He believes that it is far easier
to prevent illness than it is to cure. Dr. Ascher is available
for private consultations and can be reached at Nutrition
Clinic, 14805 Clayton Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017. (636)
386-3333. www.nutrition-clinic.com.
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