The Keys to Weight Loss by Dr. Chris Ogilvie

The CDC reports that in the last 30 years, the percentage of childhood obesity has tripled in the United States.  Over the same time period, adult obesity has also increased dramatically.  As a nation we are getting fatter and the simple reason is because of the type of foods we are choosing to eat.  Most food choices fall into two categories:  1) Quick, cheap and processed or 2) the well intentioned but grain heavy food pyramid, which says that grains should be the largest portion of diet.   The detriments of the former choice are obvious; high fat and low nutritional value.   In choosing the latter, we end up eating crackers, breads, pastas and rice and rarely eat sufficient protein to balance out our meals.  The result of either choice is that we gain weight.  Then we try to lose weight the same way we gained the weight… quick, cheap and requiring little effort from us.   Therefore, if you are looking for a magic pill, you will not find it here.  For this reason I have come up with:

The Keys to Comprehensive Weight Loss

1. 1. Eat Real Food – Over millions of years of trial and error, nature has created a wonderful variety of nutrient packed foods that supply us with everything we need for our bodies to function optimally.  Yet most Americans insist on buying food that comes out of a factory.   Processed foods are one of the main perpetrators in the current obesity epidemic.  If you are on a weight loss program and are not eating real, whole food, it will be difficult to maintain your weight once the diet is over.  The best way to reduce your weight and maintain ideal weight is to start eating real food. Real food consists of organic vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, lean meats and whole grains.
2. Prepare your own food – I am philosophically opposed to having someone pre-package low quality processed foods for a client who is then supposed to destroy the few nutrients left in the package by irradiating it in the microwave.  I don’t see how this approach to weight loss can be beneficial for a large population.  If you are paying someone to prepare your food and expect to get results, plan on having them prepare your food for the rest of your life. If you buy the food, you prepare the food, you will know exactly what is going into your food and you will develop the skills necessary to maintain healthy weight for the rest of your life.
3. Control blood sugar – Insulin is a hormone in the body secreted by the pancreas.  Insulin has protected our species from extinction by storing fat for times of famine.  Those of us who stored fat the best, survived.  Now insulin is killing us with belly fat. (how is it “killing” us?  Is there a specific disease or condition?) because we flood our body with simple and processed carbohydrates.  The best way to control insulin is by eating a BALANCED MEAL of protein, carbs and fiber.  Also, it is very important that you have a healthy snack before you become too hungry.  A healthy snack consists of raw nuts and seeds or vegetables.
4. Know what you are losing – If you are a client in a weight loss program and they are not measuring your body fat, you don’t know what it is that you are losing.  You may be losing muscle, you may be losing water or you may be losing fat.  Ideally, your weight loss counselor will use a Body Impedance Analyzer to quantify changes in body fat percentages as well as muscle mass.
5. Education – A diet without nutritional education is a recipe for failure. Many clients come to me for weight loss and say, “I know what to eat, I just don’t do it.”  So then I ask them what it is they think they should be doing.   I am typically surprised by the amount of misinformation other there as often times the things they think are bad are not, and they things they think are healthy, are not.
6. Exercise – While having a well balanced diet plan is 60 to 80% of losing weight, exercise is very important as it begins to reverse the damage done to your body by carrying around the extra weight.  Exercise increases good cholesterol (HDL), decreases bad cholesterol (LDL), lowers risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes and is associated with a longer, higher quality of life.  You don’t have to kill yourself, good research shows that a minimum of 30 minutes of brisk walking per day or one hour every other day will get you results.   If you work with a trainer, even better.  Here are the local trainers I recommend.
7. Support – Don’t do it alone, get a professional to help you.  Ideally, they will continue to support you in maintaining your weight, once you have reached your ideal.  For more information on how to lose weight naturally and for a lifetime, please contact me at (703)226-9291 or visit my website at http://integrativehealthcenterofvirginia.com.

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