By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

September 19, 2014

• Can you be fit and wholesome if you’re overweight?
• The curse of modern civilization
• … And how to beat it

Over the past few years there has been quite a bit of talk about metabolically healthy obesity. It’s basically a claim that says a person can be “fat but fit” because they haven’t developed metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.

If you’re overweight, this sounds like a great concept. But it’s also very misleading.

You see, for some reason, the 10 to 25% of obese individuals who fall into this category don’t develop insulin resistance. So, they’re considered to be metabolically healthy at that time, on that set of metrics, measuring blood sugar/insulin resistance and lipid levels.

But they’re by no means fit and wholesome, since their fat is chronically inflammatory and a repository for persistent organic pollutants and excess estrogen.

Excess weight places a great burden on your bones and joints. It stresses the heart and lungs. And, if a lot of that extra weight is centered in your belly (“visceral fat”), it can literally strangle the life out of your organs.

This type of fat also releases proteins called cytokines. These are inflammatory proteins that are linked to heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.

In other words, the idea of having your doctor say you’re “fat but fit” may sound reassuring. But if you buy into it, you could be placing your long-term health at risk.

My goal is to keep you healthy and happy for years to come. So, let’s take a look at some of the biggest problems we face today when it comes to our weight.

I place the blame for obesity entirely on modern civilization. We spend too many hours sitting in front of the television or computer screen. The schools have cut physical education programs. And we’re not only eating more food than ever before, we’re also making a lot of very unnatural (and fattening!) choices.

These days the average person is taking in about 460 more calories each day than we did back in 1970. And the majority of those extra calories are coming from processed flours and cereals. We’re also getting an awful lot of them from sweeteners, like high-fructose corn syrup and refined sugar.

These foods offer little or no nutrition. They quickly raise blood sugar levels and lead to chronically high levels of insulin. And that’s where the trouble starts.

When insulin levels stay high for too long, their receptors become insensitive to them. So, sugar isn’t used for metabolic activity but stored away in your fat cells for future use, and they just keep getting bigger and bigger. So does your waistline.

Plus, chronically high levels of insulin cause you to have a fierce appetite. You feel hungrier after you eat than if you had skipped a meal.

But not all carbs are bad for you. Fruits, vegetables and beans contain carbohydrates. However, they’re also full of fiber that helps them absorb slowly into your system. This stops those big spikes in blood sugar that are associated with the release of insulin and fat storage.

So, the key isn’t avoiding all carbs, but choosing natural and healthy plant-based carbs that are filled with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Load your plate with veggies. Replace your sugary foods with naturally sweet fruits. These are two of the very best first steps you can take toward improving your health and dropping those extra pounds.

You’ll also want to watch out for artificial sweeteners. These sugar substitutes don’t contain any calories, but that doesn’t stop them from adding to your fat stores.

They trick your body into believing you’ve just eaten something sugary. So, it’s forced to release insulin the same way it does when you eat refined carbs. Then you crave the real thing, and generally more of it than you would have without the artificial stuff.

Plus, remember, the long-term side effects of artificial sweeteners are still being confirmed and expanded.

For a safer and healthier sweetener that won’t expand your waistline, try replacing sugars and sweeteners with stevia. It’s an all-natural sweetener that actually has a positive effect on your weight, blood sugar and insulin response. You can add it to your iced tea, home-made lemonade, juices, and even your coffee.

Or, try Lo Han an old (really old) Chinese sweetener made from monk fruit.

Here’s what else you can do…

Choose clean meats. Commercially raised meat and poultry are pumped full of antibiotics. This makes the farm animals grow fat more quickly. But when you eat it, it fattens you up, too. Go for grass-fed meats and pasture-raised poultry.

Pack in the protein. Protein is not only good for you, it makes you feel full and helps prevent dips and rises in blood sugar. Remember, there’s more to the protein category than just meat. Try slipping some plain Greek yogurt, an egg from pastured chickens or a serving of wild-caught fish into every meal.

Watch your portion size. The truth is we eat most of what’s on our plate, no matter what size plate we use. Take control of your portion sizes by downsizing your plate size. Does this simple trick really work? Absolutely! You can feel just as satisfied when you serve your food on an 8-inch salad plate as you do with a 12-inch dinner plate.

Heading outdoors for some physical activity will do you a world of good. But exercising when you’re overweight can be a catch-22. Start slowly and work your way up to an hour of movement at least five days per week. Toss in a few bursts of intensity to help tone your muscles and burn calories.

When you head outside for your activity, you’ll get an additional benefit you may not be aware of. You’ll get some much-needed sunshine to boost your vitamin D levels. This is a big plus, because vitamin D deficiency goes hand-in hand with weight gain. (You can also supplement with 2,000 to 5,000 of vitamin D3 in the cholecalciferol form.)

Treat yourself. Last, but not least … indulge! A sense of deprivation can easily lead to overeating. Stop a binge before it starts by treating yourself once in a while to a “forbidden” food.

Sources:
American College of Cardiology. “Concept of ‘healthy’ obesity challenged.” ScienceDaily. Ap 2014.

Swardfager W, et al. “A meta-analysis of cytokines in Alzheimer’s disease.” Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Nov 15;68(10):930-41.

Kofler S, et al. “Role of cytokines in cardiovascular diseases: a focus on endothelial responses to inflammation.” Clin Sci (Lond). 2005 Mar;108(3):205-13.

King GL. “The role of inflammatory cytokines in diabetes and its complications.” J Periodontol. 2008 Aug;79(8 Suppl):1527-34.

Stanhope KL. “Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans.” Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2009;119: 1322-1334.