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

August 21, 2013

• The good, the bad and the unthinkable
• Three “healthy” mistakes that pack on the pounds
• My best tip for breaking the vicious cycles

If you’ve been watching the news, you know that the American Medical Association (AMA) recently recognized obesity as a disease.

I think there are some good things that could come from this, especially if it involves more funding and insurance coverage to prevent and reduce the prevalence of obesity.

For example, imagine if insurance companies started covering the cost of things like nutrition counseling or working with a dietician. And it would be interesting if insurance coverage for physical therapy was expanded to include physical programs for weight loss.

I’m entirely on board with changes like this. But the downside is a big one – and one that’s motivated by profit.

Once we start viewing obesity as a disease, it automatically says that about a third of Americans are ill. And you can bet the pharmaceutical industry is ready with a bunch of drugs to sell us to overcome this “disease.”

This could lead to an increased reliance on drugs and surgeries rather than lifestyle changes. And while these may sound like appealing alternatives it’s important to remember they come with side effects.

For instance, last year a new obesity drug was introduced. It’s called Qysmia. However, until recently it’s been highly restricted. You see, the FDA wasn’t sure the benefits outweighed the risk of taking the drug.

First and foremost, it causes birth defects. But it also comes with a whole host of other problems – from constipation and nausea to nervous system and respiratory complications. And to top it off, it’s also addictive.

And bariatric surgery comes with some pretty serious problems of its own. These include things like leaky gut, bowel obstructions, bleeding, gallstones, nerve problems and more. Plus, once the surgery is complete it makes it very hard for your body to absorb vitamins and nutrients. Common deficiencies following this type of surgery include iron, calcium, vitamin D, B12, folic acid and thiamine.

That’s a pretty big bad side. Plus – it’s a temporary fix and doesn’t address the real root of the problem. The benefits won’t stay if the person doesn’t change their habits that created obesity in the first place.

The best thing you can do is take charge of the things that are within your control.

With that in mind, here are some things you should know…

There are a lot of pitfalls when it comes to weight that most people aren’t aware of. It’s unfortunate, but some of the things we think are good for us end up packing on the pounds. And these simple mistakes may be adding fuel to the obesity epidemic.

If you’ve been trying to gain control of your weight, let me show you a few common mistakes that sound healthy, but aren’t…

Skipping breakfast may sound like a good idea when it comes to weight loss. But it turns out a high protein breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Especially when it comes to losing weight.

I’ve seen several studies on this. But the one that stand out in my mind was just released a few months ago. And all of the participants were overweight or obese females.

The researchers assigned them to three groups. One group skipped breakfast altogether, another group ate a high protein breakfast of eggs and lean beef and the third group were had cereal.

When the results were in, the high-protein breakfast trumped the others. Not only did it lead to increased fullness and satiety, it also helped later in the day. You see, the high-protein breakfast also reduced the urge to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods during the evening hours.

Tip: Begin the day with a high protein breakfast. An egg scramble with onions, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and all of your other favorite veggies will help keep your body feeling more full and satisfied. And it may even help you avoid late-afternoon and early-evening snacking.

Fad dieting is one of the biggest mistakes I see. But people tend to see these types of diets as a “quick and easy” way to lose weight. I can understand the desire for a quick solution. However, this type of dieting only works short-term.

They may produce some quick results. A short-term calorie restriction diet, for example, will help drop pounds while you’re on it. But once you stop it, the weight will jump right back up.

Other diets simply reduce water weight. And once again, when you start eating normal foods again, that water weight will rear its ugly head again.

Worse yet, when you jump from diet to diet you could disrupt your hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends satiety signals to the brain when you’re full. Ghrelin, on the other hand, sends hunger signals to the brain when it’s time to re-fuel. When these two hormones get out of whack, it leaves you feeling hungry all of the time.

Tip: Seriously consider permanently changing your eating habits to a Mediterranean-style diet. You can load up on all the fruits and veggies you want, whenever you want. Make about 87% of your diet plant-based and 13% meat-based. Learn more about my Mediterranean eating plan here.

Artificial sweeteners and diet sodas are also very troubling. Studies suggest these no-calorie sweeteners contribute to weight gain. And they do it in much the same way sugar does.

In one study, diet soda drinkers were compared with people who didn’t drink them.

After an average of 9.5 years of follow-up, the folks who drank the diet drinks experienced a 70% greater increase in waist size than non-drinkers. And in those who consumed two or more diet sodas a day, waistline growth was a whopping 500% greater.

I place artificial sweetener in the same category as high fructose corn syrup and sugar. Ultimately all of these should be avoided whenever possible.

Tip #1: Replace your soda habit with carbonated water, seltzer water or sparkling mineral water. You can buy all of them in flavors like orange, lemon, lime and raspberry. Or you can add your own favorite zest to an unflavored brand. Top it off with citrus fruit, berries, kiwis or a slice of pear or add a small splash of your favorite juice.

Tip #2: For a safe, healthy sweetener that won’t expand your waistline, try replacing your current sweetener with stevia. It’s much sweeter than sugar, so start off with just a little and add more as needed.

I also have one more tip for you, and it may be the best of all…

Obesity often creates a vicious cycle that is difficult to overcome.

Here’s what happens. When you carry excess weight you already know one of the best things you can do is exercise. But those extra pounds often make it almost impossible to participate in exercise. So the more you need exercise, the less of it you probably get.

Just walking through a parking lot into a shopping center can be a chore. And the stress on your knees and ankles can be quite painful.

But when you combine the simple tips above with what I’m about to share with you, you can beat the vicious cycle.

When I have patients who are overweight or have bad joints, I recommend aquatic exercises. These are low impact workouts that anyone can do.

If you’ve never heard of aquatic exercise, the concept is very simple. It’s simply exercising in water, like a pool.

Jogging in water two times or three times a week is great for you. It increases aerobic fitness, reduces fat mass and shrinks waist size. It also helps improve your physical function, so you can walk faster and for longer distances. For example, in a test where obese study participants walked for six minutes, just six weeks of aqua-jogging increased walking distance by 134.5 feet.

You see, the water keeps you buoyant, which reduces the impact on your joints. In fact, it can even significantly improve your quality of pain and disability, especially when it comes to knee osteoarthritis.

And it doesn’t have to be confined to water jogging. You can also do jumping jacks, squats and more.

Once you begin performing these water exercises, you’ll start losing weight, building muscle and gaining strength. In just a matter of weeks, you may be fit enough start taking longer walks (on land) and dropping even more pounds.

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Resources:
Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the evening. Press Release. University of Missouri-Columbia. Mar 2013.

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2011, June 28). Waistlines in people, glucose levels in mice hint at sweeteners’ effects: Related studies point to the illusion of the artificial. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2011/06/110627183944.htm

Wouters EJ, Van Nunen AM, Geenen R, Kolotkin RL, Vingerhoets AJ. Effects of aquajogging in obese adults: a pilot study. J Obes. 2010; 2010. pii: 231074. Epub 2009 Aug 20.

Lim JY, Tchai E, Jang SN. Effectiveness of aquatic exercise for obese patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. PMR. 2010 Aug;2(8):723-31; quiz 793