Question:
How can I safely lose weight?
DR Wise Answer:
Obesity is a major problem in the USA , even in children. Reduced activity and excessive intake of carbohydrates are major causes. This can lead to other illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.
Sugar is a strong stimulus for weight gain by causing the release of insulin. Insulin causes the metabolism to switch to fat building in order to save the sugar.
If you use the bucket model, losing weight can be more logical. If there are too many calories , the body saves them as fat, if there are fewer calories taken in than needed, the body uses stored fat and weight is lost. Eat less and do more.
I counsel my patients to use low carbohydrate protein sparing diets. A good example would be Dr Atkins diet ( http://www.atkins.com/ ) or “the south beach diet”. A do it yourself diet would reduce starches and sugar but keep protein foods and vegetables .
Check your body mass index http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
If your BMI is above 30 , have a full medical exam including blood testing for anemia and thyroid disease before starting a vigourous diet.
DR Wise
