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Writer's pictureDr. Jay Pennock

Healthy Ways to Lose Weight



Our weight is something that we have been trying to control for the last 40

years, mostly since the advent of processed food

Try to think of our weight as simply a number and not use it as a goal or a measure of fitness

  • We can be healthy, but plump or thin and unfit and unhealthy

  • Our goal is to became lean and strong and healthy

  • Let the lower number be a side effect rather than the goal!



Our bodies like homeostasis – that is, we get to a certain set weight that is hard to change

  • So how do we gain and lose weight?

  • The simple answer is (food in) – (calories burned) X (metabolic rate) X (the x factor)

  • Food in!

  • Follow my thoughts below

  • Calories burned!

  • Exercise regularly

  • Walk the stairs, park farther away, etc.

  • Keep moving

  • Build muscles as they burn calories even at rest

  • Metabolic rate controls how efficient we are at processing foods

  • Talk to me about possible thyroid hormonal imbalance

  • Consistently change your eating and exercise to reset to a faster metabolism

  • Avoid radical diets and exercise programs!

  • If you are in preservation mode and you will hold on to fat, not lose it

  • The X Factor – the complex interaction of depression, stress, pain, anxiety, etc. that governs our hormones

  • Stress hormones play a significant role in our metabolism

  • Adequate sleep allows our body to stay out of preservation mode

  • Stay hydrated!

  • Journal what you eat and how you feel and change appropriately

Our hormonal balance is very important for weight management

  • Cortisol - The stress hormone

  • If we are in “Fight or Flight” mode, we will hold on to calories to use in crises

  • Important to reduce stress by meditation and exercise

  • Testosterone is important for metabolic rate

  • Helps build muscle that burns calories

  • Estrogen/Progesterone balance

  • Healthy levels promote muscle and burn fat

  • Thyroid – THE metabolic hormone

  • Sets our thermostat

  • Directs cells to burn or save calories

Nutritional Concepts

  • First – make sure that you are Hungry!

  • Drink a glass of water. Sometimes being thirsty mimics hunger

  • Choose Wisely

  • Listen to your body closely to feel what it really wants

  • Make sure that what you have on hand to eat is healthy

  • Eliminate the “junk” food accessible to you

  • Have a bag of nuts available

  • Have fruit or veggies on hand to snack on

  • Go for a walk or exercise to reduce your hunger

  • Decide how much food you want to eat and take only that amount

  • Don’t just leave the whole bag open!

  • Avoid “diet” food

  • Avoid preservatives

  • Avoid sweeteners

  • Eat “whole foods”, not processed

  • What to do when eating out?

  • Decide whether this is a “blow it” meal

  • Ask for the dressing on the side and then use sparingly

  • Ask for alternatives to cream based sauces

  • Split a main course with someone

  • Eat only healthy side dishes

  • Ask for a “to go” box when your food arrives and put ½ of your meal in the box

  • Most restaurants over-feed us

  • Ask for low salt options as if you have high blood pressure

  • Most meals out have 2-10 times the recommended salt!

  • Zig Zag your calorie reduction

  • Reduce your overall consumption of calories by 10-20%

  • But, 3 days a week eat much less than that

  • And, 4 days a week eat 0-15% less calories than you need

  • Eat S L O W L Y!

  • This allows the food to be broken down better for digestion

  • Gives your stomach time to feedback your fullness level to your brain

  • Supplements

  • Increase the efficiency of our digestion

  • Eat less to get the same nutrients

  • Amylase helps in metabolizing carbohydrates

  • Lipase helps in metabolizing fats

  • Bromelain from pineapple helps break down proteins

  • How to help our gut help us!

  • We have trillions of bacteria in our gut

Probiotics help to reshape the kinds of bacteria are in our gut

  • They control our appetite

  • Our immune system is thought to be 90% related to our gut “biome”

  • At least 10 Billion CFU’s

  • Try to find one with as many strains as possible (10)

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