How to Get Thin and Stay Thin

Get Thin & Stay Thin the Healthy Way

by Joy Koenig, M.D., M.S.
Board Certified in Preventive Medicine
© Joy Koenig 1999-2008 All Rights Reserved

Most of us pay more attention to the proper operation of our vehicles than we do to maintaining our bodies properly. Although we can buy another car when the current one wears out, we only get one body per lifetime. You'd never put diesel fuel in your unleaded car engine and expect it to work properly -- yet most of us expect our bodies to run properly on the wrong fuel. Here is some basic information to help keep your personal "vehicle" in proper working order:

(A) The Role of Exercise in Engine Performance and Fuel Economy

(1) Physiologically speaking, there are two types of human engines - those who are physically active have one type, and those who are sedentary have the other. When the body knows from experience that exercise is part of its daily routine, it handles food differently than when it thinks it will just be sitting around and doing nothing. The "Magic Pill" for healthy weight management is a tough pill for most of us to swallow - exercise.

By exercise, I don't mean that casual after dinner walk you take with the dog. I mean heart-raising, fast breathing, break-out-in-a-sweat activity. Walking or strolling will tone your legs, clear your mind, and raise your spirits, but it will not change your metabolic physiology from sedentary to active.

(2) Since our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) accounts for about 75% of the calories we expend on a daily basis, the best way to boost daily calorie metabolism is to build muscle mass, because resting muscles cells burn as much as 50 times the number of calories as resting fat cells. The most efficient way to build muscle mass is through strength training.
(B) The Role of Vitamins and Phytochemicals

Vitamins and phytochemicals are essential to the proper functioning of the human body. They are organic compounds that the human body cannot synthesize by itself , so they must be present in the diet. Vitamins act predominantly in the regulation of metabolic processes. Phytochemicals are intimately tied to our body's repair systems, including the immune system. Most vitamins are water soluble; that means our body does not store them so they must be in our daily diet. Even conservative medical organization like the Centers for Disease Control now recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin.

(C) The Role of Water

Most of us don't drink sufficient water to have optimal health. We wait until we feel thirsty before we grab something to drink. We worry about not having easy access to bathrooms, or being in our car with no where to go. By the time we are thirsty we are already dehydrated. Does your car battery work well if it is low on water ? No -- water is necessary to properly conduct the electrical charge. Our bodies are powerhouses of electrochemical activity, and everything runs much smoother if there's sufficient water around. Also, much of our metabolic waste products are dissolved into water and excreted from our bodies through the kidneys. Although the common recommendation of " 8 eight ounce glasses of water" is a myth (half of this need is met through the water in the foods we eat), most of us still don't drink enough water for good health.

Dr. Joy's Healthful Eating Tips

Don't make the mistake of dieting to lose weight before you start exercising. That's the hard way!

Move, move, move! Be sure you are breathing faster than at rest, or you're not moving fast enough.

Avoid PORTION DISTORTION. Portion distortion is the leading cause of increased calorie consumption. Read food labels to learn how small a "normal" portion size really is!

Switch to whole grains and add fiber-rich foods to your diet - more filling and more nutritious.

Switch to lean meats and 1% or non-fat dairy products.

Substitute water or flavored seltzer water for the non-nutritive beverages you drink, such as soda and coffee. Your metabolism needs plenty water to function properly. Remember that most beverages are really LIQUID FOOD, packed with calories but not creating a sense of fullness - and we forget to count them as things we've "eaten".

Avoid COMPENSATORY THINKING -- i.e., "I can eat this because I exercised today." Our estimation of how many calories we burn is very distorted.

Do not eat less than 1200 calories per day. Less than 1200 is usually not enough to support our basal metabolism and thus slows our metabolism into starvation mode.

Do not overeat -- your metabolic hormones will work against you. Adrenaline released during exercise, tells our body to release fat. However, overeating increases levels of the hormone adenosine, which tells our cells to hold on to stored fat. Thus, fat stays in the cells and isn't burned during exercise.

SNACK! Yes, on healthy snacks (trail mix, fresh fruit, etc.) because snacking prevents us from becoming too hungry. The hungrier we are, the less self-control we have over what and how much we eat. Remember that foods with mixed nutrients -- carbohydrate, protein and a little fat -- produces the healthiest and most balanced metabolic hormone responses in our bodies.

Avoid alcohol! Alcohol depresses your metabolism, stimulates your appetite, reduces you self-control so you're more likely to eat unnecessarily, and reduces the body's ability to burn fat.

Always, always eat breakfast.

Do you feel hungrier by lunchtime the days you remember to eat breakfast? Try these tips:

Go for at least 5 Grams of Fiber - After age 20, you should get 25 to 35 grams a day. Choose whole grains and fruits with your breakfast to get fiber. Just two slices of whole wheat bread can give you six grams of fiber. One cup of fresh berries or one cup of raisin bran gets you an additional five grams.

Try for at least 5 Grams of Protein - Protein helps fill you up so you don't feel hungry. Cereals, breakfast bars, a hard boiled egg, and instant shakes usually have protein - check the label to make sure it contains enough protein and not too much sugar. Add 1/4 cup of pasteurized egg substitute to the blender when you make a smoothie, or pour 1/2 cup of low-fat milk into your cereal.

Buy "on the go" Fruits - Fruits not only provide fiber, but also important vitamins and minerals. Apples work great for those short on time -- an "eating on the run" breakfast.

Avoid High-Sugar and High-Fat Choices - Many pre-made and fast food breakfast products are loaded with sugar, fat or both. Check the food label! If it's loaded with sugar and fat it's junk food masquerading as a healthy meal.

Summary of Active vs. Sedentary Metabolism

Active Sedentary It's UNFAIR!

Sugar Sent to muscle cells and stored as glycogen, burned with next work-out Sent to fat cells and stored as fat Sedentary people pay a higher fat production "cost" for eating sugar.

Cholesterol
(wax) Converted to HDL (heavy or healthy cholesterol) by a "fit" liver Converted to LDL (light or lousy cholesterol) by a "lazy" liver Sedentary people pay a higher health "cost" gram for gram when consuming cholesterol.

Brain Function Better sleep
(More rest due to increased REM) Poor sleep
(less rest due to decreased REM) Sedentary people feel more tired and less motivated to exercise when they are the ones who would benefit the most from increasing activity.

Exercise Increases lipo-lysis
(release from fat cells) Especially aerobic exercise; effect lasts for hours after exercising not just while you are exercising; exercises that use LARGE muscles (legs, butt) are most efficient; generally, the more vigorous and total body the exercise, the more calories burned (cross country skiing > running > biking > walking )

Fasting or
Starving or
< 1200 cals Increases lipo-genesis
(fat storage) Break-fast -- while awake we usually eat every three or four hours; so we are "fasting" while we sleep (8 hours without eating) -- this is why just eating breakfast will boost your metabolism for the whole day.

Saturated Fat Increases cholesterol levels Saturated fat stimulates your body to make more cholesterol, and raises blood cholesterol even more than eating cholesterol

Eating after 7 PM Increases lipo-genesis
(fat storage) When your body doesn't see an immediate need for fuel (i.e. you're sitting on your butt watching TV, reading or sleeping) it saves the fuel for later (fat).

Aerobic Exercise Increases fat release and fat metabolism Do something that gives you a faster breathing rate, but not so fast you can't carry on a conversation.

Strength Training Increases # of muscle cells Resting muscle cells have a higher baseline calorie consumption than fat cells, so the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn at rest.

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	Active	Sedentary	It's UNFAIR!
Sugar	Sent to muscle cells and stored as glycogen, burned with next work-out	Sent to fat cells and stored as fat	Sedentary people pay a higher fat production "cost" for eating sugar.
Cholesterol (wax)	Converted to HDL (heavy or healthy cholesterol) by a "fit" liver	Converted to LDL (light or lousy cholesterol) by a "lazy" liver	Sedentary people pay a higher health "cost" gram for gram when consuming cholesterol.
Brain Function	Better sleep (More rest due to increased REM)	Poor sleep (less rest due to decreased REM)	Sedentary people feel more tired and less motivated to exercise when they are the ones who would benefit the most from increasing activity.
Exercise	Increases lipo-lysis (release from fat cells)	Especially aerobic exercise; effect lasts for hours after exercising not just while you are exercising; exercises that use LARGE muscles (legs, butt) are most efficient; generally, the more vigorous and total body the exercise, the more calories burned (cross country skiing > running > biking > walking )
Fasting or Starving or < 1200 cals	Increases lipo-genesis (fat storage)	Break-fast -- while awake we usually eat every three or four hours; so we are "fasting" while we sleep (8 hours without eating) -- this is why just eating breakfast will boost your metabolism for the whole day.
Saturated Fat	Increases cholesterol levels	Saturated fat stimulates your body to make more cholesterol, and raises blood cholesterol even more than eating cholesterol
Eating after 7 PM	Increases lipo-genesis (fat storage)	When your body doesn't see an immediate need for fuel (i.e. you're sitting on your butt watching TV, reading or sleeping) it saves the fuel for later (fat).
Aerobic Exercise	Increases fat release and fat metabolism	Do something that gives you a faster breathing rate, but not so fast you can't carry on a conversation.
Strength Training	Increases # of muscle cells	Resting muscle cells have a higher baseline calorie consumption than fat cells, so the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn at rest.