From a 1990 Nike "Just do it" ad in Vogue
And now what? The Denim Diet
?!? Forget about the word diet for a moment. The topic of calories is front and center today and is a favorite of mine. I delve into it briefly in my book. Here’s an excerpt…
We’ve all heard, “it’s calories in, calories out,” right? It’s true that a deficit will cause weight loss, while a surplus will cause weight gain. If I severely restricted my daily calorie intake, but my diet consisted solely of refined cane sugar, I seriously doubt I’d lose weight because I’d be sending my blood sugar (insulin level) through the roof. According to Barbara Berkeley, MD, a board-certified internist who has specialized in treating overweight and obese patients for over twenty years, “insulin is the hormone that opens your fat cells and allows foods to be stored as fat. It is the only major hormone that has this job.” So you want to keep your insulin level low and keep calories in check to accumulate less fat.
Marcelle Pick, RNC, MSN, OB/GYN NP (on womentowomen.com) just wrote a very thorough article on calories, metabolism, setpoint, hormones, and why some women have a tough time losing weight or keeping it off once they’ve lost it. I encourage you to read the entire (quite lengthy) article titled, Natural weight loss: A holistic approach that’s healthy, effective and lasting, but I’ve summarized the article and included a few key excerpts here:
Dr. Pick is writing from personal experience. Her opening sentence reads, “Over the years I’m sure I’ve lost over 100 pounds — the same 10 pounds ten times!”
In her 27 years of practicing medicine, she has made a few conclusions about weight gain and resistence to weight loss. The reason she calls her findings a holistic approach is she believes that in order to lose weight and keep it off, “you must restore your health and hormonal balance — if you don’t, either the weight will come right back after you stop dieting, or it will stay put no matter how hard you try to get rid of it. Think of it as getting healthy from the inside out. Only once you’re in balance can you lose weight and keep it off.”
The just of this is weight loss success isn’t only about calories in/calories out…genetics, nutrition, physical activity, emotional history, stress level, lifestyle, and environment are all factors as well. Seems like a lot to control, but she breaks it down:
On nutrition: ”No matter how often you hear that “a calorie is a calorie,” it is just not that simple: what, when, and how you eat do matter. And nothing shuts down metabolism faster than starvation and deprivation. Your body immediately switches into hoarding mode: conserving fat and burning the liver’s glycogen reserves for energy. Once the reserves of glycogen are depleted, your brain sends out intense hunger signals that will not be denied. This is the source of so much failed yo-yo dieting and repeat weight gain.”
On setpoint: “Adequate nutrition combined with moderate physical activity automatically keeps our bodies at a healthy set point: a predetermined body fat ratio within a 10–15-pound weight range. Your metabolism is designed to vigorously defend your set point by speeding up or slowing down if its thresholds are threatened.”
On what’s going on with the rest of your body functions and systems: “The amount you eat and when are governed by your brain, fat cells, and central nervous system (which are highly influenced by your environment). How well you digest your food and rid your body of toxins relies on the health of your GI tract and other organs, like your liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system. How efficiently the cells in your body convert your food to energy is affected by the health of your respiratory, musculoskeletal, endocrine, and immune systems.”
On metabolic hormones: “New insights appear almost daily on this weight loss frontier — the relationship between hormones and how the gut talks to the brain to regulate weight — Of course, the major player in this scenario is insulin. Insulin is a primary hormone that is directly affected by your diet. It determines whether blood sugar gets used right away for immediate energy or stored as fat instead. Any disruption in the insulin-regulating mechanism, such as insulin resistance, has an instant effect on some of the lesser metabolic hormones — the list of which grows longer each year as we uncover more of the inner workings of human metabolism.” Dr. Pick discusses other hormones in the article.
On the brain and weight loss: “The metabolism’s first priority is to feed the brain. The brain needs a steady stream of glucose to perform, and when that stream is disrupted the body responds with a multitude of coping mechanisms, like flooding the pathways with cortisol and adrenaline. Designed to cover the brain’s demands for energy during short periods of stress, these emergency measures were never intended to stay switched on. Unfortunately, that is exactly what’s happening in many women — leading to chronic depletion in certain areas, food addiction, depression, and unhealthy weight.”
On our emotions: “Not just chemicals, but feelings too. But our brains aren’t just a collection of chemicals; emotions can also be powerful contributors to weight gain, because they all produce biochemical reactions in the physical world. Some women simply can’t begin to take the necessary measures to heal their physiology without first addressing their emotional attachment to food.”
On inflammation, digestion, and obesity: “One of the more overlooked signs of a taxed metabolism is inflammation, especially as it relates to fat cells. Proteins synthesized in adipose tissue, also called adipocytokines, are compounds that can have both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Which effect gets the upper hand depends on the healthy balance of all the other elements we’ve discussed — and more. We still can’t say whether inflammation is a primarily the result or a cause of obesity, but we know the two go hand-in-hand.”
On building muscle and losing fat: “As a species, we are meant to be active. Our ancestors had to walk, run, dig and till for their food. Over and over again, the magic pill that everyone is looking for appears to be exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to become a fanatic, but you do have to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. The right amount or style will, again, depend on your individual circumstances and metabolic profile. A diet high in simple carbohydrates and sugar means that your body has a ready supply of glucose and rarely has to burn fat. A balanced diet that includes more protein, micronutrients, and fiber provides more long-term fuel and helps builds muscle.”
On natural detoxification: “Nature has provided us with a remarkably efficient and versatile detoxification system, but allergens, heavy metals, unhealthy bacteria, pesticides, and the cumulative effects of toxic exposure over many years directly influence how well everything else in your body functions. It is the piece that ties everything together. How well you are coping with your “toxic load” is highly individual, but gaining weight (or being unable to lose weight) is a telling sign that demands are outweighing support. The health of your liver and kidneys, your essential detox organs, should be addressed as part of any good weight loss plan.
I like Dr. Pick’s whole body, sensible approach and It would appear that she and I are pretty much on the same page. Do you think there are any areas she covers that you could work on to achieve better weight loss results, have more energy, feel better, and/or put an end to weight fluctation and yo-yo dieting?
For those of you in major cities like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington, DC, and South Florida, you’re in luck! Menupages.com has you covered. Check out this stylie new website for menus in your area. 
- (w/ salt spoon)
just came out on 
! Finally!
.
the last few nights before bed is a tired, old-looking face. I’m thinking about having the mirror removed. I need my appetite back!
