Alex Baskous, M.D., M.P.H

Board Certified in Weight Loss Management ABBM

We must remember that to maintain our body structure and and normal metabolism we require nutrients that we only obtain through our food and drink. We must, first of all, be sure that these nutrients are present in adequate amounts in our diet. “Get what you need and then cut out what you don’t need” is generally a safe way to go about trimming down without causing harmful side effects.

The opposite of this is a “crash diet,” which not only endangers our health but often ultimately results in more weight gain.  Harvard professor George Blackburn, for example,  elegantly demonstrated that adequate protein intake is necessary to keep muscle mass (high-protein tissue) intact and this actually assists in our efforts to lose weight . This occurs because metabolic processes within  muscle (mitochondrial enzyme systems) are major fat burners, even when the body is at rest with no exercise. Efficient sources of protein  include lean meat, fish and seafood, poultry, eggs and dairy products made from low-fat milk, such as string cheese, etc.  In the plant kingdom soy and in some cases legumes serve as good sources of protein. This is not to say that we require a “high protein diet,” only that we should have an “adequate protein diet” and replace what we are losing each day, which in many healthy individuals amounts to about 90 grams per day.

Other nutrients needed in varying amounts include a balance of essential fats (fatty acids of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 varieties), which keep the structural fats in our nervous systems, lipid membranes and other tissues healthy. We also require the proper amounts of vitamins, minerals, and water.

On the other hand, we can afford to cut out excess quantities of sugar-containing food and beverages  especially “high glycemic index starches” that turn immediately to sugar in our body. We (overweight Americans) should be burning our own excess fat for energy rather than the excess sugar that most of us  consume in our diet. In fact, sugar and high glycemic index starches are often responsible for an addictive cycle that begins with a high blood sugar after eating such foods and then a low sugar  reactive “overshoot” after it is stored. This low sugar then drives us to eat more, etc., resulting in the destructive cycle of “the more you eat, the more you want, the fatter you get.”

Foods like butter, greasy meats, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. have large quantities of animal fat.  We can generally eat less of these with no injury to our health, assuming that we are getting the proper essential fats, as mentioned previously.

The root of the problem for many people lies in our genetic ties to human history rather than with lack of will power, laziness or character issues.  For most of human history, an efficient metabolism was a life saving bonus. Only relatively recently in human history, since the development of agriculture and food storage technology, has food been plentiful enough to allow obesity to occur. This is especially true for obese individuals who possess markedly efficient metabolisms  which through most of human history would be very beneficial to assist in survival through difficult times but in todays world can be deadly.

We must remember that successful weight loss is a multifaceted effort, dependent on long-term behavior changes, proper diet and proper exercise. For many of us, the support and discipline of a supervised program is helpful because stresses and other priorities in our lives interfere with our weight loss management efforts.  An ideal program should be long term, safe, supportive and doable. One of Dr. Baskous favorite aspects of medicine is working with motivated people to lose weight and change to a healthier life style.  He finds it extremely satisfying to see that many medical problems resolve and many personal benefits occur.