4/30/2009:

[Every month, Hoboken411 will be posting a column to give answers to Hobokenites’ most frequently asked health questions. The column is written by Dr. Laura Brayton of Hoboken Chiropractic + Wellness. Please send all health-related questions to DrBrayton@HobokenChiro.com.]

Shedding the winter layer

“Dear Dr. Brayton,
I have gained some weight over the years and am now actively trying to take it off. There are so many diets out there and was wondering what you would recommend for someone who wants to lose weight properly and in a healthy way.

Sincerely,
Bikini or Bust“

See Dr. Laura’s answer after the jump!!

(Healthy Hoboken – April 2009, continued…)

No quick fix – but there are solutions

Dear Bikini or Bust,
With all of the crazy diets out on the market, it is unfortunate that more people (especially women) are trying the newest fad to lose weight quickly; looking for the magic “weight loss pill.”

However, they are finding that the even if there is temporary weight loss initially, the weight creeps back on and then maybe even extra pounds. Why is this? Well, first of all, if we look at the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) as a starting point, we can recognize that eating fried foods, processed or packaged items, and artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives is difficult for the body to break down and therefore, gets stored in the fat cells. That contributes to hormonal imbalance, including insulin (takes the sugar from the bloodstream and stores in the cells) and glucagon (which breaks down fat for energy) which are produced in the pancreas in addition to the thyroid hormones (T3 and T4).

A sluggish thyroid gland can often be the culprit for difficulty losing weight. To check your thyroid activity (in addition to blood work), take your temperature under your arm first thing in the morning even before getting out of bed for a week to see if your baseline metabolic rate is at least 97.6 degrees. Having weight fluctuation contributes to a slower metabolism which women naturally have due to decreased muscle mass. When the metabolism slows down, even decreasing caloric intake and increasing exercise will make it challenging to burn fat. Therefore, actively balancing your body’s hormones and eating a variety of fresh, non-processed foods with moderate activity will allow your body to regain its natural, healthy body weight. There is no “quick fix” to permanent weight loss but sustaining a balanced lifestyle will guide your body towards health and wellness, including looking great in that bikini!

Yours in health,
Dr. Brayton

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