UpBeat Living: Doctors and Diets |
Many people feel stressed because they are not the body shape or size they would prefer to be. In my last column, I discussed strategies for weight loss without dieting. I gave an overview of the Unstress NowR Undiet Plan. Since some prefer the structure of a "diet", today I’m sharing the diet recommendations of several famous doctors.
Consider, first, that it is natural for the body to identify and discard damaged cells all the time. The body must also make new cells all the time. Whatever you eat and drink is the only resource stream the body has for raw material from which to construct new cells. Is your body stuck with only chocolate and diet soda, or pizza and beer, with which to make new cells? Your body needs proteins, or amino acids to make protein from, plus fats for steroid production, carbohydrates for energy, and many allied substances. Cells need a less acidic pH than many of our "normal diets" create in our cells. Different foods with equivalent calorie-counts will not process in equivalent ways in the body. From just these facts, you can see that simply limiting and counting calories will not work well for many people. Rather, which foods you choose can make a huge difference in how you feel and how you look.
The most popular diet plan today, the Atkins diet, takes this approach, emphasizing food groups over volumes. The latest version can be found in Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, by Robert C. Atkins, M.D. Many have lost weight healthfully on this diet, emphasizing protein, allowing fats, and minimizing carbohydrates. Dr Atkins describes metabolic processes and urges us to work with these natural mechanisms. A major key is to stop provoking overproduction of insulin, which causes sweet cravings and weight gain, together with fatigue. Supporters of this diet plan say they lost their nonstop appetite quickly after beginning the regime.
Barry Sears, Ph.D., is a biochemist who can explain to you in detail the metabolism of phospholipids. In several books referring to "The Zone", he explains very intelligently how food processes in the body. Dr. Sears urges us to establish our own personal diet regime, by taking a number of body measurements and making detailed calculations. Eventually, you obtain the totals of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that you, personally, can eat each day and still lose weight. This known as "The Zone Diet", because you find your own "Zone" for weight loss, and later, maintenance. This is a marvelous plan for people who love to measure and calculate. Some dismiss it as excessively complex.
Dr. Andrew Weil (M.D.), is the Chairman of the Integrative Medical Studies Program at the University of Arizona Medical School. He is the author of a number of layperson’s books on health and medicine. He is globally famous for espousing nutrition education for medical doctors, as well as for his work in botanical and spiritual medicine. In a recent newsletter, Dr. Weil commented that high-protein diets are laudable for getting people away from high-sugar diets and the insulin-caused cravings of the carboholic regime. However, his medical judgement is that there are still limits on fats and calories, if you don’t want to reverse your process and gain weight. As do most doctors, Dr. Weil advocates adding exercise to your weight-loss program, to accelerate metabolism and feel great, too. In addition, Dr. Weil cautions that unsaturated fats, like many vegetable oils, are still better for the body than saturated fats, such as butter and meat fats.
Check with your own doctor or health professional before starting any drastic diets. Use your common sense, and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, to aid in release of wastes and fatty tissue from your body. Find a diet plan you can really live with, set your weight and time goals, and go for it as though it’s the greatest gift you’ve ever given yourself. Let nothing stop you. Good luck!
Kebba Buckley is a stress management/life design coach and energy therapist. She is the author of Relax! Recharge! Rejuvenate!, a handbook on stress management. Her e-mail address is KebbaBuckl@aol.com.