Natural Medicine Clinic Publications

Weight Loss: Can I Lose Weight? Is it really possible?

By Nancy Aagenes, ND

Yes you can. But if cosmetics is the goal, you will probably not lose as fast or as much as you want. Remember with even minimal weight loss you can become much healthier. In one study on successful aging, patients ranked healthy relationships and meaningful, satisfying goals ahead of health markers. Always remember that how well you love, who loves you and whether you find meaning in your days is more important than what you weigh.

Nonetheless, prevention of weight gain or actual weight loss remains a factor in health. For example a gain of only three pounds increases risk for diabetes by 4.5%. If your risk is already low that doesn't mean much. But if your risk is high, adding to it becomes significant.

Over the years of practice my attitude about helping people lose weight has been hampered by two things. First, the medical culture has been discouraging-doctors have not had confidence that they could help with weight loss. Second, I had trouble losing weight myself. I couldn't get past the lack of integrity in giving advice I couldn't follow and/or that didn't work for me. Luckily, those things have changed!

My advice to patients now is this: 1) You can lose weight. 2) You will relapse and regain some of it back. 3) When that happens you can return the basics of weight loss again and again. 4) If managing a program of change is too difficult, pick just one small change. Learn it, make it a consistent habit. Then pick one more change.

The exciting thing in the medical literature is that some well-constructed studies of weight loss are showing better results with lifestyle changes than with drugs. One soon-to-be-published study is comparing rigorously monitored and supported life style changes (diet and exercise) with metformin, a drug used in treating diabetes that helps with weight loss. Those involved with the study expected metformin to do better. It didn't. The lifestyle group had better results. Another study found that moderate changes worked better over time than aggressive and difficult changes. That is also reassuring news.

There are many strategies to lose weight and they are based on each individual patient's story and need. There is no one right way. The first, or even the fifth, thing you try might not be best for you, so keep experimenting. Above all be gentle to yourself. No organism on the planet abruptly changes feeding habits-an elk or a whale don't just decide one day to eat differently. Many factors are involved in these choices. To just start noticing what affects you is a beginning.

Here are some examples of weight loss strategies.

• Write down everything you eat. Even with no intention to change food habits, medical studies are uniform in proving that people who write it down lose weight. Just keep a little notebook with you and note every single thing you eat and an estimate of the amount.
• Modify your habits to gently create more activity in your life. One study of already obese people showed an annual two-pound weight gain for every extension phone in the home. What if you make a commitment to answer the phone farthest from you every time? You know the drill-walk one extra flight of stairs, park an extra block away. Studies suggest that a 10-pound annual loss is possible from these minor changes.
• Eat more protein and less starchy, sugary carbohydrate. Make your plate one-third protein, two-thirds vegetables and use fruit for snacks. Dr. Gott calls it the No Flour No Sugar diet. Eat nothing with any flour or any added sugar. Keeping it that simple avoids a host of internal negotiations and decisions that make difficult following the path to food change.