The only real “cure” for obesity

Last week, we talked about the problem with embracing fat as the “new normal.” Instead of fighting our country’s growing obesity epidemic, we’re resizing everything around us to accommodate it. So today, I want to talk about some solutions to that problem. Because when it comes to obesity, something’s got to give.

Doctors need to change the way they think about obesity. And more importantly, Big Food and Big Pharma need to have to have their “free pass” revoked — because if we continue to compensate them for making us sick with their cheap, processed, chemical-laden food and their overpriced, side-effect-riddled drugs, the state of our healthcare will only continue its decline.

Without a combined effort in place, patients will continue to assume the full burden of blame for their obesity — even though they shouldn’t. A good portion of it belongs with the powers-that-be who have peddled horrible dietary advice (like the low-fat craze), made proceed junk food the more affordable option, and denied the serious dangers of sugar for decades.

Yet, despite the cold hard facts, there seems to be a lot disagreement over how and what to change amongst those in a position to actually make a big difference.

Effective weight loss interventions DO exist

A bystander of the American obesity crisis might assume that the medical community has dropped the ball in finding effective ways to manage obesity. But I couldn’t disagree more.

Just because mainstream doctors aren’t adopting these interventions, that doesn’t mean they’re not out there, staring them right in the face.

For example, I’ve written two best-selling diet books (The A-List Diet and The Hamptons Diet). And I’ve helped thousands upon thousands of people lose weight (and keep it off).

Not to mention, I ask what my patients are eating and how often they’re exercising at every single visit.

Imagine if every doctor was doing this… We’d have a much healthier America, that’s for sure.

So really, when someone says that “there’s no effective intervention” for obesity, what they really mean is that the powers-that-be can’t pick one they all agree on. Because they’re definitely out there. So in the end, they dole out a contradictory mish-mash of recommendations. Many of which don’t really work at all.

The DASH diet is a perfect example of a mainstream misstep. It’s been proven ineffective compared to Mediterranean-based diets, like my A-List Diet. But it’s easy to see why folks in charge love it.

You recommend DASH, and you’re recommending grains. And here in America, we grow grains by the bushel on the government’s dime. Big Agribusiness makes money selling it to us — and Big Pharma rakes in even more when we all get fat and sick from eating it.

The money trail is there. You just have to follow it.

And what about obese patients? Well it’s time doctors start treating obesity like the chronic disease it is…

Making America thin again

Part of the problem with mainstream obesity treatment is that there isn’t a magic-bullet “cure” for obesity.

You can get your weight under control. But keeping it that way is a life-long challenge that requires commitment, consistency, and dedication. In that sense, patients will always have the “disease” of obesity, even long after they’ve dropped the pounds.

I’m the perfect example of this reality. I was overweight for the majority of my formative years. And I consider myself a recovering fat person — who needs to abstain from destructive eating behaviors, just like an alcoholic needs to give up booze.

And if I don’t? I’m headed to an early grave. From any number of complications — including diabetes, heart disease, or one of the dozen cancers that feed off sugar consumption.

Maybe this is why I’ve been so successful as a “diet doctor.” It’s clear that the medical community has a long way to go toward understanding what triggers the behaviors and conditions that lead to obesity. But having experienced it first-hand, I have a better insight than most.

The bottom line is, it’s not a straight line from thin to fat. A lot of factors come into play — not just eating and exercise habits, but stress levels, sleep patterns, circadian rhythm imbalances, and environmental obesogens (toxic chemical compounds that disrupt lipid metabolism).

At the end of the day, even after you manage to lose weight, you’ll be engaged in a constant battle to keep it off. And your own body will attempt to sabotage you back to obesity every step of the way.

But if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. This is NOT a battle you’re doomed to lose. You simply need to use every weapon in your arsenal — from diet, to exercise, to stress management, to quality sleep.

The A-List Diet covers every one of these bases and then some. It’s required reading on the road to recovery from obesity. And whether your journey’s just starting, or your goal weight is right on the horizon, it’s the one and only map you’ll ever need. Click here to learn more or sign up today.

Until next time,

Dr. Fred

Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/896444