4 Pillars of Weight Loss

When entering into our Advanced Medical Weight Loss program the first question to ask yourself is “What are you weight loss goals.” When setting a goal, ask yourself first of all if your goals are realistic and if you are really ready to make the changes in your life necessary to reach those goals. Most people don’t take into consideration whether they’re ready to do what it takes to achieve their goals. If you’re going through a stressful time at work, for example, this may not be the best time to start a weight loss program; maybe you’d do better to wait a few months and start on, say, your birthday. Be S.M.A.R.T with your goals, you increase your odds of reaching your goal is you answer yes to all of these as you set it:

• Specific – have I described details rather than general ideas of the goal?
• Measurable – can someone else measure and see that I reached my goal?
• Attainable – is this goal actually reachable?
• Realistic – even if it is reachable, is it realistic that I am willing to do what it takes to reach it.
• Timeline – do I have a deadline for reaching this goal?

Once you have set your goals start looking into the 4 Pillars of Weight Loss. It is extremely important to understand each pillar’s association with weight loss.

Physiological Pillar

The first is the Physiological Pillar. To truly grasp control of your weight you must first understand what is going on inside the body. Slow metabolism, decreasing hormone levels, adrenal fatigue are all credited to obesity. The biggest problem with most weight-loss programs is that they do not address the long term, only the short term. Once you understand what is leading to your weight gain you can grasp more control on losing and then maintaining your weight. Hormone levels, medical conditions, thyroid function, or adrenal fatigue are all different reasons why the body could be retaining weight. One of the biggest factors to the Physiological Pillar is understanding metabolism.

Metabolism is based on your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is how many calories we burn while at rest. This includes keeping your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making new blood cells, maintain your body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body. BMR is the largest factor in determining your overall metabolic rate and how many calories you need to maintain, lose or gain weight. BMR is determined by a combination of the following factors:

• Genetics. Some people are born with a fast metabolism; some with a slower metabolism.
• Gender. Men have a greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage than women. This means they have a higher basal metabolic rate.
• Age. BMR reduces with age. After 20 years, it drops about 2 percent every 10 years.
• Weight. The heavier your weight, the higher your BMR. Example: the metabolic rate of obese women is 25 percent higher than the metabolic rate of thin women.
• Body Surface Area (BSA). This is a reflection of your height and weight. The greater your Body Surface Area factor, the higher your BMR. Tall, thin people have higher BMRs.
• Body Fate Percentage. The lower your body fat percentage, the higher you’re BMR. A lower body fat percentage in the male body is one reason why men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women.
• External temperature. Temperature outside the body affects the BMR. Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the BMR, which creates extra heat needed to maintain the body’s internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body’s metabolism as it is compensated mainly by increased heat loss. In contrast, prolonged exposure to heat can raise BMR.
• Glands. Thyroxin (produced by the thyroid gland) is a key BMR regulator which speeds up the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxin produced, the higher the BMR. If too much thyroxin is produced (a condition known as thyrotoxicosis) BMR can actually double. If too little thyroxin is produced (myxoedema) BMR may decrease by about 30 percent of normal. Like thyroxin, adrenaline also increases the BMR but to a lesser extent.
• Exercise. Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise your BMR by building extra lean tissue. Lean tissue is more metabolically demanding than fat tissue; you burn more calories even when sleeping. It is important to make time in your day for some form of physical activity. You can start by taking the stairs at work, walking up or down an escalator, parking at the far end of a lot instead of cruising around for the closest spot.

Then, assuming your physician gives the okay, gradually add some form of regular physical activity that you enjoy. Walking and swimming are excellent forms of physical activity that almost everyone can do.

Ultimately fat oxidation is what we are really looking for in a weight-loss program. A product that oxidizes fat will cause fat-loss and weight-loss without losing lean muscle mass. Hormones, when in proper balance and optimized will promote fat oxidation, curb appetite (control meal size), reduce cravings for sweets and will increase energy.

Physical/Exercise Pillar

The next pillar is the physical aspect of dieting like exercising. This pillar is important not just for the sheer fact of exercising burns calories but also due to that fact that exercising builds endorphins. Grasping the concept of this pillar is more about finding ways to change your habits - to get out of the kitchen, to get off of the couch - to change the habits we have developed in life to work for the better of your well being, not against it. Exercising helps the body release endorphins which help boost your mood. You do not have to go to the extreme of committing to a new personal trainer or monthly gym membership. This is as simple as committing to an evening walk through the neighborhood, doing a yoga class a couple of times throughout the week, even something as simple as taking your dogs to the dog park. Find ways to get active and ask a friend or spouse to accompany you. When we are being held accountable to other’s time we find ourselves more willing to stick to a commitment rather than just doing it for ourselves. Most people are afraid to talk to friends or family about setting weight loss goals but it is actually important to do this. Find support and accountability in those you trust and see the difference your attitude takes towards reaching your goals.

Nutritional Pillar

The third pillar is the nutritional aspect of dieting. What are vitamins and minerals? Vitamins and minerals are the spark plugs of our human machine. They are essential for the normal functioning of our bodies and are necessary for growth and vitality. Lack of them can lead to acute and chronic disease. They are found in food and supplements, but diet alone may not be enough. Particularly when you are on a weight-loss program, it is crucial that you receive adequate vitamins and minerals. People who are vitamin and mineral deficient may crave sweets, carbohydrates and fat. When our bodies get the nutrition it needs to function properly, we do not crave these things. Even if you eat six meals a day, you may still be deficient in nutrients your body needs. The food today is highly processed and the soil where most of our food is grown has been over utilized and missing important nutrients needed to properly grow vitamin and mineral enriched foods. The vitamins and minerals we recommend are found to help ensure that while losing weight you are getting the proper nutrition to maintain optimal cellular health and diminish nutritional deficiencies. These supplements are important to take before, during and after a weight-loss program to maintain results and optimize health.

Emotional Pillar

The fourth and final pillar to address is the emotional pillar. We have seen stress lead to weight gain over and over – especially when our lives become increasingly demanding. How often do you hear or say the words, I feel so stressed-out!? Being stressed-out is often perceived as an emotional state. But in fact the body understands stress quite physically. When stress becomes excessive, our adrenal glands’ ability to do their job is compromised. The adrenal glands produce the hormones DHEA and Cortisol. Low DHEA can cause an increase in insulin causing the body to store fat. Cortisol is the main adrenal hormone which rises with the onset of stress.

You cannot focus on solving all of your problems in life to lower your stress, because as one problem is solved another always arises. We must recognize our stressors and their association with our emotional affects on the body. Look into new outlets for your stress. One example is simply taking an evening walk several times throughout the week can help raise endorphins in the body and offer an outlet for stress.