Can we make this easier?

This week, I saw someone who comes up from the Toronto area occasionally. His last visit was three weeks ago, and I went through all of the current thinking on foods, and how most of the science is pointing toward lower carbohydrate, higher fat eating. I showed him the physiology/metabolism behind this and suggested some web sites and books he might look into to gain more insight.

Three weeks later he came back and had lost 11 pounds and 1.5 inches off his waist. I hadn't expected any change, because change as we know, is hard. Well, he and his wife read all the materials on the web sites and read and re-read Dr. Jason Fung's book "The Obesity Code”. Something struck and stuck and they threw out 3 bags of garbage including pasta, crackers, bread, chips, candies and anything that resembled carbohydrates. (For a lot of people, throwing things out is difficult, but our health depends on eradicating those foods that are making us unhealthy).

I don't expect everyone to do this, but the benefits are huge. He feels fantastic. He has more energy, and finds that not counting calories, but watching carbohydrates is a much simpler way to eat.

Almost on the same day as I saw him, I was reading Amy Berger's blog, Tuit Nutrition (www.tuitnutrition.com), and she had some incredibly simple ideas, of how to cook quick meals. Many sites have lots of recipes, and in our busy lives, simple 'home made' is way better than take-out food.

I also had another look at Mark Scisson's site to review his recommended simple exercises that we can all do at home (www.marksdailyapple.com).

Indeed, this whole journey can be simplified. We tend to overthink and worse, then to put barriers in front of us that prevent us moving forward. Could we not throw out those foods which give us no nutritional value, and only lead to weight gain and chronic disease? Could we just not find a few very simple dishes, so that making dinner doesn't seem like an onerous task? Could we not just take a few minutes every day, and start some simple exercises that will ultimately make us feel stronger and more energetic?

I'm sure all of us have experienced an evening where we had a simple meal, did a bit of exercise, and felt quite good about ourselves afterwards ......now, if we could only repeat this day after day. Ultimately, we would achieve our personal weight loss goal. Better yet, we would feel energetic and move away from that helpless feeling about conquering food, to being hopeful and mindful of our long term ability to have and sustain a health life.

Just keep trying. Find what works for you, and never ever give up!

Dr. Doug