Obesity: A Terror Within

     The statistics are well-known: a full two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. In the past 30 years, childhood obesity has tripled. As a result, today's children may be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. The need of achieving good health is sky high yet very little is being done to combat obesity. How is this so? Maybe it is time to take matters into our own hands!

     Obesity is the result of inappropriate lifestyle choices. We have an activity problem in this country. To put it simply, "the soul of the nation is sapped by sitting in a cubicle". When you are sitting, your muscles are as silent as a library. You need to get up and get moving. Little things like taking the stairs, jogging to the water cooler, bustling through your chores and fidgeting at work make a difference. The American Cancer Society conducted a study and the results were frightening. Men who spent six hours or more per day had an overall death rate 20% higher than men who sat for 3 hours. For women it was 40%! If that is not reason enough to get you up and moving, than that is a YOU problem!

     When you combine inactivity with improper nutrition, you have yourself a perfect storm. Conventional diets and health recommendations are off the mark and are attributable to our flawed diets. The old adage that "a calorie is a calorie" is false and could be the cause of your lack of health. YOU ultimately control the calories that you eat. 1,000 calories of cake and 1,000 calories of broccoli have the same arbitrary caloric value but the metabolic effect will be entirely different. One can lead to diabetes and the other can lead you to a six-pack. The calorie is not what makes you fat. You get fat because YOU eat the wrong kind of calories. Below I give some general recommendations on diet and tips to follow everyday. These tips may not be for everyone!

MY CFT FOOD RECOMMENDATIONS: 

1. Nuts, avocados: 1-2 servings. 
2. Fats, oils: 2-4 servings.
3. Dairy: 2-4 servings.
4. Fruit: 2-4 servings.
5. Starchy foods: 2-4 servings.
6. Low-starch vegetables: 3 or more servings.
7. High-protein foods: 4-8 servings. 

1. Eat three main meals and two or three snacks per day. Consume protein at every meal
2. This is one of the greatest tips I can give you: Eat like an adult! That means no lucky charms for breakfast, skittles aren’t a safe alternative to eating fruit and leave the cotton candy for the six year olds!
3. If you want to lose more weight and are struggling, replace grains with greens. Make a fist. That is your serving size. Eat 1-2 fists full of vegetables at each meal and watch the weight drop! If replacing grains with greens doesn’t get you the results you want, save the fruit consumption until after you exercise. Fruit contains fructose which can make it more difficult to lose body fat.
4. Hydration is important but remember we are not camels. We cannot store water for extended periods of time. If you are thirsty, drink. Any excess will leave the body through urination. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum!
5. Do not avoid fats. They are essential. Eat the right kind of fats, including nuts (such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts), avocado, olive oil and nut butters
6. Before and after your workouts, combine carbohydrates and protein for optimal recovery. Post-exercise nutrition should have a 3:1-4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. If you are struggling with this aspect, break recovery into these stages: immediately before exercise; during exercise; 30 minutes immediately following exercise; a period equal to the duration of the preceding exercise session; long-term (this is post-exercise recovery proceeding the next stage 1). Make small improvements in each of these areas and over time, you will find what works best for you!
7. Be happy with your success and remember that that is always the objective. Be proud but always keep your eye on the ultimate goal: improved overall health. You don’t have to celebrate every success with pizza, cheesesteaks, brownies and booze.