The Gist / Health

June, 2009


Help, I Can’t Stop Eating!

Dr. Floyd H. Chilton - genesmart.com/blog

We know that gaining weight is terrible for us, and we hate the way it looks. So why can’t we muster some self-control?

Scientific evidence suggests that our genes are working against us. The better our hunter-gatherer ancestors were at storing fat to preserve calories, the more likely they were to survive. So when food is abundant, we’re genetically programmed to eat as much as we can, as fast as we can, and to store that energy as fat. But in America today, excess is constant, and there’s no famine coming. What saved our ancestors is now making us very sick.

Fat, in addition to storing calories, also makes and releases potent inflammatory messengers that boost your immune system, so rapidly storing fat would have made our ancestors more resistant to disease. But when you’re overweight, your body releases those messengers at alarmingly high levels all the time, leading to chronic, full-body inflammation — and to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, allergies, psoriasis, and numerous digestive disorders.

Your willpower is in a constant battle with your genes and your calorie-excessive environment. Often your best efforts are no match for your genes and environment, which is why most diets fail so miserably. The following strategies, featured in my new book The Gene Smart Diet, were designed to work with our genes to bring our bodies back under our control.

1. Eat the Right Diet:
• Reduce calories. If you are overweight, reduce your daily caloric intake by 20%–30% of what is needed to maintain your current weight.
• Add fiber. This is the single most important factor in reducing those calories and losing weight. Several health organizations recommend 14–16 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed.
• Increase polyphenols. Eat more dark-skinned fruits and vegetables. Drink more fruit juices, wine, and green teas. This approach has been shown to regulate energy metabolism and enhance genes that protect us.
• Increase omega-3s. Fish oils have been shown to help with weight loss, prevent heart disease and stroke, treat numerous inflammatory diseases, and improve cognitive function. The suggested adult dose of omega-3s is 1,250–1,500mg of EPA + DHA daily, from fatty fish or fish oil supplements.

2. Exercise to Reduce Whole Body Inflammation:
Exercise at least 5 days a week, for at least 30 minutes, initially targeting 50%–75% of the maximum heart rate for your age. At first, you may need to do intervals to get enough quality exercise. As you get in shape, increase your working heart rate to 70%–85% of maximum. I recommend three days of aerobic exercise and two days of resistant weight-training (with aerobic exercise to warm up and cool down).

3. Marshal Your Resources:
Will power alone is not enough to bring about this change; start by realizing that you cannot do this alone. If you are a person of faith, use that faith connection to help you change. Get the whole family involved, or enlist a friend to be a Program Partner, and get in great shape together.

4. Improve Your Self-Esteem and Perception:
You’re not lazy, pathetic, or weak; you’re a good and strong person struggling with something that has always been out of your direct control. Remind yourself of this, and don’t allow yourself to get bogged down in feeling defeated when it feels hard.

5. Keep a Record:
A recent study suggested that people who documented their food intake were much more likely to be successful long-term. I suggest you keep food and exercise logs. They’re very satisfying to look back on — and good motivation when you feel yourself starting to slip.

Dr. Floyd H. Chilton teaches at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. His latest book, The Gene Smart Diet, will be published this month.


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