Confusion reigns.
Knowing what to eat is confusing, in fact, overwhelming. Only a decade or so ago, high-carbohydrate diets were all the rage. “Carbing-up,” it was called. Then came the low-fat, no-fat diets.
In recent years, the focus has shifted to high-protein diets. It’s no wonder we give up so quickly on eating right. It’s too confusing, and the medical establishment seems to change its position regularly. That’s because as physicians and scientists continue learning more about the body – how it works and which diets are best for good health – current theories are modified, even discarded. This is one reason why billions of dollars are spent annually on medical research.
God is not silent about care and feeding of the human body.
In the following chapters, you’ll find the most effective and sound methods for losing weight and keeping it off. The nutritional plan outlined in this book comes from my 38 years of studying and practicing medicine, combined with principles for good health outlined in the Bible.
God tells us in Genesis 9 exactly how we are to eat. These verses provide a balanced, common sense approach based on God’s tenets. It’s not a fad diet sure to be disputed and discounted when the next theory comes along.
My hope is that this book will serve as a resource for understanding how God designed your body, and how to optimize your health to feel and look your best. The more you understand about various weight-loss philosophies, the more likely you are to make the right choices.
“WHY” is the first step.
But before we get into the “how” of getting healthy, let’s first determine the “why.” What motivates you to change your life and comfort zones? Is it to eliminate joint pain, avoid cancer, feel better, and look better? Your reasons must be your own, and they must be clear, concise and compelling.
If you are taking this journey to health to please someone else, you will likely tire and quit.
My reason for paying attention to my own physical fitness is a strong family history of diabetes. It has been painful to watch aunts and uncles eating the typical American diet suffer the long list of related physical ailments, including heart disease, fatigue, obesity, kidney failure, high blood pressure, amputations, infections and blindness. Seeing their suffering motivates me to take my journey to health and weight management.
Endocrine problems abound
Much of the material I have read over the years states that most people who participate in weight-loss programs hope to blame a metabolic or glandular reason for their obesity. The same material usually emphatically states that these medical conditions seldom exist, and explain only 10 per cent or less of obesity.
But review of the medical literature and examination of a large number of consecutive, new cases in my bariatric practice reveal just the opposite. Even I was amazed to find that 7 percent already have diabetes, more than 40 percent have obvious sex hormone dysfunction such as menopause or polycystic ovary syndrome, and almost half have obvious thyroid dysfunction.
Additionally, virtually all of our obese patients have evidence of insulin resistance - the inability of sugar to efficiently move into cells. This results in inaccurate messages to the pancreas that our body needs more sugar for fuel and needs to store fat for perceived tough times ahead. This will be discussed in more detail in chapter six.
How can endocrine dysfunction affect so many?
Nature loves balance. The intricacies of our body''s metabolic machine are no exception. In fact, proper function and integration of three endocrine glands – thyroid, adrenal and gonads – is mandatory. These three are controlled and directed largely by a part of the brain called the pituitary. The three pituitary-controlled glands affect, either directly or indirectly, every cell in the body.
Proper balance is mandatory if we are to be and feel well. Modern studies show that these three systems of endocrine function are so integrated as to be one. Proper function in one helps the others. Malfunction in any affects all. Our modern life-style with its insulin promoting diet, maximum stress, chemical hormone mimics and lack of exercise is a perfect recipe to make hormone balance go awry.
It is easy for us to understand the importance of balance if we consider something as simple as finding a pair of shoes that fit. Just because the size written on the box corresponds to our foot