Weight Loss Medications
Losing weight is multi-faceted. Emotional, biological, psychological, nutritional, and social components all play important roles. Each must be addressed and restored to support long term weight loss.
Weight loss medications are often necessary when you have tried and failed in your weight loss endeavors. A popular category of weight loss medication is the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. This class of medications is primarily used in the management of type 2 diabetes, as they induce weight loss. Therefore, GLP-1 receptor agonists are a natural choice for those who are seeking weight loss in an effort to avoid diabetes.
GLP-1 receptor agonists work by binding to and activating the GLP-1 receptors on various cells in the body, including pancreatic cells, to enhance insulin secretion when blood sugar is elevated. They also help decrease glucagon release and slow down the absorption of glucose from the gut, leading to improved blood sugar control.
Two commonly prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists include semaglutide and tirzepatide. Both are now available as compounded medications. Schedule a free consult to see if semaglutide or tirzepatide is right for you.
Diet Tips and Tricks
Diet plays a key role in weight loss. There are several tips and tricks that can help. Dr. Michael Greger wrote a best-selling book titled “How Not to Diet.” The following is a summation of his recommendations:
⦁ Wait at least 1 hour from the time you get up the morning until your first bite of food or caloric drink.
⦁ Front load your calories earlier in the day. Breakfast or an early lunch should be your largest meal followed by a moderate sized early dinner.
⦁ Do not snack between meals.
⦁ Time restrict your eating to an 8-10 hour window per day.
⦁ Do not eat with 3-4 hours of bedtime.
⦁ Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
⦁ Optimize exercise timing. Exercise earlier in the day to optimize sleep at night.
⦁ Weigh daily. Calculate your average weight per week. This keeps you accountable.
⦁ Preload with 2 cups cold water before all meals.
⦁ Eats lighter, more water and fiber rich foods to begin your meal. Examples include salad, vegetable soup, steamed or roasted vegetables.
⦁ Eat undistracted and be present with your meal. Chew each bite 20 times.
⦁ Eat higher fiber, bulkier, harder, chewier foods and take smaller bites. Mealtime should exceed 20 minutes.
⦁ Consume 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar either before or with meals. This helps with digestion, and the acetic acid lowers blood sugar spikes.
⦁ Drink 3 cups of green tea between meals. Green tea raises metabolism.
⦁ Stay hydrated: women should drink 6-8 cups of unsweetened beverages per day. Preloading with water and drinking green tea will meet this requirement.
⦁ Avoid flour (sandwich bread, cookies, muffins, crackers, pretzels, pizza crust, English muffins, bread sticks, rolls). Avoid all oils; they are highly processed and cause inflammation. If you eat a grain, choose only whole grains (e.g., steel cut oats, quinoa, wheat berries, barley, brown rice, wild rice, whole grain brown rice).
⦁ Add spices to help increase metabolism and burn body fat: cumin, black cumin seeds, garlic powder or whole garlic, ground ginger, cayenne powder, and nutritional yeast.
Please visit Dr. Michael Greger’s website for further learning.
Other Diet Recommendations
A. Breakfast example
⦁ Glass of water with lemon and pinch of salt; repeat in 30 minutes.
⦁ Fruit smoothie: Place a cup of black grapes into a blender. Add an apple, pear, orange, or 1 cup berries. Top with 2-3 ripe bananas. Blend with water. Use Ceylon cinnamon and ground ginger to kick up the flavor.
⦁ OR cooked steel cut oatmeal with nuts/seeds (e.g., walnuts, pecans, flaxseed, hemp seed, chia seeds) and blueberries.
B. Lunch or Dinner
⦁ Start with vegetable soup.
⦁ The main plate should be 50% vegetables, with at least 25% raw vegetables (i.e., leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions), 25% cooked beans or legumes, and 25% whole grains (e.g., quinoa, brown rice, barley, millet). Be creative! Have a large salad topped with steamed broccoli and balsamic vinegar. Or make a homemade creamy dressing using ground nuts, seeds, or avocados. Use spices to enhance flavor. Add a large handful of nuts or seeds. **Nuts are NOT associated with weight gain. They are heart protective. The only exception is peanut butter and peanuts (actually a legume and not a nut). Peanuts do not promote weight loss.
⦁ Add plenty of salt to taste. Salt decreases sugar cravings and is an essential electrolyte. As long as salt is balanced with potassium, there is no concern with consuming too much.
C. Avoid eating within 3 hours of bedtime. Circadian rhythm dictates energy expenditure. The body prefers to store calories at night and burn them during the day. Use this to your advantage by eating your larger meal earlier in the day.
D. Manage your time. Prep your breakfast after dinner and keep in frig overnight. After breakfast, prep your dinner salad and vegetables to be ready when you get home from work. Cook large batches of soup, beans, and whole grains 1-2x per week and portion out nightly.
E. Space your two meals at least 6-8 hours apart: Overall, this should narrow your feeding window to an 8-10 hour period. NO SNACKING. If you are hungry within a few hours of breakfast, you are not eating enough for breakfast.
F. Use animal products as a condiment. Women can safely consume up to 6 ounces of animal products per week. Men are allowed up to 8 ounces per week. Choose grass feed/grass finished beef, free ranged chicken and/or eggs, organ meats from locally pastured animals, goat milk, goat cheese, salmon, anchovies, sardines, herring, or mackerel.
G. Bread is a processed food but can be eaten on occasion. Ezekiel, sourdough, and pumpernickel are good choices.
H. Fermented food are essential for gut health. Add kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, natto, kombucha, miso, or fermented plum paste.
**For those who want to learn the basics of superior nutrition, I highly recommend visiting Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s website and reading his book “Eat to Live.” It is essential to build a foundation of nutritional knowledge to guide your food decisions and promote weight loss. See link below.
Fasting
Fasting is the voluntary abstention from food for a set period of time. There are different types and approaches to fasting. Water fasting and intermittent fasting are the main forms of fasting.
Water fasting involves consuming only water while abstaining from food for a period of time. Water fasting yields powerful health benefits at an accelerated rate. However, water fasting can be shocking to the body, especially if you have never gone without food for longer than 24 hours. Therefore, water fasts exceeding 48 hours should be medically supervised.
Intermittent fasting gained popularity as it is easier to engage in versus water fasting. There are several types of intermittent fasting. Daily intermittent fasting involves narrowing the eating window to 4-8 hours. This allows the body to fast for 16-20 hours per day. Weekly intermittent fasting involves fasting every other day or fasting 2 consecutive every 7 days. Studies show that fasting 1-2 days per week is easier to more sustainable than every other day fasting.
The health benefits of fasting are vast. Fasting improves insulin sensitivity, enhances weight loss, and promotes longevity. Fasting can also break addictive eating patterns and improve mental health. It has also been shown to improve cognitive decline.
Fasting can be challenging and may have risks for individuals with certain medical conditions such as diabetes. If you are taking prescription medications or have a chronic health condition, any extended fast over 24 hours should be supervised by a healthcare professional.
Fasting Mimicking Diet
A more comfortable and less intimidating alternative to water fasting is the fasting mimicking diet (FMD). The FMD allows individuals to consume specific foods while the body maintains a state of fasting. It is an ideal regimen for those with chronic medical conditions or those wishing to enhance weight loss results.
Key research findings with the FMD include the following:
Multiple cycles of the FMD significantly reduce cognitive decline and Alzheimer's pathology in mouse models.
Multiple cycles of FMD are linked to a decrease in hippocampal microglia numbers and neuroinflammation, hinting at a potential mechanism for benefiting cognitive function.
Fasting mitigates pro-aging factors, slowing the brain's aging process.
While fasting, sleep quality is enhanced.
FMDs induce higher ketosis levels, showing cognitive benefits as the brain utilizes ketones for energy.
Prolonged fasting may assist with leaky gut.
FMDs help control blood sugar.
Prolonged fasting triggers cellular autophagy, crucial for maintaining cellular function and protecting the brain from neurodegenerative diseases.
Prolon is a packaged dietary kit that supports the fasting mimicking diet. It was developed by Dr. Valter Longo at the University of Southern California.
Here are some key points about Prolon:
Prolon is designed to provide some of the potential health benefits of fasting, such as cellular autophagy (cellular self-cleaning) and metabolic improvements, without requiring total abstinence from food.
The Prolon diet lasts 5 consecutive days. During these 5 days, individuals consume specially designed plant-based meals and snacks that are low in calories, carbohydrates, and proteins but contain healthy fats.
The Prolon diet restricts calorie intake to around 800-1,100 calories per day, depending on the day of the program. This level of calorie restriction is intended to trigger some of the metabolic effects associated with fasting.
The meals and snacks provided in the Prolon kits are carefully formulated to provide essential nutrients while minimizing calories. They include soups, bars, teas, and other plant-based foods.
Prolon is a commercial product that can be purchased at a discounted rate through medical providers. If you would like more information, please click the link below. As a healthcare provider, I offer Prolon at a reduced cost.