Ask Dr. Lo - Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo We all have been on a diet at some time in our life. We deprive and discipline ourselves for days, weeks, and even months to achieve a certain goal, only to see our results sabotaged because of our inability to maintain that level of strictness. Few individuals can make drastic changes and have lasting success. The body is always striving for health, and it attempts to achieve that by continuously cleansing itself of waste material. Your body will work on its own to help you heal and be healthy, even if you do little to help the process along. Unfamiliar to most, weight-loss diets today are toxicity control, and toxicity is the primary cause of excess weight, particularly in people who have problems losing weight and keeping it off. Toxins can be produced in the body from the byproducts of foods that are not properly digested. This is increased with the ingestion of processed and chemically altered foods. We are not biologically adapted to deal with these forms of “food.” The more toxic waste that builds up in your system, the more this translates to excess weight. Imagine working in a large corporation, where your job is to shred twenty boxes of paper a day. Now, let’s say you don’t have enough time or energy to shred twenty boxes a day and all you shred is fifteen boxes; that means that the next day you will have twenty boxes to shred, plus the five boxes from the day before. If you, again, only shred fifteen boxes, you will now have ten extra boxes. By the second Monday of your job, after your delivery of twenty boxes, you will have a total of fifty boxes to shred and capable of only shredding fifteen. The boxes will have to be stored somewhere until they can be shredded, but where? If you have a weight problem, this is precisely the predicament your body has to deal with. If you build more toxic waste every day than is eliminated from your body, then your body is going to have to store it somewhere. Your body will tend to store the waste in your thighs, buttocks, around the mid-section, upper arms, and under your chin. Three reasons why your body may have problems with toxins are: poor digestion, poor elimination/constipation, and a sluggish liver. Digestive enzymes help us digest our food. They boost our energy, boost metabolism, detoxify, and aid in weight loss. You can get enzymes by eating more raw fruits and vegetables, drinking water with lemon, making a tea with apple cider vinegar, or taking a supplemental enzyme formula. If you are overweight; diabetic; under stress; have bowel or digestive issues; drink coffee or sodas; eat white sugar, candy, and/or cakes; or eat mostly cooked and processed foods, you will want to take enzymes. The colon or large intestine is the end portion of the human digestive tract, where waste is eliminated. Our intestines function as our bodies own waste-disposal system. Any breakdown in the intestine’s natural cleansing process is accompanied by risks of poor food assimilation and toxicity build-up. To lose weight, cleanse, and detoxify, it is paramount to support the avenues of elimination. You will want to increase the amount of fiber you consume to 25-35 grams per day. Most Americans get about 7-10 grams per day. You will want to do this slowly, so as to decrease gas production and avoid further constipation. The best way to increase your fiber is to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Eat foods like lentils, steamed broccoli, cabbage, and whole grain rice. You can also take flaxseed or psyllium seed, or the one I recommend: Whole Food Fiber from Standard Process. Lastly, a sluggish liver fails to remove poisons and metabolic waste products. When the liver functions well, the whole body functions better. When the liver is congested, back-up systems are required, which add extra burden or stress to other organs. Health is a dynamic process: “making do” is the same as losing ground. Do you look and feel healthy right now? Look around. Do the people around you look healthy, vibrant, and full of energy? Most of us don’t know what healthy feels like. We ignore common ailments, put off that workout, completely overlook ourselves, and underestimate our need for sleep. Ask yourself: Is this the best version of you? Re-examine your relationship with food, your lifestyle, and your health. Chose a diet rich in whole foods, eliminate sugar and processed foods, increase your fiber intake, support your liver and take digestive enzymes. True health is achieved by taking care of the inside. If you are interested in changing over to a whole food diet, having more energy and better sleep, call Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 or attend one of the free nutritional seminars on rotating Tuesdays and Thursdays, featuring a drawing for a free footbath detox at every seminar. The Center is located at  7310 Grove Road, Suite 107, in  Frederick.