This excerpt from Sonja Vojcic calls on Meena Malhotra, MD, leading Functional Medicine Doctor in Glenview IL to provide expert opinion on the article that discusses the failure of weight loss programs such as “Biggest Loser”.
Dr. Meena Malhotra, a board certified obesity medicine physician specializing in weight loss treatment disagrees with Dr. Proietto and believes that being hungry by counting calories is what leads to binge eating when the dam breaks as the resolve weakens. “The ‘Biggest Loser’ participants would have had better results over the long-term if the incentive was “Feel like a million bucks every day!” rather than “Win a million bucks,” she says. She adds that starving leads to starvation mode, drop in muscle mass and thus, poorer body composition.
“This is a common problem with programs focused on calorie counting, and using body weight as a measure of success,” says Dr. Malhotra. “The secret of long-term success is to focus balanced nutrition rather than calorie counting, and using fat loss and improved body composition as a measure of success.”
To avoid this see-saw battle of resolve and weight loss and gain, and in order to achieve long term weight loss, she recommends:
- Focusing on improving body composition and balancing your nutrition.
- Consuming good proteins, including legumes and hormone free animal products.
- Eating good fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil, as well as veggies and complex carbs, including whole grain, fruits and starchy vegetables. The proportion of complex carbs should be increased as you begin to reach your optimal body composition.
Read the full article from Advocate health enews online, here.
