SENSIBLE SLIMMING STRATEGIES

   This week a special day for prevention of Diabetes was declared nationwide.  Hear is the story of Dr. Travis Stork, MD, who tells how he ate his vegetables out of a sense of duty until he met his fiancée, Dr. Charlotte Brown.  “Dr. Charlotte is great at hiding the vegetables so I don’t even know they are there” he tells us.  ‘She throws them in an omelet, in the marinara sauce, or a spicy fajita, and you don’t have to load them up with butter or sodium.  I feel so much better than I ever did in my bachelor days.”  He has now signed up with “The Doctors,” the Emmy winning health-advice program he hosts on channels across the country.  The show was a surprise hit when it debuted in 2008 as he motivated daytime audiences to make needed changes and not have to meet him later in the ER.  The patients who frustrate him most stem from needless weight gain, creating the skyrocketing incidence of adult and childhood obesity that can result in the scourge of type 2 diabetes. 

    The main word of advice from Dr.Travis is to start first thing in the morning with this mantra “well begun is half done” and that’s how it is with weight control.  A study from the University Massachusetts Medical School showed that people who skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be obese than breakfast eaters.  Going hungry can slow the metabolism – your body’s fat burning engine by up to 10% according to the University Pittsburgh Medical Center.  Scrambled eggs with whole grain cereal with Greek yogurt, toast with peanut butter and a smoothie, made with fruit or berries, ½ cup milk or yogurt and l Tbsp. of almond butter.  “Your benefits will stick with you all day long,” says Dr. Travis, and adds “For most people gradual weight loss is the way to ensure to keep it off.”

    “Taking a walk after dinner in the evening or watching a funny movie can keep stress levels at bay. When feeling stressed the body produces a hormone called cortisol – a powerful hunger inducer – and that hormone can cause your body to store fat, and taking pills is not the ideal way to calm down.  A Tufts University study found that pills increase levels of anxiety.  The best way to beat a craving is to keep a steady supply of fuel all day long and Dr. Travis recommends eating five times a day, the three regular meals and healthy snacks between meals, fruit, a piece of cheese, or a whole grain cracker with peanut butter.  Replace large dinner plates with small ones.  As your dishware shrinks, from 12 inches to 9, so will portions.