Taking My Job And Your Life Seriously
So many diseases are simply calorie related, regardless of the type of calories involved - whether it is protein, fat, sugar, carbohydrate or alcohol etc. I don't have an obsession with your and my being thin, but I do take my job seriously. In general, overweight, and that which causes it, is the most powerful predictor of diabetes, cancer, heart attack, stroke, and dialysis etc.
People know that meat, cheese, and eggs are bad/high calorie but they think that chicken, margarine, skim milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, "wheat breads," and pasta are good and lower in calories. That is just "another" wrong thought. They all contribute to overweight. Overweight is not good, what is good is being trim. Trim means essentially having "no visible body fat." The correct body physique is "skin-muscles-bones." That is how a ballet dancer, swimmer, and most basketball players look, but that is not how many hockey and football players look. I am talking about being able to see the "lines of definition" which are the visible muscle bundles beneath the skin. If there is very little fat from excess calories under the skin, the muscle bundles are visible. If there is excess fat under the skin, the muscle bundles cannot be seen. To put it in actual numbers "trim" is a body fat content, not BMI, of less than 20% (actually 15%) for women and 15% for men (actually 10%). That tends to result in a blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar of less than 130, which is quite heart and cancer, etc. protective.
There are certain foods which are better for you and are less likely to cause weight gain, such as whole grains like brown rice/barley/corn on the cob, steamed vegetables like broccoli and collard greens, and beans like lentils/chick peas/red beans. It is not that you can't eat chicken or meat or cheese or eggs once in a while, you can - one of them about once a month. What about the daily or every other day cookie/bagel/muffin/donut? Try to reduce it to the least amount that you can. You will likely need to do all of this slowly and progressively and you have both my encouragement and support. Rome was not built in a day, and you do not have to do this all at once.
Just begin by not buying the foods that you should not have in the house. If you feel like "cheating," go ahead and do it when you are out of the house, but don't bring the chicken, meat, cheese, eggs, butter, margarine, ice cream, cakes and cookies, pastries and deli foods, sugared cereals, skim milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt, etc., into the house. Bring home the brown rice or barley or corn on the cob, vegetables for steaming, beans, and occasionally (2 to 3 times a week) eat fresh fish. This technique makes it easier, although that isn't everything that needs to be done.
My job is to function as an excellent employee, guide, or "taxi driver" for you. You are the boss. What I know is how to keep you from developing the many different diseases such as diabetes, gallstones, diverticulitis, cancer of the colon and breast, heart attack and stroke, etc. Diet is not the whole answer, and you should drink essentially only water and weak herbal or green teas, have a positive attitude, work physically hard, be muscular, serve other people, don't smoke and avoid drugs. Don't believe that the drugs other doctors or I give you are good for you; they are simply better than having an untreated disease condition. The natural state of health is to be well and take no medications.
There is a time and a place for everything including surgery or medicine, but the time is now for the whole foods, high fiber, grain/vegetable/bean/fruit, "liv-it" - not die-t, being trim, lacking visible body fat, having a positive attitude, not smoking and not drinking more than 4 alcohol drinks a week, etc. This is not an "all or none" issue, it is one of common sense and of my trying to serve you and keep you well. The concept is prevention and wellness. The result is health, freedom, and well-being. Work on this gradually and progressively.
Seriously.
H. Robert Silverstein, MD
Hartford, CT