What your fat says about you

Many of us react to our body fat in the same way.  We curse it with various unsavory names like chub, waddle, flab, and junk (usually in reference to a trunk).  It is goaded with crunches, "miracle" supplements, and hours of cardio. We grab it like Homer Simpson strangling Bart as if to punish its very existence.   But have we actually thought about what it is trying to tell us?

Where your body stores fat is a direct reflection of your hormonal balance.  Many think that genes are solely to blame for our ever expanding waistlines or that gender determines whether you'll get love handles or bingo wings.  Yes, genes do have some play here but they only account for 25% of your health.  The rest depends on what you bathe your genes in, your environment.  Over the years, emerging science has found that "regional fat distribution is clearly regulated by hormones" (Curr Med Chem. 2007; 14(27): 2918-24).  These hormones include high insulin, increased cortisol, low testosterone, and low growth hormone.

So your fat is telling you exactly what hormones are out of whack.    Just take a step back try to look at your body with a different lens.  It's not about your total fat percentage, but where it happens to sit on your body that counts.  You don't need years of clinical experience to look at a man and know that boobs are not supposed to be there.  Sorry Kramer, the "bro" is not the answer to an outbreak of moobs (man + boobs).

The answer is to prioritize the hormonal imbalances and apply lifestyle changes, exercises, and nutrients that will change the body's environment and reverse the dysfunction.  In his Biosignature Modulation, world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin has identified 12 distinct areas of fat deposition and their associated hormones.

So, do we need costly labs and expensive tests to explain why most of us are overweight, fatigued, sleepless, moody, or anxious?  No, of course not!  Yet we are getting sicker and fatter because our current health care system is designed to implement heroic, expensive, disease managing tactics that rarely support the health of the patient.  Let us use our God-given talents of sight, reason, and common sense.  If we see a problem on the outside, then we know there is something wrong on the inside. In our office, we dare to use these low-tech methods as well as low-cost analyses such as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (method of measuring muscle mass, water weight, and overall fat mass) and ultrasound to measure fat thickness of Poliquin's key areas.  The number on your scale is just a number.  It does not give you any insight as to what makes up your weight or what is causing you to be overweight.  Oh, and I hate to break it to some of you but the fat % on your bathroom scale is only telling you the fat % in your legs.  The same goes for the gizmos that you hold in your hands, they just tell you the fat in your arms and chest.  Both of which miss key areas of fat storage, namely your belly fat which is the MOST inflammatory and ANGRY fat you can store.

Everyday, all day our bodies are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing whether you are fit or flabby.  Your fat mass accumulation is 100% normal!  Yes!  Normal!  Your body is just doing what it told based off of the stimulus you give it.  Every meal, every night's sleep, every second is a chance to use this system to your advantage or disadvantage.  So, listen to your body (and your fat).  If you don't like what you hear, then get things checked out by your functional medicine-minded practitioner and we can help you develop lifestyle changes that allow you author your own health.

Consider this before taking another supplement...

...are your stomach acid levels adequate? 

HCl (hydrochloric acid) is a major component of stomach acid and it is crucial for proper digestion.  Without enough stomach acid, it is much harder to break down protein and to absorb certain minerals and vitamins.  It also puts you at risk for food poisoning and other infections such as H. pylori.  Low acid can occur for many reasons including age (you lose 1% every year you age starting at birth), use of acid blocking medications, chronic infections, poor diet and toxicity.

The natural medicine doctor Bob Rakowski suggests that 98 percent of the American population is deficient in HCL because of increased stress levels (both physiological and psychological stress).  I have seen this hold up in our clinic as we have had only one individual pass the stomach acid test.

A common misconception is that digestive stress (heartburn, reflux) is caused by too much acid.  More commonly the problem is having much too little stomach acid for appropriate digestion.  This causes partially digested carbohydrates and proteins to ferment in the stomach and back up into the esophagus—an uncomfortable problem that is interpreted by uninformed individuals and physicians as too much stomach acid.  So popping a handful of antacids is not only the incorrect solution, it also puts you at risk.  Bone fractures triple in those with low HCl and you are 100 times more likely to get bacterial infections, like E. Coli than if your HCl levels were normal.
 
Common symptoms of low acid:

• Belching, bloating, burning, or excessive gas after meals
• A sense of fullness even after small meals
• Indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea
• Food reactions or sensitivities
• Weak, peeling, or cracked fingernails
• Dilated blood vessels at the cheek and nose
• Acne
• Iron deficiency
• Chronic intestinal parasites, dysbiosis, and yeast infections
• Gallstones
• Leg cramps
• Fatigue, sleeplessness, or plateaus during dieting

Testing for low stomach acid is very simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive (NOT to be done on those with active peptic ulcers).  Ask your functional medicine-minded practitioner to test if your stomach acid levels are sufficient.  Otherwise, you risk improper digestion of your food and lack of absorption of your nutrients.  This means invested money in organic food and quality supplements goes down the drain (quite literally!).

Day 7: Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a sheet pan with coconut oil and dredge asparagus through the oil. Salt and pepper and cook for 30-40 minutes.

Completion! There is nothing like a sense of accomplishment to build momentum going into the next phase. After this 7 day investment I would be completely showing myself no respect by straying from the course. Not only that, but I risk feeling like total butt and not to mention dragging it as well. This is a crucial period where I need to listen to my body as I slowly re-introduce foods back into my diet. I have a pretty good idea of what foods cause issues, but there might be some surprises looming. The results will also be a big boost to the momentum, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to get these (I'm sure I'll post them).

Starting tomorrow morning I will continue hormone support and control inflammation through medical foods and eat a diet called an Elimination Diet. This is basically a gluten-free, dairy-free, leans and greens food plan designed to lower inflammation and maximize nutrient density. I'll be taking it a step further and removing all grains, not just wheat. As for the medical food, I will continue using Estrium as I work on my lean body mass through resistance work and interval training. For targeted anti-inflammatory support I am adding a different medical food called UltraInflamX. This one works great as a post-workout meal as it has a good amount of protein too.

Medical food has been mentioned a few times this week, but I don't think it has been thoroughly defined. They are the glue of this detox, as they are with many functional medicine protocols. Medical foods reside in a FDA regulatory category between supplements and pharmaceuticals. They are intended for specific dietary management of a disease or condition and are based on recognized scientific principles. Plainly said, medical foods are the only supplement that carry an FDA claim. Pull any supplement off the shelf and you'll find a disclaimer to the effect of "not evaluated by the FDA" and "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease". This is not the case with medical foods. They are guaranteed pure, guaranteed safe, guaranteed effective and they have guaranteed potency. All of this and yet no unsightly side effects like their flashy third cousin, the pharmaceutical.

Whether it's blood sugar issues, out of control hormones, irritable bowels, chronic pain and fatigue or inflamed joints, medical foods get the job done! When used right they will accelerate any course of care or prevent issues from arising. It's always easier to prevent a mess than to play clean up afterwards. So keeping checking back in to see how I clean up and move towards preventing further messes.

Day 6: Green Beans

Ginger Green Beans

I couldn't find organic green beans at the store I usually shop at (other than the canned variety that is), so I went back to Green Acres knowing that today they would have green beans on the menu. Again, preparation is key and a back up plan is must when on this detox. Their green beans were simply steamed. This was fine for lunch, but for dinner I wanted to wake up the beans as I reheated them. I warmed the beans in a skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Then added a 1/2 tsp of grated ginger. At the very end I added 1 tbsp of sesame oil. I got a little caught up in the Asian flavors and sprinkled on sesame seeds which are, of course, out of bounds on the detox.

Today was by far the toughest in terms of cravings and sticking to the detox. I don't know if it was the weather, the fact that it's the weekend, or that the TV was betraying me with beer and crap food commercials, but I was needing some serious comfort food. A steak and grilled sweet potatoes washed down with a nice Zinfandel would have gone a long way with the green beans! I could all but hear the sweet whispers from the meat department, but before every moment of giving in (which were numerous) I was reminded of something I read about discipline.

"The Myth of Discipline" was written on another blog by Charles Poliquin. In this article he states that there is no discipline, only love. What he means is either you love health, wellness, and washboard abs or you love doughnuts, cheeseburgers, and doritos. Beating yourself up over the fact that you lack discipline can only send you further off track. So ask yourself what do you truly love in life. First, you must love yourself. For if you do then you will thoroughly inspect all things in your life.

It's funny, I read this article several months ago but Poliquin just happened to re-post it on Facebook today. The timing was perfect. This is not to say that my only source of strength was this article. My wife has been a tremendous help this whole week. Supportive spouses are an integral part to a successful detox week. I tell my patients that they should get their loved one involved along with them to maximize compliance. Friends, co-workers, neighbors are also viable options because by now you have come to know that detox is for everyone.

Day 5: Broccoli

Roasted Broccoli

• 2 heads broccoli (cut into florets)
  
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
  
• tamari
• pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place broccoli florets on a baking sheet. Sprinkle on garlic, tamari, and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

There are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to detoxifcation vs. cleansing. A quick google search of cleanse will pull up a multitude of options for colon, liver, kidney or a combination of all. Detoxification is specific to the kidneys and liver. Detox is simply normalizing the body's ability process and excrete toxins. Cleansing often means herbal concoctions that make lovely green stuff come out of your caboose or fasting on lemon juice and cayenne cocktails.

Many people swear by their cleanse programs, but what is achieved? Were heavy metals removed or other potentially deadly pollutants? Has it been studied through years of clinical research? Does the company guarantee potency and purity of their product? I wager that the answer is a resounding no. Each year more than 4 billion pounds of chemical compounds and pollutants from plastics, pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, and medications are released into the environment. Many of these then find their way into our air, soil, and food and water supplies. With the toxic burden that we encounter day to day, safe and effective removal of toxins needs to be the focus.

Proper nutrition is vital to a healthy detox. Restriction in calories, protein, and those with low quality protein or high sugar lead to ineffective and unsafe detoxification. A program that utilizes well-researched nutrients, vitamins, and herbs to balance and support the body's detoxification pathways is critical. To bring it all home, a functional medicine minded practitioner to support that patient through the process can make all the difference. I am ardent on this topic because I've seen where other programs have fallen short and where the 7 day detox excels. When in doubt, detox and detox right!