Resolving to diet in 2012
The first week of January is the traditional time for overweight people to start a diet. For years I’ve told my patients (and anyone else who would listen) to fight the holiday eat-a-thon and start the new year at the same weight they started the month of November. During the time between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, so the media typically reports, the average weight gain is anywhere from five to ten pounds per person. A study in Nutrition Reviews showed the weight gain to be much less on average but a little over five pounds in those who are already obese. This same study confirms a belief I’ve had for many years.
The best and easiest way to stay slim is to never become obese in the first place.
What I mean by making this seemingly obvious statement is that when a person goes from being normal weight to being overweight it is an indication that something metabolically has gotten broken. At this point, no one knows for sure what gets broken, but many (and I count myself in this ever growing group) believe the damage occurs in the mitochondria, the organelles within the cells that are the energy furnaces. Once whatever it is that gets broken breaks, it is difficult from that point on to lose weight and maintain weight loss without effort.

















