by Steven M. Rachlin, M.D.
Obesity rates in the U.S. continue to trend upward—and for doctors, the challenge is how best to help 
their patients attain their weight-loss goals. The best approach may be a multi-faceted one, which can be tailored to each individual.
Clinicians no longer think of weight loss as just a pill or surgical procedure—they now take into account a person’s genetics, hormone imbalances, behavior, and diet and exercise choices. The best natural approach to weight management is eating a whole food diet, engaging in regular physical activity and balancing calorie intake with calorie expenditure. When tailoring recommendations for an individual patient, a practitioner can access the underlying medical reasons for weight gain, such as insulin resistance, hypothyroidism or elevated cortisol levels, and can review any medications that may hurt weight-loss efforts. Endocrine-disrupting environmental toxins can also be factored in as party of a weight-loss approach.
There are many nutritional products that can support healthy weight management—products that contain a specialized extract from saffron may reduce the desire to snack by targeting some of the emotional factors that may cause someone to eat more. 7-Keto is another weight-loss supplement that has a unique mode of action that increases metabolic rate.
When combined with diet, exercise and lifestyle strategies, nutritional supplements like 7-Keto can help:
• Increase resting metabolic rate.
• Attain “quick wins” to increase feelings of self-efficacy.
• Promote satiety.
• Fill nutritional gaps in SAD (standard American diet), low-calorie or restrictive diets.
• Support healthy blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and cortisol levels.
• Aid in detoxification of accumulated environmental toxins that may be impeding fat loss and/or mobilized during fat loss.
• Decrease inflammation to improve pain/exercise tolerance and lower diabetes risk.
Other recommendations for weight loss include:
• Eat breakfast within one hour of waking to avoid cortisol surge and compensatory overeating later in the day.
• Eat every three hours during the day.
• Focus on whole foods, such as lean proteins; high-fiber, low-glycemic index vegetables, fruits and whole grains; and omega-3/monounsaturated fats.
• Avoid high-glycemic index foods and caloric drinks.
• Correct “portion distortion” by occasionally weighing/measuring servings as a reality check; eating off of smaller plates; and boxing up half of a restaurant meal to take home.
Source: Steven M. Rachlin, M.D., of Rachlin Medical Center, located at 927 Willis Ave., Albertson. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 516-873-7773 or visit RachlinMedical.com.
