Community Corner

Library Program Sheds Light on the 'Fats' of Life

Local chiropractor discusses being healthy and losing weight

Whether it's a spare tire, muffin top, jiggly underarm, thunder thighs or junk in the trunk, it makes no difference - no matter what you do, it just won't go away. 

According to Dr. Richard Therkelsen, a chiropractor at ChiroPlus Wellness Center in Matawan, stubborn fat is only stubborn because people do not understand what it is.

Therkelsen, who assists patients with nutritional guidance and weight loss, shared his knowledge at a presentation called "Weight Loss and the Fats of Life" at the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library Wednesday night.

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"Don't lose weight to get healthy," he said. "You get get health to lose weight. Otherwise you will fall prey to strange and unhealthy diets."

Being overweight is a sign of something unhealthy taking place in the body, he said. Rather than trying to treat the symptom, it is important to identify the cause - hence becoming healthy to lose weight.

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The key to weight loss, he explained, is making healthy choices that are healthy for your specific needs. A person must understand what fat is, what causes the body to store and release fat, how fat is lost and how their individual body accumulates fat.

What Type of Fat Are You?

Therkelsen explained that there are four different ways people store fat. There is the Thyroid Type, Adrenal Type, Ovary Type and Liver Type.

The Thyroid Type gains weight very evenly across the body. They may also experience feelings of fatigue, depressoin, cravings for sweets and starches, hair loss, nail ridges and cold feet at night. This type of person may have high cholesterol and a need for vitamins.

The Adrenal Type has a pendulous (very loose and - for lack of a better adjective - jiggly) abdomin. The weight is largely carried in the stomach area and hangs. This type of person may experience puffy eyes, regular stress, joint pain, and cravings for salt and chocolate.

The Ovary Type carries weight almost entirely in the hips and thighs. They experience cramps, more hot flashes than average during menapause and headaches.

The Liver Type has a large pot belly that is very firm like a basketball. It is made up of mostly water, Therkelsen said. This person may experience yellow eyes, right shoulder pain, joint pain in the hands in the morning, grouchiness in the morning and may crave fatty foods.

Therkelsen said the point of understanding the four different types is that everyone is different and should approach weightloss and healthy eating on an individual basis.

For example, he said, a person who is a Thyroid Type would eat multiple small meals throughout the day with an emphasis on vegetables rather than proteins from meat. On the other hand, this diet would not be a healthy choice any of the other three types.

What Causes the Body to Store Fat?

Fat, no matter where your body likes to keep it, is potential energy and can be triggered to be stored or used by different hormones. Growth hormone, glycogen, adrenaline, thyroid T3 and T4 and testosterone burn fat, while insulin, estrogen and cortisol causes the body to store fat, according to Therkelsen.

Certain foods and emotions can cause these hormones to be released into the body. For example, chronic stress will increase cortisol levels in the body which will cause fat to be stored.

In general, Therkelsen said, anything that threatens survival - like stress or skipping meals - will trigger the body to store fat. Anything that encourages survival - like exercising - will trigger the body to release fat.

Busting Fat Myths

Although people often refer to "burning" fat off, fat cannot be burned (unless, Therkelsen added, it is heated to over 400 degrees, at which point you will have more serious issues than weight loss). Heating the body in saunas or wearing plastic while doing cardio will not release fat, rather it will just shed water.  

People often feel that having a higher caloric intake will make them gain weight. While that theoretically can be true, Therkelsen said that its not the level of calories in food, it is the level of nutrients attached to those calories that should be monitored.

"Calories are units of energy. They don't increase or decrease health, the amount of nutrients attched to those calories affect health," he said. "It is not the calories; it's not the total fat. It is the level of nutrients."

Therkelsen used avacados and diet soda to demonstrate his point.

"Many of my patients say they won't eat avacados because they have too many calories. They are missing out on high levels of nutrients," he said.

On the other hand, however, diet soda is very low in calories. It is also low in nutrients, which makes it an unhealthy option that will eventually cause weight gain, Therkelsen said.

"You have to ask yourself, Will having less of an unhealthy thing increase my health?" he said.

Another fat 'burning' myth is that long periods of high intensity exercise is the only way to shed pounds. According to Therkelsen, fat is actually released during the recovery period that occurs after an intense activity. Interval training is more effective, he said. A person should do 30 seconds to one minute of high intensity cardio exercise and recover - even if it takes twenty minutes for your heart rate to slow to normal - rather than to do an hour of jogging on the treadmill, he said.

Additionally, weight loss happens while the body is sleeping. During sleep, the body rotates through different levels of sleep. During the delta level, or deepest level, the body releases fat. Each rotation takes approximately ninety minutes, and about twenty of those minutes are spent in the delta stage. According to Therkelsen, that is why sleep is so essential to weight loss.

Achieving Weight Loss

To successful weight loss, Therkelsen said, it is important to eat right, exercise right and sleep well, which for many may be easier said than done.

He encourages people to listen to their bodies - eat until content not uncomfortable, drink water when thirsty, exercise in intervals and don't be afraid to take long recovery times after exerting yourself, take steps to remove stress from your life, look for nutrients rather than calories and fat on food labels and when you are tired, sleep.

Therkelsen also encourages people to continue to educate themselves on healthy food and lifestyles. He will be giving another presentation on Oct. 5 at the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library on Stress Reduction.

 

Editor's Note: Therkelsen's presentation was meant to be educational. If you are interested in starting an exercise and diet program, you should consult your physician.


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