First Posted: 3/27/2015
LIMA — For years, Doug Fox struggled with his weight.
In his younger days, he was in shape. But over time, life got in the way with a full-time job and four kids.
Though he was never one for fad diets, he dabbled in his own routines and diets. Fox would lose the weight for a bit but quickly gain it back. His heaviest point was 348 pounds.
Fox said his normal weight was usually around 270. At that point, his lifestyle wasn’t affected too much — but last year he noticed he started slowing down. It was time for a change.
At the end of November 2014, Fox decided to join the Weight Management Center at St. Rita’s Medical Center.
“The hardest thing was humbling myself,” he said. “To finally admit that I needed help and that I couldn’t do it on my own.”
Stephanie Dunkle-Blatter, a general and bariatric surgeon at the center said weight loss battles like Fox’s are fairly common. Exercising and eating well are important, but some have other challenges and can only be helped with surgery.
A body’s set weight is determined through genetics and environment. But bad food and exercise habits can override the original set weight and generate a higher, less healthy set point.
In other words, slow or gradual weight gain over a long period of time can trick the body into thinking that its set point, or weight, should be higher than what it actually needs. When a person tries to lose weight, the body fights to defend itself and prevent weight loss. The body can also sabotage efforts by telling the brain it needs more food to sustain itself.
Dunkle-Blatter said once that point is reset, its almost impossible for someone to independently lose weight and keep it off, which is when surgery would be needed. But there are some cases, like Fox’s, when people are able to do so through a strict nutrition and training program, which initiates gradual weight loss and establishes a new lifestyle that enables the body to accept a new set point.
Abe Frieson, an exercise physiologist at the weight management center said its also pretty common for people to hit a physical plateau after using the same work-out routine for a long period of time.
In the beginning, a work out might be a challenge, but the body adapts. Without varied circuit training that gets the heart rate going, the body gets used to a particular routine without having to exert itself. Hitting a plateau, weight loss stops until the body is again challenged with a new, harder routine.
“It’s probably the most common problem I see people run in to,” he said.
Though rare, Dunkle-Blatter said issues like hyperthyroidism can also hinder efforts to get into shape. Hormones created by the thyroid — a endocrine gland located in the front of the neck — secrete into the blood and are carried into the tissue. They help to regulate the brain, heart and muscles, as well as the metabolism, to maintain energy, warmth and organ function.
If the thyroid over generates hormones, it could increase weight loss, contributing to a high basal metabolic rate, or BMR, determining body’s energy balance and how calories are used. However, the imbalance could also trigger a signal in the brain to make someone overeat, causing a high-caloric intake and weight gain. Weight lost because of the imbalance is also more likely to be regained.
“It happens, but we don’t see that a lot,” Dunkle-Blatter said.
Nutritionist Becky Neikamp said its also a common mistake for people to over eat nutritious or healthy foods. Though better than a hamburger, for example, over-eating foods that are good for you can still lead to high levels of sugar, protein or calories, making it harder for the body to burn off more than its intake during workouts.
Neikamp said people also tend to have a few large meals at certain times during the day, or not eating for most of the day and making up for it later. Instead, it’s better to have smaller meals and healthy well-proportioned snacks throughout the day.
“It keeps the metabolism going,” she said.
Certain medications can also limit weight loss — especially anti-depressants or insulin. Glen Allen Bryant III, an internal medicine and kidney specialist at Lima Memorial Healthy System said the best way to deal with medicinal challenges is to talk with your doctor and determine a plan that wouldn’t cause further risk that would limit drug use or intake.
“What you want to do is actually go to the doctor and listen to what they think you should do for your health,” he said.
Still, there’s no set diet or get-fit-quick program that works better than others. A study from the Journal of American Medical Association published in September 2014 proved so after assessing multiple main-stream programs.
It just depends, Dunkle-Blatter said. There are many challenges in trying to maintain weight and a healthy lifestyle, which is why joining programs like St. Rita’s that offer a regimen with the help of a specialized doctor, nutritionist and trainers would increase a person’s chance of success in adopting, and sustaining, a healthy lifestyle.
Fox certainly thinks so.
“I’m in this for life,” he said.
