Dr Kirk's Blog

WOW!, Summer is already over.  Frankly, I am ready for so cooler weather.  But I have to admit I love the longer days.  I’m also, like many you, refocusing on my eating habits and food choices.  Gone are the lazy summer evenings grilling cheeseburgers while dipping my hand in the tortilla chip bag. I think I had one too many cheeseburgers.  Grass fed or not, it is time for a Detox.  And it's time for me to lose some weight.

Ready to lose some weight?  I’m writing to motivate you and clarify details on how to make your cleanse & weight loss a success.  Let’s start with the simple details.  The most obvious question is: What can I eat?

Vegetables, fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, vegetables, brown rice, vegetables, fish, vegetables, almonds, vegetables, eggs (if not allergic), vegetables, lentils, vegetables, seeds, vegetables, lean meat if you choose, vegetables and goat cheese!   Surprisingly, there is a lot you can eat.  Many people find that they learn to enjoy many foods they would never have tried such as hummus and rice crackers, swiss chard (sauteed with garlic, onion and coconut oil), and ezekial bread (sprouted grain).

The next obvious question is: What can’t I eat?  To summarize: alcohol, chocolate, dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream), salt (except celtic sea salt), sugar (except honey and maple syrup), white flour products, wheat products, corn and corn products, bread (except brown rice or Ezekial or 100% sprouted), nuts (except almonds or walnuts), fried food, white vinegar, and butter.

If your main objective is to lose weight, I recommend backing off caffeine and NO cream or sugar in coffee or tea beverages (honey, agavae and rice milk are okay.)  If your main objective is to cleanse, strive to completely eliminate caffeine (slowly if necessary!)

The two trickiest ingredients to avoid are wheat and corn.  When you start looking at package ingredient labels you will notice that wheat and corn are everywhere!  By avoiding these two allergen-producing, often genetically modified ingredients, your body will be happy and lose weight more easily.  Be especially watchful for corn syrup or high frustose corn syrup.

I know what you’re thinking.  How can I give up sugar?  I know it may be hard, but you must!  To put it bluntly, that sugar you love is what’s responsible for the size of your belly and the width or your thighs.  If you really want a leaner body and better health, say goodbye to sodas, candy, cookies and cakes.  If you look closer, there’s probably sugar in your bread, salad dressing, pasta sauce, soup and protein bars.  Sugar has infiltrated itself through our food supply and is one of the biggest factors in obesity.  Once it’s gone for awhile, you will find your taste buds reset and cravings will diminish.  Once your body experiences the satisfaction of REAL nutrients, it will feel more alive.  Just give it time.

Now that you know what to eat, and what to avoid, the biggest focus for cleansing is on preparation.  When prepared with healthy food choices, it will be much easier to not reach for the junk. Avoid setbacks by having healthy delicious food prepared and available.  Spend a few hours cutting up fruit and making a fruit bowl for the week.  Same goes for vegetables that can be steamed or put in salad.  Put small bags of nuts in your car, work drawer and pocketbook.  Prepare containers with water and have them ready for when you run out the door.  Hard boil a dozen eggs, peel them and have them waiting in the fridge for a quick snack.  Make a cleanse-friendly soup to heat up at the end of a long day.  Buy a rice-based protein powder and frozen fruits for making quick yummy shakes.  Pre-plan which restaurant and menu items are cleanse-friendly for that special occasion.

Cleansing is always easier with a buddy.  It’s even easier when done with the people in your home.  But, don’t force anyone to do this with you.  Do it for YOU.  Having support is extremely helpful.  Being certain you want to do this is critical.  I recommend you tell, write and review your goals often.  If you want to lose weight and all the people around you know it, you’ll likely feel more supported and accountable.

Length of time to cleanse should be about a week.  Some people choose to do 2 weeks.  I recommend buying a  cleansing kit to speed up the detoxification.  The one we sell at the office is great and most people lose 5-7 pounds in a week.  I also recommend people do a detox/ cleanse once a quarter, when the seasons change.

We have more supportive handouts and binders of information available at the office if you’d like to read up on cleansing, or want to also focus on cleansing a certain organ.  If you solely just want to lose weight, remember the three golden rules:  eat less overall, eat nutrient dense food, and eat more in the beginning of the day with less in the evening. And eat 4-6 smaller meals a day; this keeps your insulin more level and your metabolism higher.

Dr Sandra & I just started a Transitions Lifestyle workshop in our office.  Each workshop is a series of 13 weekly meetings.  Check our calendar of events for future Transitions Weight Loss/ Lifestyle workshops.  I can’t wait to hear your results!

As health care professionals we are constantly being introduced to health related products and services.  Many of them are very good, a few are not so good and occassionally we come across an ideal product for our patients.  Transitions is a weight loss lifestyle system based on low glycemic foods.  Both Dr. Kirk & Dr. Sandra have started the system and are already being to see results. 

On Sept. 22, 2009 at 6:30 pm we will be hosting weekly workshops for the next 3 months.  We already have several people signed up and ready to improve their lives.  If you want to be a part of our initial program and get a 50% ($200) savings register by calling our office in Durham at 919-493-1940 or email your name and number to transitions2wellness@gmail.com

 For more information visit http://www.transitionslifestyle.com

 We hope to see less of you soon :)

Yours in health

Dr. Sandra  & Dr. Kirk