Eating right doesn't have to be complicated

Editor's note: This is the first part of a series focussing on nutrition that will run every other Thursday. Part two will run April 1.

It's been suggested to me from time to time that I should write a book on nutrition and weight loss. The reason I haven't done so is not that I don't feel knowledgeable enough to write one. Rather, I haven't figured out how to stretch the necessary info into book length. Eating right just doesn't have to be that complicated.

There are three things you need to know right off hand when you talk about weight loss.

First of all, we are after fat loss, not just weight loss. Secondly, for a fat loss diet to be successful for any length of time, it must also be a health promoting diet. Thirdly, while eating to become lean and stay lean can be simple, the simplistic approach that all that matters is calories consumed and calories expended is not true.

All three of these points converge when we adopt a diet composed of whole, unprocessed foods.

When the average person restricts their food intake to lose weight, half of what they lose is typically muscle. This is especially true when the rate of loss is more than one pound a week. Because muscle is our primary user of energy, losing muscle mass drastically slows down our metabolism. When you also consider that one of the major differences between a young person and an old person is how much muscle they have, you can see that losing muscle also accelerates aging.

Most experts believe the ideal rate for permanent fat loss is two pounds a month. This may sound painfully slow until you realize that adds up to 24 pounds of fat lost in one year. Mind you, we are talking about 24 pound of fat here, not the 12 pounds of fat and 12 pounds of muscle you would have lost if you had done this in six weeks. Remember also that we are talking about permanent fat loss. Most people who lose 24 pounds in six weeks have gained it all back, and then some, by the end of a year.

Now that we understand the importance of taking the slow and steady approach to fat loss, it's even clearer that we need to maintain a healthy diet. I'm not saying that you can't maintain a diet of unhealthy foods long-term. The majority of Americans do just that. What's hard is to stay on a diet where we have eliminated a macronutrient like carbohydrates or fats or when we continue to eat unhealthy foods and simply attempt to reduce the total calories.

We can't eliminate carbohydrates because they are in fruits and vegetables. People who eat the most fruits and vegetables live the longest, have the lowest incidence of virtually every disease and, coincidentally, are the leanest. We can't eliminate fats, because they are needed for our cell membranes, to produce hormones and for energy. People who go on low fat diets tend to be hungry all the time because fat also serves to keep us sated.

Simply eating less, regardless of what we eat, will result in weight loss in the short term. Remember though, that we are after fat loss and that we need it to be permanent. Our bodies respond one way to a 1500 calorie a day diet made up of whole foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, dairy products, nuts, fish and game. They react quite differently to one with the same number of calories from refined and processed foods.

Now that we've covered some basic concepts of eating for fat loss and health, I'll expand further on the concept of whole foods, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and a few other important nutritional topics in my next columns. Don't worry though - I'm not going to make you read through an entire book. We'll keep it simple and fun and see how we can make some realistic changes that will lead to healthier and fitter lives.

• Dr. Corey Pavitt is a chiropractic physician, competitive bodybuilder, and a recreational yogi, cycling and hiking enthusiast. He and his wife Ellen own and operate Pavitt Health and Fitness. His Wednesday Juneau Empire column has run over nine years and will continue in addition to this bimonthly article.