Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen is the author of “Dr. A’s Habits of Health”. The Maryland resident has spent his career helping people reach their optimal health by breaking through logistical and psychological barriers.
Why are Americans so fat?
Basically, the answer to that is really simple. There is an inherent conflict to our design and living in this modern, chaotic world. There is a great disparity between energy in and energy out. We get in this cycle of high glycemic [intake].
How do you help patients get healthy?
[We’ve] asked the question, ‘How do we help people create health in their life?’ Eighty-five percent of people who go on a diet gain the weight back within two years. Rather than reacting to what they don’t want, we focus on what they do want. What would you do if you wanted to become a world-class pianist? Practice.
Why doesn’t dieting work?
It’s not focusing on creating anything. [People] start dieting, then they feel better, and then they stop dieting. They oscillate back and forth. If a person’s lucky enough to lose those 30 pounds, they’re finished. They stop doing what they were doing.
So then what are some strategies to reaching “optimal health?”
Eating every three hours. At work, stand up rather than sit, use the lavatory at the other end of the building. The other key ingredient … is sleep. It’s an absolute requirement. When we don’t have enough sleep, we wake up, we’re tired, we’re more likely to eat high-glycemic foods. Trying to do it all with diet and trying to do it all with exercise doesn’t work.
Why is this so important?
Going through life and just being mindless — you’re going to go from healthy to unhealthy to just getting sick. [It’s] almost inevitable. If you can overcome the psychological and logistical barriers of living in modern America, we can help people get to their optimal health. — David Sherfinski
