Many patients ask me how to lose unwanted body fat.  As many of you realize (or will realize), as we age, it becomes increasingly difficult to do.  But it isn’t impossible! Actually, it’s quite possible when armed with the right information.

In addition to looking better, feeling more energetic and sexy and having more self-confidence, decreasing body fat results in a decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol, decreased triglycerides, improved insulin sensitivity, reduced total cholesterol, improved HDL (good cholesterol) and decreased inflammation, therefore slower aging!

Here are the 4 keys to decreasing body fat:

1. Control your blood sugar and insulin levels.  Insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas in response to sugar in our diets.  With elevated insulin levels, you can’t burn fat for energy.  It is physiologically impossible.  Controlling your blood sugar by eating a low glycemic diet keeps insulin levels low so you can burn fat for energy.
2. You have to exercise. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise are critical.  At The Body Well in West Hollywood, we customize 20-minute workouts for our clients that incorporate both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.  Anaerobic exercise is especially key because it engages the muscle fibers that will release testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH).  Beverly Hills weight loss clinics cannot compare to being shown a way to change your physiology and body composition so you can turn your body into a fat burning machine.  The more lean body (muscle) mass you have the more calories you burn at rest.  You can literally burn fat while you are sleeping!
3. Sleep more.  According to a study published October 5, 2010, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, when dieters got a full night’s sleep, they lost the same amount of weight as when they slept less; however, more than 50% of the weight they lost was fat versus only 25% in the group who cut back on sleep.
4. Optimize your hormones.  Almost across the board, research studies show that if your hormone levels are optimized, you have more likelihood of having a lower body fat percentage than if they are suboptimal.  Have an experienced Age Management Physician evaluate you for suboptimal hormone levels.  At my clinic in West Hollywood, human growth hormone (HGH), testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid, insulin, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone are all measured carefully so we can optimize your levels of these critical hormones.

Armed with the right information, and not falling prey to the latest quick-fix, you can truly transform your body in a way that has you looking and feeling better than ever while decreasing your risk for chronic degenerative diseases.  And slowing down the aging process!