steps that you must follow
each day.
obesity has been defined as
an abnormal accumulation
of body fat, approximately
20% or more of your ideal
body weight, which is the
weight for a specific age,
gender, and height that has
the lowest death rate. this
definition is more important
for the life insurance industry
than for you, because it
does not take into account
your body’s composition,
which is how much of your
body is bone, muscle, or fat. Body
composition cannot be measured with
a scale. obesity is also defined by your
body mass index or BMi. A simple
quick way to find your BMi is to use
your tablet or iPad and obtain the App
BoD keeper. this App is very easy to
use. A BMi of over 25 is considered
over weight, and a BMi of 30 or more
is obese. Again this does not take into
account body composition. the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention has
calculated that 69% of adults over 20
years of age are overweight or obese.
However, not every obese person has a
metabolic problem; however most do
or will develop one as they age. Asians
have metabolic problems starting at a
BMi of 25; Caucasians at 30; African
Americans at 35. obesity does not kill
you, but the metabolic problems that
occur will kill you.
We become fat when there is more sugar
in the blood that raises our insulin
levels and stimulates the production
of fat. A new finding reveals that high
insulin levels cause both a low metabolic
rate and simultaneous fat storage.
this is how most people become obese.
As your body ages, it is the excess body
fat that increases the risk of hypertension,
insulin-resistant diabetes, coronary
artery disease, stroke, dementia, and
program, as different types
of exercise produce different
results. remember one thing:
“exercise and diet will cure,
where pills only palliate.”
therefore, prescription
medications for metabolic
abnormalities obesity,
hypertension, diabetes,
coronary artery disease,
stroke reward your unhealthy
behavior and give
you a false sense of security.
i wi l l s umma r i z e t h e
scientific data regarding my
diet recommendations for a
healthy lifestyle. this diet eliminates
obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary
artery disease, and stroke. it was
published in the new england Journal
of Medicine in 1985. if it walks, flies,
swims or grows in the ground you can
eat it. this diet eliminates most milk
products and grains. remember that if
you can control your weight and waist
size, you can control your body fat.
this is the big picture. What you do next
will determine your metabolic future.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Robert Drapkin, MD, is
a health care provider who is board certified
in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and
Palliative Care. He is in active practice, working
to save lives and improve quality of life
through the education of his patients. He
provides up-to-date knowledge and guides
patients through their illnesses, exercises, and
diets. He has been in active medicine practice
for over 36 years. Dr. Drapkin is currently 70
years old and started training as a body
builder when he was in his fifties. He has been
a competitive body builder for 17 years, and
currently is in training for a national event
in July 2015.
bone and joint injury. these are the
“metabolic problems” that will
ultimately kill you.
exercise, or physical activity, is required
to improve your health. it can be designed
to improve endurance, strength, balance
and flexibility. even a small amount of
daily exercise will prolong your life
and will reverse the changes that occur
in your aging muscles, and exercise is
the only way to reverse aging muscle
changes and restore your strength.
With increased strength you will be
more active and feel stronger, as it is the
missing ingredient in most lifestyles
that are unhealthy. it can even reverse
the “metabolic problems” mentioned
previously. We know this because
epidemiological studies have revealed
a higher incidence of metabol ic
problems in people who do not exercise.
Supervised long-term intense exercise
raises high-density lipoprotein, lowers
triglycerides, and reduces blood
pressure. However, both diet and
exercise are required to lower insulin
resistance. the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends
150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise
every week and muscle building
exercise for each muscle group over 2
to 3 days every week. there is much
more to be considered in an exercise
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