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Shed Those Extra Pounds: How Exercise Can Help You Overcome Obesity with Avishkar Sabharwal, MD
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Aug 5, 2024
#crazyfitnessguy #weeklymotivationwithcrazyfitnessguy #crazyfitnessguyhealthylivingpodcast #jimmyclare This informative video will show you how exercise can help you overcome obesity. You'll learn the importance of regular physical activity and the impact it has on your overall health. From cardiovascular exercises to strength-training and beyond, we will guide you through a variety of ways to get active and beat obesity. Learn from experts, who have seen success in their own struggles with weight loss, about what works for them. Get inspired by stories of those who have taken control of their health and wellness through exercise! Where To Watch?📺 Watch our show live on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch or on our website at https://www.crazyfitnessguy.com/ Follow Guest: Follow & Connect With CrazyFitnessGuy https://bit.ly/join-crazyfitnessguy
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0:00
I am my guest who's a doctor
0:05
I'm going to let him introduce himself because why not. So take it away
0:13
Hi, everyone. This is Dr. Sabarwal. I'm a both certified physician in internal medicine and an obesity medicine and
0:20
lifestyle medicine. Thank you so much, Jimmy, for having me on your show. Obesity is really my passion
0:26
Obesity medicine is my passion. and I would love to talk about it
0:31
Yeah, so let's dive into it. So what made you want to become a doctor in the first place
0:38
Well, I think it's a great profession. I enjoy interacting with people
0:45
It's a very hands-on profession where you get to interact with a lot of people
0:49
and you get to help people, and especially people who are in need
0:53
So I think that kind of motivated me to get into it
0:58
But having said that, of course, you know, my parents are physicians, so that definitely had influence on my decision of becoming a physician as well
1:06
So, yeah, that's what led me down this path. And that's how it started initially
1:12
And not to get into any specific details. Do you see a lot of people who come in that are obese
1:25
Well, yeah, of course. Absolutely. I think it's one of those things that's become so prevalent now. Nearly 40%, according to the CDC data, nearly 40% of American adults are suffering from obesity at this point in time, at least from 2017 to 2018 data that they have. And that's a huge number, if you look at it. That's a significant population that's suffering from obesity. And yeah, it's very prevalent
1:56
and we need to do something about it. And, you know, that's why I'm here
2:02
And just our curiosity, do those... You think... When you talk..
2:13
When you see people who are obese, do they... Do they tell you what the root causes for those obesity
2:26
what caused in the first place, like was it in motion eating and whatnot
2:33
Well, that's for us to figure out. Unfortunately, a lot of times what ends up happening is
2:40
and it's very prevalent and very common in our society is you see people who come in
2:44
who are suffering from obesity, and I say suffering because, you know, it is a disease. We've recognized it as a disease
2:50
The World Health Organization recognizes it as a disease. And when they come in, a lot of times, there's a lot of self-blame
2:56
And there's a lot of finger pointing that has already happened in their lives. They have always been blamed for the fact that they are suffering from it
3:06
They themselves blame themselves that we have this disease because we cannot control what we put into our mouth
3:13
But it's really much more complex than that. And there's a lot of stuff that goes into what causes obesity
3:20
It's very complex. So to tease it out, whether it's because of nutrition
3:26
whether it's because of some medication thereon, whether it's because of some psychological issues
3:32
some psychiatric issue. There's a lot of stuff that you need to tease out
3:37
and figure out what's causing it. And yeah, then that's what we try to do
3:42
and try to help them based on their needs. Do you some people
3:52
what do you say, that some people ever get, I don't know, do they ever feel like that, do they take your help and stride
4:06
Like, do they want your help right off the bat or do they're just like, I'm in denial
4:13
Well, I think that's true for any disease. I think if you're, no matter what kind of a situation you're in and no matter wherever you are
4:22
you have to have that readiness in the patient. and that's what we assess
4:27
The patient has to be ready to make that decision. And even, for example, you take, and I'm just going to take an example of, say, nicotine, right, smoking
4:35
Until unless the patient is not ready or the person is not ready themselves to make a change
4:40
there's no force on earth that can make somebody change, right? So you need to have, yeah, so you have to have that internal readiness
4:52
And I say readiness and not necessarily. motivation because motivation is kind of fluid and motivation comes and goes. It comes in waves
5:04
So you have to have that readiness to change. I know that. Yeah. So once you have that readiness to change is when you can implement any changes
5:14
without that there's really, it's not even a point to discuss that topic. But having said that
5:21
as a physician, it's always important for me to point out to patients that this is an issue
5:26
that you are suffering from. And when you're ready, we are ready, we are ready to help you
5:34
So you have to show me readiness and then I can help you
5:38
Go along and, you know, show you the right direction. But till then, I cannot do anything until you're ready
5:47
And what do you? for the listeners out there, what do you, is there like some kind of common, is there some kind of
6:05
common thing that causes people to get obese? Like is it just eating or is it poor diets or
6:14
Well, it's quite complex actually. You know, the whole pathophysiology of obesity is fairly complex. There are multiple reasons
6:21
that person can have obesity. It can be diet, certainly. We live in an environment, in an environment what we call as an obesity-genic environment
6:30
That means that the environment is influencing us to be in a more obese state than we would normally be in
6:39
There are certainly very rare genetic forms of obesity. They're very, very rare
6:44
The most common form that we see is not because of the genetics. It's because of the environment that we are in
6:49
and we have, we consume a lot of what we call the hyper-palatable foods
6:55
which are not nutrient dense, but they kind of try and hijack your brain to thinking and craving these
7:01
that you need these foods. And there are a lot of other issues like chronic stress, sleep deprivation
7:09
some medications, some emotional issues, some psychiatric disorders. So the whole host of things that can cause somebody to suffer from obesity
7:19
and just to say that it's about what you put into your mouth is really not sufficient and it's not fair
7:31
What would some advice you would give people who are obese and trying to lose weight
7:41
Well, we have to first figure out why they are suffering from obesity, right
7:46
So we have to see what's going on in their lives. and then we start from there
7:51
And even before that, like I mentioned, you have to first figure out if they're ready to make that change
7:56
or ready to acknowledge the fact that they have this disease and it needs to change
8:03
Look, if somebody is happy at a particular size, I have no right to tell them that what you're doing is wrong
8:11
because at the end of the day, I can tell you what's medically not right for you
8:16
but if you still feel that that's, what you would want to be at
8:19
I have no right to say that this is wrong Because you know it their health and it their physical body If they feel happy in that physical body then absolutely you know at the end of the day
8:33
all of us are looking for is some happiness and whatever we are and whatever we are doing
8:39
So first is, of course, the readiness. But it is my responsibility to let them know that this is not healthy physically
8:47
So that I can do and that we do. following that, of course, we talk about what's causing it
8:53
and we have to figure out what's causing it. Like I mentioned, there are multiple factors that can cause it
8:59
And once we figure that out, then comes the part of what we can change and how we can change
9:05
So it's a whole complex process of going through that. So, yeah
9:12
Do you, for your... May I
9:24
What is, so what else do you, how do you think we can improve the obesity numbers in our everyday society
9:41
I think first and foremost is very important to acknowledge the fact that we are in an epidemic of obesity
9:47
The second thing that we need to acknowledge is, is that we are in an obesity-obesogenic environment
9:52
That means our environment is playing a huge role in all of this
9:56
And the third thing is to acknowledge that there is no quick fix to it
10:01
And it's not just always the person who's suffering from obesity. It's not just always their fault
10:06
And the fourth thing to acknowledge is the fact that there are treatment modalities available
10:11
for this chronic disease which can help the patients. And to tackle this overall is a very complex issue because
10:19
that would mean basically changing the way we are living as a society
10:25
And that becomes a very big larger issue. I think if we start with ourselves as one person at a time
10:33
that would probably be easier to tackle than to tackling it at a global level or at a national level
10:40
And how many, what do you, In your life, what do you eat to keep yourself from getting a beat
10:56
What do I eat? That's interesting. So I try to keep myself on a nutrient-dense diet most of the times
11:05
And it's interesting, you know, actually the USDA guidelines just came out recently for 2020 to 2025
11:11
And they do mention about this rule called the 8515 rule, which basically says that 85% of the times you should probably eat like no
11:19
nutrient-dense foods or calorie, not calorie-dense, but nutrient-dense foods, which would mean
11:23
whole foods, vegetables, fruits, you know, other whole poultry, eggs, whatever, basically just whole foods
11:34
And 15% of the times you can splurge. So they talk about that, and I think that's a good place to start, and that's what I try to
11:42
do is try to eat as much whole foods as possible. Now, I turned vegetarian about a year ago
11:50
Before that, I was eating meat too, but I'm not vilifying meat in any which way
11:55
I think it's okay people are eating. I just, that was just a personal choice that I turned vegetarian. But I'm just saying that I try to be more on the whole food side than on the processed food side
12:04
And what you read on the labels, I would say that just be very cautious about that
12:09
And just for the listeners who might not know what processed foods are, can you give us some examples
12:20
So yeah, I mean, processed foods are anything that are processed in the factories
12:25
Now, everything that we eat pretty much is processed in some way or the other, right? So we eat the grains, they're processed in some way
12:30
You're not just picking it directly from the fields and eating it. It is processed
12:34
So what we try to aim for are the minimally processed foods. we try to stay away from the highly processed foods
12:41
Now, the highly processed foods are foods that are, they do not resemble, have no resemblance to their original form
12:48
For example, chips, cookies, which basically use like refined flour, they use refined sugar
12:58
They have no resemblance to their natural form in which the original foods occurred
13:03
So those are the hyper, those are the highly processed foods. and those are the ones that you'd really need to stay away from
13:13
So this is a question just now I'm curious about, would Cheerios be considered like, I'm not like Honey, not Cheerios
13:27
but just the regular Cheerios. Would that be considered processed? So, yeah, I'd usually try to stay away from, you know, naming any brands
13:37
Any of these cereals are usually very processed. I mean, if you look at the ingredients
13:41
they do say a lot of these, a lot of the cereals say that they are whole grains
13:47
and they have this much fiber. But remember, the way they are made is not the way they would occur in nature
13:55
So any cereal for that matter, that you eat breakfast cereal. If you're eating rolled oats, even they're a little processed
14:01
but they're not in a way that they've lost their original form
14:07
You can still recognize the oats there. So, yeah, I would say that any cereal I would consider it as a processed food
14:13
I mean, would it be considered like extra processed or would it be
14:17
Yes, it's lost its original forms. I would still consider it as a highly processed food
14:21
Okay. And again, I wasn't like trying to throw any brand name on the bus
14:28
The only thing I could think of. Sure, absolutely. I'm and so may I ask you what do you eat for can you give me some examples of like what you
14:45
do for lunch and dinner so yes lunch is like the worst meal in them so what I usually eat is
14:54
I'm Indian so I usually eat Indian curries or basically vegetables in some form and Indian
15:01
cuisine actually has a lot of it has a lot of emphasis on vegetarian
15:05
food so I can thankfully I can find a lot of variety there in terms of
15:09
what type of curry that I want to have or a vegetable vegetable saute
15:16
of some sort with all the spices and then I have it with a roti that's
15:20
basically made from whole wheat now having said that roti is also going to be a little
15:23
process because you've made whole wheat flour and then you made roti from it but
15:27
you know you've got to pick your battles and try to stay as much towards the whole food side as possible
15:35
As far as the lunch goes, I try to eat salads for lunch. Sometimes I'll just eat whatever Indian curry that we have
15:42
For breakfast, I usually eat oats with nuts. And yeah. For me, at the moment, I'm eating cereal in the morning because I like to go right down to my workout in the morning
15:59
if I start school again or work and whatnot. And then for my lunch, I use shakes because I'm not a person who likes to cook in the middle of the day
16:17
Sure. It was like, gee, spend 20 minutes cooking. I was like, and I know what's in the shake
16:25
And so I was like, okay. No, that's a great way because meat
16:29
have shown, there is data to suggest that meal replacements do work very well for people who are
16:34
suffering from obesity. And that's actually one of the modalities that we do employ for people with
16:39
obesity, if they're finding it hard, if they're finding it hard to kind of figure out a diet or
16:44
stick to a certain thing Because usually lunch is kind of tricky when they at work And that usually the times when people can have these problems when they not able to figure out what to eat And like for dinner I usually have some kind of chicken fish some lean pork
17:06
occasionally some egg dishes. It kind of depends on the night because I have karate classes at weird times of the day
17:15
like Mondays I have them at 12 noon and I have Wednesdays at 8 p.m
17:21
And then Fridays it's on 15. So it's like I know I had to have, I know I had to have not like a bigger meal
17:31
but I need all my food groups on those nights because if not
17:40
it starts becoming like if that 45 minute class starts becoming. an eternity
17:47
Absolutely, yeah. Uh-oh, this is bad. Or try when we were in karate in person
17:55
punching the puncher bag, you feel like you're punching a brick wall out
18:00
Ah, I hear my friend. And then you just finally feel like cursing on the mat too
18:08
At least the music is blasting, so nobody hears you. Your partner next door might hear you
18:14
but that's a whole other issue. So is there any other tips you got for people
18:25
No, I think if what I say to people is that if you're suffering from obesity
18:30
it's one thing to continue blaming yourself. And if it hasn't worked in the past, I don't think it's going to work again
18:37
So seeking the right help at the right time is the way to go
18:42
And you can certainly seek out professional. that you think your primary care doctor
18:48
is the right way to start. A lot of primary care physicians will be able to help you with that
18:52
In case you're not able to find help there, try to seek somebody who's specialized in obesity medicine
18:58
who's both certified in obesity medicine because we also have a lot of other resources
19:02
that we can help you with. The other thing I say, I just say, is that try listening to my podcast
19:08
because I do try and give out all evidence-based information on my podcast
19:13
which kind of my purpose is to get people to think about it differently
19:17
and have those talking points when they go in for their next meeting
19:23
with their primary care physician so that they are more educated when they go in
19:28
and they can have that more fruitful discussion and get started on the right path
19:33
of their weight loss journey in one way or the other. And another question for you
19:44
Do you also have your own website? Just that a curiosity? Yeah, I do
19:52
I have. It's my podcast website called www. www. My podcast is called Decodingobicity
19:58
And why I call it is because it's so much more complex than what we make it to be
20:02
And so what I try to do is bring forth the information on it so that people can understand the complexities that go into obesity and then how we treat it
20:12
And so I have a website called WDGEL. www.decoatingobicity.com to go along with that
20:21
And I was wondering, where can people find you to learn more about you
20:30
and kind of, I don't know, stay up to date, etc? So, yeah, so I'm on all social media platforms
20:39
They can find me on Facebook. My Facebook page is Dr. Sabarwal, D.O. C-T-O-R-S-A-B-H-A-R-W-A-L
20:48
And that's the same handle that I use for Twitter and for Instagram
20:53
And I can be found on LinkedIn as well. A-Washkar-S-Ber-Wal is my name
20:58
So, yeah, people can find me there. And before we wrap up, just out of curiosity
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if you could get rid of, if you think you could, if there's one
21:18
if you could get rid of anything to, if you could get rid of the stuff that is highly processed
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what would you get rid of in the world? I would say, I would say sugar
21:33
Well, okay, let me define sugar. Would it be natural sugar or would be the refined sugar
21:40
Because the natural sugar is like honey and I don't think you can get rid of it
21:47
Well, in terms of obesity, sugar is sugar. Whether it's honey, whether it's maple syrup, whether it's refined sugar, whatever it is
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whether it's organic refined sugar or not. Organic honey, sugar is sugar in terms of obesity
21:59
So really, the body processes it the same way. And may I ask your follow-up question real quick
22:10
Sure. Why would you want to get rid of sugar? So it's interesting because really the way sugar functions in our body
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what it does to our body is not great. And having refined sugar in any form
22:27
which is in higher, high quantities can be very detrimental. and is, I believe it is a very important major
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it's a major contributor for our obesity as well. And that's why I would say it's really important to cut out sugar
22:44
And do you think we need to cut out anything else besides sugar for people to be less obese
22:54
Well, I think starting with removing sugar would be the first step
22:57
And it's not as easy because trust me, tried and it's very hard with what's available in the market over here. So I think that's the first
23:08
step to start with and once you conquer that and if you still have, of course, have other
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issues, then we're here to help. And do you think fast food has some kind of, not to name any names
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has any, I don't know, any fault in this whole obesity? I think so. I think what fast food is, will be characterized as a highly processed food
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It would be characterized as what we call hyper-pallatable foods. And what fast foods do is basically hijack your brain into craving these foods more
23:47
And that's not good for you. So yeah, of course, removing fast foods
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But it's a little more complex than just saying that remove it from your diet because
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the, the way it plays on your brain, the neurobiology of all
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of it is much more complex than how it's how it acts
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And that's why it's still so prevalent in our society, right? So it's much more complex than I'm saying that because really kind of acts on your
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addiction pathways in the brain. And that's why you keep craving these foods more and more
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And that's why you keep going back to these hyper-palatable foods or addictive foods
24:26
So basically, like for me, I used to eat a lot of fast food
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when I was younger. And I'm not saying my parents, like, just forced it down my throat
24:38
It just, we were on a tight budget back then. And we were growing up, et cetera
24:47
And we, but at there losing 30 pounds with P90X back in 2011-10-ish, somewhere around then
25:01
I knew I couldn't eat fast food like I used to anymore
25:08
And so when I do it really only Chick I not saying it like the best thing in the world or the healthiest thing in the world Sure But I mean like pretty much like weigh my options
25:26
It's depending on. No, it can be hard. I'm with you on this
25:31
It's very difficult. It's not easy. But you know, you've got to choose your battles
25:35
And so I was like, okay, Chick-fil-A or get a burger. And so I was like, oh, I'm
25:42
at least it's chicken. At least you hope it's chicken. And I'm not saying that they don't have chicken
25:50
I'm not saying it's not chicken, but just, I'm just like thinking, well, you know
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let's might as well get something at least semi-help healthy than just go and get some burgers
26:04
fries and whatnot at a restaurant or somewhere grows. And you know, that's really interesting about the fast food
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like I don't really miss it after being off of it so long
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And it's like now occasionally I might still have a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A or whatnot
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And when I have to like, A, if I'm showing my house to be sold or whatnot
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because I can't make my kitchen a mess or whatnot. And you have to scramble out of the house
26:40
It's not fun time. Or when I'm on a road trip, which I haven't done in many years, because of this pandemic
26:53
So that's the only time when I really had fast food. But I don't really miss it
27:01
I don't miss fries. That's good. That's great. I guess it's working for you
27:08
So I'm not saying you have to quit cold turkey, but for me
27:12
Just quitting cold turkey for a while I was losing weight. Yeah, because it's like, no temptations. Don't do it
27:20
And I was like, because I had a really big sweet tooth too
27:25
Yeah. And so I was like, don't. I used to come home like from school and think that
27:33
And I was like, oh, well, since I'm working out, I can eat some skittles and whatnot. Don't try
27:38
It doesn't work. It really does not. One taste. I was like, I saw, it was kind of like, I don't know, I saw, I basically saw the rainbow and I was floating on the rainbow
27:55
I don't know. Anything goes on this podcast, so whatever. I'm the crazy fitness guy
28:05
So, I mean, kudos to you. If you've been able to stay off of it, that's great
28:11
That's very inspiring. But I still do. But me and my mom baked some holiday cookies over the holidays
28:24
And I just have one on Sundays and back to. Well, like I said, 85, 15 is a good rule
28:33
I think more than it's more like 95 and 15. Is that too much
28:40
No, that's okay. I think the more the better, the healthier you eat, the more nutrient-dense foods you eat, the better it is for you
28:46
So I think that's a good start. But that's a good way to start at least. Even if it's not 85-15, even if it's like 80-20, if you're eating healthy 80% of the times and 20% of the times you have a free pass, that's also still okay
28:58
But that should not be where you stop. The goal should always be to get to 100% healthy nutrient-dense foods as much as possible
29:08
And I just have another question for you. when people come see you when they are ready to like when they want to lose the way like
29:23
do they tell you what they have been do they like basically tell you what they've been
29:31
needing from like so yeah it's a much very comprehensive process when people come
29:35
seeking advice for weight loss what we usually end up asking is what they've been
29:40
been trying in the past, what has worked for them in the past, why did they fail in the past
29:44
what is their daily food intake like? So it's a very comprehensive process. It's a detailed history
29:50
pertaining to their obesity instead of just a general genetic history pertaining to all of the
29:56
other medical problems. It's specific to the problem of obesity. And so it is a much more
30:02
comprehensive history that we kind of try and get as to what's going on and what causes, what's
30:09
causing all of this to happen so that we can try and, you know, help them with those
30:14
with that aspect of their life so that they can be on the right path
30:19
Well, and I got more more question. How did you, how do you manage to stay up on all these latest updates
30:27
Because it's always seems like it's aging hamster real. Well, it's, it's, I'm very passionate about obesity medicine
30:37
So I love to stay up to date with this, with obesity medicine, nutrition, lifestyle medicine
30:44
So, yeah, I'm very passionate about it. And that's why I just like to stay abreast with the latest information on all of this
30:53
And before I let you go, would you be open to coming back on this podcast later on
31:01
Absolutely, yeah. And, okay, I mean one more just, one more question
31:07
I'll let you go. And I break my own role. Sorry. With it, so
31:15
do you write on your website, like blogging, etc.? I've just barely started doing it. Primarily, I just do podcasts
31:27
I've just started blogging, but I really, I enjoy podcasting. So I think for me, it's a better way of
31:35
communicating, but I've just started tinkering with blogging as well. So yeah, hopefully it'll
31:40
continue and hopefully you'll have more blog posts, but for now it's primarily podcasting
31:45
Well, if you ever get into the blogging, let me know. Maybe you can do a collaboration piece
31:52
on my website. Sure, absolutely, yeah. I'm always looking for experts, so why not
31:57
Absolutely, I'll let you know, definitely. Okay, so thanks for coming on Crazy Fitness Guys, Healthy Living Podcast
32:05
live edition and for those people who I keep forgetting my mouse is
32:13
unplugged do so again for people who want to follow me you can go to Jimmy
32:23
clar. speaker for Facebook and Instagram and Jimmy Claire speak on Twitter
32:30
God forbid I can't get 17 characters in the username on Twitter
32:36
Two more extra letters is too too many. But we can get 280 characters, but you can't get 17 in the username
32:50
So you can follow me there. And don't forget to subscribe to your Crazy Fitness Guys Healthy, Healthy, Loving, Podcasts on Apple, Google, and Spotify
32:59
And for those who have missed the live stream today, you'll be able to be able to
33:05
to listen to it again on Apple, Google, and Spotify, some point in the future
33:12
I'm just going to leave it out to that because, well, I have my ways and moments and whatnot
33:20
And I'll leave all your show notes. I'll leave all your links in the show notes and whatnot
33:28
And when it's ready, I'll send it to you. Great. Thanks for being on the show
33:34
Thank you so much for having me, Jimmy. It was a pleasure. And let's stay in touch
33:38
Absolutely. Have a good day. Bye-bye. Let me just
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