Carole Carson

What Is a Holistic Approach to Weight Loss?

A delightful part of my job as coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight-Loss Challenge is interviewing experts who share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Dr. Kay Judge, a board-certified internal medicine specialist who brings her interest in traditional and holistic medicine practices to her patients. (See her full biography below.)

I asked Dr. Judge, “What is a holistic approach to weight loss?” Her answer follows:

“We all know that ‘calories in versus calories out’ is the key to weight loss. But the human body can be more complex than a mathematical equation. If one is having a problem losing weight, then a holistic approach to weight loss may be beneficial. Holistic medicine recognizes that the mind, body and spirit all play a role in creating good health. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I eating to fulfill a need other than hunger?

2. Are there certain people or environments that cause me to overeat or underexercise?

3. Do I derive comfort or pleasure from eating? Does eating reduce my stress?

4. Am I eating foods that nourish my body?

5. Do I participate in activities that are good for my body?

6. What is missing from my life that food is replacing?

Answers to these questions will point you in a direction that can create a lasting solution to bringing your body in balance holistically.”

These questions can trigger self-insight and can be reviewed again and again, especially when overeating threatens to derail our fitness goals. The questions also address the underlying motivations and rewards that keep us from realizing our fitness goals. Thanks, Dr. Judge, for sharing your insight.

Biography of Kandeel “Kay” Judge, MD

Dr. Kay Judge received her medical training at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. Kay is the coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Secrets of Longevity (November 2009). She currently practices internal and holistic medicine at the Sutter Downtown Integrative Medicine Program in Sacramento, California.

Kay spent five years in India, where she discovered a passion for alternative treatment including meditation, yoga and ayurvedic medicine. Kay helps her patients find the balance between mind, body, emotions and spirit so that they can attain their fullest potential. She gives health recommendations based on a combination of conventional (Western) medicine, health and lifestyle modifications and alternative treatment options.

"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole universe--the trees, the clouds, everthing."                        Thich Nhat Hanh        

Living and Loving the Life

I have been working on a television segment for Living the Life, a program originating on CBN (the Christian Broadcasting Network) and also broadcast on ABC Family. The show is scheduled to air in late January. (I'll let you know when the date is certain.) Because the six-minute segment will feature the Nevada County Meltdown, I needed to videotape individuals and scenery in our community.

Stan McInturf, CBN senior videographer and an outstanding professional with over 30 years' experience, Elisa Parker, a member of my organization, and I worked together for two days. During those 16 hours, I had the joy of revisiting the Nevada County Meltdown through the eyes of participants.

We had an impressive schedule: a dozen or so interviews ranging from Dave Moller, the reporter from the Union newspaper who covered the story, to participants and gym owners. We also taped the baby llamas that became the Meltdown mascots. Battling first rain and then bitter cold, Stan had incredible technical difficulties to overcome in order to get the quality of shots he wanted. In spite of the hardships and the rigorous schedule that we faced, the two days the three of us spent videotaping were enormously satisfying.

Upon reflection, I realized that if I hadn't gone through the exercise of revisiting these people and hearing the profound changes they had made in their lives or observed in others, I would have assumed that the impact of the Meltdown, like other impactful experiences, had faded into memory.

Instead, the interviewees talked about the event as if it had happened only yesterday. Even more surprisingly, each person "owned" the event, talking about it as if it was a personal turning point. Their lives had been altered in profound ways. Those who lost weight were more deeply committed than ever to leading fit lives and encouraging everyone around them to do likewise. Listening to the interviewees' unscripted words gave Elisa and me goose bumps.

I've sometimes wondered if the Meltdown occurred because our rural mountain community was special and unique. If that were the case, I could (and would) step back into anonymity. But after interviewing these people, I realized we really are onto something significant, something remarkable. Taking our program and ideas to the larger community is our gift to give. And on a personal note, I realized anew what my life's work is, and I can proceed with confidence.

As I write these words, I'll take a moment to celebrate the joy this two-day experience brought me; then I'll go back to work. I'll hoe and rake and plant more seeds. But every now and then, just as I did today, I'll stand up straight, look around and enjoy the glorious garden that is growing around me.