People ask me what I eat to maintain consistently low body fat. I refer them to The Brown Fat Revolution diet section. I have been eating according to this plan for 9 years and my total body fat varies from 7 to 9 percent. For me, it is not about cardio but diet. ABS are made in the kitchen!

The US  already has a total of  some 34 medals compared to six medals at the Calgary Olympics!  To what is this amazing surge of athletic prowess attributed?  The Olympic training center,  23.8 million dollar training center in Colorado Springs,  Colorado could be a very big contribution to this American dominance.   Here, comprehensive preparation for the Olympics is available:  a sports medicine and science center, the athletic center, nutrition counseling, and finally housing for 557 athletes and their coaches is available at one time.    This attention to all of the aspects of the mind and body is reminiscent of the ancient Greek approach to athletics from which the Olympics emerged.   The synergy of all factors to achieve the optimal result is a basic principle of great training at any level and one that I apply to the  The Brown Fat Revolution Diet and fitness programs.

These athletes stand as examples of how human resources can be harnessed to achieve unbelievable goals.  Take their inpiration and apply it to the way you treat your body on a daily basis.   Nutritious foods, healthy exercise, stress control are all within reach.  You just have to make the decision that you are going to do it!

So many athletes  overcome mind-boggling personal and physical tragedies, never leaving focus on their dream and  win the Olympics or simply be the best they can be.    Certainly, the ability to eat consistently well and exercise routinely for the sake of a healthier and better looking body should not be difficult!  Go For It!

Barbara, the monster snow storm is hitting Connecticut today and my wife and I are pretty much in a welcome lock down at home.   As the author of The Brown Fat Diet , I intuitively know what to eat to stay in shape;  however, this morning,  I found my mind acting differently.  I was thinking about baking a cake/brownies or having pancakes for breakfast!   The power of the brain and memory!   Hmmm how to handle this conflict of food choice that I am sure so many of us feel on days like today?

The brain (specifically, the amygdala) has this incredible ability to connect to past experiences and create cravings for things associated with good times.  In this case, probably,  those  unexpected and welcome days off from school, when my mom would cook all the comfort foods.

Those of you who follow me or have read my book, The Brown Fat Revolution, know that I strongly believe that occasional side steps when you are on a diet are OK and actually work to keep you comfortable with food and not feel deprived.  So, I will have a brownie today and whole wheat pancakes with low sugar syrup/no butter and not feel at all guilty.

Life is about the experience and not to embrace the connections that we have garnered from the past in a positive way and enjoy is nonsense.  After 20 years of eating according to the principles of The Brown Fat Diet, I can firmly testify that this one day of  relaxation combined with visual beauty (the snow) and gustatory coziness will not affect the shape of my body!

In a speech that CNN recently aired, First Lady Michelle Obama talks about how, as a mother, she found it challenging to feed her family nutritious foods.  In response, James R. Lyons, M.D. — author of the new book, “The Brown Fat Revolution” — says that he was delighted with Obama’s speech, but he had some advice to offer her and to other mothers.

Dr. Lyons reminds us that Michelle Obama speaks from the perspective of a mother’s responsibility. She understands what it’s like to have too little time to feed her children (and herself) the nutritious foods they need.

Yet, with the right planning, it really doesn’t take a whole lot more time to feed a family well than it takes to wait in line at the drive-through, according to Dr. Lyons. The empty refrigerator is the problem. Natural, good food must be in the home in order to prepare your own healthful “fast food.” If mothers would put aside two hours — during a weekend, say, or after work — then they can make a trip to the supermarket and stock up on everything they’ll need for the week’s meals. They can even take their children along to help choose the foods, within guidelines that the mother sets.

Children can also help their mothers cook all, or parts, of meals ahead of time. And mothers also can cook double-portions — some for tonight, and the rest for another night.

“It’s easy to see why fast food appeals to a busy mother like Michelle Obama.,” concludes Dr. Lyons. “But, with some planning and creativity, ‘fast food’ can become meals that you want your family to eat.  Even your pediatrician will be pleased.

I recently picked up an issue of Body and Soul, a Martha Stewart Publication, and was thrilled to see Martha adding her genius to the quest for women to feel and be their best at all ages.  Awesome!!

Love it when Martha says, “I don’t diet.”   I agree that eating all natural foods in a balanced way is the answer to weight control and the restoration of the body at every tissue level.

Fat is not the enemy!  Diets are the enemy!  Martha understands this, and Body and Soul proves that she’s spreading the message as only she can.

I strongly urge every woman, of every age, to read Body and Soul and tune into Martha Stewart’s message about health and nutrition. She’s a voice of reason in the celebrity world, as I like to think I’m a voice of reason in the medical world.

Together, I think we can help women everywhere who are in search of optimal health and a more youthful appearance. Martha Stewart and The Brown Fat Revolution. What a team!

This morning,  NBC’s “Today Show” reported that Michelle Obama is taking on fitness as one of her platforms as First Lady.  Bravo!  What a wonderful example Michelle Obama is setting for the women of America and the world.

I do not know Michelle Obama personally.  But, on camera, she exudes positive energy, intelligence,  and self- confidence in a very attractive feminine way.  And I mean “feminine “”is an extremely complimentary way!

Women are working out like crazy and dieting until they are unhealthy. They’re trying to banish fat when, in fact, they should learn that fat is necessary to looking young, countered, sexy, and womanly — the way that our First Lady does!

Michelle Obama (unlike Madonna) has learned to focus on eating healthfully, and it’s obvious that’s found something physical to do that she loves — something that connects her brain to her muscles  and helps her feel centered and in the moment.

She stands as a great example to all women as a paradigm of beauty and attractiveness and, hopefully, she’ll help banish this notion that “thin is it.” I am personally ecstatic to hear that she is adding fitness to her platform.

Don’t let the magazine cover fool you. The New York Times’ Sunday, September 13, 2009 magazine features a dazzling, orange-and-black array of letters that spell out the question: “Are Your Friends Making You Fat?”

The cover is a bit misleading, of course, because the article itself is titled “Is Happiness Catching?” The article isn’t specifically about being fat.  Instead, it’s about the concept of social contagion: human beings assimilate the behavior of those that we hang out with.

This is a fascinating article but begs the question: Don’t we all remember, from our teenage years, that we tend to act like our peer group? So what is the big deal about what the pair of social scientists, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, have discovered about the Framingham group? We should all know that this phenomenon exists at every level: whether we smoke, how we dress, the vehicle we drive, the house we buy, what we drink, the food we eat, etc.

Of course, you do not live in a vacuum. You are affected by the habits and habitus (that is, physical characteristics) of those around you. It would be inappropriate and rude to dismiss yourself from friends or family if they did not fit into your “ideal” world of habits so you could achieve your goals more easily.

If you do have disciplined thin, healthy people around you, great! But most of us have a mix of fit and unfit people in our orbit. That’s why I recommend that you focus on yourself and not your peers. Set your own standards and goals. Recognize that you do not want to “fit in” at some levels, because to do so would endanger your health. That’s why you should make a conscious effort to differentiate yourself from those with unhealthy eating and exercise habits.

You should be a role model through your behavior, though, and not your voice. Nothing is more obnoxious than the woman who looks great but only talks about her diet and training. Use The Brown Fat Revolution program, and enjoy your changing body shape and great health while you lose or maintain your weight, but do it with discretion!

Most of all, unapologetically be who you want to be, and work toward looking and feeling how you want to look and feel. According to the New York Times magazine article, good health and happiness are contagious. So give them both a try. You have nothing (except excess weight) to lose, and your family members and friends have everything (including fit bodies) to gain.

No fewer than six friends sent me the recent Time magazine article, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” by John Cloud. Catchy title, irresponsible piece.

Before I’d finished the first paragraph, it was apparent to me that Cloud would not succeed in achieving anything with his exercise routine because of his negative approach to working out. He hates working out. For him, it’s a chore. It’s something with which to begrudgingly fill in the hour after work. It’s a necessary evil because it makes him feel as though he has some measure of control over his body, his weight, his attractiveness, and his aging.

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You need fat to look young!

Most women don’t believe that fat is what  helps them look young. Instead, they have an obsession with wrinkles.  As a plastic surgeon, I’ve always found this ironic.

Here’s the proof. Close your eyes and  envision a twenty-year-old woman’s face with no wrinkles next to a 60 year old woman’s face with no wrinkles. Your brain has no problem envisioning the shape of both women’s faces. It’s the shape that defines age.  The wrinkles had nothing to do with it! 

Think about the body too. The arms, abdomen, thighs, and flanks have very characteristic shapes that define age yet they are not inevitable.  These shapes are created by fat. And the shapes of “age” are all from yellow fat rather than simply the process of growing older.

Yellow fact is fat that’s deposited after years of unfortunate dietary habits.  We want to get rid of this fat and replace it with healthy fat, not NO fat. If all the fat is lost, the skin will be wrinkled, folds may appear, and you will look even older!

When I look at a women in contemplation of plastic surgery, I see contours and shapes which, to me, are really what define beauty and youth. Contrary to popular misconceptions, what I really do for a living is move volume around to create a more youthful appearance in my patients. And that volume is created by fat. 

So,  I want you to put wrinkles aside for a while and listen to what I have discovered about the most important age defining tissue of the body:  FAT.

You know, fat is not your enemy.  Fat is absolutely necessary to make your skin look good and to create the sinuations that define a women. Men are attracted to curves, not bones! Skinny is not sexy. Voluptuous Marilyn Monroe, for example, was far sexier than the emaciated Madonna. If Madonna gained 15 pounds, then who knows? If Madonna gained the right type of weight, then we could be looking at a far fairer contest.

As a plastic surgeon, I have worked inside of bodies for 30 years, and I know first-hand what makes women look young is the quality of their fat. Not all fat is the same. There is yellow fat: mushy, greasy, hanging fat. And then there is brown fat: healthy, firm, toned fat that hugs your muscles and supports the skin of your face and body.

Scientific studies have shown that you can change the type of fat that you have with changes in your habits.  And my experience bears that out. From that experience, I have developed The Brown Fat Revolution which teaches you to create a more youthful appearance as you lose your yellow fat and replace it with brown fat.

The program is about more than maintaining a healthy weight. It’s also about exercising to condition your heart and lungs. In the weeks and months to come, I’ll discuss the specific Brown Fat Revolution strategies that can help you transform yourself from a Madonna into a Marilyn Monroe. Get ready to lose weight and be healthier—and look healthier—than you ever imagined possible.