The Dr. Moore Story
A strange thing happened to me on the way to becoming a doctor. I discovered the secret to permanent weight loss and fitness. It all started in the mid-1980s when I began studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Prior to this turning point, most of my life had revolved around organized sports. By my soph¬omore year in college, reality took hold. I stopped playing football (though I still worked out at the gym) and got more involved in my studies. My eating habits deteriorated to a steady diet of high-calorie processed junk food – convenient and cheap was my mantra. Before I knew it, I was carrying around an extra fifty pounds or more. Ironically, I had a part-time job as a personal trainer which kept me in decent shape despite the extra weight. Happy with my status quo, promising myself to slim down after the test was over, I started eating whatever and whenever I wanted to – which meant five to seven times a day. That’s when the strangest thing happened. After about a month of this new lifestyle, I noticed that my pants were looser – ten pounds – gone. The muscles remained, but the love handles were disappearing. It wasn’t due to stress. What is going on here? I wondered.
At first, I played with my diet to decrease even more body fat. I thought this required eating more carbohydrates (which to me at the time meant processed breads, crackers, and packaged meals) and eating less protein. I was also concentrating less on lifting weights at the gym in favor of aerobic conditioning through running. This new plan created a two-fold problem: The processed carbs were putting me on a mental and physical roller coaster ride, and the absence of weight training decreased my muscle mass. I was naïve about good protein so I ate steak, cheese, or other easily accessible high-protein foods that were also high in fat. So I compensated by loading up on fat-free dishes high in carbohydrates and salt. My weight did not change significantly, but I lost muscle mass, and the love handles were reappearing. I refocused my diet to eating leaner proteins like chicken, fish, and nonfat dairy products. This seemed to correct the fat gain and muscle loss, but I was still gulping down a large espresso every day after lunch to avoid the coma-like state I fell into after meals. The carbohydrate rush from the prepared foods I was still eating was making my blood sugar plummet 1 ½ to 2 hours after each meal. And to make matters worse, once this stupor passed, I was hungry again and had a hard time concentrating in class. This plan was not working either. My salvation came from knowledge that I gained in my biochemistry classes. I learned that all carbs are not created equal, likewise fats or proteins. All three food groups have healthy and unhealthy varieties.
I started to concentrate on eating more unprocessed and complex (good) carbohydrates— vegetables, and fruit, whole grains —and avoided simple processed (bad) carbs—mainly sugary foods. Immediately I felt better, but it was not the final formula I was looking for.
I finally tied all of the information together: I added more lean protein, continued eating quality carbs and fat, minimized my salt intake, and ate five to six smaller meals per day. Right away I noticed the difference. I was more alert and felt no fatigue after meals. Quality fuels and more frequent meals were helping to regulate the way my body burned calories. Weeks later I noticed that my muscle tone and mass were returning and were easier to maintain with the same amount of exercise. Finally, I had found the perfect way to eat and I was maintaining my health and fitness goals. With this new-found knowledge and proof of its effectiveness, I set out to first learn why these eating habits really worked and then find a way to share my good news.
Today my life revolves around my daughters, clinics, and passion for wellness. Although eating right and exercise continue to be a challenge with my busy schedule, they remain a priority and part of my lifestyle – a lifestyle that has proven to be one of the true gifts that keeps on giving.
Introduction from book Body of Knowledge:
A Personal Message:
Most doctors share a common dream—to help cure those who are in need and to do something really special in their career. While I enjoy every facet of my surgical practice, overall my professional sense of accomplishment has come from successfully helping people transform their lives through the Body of Knowledge™ system. Body of Knowledge, or BOK™ (pronounced “Be Okay”), is the result of twenty years of study, research, and working with people who have come to me overweight, out of shape, and often despondent. I believe that my vision and expertise mirrors an emerging public demand for healthy lifestyle programs. I have found that most people prefer a blend of truth and essential information in an organized, facts-driven format over the gimmick-driven and “quick fix” weight loss plans of the past. This new enthusiasm could not have come at a better time. Serious health problems associated with weight gain in both adults and children are increasing across the nation. Even though there are more diet and fitness plans on the market than any time in history, there are more people considered obese and overweight than ever before (over half of our population). And I have special concern about the childhood obesity epidemic.
My quest is to help you design your own weight, fitness, and life management plan; I’ll give you the essential information and techniques you’ll need to customize it to match your personal goals and lifestyle.
My personal message to you is this: there is no one better qualified to create a health plan for you than you. Use the Body of Knowledge system as your guide and consider me your teacher. My wish is for you to be armed with all the knowledge you need to once again take control of your health.
The BOKsystem is not a magic bullet or a fad diet but a sensible, sustainable program for managing weight and promoting good health. As you will see in the coming pages, the BOKsystem is designed to help individuals learn how a healthy body should function and how to “unlearn” their unhealthy habits. Then we use the BOKsystem to help individuals create a personal plan for healthy living that makes sense for them.
Body of Knowledge is also addressing the critical rise in health care costs. It is no coincidence that medical expenses and health insurance premiums mirror the rise in obesity cases and other related health problems. However, recent studies show that some overweight and obese employees who lost weight not only reduced their employers’ health care costs but were also rewarded a portion of the savings, which encouraged them to keep the weight off longer. Better health results in proven savings for everyone. Individuals pay for fewer doctor visits, emergency room admissions, surgeries, and prescriptions. Companies save on a decrease in sick leave, fewer employees retrained, and reduced disability costs; they also benefit from the increase in productivity, innovation, and employee morale. In addition, allowing primary care physicians and specialists to utilize a more effective preventative care model instead of continuing to treat the end-stage diseases associated with obesity (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, etc.) is a win-win situation.
The Body of Knowledge system is exciting because it offers a realistic plan to help people make life-altering, life-affirming changes. If enough people take the precepts of Body of Knowledge to heart, it could have an impact beyond all of our dreams.
The BOK Mission
Our mission is to provide information that gives you the ability to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle that adapts to change—one that naturally manages your weight, keeps you fit, promotes good health, and gives you a Body of Knowledge. What if we lived in a world where……
- all food choices were healthy choices—made cost-effective and available due to consumer demand;
- fast food and junk food in the home, schools, and the workplace were eliminated;
- businesses and health insurance companies offered bonuses or incentives to reward employees and clients who achieve and maintain better health;
- parents and schools taught children the foundation of healthy living so no one was programmed with bad habits that follow them through life;
- obesity and health-related problems were only read about in history books.
This is my dream, my quest—to make sure that you and your family will B-OK. And I’ll take it one meal, one workout, and one person at a time.
Good health and all my best,
-Dr. B.
