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by Angela Davis
(WCCO) We know that too much body fat puts us at risk for disease, but if weight control was easy, then two-thirds of adult Americans would not be overweight.

After having two babies in my mid-30s, I am one of those people who carries excess weight in my mid-section and I just hate it. Not just because of the way it looks, but because I know that it puts me at a higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. This week we're devoting time to taking a close look at body fat and what it does to our overall health.

To get the medical facts, I interviewed Dr. Michael Gonzalez-Campoy. He runs the Minnesota Center for Obesity, Metabolism and Endocrinology in Eagan.

"The facts are that the higher the body mass index the higher the risk of death. Period," Gonzalez-Campoy said. "So the slimmer you are, the longer your life span is going to be and the healthier you are going to live."

Gonzalez-Campoy said when you accumulate fat in your tummy, you're throwing your entire metabolism off and opening the door to declining health. He showed me what he shows his patients to educate them. First, a digital image of a normal abdomen, where white depicted body fat. Then I looked at an image of someone who is overweight and diagnosed with diabetes. I saw much more fat. It literally surrounded the organs. The doctor said the excess fat forces the organs to work harder.

"This is what puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease when it is inside your abdomen, and if you are able to melt that fat away you have just added tremendously to your health," Gonzalez-Campoy said.

He encourages people to approach weight loss in a sensible, feasible way. He said we should stop using the words "diet" and "exercise" and simply start focusing on eating better and moving our bodies more. Losing just a pound in a week, which is what's recommended for most folks, is actually a pretty big deal. Losing 10 pounds over a few months can actually improve your health quite a bit.

"It is not the fat under the skin that really matters. It is the fat inside the abdominal cavity that matters," Gonzalez-Campoy explained. "If you put this (5 pounds of fat) inside of your abdomen around your intestines, that's the fat that we really want to get after."

Gonzalez-Campoy said liposuction is not the answer. Liposuction removes the fat that is right under the skin. It doesn't get rid of the fat deeper inside the abdomen. That's what leads to health problems like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

He said the only way to get rid of excess body fat is to burn more calories than we take in, which means getting off the couch and moving your body.

"What do most of us do in the evenings? We sit down, we watch TV, and we sit down and watch TV. Well, you can stand and watch TV," Gonzalez-Campoy said.

The doctor said something as simple as stacking up thick phone books so that you can step up and step down repeatedly while you watch TV will help you burn a significant amount of calories. Makes sense.

Gonzalez-Campoy is very passionate about helping people deal with their weight problems. In fact, he is even trying to get the state legislature involved. There is an old state law on the books that prohibits insurance companies from covering medications for people who are getting treatment for obesity in Minnesota. Gonzalez-Campoy is working with a group that has spent the last few years trying to get that law changed.

Tuesday morning, my report focuses on the advice of personal trainer. He shows me the most effective way to workout to reduce overall body fat.

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