When Franz Welser-Most conducts the Cleveland Symphony, he's counting on every section of the orchestra to follow the tempo he sets. Without that, it's cacophony.

Well, your body is like an orchestra (there are cardio players and lung instruments, for example). And your central nervous system is the conductor. It sets a master clock that guides the timing of your cells' daily duties. But bodywide inflammation, excess fat storage in your liver or belly, elevated blood sugar, stress — a whole ensemble of troublemakers — may "break" the rhythm that keeps cells functioning properly.

When that happens to fat cells, it changes the timing of messages they send to your brain. The result: You're starving when you shouldn't be (midnight snacking sound familiar?), and you pack on pounds even if you don't take in more calories. Before you know it, your body is singing a new tune: Bye-bye, Mozart; hello, heavy metal.

We've got four steps to get your fat cells back in harmony with your body!

1. Eat three meals and two snacks a day. Go heavy on fruits, veggies, 100 percent whole grains, and healthy fats (olive, canola oils), and proteins — salmon and trout are especially good.

2. Get physically active; walking 10,000 steps a day is powerful medicine.

3. Every day, take 900 milligrams of algal oil DHA omega-3; a probiotic; 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3 (1,200 IU if 60+); and half a multivitamin twice a day.

4. Head to bed at the same time every night for seven to eight hours of shuteye.


© 2012 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.