Holistic Health Newsletter – Effective Weight Control and Weight
Reduction Strategies
People were never meant to eat sugar and flour the way people in our culture currently do now. As a rule,
we eat way more acidic, high carb foods than our bodies were designed to handle.
Learn more about healthy diets that our body can utilize.
Weight Control – Weight Reduction Strategies
Amy Kosowski, M.S., LNC, CPT, May 3, 2004
People have been searching for a magic bullet for the treatment of obesity for a long time. They wonder, “What
is the secret for staying thin?” The secret is, there is no secret. Certainly, there are people with
metabolic disorders that make it difficult, if not impossible to lose 10 pounds in 10 days normally, but overall, these
cases are the exception, not the rule. In order to stay thin, we need to concentrate on eating a clean diet
and exercising. The problem is that it is difficult to do, and it takes discipline. I can’t give you a magic
formula for weight loss, but I can offer some strategies that can make it easier.
1. Eat A Clean Diet – What Does This Mean?
Human beings evolved eating a whole foods diet. I don’t mean that they got all of their groceries at Whole
Foods Market. It means that people did not have processed foods or convenience foods. They didn’t have microwaves
and food did not come out of a box with a Nutrition Facts panel. They also did not worry about calories and
fat grams. They ate what was available and got a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, whole grains
and legumes.
People were never meant to eat sugar and flour the way people in our culture do. As a rule, we eat way more
of these things than our bodies were designed to handle. First, the only source of sugar in the diet of early
man was fruits and vegetables. Second, flour is a relatively new to the diet of humans. Flour as we know
it only became part of the diet 100—200 years ago. That’s only 8—10 generations, not long enough
for significant evolutionary changes to take place. Traditionally, grains were sprouted before they were
used to make bread. This is important, because the sprouting process gets rid of proteins in the grains that
damage the digestive tract. Furthermore, these refined carbohydrates disrupt the body’s ability to maintain
stable serum glucose levels, resulting in obesity and diabetes.
Conventional farming poses other problems. The use of pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics in
the farming of animals has negatively impacted human health over the course of the past 50—100 years.
These chemicals add to our toxic load, and may contribute to chronic diseases such as cancer and auto-immune
disorders (and many others). Moreover, the animals’ diets have changed due to the intervention of man. Consequently,
animal products no longer contain many essential nutrients necessary for good health.
The combination of a diet of refined carbohydrates and conventional farming practices has resulted in ever-increasing
rates if obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, auto-immune conditions,
etc.
O.K., So my point is that a clean diet consists of lots of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds,
sprouted grain products or unprocessed grains, eggs, and legumes (preferably, grass fed cattle, free range
chicken, organic produce, etc.). If you dramatically reduce your processed food intake, or better, completely
abstain from it, you will lose weight. Also, the addition of omega-3 fats, as well as CLA will stimulate
the metabolism and facilitate weight loss.
2. Facilitate The Detoxification Process and Support A Healthy Digestive Tract
Sometimes, it is difficult to lose weight because the body cannot adequately rid itself of toxins. This usually
comes about because the liver and the digestive tract are not functioning optimally.
The liver is an amazing organ. It is the only organ that can regenerate itself if part of it is lost or damaged.
Among the liver’s many jobs is detoxification of exogenous, as well as endogenous toxins. These detoxified
substances can leave the body in one of two ways: through the urine or through the feces. Large, fat-soluble
compounds usually leave via the digestive tract. These would include steroid hormones (estrogen, testosterone,
etc.), pesticides, herbicides, and some medications. When the digestive tract is not functioning well, detoxified
substances are dumped into the intestine (via bile) and are subsequently reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
This can cause fatigue and lethargy as well as other kinds of illnesses.
The digestive tract can be a major source of health problems. What causes the GI tract to become unhealthy
and toxic? Well, it can be a combination of many factors such as food allergies, inflammation, and poor gut
flora. Many people have food allergies of which they are unaware. The most common of these is the gluten-containing
grains (barley, oats, wheat, and rye). Gluten, and possibly other components of these grains, can provoke
an immune response in the gut, resulting in inflammation, gas, constipation, and/or diarrhea.
A disease called Celiac’s disease or Celiac Sprue is a severe form of gluten allergy that causes malnutrition
and general illness. Gluten intolerance is actually quite common, affecting up to 50% of the population!
(O and B blood types tend toward gluten-intolerance to one degree or another. A’s and AB’s can usually do
all right on wheat, as long as they don’t overdo it.) In short, gluten is very destructive to the GI tract
and most people would be better off if they avoid it all together.
Another problem stems from our general lack of healthy intestinal flora. Bacteria that live in the gut are
necessary for: 1) digestion of certain carbohydrates (fibers and some indigestible sugars); 2) production
of certain vitamins (B-vitamins and vitamin K); 3) keeping out pathogenic microorganisms (Candida and E.
coli, to name a few); 4) promotion of the detoxification process; 5) processing of food compounds into new
and usable forms; and 6) regulation and stimulation of immune function.
These beneficial bacteria keep us healthy! Unfortunately, most of us do not have a good balance of gut flora
due to our intake of antibiotics in foods and pharmaceutical medications, intake of steroid hormones through
food and pharmaceuticals, and the lack of these microorganisms in our diets.
Removing allergens from the diet is the first step to restoring gut health. As discussed, grains are usually
the main problem, but dairy, soy or eggs may also cause digestive distress for some people. An elimination
plan may be the best way to determine what your individual problem foods are. There are laboratory tests
(blood antigen tests are the best), but they are expensive and unnecessary. You can simply eliminate the
food for 2—4 weeks and then challenge your system by eating a lot of that food over a period of 1—2
days. Also, if you find that you feel better without that particular food, you may be better off not including
it in your diet, at least until your gut health has been restored.
There are supplements that encourage the gut to heal. These include the amino acid, glutamine, herbs like
marshmallow and slippery elm, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. Of these, fish oil supplements are the
most important because they help to discourage inflammation. Herbal preparations are available; they help
restore the thin mucous layer that lines the digestive tract. Glutamine is the primary fuel source for intestinal
cells; therefore, it feeds these cells, encouraging healthy digestion.
A probiotic however, is probably the most critical supplement for restoring digestive health. Probiotics contain
the beneficial bacteria that affect our whole-body health. Some also contain “prebiotics.” Prebiotics
are basically foods that the bacteria thrive on, such as FOS or inulin.
Learn more about Slippery Elm benefits, and how it is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease ( such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), gastritis, heartburn, and hemorrhoids.
3. Exercise and Maximization of Calorie Burning
Although a good, clean diet and a healthy gut are important for weight loss, exercise is another part of the
equation. I recommend both cardiovascular exercise like walking, swimming, jogging, biking, etc. and some
type of strength training. Strength training helps to increase lean mass. The amount of lean mass a person
has determines their metabolic rate: an increase in lean mass will increase basal metabolic rate (BMR). This
means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn 24 hours a day – even while you are asleep.
A good balance would be 30—40 minutes of cardio 4—5 times per week plus 30 minutes of weight
training 4 times per week. Of course, you may need to work up to this level if you have not been exercising
regularly. There are many other benefits from exercise besides preventing weight gain. These include a reduction
in the risk of developing cancer and heart disease, and increasing energy levels.
Another strategy for increasing caloric expenditure is to eat 5—6 small meals per day rather than eating
3 larger meals. After each meal, the metabolism increases by about 10%. This phenomenon is known as the thermal
effect of a meal. The result of eating more times during the day is that overall energy expenditure is increased.
Furthermore, people tend to eat less overall, because they don’t get as hungry. Incidentally, starvation
will backfire with respect to weight loss – it actually promotes weight gain, because it causes loss of lean
mass, and therefore, lowers BMR.
4. Supplements for Weight Loss
I have mentioned some of the useful supplements already, but I will review them now. First, an increase in
good fats, such as omega-3’s and CLA will stimulate metabolism. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find these
fats in the American diet because conventional farming practices have virtually eliminated these from our
food supply. Therefore, I recommend supplementation with fish oil (6—8 grams per day) Fish
Oil and CLA (4—6 grams per day) Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Almost everyone is deficient in these fats anyway, so it is a great idea to supplement.
Second, increase the amount of fiber in the diet. Fiber has a number of functions; among them are increase
in bowel transit time, maintenance of a healthy colon (but we need beneficial bacteria to digest fiber),
maintenance of normal appetite, and facilitation of detoxification. I prefer supplementation with ground
flax seed (3 Tbs/day), rather than psyllium, due to its many health benefits. Third, I would also strongly
recommend a good probiotic supplement.
Finally, some Amino Acids may be useful for suppressing appetite. These include tyrosine, DLPA, and 5-HTP.
As far as popular weight loss products go, I do not recommend the ephedra-based products like Metabolife and
Xenadrine. These products will increase the metabolism, but once you stop taking them, your metabolism will
go back down and you will feel very tired. Also, ephedra tends to burn out the adrenals, accelerating the
aging process. Click below on some ephedra-free weight loss supplements:
CortiCept Rx (Compares to Relacore and CortiSlim)
Fat blockers i.e. chitosan and carbohydrate blockers have limited value. Because fat is so important biochemically,
it is unwise to block its absorption. In addition, if you inhibit fat absorption, you could become deficient
in many nutrients. Carbohydrate blockers pose different problems.
These products are usually made from enzyme inhibitors derived from raw beans and these compounds are known
to be carcinogenic. Moreover, neither fat nor carbohydrate blockers are very effective for weight loss. There
is one metabolic stimulating supplement which I think may be of value, and that is 7 Keto DHEA. 7-Keto may be especially helpful for people with subclinical hypothyroidism.
5. Conclusion
In summary, you are much better off if you try to develop eating habits that are right for your individual
make-up. I generally find that O and B blood types do best on higher protein, lower carbohydrate diets, whereas
A blood types do better on vegetarian-type diets with easily digested protein sources (fish, chicken, and
soy). Exercise is key to permanent weight loss as well. If you take at lease some of these suggestions, you
will not only lose weight, you will feel great.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure
or prevent any disease.
Courtesy of Herbal Remedies
What Makes Eating Right so Difficult?
With the volumes of information available all around us about how the wrong foods adversely affect our health,
the only reason that a person would not make the right diet choices is…
It’s a habit. And habits are stronger than steel. The power of belief and habit can often overcome any amount
of logic. It doesn’t matter what the subject is.
Habit can keep a person who’s 5’8″ tall and weighs 300 pounds, and miserable about it, from eating in
ways proven to reduce weight.
Faulty core beliefs and unsupportive, habitual mental patterns are what keeps 19 out of every 20 people who
attempt to eat right and lose weight from succeeding time after time.
How you mentally represent foods (the pictures and tastes) and the weighted “value” you place on
them in your mind is the controlling factor in what, how much and when you eat. And they are all based on
our core beliefs and attitudes.
Think about this. Millions of people enjoy sweets and salty snacks. Even some of the healthiest people you’ll
ever meet. But these health conscious people can control how much they eat. They quit when they should, no
matter how much they love a particular food. If you don’t, your values and beliefs concerning food are out
of whack.
Unless you have a way to change what food means to you on a deep unconscious level, your automatic responses
relating to what, how much and when you eat are Never going to change for long before you go right back to
your old ways. And no “how-to” book, pill, powder or plan is going to change that.
But now Eating For Excellent Health Now! can effortlessly help change what food
means to you.
It can help you to easily, naturally and without struggle say “no” to second helpings and to any
foods that don’t support you in your health and weight loss goals.
It can make that little voice inside your head that never shuts off start cheering you on instead of coming
up with more ridiculous excuses why you have no control.
And it can even make eating healthy foods that you may currently dislike something you truly enjoy.
Will you be able to stick with your diet this time?
Ask yourself these questions to find out:
- Do you usually cave in to the “pressure” of eating like everyone else?
- Does it feel nearly impossible to say “no” to second helpings or dessert?
- As a child, did you get dessert as a “reward” for eating a “good” dinner?
- Were you allowed to eat pretty much anything you wanted as a child?
- Do you consider the mental and physical implications of eating processed foods As You’re Doing It or
do you block that out? - Have you been a late night snacker for years?
- Do you get depressed about your eating habits and your weight?
If you answered yes to many of these and don’t change how you think about food, altering your diet may be
the hardest thing you ever do. That would be unfortunate, because it’s one of the most important things you’ll
ever do.
Medical research has shown conclusively that an improper diet (processed foods, sweets, and low water content
foods, as well as the habit of overeating) has been linked to causing or worsening conditions such as:
- Overweight and obesity
- Fatigue and low energy
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Heart Disease
- High blood pressure
- Cancer
- Chronic headaches
- Frequent infections
- Colitis, Diverticulitis and other intestinal illnesses
- Stomach problems, including ulcers
- Vitamin deficiencies
Isn’t it amazing? Our long time mental patterns control us so completely, that even habits like overeating
processed junk, which thousands of published studies show can literally kill you, are difficult and even
impossible to break on our own. But no longer! If your tongue controls what you eat.
If food gives you emotional comfort. If your old eating habits feel impossible to conquer, then Eating for
Excellent Health Now! is probably the one program in existence that you can absolutely count on to help you
change your diet for the rest of your life.
Eating
For Excellent Health Now! will do for you.
More About This Exciting Weight Management Support Program
The secret to Eating for Excellent Health Now!’s amazing effects is that it conditions you to think and eat
like the healthiest people alive. It’s like switching minds with them. Listen to this amazing program when
you drive, when you relax with your eyes closed and especially when you sleep every night, and you’ll see
these amazing changes in your behavior:
You’ll quickly come to know in your heart that the benefits you receive from healthy eating far outweigh any
inconvenience or any temporary “pleasure” you receive from overeating or eating junk food. The
way you mentally represent fruits and vegetables to yourself will change so radically that even if nothing “green” ever
passes through your lips, the tastes will actually begin to be more appealing. And you’ll actually begin
to desire a wide variety of weight-loss inducing fresh produce.
You’ll easily be able to ignore feelings of hunger between meals. But if you must have a snack, you’ll be
more inclined to replace processed foods with naturally healthy choices.
Your thoughts and values concerning your diet will quickly start to shift toward eating what is good for you
over what your tongue may want. The mental and physical triggers that may now prompt eating sessions or binges
will be scrambled, so, for example, TV won’t have to mean snack time, and boredom or being down in the dumps
will stop initiating munch fests.
More information on this can be found in our free online health magazine.
