Weight Loss and Management

Weight Management for Life...

Recent studies indicate that obesity in this country is now at epidemic proportions. The latest studies indicate that more than 71% of American adults are overweight—an all time record. This compares to 56% in 1984. The problem, however, is not just limited to adults since approximately 12 to 14% of children and adolescents are likewise above their ideal body weight.

Obesity increases your risk of many diseases including hypertension, heart disease and even cancer. Obesity can increase your risk of Type II diabetes by as much as 5000%. Cancer of the colon, rectum and prostate are prevalent among overweight men with cancer of the breast, uterus, ovaries, gall bladder and bile duct found more commonly in overweight women. Approximately 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity.

With statistics like these, it's time to learn the keys of living healthy and start using them to get healthy. Follow these keys to long-term success and you will see what it means to live a healthy life at a healthy weight:

Key #1: It Is All In Your Head
One of the most important aspects of weight reduction is the expectation of what you hope to achieve or motivation. This encompasses the development of an ideal body image, as well as setting realistic weight reduction goals. For example, set a goal of drinking 64 ounces of water or more each day and watch the pounds melt away.

Key #2: Calories
Calorie counting is a tedious process that many endure in their pursuit of weight reduction. It may not be necessary if you make wise choices about the foods you eat. For example, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein have fewer calories per portion size. So you can eat a little more, and still not be over the top in your calorie count. You do not need to count calories, just use good judgment in your food choices.

Snacks – Friend or Foe? The fact that you are managing your weight does not mean you cannot snack. In fact, when the right snack is chosen, it can be very good for you. A recent study has shown that eating a portion of peanuts satisfied hunger for two and a half hours while a high carbohydrate snack such as rice cakes only satisfied hunger for 30 minutes. So making wise choices about the foods you eat will help you reach your ideal weight.

Carbohydrates – Good and Bad: Americans eat an abundance of carbohydrates, especially the wrong kind. Foods with a high glycemic value raise the blood glucose in our bodies, which increases insulin levels, and are high in calories. Insulin is absolutely necessary to maintain proper blood sugar balance, but excess levels of insulin may be a large contributing factor to heart disease, hypertension, increased lipids and other chronic illnesses. And, because it impairs the body's ability to use its own stored fat, it inhibits weight reduction.

Foods to Choose: Low Glycemic Carbohydrates 100% Whole Grain Bread 100% Whole Grain Pasta Sweet Potatoes Most Vegetables Low Glycemic Fruits Apples Peaches Pears

Foods to Avoid: High Glycemic Carbohydrates White Bread White Pasta Potatoes Carrots High Glycemic Fruits Bananas Plums

(Learn more about the benefits of the Low Carb Diet).

Key #3: The "E" Word
The "E" word most of us try to avoid is exercise! But, in addition to a healthy diet with good food choices, an increase in the daily caloric expenditure is necessary. Exercise will help you burn those extra calories and boost your metabolism.

The best way to achieve your healthy, ideal weight is to do a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training. The aerobic exercise, 20 to 30 minutes daily (4x/week) will have many health benefits, and help you burn calories. The resistance training will help you tone your body and add muscle. The benefit to adding muscle is that for every pound of muscle you add to your body you will burn and extra 50 calories per day.

Key #4: Good Nutrition
A lifetime nutritional philosophy, focusing on the consumption of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and vita-nutrient supplementation is the cornerstone of the treatment protocols for a low carb diet. High carbohydrate meals tend to leave you less satisfied than those that contain adequate fat levels; so you eat more and get hungrier sooner. So what should you do? Get off the insulin generating roller coaster of the low-fat diet and start cutting down on your carbohydrate consumption, especially the worst offenders: sugar, white flour and other simple carbohydrate-based products. Learn more about the Atkins Diet low carb weight loss program.


Nutrient Facts and Recommendations:

Citrimax is an all-natural plant extract from the rind of the garcinia cambogia, a citrus plant found South Africa. Research shows Citrimax and Supercitrimax is effective in controlling appetite and actually helps to keep carbohydrates from turning into fat. The usual dose for Citrimax/Supercitrimax is 1500 to 3000 mg/day.

Chromium, either in the form of chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate (tradename Chromate). Chromium is a trace mineral that cuts sugar cravings and reduces fat storage in the body. The usual dose is 200 to 600 mcg daily. It helps modulate blood sugar levels, and also may preserve lean muscle mass. It has also become very popular for weight reduction.

Fiber - Think of fiber as a broom that sweeps out fat from the body. Start with 2 grams of fiber before meals and at bedtime.

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin, has been found to be an effective nutrient to promote weight loss. It appears to work by giving the individual the feeling of satiation. The usual dose is 50 to 100 mg. 20 minutes before meals.

One note of caution - Ephedra, otherwise known as ma huang is used quite commonly in this country as a diet adjuvant. This nutrient, although considered "natural", can be extremely dangerous since it works as a stimulant. It can cause cardiac arrhythmias and a host of other problems including the potential for death. It is the recommendation of the vitacost.com Scientific Advisory Board that this nutrient should NOT be taken under any circumstance.