1. Chances are, You Are NOT overweight because you Overeat.
Your weight loss program should not try to babysit you or treat you like some weak-willed glutton. You’re not lazy. You are not fat because you lack willpower. In a survey covering 4,500 patients a “Dr. Walch noted that 83% of overweights were overweight while under-eating–that is a diet lower than required for body maintenance. Only 17% were found to conform to the usually accepted belief that people are overweight because they overeat.” Less than 2 out of 10 overweight people are overeaters. Where are you with those odds?
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times but…
“The simplistic notion that weight control depends almost solely upon how much you eat and how many calories you burn through exercise is outdated.” – The False Fat Diet
You cannot starve your body into submission. Weight loss programs that rely solely on calorie reduction dieting methods are ultimately counterproductive. Skimping on eating always backfires by slowing down the metabolism. You can’t fool the body. It begins to jealously hoard what it doesn’t receive through the diet.
No. In order to lose weight the healthy way, you have to eat. That’s what dietary induced thermogenesis is all about. Its not about how much you eat. Its more about what you eat and when you eat it. Quality vs.Quantity. Learn to eat foods that are nutrient rich because …
“It’s probable that a lack of nutrients was a major contribution to your weight gain. In an unconscious attempt to ingest the nutrients your body needed, you probably ate too many calories.” The False Fat Diet
Eating raises your body temperature. Eating the right foods and ingesting appropriate weight loss supplements can boost your metabolism and elevate thermogenesis. Your body becomes a more efficient fatburner. Any good weight loss program must teach you that health and vitality are within your grasp. For your long term success, a diet plan should show you how to achieve optimum health.
“Instead of counting calories, you make each calorie count” – Solved: the Riddle of Weight loss
2. A Calorie is not always a calorie that’s always a calorie.
What the heck am I talking about? Just think of the calories you get from fresh, broad leafy green vegetables. You’re getting plenty of dietary fiber. Think food digestion transit time. Leafy greens are rich in calcium, minerals and natural vitamins. They come power packed with enzymes and a multitude of other phyto-nutrients and glyco-nutritional co-factors. With green vegetables you are consuming fibrous, low-glycemic carbs that don’t cause a spike in the fat storing hormone– insulin. Ah, that fat storing thing!
Compare. Instead of that lightly steamed (or raw) whole food veggie…you grab a carb and fat loaded snack like cheese and crackers. You get nutrient stripped (enriched) white flour stirred up in a hydrogenated phony fat filler with a processed cheese glop on top. Yummy! Its almost enough to gum up the fatburner works just talking about it. You tell me. Which of the above amount of food grams are going to help you reach your weight loss goals?
The Right calories in the form of friendly foods can help you to stop hunger, control cravings, help boost your metabolism and thermogenesis. The right foods can help you balance your body chemistry and increase your energy. When you ingest calories in foods that are healthy for you, its only natural that you’ll feel less sick and fight fatigue better.
“Don’t just strive for thin, you’ll never win, strive for health and thin will follow” – The False Fat Diet
3. Gain “the metabolic advantage” by eating enough dietary protein.
If you really want to control carbohydrate cravings, stimulate weight loss, and improve immunity, digestion, and hormonal function, you need to think PROTEIN. Protein stimulates the production of glucagon, the hormone that opposes insulin and allows the body to burn stored fat.
“Only Protein can boost the metabolism by up to 25 percent for about twelve hours to keep metabolic fires burning. and activate the liver’s detoxifying enzymes.” Fat Flush Diet
Concerned about what you may have heard about the ill effects of a “high” protein diet? Earlier studies suggested high protein may indeed be a risk factor. More recent and accurate research has shown those earlier studies to be incorrect. But old myths like old habits die hard.
“From a biochemical, thermic, and hormonal point of view, protein is the least likely nutrient to be converted to bodyfat as well as having many other effects conducive to preserving muscle mass and increasing metabolism.” Diet Supplements Revealed In fact up to 20% of the calories you consume as dietary protein is used up as energy. In other words, upwards of 20% of ingested protein is lost as (metabolic) heat and can’t be stored as fat!
4. Believe it or not, you must eat fat to get thin.
It flies in the face of reason, of everything you may have heard about the dangers of fat. Get it through your fat brain (yes, your brain is 60% fat). Eating the right kind of fat stimulates the body’s metabolic ability to burn fat. Every cell in your body is protected by a membrane composed largely of fat.
The body needs the omega 3 types of fats (in proper ratio to omega 6 & 9) to keep those membranes flexible, which in turn help insulin receptors to work properly. (the insulin receptors help regulate the flow of blood sugar entering through the cell walls ) Consider this. In 1988 the surgeon general recommended that Americans severely reduce their consumption of fat. One decade later, obesity among Americans had jumped 32%!
Despite cutting fat consumption, and a 30 billion dollar a year weight loss industry with a plethora of weight-loss centers, books and products available, more people than ever are overweight . What is wrong with this picture?
Could it be that dietary fat alone is not the problem?
“The success rate for weight loss programs using the high complex carbohydrate, low-fat approach is almost non-existent. Although it seems logical, [withholding dietary fat] doesn’t work because it doesn’t take into account the body’s biochemistry and the ways our metabolic hormones cause us to store fat.. When we understand and control these potent body chemicals, we can achieve our health goals by controlling fat from within rather than trying to eliminate it from without.” – Protein Power
Eat the right fat burning foods and choose fruits that burn fat and you’ll see results quickly and healthily.
5. If you’re not including some type of exercise in your program, prepare for the long haul.
On the other hand, you could bounce and jiggle around with Richard Simmons all day and still only show real weight loss when your legs fall off. Beware the exercise gurus who feature programs designed around lots and lots of fat burning exercise with very little emphasis on sound nutritional guidelines. To achieve your fat loss goals, your task is to achieve metabolic control.
“Diet is a more effective tool to lose weight than exercise by far, but the two methods complement each other.” – Protein Power Lifeplan
Exercise comes in at #3 behind metabolic conditioning (through dietary intake) and energy balance (calories taken in vs. calories burned) in terms of effectiveness in weight management.
“Metabolic fitness” (as opposed to “cardiorespiratory fitness”) can be improved by even a minimum level of physical activity. In a late 1980’s study, the Japanese tested 6 men who participated in an “exercise lite” low intensity form of exercise. At the end of a year of “no-sweat” exercise ( at 0.55% maximum heart rate, lower than target heartbeat for cardio benefits), they did not lose any weight. Cardiorespiratory capacity did not improve. However their insulin sensitivity had improved by more than 50%! They needed less than half the insulin formerly required to process a given amount of glucose. (blood sugar) – Big Fat Lies
Will Brink, fitness coach and recent author of Diet Supplements Revealed reminds his readers of the little known and under-appreciated fact that the more muscles you have the more calories you burn, and a higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the result.
He cites several recent studies that show resistance, or strength training to be far superior to aerobics for maintaining the lean body mass (muscle!). Lean muscle mass is the body’s active tissue that burns calories and maintains our metabolic rate. Its what we need more of for a superior fat burning metabolism!
But caution is advised. “Moderate exercise relieves stress, but overexercising–too much or too often–adds stress, raises cortisol (the body’s stress hormone), and with it increases insulin levels.” – Protein Power Lifeplan
Check out our exercises for a flat belly and discover the best rowing machine or the best ab toning belt.
The take-home on this? Remember, weight loss is not the same as fat loss. You can increase the rate at which you use calories by adjusting your metabolic rate (RMR). You’ll want to recompose your body by losing excess fat while still maintaining your lean mass as closely as you can. Lose the fat, not the muscle. Targeted exercise definitely accelerates this process.
“Its not what you weigh, but what your weight is made of that counts” – Protein Power
6. Don’t rely exclusively on weight loss supplements to achieve weight control.
Right behind the exercise junkies and fanatics, you can see the pill pushers lining up. I could tell you that I’ve finally found the magic diet pill that saves you from the whole hassle of the never-ending diet blues. But then, I wouldn’t be any different from most of the hucksters out there.
How much are you willing to spend a month chasing after that imagined ideal body?
Maybe the more intelligent question is to ask: How much are you willing to invest in your long term health while achieving a lean, fit, well nourished body as a consequence?
Make no mistake about it. The right thermogenic, fat burning diet pills and nutritional supplements can have a substantial effect on fat loss if used properly. Maybe more important than any given weight-loss supplement is good information. Its hard to sort out the real news from the white noise and hype that comes with most of the dieting drivel.
After all, there’s money to be made in the growing (or is that bulging?) $30 bil. per year weight loss supplement industry. I want my piece of the pie too.( Make that a piece of a low carb bar.) I’m in the corner with those who want to provide the market with much more than just a weight-loss diet. I prefer advocating a “health recovery” diet which also happens to result in normalized weight. There’s only a few, true-blue, “healthy” fat burner vendors out there, but we’re riding the wave.
So if you’re relying too heavily (pun intended) on supplements alone, and not dealing with the core metabolic disorders that got you in the condition you find yourself, you could be missing the boat. You see, fat burner supplements can provide short term success, and/or maybe that jumpstart or bikini-tweak-job (and sometimes that could be all we’re looking for.) But the bottom line is this…if you knew the right action to take for the long term, would you take it?
Lean fitness victory requirements. “All that’s necessary is good information, hard work, and the faith that fuels motivation.” – The False Fat Diet
7. Before you can achieve permanent fat loss results, you must eliminate the most common, but usually undetected medical causes for overweight and obesity.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is not just a single cause for overweight. Therefore, there is no one single solution, despite what the rags, mags, and nags may say. You must rule out the hidden factors that may be sabotaging your slimming and trimming goals. Give yourself every benefit of the doubt. You may even need the help of a professional to help you determine if you suffer from:
An under-active thyroid gland, (or a related, underperforming hormonal syndrome), candida albicans (the yeast connection), food sensitivities and allergies (see below), hypoglycemia which leads to the more severe hyperinsulinemia and syndrome X metabolic disorders, severe stress, heavy metal toxicity, and a weakened immune system.
Often overlooked in most popular dieting regimes may be the importance of cleansing, flushing, and detoxifying your liver, colon, and lymphatic system. When your liver is humming at full function, you have the greatest slenderizing ally possible. When healthy, your liver is a fat burning machine and metabolizer!
“Probably NOTHING you do to control your weight is as important as keeping your liver healthy. This means avoiding as many of the damaging elements (like alcohol) as possible while embracing liver boosters. Among the lessor known compromisers of liver function are caffeine, sugar, trans fats, medications, and inadequate fiber.” – The Fat Flush Plan
Here’s an illustration of how gnarly some of these unsuspected weight gain factors can be. Cortisol, an adrenal hormone, is increased by eating too much refined starch and sugar. It’s also drastically increased by STRESS. Cortisol reduces the activity of a natural fat burning enzyme called delta-6-desaturase. A shortage of this enzyme makes it much harder to lose weight. Therefore, stress can indirectly contribute to weight gain, even when it doesn’t cause you to overeat. But then, maybe you already knew that.
8. Food allergies and sensitvities may be the single, root cause of a host of related problems that includes your overweight issues.
In just the last few years, incredible technological advancements have allowed researchers to detect (delayed) food allergies that until recently, remained disguised or mis-diagnosed.
Even now, only a few medical specialists, and nutritionists such as James Braly, M.D., Elson Haas, M.D., Melissa Diane Smith, Dipl. Nutr., Ann Louise Gittleman M.S., and others, are writing about the prevalence of what may well lie at the very bottom of “America’s primary food-related health problem.”
Food Reactions. For instance, the latest discoveries suggest that gluten sensitivity (gluten is a protein found in wheat and other common grains) may be far more widespread than anybody ever imagined. It’s easier than ever to find out if you have a metabolic reaction to the 7 most common food allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, shellfish, sugar, and corn.
Talk about a case of mistaken identity! Elson Haas, M.D., in his breakthrough dieting book ‘The False Fat Diet’ lays out a convincing argument that losing what has always been derisively labeled as “water weight” may just be what’s needed before someone can experience true fat loss. This is not the type of water loss associated with diuretics or diet pills.
Nor is it the fat flushing associated with a ketogenic diet where unmetabolized ketones as free fatty acid metabolites are excreted in the urine. This is the elimination of bloating, swelling, and puffiness as reactive food chemicals are flushed from your body. As the chemicals leave, your body no longer finds it necessary to surround them with water (as an inflammatory response), in order to protect you from what the body perceived as foreign invaders.
“False Fat” according to Haas is systemic edema (water bloat) caused by food reactions that may appear to an observer as “fat” or adipose tissue. Eliminating food allergens from your diet may give you an immediate weight loss of several pounds in so called water weight! But unlike most other weight loss programs, THIS water weight loss will remain permanent as long as you don’t indulge in the offending food.
If you have tried every conceivable dietary strategy to lose weight and still feel like your tackling a brick wall, if you have unexplained food cravings or suffer from binging, if you’ve been plagued by health problems that haven’t improved no matter what type of therapy you’ve tried…you may be among the estimated 60 to 80 percent of people who are sensitive to one or more foods.The Fat Flush Plan
9. Obtain emotional support wherever possible to help you through the ups and downs of sticking to your plan.
Attempting to follow an optimal eating plan to maintain ideal weight is essential for most of us. Unfortunately, willpower alone just doesn’t cut it. Most people have powerful emotional ties to food. Something as simple as changing your diet can conjure up many different feelings. Conflicted feelings are a natural part of dealing with the sense of loss that can come with change. Keep in mind the reasons you’re making the change: a new, healthy, more slender “you” that you haven’t been able to experience any other way.
Look for emotional support from friends and family. Even if they don’t understand exactly why you have to eat this new way, explain why it’s important to you to have their support. Tell them how difficult it is for you to change.
Many weight-loss dieting plans include emotional (and practical) support to encourage a paticipant’s overall success. Some products come packaged with opportunities to join in online forums and chat groups. Live Conference calls, daily e-mail messaging , telephone coaching and mentoring, help lines and hot lines are some of the ways technology can help you to stay in touch with other support group members. Diet Journaling is another technique finding favor when it comes to attaining weight loss goals.
The following instructive excerpt is from a discussion by Dr. Joseph Mercola, D.O., Dr. Mercola prescribes a therapeutic diet for his patients which eliminates sugar, grains, and dairy foods among other interventions. Remember, the following scenario involves patients with clinical, medical conditions.
-Important Tip-
Natural healing diets undertaken for therapeutic purposes often achieve the very same things as an effective, scientific weight loss program. Is this merely coincidence?
Food cravings are at their worst in the first 72 hours after abstaining from so-called reactive foods. Scientists have identified very real physiological reasons for food addictions. Virtually all involve carbohydrate foods. The 72 hour hump is an enormously challenging time that is related to elevated insulin levels that are present, usually due to eating sugar and grains.
Once a person is able to eliminate the offending foods for 72 hours, insulin levels decrease quite rapidly.
It is very important to eat every 2 hours during this time to make sure one’s blood sugar doesn’t crash and cause severe headaches and brain dysfunction. Once this period subsides, the program becomes much easier to follow. The only food cravings that are left are those due to emotional or psychological issues. (Dr. Mercola then refers to ways to help clients deal with those issues.)
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques taught to patients that work with meridian energy) can be enormously helpful here, but it may require the help of a skilled therapist to help one work through the issues.
10. If you are on the right track, look for extraordinary side benefits as other health concerns start clearing up.
Dietary change can be your foundation to begin a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Your peers may feel no need or desire to change unhealthy eating habits, but your intent to control your weight and change your body composition, may just be the incentive you need to drive you beyond the norm. Why not find a weight loss program that could get both your health and your weight back in order at the same time?
Choose to work with a plan or system that allows you to determine the best type of general diet that’s right for your own unique metabolism and body chemistry. In practical terms, this means the plan affords you the flexibility to eat where you personally fit along the continuum between natural vegetarianism and natural meat-eating. What has worked for others in any given diet, may not be what works for you.
As you experiment, and as you make your own individual, right choices you may notice the disappearance of other health related problems. Often the first thing people experience…is NO more heartburn! Digestive disorders, excess gas and bloating are symptoms that should improve if the diet is right for you.
Things like depression, migraines, insomnia, and muscle pains can disappear, Frequently, joint pain, asthma, or eczema improves dramatically.
How’s this possible? What’s the explanation? How’d we get from simply dropping some excess pounds to getting any number of other health issues resolved? If your overweight was caused (or exacerbated) by reactive foods or hidden food allergies, and you are losing weight the food allergy elimination way, those same allergies could be the root cause of a host of related problems.
Here’s your clue to dieting success…
Commenting in the International Journal of Obesity, British weight-control authority P.J. Bradley calls the modern trend toward overweight “Not just a metabolic or behavioral disorder.” rather it is based on an… “evolutionary adaptation to modern food, particularly the refined carbohydrates.”
“Eating a widely varied, nonallergenic diet seems to be an unsuspected key for getting excess weight off and keeping it off, especially in people who have tried numerous other weight loss programs without success.” – Against The Grain
Pass the butter please…
