Nutritional Weight Loss

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Nutritional Weight Loss
By Sherril K Miller
International Wellness Directory

Perhaps the single most significant factor in why Americans are, on the average, overweight, is not so much what we eat, but how we eat. Surprising? Yes, what we eat contributes to our collection of useless calories, but how we eat affects how our bodies uses the food we put in it.

To give you an example, Deepak Chopra, at a lecture series I attended, told us about an experiment with rabbits. Rabbits were fed a diet high in fat and cholesterol, and their blood was subsequently tested for levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. As expected, all the numbers were up, except for one batch of rabbits. So the experimenters set out to rule out the variables, testing the food they were fed, and sure enough, it was the same food the other batches of rabbits were getting. But then they decided to watch the actual feeding, hidden, of course, so they wouldn't influence the feeder, and here is where they made their discovery: the feeder, while feeding, held the rabbits, petted them, kissed them, talked softly to them...in other words, he gave them love (except the scientific end of the experiment listed this as some sort of tactile kinesthetic etc. etc. gobbledygook-heaven forbid a scientist should use the term love).

The love this batch of rabbits received changed the way the food was used, the way it was metabolized. The fats were burned instead of stored and anything harmful was cleaned up by their immune systems. So, let's look at the proper way to eat. Learn to love to eat. Yes, some of you might think that is your problem already, but you probably love to stuff. There is a difference.

Turn off all distractions: the TV, the radio. Never eat in a car.
Sit down. Never eat standing. Relax and enjoy.
Be silent. Say a short prayer thanking your creator for the food and the wonderful way your body will metabolize it. If you are an atheist or an agnostic, just give a little silent thanks to the farmers who grew the food, to whomever cooked it, and to your job for providing your ability to buy food.
Eat slowly. Enjoy each bite. Chew it thoroughly (the better chewed, the easier time your digestive tract will have with it: Chewing is the first part of digestion).
Never take another bite until you have completely swallowed the one in your mouth.
Sip a hot tea (green tea will help neutralize many toxins in our foods). If you drink a cold liquid, make sure you take digestive enzymes and, if you don't suffer from acid indigestion frequently, take some digestive acids too. The amount of liquid in your system dilutes your digestive acids, so compensate.
Eat a wide variety of foods. This is the big one. There are five tastes: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and astringent. Food cravings are common to Americans because most of our diets consist of only the first three: sour, sweet, and salty. I'm sure you've all been served a meal with parsley decorating the plate. Well, request more parsley. Chew it prior to eating your meal. Your liver loves bitter greens, and parsley will stimulate bile production which is needed to break down the fats you ingest. Astringent foods are beans, asparagus, sprouts and lentils, apples, pears, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes. Bitter foods, besides parsley, are endive, chicory, romaine lettuce, spinach, and the spices turmeric and fenugreek. To avoid food cravings, make sure you feed all your taste buds by choosing foods from all the taste categories. This is why we always recommend a good healthy salad consisting of organic dark greens (bitter), sprouts or lentils, lots of herbs, something from the cruciferous family (broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower), and a lettuce with lots of vitamins and minerals. You will not find iceberg lettuce in my house-it has nothing in it beyond water. Then grate a beet and/or carrot over the top. You now have the two tastes you would usually miss in the standard American diet.
Again, let me emphasize digestive aids. You can find digestive enzymes in most any health food store. Experiment, but only under the supervision of a professional health care provider; if your physician tells you it's a bunch of hooey, get a new physician. (You see, if they don't teach it in Medical School, it must not exist.) Find a physician who studies on his own; one willing and open to the possibility that his education shorted him in nutrition. If you are diabetic, or just wish to help your pancreas, take pancreatic enzymes with your meals. Pancreatic enzymes eat cancers; a known fact. That is why there is a connection between diabetes and cancer: if you are a diabetic, your odds of getting cancer shoot way up there. Also, remember this: if your body is busy making digestive enzymes, it hasn't time to make immune system enzymes; thus, if your immune system is less than adequate, help it along with digestive enzymes.

Supplements for Weight Loss

Psylium husks: 1 tbl 1/2 hour before eating; cuts hunger pangs and cleans the colon.

Chromium: 200-600 mg-cuts hunger pangs. There are a couple forms of chromium on the market, the latest being a patented form called Chromium Polynicolinate that is bound with niacin. So far, this seems to be the best. (Recently, because drug companies have come out with a host of diet pills, their researchers went off to attack some of the natural supplements, and chromium picolinate came under fire. Their findings showed it caused cancer in laboratory rats. They didn't tell you that they used enough chromium picolinate to choke an elephant. Nuff said.)

Kelp: 1,500 mg daily (as a salt substitute)-balanced minerals. Do not exceed this amount, for Kelp contains iodine, and too much iodine is toxic.

Lecithin: 1,2000 mg 3 times daily-emulsifies fats

Spirulina: as directed on label, 3 times daily-stabilizes blood sugar, can be used in place of a meal. High in protein, antioxidants, essential amino acids, and minerals.

Vitamin C (w/bioflavonoids): 3,000-6,000 mg /day--Speeds up metabolism, regulates glands. Use the max if smoking: will fight & help prevent heart disease.

Ephedra: I do not know the dosage (because it comes in many forms), but a little will do you. This speeds up metabolism and burns calories and cuts cravings for food. This is legalized speed. So be very careful! People have died from abusing it, and it can damage your kidneys.

Calcium/Magnesium complex: 1,5000 mg daily-activates enzymes to break down fats.

Calcium Pyruvate: recent research shows that this works better than the Calcium/Magnesium complex listed above.

Choline & Inositol: as directed on label-they help burn fats.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): 60 mg daily-creates energy.

DHEA: (I do not recommend this, because it is a hormone) as directed on label (women start with 5mg/daily, work up to 20-25 mg/daily)-inhibits enzyme involved in fat production.

GABA: as directed on label. Suppresses cravings, anti-depressant.

L-Arginine, L-ornithine, L-lysine: 500 mg each, take on empty stomach with juice (NOT MILK). Take with 50 mg of Vitamin B6 and your Vitamin C for better absorption-these amino acids decrease body fat. Do not use L-Arginine if you have herpes. It will cause an outbreak.

Thinyu™: a new product by Neways International to stop the "starvation mode" during dieting and increase your metabolism without epedra. Click on the pin to learn more about this product.

Curb: another new product from Neways International to help curb your appetite. Click on the pin to learn more about this product. (You must find an Independent Distributor of Neways International to purchase these products, though there are others on the market that are [arguably] comparable.)

CLA—Conjugated Linoleic Acid: we did not include this in the first publishing of this article because our information was incomplete. However, studies have finally confirmed the benefits of CLA. CLA is a naturally-occurring fatty acid that has been shown to reduce body fat. In studies persons using CLA supplements did not show a great weight loss (average 3 pounds per person), but their fat to protein ration changed dramatically showing that CLA could inhibit fat storage, promote muscle production and increase muscle tone. Additionally, CLA has been shown to reduce appetite, improve nutrient usage, and is a wonderful antioxidant and anti-carcinogen (neutralizes cancer causing agents). CLA is found in most dairy products, however, because our beef and dairy cattle eat far less grasses today (they are fed mostly grains) than they did 30 years ago, the amount of CLA derived from dairy and beef products has declined sharply. Because of the recent anti-fat movement in America (everything has reduced fats, it seems) we have consequently reduced out CLA intake. Take as directed.

Fats

Since the advent of low fat foods, the weight clinics have been filled to wall to wall. What we seem to have forgotten is that fats are needed to burn fats. Think of it as a metaphor for "priming a pump:" if you want water, you will have to first prime the pump with water.

The problem with fats are that low fat foods have dangerous fats: called Trans Fatty Acids, or as they are printed on the label: Partially Hydrogenated Oils.

This fake fat is a suspected culprit behind our most terrible diseases: cancer and heart disease. Sadly, the food industry loves these fats because they are flavor enhancers. Foods with Partially Hydrogenated Oils sell well, and are quickly scarfed up.

The best fats are the essential fats: those with Omega oils, Omega-3s and Omega-6s (there are others, but are much rarer and found in oils that are not easily gotten in America, like hemp oil which considered the perfect oil for our bodies. You can find hemp oil in health food stores, but because of the government's paranoia, the oil has been denatured (scant traces of THC have been chemically removed from the hemp seed). We have yet to determine if chemical residues are left in the oil, or the actual quality of the oil after processing.

Fat Absorbers

There is a new product on the market that absorbs the fats you eat, and pass them through your digestive system not allowing them to be absorbed. Yes, they work. But still your body does need some fat, and these should only be used if you are the bad fats (animal fats, fake fats). If you are using the Budwig formula (cottage cheese and omega oils) or are taking supplements of lecithin or flax oil, Vitamin E, or CLS, DO NOT USE THESE PRODUCTS. Your body needs, and is probably starving for, these fats essential fats. Fat absorbers cannot distinguish between good and bad fats.

These fat absorbers come with many names, however, the active ingredient is chitosan, derived from shellfish (if you are allergic to shellfish you will be allergic to this). You can find these products in any health food store.

Medium-Chain Triglycerides

This seems to be a miracle fat: tastes like butter, but won't hang around, and in study after study, this fat seems to be a healer, helping heal even cancer (the fat/cancer connection has been long established).

MCT oils do not store well in your fat cells; in fact, MCT oils help burn fats. Used by athletes, MTC oils are metabolized in your liver, like carbohydrates and are burned up for immediate energy (containing twice the energy as glucose), and if taken a half hour prior to eating, curb your appetite.

MCT oils can be used as a supplement, or anywhere you use butter, vegetable oil, or salad dressing, and you need use only half the amount as you would normally use because of its thin consistency. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on popcorn.

Though MCTs are nontoxic and have no side effects, as always, if you have a serious condition, see your physician before using MCT oils. When cooking with MCT oil, keep the temp below 325 degrees.

You can find MCT oil at some health food stores, or contact Sound Nutrition (flavored oils) at 800-844-6645, or Allergy Resources (nonflavored oils) at 800-873-3529.

The Zone Diet

This is probably the best scientific diet available today. To learn more, you should look for any book on the Zone Diet: it is very sound biochemistry, and a wonderful plan for life. The Zone Diet, put simply, is this:

40% calories from protein

30% calories from carbohydrates

30% calories from fats

Tests after tests show that this is the optimal diet for weight loss, and the really nice benefit is that it is an easy diet to continue even after you've reached you ideal weight.



Multi-Level Marketing

I'm not a big fan of Multi-Level Marketing companies. I feel their prices are a bit inflated, and most of their products can be purchased elsewhere. However, there are a few companies that have unique products, and cannot be purchased at any price anywhere else.

Two of these products are Crystal Energy® and Microhydrin®.

First let's talk about Crystal Energy®: You probably all know that you are supposed to drink 8 - 10 glasses of water per day. However, did you know that your body usually doesn't absorb the water you take in? Water molecules are clumped together. Crystal Energy® contains the smallest minerals known to humankind. Added to water (pure, filtered or distilled water), it breaks up the molecules, and the water can easily saturate your body's cells. One of the main causes of aging in America is dehydration. We drink liquids that dehydrate us (soda pop, coffee, beer, wine, etc.).

Another product that also helps to aid saturation is Willard Water®. This is a surfactant, meaning it lowers the surface tension of water, allowing for easy absorption. This can be purchased in most health food stores.

Personally, I use both products together. I've seen amazing result. Even my plants love it. However, there is a warning: be careful taking medications with this stuff, for more of the medicine will be delivered, and delivered much more quickly!

Microhydrin® is the smallest antioxidant on this planet, for it is pure hydrogen with an extra negative ion. As good an antioxidant as Vitamin C is, Vitamin C cannot get to all parts of the body because it is just too large a molecule. Your body needs hydrogen. Your liver stores hydrogen. The most basic biochemical process in your body (turning ADP to ATP) requires hydrogen. Microhydrin® is a scientific breakthrough that could easily earn its inventor the Nobel Prize. Also, because plaque (on your teeth) is positively charged, brushing with Microhydrin® cleans your teeth as well as a trip to your dental hygienist.

Click here to read more about the above products.

Enerprime™: You probably know this by now, but we've been researching the immune system for over eight years, and we have found many good products to stimulate or rebuild the immune system. They all work. However, Enerprime™ is the first product we've found that contains nearly every one of the individual products we've researched, and it contains them in the correct amounts.

I've had the opportunity to speak to a woman who had advanced cancer, the medical community gave up on her, she gave up on them, and eventually healed herself by detoxing, meditation, and using Enerprime™. Though one individual's story doesn't make for a good scientific study, her recovery has no other reason other than her own decisions to clean her body and rebuild her immune system using this product.



Cancer Related Fatigue
or "See, Dear, I told you I wasn't lazy!"

If you promise the kids you won't take them to piano lessons if they bring you something to eat so that you don't have to get up to get it (not to mention not having to take them to lessons) - You may have CRF.
If you crawl out of bed in the morning and have to rest up in order to brush your teeth, contemplating getting dentures so you don't have to do anything to your teeth but let them sit in the jar all day - You might have CRF.
If you turn down an invitation to go out for a meal, even though you are hungry, because you don't feel like dressing (not dressing up, dressing at all!) - You might have CRF.
If you used to peruse tomes like Death of a President and Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire for fun but now cannot understand the manual that came with your Sears Craftsman ballpeen hammer - You might have CRF.
If, when you do get to the kitchen on those rare occasions, you often wind up sitting on the (not so clean perhaps?) kitchen floor while you see what's in the fridge that you won't have to cook before eating - You might have CRF.
If, when you do remember something you have been trying to remember for a long time, like your ex-spouse's name or why you went into the kitchen, or a proper name for that 'do-dad' or 'thing-a-ma-jig' - You might have CRF.
I don't know if Cancer Related Fatigue is actually called CRF. So far I have not had the energy to check the archives and see. You see, I suffer from this malady.

I am nearly five years out from a bout with breast cancer, chemo, and radiation and yet am even more fatigued than I was during all my procedures.

Why? Beats me! And what's worse, it beats my doctors too.

The reason for the lack of info on this illness is that cancer patients used to die, and if they didn't die, they were very ill and, of course tired, for a long time and then they died. There was no real need for the medical community to wonder why the survivors were quite often tired for the rest of their lives.

These days when so many of us are surviving, the answers about why some of us feel so pathetically weak and tired for so long needs to be addressed.

There are different ways that CRF affects a person. One, of course, is physical weakness and fatigue (in some cases sleepiness). To my way of thinking, an even worse affliction is the way it interferes with one's attention span and mental abilities. I used to read-a lot. These days I have trouble reading a simple recipe. I used to write. These days words I used to use are nowhere to be found in my head and using the Thesaurus would require me to reach way over there across the desk and lift it and open it and probably to hold a thought long enough to.... um.....

I admit to not having read everything printed on the subject but I do know that I have found only 34 articles on the internet even mentioning the subject. You read them. They will say something like "Cancer Related Fatigue is probably caused by any number of things like cancer, chemo and radiation". They might mention that "there is no known cure but that sometimes certain drugs like steroids, anti-depressants and stimulants might possibly help some people." They might add that "there might be a link to depression because many CRF sufferers are depressed."

Of the above I can say one thing. Duh!

Apparently there are three ways, not resorting to drugs, to battle CRF. These are:

Eat more foods that are good for you and fewer that are bad for you and take supplements. Drink much more fluid than you think you will ever have a use for.
Eat smaller meals. Juicing vegetables and fruits is quick way to get nutrition without putting an extra strain on your digestive system.
Exercise as best you are able even if for you that means more frequent trips to the bathroom which are made necessary due to that extra water consumption. Possibly the more you exercise the more you will be able to exercise. Walking is my recommendation.
Get enough sleep, striving to keep your sleep patterns uninterrupted. Rest when you need to.
Boost your immune system (read the articles here in this web site).
If this all seems like just using common sense, you're right. I am just about sure that there will one day be something that can be done for us. That day has just not arrived yet and I'm afraid I am not going to be much help arriving at it in my present condition so I'm just going to wait here, thank you. My own theory is that those of us who so desperately need to find help for ourselves are usually in bed watching Return of the Brady Bunch because the remote is way the heck over on the night stand.

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