Weight Loss made Easy

Are you thinking "whatever" or "what does he mean, easy?" Weight loss can be easy, inasmuch as when you do it well, you should not be hungry; you do not need to feel deprived.

OK- that is the 'easy' part. It is important to feel satisfied, and not to feel like you are hungry most of the time. 

If you are hungry much of the time, weight loss is likely to be yours, but; sooner or later, the dam is going to burst. You will lose it, or "snap", and then entire bags of cookies or large pizzas tend to go missing.

So, how do you lose weight, and also not feel hungry? In short, by getting enough protein,water, and fibre throughout the day, at the right times.

HERBALIFE SUCKS!!

I can't believe how bad this crap is! I mean eating cat food or junk food out of a garbage bin would be healthier and more effective for weight loss! Steer clear of multi-level marketing products like this- they are way overpriced, and made with low quality, cheap ingredients, keeping their profit margins high, and your health low. Where do I start? First ingredient, raw soy protein. Garbage! Cheap! Allergenic, poorly digested. The ONLY soy I recommend is fermented, organic. This stuff is probably GMO,like much of our Godless soy crop. Second ingredient; fructose. Hello! This is the most diabetes-inducing refined sugar they could possibly use! If this shake helps you lose weight, then a nice Mars bar instead of dinner would do just as well. Also included is canola oil. To understand how despicable canola oil marketing claims are, please see my fat page, on this site.

There are simple and very effective things you can do to help lose fat, some of which are really powerful, that few people do. Read on to see the proven effective things I do with people that really work;

Breakfast                      

watch my video about weight loss and breakfast on youtube! Click here . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1UwXpL7RA0

Skip the Wheaties, the Fruit Loops, and the **Corn Flakes!
 You need protein in the morning. Your morning protein is more important than your dinner protein, because it wakes up your metabolism (1), and steadies your energy production for the next few hours.

Try a protein shake, eggs, even beans and toast. Cheese, nuts and seeds, and raw nut butters are also a good choice. A nutritionist can help determine which protein choices are best for your individual needs. Pure unsweetened whey proteins are good, as is Vega, and also the protein by Mum's is incredibly good, from a nutritional (but taste- not so much) point of view. In addition to the protein, eat some (but not too much!) healthy carbohydrates, if you want or need a bigger breakfast; fresh fruit (no juice), oatmeal/ red river cereal, whole grain bread. See the carbohydrate section, in this article for more on carbs. Here again, a Nutritionist can help customise the ‘carbs’ for your needs.
Skipping protein in the morning means a slower metabolism, for the rest of the day. And that equals slower fat burning.

  **In regards to cold cereal- leave that stuff on the shelf! Read some scandalous research, described at length by Susan Fallon, on the Weston A.Price website, and you will know how terrible ALL cold cereal is, for metabolism, and general health. And yes, that includes your whole grain, organic cereal. The ugly truth is, extrusion, and ultra high temp./ pressure processing is how all cold cereals are made, which plasticizes proteins and carbohydrates, rendering them harmful to our systems, to say the least. Remember, junk gets stored; good food gets burned! Bottom line- all cold cereals suck!

Before Breakfast, and All Day

Before your breakfast, drink plenty of water- as soon as you wake up is a good time. This will prime your digestion, and fat burning. The body needs water to burn fat, because humans, and all animals burn fat by hydrolysis. That means “cutting with water”, because, for those with a biochemistry background will know, we cleave molecules like fat using several molecules of water. Less water intake means less fat burning in your body, or on a more positive note, you actually burn more fat when you are well hydrated (have plenty of water in your system).(2) A good amount of water intake would be 2 litres per day for a smaller person, and around 3 litres for larger people. Add more for exercising or hot weather. And no, coffee and regular tea do not count. Herbal teas do.

Exercise

Exercise is the most powerful way to aid fat loss. There are a lot of activities to choose from that will help; any activity, from tai chi to wood chopping, to walking helps. What helps the most? Weightlifting is the fastest fat burner I know of (3), both from research and from my experience with many clients. Adding weight training to other activities greatly aids fat loss, versus doing the other activities alone(4).

By the way, women; you will not get big muscles from lifting weights! I have had many satisfied female training clients who became smaller, denser, and harder, while losing fat from their belly, butt, and thighs. For those who struggle with disordered eating, we see in the research that you need a personal trainer, much more than social work or psychotherapy (5). In one well designed and surprising study, young women with Anorexia Nervosa, or Bulemia, had the most improvement when working with a personal trainer! Women working with the other-listed professionals had inferior results. Now, working with myself, you can get the benefit of personal training AND a great nutritionist.

Eating Fat?

Leave the healthy fats in your diet; eating good fats enhances fat metabolism a number of ways. Bad fats like rancid oils (in chips, fries, other fried foods, and all margarines), and trans fats (in commercially deep-fried foods, chips, vegetable shortenings, and some margarines) are the worst offenders for fat metabolism(6).

Omega 3 fats, the healthiest of which are found in fish, raw hemp seeds, and raw hemp oil, are beneficial for fat loss. Eating them improves your fat metabolism, so go nuts! Actually all raw nuts contain healthy fats, vitamins, and phytosterols, which have many strong health benefits. Always include them, in any fat loss plan. Roasted nuts and seeds, by the way are ‘out’,. Their once healthy fats are ruined by the high heat involved in roasting and toasting. Flax meal is a great fat loss aid, because it provides omega 3 fats, as well as loads of fibre.

Coconut oil is an incredibly healthy oil- great for high temp. cooking (it is chemically stable, unlike most other fats), and it boosts fat metabolism, as well as thyroid function. Get some virgin or at least unrefined coconut oil, and include 1-3 tablespoons per day into your diet. It can be melted onto hot food, just like butter.

Fibre is a well, well proven fat loss aid, both dietary fibre and supplement fibre, like flax meal, or psyllium fibre. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as beans and nuts to get fibre into your diet.

AYURVEDA and weight loss; see the Ayurvedic eating page,on this website, for more specific tips, for Your individual body!

Fruits and Vegetables (+ more good carbs)

More fruits and veggies means leaner bodies. This is the proven trend. For fat loss, I do advise eating fresh fruits, and fresh or cooked vegetables. No juice. And no dried fruit. All of my clients who have successfully lost fat and kept it off have eaten generous amounts of fruits and vegetables. What this proves is that ‘good’ carbohydrates are fine. ‘Bad’ carbohydrates are not. Wonderful bread? Yes you can eat bread, BUT it MUST BE 100% sprouted if you are wanting to lose weight. Only two brands I have ever seen that make 100% sprouted bread (wow does it ever taste different and good!) One is EarthSeed, in Canada, and Manna bread, in the USA. Both are widely available here, in health food stores, usually in the freezer.

Bad, Bad Carbs

White bread, ‘multi grain’ bread (usually mostly white), pasta, and white rice are not good. Sugar; in desserts, candy junk food, and pop, is worse. Women usually need to limit their grains, to lose fat well. All my female clients have done well eating fresh fruit, but even good whole grains, like brown rice, and whole grain bread (not multi grain) need to be restricted, to perhaps 1-3 servings a day, or less, depending on the individual. Somewhere along the line, we became 'sold' on carbs. Carbohydrates are the least important nutrient, much less important than proteins, and healthy fats. Fats are so important, that I have an entire section dedicated to them. Do not go low fat- just consume good fats. See my page, 'Fat; the Truth' for details. See an experienced Nutritionist (like me!) or a nutrition-specialised Naturopath for a more fine-tuned plan. Men usually do really well on a good carbohydrate plan; they can usually eat as much good carbs as they like, as long as the bad carbs listed above are cut out.

THE most diet-killing carb is high fructose corn syrup. You like Nutri-Grain bars? The first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, the surest way to put fat on, raise insulin, and set yourself up for diabetes type II, as well as hypertension and high cholesterol! Avoid this stuff at all costs! In rodent research, high fructose diets are a guarantee of fat gain, and eventual diabetes. Almost all pop in North America is sweetened with this killer carb, a byproduct of the insane economics of heavy American corn subsidies, which are killing us with high fructose corn syrup, and killing traditional Mexican farmers with unnatural, depressed world corn prices.

Detox

Detoxification is a powerful tool for fat loss. Any and all detoxification methods that work will end up improving your fat metabolism, and leanness (and your total health)! If losing fat is what you want, I would strongly recommend cleansing your liver first. The liver is central to your ability to burn fat well, and to have a good metabolism!

Check out just some of the ways your liver helps;

Your liver activates thyroid hormones.

It makes your blood albumin, which nourishes all your muscles (and more muscle mass= higher metabolic rate).

Your liver also steadies your blood glucose, which helps insulin to work properly, which minimises insulin driven fat gain.

It also makes IGF-1, a powerful fat loss hormone. If IGF-1 was a car, it would be a 1000hp, barely legal street rod. So, cleanse your liver, already!

More detox can be done when you wish, on your own schedule. Check my detox recipes (on this very site!), and any other sources, as well. Ideally you would be supervised by a clued-in health practitioner, but you can also do excellent cleanse work on your own.

 ---side note--- I just listened to these two nutritionist folks on the web, and wow- they are bang-on. Listen to their free speech if you like at http://www.thedietsolutionprogram.com/BurnFat.aspx      BTW I don't know these guys- I just liked their speech and their info. It's nice to see other successful nutritionists who see the light about scams versus truth in nutrition. I said before I don't sell any products- and I don't get any kick backs from anyone- I just like what these guys have to say- whether or not you purchase their cheap but good program is no skin off my back- but do take a free listen to their explanations about carbs, fats, "health" and "diet" foods.

Sleep your Way to Leanness!!

We all know about cortisol- THE major stress hormone. Believe me, when I say you want it as low as possible!

High levels of cortisol cause abdominal fat, paralyse whole body fat burning, wreck insulin metabolism, setting you up for heart attacks, diabetes, and hypertension. So, where does sleep fit in? Sleep is the enemy of evil cortisol- sleep is the good guy. The earlier you go to sleep, the better you sleep, and the longer you sleep, the lower your cortisol will be. And the leaner you will be!

Now, I know what you're saying-
"going to bed early will mess up my social life."

Well, being diabetic, overweight, or even dead can really mess with your social life, too, to quote Lights Out, a great, thoroughly researched sleep book, by T.S. Wiley.
Sleep early, sleep long hours and even nap, if you can get away with it.

To aid sleep, try 500mg magnesium citrate before bed. BTW, magnesium lowers cortisol levels, in humans, and is my favourite mineral, to boot. Another sleep aid (Mag always comes first, and I take it no matter what), is 5-HTP; ask for it at your health store. If you are prone to anxiety, you are going to like this one. Human trials find 5-HTP to be a great anti-depressant, which also cuts carb cravings, and aids sleep. And it is 100% natural and safe! I bet big pharma is not pleased with 5HTP sales. By now, you know how I feel about big pharma, or more accurately; big lying, killing, propagandising pharma.

Non-Calorie Sweeteners

Did you know . . . 

a) Human research shows increased appetite and weight gain from eating artificial sweeteners?

b) That aspartame has the most reported adverse reactions of any food additive in the US FDA database?

c) That Donald Rumsfeld, who now specialises in killing people in the Middle East, did his part to kill Americans and Canadians by pushing Aspartame through the FDA approval process? Google Rumsfeld and Aspartame, for this sad story of power abuse.

d) That Splenda and Acesulfame are also really toxic?

The Healthy Alternative- STEVIA

Stevia is a medicinal herb with a long history of use in traditional South American medicine. Some excellent research has shown it to be beneficial for lowering insulin, which always helps fat loss, btw. It is a very sweet herb, with almost no calories! Look for it in your neighbourhood health store- it is available in packets, powder, and liquid. My Dad prefers the "Bio Quest Stevina" brand, which I keep him supplied with, otherwise he may slip into his old bad habit of using toxic chemical sweeteners!

As for me, I use raw honey, because calories are my friends! I think raw honey is a healthy sweetener, but definitely not low calorie. I also use blackstrap molasses, which is quite nice stirred into yogourt. Blackstrap molasses is by far the healthiest type of molasses- it is lower in sugar, and much higher in vitamins and minerals than other molasses types.

the Bottom Line

To lose fat, eat lots of fibre, focus on the ‘good’ carbohydrates, eat protein frequently, exercise(!!) detox, sleep enough, and well, and consult with me, if you would like the benefits of personalised counsel.

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