Introduction

Congratulations for joining this program and taking the first step to becoming a healthier slimmer version of you.  As major changes are always difficult, it is very courageous of you to embark on this journey to transform yourself into the person you were born to be.

The Guy in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,

And the world makes you king for a day,

Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your mother, your father, or wife

Whose judgement on you you must pass.  

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,

Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,

For he’s with you clear to the end.

And you’ve passed your most dangerous and difficult test,

If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum.

And think you’re a wonderful guy,

But the guy in the glass says you are a bum,

If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But the final reward will be heartache and tears

If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

Anonymous

This is not a diet!!!

Despite there being an explosion of low-fat food, diet drinks, meal replacements, appetite suppressants, weight loss clinics, diet books, gyms, exercise equipment, and medical diets, all claiming to be effective, there is a growing obesity epidemic threatening the health of millions of people around the world. Indeed, we are more overweight now than we have ever been.  Obesity—together with diabetes and related conditions—now affects more than a billion people worldwide!

This alone proves that something must be wrong with all the weight-loss diets, products and advice.  Yet, if you do any diet, you will most probably lose weight short-term.  If you eat less, you will inevitably shed pounds.  Then why are most of these eating plans known to fail in the long-term, and why do they leave you feeling hungry, sluggish and miserable?

Is it about willpower?  Most people who have embarked on a diet and “failed” are judged as lazy and lacking determination.  Let’s look at some of the reasons why diets don’t work, and take note, none of them have to do with willpower:

1.    For those millions of people dieting, most popular weight loss programs and diet books seem to be designed to distort our nutrition and promote disease.  They do this by severely reducing our calories to the point where the amount of food eaten is seriously deficient in essential nutrients.  Accordingly, the body deprived of these nutrients sends out alarm signals to feed it.  Not understanding these signals too well, and as the dieter finds herself hungry and lacking energy, she, more often than not, resumes her old eating patterns.

2.    While there are many reasons for obesity, one of the biggest contributors is our modern lifestyle. There is now no doubt that eating too much, not moving around, eating processed and refined foods, sleep deprivation, stress, environmental toxins, poor gut health, food sensitivities, hormone imbalances, chronic infections, and nutrient deficiencies, play a large role in directly contributing to weight gain. This explains why many conventional approaches to weight loss fail: they pay attention only to the symptom (excess fat) and not the underlying causes of that symptom.

3.    Low-calorie diets cause devastating muscle loss.  On these diets, muscle provides up to 45% of the energy deficit.  This is counterproductive to maintaining a healthy lean fat-burning body, as the muscle is the engine that burns your fat.  Hence, if an ounce of muscle is lost, the basal metabolic rate of fuel consumption is lowered and this in turn reduces your ability to burn body fat.  In fact, low-calorie diets cause so much muscle loss, that people who constantly use them, will train their bodies into permanent obesity. They have so little muscle left to burn fat, that they have to eat a low-calorie diet all the time, otherwise they will become extremely obese.

Therefore, all diets that are below the essential energy requirement of your body are a guaranteed recipe for failure.

4.    Not only does the body not burn body fat but also, because the caloric intake is well below normal, the body’s defenses are alerted to protect the body from starvation.  It does this by making metabolic adjustments to ensure that you will not waste away.  Such adjustments include an increase in the activity of an enzyme known as lipoprotein lipase, which starts grabbing every molecule of fat, even stopping your body using it for energy.  You have to burn even more muscle to make up the deficit.  However, even though your metabolism has slowed down to protect you from the “famine”, and there is a toxic waste build-up from burning muscle, your appetite is not curbed.  In fact, you slowly become more ravenous, sick and cranky.  Then, when you can no longer stand the way you feel, and everyone around you are goading you to stop dieting, and making you feel that you are depriving yourself, you resume your pre-diet eating patterns.  Unfortunately, as you don’t regain any of the lost muscle, the net result of the diet is no change in body fat but a big loss of muscle.  This loss of muscle reduces your ability to burn the fat you have and sets you up for further weight gain, and lo and behold, a few months to a year later, you have not only regained the pre-diet weight, but now you actually weigh more without even trying.  

5.    Your body is under homeostatic control. Just like blood glucose levels, blood pressure, body temperature, hormone levels and pH, your body operates to keep your weight within a narrow bandwidth.  You can starve yourself, or overeat for a year, and your body weight, will over time remain stable. Your body will execute behavioural and physiological responses, such as increasing hunger and reducing movement, to recalibrate your body weight if it goes below your set-point. However, over time, that set point will gradually increase to accommodate your long-term changes in lifestyle.  

6.    Most diets these days come in the form of a book or an Internet site.  How are these diets supposed to know you as an individual?  You, with your genetics, emotions, stresses, health issues and past physical and psychological history.  You might suffer from certain food intolerances, metabolic diseases or hypothyroidism, or you might be working in a cake shop and exposed to high sugar, high fat processed foods every day.  How is a generic diet going to cater specifically for your needs?

7.    What about your emotions?  A diet that does not help address the underlying emotional reasons why you are overweight, and the pay-offs you receive, such as comfort, or protection, will not succeed long-term.  If you were abused as a child and the weight makes you feel uglier yet, at the same time, less vulnerable, then no matter how much weight you lose; even with the best diet plan, you will regain the weight.  What if you were told all your life that you were no good, then how can you become trim, taunt and terrific?  You have to stay overweight, because that fits the description that others have painted for you.

Why then should you be embarking on yet another “diet”?

We want this eating plan to become one that you will adhere to from now on.  It is not short-term. It is quite different from what you might be used to.  Instead of relying on limiting portion sizes, counting calories, requiring heaps of willpower, and resorting to extreme exercise, this program approaches weight loss and health improvements in an entirely different way.

 It is structured so that:

1.    Your body will burn your stored fat without starving yourself

2.    You should not feel deprived of calories, have cravings or feel hungry between meals

3.    Your underlying emotional issues will be addressed through worksheets and tasks that you will complete

4.    Your set-point will hopefully be lowered

5.    Your lifestyle, such as exercise, sleep and how you respond to “ankle biters”, will be addressed  

6.    You will have support every step of the way, so you are not doing this alone.

7.    But most of all you will feel healthier, have more energy, reduced inflammation, better sleep, improvement in your chronic health issues, and be more alert with sharper focus and improved memory.

 This e-book focuses on dietary, nutritional, and lifestyle solutions for those individuals who want to lose weight. If you do this plan properly, unlike other diets, you should NOT feel hungry, sluggish and miserable.  And, more importantly, you will feel more like your REAL self – the human being you were meant to be, and hopefully, you will start living the best life possible. I am here to start you on your journey to a new and better you.  Enjoy and Be True!

Love

Celia

P.S. Please read this entire booklet before embarking on the program.  It will make it much easier to adhere to the program if you understand why it has been structured the way it has.

The ketogenic diet

Unlike many diets out there that are not based on any scientific evidence and have limited rates of long-term success, the ketogenic diet has been around since the 1920s, where it was developed to treat children with epilepsy.  This treatment was used to mimic the metabolism of fasting and was based on a solid understanding of the science of nutrition and physiology. Scientists found that ketone bodies, produced from a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, not only resembled the physiology of fasting, but had a neuroprotective calming effect on the nervous system.  

Despite being a successful form of treatment for epilepsy, the introduction of anticonvulsive drugs two decades later, saw a dramatic decline it its use. Yet for those epileptic cases that only showed a 20-30% improvement when using these medications, the diet was re-introduced as a technique for managing the condition.

Over the past 15 years, scientific interest has been reignited. It has been found that not only does this diet help with reducing seizures, but due to its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, cognition-enhancing properties, it has also been used for the treatment of such conditions as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease and many more diseases that are impacted by the nervous system.

Furthermore, while conclusive evidence is still not available, promising studies have shown that the diet can have benefits for a wide variety of different health conditions, such as:

•       Heart disease, due to its ability to improve certain risk factors like blood pressure, HDL cholesterol levels and blood sugar

•       Diabetes.  Several studies have demonstrated that diabetic patients have improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels and weight loss, when eating a ketogenic diet

•       Cancer

•       Parkinson’s Disease

•       PCOS

•       Brain injuries

•       Weight loss, and

•       Acne.

What is a Ketogenic Diet and why is it good for weight loss?

In our typical Western diet, our bodies have become accustomed to using glucose (a simple sugar obtained from eating carbohydrates), for fuelling our brains, cells and muscles.  In a ketogenic diet, which consists of high fat, moderate protein and low carbohydrate content, the body, deprived of its normal fuel, enters a metabolic state known as ketosis, where fat is preferentially burned, rather than glucose. Indeed, once our glycogen (stored glucose) is depleted after several days on a ketogenic diet, our bodies create compounds known as ketone bodies produced by the liver from both the dietary fats and stored body fats.  Yay!!!  That’s what we want.  Our stored body fat being burnt as energy.  And as there can also be a massive reduction in blood sugar and insulin levels, and an increased clean energy source for the brain, provided by ketones, we can experience other benefits besides fat loss i.e. our appetites and cravings may be drastically reduced, as well as our mental clarity may be boosted, and there may be a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.  Furthermore, as this diet is also anti-inflammatory, and fat cells are known to create inflammatory mediators, you might find that after being on this eating plan for a while, that your aches and pains are an annoyance of the past.

As you can understand, we want more of the stored fat rather than the dietary fat to be used for energy. If you eat too much dietary fat, which is seen in most keto diets, then your body will use these fats preferentially over your stored body fats, for energy.  In those cases where the keto diet is used for epileptic children or as a form of cancer treatment, where losing weight is not recommended, it makes sense to fat load the diet.  But not for weight loss.  Consequently, there has to be the right balance of these two types of fat to optimise stored fat loss.

Accordingly, this keto diet is a modified one, where there is a macronutrient ratio of 50-65% fat, 20-25% protein and 15-20% carbohydrates, rather than the standard keto diet that has 60-90% fat, 20-30% protein and 10-20% carbohydrates.  

I will also note here that when you peruse the food lists you will be surprised to see that there are foods that have been omitted that might be on your standard keto diets.  As obesity is an inflammatory condition and therefore linked to many chronic metabolic diseases, I have ensured that the foods you are eating are on the whole anti-inflammatory.  This eating plan is not just about looking good.  That is a bonus.  I want you to feel good inside as well as outside.  If you become slim but are deteriorating health-wise, you will look pale, gaunt and possibly even hunched, all of which are unattractive.  You will also not stay committed to your eating plan, become depressed, and abandon all your good efforts. If beauty is still a priority, let me inform you that glowing skin and hair, an upbeat disposition and lots of youthful energy are highly attractive.  

The Program and Getting Started

Before we start outlining the program, I want to politely stress that it should be followed as close to 100% as possible, especially in the first month.  The reason for this is that this plan is optimised for ketosis and maximum weight loss.  If you do decide to “cheat”, you could undo your great work and shift yourself out of ketosis.  It might take days to get your body to return to this state.  You need to understand that your body has been used to burning glucose for fuel, not fat.  With this program, we are trying to teach your body a better way.  But if you cheat, the body will go back to what its comfortable doing.

What’s interesting to note that once you are in ketosis, you will not feel hungry and your cravings will be reduced to zero.  So, hang in there, because you will be utterly surprised at how you will no longer need, or even want, to snack on those foods that you couldn’t resist prior to embarking on this program.

Remember, despite the reduction in cravings and hunger, please eat your meals according to what has been outlined in the e-book.  I still want you to eat well.

The following are the steps I want you to do before you actually begin:

1.     Go through your pantry and remove all the processed and sugary foods.  This may be difficult if you have a family.  However, they can also really benefit from not eating junk food.

2.    Read the entire e-book.  If you are impatient and just skip to the allowed food lists and start your diet, you will not understand why certain foods are omitted or included.  You will get all confused, not lose weight, and eventually abandon the program.

3.    Sit down for a half hour and plan your meals for a week.  Make up a shopping list of the foods you will need and go shopping.  When you do, I want you to notice the brightly coloured fresh fruit and vegetables.  Start appreciating what nature has provided for you.  Also be aware that the supermarkets are positioning junk food on shelves so that they are at eye level to tease you into buying these foods.  Don’t give them that power.

4.    Start your first 30 days at the beginning of the month.  This will be easier for you to remember when you started.

5.    While extremely difficult for some, on day 1, weigh yourself naked and take measurements:

·      Upper chest:  Place the tape-measure under your armpits and measure the circumference

·      Chest:  Measure at the nipple line

·      Upper arms:  Half way between shoulder and elbow for both arms

·      Waist: At the navel

·      Hips:  At the largest part of the buttocks

·      Thighs:  Stand straight, drop your hands to the side, and measure around your thigh at the point where your middle finger reaches. Do both legs

·      Calves:  The largest area between ankles and knees for both legs.

You will weigh yourself every morning before you get dressed.  However, if you are the type where gaining weight or not losing weight makes you extremely anxious, then weigh yourself once a week.  If you are really bad, just throw away the scales.  You will know that you are losing weight when the inches start melting away.

6.    On day 1, complete a food diary included in the extra e-book entitled “Dealing with Food Addictions”. This will record what you have been eating for the day and the anxiety and stresses associated with your choices.

7.    If you want to, you can download an app for free cronometer.com, and if you pay $20/month, there will be two-way access (you and me), so that I can monitor what you eat and leave you little messages on where you can improve.

8.    Start doing your first worksheet that will be emailed to you.  These worksheets are designed to open up your eyes to the underlying reasons for your past habits.  I feel it is paramount to long-term weight management for you to recognise causes.

9.    In the next few weeks I will be posting you another two e-books that will be focused on learning to be assertive and having a winning attitude; all vitally important in your quest for looking slimmer and a new you.

10. Start watching the kilos and centimetres drop.

11. Go shopping for a gorgeous new outfit.

The Food Plan
a

 Fruit

Choose 2 pieces of fruit from your allowable fruit list. Do not consume both pieces at the same time. Have one for morning tea, and one for afternoon tea, or after dinner.

Fat

Women: 3 to 5 fat portions daily (depending on activity levels).

Men: 5 fat portions daily.

Fat servings will largely depend on your exercise level, and how much weight you have to lose. The more weight you have to lose, the more fats you will be able to consume and still achieve consistent weight loss results. Fat consumption should be spread out evenly across the day.

Protein

Women: 2 x 100g servings of allowable protein daily. If you are physically active you can increase your evening protein to 150 grams.

Men: 2 x 150g servings of allowable protein.

Split your 2 protein portions into two meals, such as lunch and dinner. Vegan protein powder is not included in these two portions, so you might include this in your breakfast or snack.

Vegetables

Women: 2 x 100g servings of allowable vegetables.

Men: 2 x 150g servings of allowable vegetables. Split your vegetable servings into lunch and dinner.

Include 2 green salads daily from the unlimited vegetable list.od

Breakfast Options

1.    I recommend a vegetarian based protein for this meal (vegetarian protein does not count towards your 2 daily protein servings). You need one that is not laced with sugar, and is in fact, low carb or FODMAP-friendly. One I use frequently with my patients, is one that also doubles as a multivitamin/mineral supplement, containing therapeutic amounts of these nutrients.  You can mix this with 1/3 coconut yogurt or coconut milk/cream, and some pieces of fruit, such as berries.

You can also make a homemade protein powder with:

1 c ground chia seeds

1c ground flaxseeds

50 g blueberry powder

50 g maqui powder

50 g maca powder

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender.

2.    On some mornings, if you are not intolerant, you might enjoy 2 scrambled, poached, boiled eggs or an omelette.  Perhaps, you might add some spinach and other greens in the egg mixture.

3.    Another option is a smoothie with fruit, and greens, or yogurt and fruit

4.     Chia pudding. Look online for recipes.  Here is just one:

1/3 c chia seeds

400 g coconut cream

1 tsp natural vanilla

2 Tbsp Natvia (powdered stevia)

Place your coconut cream in a bowl of hot water to soften then pour into a mixing bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well and leave in the refrigerator to thicken for at least 1 hour.

Serves 3.  Each serving is a 1/3 of cup, which is counted as one fat serve.  

Chia pudding will keep in the fridge for several days.

Snack Options (morning, afternoon or evening). If you are not hungry during the day, you can miss out the snacks but be mindful that you still need the required amount of protein and fats in your day.

Green smoothie that contains allowed fruit and leafy greens, ½ avocado or flaxseed oil, or

Some nuts and one serving of fruit, or

Smoothie with yogurt, nut milk and fruit, or

2 pieces of dark chocolate 70-85% cacao, or

Chia pudding, or

Left over green smoothie, or

Left over yogurt smoothie

Lunch/Dinner Options  

Protein, vegetables and fat e.g. salmon (or other fish), steak (or other meat/poultry), or seafood, with steamed veggies and a green salad.  Add avocado, flaxseed oil, or olive oil, or homemade mayonnaise made from eggs, oil and lemon.

For vegetarians and vegans.  If you use legumes or tempeh etc to replace above meat and fish options, please pressure cook them to remove lectins.

Water

Hydration is highly important. You should drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Hydration is crucial on a ketogenic diet to keep your bowel working optimally and to balance electrolytes. It is normal for bowel function to slow while eliminating grains and legumes, so proper hydration levels are important.

Tip: Add a cinnamon stick to your water bottle. You can re-use the same stick for several days. Cinnamon is a natural weight loss spice as it stimulates metabolism.

Other drinks (See drinks list)

Avoid alcohol (come on it’s only three weeks).

We recommend drinking several cups of herbal tea daily.

Coffee

Eliminate coffee.  The reason for this is that coffee is an excitatory food, and thus affects cortisol production, and subsequently affects weight loss.

Salt

Salt is CRITICALLY important while on a ketogenic diet. Himalayan salt must be consumed daily. Ensure all your meat and vegetables are salted. Electrolyte balance may suffer while on this diet. If you begin to cramp or experience mood changes, increase your salt intake. You also might need a good magnesium or electrolyte supplement.

Once again, stick 100% to the food list.

I want to add here that there are certain foods I initially omitted from the initial phase, due to the fact that people are frequently allergic or have food intolerances to them.  They may also be inflammatory.  Fat cells produce inflammatory mediators producing widespread inflammation in most overweight people.  Furthermore, those individuals that are suffering from autoimmune condition may be especially sensitive to these foods, and eating them, may drastically slow their improvement.

However, after listening to many clients’ experiences, I realised that having a diet that is too restrictive right from the beginning is very difficult to do.  So initially, if you do not have a diagnosed autoimmune condition, and feel that you can cope with these foods, then you can include them:  eggs, tomatoes, nuts, shellfish and certain dairy.  These foods are notified with “##” next to their name.

B-The-Real-U "Yes" Foods

Vegetables

Eating vegetables is paramount for the success of this eating plan.  These foods provide fibre and resistance starch, which feed our friendly bacteria, and in turn produce Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) needed to keep our digestive system healthy and feed our cell membranes. Brightly coloured vegetables also provide lots of flavonoids and polyphenols, which are high in antioxidants, helping to combat free radical damage and reduce inflammation.  Furthermore, vegetables also provide minerals that can help provide essential electrolytes.  To prevent “the keto flu” which is caused by a depletion of electrolytes, ensure that you are including two green raw salads daily (2 cups per meal).

Moreover, many vegetables can be considered as “bitters” which are known traditionally to assist digestion.  They are said to do this by stimulating the Vagus nerve, thereby taking you away from sympathetic nervous system dominance (“fight and flight”) and more towards the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest”).  By doing this, bitters improve appetite and gastric secretions, such as saliva, gastric acid, pepsin, gastrin, pancreatic enzymes, and last but not least, bile.

Bile is needed for fat digestion and detoxification, and the gall bladder is the organ located right near the liver, which stores the bile and concentrates it ready for the next fat meal.  With insufficient bile or a poorly functioning gall bladder, you can’t properly breakdown your fats well causing them to be re-absorbed back into your bloodstream in an unusable form. As these fats are basically inactive and nowhere to go, they will inevitably be stored in your fat cells. Understandably this can interfere with your intentions to lose weight, especially seeing this program relies on a higher fat intake. Moreover, if you can’t properly digest fat, you can’t get nutrition and energy from fat-soluble vitamins, which include A, E, D, and K. Additionally, when bile breaks down dietary fat, your body releases a specific enzyme that converts the thyroid hormone T4 into the active hormone T3, a hormone required for metabolism.

So, include lots of bitter vegetables in your salads daily. (Bitters are signified with an asterisk * next to a vegetable name in the allowed vegetable list).  

While vegetables are wonderful, I want to alert you to the fact that those foods, such as raw spinach, kale, almonds and beets, when used in excess in smoothies and vegetable juices, can produce a dramatic increase in oxalate levels in the body and contribute to inflammation, pain and other biochemical imbalances. So please use these foods in moderation, i.e. have some leaves in your green salad.

Also, if you are dealing with leaky gut, while you are in the process of healing eat your vegetables lightly steamed or cooked, rather than raw, as the body needs to expend a lot of energy and digestive enzymes to digest the latter. Eating raw veggies while you are dealing with gut issues can contribute to bloating, gas, and other GI discomfort.

You may have noticed that the diet does not include members of the nightshade family, such as tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and capsicum.  While these vegetables are full of antioxidants, they are also high in lectins (anti-nutrients) and can be very aggravating and inflammatory.  However, for those you are not suffering  suffer from inflammation (which most of us do especially if you are overweight), and do not suffer any  adverse reaction, include de-seeded, peeled tomatoes (not more than 30 g at each meal) that are slow cooked and simmered (not eaten raw) with fat, to enhance the absorption of the fat-soluble highly beneficial nutrient, lycopene.

Fruit

While fruits are high in beneficial flavanols and polyphenols, they are also high in sugars and can therefore raise your blood sugar and take you out of ketosis. So, if you eat the wrong ones like mangoes, papayas, bananas and apples, or eat too many, they can prevent you from reaching your goals.

Fats and Oils

If you want your body to shift from sugar-burning mode into fat-burning mode, you need to supply the body with sufficient dietary fats.  Fat is the optimal fuel for humans, not glucose. Unfortunately, due to the typical diet of high sugar and carbs, one’s metabolic engine is stuck in glucose-burning mode because of its constant supply.  Like an unused muscle, our fat-burning engines have almost shut down.

The difference between the two fuels, is that sugar causes glucose and insulin levels to spike, and therefore contributes to insulin resistance, increases storage of body fat, especially around organs, such as our belly, liver, pancreas and intestine, and generates more free radicals, leading to increased oxidative damage and inflammation.  Good fats do not share these properties.  In fact, fats are very important for: cellular repair; in making our cell membranes fluid and efficient so that nutrients can enter the cell and toxins can exit; hormone production, as well as blood sugar control.  The mitochondria, the organelle located in each cell, that acts as an energy factory, is surrounded by two membranes, an inner and outer membrane.  So, fats are essential for proper energy production.  Moreover, hormone receptors that are located on the membrane surface, are attached by lipid rafts that are made up of saturated fats and cholesterol.  Consequently, as fats are involved in hormone activation, the key to all hormone problems, such as menopause, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance etc, may be to rebalance and restore the fat in our diets.  Additionally, dietary fats are needed to help absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E and K.

It is necessary that we include sufficient omega 6 and omega 3 fats in our diet.  Both are essential and cannot be synthesised by the body.  While we consume far too many omega 6’s in the form of refined vegetable oils, processed foods, grains and grain-fed meats, we are surprisingly deficient in the good omega 6’s found mostly in nuts and seeds.  Omega 6s are preferentially used for the synthesis of our cell and mitochondrial membranes.  Accordingly, we want the good ones in the cell membranes, not the processed ones that will make the membranes rigid and be responsible for many chronic diseases. The omega 3’s found in fish oil, flax seeds and walnuts, are renowned for being anti-inflammatory.  

It is important to have the right balance of the two, due to competitive inhibition. While the ratio should be approximately 4:1 (Omega 6:Omega3), the ratio more often seen in the standard Western diet is approximately 20:1!

Additionally, it is important to note that your body comprises of two type of fat cells, white and brown fat.  White fat is the insulating fat that is found under your skin and often around your organs. When you store excess calories as fat, this is the form that is used.  This form, if needed, can be used for energy.  But brown fat is different.  Its job is to burn excess calories for heat rather than energy and is therefore considered metabolically active. It also prefers to burn white fat for energy! Consequently, when brown fat is active, you start to lose your storage fat!  Unfortunately, while babies are born with heaps of brown fat to ensure they have adequate temperature regulation, as we age, our brown fat stores become drastically reduced or dormant. This can be a major reason why people who are trying desperately to lose weight find themselves suffering from frustrating weight loss plateaus.  However, don’t despair. Gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid can activate brown fat. While it can be synthesised in the body from the essential omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, It is also found in such foods as black currant seed oi, evening primrose oil, acai berries and hemp seeds.  

It is hard for many to come to terms that we are incorporating fats in our diets with the goal of losing weight. In fact, we were trained to think that saturated fats and cholesterol make us fat, and that they are really bad for us.  However, surprisingly, the latest studies have shown that there is no connection between these fats and heart disease.  Furthermore, fat on its own will not put on weight.  Rather it is fat combined with sugar (i.e. donuts, pizza, cakes, burgers etc) that will put on weight and fuel inflammation.

Nuts and Seeds

If you love nuts, and are not allergic to them, then I have good news for you.  Nuts are an amazing food that are rich in omega 6 fatty acids (but not the bad ones included in all the processed oils).  However, don’t make the mistake of eating too many of these, especially since nuts are also high oxalate foods which may contribute to pain and inflammation. This can become a problem when you start substituting flours for nut flours, or cow's milk for nut milks. You shouldn't really be eating more than a handful of nuts a day.

If you can, activate the nuts by soaking them in water overnight. The next day, after draining the liquid, dry them by exposing them to the sun, a low temperature oven or a dehydrator.  This process removes the phytic acid, known as an anti-nutrient. Phytic acid binds to minerals and prevents their absorption, possibly resulting in mineral deficiencies.  They are therefore known to cause bloating or cramping in some individuals.

Seeds should also be eaten sparingly.  Seeds were not meant to be digested, and in order to survive the gastrointestinal tract and get eliminated through the bowels in a whole state ready to be fertilised and grow into a plant, they contain lectins which can act as irritants to the predator (such as us).

Omega 6 Content (not all of these are included in the allowed list – look below)-

·      Almonds and almond oil (215 deg C)

·      Hazelnuts and hazelnut oil (215 deg C)

·      Hemp seeds, hemp hearts and hemp oil (163 deg C)

·      Sesame seeds, sesame oil, tahini (160 deg C)

·      Walnuts, walnut oil, walnut butter (160 deg C)

·      Sunflower seeds, oil, butter (107deg C)

·      High-linoleic safflower oil (107 deg C)

·      Pine nuts, pine nut oil (Siberian Tiger Naturals)

·      Apricot kernels and apricot kernel oil

·      Pumpkin seeds and oil, pumpkin seed butter

·      Pecan and pecan butter

·      Cashews and cashew butter

·      Pistachios

·      Brazil nuts

·      Pastured butter (166 deg C)

·      Ghee (252 deg C)

·      Pastured cream

·      Spirulina

N.B. It is best to purchase the sprouted variety of nuts because the sprouting process breaks down the waistline-expanding lectins, which are abundant in nuts and seeds.

Take note below of the smoke point (the temperature value in the brackets)

of the oils.  As many oils are unstable and quickly convert into toxic fats when heated, you need to ensure that you keep the oil under the smoke point.  Notice that omega 6 oils have low smoke points and so are unsuitable for cooking.  The acceptable oils for cooking are Ghee, red palm oil, tigernut oil, hazelnut oil, macadamia nut oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, sesame oil and walnut oil.  Olive oil can be used on a low flame.

Omega 3 Content-

·      Flaxseed and high-lignan flaxseed oil (107 deg C)

·      Chia seeds

·      Perilla seed oil

·      Clary sage seed oil

·      Fish or fish oil

Neutral oils (do not affect your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio) –

·      Tiger nut oil (238 deg C)

·      Palm oil (235 deg C)

·      Macadamia nuts and oil (210 deg C)

·      Algae oil

·      Beef tallow (204 deg C)

·      Chicken fat (190 deg C)

·      Duck or goose fat (190 deg C)

·      Lard (188 deg F)

·      Coconut, coconut cream, coconut oil (177 deg C) Tbl shredded coconut

·      Extra virgin olive oil (105 – 160 deg C)

·      Coconut milk

·      MCT oil

·      Uncured olives

Protein

Studies have shown that having the right amount of protein is essential for successful weight loss.  But why is this so?

·      Protein foods helps you feel full longer and more satisfied at meal-time.  

·      It helps you build and maintain muscle mass, and as I stated earlier, muscle is the engine that burns the fat.  Also, if you have more muscle, you will look better, function better throughout the day, and find exercising easier to do.

·      It slows down the absorption of glucose from carbohydrate foods, from your gut into the bloodstream, helping to regulate your blood sugar and warding off future cravings.

·      It requires more energy (and therefore burns more calories) for its digestion i.e. protein has a higher thermic effect compared to carbs and fat.

·      It is extremely important to eat enough protein to ensure that fat is preferentially used for energy while preserving calorie-burning lean muscle.

·      It promotes muscle repair and growth.

Eat 100 - 150 g at least twice per day of the following protein-rich foods depending on gender and activity level, or a palm size amount at each meal.

Flours, Herbs & Seasoning, Dairy Products and Sweeteners

Sugars

Our blood sugar has the tendency to swing from high or low depending on the digestion of certain types of foods. Typically, these swings are caused by the intake of excessive refined or processed carbohydrates or sugars, such as fructose corn syrup, sodas, candies, and even grains. On the other hand, whole, unprocessed foods have very little to no refined sugar, and are much more likely to keep our blood sugar at a reasonable level.

If you are overweight, there’s a really good chance there’s insulin resistance and a metabolic syndrome making your body’s receptor sites insensitive to insulin. If this takes place, it means you’re consuming too much sugar/carbohydrates.  These sugars are now unable to enter the cells for energy production. Accordingly, the body is producing less energy making you very tired and lethargic.  The unused glucose has nowhere to go except being stored safely in the form of fat.

Furthermore, constant sugar consumption rapidly spikes our blood glucose levels, stimulating our pancreas to secrete high levels of insulin to quickly reduce these levels. This insulin surge reduces the blood sugar drastically, producing what is known as a sugar crash. You may feel fatigued, irritable, anxious and dizzy.  These symptoms cause you to find a quick source of energy to reboot your energy levels such as chocolates, sweets, etc, making your sugar levels spiral out of control AGAIN!

Vegetables must be the foundation of the diet because they are lower in sugar. Fruit, unfortunately, is high in fructose, and this can also cause issues in blood sugar regulation.  

In other words, eat more veggies, less fruit, whole foods, no refined sugar/carbohydrates and a healthy balance of macronutrients— proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Beverages

 Water

Approximately ¾ of your body is water.  Accordingly, water is more important than even the food you eat.  In fact, your body can survive long periods without food, but several days without water can be life threatening.  Hence, as we lose 8-12 cups of water daily through perspiration, urine, breathing, and the intestinal tract, it is essential that fluids are continually being replaced.

Furthermore, the quality of your muscles, bones, organs and brain, their biochemistry, their resistance to injury and disease, and longevity, is dependent on the quality and purity of the water drunk.  The water you drink should be filtered so that at the very least you are removing chlorine and fluoride.  

Interestingly, although the recommendation is to drink at least 8 cups of water a day, when you start getting healthier, and the inflammation is reduced, you may find that you need less water to stay hydrated.  The reason for this is that water is needed to remove waste and toxins from the body.  So, as you become less toxic, less water is needed.

Also, I do not recommend water in plastic bottles due to the BPA content.  These chemicals can leach into the water after being exposed to heat whilst sitting in warehouses for months, or during transportation in hot trucks, or, once you have purchased it, in hot cars.

The Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth has been coined “nature’s multi-vitamin” as it contains multiple minerals and other chemical compounds that could provide beneficial nutrients needed for most people.

For example, bone broth contains:

•    Over 19 easy-to-absorb, essential and non-essential amino acids  (the building blocks of proteins)

·   Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) , such as glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate.

o   Support collagen and elastin production, which provides structure of the body, skin, hair, and nails

o   Support joint strength and mobility by maintaining the integrity of cartilage

o   Aid in restoring the intestinal lining and therefore important for digestive health.

Minerals and Electrolytes

 – Essential minerals, including electrolytes, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and phosphorus, which are important for supporting healthy circulation, bone density, nerve signaling functions, heart health, and digestive health.·   

Collagen/gelatin·     

o   Assists in forming connective tissue and promoting strong hair and nails.  

o   Seals the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.

o   One particular study found that collagen in the form of collagen hydrosylate, taken over a 24-week duration, improved joint pain in athletes

Broth Supports a Healthy Immune System

•    Has been shown in a study to significantly inhibit neutrophil migration and did so in a concentration-dependent manner

·      The collagen/gelatin and the amino acids proline, glutamine, and arginine in bone broths help seal the tight junctions in the gut lining and promote gut integrity reducing the risk of autoimmune-like responses.

·      Can promote healthy sleep, boost energy during the day, and support a healthy mood.

How to Make Bone Broth

Bone broth is made by simmering any type of animal bones, either cooked or raw, for several hours to release the nutrients found in the bones, cartilage, and marrow.  A tablespoon of vinegar is added to help draw the nutrients from the bones. Cooking time varies depending on the bones used, e.g. a broth made with fish bones, only needs to simmer for a few hours, while beef bones need to simmer for 48 hours or more to draw the maximum nutrients from the bones

Fermented foods

What about fermented foods?  Aren’t they super healthy?  Aren’t they a gut’s best friend? Why have I not focused on these foods? While these foods are great for a healthy person, I am hesitant to include too many fermented foods in the initial stages of your weight loss journey because you could be suffering from allergy symptoms indicating that there are high levels of histamine in your body.  The bacteria in fermented foods will produce histamine adding to your already high levels and to your symptoms.  Furthermore, your gut contains a delicate balance of microflora, and when fermented foods are introduced into your diet, you will really not know exactly what kind of bacteria or yeast they contain. Consequently, if you are suffering from SIBO or Candida overgrowth, you should wait until after you’ve repaired your gut to use fermented foods as they could potentially be feeding your bad bacteria and yeast, thus worsening the overgrowth and derailing your gut-repairing progress.

B-The-Real-You "No" Foods

Inflammatory foods that should be eliminated are those that contain:

•    Corn and anything made from corn (corn flour, corn starch, cornmeal, grits) or  contain high-fructose corn syrup  

•    Dairy (see above for those dairy foods that are allowed in the first phase) 

•    Gluten (wheat, barley, or rye)  

•    Gluten-free gains and pseudo-grains: amaranth, millet, oats, quinoa, rice  

Legumes: beans, garbanzos, lentils, peas (dried and fresh), snow peas (if vegan, these legumes should be soaked and cooked in a pressure cooker, to drastically reduce lectin content).  Legumes are all high in lectins and phytates.  Lectins can stall fat burning by interfering with metabolic processes and stimulating appetite and fat storage, as well as irritating the lining of the digestive tract, resulting in gas and bloating.   If you are vegan or vegetarian, to lessen the lectin and phytate load, pressure cook all beans after soaking them for at least 12 hours.

•    Nightshades: eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes (initially 30 g can be eaten) (sweet potatoes are okay)  

•    Peanuts  

•    Nuts (for those highly sensitive) and nut butters, otherwise they can be okay  

•    Peanuts  

•    Soy

•    Sweetened fruit juices

•     Sugars such as glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, dextrose, honey, rice malt syrups, and even foods made from white flours etc.  These foods are highly inflammatory and act as a fuel source for our not-so-friendly microbes in our gut, as well as increase your blood sugar and insulin levels. You want to avoid these as much as possible. The natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables should be enough.   Furthermore, sugar acts like a drug in the brain and causes strong addictions.  I suggest you go cold turkey when cutting sugar from you diet.  While you may feel miserable in the short-term.  Tapering sugar quantities down rarely works.

Also, please, please, do not resort to artificial sugars such as sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Nutrasweet) two sneaky ingredients that force extra kilos pounds of fat onto your waist, hips, waist, and bottom, while at the same time disrupting your metabolism.  Yes, you heard that right. These “sugars” have been advertised as suitable for weight loss, but it’s all a lie!

You might be surprised to see that I have not included any recipes or mapped out exactly what you should be eating every day, as many programs do.  It has been shown that weight loss programs that allow dieters to select their own menus and cook their own food also tend to have a far greater likelihood of staying on their eating program for a prolonged period.  This makes sense considering people have individual tastes, preferences and culture.  Furthermore, there is an old valuable saying: "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".  This program is therefore to teach you how to “fish”!!  

Reduce highly palatable foods

While our brain has the ability to regulate food intake, studies have shown that foods that are highly palatable can lower their satiety index (how filling it is per calorie) leading to overeating.  This makes sense when you think about the many times you have eaten something really tasty that doesn’t fill you up; you keep on eating without even realizing it.  Also, highly palatable food is very alluring.  For example, you have been invited to your friend’s home for dinner.  You have had a large and filling meal and are really stuffed.  Yet, out comes the delicious chocolate fudge cream cake, with homemade ice-cream on the side.  Despite the way you feel, you can’t resist the dessert and eat it all up.  

We actually have circuits in our brain that are motivated to seek out and indulge in calorie-rich foods. These foods are known to trigger the release of dopamine to activate motivation and reward.  The higher the reward signals, the more you want to eat these foods.  Consequently, to avoid such excessive eating, individuals need to be mindful of limiting or avoiding foods that are calorie dense and that have a combination of fats and carbohydrates.

The good news is that most foods on this program, such as fruits, steak, and fish, are high on the satiety index.

Intermittent Fasting (IF)

 “Intermittent fasting” is a strategy that describes a pattern of eating that alternates between periods of fasting and non-fasting. Studies suggest that IF may be as effective as voluntary calorie restriction for weight loss. It also has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, protect brain cells, promote healthy brain function and decrease seizures

One of the explanations for these health benefits is that it promotes a cellular repair and clean-up known as autophagy, which may protect against infections, degeneration of brain cells and cancer.

There are many types of IF, but the method that I recommend involves restricting food intake to an eight-hour window each day. For example, you could eat only between the hours of 10:30 a.m. (breakfast or brunch) and 6:30 p.m. (after dinner).  During the fasting period you may drink water or herbal tea; this will not interfere with the benefits of the fast. During the feeding period, you should eat according to the program and not purposely restrict calories, or for that matter, try to overeat to make up for the meal skipped.  

 I suggest that you finish your dinner no later than 7pm, as you should try to avoid eating less than 3 - 5 hours before bed.   Eating too close to bedtime does not allow your body to burn any of that energy off before you sleep, and as a result there are lots of electrons (from the breakdown of food) floating around in your body contributing to free radical damage, and inflammation.

While intermittent fasting is a good approach for many people, there are some situations where it is not recommended:

·       Pregnancy.

·       Chronic fatigue.

·       Hypothyroidism.

·       Eating disorders, as it may exacerbate the tendency to control food.

·       Children. Growing children and adolescents need to eat regular meals for physical and cognitive fuel and shouldn’t go for long stretches without healthy foods.

Lifestyle

There are several lifestyle factors that may contribute to weight gain:

·      Lack of physical activity, i.e sitting for long hours at a time and not moving enough

·      Chronic stress

·      Poor gut health

·      Lack of sleep or not getting poor quality sleep

·      Too much exposure to artificial light at night.

Let’s go through these individually:

Physical activity

In our ancestor’s day, life required constant activity.  Unfortunately, unlike our ancestors there are fewer opportunities in daily life to participate in physical activity i.e. children watch television, or are on their tablets playing computer games, daily; many schools have cut back on physical education; bicycle riding on our busy roads has become more dangerous; the workplace has become increasingly automated; household chores are assisted by labour-saving machinery, and walking and cycling have been replaced by automobile travel for all but the shortest distances.  Hence as exercise has become such a rarity, we need to plan our physical activities.  As a result, it is too time consuming, too exerting (especially if we do not feel good or are overweight) uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Inactivity is said to be responsible for:

·      A weakened cardiovascular system

·      Increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides

·      An inability to burn body fat

·      An inability to perform even simple tasks, like running up stairs

·      An inability to hold up our skeleton, due to the thinning and weakening of bones overtime

·      A disruption of bowel function

·      A disordered glucose metabolism, and,

·      A decline of sex hormones causing a huge increase in impotency etc., etc., etc.

Indeed, exercise is known to prolong life, increase levels of our major antioxidant, glutathione, in cells of both healthy and sick people, release chemicals called endorphins that makes us feel good, and improve Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDF), which stimulates new brain cell development.

Also, some form of physical activity, and decreasing the amount of time spent sitting, is important for weight loss.  

What is really interesting is that while exercise is paramount to maintaining a lean body, there are independent scientific studies that have found that intense exercise can actually negatively affect active weight loss.  Let’s look at this bold statement more closely.  

·      Firstly, fat, not carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for our muscles, as it supplies more than twice the energy of carbohydrates and is far more plentiful.  Therefore, one has to be able to release fat from the storage depot efficiently when you place greater work demands on your body during exercise. However, when your insulin level is too high, due to a high carbohydrate (low protein/low fat) diet, the fat release drops to a trickle making the body switch to an inferior, lower octane fuel: carbohydrates.  Hence, if you are exercising in such a manner as to maintaining 70% of your maximum heart rate for 20 minutes or more, (as prescribed by most personal trainers), the muscles, not able to get enough fat, will switch over to using stored carbohydrates, especially if you begin exercising too hard.  In other words, your aerobic exercise program isn’t making you any leaner – especially considering the amount of time you might be spending in the gym.

·      Surprisingly, while a certain amount of exercise is beneficial, exercising for prolonged periods does not extend longevity according to Harvard studies.  This phenomenon is due to the increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammation on the body with increased exercise intensity.  In other words, the increased production of free radicals at the molecular level counterbalances the increase in fitness, so that the net effect on the longevity curve is nil.

·      Furthermore, an increase in exercise intensity causes an increase in production of the stress hormone, cortisol, in response to that stress and muscle tearing.  The increased and maintained levels of this hormone are the fastest way to lose muscle mass and strength, compromise immunity, as well as accelerate bone loss. These high amounts may also result in stimulating hunger and cravings. This is definitely contrary to what one might expect from extra exercise!!!

So how do you get around this.  There are a few effective ways that I like to recommend.

1:  Walk briskly for 15- 30 minutes each day.  This exercise is not too strenuous but will still limber up your muscles.  If you are listening to your favourite music, and taking the time to appreciate the beauty outdoors, it will also be an effective de-stressor.

2. Get up from your chair every 30 to 45 minutes if you sit for long periods.   If you are working in an office, this might be a good time to get a drink of water.  

3. Bounce lightly on a rebounder.  Rebounding has been shown to have so many benefits as it moves your lymph effectively, does not impact your joints, provides gravity for your bones etc.  Read my blog on my website called “Why I love rebounding” https://naturopathsolutions.com.au/2018/11/29/why-i-love-rebounding/. On my website I also have great rebounders for sale https://naturopathsolutions.com.au/shop/

4. Join a yoga class or do Tai Chi.  These forms of movement are great for your mind, your health, as well as not being too strenuous during your time of active weight-loss.

5. Aim for 8,000 -10,000 steps a day. Integrate light activity throughout the day, such as gardening, household chores, parking a few streets away from your destination, and going up stairs instead of elevators.

6. Do some weight resistance exercises using weights, or isometric exercises, where you use your body only to provide gravity.  These forms of exercise increase fat burning and help maintain muscles and bones, as well as provide a plentiful supply of glutamine, an amino acid important for gut health, and cell replication of the immune system.  Only muscle cells make glutamine.  Hence, the more muscle you build, the more glutamine you produce.  If you are going to do some weight resistance exercises, do them first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast and please, do not overdo it, especially during active weight loss. If you are doing intermittent fasting and you are starting to be fat-adaptive, your energy will come from fat which will make your workout more effective.  Also, ensure that you are only working one muscle group at a time, and wait 3-4 days before re-exercising that muscle group.  This will provide the necessary time for the muscle tears, generated in the prior work-out, to heal and prevent cortisol from increasing unnecessarily.

Sleep

During the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, the body is naturally programmed to repair itself, both structurally and physiologically.  During this healing and repairing phase growth hormone peaks.  Consequently, you are reducing your ability to access this vital hormone if you are not getting to bed on time. Also, if you have had a stressful day, like most of us do, and/or are suffering from some form of inflammation, your body needs time to repair, so the sooner you can get to bed, the more you’re going to help your body heal. Moreover, this healing and repairing sleep during these optimal hours helps build muscle, and the more muscle we have, the more efficient our metabolism.

Additionally, our bodies are subject to circadian rhythm, otherwise known as our body’s natural clock.  This is based on the light and dark cycles of the day.  In the morning when the sun rises, cortisol is stimulated, and this alerts the body to wake up.  In the evening, when the sun goes down, cortisol levels decline, and our sleep hormone, Melatonin, (which also acts as a potent antioxidant and needed for tissue repair) increases.

If a person is suffering from a disrupted sleep, or sleep deprivation, or is sleeping during the day instead of at night, the dysregulation of the body’s clock can lead to an imbalance in blood sugar, insulin issues, and thyroid problems. Therefore, getting enough sleep and getting it during the right hours is vital.

While it might sound odd to say that performing the most sedentary activity, sleep, is more important that during exercise during active weight loss.  While physical activity has been on the decline in the past 50 years, there has also been an epidemic of inadequate sleep that has emerged.   This issue has contributed to altered energy homeostasis and subsequently increasing obesity risk. The reason that lack of sleep quantity and/or quality disrupts weight regulation by:

·      Increasing our hunger hormone, ghrelin, and reducing our satiating hormone, leptin, signalling;

·      Increasing appetite;

·      Reducing willpower, as the increased fatigue compels the person to have a preference for energy-dense foods for a quick lift;

·      Decreasing metabolic rate, leading to fewer calories burnt for energy; and,

·      Reducing the desire to exercise or perform any form of physical activity.

It is also important to note here that obesity may contribute to disturbed sleep i.e. sleep apnoea.

To enable better sleep quality and quantity, on should:

·      Minimise the use of electronic media for at least two hours before bedtime. Dim the room lights in the home after dark, and consider wearing orange-tinted glasses, to filter out melatonin-suppressing wavelengths of light. These glasses block out the spectrum of light that suppresses melatonin and are remarkably effective in reversing artificial light’s melatonin-suppressing effects in clinical studies, thereby improving sleep quality as well as mood.

·      Minimise the use of tablets, smartphones, or the TV after dark, or if you do, wear your orange-tinted glasses.

·      Patients should allow at least eight hours for sleep and remove all distractions from their sleeping environments.

Some patients may have sleep apnoea, which is more common in those who are significantly overweight or obese. If  this could possibly be the case it is important to be tested and treated.

Stress

Acute stress elevates cortisol, which suppresses the immune system, prevents tissue repair, and interferes with glucose metabolism. One of the hallmark signs of cortisol dysregulation is weight accumulation around the middle. Chronic stress may also lead to low cortisol levels (popularly referred to as “adrenal fatigue”) and long-term disturbances to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function, metabolism, endocrine, and sleep patterns. Patients who aim to lose weight need to incorporate a stress management practice into their daily routines, whether that’s meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, yoga, tai chi, biofeedback, or Feldenkrais.

Gut health

Imbalanced gut bacteria, especially the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, have been associated with an obese body type, and it was shown that when study subjects changed their diets, their gut bacterial balance (and weight) shifted to match a lean body type. An effective way to support gut health is by eating plenty of fermentable fibres, bone broths, and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kim chi, beet kvaas, and water kefir. Avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics because of their harmful effect on the gut microbiota.

Supplements

The best supplements to support weight loss will vary from person to person, depending on the specific underlying causes contributing to their condition. For example, if someone is suffering from irritable bowel syndrome as well as having trouble sleeping, supplements that help improve gut health and improve the quality of sleep will be most helpful. Whereas for someone with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, supplements that improve blood sugar regulation and optimize fat-burning capacity may be more suitable. This may explain, in part, why the evidence for weight loss nutrients is so mixed.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

A growing body of evidence suggests that an unhealthy gut microbiota contributes to weight gain and obesity, and that probiotics and prebiotics may help prevent and even reverse this effect.

Avoid Weight loss supplements

As the weight loss industry is huge, it is no surprise that there are literally thousands of supplements marketed as “miracle” weight loss cures. Indeed, new ones are popping up every day, and are very often advertised to be the best thing since sliced bread for burning that stubborn fat. Many patients are so desperate for solutions that they will try these products. Unfortunately, many of them are either completely ineffective or downright dangerous as they often contain harmful chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, or other diseases. Make sure your patients throw out these products and stick to your dietary, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations for at least two months. This is sufficient time to produce significant results in all but the most recalcitrant of cases.

Conclusion

Now the choice is yours.  If you take care of your diet, exercise correctly, think with a winning attitude, heal your gut and possibly take appropriate supplements for any nutritional deficiencies or insufficiencies, you will give yourself every chance of living longer, and more importantly, living better.

You now have most of the answers to achieve this goal.

I wish you every success in all your endeavours, and I sincerely believe that as your fat comes off, the real you will come out.  LOOK OUT WORLD!!