|
Sign up for my newsletter today and read two of my books for FREE!
|
|
|
An A-Z Woman's Guide to Vibrant Health
Overweight and Obesity
Obesity and being overweight constitute the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking, and are considered to be the most common nutritional disorders in the industrialized world today. More than 60 percent
of the U.S. population has a weight problem. The picture is much the same in Canada with data provided by the Canadian Community Health Survey between 1990 and 2001 showing that 48 percent of the Canadian population
is packing too much poundage and 15 percent is classified as obese. Pharmaceutical companies are pumping billions of dollars into new weightloss drugs to fight the war against fat. Geneticists try to unlock and manipulate the genes that make us fat—one day hoping for a vaccine that will keep us thin. Yet the secret, as you will discover in this section, may be more complicated than reducing calories and exercising more often—our hormones may be the culprits contributing to our fatness.
Causes
Old theories about weight loss were based on the “calories in, calories out”
rhetoric. Simply put, if you ate less food and exercised more, weight loss would occur. Those who exercise daily, eat salad and carrot sticks, drink glass after glass of water and still don’t lose weight can vouch that weight loss is not that simple. And we all know the person who can eat whatever they wish, has never set foot on a treadmill and doesn’t put on a pound. There is a complex interplay of hormonal, biochemical, genetic, physical and
lifestyle factors that are causing our battle of the bulge.
You know you have to exercise but you have no “get up and go.” Low thyroid function and exhausted adrenals are two other reasons why we gain weight and have no desire to work out. See Adrenal Exhaustion and Thyroid for more information.
Basal Metabolic Rate: Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the rate at which
your body burns calories when you are at rest. Thyroid hormones and how
much you exercise are two factors, among many, that have an effect on what
your metabolic rate is when you are doing nothing. Metabolism refers to the chemical reactions that take place inside our cells to create energy. All the
fuel, which includes carbohydrates, fats, essential fats and proteins, in the food
we eat is broken down to produce the energy the body needs to maintain our
body temperature, help us breathe, move our muscles and more. A peak operating
metabolism can burn up a lot of fuel (food) and create plenty of energy
or conversely a slow metabolism will store the fuel as fat. Thermogenesis is the
process that burns stored fat.
Liver Function: If you have been dieting for years and were never told a
healthy liver is essential for fat loss it isn’t any wonder you may not have
reached your fat-loss goals. The liver is the most important organ in the
body, filtering blood, processing and packaging hormones, removing toxins,
metabolizing proteins and carbohydrates into energy, manufacturing cholesterol
and breaking down fats, among hundreds of other vital functions.
Excess weight around the middle, whites of the eyes that are dotted with
fatty yellow bumps, fatty cysts and skin mottled with “age spots” are all signs
of a congested liver, more commonly called a “fatty liver.” Clogged bile
ducts, inadequate secretion of bile, not enough bile, or an overwhelmed or
congested liver from too many prescription drugs, toxins or alcohol can all
contribute to a fatty liver. These factors cause our liver to inadequately
break down or emulsify fats, and our fat cells to store too much fat, promoting
weight gain or resistance to fat loss.
Hormones That Make Us Fat: Any disruption of the liver detoxification pathway
contributes to excesses or imbalances in hormones, toxins and our ability
to lose weight. The liver is also responsible for conjugating or combining
estrogens and other steroid hormones, certain drugs and chemical compounds.
Too much estrogen (also called estrogen dominance) is one reason
why women have a difficult time losing fat around the abdominal area. A
decreased rate of estrogen excretion via liver detoxification contributes to
what we commonly call “estrogen belly,” which is simply too much fat
around the middle, promoted by too much estrogen due to faulty excretion
of excess estrogens.
Too much fat on our body also increases our estrogen levels as fat cells are
a storage site for estrogen. Contributing to our fatness is the fact that fat
cells also manufacture estrogen. This sets up a viscous cycle of too many fat
cells manufacturing and storing too much estrogen which creates high levels
of estrogen which maintains our increased fat.
Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, may be the main culprit contributing
to our “fatness.” The standard excessively high carbohydrate, low
protein diet is disrupting our body’s ability to regulate blood sugar adequately.
When we have too much insulin being pumped out to reduce
abnormally high blood sugar, we inevitably gain weight, become fat and our
cells become very resistant to insulin and fat loss. Everyone who is overweight
has insulin resistance and insulin resistance puts us at higher risk of
heart disease, cancers and diabetes.
Another deadly aspect of high insulin is that it increases the secretion of
cortisol, our stress hormone. High cortisol causes a corresponding drop in
the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). DHEA helps to increase
muscle mass, improve immune function, is a precursor to other hormones
and has been called our anti-aging hormone. Most importantly for fat loss,
we know that more muscle mass causes increased fat burning and a reduction
in insulin. As we can see, high insulin promotes a very negative cascade
of effects.
Leptin, a hormone produced by body fat, is critical in telling the body when
to eat and when we are satisfied. We know that in some people the message
of satiety is not heard and the fat cells send out more and more leptin, causing
resistance to leptin, increased food cravings and the desire to continue eating.
In other people, leptin levels are low due to zinc deficiency.
Unrelenting chronic stress is another factor that promotes weight gain.
New research performed at Laval University in Quebec shows that chronic
stress causes our fat cells to become resistant to fat loss, especially fat cells
around our abdomens. Cortisol activates fat cells—all fat cells—to store fat!
But those that are called central fat cells, found mainly deep in the abdominal
wall, have four times the cortisol receptors on their cell membranes.
Each time you are stressed the cortisol-fat mechanism turns on and your
body stores more fat to handle all the stress you are experiencing.
Serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain made from the amino acids
found in proteins, is also involved in notifying your brain that you are satisfied
and can put down your fork. Neurotransmitters are messengers that
communicate between cells. Low serotonin causes depression, obesity,
lethargy and a preference for refined carbohydrates and overeating because
the brain senses it is starving. Those that are hyper-secretors of cortisol
exhibit suppressed serotonin levels, which may lead to problems managing
weight. We know that in vulnerable persons depression promotes weight
gain. When we diet and restrict protein-rich calories, our serotonin levels
also plummet. The connection between serotonin, cortisol and weight gain
is currently being heavily researched. Simply by lowering cortisol levels
through stress management and the use of specific serotonin-enhancing
nutritional supplements, including 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), you can
begin to regain control over your weight.
PRESCRIPTION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH
|
|
|
|
|
Multivitamins with minerals; (contains no iron)
FemmEssentials or MultiEssentials for women |
|
|
As directed. For complete formula recommendations see Appendix A |
|
| For optimal nutrient status. To aid proper thyroid function and support adrenals Contains zinc, known to normalize leptin Contains essential fatty acids including GLA and flaxseed oil to aid metabolism of fat |
|
|
|
ThyroSense if you suspect low thyroid is contributing to your weight problem |
| | 2 capsules at breakfast. Ensure your total daily iodine from all sources does not exceed 300 to 400 mcg. |
|
|
Important for enhancing metabolic rate for proper weight loss Support for the thyroid gland |
|
|
|
1-2 tablets in the morning containing:
Bitter Orange Extract 150 mg
Yerba Maté Extract 200 mg
Green Tea Extract 200 mg
Cayenne pepper 100 mg
Ginger Root 50 mg |
|
| Helps to burn fat, increase metabolism, curb appetite, and control blood sugar levels |
|
|
|
1 capsule before meals containing:
Phaseolamin 2250 (Phase 2) 250 mg
Casssia noname Extraxt 75 mg
Gymnema Extract 50 mg |
|
| Blocks up to 80% of starch eaten at a meal, reduces fat absorption by up to 30% at a meal and reduces fasting blood sugar
levels |
|
|
Garcinia cambogia
(Citrimax) |
|
| 500-2000 mg per day
Also available as a tea |
|
| Helps to halt the conversion of carbohydrates into fat and increase fat-releasing enzymes. It also inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| | 50-100 mg three times daily taken at breakfast, supper and bedtime |
|
| Stops carbohydrate cravings. Improves mood |
|
|
| |
| Revs up fat burning. Contains amino acids including tyrosine which binds with iodine to make thyroid hormones |
|
|
HEALTH TIPS TO ENHANCE HEALING
- In addition, I recommend you look for my new book The Body Sense Natural Diet (Wiley 2004).
- To rev up your fat-burning furnace, eat protein for breakfast. This will
increase your metabolism by 25 percent and that increase lasts for several
hours.
- Quantity of food is given most of the credit for our weight woes; the quality
of the food we eat plays an equally important role. Saturated fats, trans-fats,
fake fats, aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates,
processed meats and cheese, diet foods and sodas conspire to make us fat
and disrupt our hormones. Eliminate all of these toxic foods.
- Have your thyroid checked. See Thyroid.
- Use PGX™ fiber in Slim Styles and BodySense Meal Replacements.
- Keep insulin levels normal by eating small, protein-rich meals throughout
the day and eliminating the white foods (white sugar, white flour, white
rice, white pasta, white potatoes). See Diabetes.
- Allergies and sensitivities to food also contribute to increased bloating, poor
digestion, weight gain, water retention and an overall puffy appearance.
Leaky gut syndrome is caused by years of food allergies, bacterial overgrowth
in the gut, Candida and stress (high cortisol). The name “leaky gut” refers to
when waste, bacteria, and partially digested food are allowed to pass into the bloodstream from a damaged or leaky gut. The foreign substances should have stayed in our digestive system are now floating in the blood
stream, causing additional stress on the liver and fluid retention, with
individuals packing around 10 to 15 pounds of extra fluids. Our body
approximately two-thirds water, found in all our cells and tissues (where
it is essential for all bodily functions). But when water becomes trapped
tissues and around cells, detoxification and proper cell function, including
the movement of fat into and out of cells is inhibited.
- Exercise 10 minutes with weights every day.
- The dinner plate is too big. The amount of food we should be eating at
a meal fits on the side plate.
Top ^
|
|
|
|
