Hormone (from Greek ὁρμή, “impetus”) n. a signaling molecule produced by glands and transported by the circulatory system to distant organs where they regulate physiology and behaviour. Thousands upon thousands of complex processes going on in your body are regulated by many dozens (and counting) of little proteins or modified cholesterol molecules called hormones. Which, ones are made at what time and in what amounts are regulated by what your body perceives it needs. Hormones influence everything from energy levels, sleep, digestion, fat-burning, fat-storing, sugar handling, hunger… to bone building, inflammation and ability to heal… and more. Hormones can coordinate their … Continue reading →
Four years ago my client who I’ll call Shane explained his frustration. He’d tried everything and was considering the hCG diet—priced at the time at $300 per week of participation, 4-6 weeks. He said it could be bought locally and self-administered… More than just a skeptic, by then I’d helped many individuals “recover” from this diet, individuals whose health declined, weight returned and now had new health problems. That said, just because I attract a group for whom a regimen doesn’t work doesn’t necessarily mean it is bad—we’re all different—but there sure have been a lot of folks… I kept my … Continue reading →
Step 3: Work out your gradient for trading carbohydrates for proteins and fats. Why it works: When carbohydrate foods are digested, they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in the body. The more carbs we eat, the more glucose is created. If we reduce carb intake and instead eat more fat and protein, it causes our internal metabolic pathways to switch from burning sugar to burning fat. This metabolic state is known as ketosis. While in ketosis, your body effectively uses fat for fuel—that’s right, you shed the pounds and inches by shifting what your body uses from sugars and carbs to fats. And don’t … Continue reading →
Know your Carbohydrates: Losing weight is not about eating less, some of us need to eat more—of certain foods. And because so many people are eating things that don’t serve them, various organs and systems are now also suffering and may need some extra help. Keeping things simplest, losing weight is about understanding the role certain foods especially carbohydrates play in energy and in your health. The fact that our bodies will convert carbohydrates to sugars and then has mechanisms to use those sugars for its energy preferentially over fats has created some confusion. Just because carbohydrates/sugars are used first, does not … Continue reading →
Something rare came across my desk today, a readable yet scientifically accurate weight loss truth, finally! The truth about exercise and weight loss—or at least a place to start. Weight loss myths I’ve known: In 2007 the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommended 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise five days a week “to maintain and promote health.” But there was very little data supporting the idea that those who exercise more gain less weight. The USDA urges us to get 90 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise almost every day “to maintain weight”. There’s no … Continue reading →
Solving the weight loss puzzle There are so many different diet and exercise plans to help us lose weight—almost a new one every day. Why? Because none of them actually work. Think about it. While there are certainly healthy ways to achieve your weight goals—the trick is to optimize your metabolism, the rate at which your body burns fuel—being overweight is a symptom. It takes more to address this than the one-size-fits-all programs you can read in a book or accomplish in a few weeks with some nutrishakes or low-calorie foods. Weight loss can’t be packaged and sold for cheap in bulk to the masses—with all … Continue reading →
If you think no self-respecting weight loss diet would exist without counting calories, weighing yourself daily, and structuring your food and meal plans with precision, think again. But… possibly, you are appropriately dedicated and really want to achieve your weight loss goals. Perhaps somewhere in your Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig past you got into the habit of making lists and calculations… or perhaps it is just satisfying. Most people on a weight loss diet need to eat more to stably lose weight! You need to eat more of the right foods. IMPORTANT: carbohydrates turn to sugar in your body which (unless burned immediately in that marathon … Continue reading →
Greetings healthy friends! After wrapping up my year of training in integrated nutrition, I have a surprise for you. Especially for those of you who wrote me after my weight loss series. Have you tried drastic measures to lose weight, regain energy, simply feel the way you should feel… ? I hate to say this, but so often the problem is volumes of very poor information, fads and “quick fix” solutions. So the results don’t last. Many people I know have tried diet after diet, losing and gaining weight, berating themselves for not being able to keep the weight off, … Continue reading →
Lose weight: Weight Loss Remodernized Ancient nutritional theory says getting fat is simply a matter of too many calories and not enough exercise; that to lose weight we have to use willpower, cut calories / exercise more—any calories will do, just eat less of them. What if it’s wrong? If you are among the millions who’ve tried to lose weight by counting calories or low calorie diets know this: obesity does not result from gluttony and idleness, but rather because we have activated a “fat switch” similar to that used by animals in the wild to increase fat stores: it … Continue reading →
Thanks to everyone who came to my packed, full house, talk on 7 Steps to Permanently Lose Weight. One question that comes up over and over and seems to return to our society every few decades (after just enough time, I guess, for people to forget the research) is the HCG diet. “My friend did this and lost …” or “I’m taking the safer homeopathic HCG …” or “I went to a doctor who prescribed the *real* HCG because it’s safer…” Please read on. First of all, let’s get some correct definitions: Diet: n. the foods you routinely eat. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →
