My 6 favorite pro-health and weight-loss hormones

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

Nature’s superfood seeds: Will the fiber you’re getting really help?

Since nature has created so many nutritious and healthful food for us to consume, I’ve honestly no idea why we can buy only so few things in our grocery stores with the rest being factory made junk. Well, maybe I do. If every farmer grew varied crops for our year-round enjoyment there wouldn’t be Wall street corn, soy, wheat and sugar futures markets. And farms would be small and community—not big corporate conglomerates with stock prices to support. And their marketing wouldn’t be so effective as to restructure our thinking with “treats” that are “tricks.” Our understanding of fiber has, … Continue reading

Can you out-run a fattening diet? Weight loss theory de-mythed.

health-based food pyramid

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

“Crungry” Blood sugar imbalance affecting your memory?

kick the sugar habit

  Ah the dangers of high blood sugar… then the entire body response to lower toxic levels of blood sugar… and then… blood sugar goes too low… “Crungry”—you know… cranky because you’re hungry. Thinking it is about to starve and die, the body now creates a stress response: crankiness, cravings, anxiety, sometimes jitters and faint-headedness… It is such a primal response: low blood sugar = drastic moods and single-focus “feed me!” And we no longer care what. This primal single-focused subconscious drive throws out everything and goes for the fastest quick-fix money can buy at the closest convenience store: But … Continue reading

Obesity: the making of an epidemic

Not just in the US, all around the world, obesity and related problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes are at levels we’ve never before seen. More people are now overweight than underfed. Surprisingly, a person can have normal weight yet still be over fat—still have excessive fat inside their body surrounding their organs. Why is this bad? Because the deep fat—the intra-abdominal or visceral fat as it is called—also becomes a sponge for toxic chemicals. The concentration of fat-stored toxins can be 1000’s of times higher than that circulating in your blood as demonstrated by my dear … Continue reading

Stevia: Friend or Foe?

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Given the massive consumption of sugar around the world, and the now-not-debatable link with obesity, diabetes, renal failure of metabolic syndrome, and probably cancer, we still search for the Holy Grail of sweeteners: is there some sweet treat that doesn’t cause inflammation and weight gain like cane or corn sugar? Or that creates that delight without being so high calorie while providing no nutritional value? Is stevia the answer? Heck, we’ve even assumed man’s best friend needs sweet treats and begun imposing feeding them “low calorie” “diet” grain-based (that say “no empty calories”) pet foods sweetened with stevia. A type of plant native to Central and South America, Stevia … Continue reading

Those Crazy Cravings; What to do?

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Cravings, cravings, cravings…although giving in to quick fixes may wreck your personal goals, cravings are really not bad. They are just telling you your body is missing something. While most of us have trained ourselves to believe cravings are bad, usually they are your body’s way of saying you are missing something important. This is as true of those horrific cravings when trying to quit smoking as it is of drug and alcohol cravings and, yes, those weird food cravings of pregnancy and more. In part, cravings may start because you may have decided to change your lifestyle and remove … Continue reading

Why We Get Fat (part 2)

www.successhealthcoach.com = successful weight loss

Debunking the “eat less / move more” weight loss program. In Why We Get Fat (part 1) I explained the radical change in mainstream nutrition advice starting late 1970’s: we were told to cut the fat out, eat fat-free, low-fat… you know “eat healthy.” The food industry complied. We got an infinite number of new “Heart Healthy”, Low-Fat, No-Fat, “diet” and more high carbohydrate convenience products than we could possibly need—always in a hurry these were supposed to be healthier for us, right? Carbohydrates were placed on the bottom of the food pyramid; the fundamental base of good nutrition. Grains … Continue reading

Why We Get Fat (part 1)

Exactly; why do we get fat? We all want to do the right thing, feel and look great, have more energy… We have listened to our doctor who says we have to lose weight for our heart, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes… Nothing’s working; what do we do? Weight loss: what are we missing? Most of us at one time or another have tried calorie-counting, portion control, and despite all we did to deprive and control, we’ve felt the humiliation and self-invalidation of failing… The obesity epidemic: Why? A piece of history: Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled in the … Continue reading

Lose Weight: Turn Off the Fat Switch

http://successhealthcoach.com

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

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