Sunday, November 19, 2006

learning How to Become a Good Loser

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Learning How to Become a Good Loser


The Quest to Reach Your Ideal Weight

It was late in the day and my next patient I would be meeting for the first time. As the woman entered my office upon introduction I was surprised by her response to my question of how she heard about me. She went on to say it was through an article she read in a regional newspaper about a coach who had become well known for getting his clients to become good losers. Once we had taken seats in my office I asked her, What can I do for you today? She answered, Can you help me to lose weight? My response stunned her, Is that all you want me to do?

You see too many times a potential client is focused on getting started and not on what the finish will be. She went on to say that dieting had become a second career. She described herself being very good at losing weight, but no matter what diet she tried nothing worked for very long and the weight always came back, usually with a few extra pounds tagging along to make matters worse. She saw herself as weak, lacking in discipline and her self-esteem was in ruins. I admired her determination; here she was ready to try again, still hoping after all those years of failure. She said, Ive tried everything; theres something wrong with me. I responded, Theres nothing wrong with you. Youve been on diets that are wrong. We dont fail at diets, diets fail us.

Over the last thirteen years I have met thousands of people in the same fix. By the time they come to me, a nutritionist in private practice and known to my clients as The Fat Loss Coach, they have been on every diet imaginable. Their experiences have already proven that diets do not work, but they do not understand why. They come to me searching for a new diet, when what is really called for is a new lifestyle. Why do they need a nutritional coach? They have become good at being overweight and the beliefs and behaviors that support it. It takes more than knowing what to do; you must develop behaviors, which keep you doing what you know.

That was the reason I asked if losing weight was all, she wanted me to help her do. You see, losing weight alone is not enough. To do it right, we would need to make sure the weight she lost was fat, without the loss of lean muscle and bring balance to her metabolism. She commented, I think my metabolism is dead. After laughing, I responded by saying, She would have to break away from the conventional wisdom, which I have proven is not very wise, metabolism is more than just burning calories. I explained, I would teach her the difference between anabolic and catabolic metabolism. In simple terms anabolic means the building up or repairing of tissue and catabolic refers to the breaking down of tissue. To reach her desired ideal weight she would need to learn how to balance both the anabolic and catabolic process. I pointed out, that each time she had lost weight by dieting; her body became stuck in the catabolic mode. Unfortunately, that is why all diets seem to work only in the beginning.

The problem with her dieting, as she lost weight, was a loss of both fat and muscle. Muscle loss occurred because her metabolism became trapped in the catabolic phase. Her body was shutting down because it was being under fed. She was fighting against thousands of years of hormonal evolution, that when under stress of under-eating the body wants to store fat. I said, You are fighting an opponent that is not easy to defeat, its a lot easier to work with your bodys chemistry than against it.

Her next response told me she was starting to catch on. She said, Are you telling me that I am an over-weight under-eater. I smiled and responded, nine out of ten new clients I meet are just as surprised as you, when I tell them they are under-eaters not over-eaters. She went on to say, Im afraid to eat, I spend much of my day in front of a computer and I was worried that a job with a low physical activity meant I shouldnt eat more than small amounts at a time and not very often. I said, foods not your problem, it will become your solution. I will teach you, the secret to managing your weight lies in three changes in eating behavior. To control your hormonal response you must eat the right type of food, in the proper portion, at least four times per day. This will control your blood sugar levels and the insulin, glucagons and cortisol response to what you eat. Like most clients, you are suffering from peeks and valleys in your blood levels. In peeks the pancreas releases too much insulin and the lean tissue or muscles are over-fed and the excess is stored as fat. In the valleys there is too little production of insulin and the lean tissue is now under-fed. This is what caused your desire for snacking during the valleys and your over-eating late in the day. When you eat too little amounts this increases the production of the hormone cortisol due to stress, which causes increased fat storage, combine this with increased insulin levels during peeks in blood sugar and the fat storage is mainly in the abdominal region.

Losing fat without losing muscle begins with not being too aggressive or extreme with your reduction of carbohydrates. You need carbohydrate management, not carbohydrate elimination. Carbohydrates must be controlled in two ways, first is the glycemic index, which refers to how quickly do the carbohydrate turn to blood sugar or glucose. Second is the glycemic load, which refers to how much glucose it turns into. Over the last thirteen years, working with more than 10,000 clients Ive found by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily needs and within 48 hours replenishing the glycogen (glucose and water) in the muscle by eating 100% of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows for fat loss, without muscle loss. In essence you have two fat burning days, then a recovery day. By doing this youll have the best of both worlds. You will experience fat loss that averages between 1-2 pounds weekly, while muscles are being well fed. There will now be a balance between the anabolic, rebuild and repair, and catabolic, breaking down and elimination. The proper amounts of calories you eat on your recovery day will keep the dreaded plateau that most dieters experience.

Her final question was not surprising, she said, this all makes sense, but how will I be able to keep off the fat I lose? Ive never been able to keep it off. My answer however took her by surprise. I said, You dont lose fat, you shrink it. You do not eliminate fat cells you make them smaller. If you think you lost something, then you dont have to manage something you no longer have. That is why you have never made it your lifestyle. Learning what to eat is half the mission getting to your ideal weight and staying there, you must also develop new eating habits that become your eating character. Managing your weight is a lifestyle, its someone you become, and not something you try. I will help you form the belief, discipline and passion to manage your new knowledge of eating. I have helped thousands become their ideal weight from the inside out. Working together we can get you to your ideal body composition by transforming your thoughts and disciplining your habits into a lifestyle.

By Charles Remington
Nutritionist
2 Time Mr. Connecticut
charlie@thefatlosscoach.com http://www.thefatlosscoach.com

Charlie is the author of a nutritional software program that has sold over 100,000 units since 1995. He starred in a nationally broadcast television infomercial that in 1997 was recognized by the Jordan Whitney report as one of the twenty five popular infomericals in the U.S.A. Mr. Remingtons expertise and passion has been well demonstrated on several National Television talk shows, as well as regional news broadcasts. He has been the featured guest delivering his message that foods not the problem, its the solution over national and regional radio talk shows. He has been recognized in publications, radio and television as an expert in nutrition.

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Lawsuits on Foods and Diets


The dangers of processed foods and diets

Why is that the business of food processing is not strictly regulated by law so as to prevent health problems generated by an inadequate diet? Unhealthy products encourage an unhealthy diet.They appeal to the consumer by their availability and invasive advertising. If food producers are controlled by health officials, then regulations must be too lax in as far as marketed foods are concerned.

It is well-known that hydrogenated oils and partially hydrogenated oils, for instance, are extremely unhealthy. Vast volumes of research papers, studies and informative material have been published. Yet a proportion of the population still falls into the trap of believing that margarine is a "healthier alternative to butter, full of vitamins". In fact, the trans-fatty acids it contains surpass the "healthy benefits" it offers. In this particular case, all foods containing hydrogentated oils should have a health hazard warning. Indeed, the law should prevent production of these foods. The health warning should resemble those on the cigarette packs, stating "This product contains trans-fatty acids that increase the risk of heart disease". In this way, people would be constantly reminded of the negative effects of such products on health.

Generally, when it comes to foods and dieting, people should be advised of the potential inconvenience that might occur due to some ingredients or the way food is prepared.

Take for instance the case of so many diets that are undocumented, not officially controlled or approved. They promise great things but are less explicit about the great problems they generate. The very popular Atkins, for instance, a real danger to health, is a case in point.

Why are these anti-health practices not forbidden? The answer is glaringly obvious. Commercial and industrial interests have overtaken interest in people's health.

Recent notable lawsuits

Well-informed consumers play a decisive role in their own health. And if people are not fully convinced by so many scientific studies, by so much information available, then they surely will when they find out about the multitude of lawsuits against food producers or promoters of diets. These include Kraft Foods Inc., producers of Oreo cookies, the McDonald fast food chain and the Atkins diet.

Attorney Stephen Joseph sued Kraft Foods Inc in 2003. Joseph based his accusations on a provision of the civil code of California which states that manufacturers are liable for products if the consumer is not advised of the products' lack of safety. He rightfully claimed that the public was not aware of the high content of trans-fats in Oreos. He declared that he sued out of concern for public health. No money was requested in the lawsuit, which he finally withdrew, explaining that the publicity on this case had made people aware of the health risks of the product. If the lawsuit was intended as bad publicity for Oreos, the goal was not attained. Kraft Foods Inc will continue to produce Oreos in a trans-fat free version.

Another famous case of litigation is the 2002 suit against McDonald's. The lawsuit was filed by the lawyer Samuel Hirsch on behalf of some obese children. The lawyer sustained that the fast food producer misled consumers into believing that the products were healthy and safe. He claimed that eating McDonald's products made children develop health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. The court dismissed the suit on the grounds that no one is forced to eat at McDonald's and that the law cannot moderate individuals' excesses.

In a recent "diet trial" in Florida, 53-year-old Jody Gorran filed a suit against Atkins Nutritionals on May 26, 2004. The plaintiff claimed that after going on Atkins diet his cholesterol level increased so much that he needed angioplasty in order to unblock an artery. In addition to financial damages, he also requests that the company warns the public of the potential dangers of a diet favoring meat, cheese and other high-fat proteins by labeling their products. The outcome is not known at the time of writing.

Even if some of these lawsuits were begun for financial gain rather than humanitarian causes, they have a positive result. The publicity around such cases makes people ask questions, gives them the idea of doubt, the "assumption of guilt".

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.dietsindex.com/ where you can find more information about all diets indexed
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared.
Contact:lauracio@gmail.com

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