How to Overcome the Weight Monster

[Guest guest]

Let me add:

 

The best " diet " is NO diet. I lost (??) 150 lbs and have kept it " off " for

five years. I was up to 475 lbs from yoyo dieting. Dr Wm. Saunders of

Atlanta , GA.,now retired, took me in hand and after clensing through several

methods: I increased my excercise level, ate a balenced diet of fresh food,

drank at least a gallon of water a day, got enough rest, fast one day a week,

and I also engaged in a little colon hydrotherapy.

 

A cheap plan that works. Since then, I've opened myself up to " Alternative "

knowledge and found a wealth of info not in the mainstream (why????????????)

 

The before mentioned " American " diet is the culpret for other reasons, too.

Everyone likes to eat....No one likes to cook, or more specifically, likes to

wash dishes. By sticking with freash fruits and vegies, and using a slow cooker

and steamer, I've lived very well and now I'm taking on the next 100 lbs.

 

Lots of luck, out there,

 

Bubba

 

Frank <califpacific wrote:

http://askbillsardi.com/sdm.asp?pg=obes

 

Special report

How to Overcome the Weight Monster

By Bill Sardi Copyright 2003

 

Hold on America, one diet expert is gone (Dr. Atkins), and the next one promises

to save us from ourselves (Dr. Phil). At least that’s what Dr. “tough love” Phil

is saying to his 65-million TV audience. But the irony of it all is that while

TV viewing is non-caloric, as a sedentary activity it adds a lot of pounds to

Americans. It might be better to eat your TV set than watch it. TV watching and

video game use are major reasons why American youth are so overweight. [int J

Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Sep; 27(9):1100-5]

 

Almost any diet will do: A press release issued from the American Heart

Association meeting says most diet plans work, the high-fat Atkins diet, Weight

Watchers diet, the ultra-low fat Dean Ornish diet, and the low-carb Zone diet.

Doctors are so overwhelmed by the epidemic of obesity, they are practically

begging their patients to begin dieting. In his no-nonsense book entitled “The

Ultimate Weight Solution,” Dr. Phil wants America to know that weight loss is

achievable by simply re-programming your life. As Dr. Phil says, “you never see

a fat coyote,” but then again, nobody is going to live like a coyote and hunt

for and grow their own food or walk everywhere like animals do. (For the record,

Bill Sardi is 6 foot even and currently weighs 198 pounds while Dr. Phil is 6

foot 4 inches tall and weighs in at 240 pounds.)

 

Books often don’t provide the specific instruction one needs to successfully

control weight. To be successful at weight control you have to understand your

body, your stage of life, your family environment, your hormones, your

geographical location, the season of the year, and certainly deal with the food

culture that surrounds you.

 

America: Programmed for obesity

 

First, let’s get over the idea that you are guilty and entirely responsible for

the epidemic of obesity now rampant in the USA and spreading to other developed

nations. Americans didn’t suddenly lose willpower. It’s just that they never had

the opportunity to make bad food choices as they do today, and were never

bombarded by messages to “drink beer and eat chips” when watching football on TV

as they are today. All-you-can-eat restaurants don’t help either.

 

Prepared food or restaurant food is what most Americans eat today. Our

lifestyles have changed. We’re on the run. Life is much more fast-paced today.

Sometimes limited food choices are made in airports, schools, on a quick lunch

break at work. What’s expedient is favored over what’s nutritious.

 

In America, donuts reign. French fries are the supreme vegetable choice for

Americans. Desserts are everyday instead of a once-a-week treat as they once

were long ago. Fast food is really fat food, designed to compete for the taste

buds of Americans by adding fat. You have one reason not to feel guilty about

gaining weight. It’s not necessarily a failure in willpower but rather a culture

that has been designed around foods that induce weight gain.

 

America as a society is overweight because obesity is programmed into our lives.

Animals are fattened in the feeding pen just prior to slaughter, which results

in about 17 pounds of additional weight for meat eaters. Sugar is laced into

bread (sour dough means they didn’t add sugar). Canned goods and prepared foods

have sugar added. While half the world can’t find enough calories, in the past 3

to 4 decades Americans have increased their calorie consumption from around 2900

calories to 3700+ calories. Some Americans consume 5000+ calories per day.

 

If you think you are controlling the food pantry in your home, mom and dad, you

might like to know that about half of the soda pop kids drink is consumed away

from home.

[J Am Diet Assoc. 2003 Oct; 103(10):1326-31] It’s getting more difficult to

control the family diet.

 

Is there a way out? Yes, but most Americans aren’t likely to find their way out

of this extra large mess. Still, for those individuals who really do want out of

the weight trap, then here is information you may find useful.

 

Don’t blame it on your genes

 

Did you ever notice how spouses begin to look alike, by body shape? They don’t

share the same genes, but they do share the same dinner table. Canadian

researchers have concluded that environmental factors rather than genetics play

the strongest role in obesity. [Obes Res 1999 Nov; 7(6):545-51]

 

It’s easy to come to mistaken conclusions regarding excess weight and family

genes. For instance, a person might say that Asian kids are leaner and Hispanic

children are chubbier, so it must be in their family’s genes. But actually, one

study showed that Asian school kids watched less television and drank less soda

pop than Hispanic kids, factors that related to body weight. [Arch Pediatr

Adolesc Med. 2003 Sep; 157(9):882-6]

 

Don’t fall into the mental trap of saying your excess weight must be genetic.

Prisoner of war camps disprove this.

 

Waist gain: In just a decade, the waist circumference of American adults

increased from 37.5 to 38.8 inches for men and from 34.9 to 36.3 inches for

women. [Obes Res. 2003 Oct; 11(10):1223-31] It’s abdomonal obesity that really

increases the risk for disease. A 9-year study of middle-aged US males revealed

the following:

WAISTLINE FACTOR

Source: Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 78:719-27

Increase/decrease in waist circumference

 

Hydrogenated fats instead of polyunsaturated fats+0.30 inches

Smoking cessation+0.78 inches

Television watching 20 hours/week+0.23 inches12 grams increased fiber

intake-0.25 inchesVigorous weekly physical activity-0.15 inchesHalf-hour a week

in weight training-0.36 inches

Letting out a small notch in your belt every year: For most people weight gain

progresses slowly with advancing age. Adults gain about 2 pounds a year between

the ages of 20 and 40 years. This means an excess of about 100 calories per day.

Just taking 2000 more steps a day, or about 15-20 minutes of walking, would

negate this weight gain. [The Lancet 2003; 362: 1046-47]

 

10,000 Steps to success: About 70 percent of the population doesn’t get enough

physical exercise. How much running around do you do in your job or home chores?

Will that suffice for weight maintenance? A pedometer and encouragement to walk

10,000 steps each day might be a helpful way of gauging your activity levels.

[WMJ. 2003; 102(4):31-6]

 

Exercise works, even mild walking programs. Formal programs of exercise training

can reduce body weight and fat, but, in many cases, the changes produced by

exercise are small. When combined with calorie restriction, exercise results in

little further weight loss, but there may be a loss of body fat and a trimming

and shaping effect. An exercise program that burns off 1500 calories per week,

or 300 calories per day, is a minimal goal. [Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am.

1996 Dec; 25(4):965-88]

 

Do you get much more out of a more prolonged exercise program? One study showed

that women who report less than 150 minutes a week involved in vigorous physical

activity achieved about a 4.7 percent weight loss. Women who spent 150 minutes

or more per week in physical activity achieved a 9.5 percent weight loss. More

than 200 minutes of intense physical activity per week produced a 13.6 percent

weight loss. Yes, greater results are achieved with more prolonged weekly

activity. [JAMA. 2003 Sep 10; 290(10):1323-30]

 

Select the types of fat: The type of fat in your diet needs to be selected.

Laboratory rats fed a high fat diet consisting of different types of oils.

Soybean oil produced the greatest rise in body weight compared to fish or palm

oil. Exercise reduced the body weight of the fish and palm-oil fed animals, but

not the soybean oil fed animals. Soybean and palm oil induced insulin resistance

(the inability of insulin to enter cells and burn calories properly). [Obesity

Research 10: 947-955, 2002] This author likes flaxseed meal, one tablespoon a

day, which provides loads of fiber, essential omega-3 oils and other nutrients.

(Forti-Flax by Barlean’s is a good brand. Find at www.barleans.com)

 

Gender differences in weight control: There is a gender-related factor in weight

gain. While women have the curse of not only being shorter than men and thus are

more “pudgy” in appearance than males of the same weight, they also undergo

greater demands and changes in their body than males due to childbirth and the

change of life (menopause). Women also have another subsequent problem, the

control of iron. Menstruating females may be low in iron, not necessarily anemic

(cold hands and feet are a sign), and have low iron stores.

 

Tests conducted at the School of Public Health in Harbin, China, give us a hint

at the importance of iron for women. Laboratory rats provided sufficient amounts

of iron exhibit improved thyroid hormone production. The body fat of obese rats

is lower when given iron supplements. It suggested that adequate iron can

improve the level of serum thyroid hormone. [Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2002 Jun;

31(3):174-7] Lean red meat is a good source of readily absorbable iron. Iron

pills, however, are problematic, and may cause nausea and increase the rate of

infection. One iron pill per week would do, instead of daily supplementation for

women. The only safe form of iron supplement is carbonyl iron (Ferronyl brand

name), since toddlers are not at mortal risk with accidental overdose. Once

menopause sets in, women shouldn’t be taking supplemental iron because they no

longer have menstruation to control it.

 

The thyroid is the themostat: The thermostat is the body’s governor of

metabolism (rate of calorie burning). Surveys show that less than 10 percent of

overweight individuals are low in thyroid hormone. [Endocrinol Metab Clin North

Am. 2002 Mar; 31(1):173-89] But this figure is misleading. Blood tests often

miss real cases of low thyroid. If women are fatigued and cold and gaining

weight, they should place a thermometer under their armpit when they first arise

in the morning and, while laying still, wait 5 minutes. If the axillary

temperature is under 98 degrees, low thyroid may be a problem.

 

Ladies only section

 

It’s not difficult to understand why women have such a difficult time

controlling their weight. They are very complicated animals biologically. For

one thing, women are a moving target, their hormones cascading and plunging like

a roller coaster, and then childbirth, menopause and other factors like birth

control pills all come into play. Read about it below.

 

When do females crave carbohydrates? Hormonal fluctuations involving the

menstrual cycle influence appetite control and eating behavior. Changes in

appetite, food cravings and calorie consumption during the menstrual cycle may

parallel cyclical rhythms in serotonin, a mood-controlling brain chemical. The

premenstrual period is a time when women are especially vulnerable to

over-consumption, food craving and depression, all which are associated with low

serotonin activity. [Hum Reprod. 1997 Jun; 12 (6):1142-51]

 

By time of day, one study showed that carbo-craving more often occurs around 4

PM and 9 PM, particularly during the premenstrual period. Also, when women are

deprived of sunlight (the winter blues, seasonal affective disorder), they are

carb cravers. Since the brain chemical called serotonin reduces carbohydrate

intake, its precursor tryptophan can be utilized to enhance the release of

serotonin. [The J Clin Psychiatry. 1988 Aug; 49 Suppl:37-9] For example, the

serotonin-inducing drug fenfluramine decreases carb-craving by about 40 percent.

However, tryptophan-rich foods might be helpful, like dried figs, pineapple,

bananas, popcorn, turkey meat.

 

As estrogen levels rise with the monthly cycle, so does the need for magnesium.

Among chocolate cravers, 9 of 10 are women, and chocolate provides a significant

amount of magnesium. About 50 percent of all food craving is for chocolate.

About 44 percent of American females and 17 percent of American males crave

chocolate. [Appetite 1999; 33: 61-70] Oddly, only 32 percent of women in one

study linked their food cravings to the monthly cycle. [Appetite 1991; 17:

167-75]

 

Stage of life and weight control

 

Pregnancy: In one study, hypertension was found in 42.4 percent of pregnancies

of obese women vs. only 5.84 percent of non-overweight pregnant women.

Carbohydrate metabolic difficulties were found in 11.8 percent of obese subjects

vs. 1.2 percent of a control group. The main consequence of maternal obesity on

the child is an overly large baby (over 9 pounds) that may need to undergo early

induced birth to avoid complications or stillbirth. The rate of cesareans for

obese women is high. A careful diet of 1200-1500 calories per day is recommended

with 40 percent from protein and 30 percent from fats. Rapid-absorption sugars

should be excluded. [Lyon Mediterr Med Med Sud Est. 1985 Oct; 21(16):10179-80]

 

After childbirth: Women are prone to gain weight after childbirth. [Obstet

Gynecol. 1995 Nov; 86(5):834-8] The hormones are still raging to grow a baby,

and hunger pangs remain. In one study, women were on average about 8.8 to 14.52

pounds heavier 18 months after childbirth. Most of the women in this study

gained weight after weaning their infant from breast milk. [J Hum Lactation 1998

Jun; 14(2):119-24] Exercise after childbirth does not produce significant weight

loss unless calories are limited as well. [Obes Res. 2002 Aug; 10(8):841-53]

 

Menopause: Menopause may trigger weight gain in females. Menopause results in a

reduced expenditure of calories during rest and with physical activity and

increased weight gain at the waist. [Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2002 Jul;

81(7):603-11]

 

Oral contraceptives: Oral contraceptives appear to cause weight gain because

estrogen stimulates the appetite. [Lyon Mediterr Med Med Sud Est. 1985 Oct;

21(16):10179-80] It’s common for young women who use oral contraceptives to

smoke tobacco to make up for the weight-gains caused by birth control pills.

 

Those polycystic ovaries: It is estimated that 5 percent of the female

population is affected by polycystic ovary syndrome. They are likely to

experience weight gain, menstrual irregularity and sugar control problems.

[Minerva Ginecol 2002 Apr; 54(2):97-114]

 

Black or white: For as yet unknown reasons, young black women tend to burn fewer

calories per day than young white females. The difference is about 71 calories

per day. [Am J Epidemiol. 2001 Oct 15; 154 (8):718-24]

 

SAD in the winter: Are you living in Boston, Seattle, or along the Canadian

border? Are you gaining weight in the winter? There may be more to weight gain

than just being snow bound in the winter. In Sweden, during winter months at

this northern latitude, winter depression and weight gain often set in. It’s the

lack of sunlight that’s the problem. Solar radiation (visible light, not

invisible UV rays) via stimulation of the retina at the back of the eyes,

triggers the production of brain and adrenal hormones. In winter months

researchers at the Umea University Hospital in Sweden use light therapy to

control weight. Just 4.5 weeks of light therapy produced a 3.3 to 5.28 pound

weight loss and improved mood. [int J Eat Disord. 1996 Dec; 20 (4):443-46]

 

A study conducted in Seattle found that women who took a brisk outdoor walk

during winter months and took a multivitamin were less likely to be depressed

and assumedly experience weight gain. [Women’s Health 2001; 34: 93-112] Again,

tryptophan-rich foods would be advisable in winter months at northern latitudes.

 

MSGeeeee!: Another reason why Americans are programmed to be overweight is that

the FDA permits foods to be laced with a nerve stimulant that induces obesity.

Few people understand that glutamate, as monosodium glutamate (MSG) in foods, is

a nerve stimulant. That’s how it enhances taste in foods, it stimulates the

taste buds. Researchers in Germany now theorize that MSG-laced foods are making

people obese. The MSG intoxicates the signals coming from the hypothalamus which

results in weight gain and hypertension. Even babies in their mother’s womb can

be exposed to MSG which can create a propensity towards obesity later in life.

German researchers now recommend abandonment of MSG as a flavoring agent. [J

Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Sep; 16(7):965-8] MSG is often hidden in foods,

labeled as “hydrolyzed vegetable protein.”

 

As an aside, MSG can over-stimulate neurons in the brain and retina. Laboratory

rats given a diet high in glutamate experienced thinning of their retina, which

means it is destroying the sensitive nerve layers at the back of the eyes. Here

is the language used by the authors of the study: “The present study suggests

that a diet with excess sodium glutamate over a period of several years may

increase glutamate concentrations in vitreous and may cause retinal cell

destruction.” [Exp Eye Res. 2002 Sep; 75(3):307-15]

 

Weight-loss drugs are problematic: Drugs used to treat excessive weight gain

are:

 

1. Appetite inhibitors. Amphetamines do this but are banned because of their

addictive effect. Sibutramine (Meridia) is another weight-loss drug being used

that inhibits appetite. [An Sist Sanit Navar. 2002; 25 Suppl 1:143-61]

Sibutramine is a centrally-acting agent which enhances satiety and thermogenesis

by inhibiting serotonin and noradrenaline re-uptake. It is appropriate for

patients who are unable to lose weight by lifestyle modification. [Expert Opin

Pharmacother. 2002 Dec; 3(12):1711-8]

 

In November 1997, the US Food and Drug Administration approved sibutramine, a

serotonin inhibitor, for the treatment of pathological obesity and the

management and maintenance of weight loss. In March 2002, sibutramine was

temporarily withdrawn from the Italian market on the basis of 47 adverse event

reports received between April and December 2001. Here is the rationale behind

the use of sibutramine. In the words of Italian doctors, “The overall

risk/benefit profile of sibutramine remains favorable, with the rate of fatal

reports involving patients receiving sibutramine being 200 times less than the

obese women's mortality rate in the Nurses' Health Study.” So the doctor’s say

there is strong evidence supporting the usefulness of the correct use of

sibutramine in the management of obesity. [Eat Weight Disord. 2002 Sep;

7(3):161-7]

 

What about ephedra? Hey, wait a minute, that’s what the advocates of ephedra (Ma

Huang) are saying. Ephedra poses health risks, but obesity poses even bigger

risks. Ephedra is the stimulant/diet supplement that has been widely blasted in

the news media in the USA for serious side effects. No question about it,

ephedra is problematic. Just drink 10 cups of strong coffee and see if your

heart doesn’t begin to flutter. But this reveals why there is an effort to

remove ephedra from the marketplace. It is the most effective lean body mass

agent ever, and the drug companies want to remove it as a competitive product.

Their surrogates, the doctors, want patients to come to them for weight loss

management, so the two conspire to eliminate the over-the-counter ephedra.

 

So doctors continue to prescribe sibutramine, which may raise blood pressure and

has amphetamine-like side effects. Once this drug is stopped, weight is gained

back. Some doctors do not believe this drug is appropriate for the management of

obesity. [Prescrire Int. 2001 Oct; 10(55):140-5] But there are no front-page

news stories condemning this drug like there are for ephedra.

 

2. Fat blockers, like Xenical (orlistat) block fat absorption by about 30

percent. In one study, orlistat produced about 6.6 pounds additional weight loss

over and above that achieved by dietary measures over a period of a year. [int J

Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1997 Jun; 21 Suppl 3:S24-30]

 

Xenical (orlistat), a lipase inhibitor, depletes the body of beta carotene,

vitamin E and vitamin D. Vitamin D levels may be depleted even when 400 IU

supplements are taken to prevent this occurrence. [Pharmacotherapy. 2002 Jul;

22(7):814-22]

 

 

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

 

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard