Weight Control

DON’T BE FOOLED by miracle diets and get-slim-quick adverts. The only diet that really works is one that includes a workable food plan, exercise and motivation.

A workable food plan simply means a diet that works for you. If you restrict yourself to cabbage soup or powdered drinks, you’ll soon get bored and will go back to your old eating habits. A lasting weight control plan helps you to find a modified diet that will become as natural to you as breathing. It is fundamental to your long-term success and wellbeing to find a healthy relationship with food that doesn’t involve a love/hate obsession, relentless calorie-counting, starvation or bingeing.

Many overweight people find the thought of exercise daunting. It can be a chicken-and-egg situation, where you want to lose weight before you exercise, so you won’t look awful at the gym. Walk the kids to school, walk a couple of streets before you get the bus, take a twenty-minute walk at lunchtime. Begin with one small step and before you know it, you’ll be feeling confident enough to go swimming, join the gym or get on a bike.

Motivation is the toughest aspect of weight control. When you are lying in bed at night you are full of good intentions for the next day, but the toast and jam call to you at breakfast and it’s hard to resist elevenses. Joining a club can often help you to stay motivated.

It is best if you don’t weigh yourself too often -  once a week is enough. Remember that fluctuations due to your monthly cycle are normal so don’t be despondent with the odd weight gain.
And if your first dieting/exercise strategy doesn’t work as well as you hoped, adjust it until you get the desired result.
Be realistic and short-term in your goals. It's suggested that you set an initial 10% of body weight goal, which seems more achievable than heading for your goal weight.

There are a good number of vitamins and herbs available that can give your weight loss a boost alongside your diet, the rest of this section describes how they work.

A

Alpha Lipoic Acid for less fat storage and increased energy
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) acts as a powerful antioxidant and has the ability to enhance the effects of other supplements including vitamin C and vitamin E.
Researchers have shown how ALA increases glucose uptake muscle cells and decrease glucose uptake by fat cells at the same time. The general result is more energy production in muscles and less fat stored in the body.
An Israeli study reported that the increased glucose transport actually leads to increased energy production.
ALA is an excellent supplement for people who are trying to build muscle and lose fat. It can be found as a separate supplement or within good Chromium formulas.

Arginine / Ornithine increases fat-metabolism in liver
A duo of amino acids that can help transport fat cells to the liver where they are pooled, used for energy and metabolised. This has the benefit of using up the bodies own fat as a potent energy source and in the process actually dissolves your own body fat.
Ideal time to take this is at bedtime on an empty tum for maximum absorption, so that as you sleep the fat can gather in the liver. When you wake, delay breakfast until you have rushed around for an hour or have exercised, then you will burn up the fats that have been stored in the liver at night.
Caution – Do not take if have cold sores, shingles / as arginine & ornithine feed the herpes virus.

C

L-Carnitine increases fat burning in the heart  & muscle
Energy, endurance and stamina. Carnitine is very important for fat metabolism, especially in heart and muscle cells.
Carnitine helps move fat that sits outside the cells into the cell’s mitochondria for burning into energy.

GTF Chromium helps blood sugar regulation and reduced cravings
A very important mineral that not only helps to reduce sugar cravings by regulating blood sugar levels, but also helps to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle tissues.
A trace mineral complex with added chromium in another ideal way to take chromium too, as the other minerals will provide extra endurance in exercise and stamina if needed.

Co-Q10 & MCT for fat burning & energy
Co-enzyme Q10 is a natural enzyme present in all of us, but levels can reduce with a hectic lifestyle and getting older, hence we may feel more tired and have lower energy. A deficiency could decrease thermogenisis (heat production) and energy production. Co-Q10 literally helps you ‘burn’ more calories within the cell’s mitochondria.
Co-Q10 is also an antioxidant, essential in heart health.  Add MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) for maximum absorption of Co-Q10, MCTs are pre-digested fats from coconut oil and help the body to transport and utilise the Co-Q10.
MCTs stimulate the cell to produce ATP – Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, the energy chemical) and increase thermogenesis.

Coleus Forskholii for weight loss enzymes
Coleus activates some key enzymes at cellular level and using the body’s own mechanisms can help reduce allergic response and increase cellular fat-burning. Common uses of Coleus are in psoriasis, allergies and bronchial conditions, plus weight loss.
One of the key studies supporting the use of Coleus in weight loss featured 23 overweight women using Coleus for 12 weeks. The study results found that although no significant differences were observed in caloric or macronutrient intake, Coleus helped mitigate gains in body mass—that is, subjects taking Coleus observed a decrease in bodyweight while subjects taking the placebo continued to gain weight. Additionally, the study showed users felt less fatigue, so they had more energy. And their appetites were reduced, so they felt fuller for longer. Also on the upside, there were no reported negative side effects.

Complete Fibre & FOS to transport fats out of the body
Fibre is very effective at taking out excess fats in the body, via the digestive tract, thereby preventing them entering the blood stream where they can get stored. Also a great way to feel full without having to take on board the calories, so it is ideal to supplement around 3pm to ease tummy rumbles.
FOS – (fruit fibre) feeds the good bacteria in the gut, reducing bad bacteria.


D
Dietary/lifestyle issues
Limit or cut out sugars, alcohol, fried foods, red meat and dairy produce.

E
Exercise, even gentle exercise such as a 20 minute walk each day can greatly enhance a weight loss programme. Exercise burns fat and builds body-firming muscle, it is also essential for heart and lung health and for a cheerful disposition.

G
Green Tea
In an open study, the effects of green tea extract were evaluated in moderately obese patients. After 3 months, body weight was decreased by 4.6% and waist circumference by 4.48%.  Results suggest that green tea extract can be a helpful for the treatment of obesity, which exerts its activity by several ways: inhibition of lipases and stimulation of thermogenesis (metabolic production of heat).

H
HCA
HCA (Hydroxycitric Acid) is extracted from the berry Garcinia cambogia.
HCA has been demonstrated to reduce the conversion of carbohydrates into stored fat by inhibiting certain enzyme processes in the body.

Bringing it all together - a daily programme for weight loss

Arginine/Ornithine
x 1-2 teaspoons a day away from food – mixed in apple juice.

Carnitine
x 2-4 a day away from food.

Chromium
x one capsule daily with food.

CoQ10 with MCT
x 2 to 4 capsules daily with food.

Coleus Forskholii
x 1 to 3 capsules daily with water.

Complete Fibre
x two capsules half an hour before each meal with water.

Green Tea
x 3 capsules daily with water.

HCA
x 1 capsule half an hour before each meal with water.