Weight loss anyone?

Many people complain of excess weight, which they would love to lose. Since this is the most obese nation on the planet, it's not hard to get a fair number of those not happy with their shape. Yes I know, round is a shape, but it looks better on oranges and bowling balls.

Discipline is essential in losing weight. This discipline involves food choice, time of consumption, volume of food consumed, and activity levels. Those who see the greatest success are those who eliminate sugar and sodas from their diet.

Eating natural, whole foods prepared at home serves to eliminate chemical additives that trick your brain into telling you that you to eat more. Additives in food that create this sensation are High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), and sugar. HFCS reduces the amount of leptin your liver produces. This is a hormone that tells your brain you’re full. If you drink a soda after finishing a meal, the HFCS will reduce the leptin production, causing you to still feel hungry, even when you may have just consumed a large amount of calories.

Examine foods in your home and when shopping. You may be surprised at what you find. Applesauce, pancake syrup and many canned foods contain HFCS.

Another area that sabotages people are trans fats. Remember this. Labels lie! If you read on a label zero grams of trans fat, read on. You’ll probably find the words partially hydrogenated oil in the contents. This is trans fat!

A study that compared diets using olive oil and those using trans fats showed a 7% greater body weight in the trans fat group. This helps to explain why European statistics show lower incidence of heart disease. Trans fats increase levels of bad LDL cholesterol and they decrease the good HDL.

Extensive research on vitamin D has shown that when vitamin D levels are too low, there’s an increase in enzymes which actually accelerate the conversion of calories to fat. Ever wonder why people who spend time in the sun seem skinnier?

Exercise is something many really don’t want to hear about. An hour of watching TV burns only 5 calories an hour. Watching the Super Bowl and drinking one soda will give you a net increase of 140 calories after only 20 burned. Those who exercise regularly are the ones who consistently keep the weight off.

If you’re missing a gallbladder, it’s more difficult to lose weight due to poor fat emulsification. The use of bile salts in this situation can help to correct this.

To lose weight and keep it off, drink water instead of fruit juice and sodas. Eat more meals at home. Avoid sweets and pastries for breakfast. Take mid morning protein snack with you to work (This can be nuts, boiled egg or cheese). Eat a mixed green salad with protein on it for lunch. Exercise at least a half-hour daily. Choose to park further from the store and use stairs in lieu of elevators. Avoid HFCS, MSG, and trans fats. Cut back on sugar and use foods which are high in chromium to increase your body’s ability to burn calories (we like to use a product which is a glucose tolerance formula from Standard Process). Restore gallbladder function with bile salts if it has been removed. And lastly, entertain a spirit of joy in your heart. This serves to increase metabolism and strengthen your immune system.

I have to give the credit to my wonderful naturpathic doctor, Dr. John Briggs for this article. He has helped me with my health problems, which includes chronic hives, heart palpitations, thyroid dysfunction and chronic infection.

Medical doctors believe in surgery and prescriptions, while a naturpath doctor treats the whole body.