Posts Tagged ‘weight loss’

Calorie counting is destructive. The initial goal should be to get strong and fit. Counting calories can make many dieters weak. Being hungry all the time is counter productive.

Calorie control equals weight management to most people, and even the medical experts think this is true. What calories really do is different from the hype. When the weight loss industry capitalizes on the proven benefits of cutting calories, what they are doing is promoting a way to utilize diet in an unhealthy way.

Caveman Diet

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (USCF) say their research has shown people on a high protein diet combined with plenty of vegetables show dramatic health improvements. These include weight loss, and lower blood pressure. What they are talking about is a diet that is considered similar to the “Hunters Gathers” or caveman diet.

Dr. Tim White a paleobiologist from the University of California Berkley said: “Our Biology is still basically the same biology that we had as hunters and gathers 100,000 years ago in Africa.” Dr. White said the constant physical activity that the cavemen had to undertake to hunt and find food kept them fit, lean, muscular and active. Their diet consisted of large amounts of lean meat, and vegetables.

Robert Lustig, MD. an endocrinologist at UCSF, said that people on the diet have experienced a regression of their diabetes as a result, to the point they are effectively cured.

Dr. Kim Mulvihill, a reporter from CBS tried the diet herself and doctors recommended she should stay on the diet permanently. Her cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels dropped dramatically over a few weeks. After seven weeks she was no longer pre-diabetic, and by combining the so called paleo diet with a weight loss program she lost thirty pounds.

Fish

Another article talked about people who eat fish as their primary source of animal protein. They reported lower glucose concentrations with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Valencia reported in the journal Nutricion Hospitalaria that there are benefits from a Mediterranean diet high in fish consumption. This study showed the benefits of the omega 3’s in fish. Omega 3 from fish and grass fed meat controls inflammation. Micronutrients from both vegetables and fruits also, turn off inflammation.

Inflammation

There are a good number of studies that show weight gain may be linked to chronic inflammation. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition researches looked at nine years of data tracking 1,222 adults and found that weight gain was associated with an increase in chronic inflammation. This may be why weight gain is associated with heart disease and cancer. Both these conditions are associated with chronic inflammation.

Counting calories is counter productive, especially when you buy 100 calorie packs of pure carbohydrates in the form of crackers of cookies. The only weapon against obesity is whole foods diet with all the omega 3 fatty acids and nutrients your body need.

A diet based on vegetables, and fruit with some high quality protein is better than a calorie restricted diet for weight management. A nation that has embraced calorie counting as a way to control weight is deluding itself into thinking that saving calories can repair the damage done by faux foods. By changing your goal from weight, to having more energy by becoming healthier your will achieve a consistent weight.

Junk food leaves an indelible mark on your appearance and health status. The Halloween candy you hid from the kids has been gone for at least 2 months. The pies and buttered mashed potatoes are no longer a regular staple at your dinner table. The assorted chocolates, candy canes and tasty beverages are just a fond memory. The bubbles from the New Year’s champagne are something you are already dreaming about for next year.

Why do they have to be gone so soon? Oh, but wait! They are not permanently gone. As we look in the mirror we see where their new home is.

Junk Food, the Tangible Results

Uh oh! Now what? Many people find themselves a couple to a few pounds heavier after the first of the year. It’s tempting to go on a crash diet or take a quick fix pill to help shed those pesky pounds. While you may lose weight at first, it’s likely those homesick pounds will find their way back to you like a needy relative. They may even bring a few friends! The best diet is no diet at all. At least not in the sense of the word we have grown accustomed to hearing.

Your eating habits define who you are. You eat junk food, you feel and look like junk. You eat mood altering foods and you are moody. When you drink high sugar, high caffeine drinks, your energy will rise and fall. This sounds like a crazy way to fuel our marvelous bodies, but for so many; this has become a normal way of life. After eating like this, the next step is often going on medication for diabetes or high blood pressure. These are the tangible results of junk food.

Finding the Fix

Finding the fix means thinking healthy and taking action. You have control! When you eat the way nature intended us to with vibrant fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds fish, healthy proteins and plenty of fresh water; you become vibrant and healthy. Your body naturally stops craving too much food because it is satisfied from the fiber and correct balance of proteins, carbs and healthy fats. Instead of envying the people who look like they are healthy and full of life, you will be that person! But wait! What about when the holiday season comes back around? Consider the 80/20 rule. Eat right 80% of the time so if you slip up 20% of the time, you can use your new found energy to work off the extra calories. Start this minute with positive thoughts and a determination to improve your life!

Calorie counting is going off the deep end in American culture. Calorie counting is not benefiting the American public. Calorie content of food is not an indicator of the amount of weight you will gain. The amount of weight you gain will depend on your choice of food, and the amount. To many this may seem like calorie counting.

Calorie Counting Fails

Calorie counting is not functional when you consider the deeper meaning of food. That is because our concept of calorie counting in not rooted in nature. Calorie counting has become popular with consumers because of how food is sourced.

The aesthetics of the packaged food is more of a problem than calories. What is in the packaged food is responsible for mitochondrial decay and aging, cellular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, and the obesity epidemic. The calories provided are a mute issue.

Plenty of people who counted calories wind up with a gastric bypass. It isn’t because they couldn’t count it is precisely because they could count. They most likely were told to count the calories.  Most people are looking at the wrong numbers. When they consume food they are looking at calories and not necessarily nutrients. When your body has adequate nutrients it stops feeling starved and the craving subside.

Nutrients Count

According to Bruce Ames who developed the Triage Theory of Aging, obese people are hungry all the time because the body is craving missing nutrients such as magnesium. Dr..Ames is emeritus professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. In the Life Extension Magazine dated August 2011 he states that Americans are filling up with junk and are wildly deficient in vitamins and minerals. No where in the article does he blame obesity on too many calories.

People who opt for gastric bypass have bypassed the laws of nature. They weren’t getting enough nutrients to support their body. These surgical interventions for obesity are not reserved for only morbid obesity, they are now being approved for people who are overweight and tried everything else.

Macronutrients

To run your metabolism you need the basic macronutrients and these come from fats and carbohydrates. Every metabolic pathway requires micronutrients to supply the calories. Low fat, no fat and no calorie sodas are not the solution but the problem. We are a society obsessed with the calorie count of every morsel of food we put into our mouths.

Metabolic function depends on how we prioritize what we consume. If calorie counting is on top of the list we will suffer an alarming rate of both obesity and chronic health problems. So far that looks like the course of action America has taken to fight the rising rate of obesity. Calorie counting is more that a phrase or faze we are going through, it is what is blatantly touted as a cure for the obesity epidemic.