Day 283- Keep it Simple- How to Loose Weight

The biggest question that I get asked from people is, "how can I loose weight." Many are surprised that my answer has nothing to do with starving yourself, working out until you drop, or avoiding fat. It's actually quite simple (for the most part). If you want to loose weight you have to stop stimulating the body to release insulin in such large amounts. The more insulin your pancreas secretes the more likely your body will store fat in your fat cells and muscle cells and inhibit fat breakdown.

Simple carbohydrates and processed foods are the biggest cause of excess insulin release. Foods like white rice, pasta, or bread are some of the biggest culprits. These foods break down extremely fast in the body causing an insulin spike. According to Mercola, "increased insulin levels can cause insulin resistance, which is the number one underlying factor of nearly every chronic disease and condition known to man, including weight gain."

So let's back-up a bit and explain a little of the physiology of how the body handles food intake. When you eat your body has to break down the food into smaller molecules- whether it is carbohydrates, proteins, or fats. If it is a substance that the body can't break down like with fiber, alcohol, or toxins then it either passes straight through your body or it gets transported to the liver to be processed.

Carbohydrates broken down to it's simplified form is glucose, this process can be done directly in the gut or while in the liver. Carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, cereal, candy, soda, fruit, rice, etc will all be broken down into glucose. In the standard American diet we are consuming way to many carbohydrates, meaning we have an excess amount of glucose that our bodies are being forced to deal with. We need fuel for our bodies to function, glucose included, but when we have more fuel than our bodies need, then it can become a problem. Glucose in excess can cause many physiological issues, and is quite toxic to our bodies when found in large amounts in our blood stream.

Excess glucose in our blood stream triggers the beta cells in the pancreas to secret the hormone, insulin. The function of insulin is to move glucose to the cells, whether it be to the liver or the muscle cells where it is stored as glycogen, until the body is in need of more glucose.

But what happens when these cells become full? As is the case in a great deal of people. If you eat a diet high in carbohydrates and are not active, YOUR CELLS WILL BECOME FULL. So with no where else for the glucose to go it gets converted to fat! Now this a scenario when fat is actually unhealthy for the body. Eating a diet like the ones that I have talked about in the past that includes saturated fats from coconut oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and other healthy fats is not an issue, sugar is! What? Fat doesn't make you fat? Sugar does?

Author of the book "Good Calories/Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet Weight Control and Disease," Gary Taubes says, "It's not fat that is making Americans fat, it is the base of the food pyramid, the complex carbohydrates, foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes. It's the starches we were told we needed that make us pudgy."

When the body is exposed to a constant amount of excess glucose a condition called insulin resistance develops. Insulin resistance is when the body is producing large quantities of insulin to try to help remove the large amount of glucose that is in the blood stream. But since the cells are already full with all the glucose that they can handle the insulin receptor sites on the cells begin to become resistant to insulin. Since the glucose is unable to get into the cells, the pancreas releases even more insulin to try to help, but the receptor sites become even more resistant. The only option left is to move the glucose into the fat cells where it gets stored as fat.

Once the cells become resistant to insulin the muscle cells are no longer able to receive the amount of glucose that they need to function properly. Not only is this an issue but insulin also inhibits the action of lipase, which is the fat-burning enzyme; making it much more difficult to burn stored fat. So bottom line is that you are getting more fat while at the same time loosing muscle.

If no changes are made, such as dietary changes or exercise, then eventually the pancreas becomes run down and stops producing insulin all together- which then becomes what we call type-2 diabetes.

Not only can this situation make you fat, but there are a host of other health concerns that can be affected as well. The longer glucose stays in your blood stream the more havoc it can cause; leading to inflammation throughout the body, clogged arteries, a rise in triglycerides, nerve damage, and thyroid issues.

This all sounds great, right?

Well it doesn't have to be this way, there are two simple changes that you can make that will make huge differences in your body.

1. Exercise- get off the couch and get moving. Your liver and muscle cells can't fill up with glycogen if you are burning the glucose off. When you exercise, your muscles need glucose, so if need be they will actually up-regulate insulin receptors in order to get glucose into the cells.
2. Diet- Cut back on your carbohydrate intake! Remove all sugar, refined or processed foods from your diet and eat more protein, vegetables, and healthy fat.
   

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 79- Weight is Just a Number

Why are so many of us so obsessed with the numbers on the scale? While no matter how well we eat, exercise, or how well our clothes fit us it will never feel as good as seeing the scale change numbers.

Truth be told, the scale does not tell the whole story. Yes, we have all heard that a pound of fat and a pound of muscle all weigh the same, or that a pound of feathers and a pound of bricks all weigh the same. A pound is a pound no matter what the object is, but there is more to this picture when it comes to your body and trying to loose weight.

First of all, your weight may fluctuate several pounds throughout the day. Think about when you weigh yourself first thing in the morning verse at the end of the day. Water weight can definitely move the numbers up or down and cause you to see a slight difference each time you step on the scale.

What many people forget about is that although the scale may not be budging from that set number, muscle is more dense and takes up less space than fat. This is why as the scale stays the same you may still begin to look leaner and your clothes may fit you better. Look at a woman that weights 140 lb. with 15% body fat verse a woman that weights 140 lb. with 35% body fat. The woman that only has the 15% body fat is going to look a lot leaner than the one with the 35% body fat.

Not only does muscle make you look leaner, it also will help you stay leaner and burn more calories at rest. Muscle helps to boost your metabolism, so that although they weigh the same, a pound of muscle will burn more calories at rest than a pound of fat.

The challenge is remembering that even when the scale doesn't cooperate the way you want, you may still be making progress on your weight loss goals. Focus on how your clothes fit, and the healthy tone you develop from working out. These will be your true markers and will help to keep you motivated.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 32- Drop it like it's hot!

Swimsuit season is starting to rear it's ugly head, and that means for most people it is time to get on track for that sun goddess or god body that we can show off with pride. My post a few days ago where I highlighted our best man's new transformation seemed to encourage a few people that they too needed a new transformation. Taking the feedback that I received from that post I decided that I was going to create a nutrition/exercise plan for summer 2011, called "drop it like it's hot." Anyone who has a little extra "junk in the trunk," wants to tone up, or just wants to eat healthier is welcome to partake. My plan is to support, encourage, and teach whoever is interested as they take the journey through this physical transformation. Drop it like it's hot will not be a completely structured program; as I believe each person is an individual and requires a program that is customized for them. The goal is for you to find what works best with your schedule, your food likes and dislikes, and your individual goals.

In the program we will not focus on counting calories, but more on changing our diet to incorporate whole foods, and less processed foods and carbohydrates. I will be encouraging everyone to get up and exercise, however they prefer. I will be adding an exercise routine each week that you can do on your own and on your own time. I will be available to answer questions that you encounter as you begin to change your dietary habits. AND most importantly I will be joining you in this program, because it is way more motivating when you aren't doing it alone.

To start the program I want to encourage everyone to write down their goals that they are looking to accomplish; if it's to loose weight, write down your target weight. If it is to tone up or become more lean, maybe writing down your starting measurements and then throughout the program retesting them to track your progress. If your goal is to learn how to eat healthier, maybe you want to begin to write down your meals each day so that you can tract the changes that you have made. I would also like everyone to take a "before" picture, even if you aren't looking to transform your body, you might be surprised by the change you see in the "after" picture when you start to switch processed foods for real, whole foods.

The diet plan for Drop it Like it's Hot, includes, plenty of protein (beef, chicken, turkey, and most importantly fish), as much fresh vegetables that you would like to eat, a small amount of fruit (eat low glycemic and eat along with a protein source), lots of water, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates (choose sources like brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes). Foods high in sugar, simple carbohydrates (bread, pastas, white rice), trans fat, and that are highly processed need to be eliminated. Alcohol should be consumed only in moderation, since I know most people won't entirely cut out alcohol if I asked, but remember most drinks contain a lot of empty calories so choose wisely.

The exercise routine for Drop it Like it's Hot, includes a variety of activity. Make sure that you are mixing up weights, stretching, aerobic and anaerobic exercises throughout the week. Our goal is to push ourselves harder than we have been doing, to increase our strength, our endurance, and our weight loss (if that is your goal).

I have decided to write posts periodically for Drop it Like its Hot, that will provide dietary tips, meal plans, and exercise plans. If there are any special requests for additional support, feel free to let me know. For those that have tried eating healthier and that exercise hard on a regular bases and are not seeing the results that they want, there may be underlying issues that we may need to address. Underlying thyroid conditions, blood sugar imbalances, hormones, birth control pills, detoxification issues, or even food sensitivities can all hinder your progress.

So let's recap:

Foods that are allowed:

• Meat (all types, excluding pork), make sure you are choosing organic, avoid meat that has been feed hormones and that is not free range or grass fed.
• Vegetables- eat as much as you want; raw or steamed mainly
• Nuts and nut butters
• Fruit, aim for low glycemic
• Complex carbohydrates, like brown rice and quinoa

Foods that should be avoided:

• Simple carbohydrates, breads, white rice and pasta
• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Packaged, processed foods
• Pork
• Low-fat or Fat-free foods
• Any allergic food

Basic sample meal plan:

Breakfast:

2 hard boiled eggs

Steamed asparagus

Snack:

Celery

Hummus

Lunch:

Spinach salad

Salmon

Mixed Vegetables

Balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Snack:

Apple

Almond butter

Dinner:

Grilled chicken

Quinoa

Sauteed zucchini and tomatoes with sea salt and pepper

We are starting the program today, April 1st. For anyone that is interested, your homework today is to start by writing down the goals that you would like to get out of the program and to take a "before" picture. Simple, right? Today is also the day that you should take the first step in your transformation; whether you decide to run for an extra 10 minutes, skip the friday night happy hour, or head to the grocery store to stock up on new healthier food choices.

Although, each of our approach will be different and unique in this transformation, by doing it together we will be able to support and encourage each other. So, starting today we are all going to start working on dropping it like it's hot and I promise to provide periodic tips and suggestions to keep us all moving in the right direction.

Stay tuned for more information!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 31- HCG Diet

New diets are always popping up, which makes it hard to know which one will actually work and which one isn't worth the money or effort. From the Atkins diet to the tapeworm diet, we are constantly hearing about the "new magic weight loss" scheme that is all the rage.

The newest diet that has been making the headlines lately is the HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) diet. Not only does the diet sound too good to be true, but it has also received a lot of negative media attention as well. Regardless, I have seen it in action and I have to admit that it works. Although I agree that the diet works, this doesn't mean that I condone the diet or think that anyone should go on it. I'm just here to give you some facts so that if you choose to, you can make your own informed decision.

HCG is a hormone that is produced in a pregnant woman. The HCG hormone is the reason that a pregnancy stick changes to pregnant or shows a smiley face, since the hormone is only made during pregnancy and is released in the urine when a women is pregnant. The purpose of the HCG hormone during pregnancy is to guarantee that a fetus receives the calories and nutrients that it needs to grow regardless of the woman's caloric intake. If a woman doesn't consume the nutrients needed for fetal growth, HCG will release storages of fat from her body to use as fuel for the fetus. HCG is only present in the body during the first part of pregnancy and will slowly taper off after the 14th week.

The HCG hormone was discovered to reduce excess weight in the 1950's by Dr. A.T.W Simeons. When Dr. Simeons started treating boys with underdeveloped gonads with the hormone and noticed that they were loosing excess weight with out any hunger pangs.

How Does the Diet Work?:

The diet is broken into 3 stages:

• Loading
• Burning
• Maintenance

There are several forms of the HCG hormone going around right now. Originally in order to receive the hormone it had to be prescribed by a doctor and they would give you injections of the hormone. HCG is now offered online in a homeopathic version; which is warned to be a placebo and that it does not actually contain any of the HCG hormone (although this is the form that I have known people to use and have see work). The diet lasts no more than 40 days and no shorter than 23 days. The reason for the strict time frame is that any less than 23 days the greater the risk for gaining the weight back and any longer than 40 days is thought to be ineffective because the body develops immunity to the effects of the hormone. The diet can be done several times, but the individual must take a six-week break after the 40 days.

Along with taking the HCG hormone you must reduce you daily caloric intake to 500 calories per day. The belief behind the effects of this hormone is that when eating so few calories HCG will trigger you body to release stored fat that will sustain the dieter. So whereas if you or I were to reduce our caloric intake to 500 calories per day, most likely we would feel like we were starving ourselves. The HCG hormone supposedly eliminates the feeling of hunger when on such a restricted diet. The diet begins first with 2-3 days of gorging; eating everything and anything that you want or see; this is called the loading phase. This is done so that your body will begin to adapt to the effects of the HCG hormone.

People on the diet have been said to loose 1/2 - 1 pound a day. With an average total weight loss of 35-40 pounds. Another appeal of the HCG diet is that it is said to burn the fat from unwanted areas, such as stomach, thighs, and butt. Once excess fat has been used up the diet must be stopped since it only works when there is excess fat to burn.

The HCG diet consists mainly of protein, vegetables, and some fruit. Carbohydrates, sugar and fat need to be severally reduced and alcohol is forbidden. Make-up, perfume and moisturizers are also discouraged. Since you are only consuming 500 calories, exercise should be very minimal.

Once the 40 days have been completed the maintenance phase must be done. During this phase HCG is stopped, calories are increased, but restriction of carbohydrates and fats should remain.

There are several arguments with the HCG diet, one being that anyone eating only 500 calories a day will loose weight. The difference that advocators of the HCG diet point out is that when the hormone is used along with the diet there are no hunger pangs. It is also suggested that many of the HCG products out there are only placebos and provide no added benefit for dieters. This statement might also be true, but science for years have shown that placebos work when it comes to mind over matter.

HCG has not yet been approved by the FDA as a weight loss supplement, but has been approved as a fertility drug. This should be considered for any women on the hormone, since the chances of becoming pregnant are increased when on the hormone.

My thoughts on the HCG diet?

I have always been an advocate for eating right and exercising and am always skeptical about the "new magic" weight loss rage. I also am weary about the side effects that may occur from messing with the body's natural hormones. Giving men a hormone that is only present during pregnancy, seems too unnatural for me. But still I can't discredit the results that I have seen through my peers that have chosen to partake in the HCG diet. Through a restricted diet hopefully it can teach people about portion control and heathy eating habits. I also believe that many people will not learn anything through this diet and will once again adopt their unhealthy eating habits, thus regaining much of the weight that they lost.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog where several of my friends and I begin our "Drop it like its Hot" exercise/diet plan just in time for summer.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

PS. If you are interested in learning more about the diet, I found a great blog that provides recipes and answers to all kinds of questions: www.hcg411.info