Natural Health Alternative Blog

Awhile back I spent some much needed family time in Perth. There, we ended up watching an Australian version of a show called The Biggest Loser.

Reality shows don’t usually appeal to me, but this one caught my attention. They performed calculations about the competitors’ chronological age versus their body’s age.

Given that intense health research was involved in this program, I could not help but stay tuned in. They literally calculated the “body age” of people and it was rather scary. One man was 32 years old when he joined the show, but his body was 56 years old. Given his health issues, he would very possibly die within a few years.

After spending three months of dieting and working out, his body was 39 years old. He added 17 years to his life! Another woman was 27 years old - real age, but at the end of the three months, her body age was 22 years old.

Working out and dieting cannot be denied as part of a healthy lifestyle. A question or term though that arises often in conjunction with weight loss is metabolism. What in the world does this concept really mean and how does it relate to Weight Loss?

At the core, metabolism is actually a combination of chemical reactions necessary to maintain life. It is further categorized into catabolism which breaks down matter for energy harvesting and anabolism which creates proteins and nucleic acids from energy.

While there is much more involved in metabolism (including a lot of lengthy scientific words and concepts) – what most of us really want to understand is how it relates to weight loss and weight gain.

One aspect of metabolism as it applies to weight is TEF or “thermic effect” or “thermic effect of food” as well as “specific dynamic action” or SDA. In simple terms, TEF can describe the measurement of energy required to process food. SDA presents the concept in terms of caloric percentage. For instance, a common but variable example would be that 10% of the caloric intake is used in processing food.

This of course is why certain foods are much more appealing if one is trying to lose weight. The ten percent mentioned above is just an overall estimate. Certain foods like fats digest quite easily. So, very few calories from those foods are used up during digestion. Proteins on the other hand are much more difficult to process.

Some foods are even claimed to result in negative net calories in that they contain fewer calories than required to digest such as celery.

Aerobic activity can also play a part in the thermal effect though at the rate of less than 8 calories per hour. This does not mean that exercise does not affect weight; only that it plays less of a roll in the calculation of energy in food digestion.

Energy is the key component as part of metabolism when it comes to weight. The more calories you are burning, the more energy is needed. So, as it turns out we have little ability to change our metabolism directly. We are however, able to impact the energy we use.

Again exercise does not greatly affect the calories burned in food digestion, but it does burn calories directly due to the need for energy. This is due in large part to the increase in oxygen obtained when exercising.

Increase your oxygen supply, increase your energy. Increase your energy and burn more calories. Combining that with nutritious foods and the result will be a healthy weight.

My Weight Loss Breeze Program is a phenomenal way to increase your oxygen and energy level to shed pounds. It’s not a work out program. You won’t even break a sweat when doing my exercises. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to increase the oxygen and energy level in the body and therefore increase metabolism.

While proper nutrition is recommended, my program actually does not require any special diet and the exercises are easy to do.

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“Do these pants make me look fat?” Most men with a woman in their lives have heard this dangerous question before. For those who haven’t, the answer is always, “NO.” Even your response has to be given carefully – answer too quickly and you aren’t paying attention. If the answer is given too late – and she thinks you DO think those pants make her look fat.

Body image (how we see our outward selves), is everything. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say the most horrible things to themselves while looking in the mirror. Criticisms we should never give to a total stranger, let alone someone we apparently love.

Almost everyone has experienced some sort of dissatisfaction with their appearance. This becomes evident during puberty when our bodies are changing right before our eyes. Body image is not innate, it’s learned.

Problems start to occur when our body image is distorted. This is where one sees oneself as fat when he or she is not or thin when actually overweight. This can lead to low self esteem and even depression.

Sometimes people obsess about their appearances. They constantly have to check their appearance in the mirror and oftentimes see flaws that aren’t even there. This is called Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD.

BDD is an anxiety disorder which manifests itself as an obsession with one’s appearance. It involves persistent thoughts that one’s hair is too thin, nose is too big, thighs are too fat, etc. Disorders which hatch from BDD include anorexia (starving oneself to lose weight), bulimia (vomiting after eating) and even obesity (how ironic).

This is seen more in women (especially teen girls) but men can suffer from it as well. They tend not to share their feelings about their bodies for fear of seeming effeminate to their peers.

How do you know if you have a distorted body image? Ask yourself a few questions: Do I avoid the gym for fear of being seen in exercise clothes?
Do I avoid family or high school reunions because of the way I look? Do I criticize myself every time I look in the mirror?

Body image isn’t static – it can and does change. There are things you can do to change yours if it is negative.

Start simply – when looking at yourself in the mirror, only tell yourself things that you would tell your best friend, “Yes those are pimples but they are barely noticeable.” “Yes, you could lose some weight but you are a beautiful wonderful person I enjoy spending time with.”

Lie to myself? If your body image is negative or distorted, it may seem like that especially at first, but keep at it. Talk to someone about your feelings – someone who’s opinion you trust and respect and who has a positive self image his or herself.

If weight loss is your issue, get a friend to join you at the gym. Having someone who’s expecting you to show up is key. Having someone to “hang” with at the gym will also help you to feel less insecure and will allow you to focus on your workout.

If you need help getting started, I highly recommend my all natural Weight Loss Breeze program. It’s simple to do and results are seen immediately!

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As a therapist you hear a lot of people talk about their pain. In a way, emotional pain is sometimes worse than physical pain. (Did someone say shame or guilt?) Emotions like this are associated with a number of issues. One issue is weight control or carrying too much weight.

I’ve never been overweight myself. Perhaps I’m genetically fortunate or the healthy living I try to live by pays off in many areas. Maybe it’s both. But how can anybody ignore the pain of a person who cannot even walk down the aisle in Safeway any more without blocking everyone else’s way?

Rather than focusing on the health problems associated with being overweight or obese, I would like to review a popular way to help determine healthy weight.

The method is calculating the BMI or (body mass index.) While this method does not calculate the amount of fat in the body, it does help provide a tool to determine if possible weight problems exist. (Note: weight problems include both being underweight and overweight.)

This method was developed in the 1800’s but gained in popularity in the 1950’s or so and is still widely used today. A person’s height is the basis for the calculation.

I will attempt to simplify this potentially complex calculation. Please remember that applying this method to children is a little different, so I encourage communication with your pediatrician when addressing a child’s weight.

The first calculation is based on pounds and inches. We’ll then review the metric calculation. Start with your weight in pounds and multiply that number by 703. Then, divide that number by your height in inches squared (multiply height in inches by the same height in inches.)

Here is an example: A person who is 5’8” and weighs 170 pounds would multiply 170 by 703 to get to 119,510. Then divide that number by 4624 (68 inches X 68 inches.) The result is: 25.85.

For metric units, take your weight in kgs and divide that by height in meters squared (multiply height in meters by the same height in meters.)

In very general terms, a BMI of 18.5 or less indicates a possible case of someone being underweight and possibly severely underweight. A range of 18.5 to 25 may indicate an optimal weight. A BMI of 25 or more may indicate overweight with anything above 40 indicating obesity. A BMI of 40 or above may actually indicate morbid obesity.

Now, I say general terms as the intention of the BMI was not intended to diagnose medical conditions but to be utilized as a simple way of classifying physically inactive individuals with an average body composition.

To avoid having to compute this information yourself, you can also invest in one of more sophisticated bathroom scales that will do this for you.

The BMI offers advantages in that it can be calculated quickly and does not require special equipment. Disadvantages that need to be considered though are that it does not consider a person’s frame and muscularity mass. Other factors that are not taken into account would be various amounts of bone, fat, water weight and so forth.

Therefore, I simply offer this rather simplistic approach to determining healthy weight as a guideline, but by no means a definitive answer if you are potentially facing serious health concerns as result of weight.

Many of my programs were created because I heard people talk about their pain and then we sat down and talked about what we could do about this pain. Then I researched and tested and tried things because I felt their pain and wanted to help.

My Weight Loss Breeze Program resulted to offer that help. It is all natural and requires no special dietary restrictions or work out.

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Most of us have adopted the eating habits we learned as a child. For many of us it was to eat three meals a day, together as a family as much as possible.

Not only could our parents ensure we were eating properly but it was also a time to bond with family members, discuss our day, etc.

Many modern diets, however, suggest that it is better to eat 5 to six smaller meals per day than 2 to 3 large meals. As long as one’s caloric intake stays the same, why should this matter.

Your blood sugar is constantly changing even when you sleep. When you eat food, blood sugar is raised after digestion starts. Once blood sugar is consumed, it is lowered and hunger, headache and/or irritation can occur.

Some experts believe that eating several small meals per day is better because blood sugar is stabilized and metabolism is at its most optimum. Energy levels therefore remain high so that one has more energy for say, exercise.

Recent studies, however maintain that as long as one takes in less calories per day, he or she will lose weight regardless of the amount of meals one eats. If this is true, it certainly provides for less restrictive eating patterns.

What research suggests and what most of us who’ve tried to lose weight can attest to is that when one skips meals in order to “hold out” for one or two larger meals, one usually ends up experiencing the effects of hunger which in addition to the above mentioned effects of hunger also includes cravings and loss of will power.

How many of us have tried to lose weight and then lost will power and binged or eaten “comfort” foods high in calories and low in nutritional value?

It then boils down to what helps you stick to your diet and what is the best way to ensure you don’t go over your calorie limit for the day.

Some of my clients feel that they must have at least one large meal per day. There are many reasons for this but most say it is a chance to bond with family while preparing, cooking and then eating the meal together.

There is no reason why you can’t do this as long as the meal is healthy and you aren’t over eating when you do sit down for a large meal.

If you are trying to lose weight and want a natural way to do it with proven results, I highly recommend my Weight Loss Breeze program. My clients have not only lost the weight but were able to keep it off without the typical “yo-yo” effect of many diets.

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I’m very proud of the success of my Weight Loss Breeze program and have enjoyed reading all of the excellent reviews my clients have given it. Questions do pop up from time to time, however, concerning alcohol and why it seems to limit weight loss even though caloric intake is less.

While it is true that most diets do boil down to limiting caloric intake, alcohol, unlike other empty calorie foods and drinks can do more to unhinge a weight loss plan. There is more than one reason for this.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, or roughly 100 calories in a small glass of wine or 200 calories in most cans of beer. The number goes up or down according to the type. This does not factor in sugars from soda or other mixers in cocktails. The point is that alcohol offers empty calories.

What if one simply reduces the amount of calories he or she is consuming via food or other drinks to counteract the increase in calories from alcohol? Simple enough, correct? Unfortunately, this does not tend to be a long term success plan.

It’s not just the calories in alcohol which factor in to weight gain. Alcohol slows the body’s metabolism. This means that a person taking in the same amount of calories from alcohol as say, a bran muffin, is not actually burning those calories at the same rate.

Alcohol also keeps the body from burning fat properly. Both alcohol and fat are processed by the liver. The liver is unable to as effectively burn fat while it’s forced to process alcohol.

Alcohol is also a depressant. While in a depressed state, one tends to have less energy, making one more fatigued and less likely to exercise. Even in the short-term, have you ever blown off an exercise routine in the morning due to a hangover or all over feeling of malaise from alcohol?

Another reason one tends to gain weight or at least not lose weight when drinking alcohol (especially to excess) is that alcohol increases one’s appetite. Ever wonder why wine is served before dinner? In addition to increasing appetite, studies have shown that people tend to crave high caloric foods and sugars (including more alcohol).

That’s not to say that some people (including alcoholics) don’t ever lose weight while still drinking alcohol. One client told me that while she was on a low carbohydrate diet, she switched from wine to rum and diet coke, which contains no sugars. She did admit though, that she felt tipsy faster and it was harder to deny cravings for sugar laden foods afterward.

In addition to sabotaging a diet, drinking alcohol to excess can lead to devastating health consequences. Alcohol abuse can damage major organs, including the heart and liver. This damage can lead to cirrhosis, hypertension, anemia, damage to the stomach lining and malnutrition.

If you are serious about losing weight and want a natural alternative to expensive drugs, all of which contain side effects, I highly recommend my Weight loss Breeze program. Its results are proven and guaranteed by a 100% money-back guarantee!

Enjoy,

Christian Goodman
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