How To Assess Your

Weight-Loss Program

 

Before embarking on any weight-loss program, ask the following questions to see if the program is suitable for you:

 

1. Does the program use a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)?

 

VLCDs are not sustainable and generally result in weight re-gain after the diet is finished. There are many other reasons why you should not follow a VLCD. See the article elsewhere in this magazine called, ‘Why Most Weight-Loss Approaches Are Dead Wrong!’

 

2. Does the program suggest having 5 or 6 meals a day?

 

Having small, frequent meals is the best approach to lose weight and keep it off. It keeps your metabolism elevated, suppresses your appetite, helps avoid the ‘Starvation Mechanism’ that your body invokes if meals are skipped and keeps insulin production low.

 

Most people find it easiest to have 3 whole-food meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as well as 2-3 meal replacement shakes (mid-morning, mid-afternoon and supper).

 

3. Does the program have protein with every meal?

 

Protein provides the building blocks for the body. Since the body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly breaking down and building up tissue, your body needs to be supplied with protein every 2-3 hours throughout the day. If you go without protein for greater than 3 hours, more breaking down than building up occurs. This means you will lose valuable muscle tissue resulting in a drop in your metabolic rate.

 

4. Does the program recommend regular exercise?

 

Exercise is essential for permanent weight loss. Not only can it help you lose weight faster but more importantly, exercise can help you keep the weight off long term by preserving your muscle mass.

 

If a weight-loss program doesn’t recommend exercise, then up to half of the weight you lose will come from lean tissue sources (like muscle), which makes further weight loss more difficult. Plus, you are almost guaranteed to put the weight you lose back on in the future due to the loss of lean tissue. This means you often end up heavier and flabbier than before you started the program!

 

5. Can you see yourself following the program long term?

 

The principles in any weight-loss program must be sustainable. This means you must be able to incorporate the principles into your current lifestyle and maintain them for the rest of your life. You cannot expect to follow a program for a period of time, lose weight and then go back to previous lifestyle habits without your body returning to its previous shape as well.

6. Does the program recommend using a multi-vitamin/ mineral supplement?

 

It is impossible to provide your body with all the nutrients it needs on a daily basis just from food. Even if you eat a ‘balanced diet’ you will still be lacking a range of essential nutrients. Therefore, supplementing your diet with a good quality multi-vitamin/ mineral supplement is essential. It will ensure that your body functions at optimum levels and with maximum efficiency. It will also prevent any cravings that may results from nutrient deficiencies.

 

7. Does the program recommend using a thermogenic (fat burner)?

 

Thermogenics are designed to increase your daily calorie expenditure, which makes losing weight much easier. Thermogenics also boost your energy levels and force the fat cells to released stored fat into the blood stream, which your body may then use as a fuel source.

Thermogenics can make a massive difference to your weight-loss efforts if your nutrition and exercise programs are well controlled.

 

8. Does the program recommend using a glucose disposal agent (GDA)?

 

GDAs are very effective at helping your body dispose of glucose and other nutrients effectively, which means your body can maintain a stable blood glucose level. By doing so, insulin stays low, which makes it easier for your body to access and use stored body fat as a fuel source.

 

A stable blood glucose level also reduces the sugar cravings people get around mid-afternoon and in the evenings.  

 

9. Does the program recommend using thyroid-support supplements?

 

Any nutritional plan that recommends a reduction in calorie intake to promote weight loss, even a mild reduction, results in a decrease in thyroid hormone output. Since the thyroid hormones control the metabolism of all body cells it is essential that it functions at optimum levels at all times, especially when weight loss is desired.

 

Research has shown conclusively that supplementing the diet with specific nutrients can up-regulate thyroid function, which is perfect when you’re trying to lose weight.

 

10. Does the program offer phone or on-line support?

 

One factor that guarantees success more than almost any other is having a support system in place. Being able to speak with weight-loss experts and discuss your plans, how to overcome obstacles you may face and how to accelerate the weight-loss process in your body makes an enormous difference. 

If the weight-loss program you are considering does not offer some form of support then your likelihood of success by using the program is substantially reduced.

  

To find out more about MultiSlim visit  www.multislim.com.au

EAT ‘NATURAL’ FOODS EVERY DAY

Our whole body is made up of the food we consume. Physiology (the science that deals with the functioning of all living organisms) tells us that almost all of our organs, muscles, bones and even the DNA (genetic codes) in our cells are reconstructed from the food we eat, and that every year more than 95% of our body is totally replaced. The quality and efficiency of functioning of the trillions of cells that make up our body are primarily dictated by the quality of the food we consume. This being so, doesn’t it make sense that you think about what you are putting into your mouth before eating anything? You should say to yourself, ‘Do I really want this to become part of my body?’ ‘Will this nourish my body?’ If the food you are about to eat will have a positive effect on your body then go ahead and eat it. If not, avoid it.

Since the quality of our diet is a major influence on health and disease, it is imperative that you understand the effect each of the elements of food, particularly the macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat), have on your body.

If you live in a civilised society it is highly likely that you eat a diet containing a large proportion of refined foods. This means that the foods you eat have been mass produced and processed. Mass production and processing strips food of many life-sustaining nutrients that are essential if we want to have a healthy and disease-free body. This type of eating is in direct contrast to the type of eating experienced by our Palaeolithic ancestors who ate mainly ‘natural’ foods, produced by Mother Nature herself. (Many experts believe this was the only time in history that we actually ate in accordance with the way Nature intended us to eat.)

If our goal is to achieve a healthy, low-fat body then we must endeavour to follow the eating habits of our ancient ancestors and consume as many ‘natural’ foods as possible. They should be as fresh as possible and not processed in any way. Generally, the fresher the food is, the higher the levels of nutrients it has compared to food that has been sitting on a shelf or food that has been cooked, packaged or processed. Frozen foods are suitable options because they tend to retain most of their nutrients as they are frozen immediately after being picked.

With our hectic lifestyles we can’t be expected to have natural foods all the time, especially with every meal, but we should try to have natural foods as often as possible. By doing so, we will certainly see and more importantly feel the benefits.

It is interesting to note that when ‘Western’ diets are introduced to cultures that are used to ‘living off the land’ there is a general degradation in their health within one generation. Diseases that are common in civilised societies start to become prevalent in these ‘primitive’ cultures that had virtually no incidence of disease before the alteration of their diet. When the change in eating habits occurs, levels of heart disease, cancer and diabetes rise to correlate with the levels of civilised societies. Accordingly, we should all endeavour to eat far more ‘natural’ foods if we want to live longer, be healthier and also lose body fat.

Raw foods are examples of ‘natural foods’. Foods like fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds and grains eaten uncooked in their natural state are the preferred options. Natural foods contain enzymes that assist the digestion of food as well as various phytonutrients, which are nutrients coming from plants. Furthermore, they also contain a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals. I recommend consuming ‘natural foods’ in at least three meals each day.

 

 

The Multi-Action Weight Loss System

Nutrition & Exercise

 

Combining Lifestyle Factors Improves Weight Loss

                            

A study published last in month in Prescrire International (a French pharmacology journal) has shown that the best weight-loss results come when nutrition and exercise are combined rather than either lifestyle factor alone. It also found that having a support system in place just like what is offered with SupportSlim also makes weight-loss measures more effective.

 

Prescrire Int. 2007 Aug;16(90):162-7.

 

Low-Fat Diets Offer No Additional Benefit

 

Researchers from the University of Queensland have found that there is no benefit in following a low-fat diet compared to a calorie-controlled diet if you want to lose weight. The reason is probably because fat has a satiating (appetite-suppressing) effect, mainly due to the fact that it slows the release of food from the stomach into the small intestines helping you feel satisfied for longer. Therefore, as long as you control your overall food intake there is no need to be ‘fat-phobic’. In fact, certain fats are essential for proper body functioning.

 

ACP J Club. 2002 Nov-Dec;137(3):90.

 

High Protein Diet Increases Fat Burning

 

Another study has shown the benefits of an increased protein intake. In this case, a higher protein intake lowered the respiratory exchange ratio (RER), which means more fat was used as a fuel source.

 

This is simply another reason why you should increase your protein intake. A higher protein intake offers greater fat burning, a faster metabolism and also prevents muscle breakdown. Probably one of the easiest ways to increase your protein intake is to have a protein shake for your mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals. They are quick, easy, convenient and cheap. Plus, you can easily control your portion sizes. 

 

Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 May;15(5):1215-25.

 

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September 2007