Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog » Weight Loss

THE WEIGH DOWN DIET: GROWING PAINS

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:44:37 +0000

Job said, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). It is a given that we will suffer. It is a given that God will discipline us if we need it. 1 Peter 4:12,13 says,

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

This advice is certainly not what we hear from our mothers, friends, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or our hair dressers! Think of a situation at work or in your marriage that casts you in the role of the underdog. Did your friends and colleagues make you focus only on yourself as the victim? Did they make you feel like it was something strange happening to you, and that you needed to take care of yourself? The world will tell you emphatically that you must indulge or take care of yourself, for no one else will. That lie has permeated even the church and is one of the biggest lies of Satan. But the Apostle Peter says not to be surprised when you suffer, and it is not if you will suffer but when you will suffer.

Nothing is strange about suffering being a part of the lot of our life, and nothing is strange about not wanting to suffer. But Jesus said that there was a cost to embracing his lifestyle. “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”. There are some people who do not even know they are to pick up their cross, and there are some people who put their crosses down or even put their crosses on the backs of others. But this verse says that they cannot be a Christ-follower, a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, if they are not willing to pick up suffering or self-denial (the same thing) and carry it with them. Christ’s followers must be willing to embrace pain—there is no backing out. And the pain is painful! Hebrews 12:11a tells us, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” Suffering is not unique to you; it is normal, but it is painful.

Your cross, by the way, is not your mother-in-law. She is an opportunity for you to show love, not a cross to bear. Bearing your cross means laying down your will and doing God’s. Even Jesus prayed with sweat drops of blood as He surrendered His will to God’s: “Not my will but yours be done”.

God made us one way by nature. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. Yet He asks, calls, or destines us to go another way. To embrace changing our self is to embrace growing pains. Just like children, we too were programmed to desire to grow up, but the intermittent pain that comes with accepting more responsibility is uncomfortable. However, staying immature is even more painful.

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EATING RULES FOR WEIGHT LOSS: INCLUDE CALCIUM AT YOUR MEAL

admin — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:46:42 +0000

Include a minimum of 600 milligrams of calcium each day. Scientists in Canada found that people who consumed more than 600 milligrams of calcium each day roughly the amount in a cup of broccoli, a half-cup of cottage cheese, or a container of yogurt, had lower body fat than those who consumed less than 600 milligrams a day.

Robert Heaney, a calcium researcher at Creighton University in Omaha, made a startling observation. He notes that most women have a tendency to gain weight in their midsections in midlife, typically a half-pound to a pound each year. Those who consumed 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams of calcium from food (not supplements) had a weight gain of – zero!

Michael Zmetel, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee, believes there is a relationship between calcium and body fat because “a high-calcium diet suppresses calcitrol, a hormone that signals fat cells to make more fat and burn less fat.” So, if you suppress the hormone, you will make less fat and burn more fat. Simple.

Increase your calcium consumption in low-fat, low-calorie dairy. That is why my plan includes low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat and low-calorie cheese, soy products, broccoli, and other foods high in calcium. Nutritionists generally recommend 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day for adults up to age fifty.

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WEIGHT LOSS: SETTING REALISTIC COALS

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:39:51 +0000

The failure to produce lasting weight loss and the subsequent reduction of self-esteem has led some health professionals to focus on optimizing psychological and physical health rather than weight loss. Goals of modern weight-management programs should focus on the following:

- Helping people establish tolerable, enjoyable, and stable eating and exercise patterns

- Focusing on small gains and benefits to health and well-being initially; later focusing on long-term functional improvements, improvements in energy, and reduced risk from disease

- Establishing maintainable goals

- Making a lifetime commitment to a healthful lifestyle that includes exercise, food choices, and stress management

- Seeking continued support from professionals and loved ones

- Improving access to low-cost, healthful foods and broadening one’s perspective on food possibilities, such as eating more grains and fewer processed foods

- Deemphasizing food as a central focus and learning to enjoy other activities that bring joy

- Becoming a wise food consumer

Whether losing weight for reasons of vanity or for health, it’s important to begin by finding a program of exercise and healthy eating behaviors that will work for you now and in the long term. Before you can” become a wise food consumer, you need to become familiar with important concepts in weight control.

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CRITICAL PERIODS FOR FAT GAIN: PHYSIOLOGICAL

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:24:12 +0000

After quitting smoking. Smokers who quit have been shown to gain an average of around 3.5kg of body weight over twelve months after quitting. This is due to a variety of reasons. Nicotine tends to speed up metabolic rate and a significant drop is noted on quitting. Smoking also suppresses the taste and smell senses so that after smoking cessation, food can smell and taste better. Also, withdrawal from nicotine is a difficult experience and activities involving the hands and mouth (such as eating) are often used as a substitute for smoking.

Research carried out at the University of California, however, has shown that not all quitting smokers put on weight. There are those who gain a lot (over 12kg), those who gain a little (up to 3kg), those whose weight remains stable, and those who actually lose weight. In over 2000 twins studied over 16 years.

Comparisons of super-gainers with non-gainers after quitting showed that super-gainers were younger, of lower socioeconomic status, started smoking at a younger age, were heavier smokers, exercised less and drank more coffee than non-gainers. There were no differences in their body mass before quitting, the number of alcoholic drinks taken per month, or the likelihood of dieting to keep weight low. Hence, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors seem to influence whether there is weight gain or not after smoking.

Interestingly, comparisons between identical and non identical twins showed that there was considerable similarity in weight change after quitting amongst the identical twins. This suggests genetic factors may also be important in determining whether weight gain occurs after quitting smoking.

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