Weight Loss
Susie Orbach may well have stated that ‘Fat is a feminist Issue’, however that doesn’t stop our quest for the perfect body, or me from trying to squeeze into the skinny jeans I bought last season with the hope I could slim into them!
Men aren’t immune to weight issues either, more and more men are looking to achieve the perfect six-pack, or loose the love handles.
Since the announcement by GlaxoSmithKline that a ‘fat-busting’ pill has been licensed to be sold over the counter, the media interest has been intense. Produced from the drug Orlistat, it prevents your body from absorbing some of the fat in the foods you eat. The undigested fat is flushed out of the body in bowel movements. The actions of the drug also by its nature impairs the absorption of fat soluble nutrients such a vitamin A and E and blocks the absorption of essential fats, necessary for a healthy heart, hormonal balance, joint care, and skin health to name a few. This is aside from the obvious side effects such as a recommendation to wear ‘dark’ clothing and carry a change of clothes…. In case of accidents… Nice!
The sad thing is even with all these inconveniences to your health and your dignity, these fat blocking tablets will only help a minority of overweight people, with research showing there is only a 2.8% difference between taking Orlistat and a placebo over four years.
Fat is not the enemy; we need fat in our diet, and that is why some fats are described as essential fats, it is true large amounts of saturated fat in the diet are not healthy, its all about creating balance, limiting saturated fat found in meats and high fat dairy products and having a balanced intake of fats from nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fish.
Researchers have found that fat and thin people can eat roughly the same number of calories, but it seems that the type of food they are eating is different.
Many people go on low-fat and no-fat diets, which tends to be high in sugar and salt, necessary to make it palatable. This is the type of thing that makes you fat. In fact, it’s sugar and other foods that are ‘fast-releasing’ that will encourage weight gain, and here’s why:
The speed with which a food increases blood sugar (in other words, whether it is ‘fast-releasing’ or ‘slow-releasing’) determines whether or not it will cause you to gain weight. If your blood sugar levels rise very quickly your body has to secrete more insulin in order to control it.
Every time you eat, your body has a choice: it can either burn that food as energy or store it as fat. Researchers have found that high insulin levels cause you not only to change your food into fat, but they also prevent your body from breaking down previously stored fat.
These fast-releasing foods include anything that contains sugar and refined flour, such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, and other ‘treats’.
Herbalist Stuart Fitzsimmons has formulated a special, and very exciting, new herbal combination SoTRIM; which he believes will help to support those who are trying to lose weight achieve their goal safely and permanently. “Many slimming herbal combinations available rely heavily on increasing the metabolic rate. What is forgotten is that weight reduction and fat loss are not just about pressing the metabolic accelerator pedal to achieve an instant fix – it’s about optimising digestive processes. We can help weight loss and fat burning processes by adjusting the way the stomach handles food or by optimising blood sugar levels or both!”, claims Fitzsimmons.
The star ingredient in the SoTRIM formulation is the kitchen store cupboard spice, Cinnamon that has created a great deal of excitement amongst weight loss experts in the past couple of years. Research seems to show that Cinnamon not only delays the rate at which the stomach empties but, more importantly, also reduces sugar cravings (Joanna Hlebowicz, Gassan Darwiche, Ola Björgell and Lars-Olof Almér. Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 6, 1552-1556, June 2007).
Fitzsimmons continues; “Overweight people tend to become insulin resistant…it’s called metabolic syndrome, and they also tend to accumulate more fat especially around the abdomen as a result of ineffective control of blood sugar. Controlling blood sugar is, therefore, a major part of effective long-term appetite and weight control.”
Also included in the SoTRIM formulation is a combination of herbs — Damiana, Mate and Guarana — proven to help you feel fuller longer. Studies show that people who’ve taken this combination of herbs experience a weight loss that is more permanent. They also tended to eat and snack less between meals.
SoTRIM is effective straight away. It is supplied as an alcohol free liquid formula that can be taken in doses of 20 drops added to a little cold water, three times daily. Alternatively, 3 ml can be added to a bottle of water and sipped throughout the day whichever is more convenient.
If you crave sweet or starchy foods, feel tired during the afternoon, light-headed, dizzy or shaky if you miss a meal or wake up feeling tired after a full night’s sleep, then your blood sugar levels are probably fluctuating too much. Syndome X or metabolic syndrome, is a combination of symptoms including weight gain, type II Diabetes, and heart disease resulting from sugar imbalances.
Other causes of weight gain include low thyroid activity (hypothyroid), and water retention.
