QUESTION: What are your best tips for long lasting weight loss?
ANSWER: First and foremost, avoid the extreme diets. Extreme diets in combination with unrealistic exercise routines may help you drop a boat-load of weight fast, but in 80 percent of individuals the weight will be back with a vengeance within 4-12 months.
I am a huge fan of clean eating. Clean eating requires eating food that does not have an ingredient list. A large percentage should be plant based. Dairy and grains should be minimized unless you are vegetarian.
Increasing protein will facilitate fat loss and of course, eliminating sugar and sugar substitutes will keep weight off permanently. Remember, alcohol is sugar. The more you avoid, the more you lose. Make sure you include these calories if you chose to imbibe.
Although I was not ever a fan, calorie counting seems to hold most people accountable and educate them as well. My favorite App is myfitnesspal.com. This is free and easy to use from your phone. It uses your height, weight and activity level to calculate your minimum and maximum caloric intake. I love this app. It breaks down calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates.
My favorite supplement when it comes to burning fat is EGCg (Green tea extract). This in combination with the above advice should have you down 6-12 pounds in three to four weeks. Look for 400-500mg and take one daily between breakfast and lunch.
Drinking water (at least 60 ounces per day) will benefit everyone.
Fasting. No, not for days at a time, but rather, 12-14 hrs per day. For example, if you eat dinner at seven, do not eat breakfast until at least seven in the morning or better yet, nine. This includes any calorie containing beverages. Water is allowed. This promotes fat burning as your body will look for that first. Fasting is proving to be a very valuable tool when it comes to weight loss and overall health.
Muscle dictates metabolism. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism becomes and therefore weight loss becomes easier. Working with weights and core strengthening modalities (Yoga, Pilates) will serve you much more that cardio alone.
QUESTION: My hands peel, crack and are very painful. What can I do to remedy the situation?
ANSWER: This is a very common condition that seems to flare up during the winter months for many individuals. Hydrocortisone creams rarely provide relief and many skin creams actually burn.
Coconut oil is a great remedy that should be used 2-3 times per day but the real cause in many of the individuals who suffer is a gluten sensitivity. I would say that in 80 percent of my patients, this is the aggravating factor. You do not have to have Celiacs disease to be gluten sensitive and routine testing will not detect or benefit you. The best way to prove it to yourself is to do a bit of research as to all the items that contain gluten and avoid them exclusively (no cheating) for about two weeks. This should dramatically improve the condition of your hands.
QUESTION: I suffer from daily back pain. It is exhausting and I know that taking Motrin or Aleve around the clock is not good for me. What else can I do?
ANSWER: The majority of people who suffer from chronic back pain are often 20 to 40 pounds overweight. It is truly remarkable what losing weight does for chronic back and joint pain.
Taking narcotics rarely benefits an individual for more than a day or so. Ultimately it causes constipation that makes the pain even worse. This is a vicious cycle and addiction easily becomes an issue.
Most individuals are constipated and do not even know it. Consider a few days of a stool softener to clean yourself out and see if that doesnt make a dramatic difference. A constipated colon places pressure along the spine and pelvic region. Many of my patients are relieved of their back pain when the colon remains free flowing.
Magnesium will not only help with muscle pain, it helps to prevent constipation as well as muscle cramping. Dosing varies depending on the type of magnesium.
Exercise (especially stretching) will help improve muscle flexibility. Massage is another modality that will help eliminate back pain. People who receive messages on a regular basis suffer far less neck and back pain than those that do not.
Severe back pain is something that needs to be addressed by your doctor or chiropractor.
Natural Health columnist Cathi Stack, an RN and Naturopathic Doctor from Youngstown, answers readers health questions. Email her at cathi626@gmail.com.
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NATURAL HEALTH: Best tips for long-lasting weight loss - Niagara Gazette
