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Ketogenic Diet Benefits (& How to Do It Right) | Wellness Mama

Posted: March 6, 2019 at 9:43 pm

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet) has become very popular lately because of its potential to help with weight loss, eliminate cravings, and improve mental clarity. Everyone from Mark Sisson to Dr. Mercola to Dave Asprey is singing its praises, and some people claim it can even cure cancer.

It is one of the topics I always get lots of questions about because there are many different ways of doing it. Yes, it is possible to do it healthfully and yes, it is possible to turn it into another fad diet while eating a lot of unhealthy foods. (No, you cannot eat only bacon and be healthy!)

In this post, I will cover the science behind the ketogenic diet and the best way to do it.

Broadly speaking, a ketogenic diet is a diet that is sufficiently a) high in fat and b) low in carbohydrates and proteins to force the body to rely on fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Originally it was used in the 1920s to treat severe cases of epilepsy in children, though now many people use variations of it for other outcomes.

A ketogenic diet puts the body in a state of ketosis, where the primary fuel for the body is a broken down product of fat called ketone bodies. Ketosis can occur through reduction of carbohydrates in the diet or through fasting (or through taking an external ketone-producing product). It is the liver that produces ketone bodies by breaking down fatty acids, either from body fat or the fat that we eat.

This is in contrast to the bodys fuel source when not in ketosis: carbohydrates, which the body breaks down into glucose.

It is important to note that there is a difference between burning dietary fat for fuel and getting the body to utilize stored fat. More on that later.

This is an interesting question and there are hundreds of opinions about the best answer.

A typical low carbohydrate diet may simply focus on limiting carbohydrate with liberal amounts of other foods, without a specific emphasis on fats. It is easy to be eating mostly meats and any other non-carbohydrate foods for a low carbohydrate diet, and not get into ketosis.

So whats different? The ketogenic diet goes a step further and limits protein as well in order to achieve ketosis. According to Dr. Daniel Pompa, a ketogenic diet is comprised of:

In short, it is critical to use liberal amount of fat and limit protein and carbohydrate intake in order to achieve ketosis.

Consider a 135-pound woman who has about 25% body fat and 100 lb of lean mass. If she follows a 2,000 calorie diet, she would be eating between 145 179 grams of fat, 50 grams of protein, and between 50 124 grams of carbohydrates (depending on her activity level). She would need to keep her carbohydrates under 50 grams a day in order to keto-adapt (for her body to adapt to using fat as the primary fuel).

Also note that this model is not a bacon-only type diet and should include copious amounts of non-starchy vegetables for fiber and micronutrients.

Ideally, a keto diet should be assembled with whole and nutritious foods that do not cause inflammation. This means that the 5-10% of the carbohydrates would be from vegetables, nuts, and seeds rather than another source of starch.

On a keto-type diet, the plate should consist of mostly non-starchy vegetables, a reasonable portion of meat (about 3 ounces), and a liberal amount of good fats. The fats can be nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados, avocado oil, pastured lard or bacon, grass-fed butter, MCT oil, or a condiment like a healthy mayo made from these.

Once a person is keto-adapted, the appetite is often regulated. Rather than feeling deprived, it is natural to feel less hungry overall and naturally inclined to go without eating for 12 hours overnight. This form of extended fasting may provide some added health benefits as well.

Not only have ketogenic diets been successfully used as a treatment for epilepsy for nearly a century, but it also has many potential health benefits even healthy people can use.

As Mark Sisson puts it, doing aketo reset restores our factory settings, which is our flexibility to alternate between different types of fuels and stored fats for energy, depending on whats available. This flexibility has allowed humans to thrive for millions of years because hunter-gatherers didnt always have access to constant abundance and variety of foods that we have today.

As it turns out, this flexibility is actually important for health. The biochemical pathways that ketogenic diets turn on have anti-aging effects and can even eradicate many modern diseases.

In fact, research showsketogenic diets provide health benefits by:

When done correctly, the ketogenic diet may help:

When we switch from burning glucose to burning ketones for energy, the blood sugar and insulin fluctuate much less than when we rely on carbohydrates for energy. The liver can constantly supply just enough glucose in the blood to keep the brain going.

Stabilizing blood sugar has many health benefits, including:

If you monitor your fasting blood glucose in the morning when you are in ketosis (more on how and why to do that in a bit), be aware you may experience elevated morning blood sugar due to a surge of cortisol and adrenaline. This is known as the dawn phenomenon and should decline to healthy levels during the day and improve over time.

According to Chris Kresser, post-meal blood sugar is the best time to detect blood sugar problems. In addition, one should never rely on one single test to diagnose a health issue.

Its true ketone bodies can suppress appetite by acting on the hypothalamus in the brain. In addition, the stabilized blood sugar can help reduce hunger and food cravings. Lastly, high-fat meals can stimulate a hormone that increase satiety in the gut.

As a result, many people on ketogenic diets find that they are much less hungry and no longer craving the high-carbohydrate foods they used to love. They can even skip meals or fast for days and wont really be bothered by the hunger. (Imagine!)

In many ways, the ketogenic diet is very good for the brain. Users report that it helps improve cognitive function, slows down the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, and may even protect from such diseases.

Here are some of the ways ketosis benefits the brain:

Because the brain is the most energy-demanding organ in the body, it is extremely sensitive to the fluctuation of available fuels. People who regularly go through blood sugar rollercoasters often experience brain-based symptoms of low blood sugar, such as anxiety and fatigue when blood sugar dips low.

Being in ketosis can help prevent this from happening. For many women, stabilizing blood sugar has a mood-stabilizing effect.

According to Psychology Today, several studies suggest that ketogenic diets can help stabilize mental illnesses, sometimes even more powerfully than medications. Ketogenic diets reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression in rats and mice, while many small clinical studies demonstrate that ketogenic diet can help stabilize schizophrenia.

In my own experience, I find that I am highly productive, calm and focused when in a state of ketosis (as measured by blood ketone and breath acetone levels).

Before the discovery of neuroplasticity, scientists believed that a damaged brain cannot regenerate. However, by improving mitochondria health, reducing inflammation, and stimulating cellular cleanup, ketogenic diets can help a damaged brain repair itself. Thus, the ketogenic diet is almost a miracle for many brain diseases that were thought of as incurable.

Studies are emerging that ketogenic diets (in conjunction with other treatments) can either reverse progressive brain disorders or help repair the damage. These include traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons.The Wahls Protocol also utilizes this benefit of the ketogenic diet to help repair neurological damage from multiple sclerosis.

Want to slow down the clock? The keto diet might be the one to try.

Ketosis, similarly to fasting or caloric restriction, turns on a group of genes called Sirtuins. When scientists activate Sirtuins in animals, they found that these animals live longer. In addition, Sirtuins can help keep you lean and energetic during the day and sleeping well at night. More research is needed to know if this effect is the same in humans, but evidence seems strong that spending some time in ketosis is beneficial.

Oxidation is what causes steel to rust and apples to turn brown when they are exposed to air. Inside our bodies, oxidation helps our immune cells kill off germs and makes us tired at the end of the day. However, excess oxidation can cause aging and DNA damage.

By reducing blood sugar, ketosis significantly reduces the oxidative stress in the body. Glucose is an oxidizing sugar because an exposed oxygen of glucose can attack other molecules and damage them. These damaged proteins are called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

People with high blood sugar will have a lot of AGEs and therefore age faster.

In addition, studies show ketosis turns on antioxidant genes and increases levels of cellular antioxidants like glutathione.

Ketosis and fasting also activates an anti-aging cellular cleanup process called autophagy (auto = self, phagy = eat). Autophagy is when a cell eats its own defective parts in order to recycle nutrients and keep the different parts functioning like new. In addition, autophagy can protect against neurodegenerative diseases, viral and bacteria infections, and cancers.

Everyone has emerging cancer cells, but the cells can only develop into full-blown cancers if the body fails to kill off them off. DNA damage, inflammation, poor cellular cleanup, high blood sugar, and inability of the immune system to kill emerging cancer cells together lead to cancers. Proponents claim that ketogenic diets may help prevent cancers by addressing all of these aspects.

Ketogenic diets reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, stimulate cellular cleanup, reduce blood sugar, and stimulate the cancer-killing immune responses. In addition, ketogenic diets capitalize on the fact that cancer cells cannot feed on ketones.

Healthy cells have the choice to rely on glucose or other fuels and whether to use the mitochondria. In contrast, according to the 1931 Nobel Laureate Otto Warburg, cancer cells lack the ability to use ketones for energy. They can only generate energy by burning glucose and glutamine for energy.

Since the state of ketosis forces cells to rely on ketones and to use the mitochondria for energy, ketosis feeds healthy cells while starving cancer cells. This especially seems to be true against some of the most deadly and incurable cancers. Researchers like Dr. Dom DAgostino are also researching the role of ketosis and fasting in improving the outcomes and reducing the side effects of existing cancer treatments.

A ketogenic diet has many health benefits. However, it is possible to make mistakes that can hinder them from achieving their goals.

These include:

Its not a good idea to include a lot of dairy in a ketogenic diet because the protein in dairy can deactivate Sirtuin, the anti-aging pathway, and create an insulin spike. While butter and ghee (from quality pastured sources) generally dont cause this effect, high-fat cheeses and heavy creams do. In addition, dairy products can be inflammatory for many people.

If you tolerate dairy then enjoy some in your diet, but dont rely on a liberal amount of cheeses or heavy cream as a source of fat. I personally believe that raw, pastured, and organic dairy is best, but limit it in my diet.

Being in a ketogenic diet is muscle-sparing, so you need much less protein than you would if you rely on carbohydrates or proteins for energy.

Amino acids can be converted into sugar and burned as energy. In addition, high intake of protein can turn off the anti-aging and anti-cancer processes in our cells, so it is best to only eat just enough protein on a ketogenic diet.

Eating very little or no carbohydrates can starve your good gut bacteria. This cant be good for health!

Studies have shown that food composition influences the gut bacteria much more than any probiotic supplements. It is therefore very important to feed your gut bacteria while you are on a ketogenic diet.

Resistant starches can be included as part of a ketogenic diet or as a supplement because it has minimal effects on blood sugar, so it doesnt disrupt the state of ketosis. Resistant starches not only feed good bacteria in the gut but can also get fermented into substances that are beneficial for health. (Read this post to learn more about the health benefits of resistant starches and how to use them.)

Vegetables also contain a lot of fiber that can feed the gut bacteria and provide an important source of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. In my opinion, it is absolutely vital to eat a wide variety of non-starchy vegetables on a keto diet to protect gut bacteria!

Many health benefits of the ketogenic diet mentioned above are as a result of activating our survival genes. To reap full health benefits from the ketogenic diet, it is important that you dont tell your body that there is an abundant of foods.

According to Dr. Daniel Pompa, it is also important to be in a caloric deficit if one goes on a ketogenic diet to treat neurological diseases or cancers.

If your goal is weight loss, it is still important to be in a caloric deficit as simply cutting carbohydrates alone wont be enough for fat loss.

As Mark Sisson says, always be asking yourself if you really are hungry for the next bite.

Salt gets a bad rep as unhealthy, but it provides a very important mineral. Being in ketosis causes the body to excrete more salt, so it is important to ensure that to eat extra salt and mineral supplements as necessary.

As mentioned above, not getting enough fiber from vegetables can starve gut bacteria. The keto diet is not a meat, egg, and cheese diet, though many treat it this way. Most of us arent getting enough vegetables anyway and this can be an easy trap to fall into on a keto diet.

Remember, though, that this is not about deprivation. Rather, it is about finding the sweet spot where you feel good and without excessive hunger or craving. Everybody is different, so it will be important to experiment in order to find your sweet spot.

Most people, including Mark Sisson himself, do better when they always include some natural sources of carbohydrates (e.g., lots of vegetables) and occasionally add starchy carbohydrates to their diet.

The good news is, it is not necessary to stay on a ketogenic diet at all times to reap this benefit. Our ancestors went through fast and feast cycles and the body is designed for flexibility. We may be able to reduce cancer risk, prolong life, improve brain function, and benefit from ketosis otherwise by being in ketosis or fasting a few days a week.

In general, men tend to do better on a long term ketogenic diet than women do. From my own research and experimentation, women can follow a keto diet, but with some adaptions. Most women will do well with a cyclical ketogenic diet when they stay on ketogenic diet most of the time and eat starchy carbohydrates occasionally to spike calories and carbs.

Dr. Daniel Pompa recommends at least one feast day a week for women where carbohydrates and calories are both increased, as well as up to seven days once a month with increased carbs (often during the menstrual cycle).

Ketogenic diets are not for everyone. There are some people who should be very careful with the ketogenic diet, or at least should not do it without medical supervision. While I understand not many mainstream doctors will be well versed in the ketogenic diet, there are online services that can pair you with a primary care doctor who understands keto in detail.

Type 1 diabetics are dependent on insulin injections to manage their blood sugar and are at risk for ketoacidosis, which as a life-threatening condition where there is dangerously high levels of ketones much higher than a healthy person in ketosis can actually achieve in their blood.

ApoE stands for Apolipoprotein E, which is a protein that transports fats and cholesterol in the body. There are three variants of this gene: E2, E3, and E4. Everyone has two copies, so you can have any combination of these variants.

People with two copies of the E4 variant (ApoE4/E4) often dont respond well to saturated fats. These people will have very high cholesterol and it tends to run in their families. These are a small subset of the population that have to be careful with the ketogenic diet.

If you have these genes (heres one way to test for them), be sure to monitor your blood lipids if you were to go on a ketogenic diet. In addition, focus on monounsaturated fats such as those found in avocados or olives rather than saturated fats or MCT oil.

For anyone else, it is a good idea to monitor your blood tests when you start out with a ketogenic diet.

This is a controversial one as many doctors believe that the baby needs carbohydrates to develop, and many moms need carbohydrates in order to produce milk. However, dietician Lily Nichols believes that a healthy ketogenic diet is safe for pregnant women and that it is easier to get into ketosis during pregnancy.

Perhaps the best approach is to listen to your body, because every pregnancy is different. If you choose to get on a ketogenic diet during pregnancy or breastfeeding, be sure to consult your healthcare practitioner to ensure that you do it safely.

Being in ketosis and fasting can turn on the survival genes in the body and causes the body to attempt to conserve energy. For some women, this can cause irregular cycles and infertility.

A ketogenic diet may help with infertility due to polycystic ovarian syndrome because it is partly caused by insulin resistance. However, the ketogenic diet can make irregular cycles and infertility worse for women who struggle with it from other causes, including stress and over-exercise.

Lifting heavy things and high-intensity exercises utilizes mainly carbohydrates. Many strength trainees and athletes will find that their performance drop significantly when they are on a ketogenic diet.

If you have been keto-adapted for years, your body can eventually adapt to generate the carbohydrates you need to fuel these activities. However, if you are relatively new to ketosis and need to perform athletically, then perhaps going full ketosis may not be such a good idea.

If youve determined the ketogenic diet might be for you, I recommend this podcast with Mark Sisson for a great introduction. His bookThe Keto Reset Diet explains the benefits and cautions in detail, as well as exactly how to get started.

Another easy way to start planning a ketogenic diet is to use Real Plans. Not only can this meal planning app filter recipes to avoid most any food allergy, it also can generate a keto-friendly meal plan and shopping list.

Unless youve already been eating a paleo or primal diet and are somewhat keto-adapted (burning ketones for fuel), it is a good idea reset the body in order to regain the metabolic flexibility to go into ketosis or even stay in ketosis despite eating some carbohydrates.Intermittent fasting is one efficient way to do this. During a water fast, ketosis can occur in days instead of weeks or months and often sustains for a while after the fast.

Being in ketosis has many health benefits but also some potential side effects. In order to maximize the health benefits, you should:

It is entirely possible to follow a low-carbohydrate diet or keto diet and not be in ketosis. When Ive personally experimented with ketosis, I used various methods of testing to make sure my ketone levels and blood glucose levels were within healthy ranges:

I used the Keto Mojo meter(and blood glucose strips) which tests both blood ketone levels and blood glucose levels. More on this soon in an upcoming post about fasting, but I testing fasting morning glucose and post-meal glucose at one hour. I also tested fasted morning ketones and evening ketones.

Another way to test the bodys response to nutritional ketosis is through breath acetone levels. This essentially shows how much of the ketones are being utilized by the body. I used a Levl meter (use the codewellnessmama at this link for $25 off) to test breath acetone levels. This device is more pricey but does not require strips so it can be used more often. I used it to test my response to certain foods or exercises and to see if they pulled me out of ketosis.

The keto diet is not the Atkins diet, or an all-meat diet, or anything close. A healthy version should include an abundance of non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats from various sources.

The more I learn, the more I am convinced that variation is one of the biggest factors in health. The ketogenic diet can be a useful tool, but in my opinion it should be cycled and should include occasional days with extra carbohydrates from good sources.

I most often experiment with keto in the winter when food would have traditionally been more scarce and carbohydrates harder to find. During these times, the majority of my plate is still mostly green vegetables and I make a very conscious effort to consume a wide variety of vegetables.

From testing, I personally enter ketosis much more efficiently when fasting and will be sharing my experiences on this soon.

Have you tried a ketogenic diet? Whats your experience? Please share in the comments below.

Sources

Link:
Ketogenic Diet Benefits (& How to Do It Right) | Wellness Mama

3 Essential Oils for Weight Loss – Dr. Axe

Posted: March 6, 2019 at 9:41 pm

This Dr. Axe content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure factually accurate information.

With strict editorial sourcing guidelines, we only link to academic research institutions, reputable media sites and, when research is available, medically peer-reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by our trained editorial staff. Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies.

Our team includes licensed nutritionists and dietitians, certified health education specialists, as well as certified strength and conditioning specialists, personal trainers and corrective exercise specialists. Our team aims to be not only thorough with its research, but also objective and unbiased.

The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.

By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNS

June 21, 2017

[Below is my transcript of my video about using essential oils for weight loss, along with supplemental information on the topic.]

So many people today want to learn how to burn fat and lose weight fast but also safely and effectively. For that reason, essential oils for weight loss are one of your best choices.

I want to be up front with you and let you know youre not going to start using essential oils and lose 20, 30or 50pounds. But it could help your body in shedding a few pounds, plus support your body in important, healthyways for weight loss.

There are really three main essential oils that I really believe can help your body withweight loss.

Grapefruit essential oil actually works with your body in activating enzymes that help your body break down brown body fat. We know thatgrapefruit can benefit weight lossand that the essential oil of grapefruit actually comes from the grapefruit peel, which is very highin certain compounds like D-limonene and helps support the metabolism as well asthe cleansing and drainage of your lymphatic glands.

When applied topically to the skin in small amounts, grapefruit essential oil is an excellent diuretic and lymphatic stimulant. This is one reason why its included in manycellulite creams and blends that are used for dry brushing. For that reason, grapefruit essential oil is the number one oil that can help your body in burning fat and losing weight because of how it activates enzymes in your saliva, which helps break down body fat in your body.

When mixed with patchouli oil, grapefruit oil is known to lower cravings and hunger, which makes it a great tool to lose weight fast in a healthy way. Add several drops to your water, diffuse it in your office or home, or massage some onto your chest and wrists when a craving strikes.

The second best essential oil to support weight loss is cinnamon oil. Cinnamon oil has been shown time and time again to help regulate blood glucose levels and something in your body called GTF, glucose tolerance factor. For that reason, cinnamon oil is also fantastic for anybody with diabetes.

It helps balance blood sugar, which long-term will help with weight loss and help reduce those cravings for sugar.Unstable blood sugar can lead to overeating, low energy and weight gain, but adding cinnamon oil to fruit, tea, oats, baked goods or smoothies helps slow the rate at which glucose is released into the blood.

The third essential oil that supports the body in weight loss is ginger essential oil. Ginger works because it also reduces sugar cravings and helps reduce inflammation in the body. Its so important that if youre going to lose weight, that youre also reducing inflammation, andsupporting digestion and absorption of nutrients.

The compounds in ginger are called gingerols. Gingerols have been scientifically proven to reduce disease-causing inflammation in your intestines and overall improve absorption of the vitamins and minerals youre consuming. If youre absorbing more vitamins and minerals, then youre helping tosupport your bodys cellular energy and createweight loss.

A 2013 study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacologyconcluded that ginger essential oilpossesses antioxidant activity as well as significant anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. After being treated with ginger essential oil for one month, enzyme levels increased in the blood of mice. The dose also scavenged free radicals andproduced significant reduction in acute inflammation.

So if you are looking to essential oils for weight loss, I recommend grapefruit oil, cinnamon oil and ginger oil. Sometimes you can get thesein compounds, or you can use these three individually.

You can put one single drop of each in water and drink it that way, or you can actually put it on topically or diffuse it. When youre putting it on topically, I recommend using a carrier oil like coconut oil, especially when youre using the cinnamon oil. Or one of my favorite ways is just diffuse it, such ason your desk at the officeoraround your home. It has a great scent. It will activate parts ofyour body that will actually support weight loss.

Essential oils have been used for over five thousand years. Theyre one of the most powerful forms of medicine in the world, but grapefruit, cinnamon and ginger are probably the most effective essential oils for weight loss.

The rest is here:
3 Essential Oils for Weight Loss - Dr. Axe

5 Ways Saxenda Helps with Weight Loss & How to use it Safely

Posted: March 3, 2019 at 2:42 pm

Saxenda might be one of the best weight loss medications that exist on the market right now.

But just because it might work doesn't mean it's necessarily right for your body.

Saxenda works because it alters many hormone systems in your body that tend to interfere with your appetite, metabolism and even other hormones.

In this post, I will walk you through how Saxenda helps with weight loss and who should consider using this new medication.

Let's jump in:

More...

First, let's start off by establishing that Saxenda does indeed work for weight loss.

The studies are clear on this matter (1):

Many studies have shown that patients using Saxenda lose significant amounts of weight over several weeks (usually around 10% body fat).

That means that using this medication might help you lose up to 20 pounds if you weighed 200 pounds.

At first, that doesn't sound very good, but it's actually quite impressive if you consider that this weight loss is achieved generally without any other therapies added.

And that's where things get interesting.

If you have an understanding of weight loss and how hormones influence your weight, you can benefit even more from using this medication.

Why?

Because it can safely be combined with other therapies that ALSO increase your weight loss efforts and together this can result in dramatic weight loss.

We will talk about those therapies in just a minute but for now, let's discuss why Saxenda actually works...

Saxenda is a medication that falls into the GLP-1 agonist class of drugs.

GLP-1 stands for Glucagon-like peptide 1 and that's where Saxenda has its primary action.

Saxenda (or Liraglutide which is another name for this medication) sits on this receptor and causes changes to very important hormones involved in regulating body weight: insulin, leptin, and glucagon.

Liraglutide was originally developed to treat type II diabetes because it can help reduce insulin resistance but was soon found to have a dramatic effect on weight.

Because of this, the makers of Liraglutide (or Victoza as it is called if used to treat type II diabetes) came out with a new name (saxenda) which is now FDA approved for weight loss.

If you've been following my blog you know that I am a big fan of GLP-1 agonists and that I use them effectively for weight loss (to help patients lose 50+ pounds).

You can read about the case studies here and here - which include before and after pictures.

So, naturally, I am a big fan of the GLP-1 agonists, but in order to get the kind of results you see in those case studies, it has to be used CORRECTLY and combined with other therapies.

Simply taking Saxenda will help you lose some weight by itself, but it won't get you back to your ideal or normal weight by itself (you will have to add other therapies to get there).

I will talk about the downside of using Saxenda below, but for now, let's talk about HOW it works.

First, and probably most important, is that GLP-1 agonists help lower leptin resistance.

You may not even realize it, but when it comes to weight loss leptin is probably the single most important hormone for determining if you will lose weight and how much weight you will lose.

Leptin is also responsible (at least in part) for the weight gain after rapid weight loss.

What happens is something like this:

You go on a calorie restricted diet which helps you lose 20 pounds or so within a matter of 30-60 days.

Your body senses this rapid weight loss and makes changes to your hormones to INCREASE your appetite and LOWER your metabolism to compensate.

The hormone responsible for this is Leptin.

Leptin levels then spike which causes your body to regain that weight that you previously lost (2), but in the process, you have damaged your metabolism slightly (not good).

Repeating this process over and over causes worsening leptin resistance and make it so that you are unable to lose weight even if you try excessive dieting or calorie restriction.

Leptin is probably one of the more important hormones involved in weight management and it's also probably the most neglected.

Until recently we didn't really have a way to treat leptin resistance even though most Doctors recognized that it was involved in many cases of obesity in the US.

So where does Saxenda fit in?

Studies have shown that Liraglutide (Saxenda or Victoza) does two important things related to Leptin and leptin resistance (3):

These effects seem to be mediated through receptor changes by the GLP-1 agonist and on the leptin receptor.

Either way, the result is the same:

This medication helps reduce leptin resistance and can help lower leptin levels.

This changes the biochemistry in your body and helps to naturally reduce your appetite, increase your metabolism and increase fat burning capacity.

This change alone is probably why GLP-1 agonists are so effective for weight loss, but they have more benefits beyond their effects on leptin.

You can find more information in my hormone and weight loss guide to find exactly how I use GLP-1 agonists, how to manage your diet to control leptin levels and much more here:

Saxenda also helps reduce insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is the root cause of type II diabetes mellitus and insulin is responsible for the majority of the negative consequences associated with that disease.

What you may not realize is that insulin resistance is incredibly common in the US.

It's estimated that up to 50% of the population has some degree of insulin resistance and, by lab testing, show signs of diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Insulin is also a very important hormone involved in the weight loss equation.

When insulin levels are high it's almost impossible for your body to burn fat (4).

Why?

Because insulin blocks the action of an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase.

This hormone is responsible for turning on "fat burning mode" and in the presence of high insulin, this enzyme is always on the "off" setting.

This is obviously a big problem if you are trying to lose weight.

In addition to preventing your body from burning fat as an energy source insulin also has the added problem of promoting fat storage.

This means that if you consume calories (from any source) these calories will be stored as fat in the presence of high levels of circulating insulin.

This is true even if you are consuming a low-calorie diet.

Insulin doesn't care how many calories you are consuming, it cares about storing whatever you eat as fat.

So how does Saxenda work?

Saxenda helps sensitize the body to insulin levels and helps to lower blood glucose levels in the process.

Using Victoza (especially when combined with the right diet, exercise, and supplements) can dramatically reduce fasting insulin levels and also fasting blood glucose levels.

The positive effects of reducing insulin also significantly help to improve other hormones in the body.

For instance:

Insulin resistance can cause low testosterone (in men) and high testosterone (in women).

When you treat insulin levels these hormone imbalances tend to improve which will naturally result in weight loss and a reduction in symptoms associated with THOSE imbalances.

Glucagon is another hormone which is important for weight loss, but one that is less understood than insulin or leptin.

Over the next 5-10 years we will see a lot more research done on this hormone and how it relates to weight loss, but for now, we can talk about what we already know.

Glucagon is basically the exact opposite of insulin - in terms of how it alters blood glucose levels.

Insulin lowers blood sugar levels while glucagon helps increase blood sugar levels.

How does this relate to weight loss?

It turns out that in order to help burn fat in the body, your body must naturally deplete liver glycogen stores and have low enough insulin levels to promote hormone-sensitive lipase to activate.

In states that cause insulin resistance, there is also some degree of hyperglucagonemia - and this states promotes consistently high levels of glucose.

High glucagon also seems to interfere with normal glucose control which alters how your body burns energy.

Saxenda and other GLP-1 agonists help reduce glucagon levels(5) while simultaneously reducing insulin resistance.

Both of these changes promote more normal blood glucose levels and help promote proper liver metabolism of glucose and help adipose tissue burn fat.

This is also why GLP-1 agonists are so helpful for patients with type II diabetes.

Glucagon is just as important (if not more important) in the regulation of glucose levels in the body.

Our current focus is on insulin and how it manages glucose levels and we generally completely ignore glucagon and its effects.

But if you treat both insulin AND glucagon levels, you can get a much more normal glucose level and finally promote weight loss and fat burn.

Another benefit of using Saxenda is how it alters your appetite.

You've been conditioned to believe that your weight is the product of how many calories you burn minus the number of calories you consume.

Conventional wisdom would have you believe that reducing your total calories will always result in weight loss, provided you burn more calories than you consume.

Weight loss, in general, happens to be much more complex than this seriously oversimplified and inaccurate equation, but, nonetheless, here we are.

So here's the deal with appetite and Saxenda...

One of the side effects of Saxenda is slight nausea, and this is felt to occur due to how GLP-1 agonists alter gastric motility (6).

These medications slow down the gastrointestinal motility which means that your gastric contents empty more slowly.

This can result in symptoms such as reflux, and distention of the stomach which manifests as nausea.

Pretty much anything that tells your body that your stomach is full will also promote a reduction in appetite - this is natural and normal.

But, how does appetite impact weight loss?

Well, you do need SOME degree of calorie restriction to result in weight loss (but this should NOT be constant calorie restriction) and this calorie restriction from the loss in appetite is actually welcomed in this case.

The reason this appetite suppression is GOOD, is because it's also accompanied by the attenuation of leptin levels.

What this means is that you can lose the weight by reducing your appetite, and instead of your body responding with increased leptin levels, the saxenda actually blocks that rise.

So you get the benefit of both worlds:

Appetite suppression that does NOT result in your weight being regained AND suppression of leptin levels at the same time.

THIS is why appetite suppression is good in this case.

Saxenda also seems to have an effect on increasing your basal metabolic rate.

Your metabolism is probably one of the most important aspects involved in weight loss.

Why?

Because your basal metabolic rate, or resting energy expenditure, is responsible for the MAJORITY of calories that you burn.

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5 Ways Saxenda Helps with Weight Loss & How to use it Safely

12 Weight Loss Tips, Diet Plans & Weight Management Programs

Posted: March 1, 2019 at 7:42 am

Introduction to weight loss

Whether your weight-loss goals involve trying to lose 5 pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the following simple healthy eating diet tips and putting them into practice can lead to weight reduction without the aid of any special diet plans, weight loss programs, fitness books, or medications.

Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our day. Energy is measured in calories. Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes within the body that sustain life. Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories (amount of energy) you need for your body to carry out necessary functions. If your weight remains constant, this is likely a sign that you are taking in the same amount of calories that you burn daily. If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.

Every adult is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon the following:

For some people, due to genetic (inherited) factors or other health conditions, the resting metabolic rate (RMR) can be slightly higher or lower than average. Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- the more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. A 100-pound person requires less energy (food) to maintain body weight than a person who weighs 200 pounds.

Lifestyle and work habits partially determine how many calories we need to eat each day. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labor will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job). For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.

As a rough estimate, an average woman 31-50 years of age who leads a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1,800 calories per day to maintain a normal weight. A man of the same age requires about 2,200 calories. Participating in a moderate level of physical activity (exercising three to five days per week) requires about 200 additional calories per day. More strenuous exercise programs, such as those with cardio focus, can burn even more.

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HGH Injections All The Facts | HGH facts and review of …

Posted: March 1, 2019 at 7:41 am

Last Updated on February 27, 2019 by James Jackson

Humans have long dreamed of a wonder drug, something to help us stay young and energetic forever simply by swallowing a pill or drinking a magic potion. Some think that injections of human growth hormone might be that secret ingredient to eternal youth. However, there are some very serious considerations that must be taken into account before using HGH injections. In this article we will discuss the science behind HGH injections, how they are made, some of the most popular brands, and concerns about their effects. In addition, we will discuss the science and effects of prescription HGH releaser injections such as Egrifta.

Why Use HGH Injections?

Human growth hormone (HGH) is produced in the pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and from there it is secreted into the bloodstream in regular cycles, most often when we are asleep. As children, our brains generate high amounts of HGH to help us grow up, and while we grow the hormone also keeps our cells, tissues and organs functioning as they should. However, the amount of HGH that our bodies produce drops dramatically when we are twenty to when we are sixty. According to one source, our HGH total can drop from 700 units per day to 400 units per day, or even lower. Scientists are finding evidence, starting from a 1990 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, that this decline in HGH can contribute to many of the problems of aging and many now theorize that increasing the amount of HGH that the body produces can reverse, or at least reduce, those problems.

Furthermore, there are individuals with medical conditions relating to a deficiency in HGH. Growth hormone deficiency is more common in children than in adults. For adults, the deficiency usually comes from tumors in the brain or radiation treatment for those tumors, as well as from growth hormone deficiency that began while they were children. This can result in male baldness, memory loss, reduced sex drive, lower energy strength, a higher amount of body fat, raised cholesterol, and even cardiac dysfunction, according to one authority.

For children, the growth hormone deficiency is also present in disorders such as Prader-Willi Syndrome and Turner Syndrome, idiopathic short stature, Noonan Syndrome, chronic kidney disease, short stature homeobox-containing gene deficiency, or in infants who are small for their gestational age as another expert explains. Adults who suffer from wasting as a result of AIDS also can benefit from HGH replacement. Many authoritative sources say that these deficiencies can lead to lack of growth, delayed puberty, weight gain, frontal recession, sparse hair, and maxillary hypoplasia, which is over-development of the jaw. Injections of artificial HGH can replace some of the hormone deficiency and lessen the effects of these disorders. Adults who suffer from wasting as a result of AIDS also can benefit from HGH replacement.

How Are HGH Injections Manufactured?

Recombinant DNA

The first growth hormone injections occurred in the 1950s. The hormone was extracted from the pituitary glands of corpses, and after purification, injected into individuals suffering from growth hormone deficiencies. However, because the supply of the hormone was limited and few physicians were trained to provide it, wikipedia claims that only around 7,700 children in the US, and 27,000 children in other parts of the world were given these injections between the years of 1963 and 1985. Furthermore, scientists eventually became aware that using hormone extracted from corpses may have increased patients vulnerability to Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. (This is a fatal disorder similar to mad cow disease that causes the brain to deteriorate.) Between 1985 and 2003, twenty-six of the 7,700 American individuals who had received HGH from the pituitary glands of corpses developed Creutzfeldt-Jacob.

In 1981, a Swedish company called Kabi and Genentech, an American corporation, created recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH). Recombinant HGH is a synthetic form of the hormone made from recombinant DNA technology. Under this technology, as one authority explains, DNA sequences from different sources are cut out from their original molecules by restriction enzymes, and then brought together in forms not found in nature. DNA from an outside source is tied to host DNA sequences that cause the host DNA to be replicated. This method allows both sets of DNA to be replicated at the same time by the host. In the case of rHGH, human DNA is implanted in bacteria, and then the protein is replicated repeatedly. The process creates a form of rHGH that works in the human body, but is quick and easy to reproduce. In the years since rHGH was first produced, none of the growth hormone-deficient patients that have received injections have developed Creutzfeld-Jacob disease.

What Are the Ingredients in rHGH Injections?

Genentech created Protropin, the first brand of rHGH injection, in 1985 and stopped offering it for sale in 2004. It was made from somatrem, which is a type of synthetic growth hormone with 192 amino acids. These include the usual one 191 acids that are found in somatropin, the more common form of HGH, with the addition of methionine, which helps build proteins and provides sulfur and methyl to regulate the metabolism. According to Mayo, human DNA was tied to e-coli bacteria in order to create Protropin rHGH. Protropin was a white powder intended to be injected under the skin. It contained somatrem, mannitol, and sodium phosphates. Bacteriostatic Water with benzyl alcohol was used to purify it, and sometimes phosphoric acid was used to adjust the substances pH, according to RXlist.com.

Somatropin, Mayo explains, is a form of synthetic HGH with 191 amino acids. This is the same number of acids that natural HGH contains, but like Protropin it is generated from tying human DNA to e-coli.The most popular brands of somatropin include Genotropin, Saizen, Norditropin, Humatrope, Accretropin, Tev-Tropin and Omnitrope. These products contain substances such as mannitol, sodium chloride, Phenol (as a preservative), benzyl alcohol, sodium dihydrogen phosphate dihydrate, glycine, disodium hydrogen phosphate heptahydrate, Bacteriostatic Water, sucrose, phosphoric acid, dibasic sodium phospate, glycerin, sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous, and disodium phosphate anhydrous. Most of the rHGH products are available in the form of a white powder that must be injected subcutaneously, but Omnitrope and Accretropin come as liquid solutions, Rxlist.com explains.

What Is Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone?

Products such as Egrifta contain growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). However, wikipedia explains that unlike Protropin and Genotropin, these injections do not replace deficient amounts of human growth hormone with rHGH. Instead, they contain artificially-created human growth hormone releasing factor, or HGHRF. GHRH is a hormone consisting of forty-four amino acids produced by the hypothalamus in the human brain. It travels to the pituitary gland in regular cycles and stimulates it to produce HGH, as well as promoting slow-wave sleep, the level of sleep in which the pituitary releases the highest amounts of HGH. Because they are not intended to insert HGH into the body, but rather to promote the secretion of the hormone by the fully-operational pituitary gland, they are not used to treat growth hormone deficiencies. Instead, they are most often prescribed for lipodystrophy, or the degenerative or abnormal condition of human fat tissue, especially in individuals with HIV.

Egrifta contains tesamorelin, an acetate salt that contains the identical sequence of amino acids to GHRH, and mannitol, experts say. Other sources add that tesamorelin can also contain sodium chloride and both dibasic and monobasic sodium phosphate. The acetate is available in the form of powder, intended to be injected under the skin. Older products used Sermorelin, which was another artifical form of GHRH although it only contained twenty-nine of the original forty-four amino acids. Wikipedia.org considers it the shortest fragment of GHRH that is fully functional, and it is still used to test levels of HGH secretion.

Are There Any Concerns about rHGH and rHGHRF?

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved rHGH injections for the use of patients who suffer from growth hormone deficiency-related disorders. However, experts warn that the injections are only legally available with a doctors prescription, and the FDA does prosecute those individuals who obtain them illegally.

There are concerns even for patients who are legally prescribed rHGH injections. One authority points out that for children, the injections must be taken daily, for at least as long as the child is growing. (For the more severe cases of growth hormone deficiency, the individual might have to use injections for the rest of his or her life.) The cost is usually from US$10,000 to $30,000 a year. In addition, while most children with growth hormone deficiency receive treatment, the majority of adults who suffer from those conditions do not. One common reason is that the adults do not wish to have to regularly experience the injections. Furthermore, a source argues that because the benefits of rHGH therapy are still considered uncertain by some scientists, many endocrinologists will not even prescribe the injections for adults except in the most severe cases.

Another major area of concern is the side effects that are associated with both rHGH and rHGHRF injections. According to one expert, women who are pregnant should not take Egrifta or other products that contain tesamorelin, because they can cause birth defects in the fetus. Furthermore, those with allergies to any of the ingredients, respiratory problems, recent trauma or surgery, kidney or liver disease, pressure in the head, diabetes, cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome, edema, or retinopathy must consult with their doctor before beginning to take rHGHRF. Sources claim that these products can cause fluid retention, changes in blood or urine sugar levels, and may cause red, itching skin, rash, hives, swelling of the hands, feet, lips or face, and shortness of breath. Some of the common side effects include pain in joints, muscles, arms, or legs, difficulty moving, and bleeding, coldness, blistering, skin discoloration, infection, soreness, stinging, or inflammation at the injection site. Meanwhile less common effects may include blurry vision, numbness or tingling, dizziness, fast or irregular pulse, nervousness, joint swelling, unsteadiness, weakness in the limbs, headache, pounding in the ears, chest pain, belching, sour stomach, lack of appetite, discouragement and depression, heartburn, loss of pleasure or interest, muscle spasms and strain, nausea, insomnia, fatigue, vomiting, upper abdominal pain, sweating, and lack of ability to concentrate.

Furthermore, there are various side effects associated with rHGH injections as well. According to some experts, these can include swelling of the limbs and face, bleeding gums, dizziness, nosebleeds and bleeding gums, joint pain, difficulty in moving, coughing up blood, rapid weight gain, red or dark urine or stools, tingling sensations in extremities, and skin discoloration. More rare side effects can include damage to vision, change in personality, bone pain or fracture, chills, constipation, headache, dry mouth, confusion, fever, an increase in thirst, hunger and urination, curvature of the spine, rapid pulse, indigestion, joint pain, loss of consciousness, vomiting, weakness, jaundice, seizures, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, fatigue, tumors and skin lesions, and swelling of the breasts in both males and females. Furthermore, it may cause pressure in the head, pancreatitis, and fluid retention. The evidence about the injections effect on unborn children and nursing mothers is, as yet, inconclusive. For more on HGH side effects and risks read more here!

Experts warn that any individual who believes that rHGH or rHGHGF might be right for them should consult with a doctor before beginning treatment. However, even though these injections may not be the magical pill to keep us eternally young and healthy, their effects are very important for those who need some extra help to grow and become strong, and that makes them wonderful enough. However If you are considering HGH to only help you lose weight and feel younger and are not suffering from serious HGH defficiency then opting first for a natural HGH releaser like GHR1000, Genf20 Plus, Sytropin or Genfx might just be enough.

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The Best Foods That Will Help You Lose Weight Fast

Posted: February 23, 2019 at 12:45 pm

Wouldnt it be great if life came with a magic remote control that made the bad parts speed up and the good parts slow down? You could hit FF at the beginning of every workday, and RWD at the end of awesome date. All the vacations, holidays and parties could move at the pace of a Kenny G song, and all the endless conference calls could spin by faster than Nicki Minajs hairstyles.

And right up there on the FF listweight loss. Sure, slow and steady may win the race, but who wants to plod along like a tortoise, especially when a warm weather getaway is right around the corner? Add these 7 super weight loss foods to your day to get your weight-loss goals on hyperspeed. All of them have been scientifically proven to fry flab in 6 weeks or less! Tighten your seatbeltin fact, youll soon be tightening every belt!

If youre not drinking green tea with your workouts, you might be wasting your time at that barre class. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that after just two weeks, exercisers who sipped four to five cups of green tea each day and logged 25-minutes at the gym lost more belly fat than their non-tea-drinking counterparts. What makes the drink so powerful? It contains catechins, an antioxidant that hinders the storage of belly fat and aids rapid weight loss. And thats not the only weight loss elixir out there: Discover more details and drop two sizes with these 4 Teas That Melt Fat Fast.

Think of each almond as a natural weight-loss pill. A study of overweight and obese adults found that, combined with a calorie-restricted diet, consuming a little more than a quarter cup of the nuts can decrease weight more effectively than a snack comprised of complex carbohydrates and safflower oilafter just two weeks! (And after 24 weeks, those who ate the nuts experienced a 62% greater reduction in weight and BMI!) For optimal results, eat your daily serving before you hit the gym. A study printed in The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that almonds, rich in the amino acid L-arginine, can actually help you burn more fat and carbs during workouts. Fill up, but dont fill out: Use these Eat This, Not That!-recommended 10 Daily Habits That Blast Belly Fat.

Stephen Colbert may be on to something. UCLA Center for Human Nutrition researchers divided study participants into two groups, each of which were fed a nearly identical low-cal diet for 12-weeks. The only difference between the groups was what they were given to eat as an afternoon snack. One group ate 220-calories of pretzels while the other group munched on 240-calories worth of pistachios. Just four weeks into the study, the pistachio group had reduced their BMI by a point, while the pretzel-eating group stayed the same, and their cholesterol and triglyceride levels showed improvements as well.

Get the Rapid Flat Belly Plan now and lose up to 18 pounds in just 15 days!

What if we told you that you could make 20 percent of your belly disappear this yearpoof, just gone? Penn State University researchers compared those who consumed avocado oil with those who consumed a flax-safflower oil blend. Those on the avocado oil dietjust three tablespoons daily did the tricklost nearly 2 percent of their belly fat in just one month. For more ways to enjoy big, bold flavors, burn flab with these 8 Fatty Foods That Make You Skinny.

Its time to focus on your lentil health. In one four-week Spanish study, researchers found that eating a calorie-restricted diet that includes four weekly servings of legumes aids weight loss more effectively than an equivalent diet that doesnt include beans. Those who consumed the legume-rich diet also saw improvements in their bad LDL cholesterol levels and systolic blood-pressure. To reap the benefits at home, work lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans into your diet throughout the week.

How would you like to take all the great weight-loss results youve just read aboutand double them? Thats what happens when you supplement your diet with a combination of vitamin D and calcium, according to a Nutrition Journal study. Just four weeks into the 12-week experiment, subjects who had taken these two nutrientsfound in abundance in some yogurtslost two times more fat than the other group! To get similar results at home, start your day with one of these Best Brand-Name Yogurts for Weight Loss.

Like a marathoner stretching before the big run, eating half a grapefruit before a meal can enhance your bodys fat-burning performance. A study published in the journal Metabolism found that this warm-up tactic can help whittle your middleby up to an inchin just six weeks! The scientists attribute the powerful effects to the grapefruits fat-zapping phytochemicals. The fruit can interact negatively with certain medications, so as long as you get the green-light from your M.D, plan to have half of a grapefruit before your morning meal and add a few segments your starter salads to reap the benefits.

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The Best Foods That Will Help You Lose Weight Fast

How to lose weight safely? | Yahoo Answers

Posted: February 18, 2019 at 2:48 pm

Here are six simple tips that will have you losing weight in a balanced and healthy way and lose weight:

1. Lose weight with water. Water is essential for everybody - it is also the key to losing weight. If you haven't been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra unwanted weight.

By drinking more water, you are not only flushing out toxins, you are also teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Drink at least 60 ounces of water (about 8 glasses) a day. Boil water and sliced lemons, and drink this throughout the day to help with fluid retention. If you are still not sold on the merits of water, try this on for size: water is a natural appetite suppressant.

2. Soup up your weight loss program. A simple dietary change will have you shedding pounds: eat a bowl of soup at least once a day. Nutritious, low-salt soups will nourish you as they flush waste from your body. People who eat a serving of soup daily lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories but don't eat soup. Go for homemade soup whenever possible, as canned soups are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3. Eat early to keep weight off. The human body follows a circadian rhythm, which means that the same foods eaten at breakfast and lunch are processed differently than when eaten at dinner. Studies show that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast you tend to lose weight and have more energy; however, eating the same things at dinner tend to increase tendencies toward weight gain. I suggest that you eat your last meal of the day by 7 p.m.

4. Eat smaller meals, more frequently. Follow an eating schedule with five little meals every day. Eating steadily through the day keeps you from becoming famished and overeating at your next meal. Make a low-fat trail mix from raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried plum, and apples and have it available at all times to avoid the tempting lure of high-calorie snacks.

5. Adopt a balanced approach to your diet. Most of the fad diet programs out there nowadays are extreme in a few recommended foods, or else deprive the body of food altogether. This works in opposition to our metabolism and the results usually don't last, producing a yoyo effect that depresses your metabolic function - not to mention your self-esteem. We are natural beings that need a balance of nutrition from all sources.

Your diet should consist of a balance of organic sources of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Instead of white rice and pasta, opt for brown rice, bulgur, millet, or buckwheat.

Eat more green, chlorophyll-rich foods such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and asparagus. Eliminate candy, sugar, soda, and all simple sugars from your diet. Excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain. Also, keep dairy to a minimum because most dairy products are high in saturated fat. Avoid fatty foods, processed or fried foods.

6. Walk off the weight. The No. 1 cause of weight gain is inactivity. Physical activity is the key to speeding up your metabolism and burning excess calories. The best way to be physically active is to use your legs! Walk as often and as long as you can. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Step outside during your break at work and take a walk around your building. Consider joining a local hiking club. Try taking a walk 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the early evening.

I hope this article helps you shed some pounds and add on the years! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

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How to lose weight safely? | Yahoo Answers

Top 5 Natural Appetite Suppressants to Help Lose Weight …

Posted: February 16, 2019 at 2:43 am

No doubt about it, overeating and its connection to more and more people becoming overweight or obese is one of the most complex and challenging issues in health care today. There are many reasons why you might feel like youre always hungry, including nutrient deficiencies, a lack of fiber or healthy fats in your diet, fatigue, or high amounts of emotional stress. However, it doesnt have to be this way. Natural appetite suppressants can help you achieve satiety and avoid overeating, and they can help you do that without the dangers of diet pills.

While manufacturers of weight loss pills continue to promote the convenience and rapid results associated with their products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationand other health authorities warn against their use. Some of the main reasons that appetite-suppressing weight loss pills are considered to be at least somewhat dangerous include medication interactions, tainted or unlisted ingredients, high amounts of caffeine, and fillers or synthetic additives that causenegative reactions, just to name few.

The good news is this: There appear to be safer and more natural options for suppressing your appetite (and potentially losing some weight as a result) without so much risk involved. In fact, throughout history cultures all over the world have consumed natural foods, teas and spices that are now provingto be beneficial for metabolic functions and energy expenditure. Consuming natural appetite suppressants, such as filling, fat-burning foods, nutrients likeconjugated linoleic acid andchromium, probiotics, and anti-aging beverages like green tea, can help you keep mindless cravings, a habit of snacking or a sweet tooth under better control.

Appetite suppressants are either pills, drinks, supplements or whole foods that help keep you from overeating. Natural appetite suppressants which have some similarities to commercial weight loss pills but some important differences may help tackle some of these issues related to obesity or emotional eating in part by balancing levels of hunger hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin and leptin rise and fall throughout the day depending on things like how much youve recently eaten, your mood, stress level, sleep, genetics, current weight and level of inflammation. In other words, theres a lot at play when it comes to suppressing or stimulating your daily appetite.

In addition to decreasing your appetite through hormone regulation, nutrients or essential oils used for safely promoting weight loss can help tip the scale in your favor in several other ways, such as burning more stored body fat for energy (these are known as thermogenics), improvingbalance of blood sugar levels, curbing cravings for junk foods or sweets, improving thyroid health, increasing release of happy hormones or endorphins like serotonin, and possibly giving you a bit more energy throughout the day to be used for extra physical activity.

There are all sorts of products available today that claim to have these appetite-dulling effects, but not every kind has been shown to work or even to be very safe. Examples of weight loss supplements that pose the most risks include guarana, garcinia cambogia, bitter orange or ephedrine.According to the FDA, Supplements arent considered drugs, so they arent put through the same strict safety and effectiveness requirements that drugs are. (1) Thats why I recommend approaching weight loss holistically especially by eating filling, fat-burning, natural foods and other natural appetite suppressants that wont potentially lead to complications like taking pills or consuming high amounts of caffeine can.

1. Green Tea Extract

Green tea has been consumed for thousands of years and is still one of the healthiest beverages available to us today. Its been the focus of hundreds of studies related to everything from preventing cognitive disorders like dementia to managing metabolic dysfunction. Recently, certain antioxidants and substances in green tea extract have been tied to beneficial effects on metabolic diseases and improvements in regulating appetite hormones.

A Cochrane meta-anylsis including 14 studied involving use of green tea found that its consumption was associated with mild but significant weight loss results compared to controls or placebo. (2) One study that tested the effects of green tea extract on a group of adults compared to a control group not taking green tea found that after 12 weeks, those taking 857 milligrams of green tea had significantly lower levels of ghrelin (known as the hunger hormone).

Participants in the green tea extract group also had improvements in cholesterol levels and elevated levels of adiponectin compared to the placebo group. Low levels of adiponectin have been tied to problems like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and increased inflammation. EGCG, the most abundant green tea catechin and a powerful bioactive constituent, has also been shown to act like a cancer-fighting compound and promote thermogenic activities in studies, therefore decreasing fat cell proliferation and helping burn body fat for energy. (3)

Although not every study has shown such strong and positive weight loss results associated with green tea extract, it seems safe for most adults to take up to 800900 milligrams daily, usually spread out over three increments. (4) Although theyre generally rare, when taking green tea extract be on the lookout for reported adverse effects thatmight include mild headaches, signs of hypertension, constipation or possibly increased symptoms of urinary tract infection.

2. Saffron Extract

Some research suggests that taking certain saffron extracts can positive effects on mood regulation by increasing endorphin and serotonin levels. Saffrons effects when it comes to suppressing appetite, including leading to reduced snacking and an elevated mood, seem to be the result of increased serotonin action in the body. (5) This has been shown to help improve symptoms of depression, emotional eating and PMSafter about six to eight weeks of treatment. In fact, certain studies have found that saffron extract can work almost as well as taking a low-dose prescription antidepressant drug (such as fluoxetine or imipramine).

Additionally, while research shows mixed results, theres some evidence that taking a chemical from saffron called crocetin might decrease fatigue during exercise and help with increasing energy expenditure. (6) To get theantidepressant benefits of saffron, start with the the standard daily dose of 30 milligrams, used for up to eight weeks. If you have any existing condition that might interfere with saffrons influence on serotonin metabolism (like depression, for example), its a good idea to get your doctors opinion first.

3. Grapefruit Essential Oil

Grapefruits benefits for weight losshave been the focus of dozen of studies and seem to be due to beneficial acids, antioxidants, volatile oils and enzymes that help reduce your appetite, lower cravings, help stimulate the lymphatic system and give you a mild dose of uplifting energy.

Research regarding grapefruits effects on olfactory stimulation (how smelling the aroma affects the central nervous system) shows that inhaling the fruits smell can positively alter autonomic nerve signaling, lipolysis (fat metabolism) and appetite regulation. Here are several findings from a number of studies about how grapefruit essential oil impacts appetite and body weight: (7, 8)

Certain studies have shown that just three 15-minute exposures to grapefruit essential oil each week helped participants reduce their appetites and practice habits (like slow, mindful eating) that better control their weight.How can you use grapefruit essential oil at home or when youre on the go? Trying adding several drops of pure grapefruit essential oil (citrus paradise) either to a diffuser in your office/home, to your shower or bath soap, or with a carrier oil to be massaged right onto your skin (just do a skin patch test to be sure you dont have an allergic reaction first).

4. Foods High in Fiber

Dietary fibers, whether from food sources or in concentrated supplement form, have been used for hundreds of years to promote fullness, improve gut healthand digestive functions, and help maintain strong immunity and heart health. Despite the fact that fiber intake is inversely associated with hunger, body weight and body fat, studies show that the average fiber intake of adults in the United States is still less than half of recommended levels. (9)

What is it about fiber that dulls your appetite?Because fiber is not able to be digested once consumed, plus it absorbs so much of its own weight in water, high-fiber foods help slow your bodys digestion of glucose (sugar), keep you feeling fuller for longer and beat cravings. Many foods high in fiber are also very nutritionally dense, meaning you get more bang for your nutritional buck and help prevent dehydration or deficiencies.

Eating a high-fiber diet similar to the Mediterranean dietor the way that those known for longevity living in theBlue Zones eat has been linked to a longer life span, better regulation of healthy body weight, improved gut/digestive health, hormonal health and much more. According to researchin the Obesity Reports, Evidence points to a significant association between a lack of fiber intake and: ischemic heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, as well as gastrointestinal disorders. (10)

To fill up on the right foods faster and for longer,consume more high-fiber foods, including chia seeds, flaxseeds, starchy or non-starchy fresh veggies, beans or legumes, and fruit (especially berries).

5. Spicy Foods

Naturally spicy (plus anti-inflammatory) ingredients like cayenne, black pepper, curry, turmeric, ginger, dandelion or cinnamon might help increase your bodys ability to burn fat, suppress hunger levels, normalize glucose levels, reduce free radical damage associated with aging and reduce your appetite for sweets.

Studies have found that results associated with eating spices like cayenne with high-carb meals indicate that red pepper increases diet-induced thermogenesis (heating the body and burning of fat) and lipid oxidation. (11) Other research regarding the effects of capsaicin, the phytochemical responsible for the spiciness of peppers, has shown that this compound can modulate metabolic activities through affecting transient receptors in the digestive system, such as one called TRPV1.

Because theyre loaded with benefits, virtually free from calories and easy to use on all sorts of recipes, theres basically no reason for anything but love for spices.Theres evidence that including more spices and herbs in your diet (especially turmeric, black pepper and cayenne pepper) can help you reduce intake of things like flavor enhancers, salt and sugar while helping you reduce weight gain without having negative effects. Try adding some to homemade tea or detox drinks, marinades, on top of fish or other proteins, in a stir-fry, on veggies, or in soups.

Commercially sold diet pills usually contain a mix of stimulants, including caffeine, herbs, and sometimes digestive enzymes or acids. Generally, they come with adverse side effects, making them unhealthy ways to lose weight.

Caffeine is one of the most common weight loss ingredients because it often has the appealing effects of dulling someones appetite, improving motivation and increasing energy for activity. However, as you may have experienced yourself in the past, consuming too much caffeine within a short time period can cause strong side effects like jitteriness, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, diarrhea and more.

While the majority of adults worldwide consume at least some caffeine daily, mostly in the form of coffee or tea, abnormally high amounts of caffeine are usually limited to fat-burning supplements. When weight loss pill manufacturers include caffeine in amounts theyre rarely used otherwise, its likely to cause both short-term issues like dependence and jitteriness or, even worse, dangerous interactions with existing medical conditions or medications.

Due to interactions with medications or changes in blood pressure, other side effects of popular weight loss pills like guarana, garcinia cambogia or ephedrine, for example can include anxiety, trouble sleeping, indigestion, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, headaches, dependency and blood pressure changes that can sometimes be dangerous.

Some commercially available thermogenic supplements (especially those containing ephedrine, also called ephedra) have even been found to induce acute liver failureand contribute to serious reactions likeexcessive bleeding, increased pressure in the brain, fatigue, malaise and jaundice.(12) This is one reason why ephedrine is nowbanned as a dietary supplement ingredient in the U.S. due to an increase in reported reactions hypertension, palpitation, stroke, seizures, heart attack and even in rare cases death.

Because theres always the risk for developing many different reactions depending on your current health and age, pay attention to how you feel even when using natural appetite suppressants. Follow dosage directions carefully, since high doses can cause dangerous reactions like poisoning, yellow appearance of the skin or mucous membranes, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, and heart problems.

Generally speaking, not enough is known about the safety of using even natural appetite suppressants during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so to stay on the safe side its wise to avoid use of supplements mentioned above during these times. Children and the elderly should also generally avoid consuming too much caffeine or supplements without a doctors opinion first.

If you have any of the below health problems, talk to a professional before attempting to suppress your appetite for weight loss (especially if you take medications daily):

Heres the bottom line on using natural appetite suppressants compared to other appetite suppressants: While weight loss pills, teas or other products may possibly give you a lift in energy, dulled appetite or temporarily elevated mood, theyre unlikely to result in any long-term weight loss, especially when you dont make other healthy lifestyle changes. Focus on eating a well-rounded, nutrient-dense diet, preventing deficiencies in key vitamins or minerals, and staying active. Then you shouldnt need to turn to weight loss products in the first place.

From the sound of it, you might think leaky gut only affects the digestive system,but in reality it can affect more. Because Leaky Gut is so common, and such an enigma,Im offering a free webinar on all things leaky gut.Click here to learn more about the webinar.

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Top 5 Natural Appetite Suppressants to Help Lose Weight ...

Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe Long Term? Potential Dangers to …

Posted: February 13, 2019 at 6:44 pm

Every diet designed to help you live a healthier and better life each has their own specific rules and promised outcomes. One diet that has constantly been gaining popularity, with several people backing its credibility, is the Ketogenic (Keto) Diet.

Keto Diet focuses on eating low to no carb meals to force your body into a state of ketosis.

Ketosis is when ketone molecules, which come from your bodys stored fat, are released and build up in your bloodstream.

In the absence of blood sugar that come from carbohydrates, the cells in your body would turn to using the ketone bodies to create and generate energy.

Youre usually able to get into ketosis within two to four days.

Because the body uses up the stored fat instead of blood sugar to generate energy, there are several benefits tied to practicing the Keto diet such as:

Aside from these benefits, Keto diet promises quicker and severe weight loss. Because the body adapts to using stored fat as energy sources, fat loss from abdominal cavity takes place.

Being under the Ketogenic diet need supervision and maintenance.

Maintaining your body in ketosis (learn more about it here) state can be helped in three ways:

One misconception tied to the Keto diet is that you can eat a high amount of protein intake, meaning steaks and roasted chicken.

However, your body can break down the protein you put into your system and turn it into fuel, putting aside the stored fat you want your body to burn.

You must keep a balanced diet of less protein and more healthy fats so your body will use up the fats and ketones to generate energy.

You cant eat bread if you want to go keto!

Observing the Keto diet doesnt necessarily mean that you have to give up your carbs entirely. Most things I have read, suggest trying to stick to 20 grams of carbs per day if you want to reach and maintain ketosis.

You can have a low-carb keto diet, where you keep track of all your carb intake. If you eat carbs, you must take a very high intake of healthy fats along with it.

However, it would be a challenge to eat and monitor your carb intake once you successfully achieve ketosis.

There are several do-it-yourself testing products that are made to assess your ketone levels. Pretty much like a pregnancy test stick, ketone levels can be tested using urine sticks, breath meter, and blood extraction.

Many Native Americans live their lives in a permanent state of ketosis and their population did not drop due to it.

So I guess it is safe to say that Ketogenic diet is safe to practice for a very long time.

Keto therapy is also used for children with epilepsy and is known to reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures.

Many of these children stay under the Keto diet for as long as 12 years.

So aside from its physical benefit outcomes, it also has a genuine effect on people with this serious illness.

A recent study also showed and proved that staying under the Ketogenic diet for 10 years is safe and healthy. The study proved that there are no cardiovascular risks that are tied up with people who undergo the Keto diet.

These people were watched for 10 years and were sent to medical assessments to observe and evaluate the possible effects on their body and overall health.

There are some people who are not fit to observe and practice the Keto diet, such as people who have diabetes or are acidic and alcoholics.

The risk of having a diet that has high-protein and low carb can also affect people who suffer from osteoporosis, have kidney problems, and people who generally have high cholesterol.

These people could potentially have major health complications. Anyone who undergoes the Keto diet must keep being observant with the effects it has on their bodies and emotional states.

However, there are no known health complications that are brought about by Ketogenic diet, but some doctors caution that more research needs to be done before knowing for sure.

Keto is on the strictest end of the low carb diet plans, and thats because you pretty much eliminate sugar, and keep your carbs to around 20 grams per day.

There are some other low carb diets out there that work well too, and arent quite as strict as keto.

The Atkins plan has some less strict options that you can follow now, and the South Beach Diet is another decent alternative (see how it compares to keto here).

If youre wanting to keep maximum fat burning results, though, then the ketogenic is the best diet I have tried. Thats in terms of the amount of weight you can lose in a very short amount of time.

There are a lot of different reviews out there, but if you browse the Reddit forums at all, you can find some pretty incredible success stories. These are great to see some of the results that people have achieved, but also to help get you motivated!

Before you throw out everything in your pantry that has sugar and high carb content and start filling your freezer with nothing else but high-fat foods and protein, you might want to do a test run if the Ketogenic diet is the right diet for you.

As with other diets, Keto also has its distinct set of disadvantages, making it a less than ideal option for people who have certain health issues.

*You should consult with your physician first before starting your journey with the Ketogenic diet as it can be counterproductive in terms of boosting your overall health and wellness, and you want to make sure that you are healthy enough for an extremely low-carb diet, like keto.

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Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe Long Term? Potential Dangers to ...

Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy – Metro MediSpa

Posted: February 13, 2019 at 1:42 am

In males, testosterone begins to decline about the time they reach 40. By middle age as much as 30% of men will have a level that qualifies as low; between ages 70 and 80, the percentage with low testosterone rises to 70%.

The period of time a man experiences low testosterone (Low-T) is referred to andropause, often thought of as similar to menopause in women. The andro name is derived from the class of hormones testosterone belongs to: Androgens.

Androgen deficiencies are related to common health issues such as obesity, diabetes and insulin malfunctions, high blood pressure and hardening and/or blocking of the arteries. Other issues are elevations in total cholesterol, and LDL, or the bad cholesterol and triglycerides. Androgens are believe to protect mens arteries from atherosclerosis; evidence is emerging that androgen therapy can partially reverse the progression of blockage and hardening in testosterone-deficient males.

Hypogonadism is the medical term for low testosterone with specific symptoms and indicators, including:

Saliva and/or blood tests can measure testosterone levels and hypogonadism sufferers can be treated with hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is also often indicated for men with high estrogen levels and low total testosterone.

TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) is well tolerated by most and can improve the quality of life as well as eradicate related symptoms for many men.

Cardiovascular risk factors also can be positively impacted by TRT, according to findings in a recent study. One popular method of applying testosterone, in a cream used on the skin, can allow adequate amounts to be absorbed, thus mimicking normal daily production.

A healthy lifestyle comes with higher hormone levels, and higher hormone levels generally produce a more active lifestyle.

Male hormone replacement can produce optimum results when combined with other indicated supplements, healthy nutrition and appropriate exercise, all part of a balanced anti-aging problem we offer.

If you would like to learn more about Hormone Replacement Therapy and how it can help improve your life, health and longevity, contact Metro MediSpas Age Management and owner, Dr. Connie Odom, M.D.

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Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy - Metro MediSpa


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