Part 1.

On the last count the word ‘diet’ produced in excess of 157 million web pages of diet plans, pills, potions and dieting tips from health institutions, diet companies, nutritional professionals and otherwise - from all over the world. And yet we are approaching the peak of an obesity epidemic which is causing untold mental misery and depression, aside from the ever increasing debilitating diseases being linked to those overweight or obese. With such an abundance of information available - how can this be?

The trend is unforgiving and is second only to smoking in terms of the cause of self-inflicted premature loss of life, but left to its own devices within the next five years obesity is sure to take the number one slot. Mother Nature is ruthless in her approach to life, in that she only allows the fittest to survive and the trend we see today is her reaction to the effects of a diet that is clearly not suited to the well-being of the human body and mind. We only have to stop, take a step in back and look around us to see that there is one hell of a serious problem. There is no need for statistics, reports or media news to tell us such. It’s clear that we as individuals have to make a change in what we do if we have any intention to reverse the current obesity trend. The ultimate responsibility lies with each and every one of us to act for the benefit of ourselves.

We have to accept the fact that the grocery industry is a host of contradiction in that it sells both dietary products along side the very products that cause us to be overweight or obese in the first instance. This is so obvious in our supermarkets today. It has become human nature that profit has a higher weighting than human health, and this is evident in many industries around the world, and is far from unique within dieting circles. We must also bear in mind the diet companies, whilst they portray an air of interest and concern, in reality they are totally dependent on your failure to diet for their very own business survival. If they were good at what they do - their businesses would surely fail. So who can we trust aside from ourselves. The evidence is clear -there is no debate.

We may have one reprieve but it will be sometime in the future, but not now. Science and technology is getting nearer and nearer to the possibility of a wonder drug with the ever-increasing understanding of the human genotype and genetic engineering. But in reality, who would ever wish or want to be dependent on diet drugs, potentially an ongoing daily basis, simply because of a lack of understanding about the relationship between the food our body has been designed for, and the food we eat. Why is it, we knowingly overeat when we know it is bad for us and that we are doing harm to ourselves? Why is it, that the only time we choose to ignore our food is the time when we are eating it!

So, is it a psychological thing, a physical thing or is it both?

In order to answer this we must first look at the change in our diet over the last 50 years. Consumption trends of refined carbohydrates such as sugar has risen dramatically, but at the same time the consumption of fats and proteins has remained reasonably stable. Saturated fats has indeed become and still is a problem although thankfully now overall consumption of saturated fats has dropped slightly, but still remains an issue.

Many studies particularly those associated with research in how the Atkins diet worked revealed that the effect of refined carbohydrates and fats both have a form of addiction associated with them. Studies have shown that refined sugars have the effect of playing havoc with the fine balance of maintaining the level of glucose in the bloodstream. This in turn has a detrimental effect on our hormonal activity, such as insulin and glucagon which are both responsible for maintaining the level of glucose to its normal level following a ’surge’ intake of refined carbohydrates in our diet. These acceptable levels of glucose in the bloodstream are maintained at surprisingly narrow margins.

Refined sugars therefore induces excessive hormonal activity in its attempt to restore homeostasis. These unnatural ’swings’ in hormonal activity often causes differing mood swings from that of being happy and content to being sad, on edge, and even feelings of anxiety or panic. Prolonged exposure to these hormonal swings can often lead to the whole process becoming less effective and subsequently diabetes can be the end result.

Other studies have shown surprisingly that the effect of eating significant quantities of fats actually leads to an unexpected human reaction in terms of nutrition. You would think that eating food rich in fats would have the effect of satisfying feeling of hunger. But amazingly medical research has shown the opposite to be true. Clinical trials have shown that foods rich in fats actually induces people to eat more not less. At the time the results from such experiments were groundbreaking as they completely contradicted the nutritional thinking of the time.

It is also interesting to learn that further medical studies have suggested that foods rich in protein have been linked to the response that indicates that you have consumed sufficient food. In other words, it is believed that proteins in some way, triggers the ‘I am full’ response.

And then of course there is the massive change in our energy expenditure. We used to hunt and gather food but now we happily pop to the local supermarket to buy it, or at worse, have it delivered to our front door. Food has changed from being scarce to being in abundance (at least for us), and we have changed from being ‘active’ to relatively ‘dormant’. Move less and eat morewhat should we expect?

And many believe that even the act of not exercising can trigger the bodily response to lower the metabolism and build fat layers under the skin for 2 key reasons, both being linked to human survival. In evolutionary terms, it may be that you are unable to ‘hunt’ and therefore unable to secure food. Reducing the metabolic rate of your body makes total sense to preserve energy. Secondly, if food is available during a spell of non activity, does it not make a whole load of sense to lay down fat layers under the skin to retain bodily heat and secure an energy source during potential ‘lean times’.

Perfect sense, perfect design and yet we don’t understand ourselves and if we do, many choose to ignore the warning signs out body is offering. In essence therefore, it is very clear that part of the problem within the dieting world that we humans face is certainly a physical one that is linked to the interaction of the food types we eat with that of our body. And clearly, over the last 50 odd years our diet has changed out of all recognition and yet our body is doing the same as it has been doing for well over the last 100,000 years. We are in the 21st century, our body is still in the ‘Stone Age’. Evolution is a slow slow process but over millions of years, the relationship and reaction of chemicals in our food with the cells of the human body has been cemented and cast, for eons of time.

So it is us that need to changebecause Mother Nature will not entertain us for thousands of years to come

Run with it, eat what your body has been designed for and successful weight loss will follow for sure

Jeff Garcia

Part 2 to follow

Copyright 2006 Jeff Garcia

For more information please visit:
http://www.glycemicsuperfoods.com
Email: jeffgarcia@glycemicsuperfoods.com

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How does one best lose weight? Well, there are many different things that I can
say but none as important as this: Self-control. And by control, I mean, willpower.
One has to view the unhealthier things as discomforting and consciously tell
yourself that the healthier choices will yield happiness. Working on your willpower is
no different than working a muscle. Maybe it would be helpful to purposefully
choose the healthy things that seem so unappealing at first as an act to develop
willpower as if lifting a dumbbell. Eventually, you will be making healthier decisions
more often than not, which is the ultimate goal, to tip the scales in the right
direction. On a further note, don’t bite off more than you can chew; take baby steps
toward your healthier goals. If you dive in altogether, then most likely you’ll be
overwhelmed. Start slow and set goals that are a bit challenging but obtainable.

Underneath this canopy of Self-control sits vital concept if weight loss is the
goal: portion control. Eat more meals, but eat smaller portions. Ideally,you want to
eat more than the typical 3 square meals a day. In at all possible, aim for 5 meals.
The reason being that your body becomes hungry during the lulls between meals
while on the traditional 3 meal plan. You might be saying, “Well, I was always told to
only eat when hungry.” Well, it’s now been discovered that your body panics when
hungry, not knowing when its next meal will be, and slows down its metabolism and
hoards fat in order to conserve valuable energy. Think of your body as a furnace and
the meals as adding coal to the fire. The greater the fire, the more calories burned.
Next, I’ll give you some useful tips on figuring out adequate portion sizes for
different foods. For fruits and vegetables, one serving equals one cup. The American
Diabetes Association says that 1/2 cup looks like a halved tennis ball sitting on your
plate. So at each meal, imagine a full tennis ball’s worth of colorful vegetables, fruit,
or starchier vegetables sitting on your plate. For lean meats, 3 ounces equal a single
serving. In the case that you don’t feel like measuring, just imagine putting a piece
of chicken or fish on your plate that’s the size of a deck of cards. Now, when dining
out, large portions seem almost mandatory. The best way to fix that is to have the
server immediately box up half of the meal and have you take the rest home for
lunch the next day. Or, you could always just split an entree with someone and, if
you haven’t indulged in awhile, then split a dessert with someone.

Also beneath this umbrella of self-control and even beneath the canopy of
portion control, lies another important tenet of healthy weight loss: insulin control.
Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that’s main role is to regulate
carbohydrate metabolism. Essentially, when blood sugar levels start getting past a
certain threshold, insulin is released to drag off the excess glucose to the liver,
muscles, or to fat stores. Unfortunately, when you have a lot of simple, refined
sugars like sodas or sweets, then the bloodstream is hit with too much glucose from
the breakdown of simple carbs and, as a result, insulin is released in large
quantities to get rid of the excess and return the bloodstream to normal blood
sugar levels. However, too much can be released and the excessive insulin can rid
your blood of most of its glucose rather quickly. This is why one feels exhausted
and cloudy not too long after making a meal made out of sugary stuff. So, ideally,
one wants to eat complex carbohydrates like colorful vegetables, grains, and
starches. The reason being that complex carbohydrates have what is called a low
glycemic index score. The glycemic index is a means to rate how quickly a
carbohydrate hits the bloodstream, Table sugar has a score of 100, while a golden
delicious apple rates as a 39. Typically, any carbohydrate that has a glycemic index
score less than 55 is usually considered to be a good carbohydrate source since the
raise in blood sugar is gradual and thus insulin isn’t over-released (an exception
would be carrots, with a score of 92). Now, if one spends a long time eating a lot of
refined sugary foods, then one would not only become obese but would most likely
develop a resistance to insulin that would eventually lead to diabetes. Essentially,
your body finds itself unable to use the insulin that is already in the bloodstream
and yet the pancreas still produces more and more. Many researchers believe that
any carbs ingested would immediately be taken to be stored as fat since both the
liver and muscles don’t need to be replenished of energy. So, in order to avoid these
maladies, control the amount of carbs ingested. Aim for no refined and processed
carbs like white bread and sodas, even if that means eliminating one soda at a time.
By replacing your potato chips and french fries and Wonder Bread with broccoli,
apples, asparagus, and bell peppers, then things like Alzheimer’s disease, strokes,
arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes can all be sidestepped. As the noted English
author and critic, Samuel Johnson once said, “Few things are impossible to diligence
and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.” So,
persevere, for trimmer waistlines and longer lives await thee.

My name is Ian Robertson, I’m 21 and am a Certified Personal Trainer working on my
Master Trainer credits in Nashville, TN. I work for Basics and Beyond Personal Fitness
Professionals and specialize in functional and intense strength training that will
guarantee Navy Seal level conditioning for those that so desire it. Also, I’m engaged to
be married to my lovely fiance, Talia, in late April of 06.

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