Fad Dieting and Weight Loss

Outsmart Your Hunger Hormones

June 27, 2015 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Human bodies are amazing machines…when they are functioning properly.

The body functions best when in a state of “homeostasis”….when it is in a state of balance.

When our body weight is normal, our health is good, we are mentally happy and exercising regularly our bodies are in a state of metabolic balance allowing our hormonal systems to function at peak performance which in turn keeps us healthy, our weight stable and disease at bay.

Any disruption such as becoming overweight rattles the hormone balance in the body and ends up perpetuating a vicious cycle of weight loss and gain. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Hormones and Weight Loss, Metabolism, Nutrient-dense Diet, Strength Training Tagged With: ghrelin, hunger hormones, insulin, outsmarting your hunger hormones

8 Fat Loss and Abdominal Shaping Myths…

June 17, 2015 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

In order to lose fat properly there is only one method that has proven to work reliably and consistently and that one involves a lifestyle shift to healthy eating and proper exercise.

Unfortunately, this pits most of us up against our impatient and lazy natures. We want immediate gratification without having to put much effort into achieving it.

The issue with this type of thinking is that we get back exactly what we put in. Energy in…energy out. It is a very ordered and balanced system. Little energy in…little results out. Pretty simple formula. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Exercise, Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Lifestyle Changes, Strength Training Tagged With: myths about fat and weight loss, permanent fat weight loss

ENS…Your Gut-Brain Intelligence

October 15, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Did you know that you are really sporting two brains? That’s right. The human body actually has two brains…one that we are most familiar with in our heads…and another in the gut that most people are not even aware of.

Within the human body is a nervous system that is so complex it has been dubbed the second brain. With an estimated 500 million neurons and around 9 meters long it stretches from your esophagus to your anus.

This second brain is your enteric nervous system (ENS) that has its own unique kind of intelligence…different than your head-brain intellect.

It has long been known that this intelligence controls digestion…however it also plays an important role in your mental as well as physical well-being. It is part of the autonomic nervous system…the system of peripheral nerves that control visceral functions. Although you are not conscious of your “gut” thinking, it helps you sense environmental threats and influences your responses. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss Tagged With: ENS, enteric nervous system, gut-brain

Are You Busy “Weight-cycling” Rather Than Losing Weight Permanently?

October 10, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Weight cycling…a term that experts use to define what others call yo-yo dieting is becoming a national pastime.

Truth is the world is obsessed with dieting and bottom line is 99 ½% of diets simply do not work because you are taking yourself into a temporary plan. Temporary plans are just that…temporary. The results are going to be temporary when you engage a temporary diet…one that asks you to change your diet…temporarily.

Have you figured out that the keyword here is “temporary”?

Unfortunately, no matter how good we are on our diets…no matter if we stick to the diet to the end, if your diet is not a complete lifestyle change that takes you into the future then your temporary results disappear after a short while.

Most people simply regain what they have taken off when dieting and this kicks in “weight cycling” or yo-yo dieting and the reason a typical dieter begins a new diet plan as many as 4 times a year. The results simply don’t stick around.

The problem is…your waistline is not the only thing taking a hit when you yo-yo. “Repeated crash dieting increases metabolic hormones such as insulin, and elevates levels of sex hormones, including estrogen,” says Andrea Pennington MD. These types of changes cause you to add weight to your middle section…not a good thing because it is linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Lifestyle Changes Tagged With: counting calories, dieting myths, weight-cycle, yo-yo dieting

Flavorful Healthy Fats

October 1, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

We are all aware of the programs we use on our computers but few of us are aware of how the foods we eat actually program our bodies.

Choosing to eat fructose and the wrong types of carbohydrates (for example grains which break down into sugar) lead to weight gain, obesity, weight loss resistance and other more serious health issues.

These foods “program” your body to become fat and stay fat. It’s interesting to note that most of the foods that make us fat today were not even found on diets of our ancient ancestors.

They activate and program our bodies to continue to store fat rather than burning it and once on this merry-go-round, the only way off is to remove these foods from our diets. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Health and Diet Tagged With: monounsaturated fats, omega 3 fat, omega 6 fat

Understanding Your Body’s Weight Set-Point

July 29, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

What is “set-point” theory? Set-point theory basically states that each one of us has a set-point body weight that our bodies are going to try and maintain and in fact, will actually fight to maintain.

In fact, it is your set-point that has your Leptin and various different hormones trying to get you to put more body weight back on-or at the very least, stop losing more body weight. Your metabolism likes hanging out at a certain set-point.

Set-points are different for each individual and that’s why it’s dangerous to just refer to any “ideal” weight charts you find in doctors offices. It’s not all about the genes we inherit, eating habits and exercise habits also help to determine your set-point. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Metabolism Tagged With: set-point, set-point theory, weight set-point

Thyroid Dysfunction and Yo-Yo Dieting

July 21, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Hormones are chemical substances produced in the body that control and regulate the activity of certain cells and organs. Life would not exist without hormones doing their jobs; they essentially affect every activity of life…digestion, metabolism, reproduction, growth and mood.

Thyroxine, one of two thyroid hormones (the other is triiodothyronine) is incredibly important because it controls the rate at which our cells burn energy…in other words, our metabolic rate.

Thyroxine is also called T4 and is made up of the amino acid tyrosine and 4 iodine atoms. Even though T4 has little effect on our cells, enzymes in the liver and kidneys convert T4 to T3, an active hormone that stimulates our cells and thyroid receptors which in turn affects our metabolism. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Hormones and Weight Loss, Metabolism Tagged With: crash dieting, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid, yo-yo dieting

10 Principles to Successful Intuitive Eating

July 1, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Warning! Dieting is bad for your weight and your health!

Sad but true. Even with diet ad over-kill, most people are awakening to the fact that diets simply do not work.

Dieting not only does not work, it actually increases your body’s propensity for weight gain and is a likely contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Scientists even have a name for it: “dieting-induced weight-gain”.

The truth of the matter is that dieting actually enforces our preoccupation with food causing us to eat even when we are not experiencing real hunger which ultimately results in binge eating. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Lifestyle Changes Tagged With: intuitive eating, metabolic slow-down, rebound free weight loss

Are You REALLY Hungry?

June 1, 2014 By rfwladmin Leave a Comment

Hunger. Do you really understand what it is?

Hunger is a signal that your body sends out that helps to maintain the state of our bodies, highly evolved survival machines built to withstand periods of harsh conditions. The human body is finely tuned and very sensitive to reductions in food intake so when you try and go for long periods of time without eating, your body quickly responds in an attempt to curb your intent.

The hunger that most of us feel in actuality has nothing to do with a real need for food. Many times we are fooled into believing we are hungry by our hormones or the brain. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Fad Dieting and Weight Loss, Hormones and Weight Loss, Proper Dieting Tagged With: hormonal hunger, learned hunger, nutritional hunger, physical hunger