The concept of weight management is not as popular as one of its tripartite aspects: weight loss (the third is weight gain). Everyone has or is probably struggling with one or the other, more so in women than in men. In my opinion 90% of women think they need to loose weight. Before weight needs to be lost, there must be a significant gain or increase in body fat during a short time period. The most common reason for weight gain is excess calories. This means more calories are taken in than are burned (in physical activity) daily.
Generally, consuming 200 calories more than you burn can make you gain up to 20lbs in one year. Solution: take in no more calories than is burned daily. An excess of about 25 or 30 calories is not much: it takes 35 extra calories to gain 1lb. Since keeping track of calories is no easy job, would diet and exercise suffice? No, it is rather more complicated than that. The most important key to weight loss is identifying the source or sources of weight gain. The “reason” why weight is being gained in the first place. Usually it is a variety of sources, or factors responsible for weight gain, some playing bigger roles than others.
Once the source or sources are identified the solution is simple. These are some of the sources of weight gain:
Diet – the blood type diet is ideal for weight management. Eating according to your blood type helps the body in burning calories, eliminating toxins stored in fat cells, and in healing and repairing bodily functions necessary to calorie expenditure. It is the surest way to maintain proper metabolic rate. It is like starting and keeping a fire burning to heat a home with dry inflammable material. Do not let anyone tell you about a diet, you were born with a label like a car is manufactured with fuel grade specification: “Premium unleaded”. Yours is in your blood.
Digestion – strongly linked to diet, digestion and absorption of nutrients also play an important role in weight management. You can eat the best foods to help you lose weight, but if your body cannot adequately digest and absorb the food it is a waste of time. Improper digestion can lead to build up of rotten food in the gut, which in turn leads to increased toxicity levels in the body. This can result in a variety of ill and unpleasant conditions that work against weight loss.
Also, the ability of the body to breakdown and digest fat is essential to a weight loss program. Keen attention should be paid to diet, digestion, and absorption in every health and fitness program.
Hormonal imbalance – More than 50-75% of females and 40% of males over the age of 30 suffer from hormonal imbalance. Many people do not realize that their current health issue could be related to hormonal imbalance. Hormones act on our behalf, but when not in balance they can cause an array of adverse effects from menstrual cramps, weight gain to food cravings. The biggest culprit is the thyroid hormone.
Hypothyroidism is a condition suffered by many adults that is left unnoticed and can translate to weight gain. Hypothyroidism is a deficiency of the thyroid hormone that can decrease metabolism, reduce appetite, and improve weight gain. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, lethargy, swelling, headaches, sleepiness, hoarse voice, and susceptible to colds.
Lack of sleep, or not enough sleep – the body stores fat more efficiently when you do not get enough sleep due to the physiological stress. Not getting enough sleep, or restless sleep impart a toll of stress on the body that forces the body to enter a fat storing mode. Again, people who suffer from insomnia try eating at night in order to help them fall asleep. This adds to weight gain as fat is stored when the body is at rest.
Medical conditions – Cushing’s syndrome is a rare medical disorder that can also result in weight gain. It is caused by an excess of cortisol produced, usually due to high stress levels. Hypothyroidism is another medical condition (see hormonal imbalance, above). Surgery is another culprit. Those with their gallbladder removed have a bigger struggle loosing weight. The gallbladder produces lipase (enzyme that digest fats), without which fat digestion is near impossible.
Medication – prescription drugs are also a contributing factor to weight gain. They have a variety of side effects that all translate into weight gain. Some increase appetite, some spark off strange cravings, others alter fat storage, some improve water retention, and others change insulin levels.
Prescription drugs for depression, mood disorders, seizures, migraines, blood pressure, and diabetes have been found to cause weight gains of up to 10lbs per month. Other culprits are steroids, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants, antipsychotic, birth control pills and contraceptives. Make sure to read side effects of any medication taken and factor effects into weight loss program.
Menopause – concomitant to aging, menopause lowers BMRs (Basal Metabolic Rate), can inflict hunger pangs, depression, poor sleep patterns, mid-section fat storage, and generally induce strange body changes. All these effects can very well contribute to weight gain, and immensely compromise weight loss efforts.
Metabolism – the “fire” that burns fat in the body. The body burns calories naturally with bodily functions (metabolism). A low metabolic rate (like a slow burning fire) would allow weight gain. It is also responsible for the fat and weight gain returning after having been lost. Jump start your metabolism, keep it “burning” fast by eating blood-type-compatible foods. No need to diet. The faster the metabolic rate, the easier it is for your body to burn calories. The longer it is maintained (dietary changes), the easier it will be to reach and maintain your ideal weight for life. See ways to boost metabolism here.
pH – balance is extremely important to any health program. Maintaining balance between 6.4 to 7.0 is necessary for proper function of bodily organs and absorption of nutrients. For example, for the body (thyroid) to properly absorb iodide (a necessary nutrients), pH level has to be in between 6.4 and 6.7. This is why apple cider vinegar, alkaline based, is sometime effective as a weight loss solution. Insufficient iodide in thyroid leads to improper thyroid function which leads to thyroid conditions and may end up in weight gain and other medical conditions.
Stress – widely known as the root cause of nearly all sickness, diseases, and medical conditions. Under stress, the body automatically goes into survival mode triggering a biochemical process that stores fuel, slows down metabolism, and produces chemicals (like cortisol and lepton) and hormones that result in weight gain in the mid section of the body.
Sugar – processed sugar inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients to cell tissues. With compromised cell function; fat breakdown is inadequate: weight gain is inevitable. The highs and lows in blood sugar levels with consumption of sugar cannot be overemphasized. It makes for a poor and detrimental habit and lifestyle. Sugar also disrupts the body’s pH balance which is essential in a weight management program.
When sugary foods are consumed, like soda, the pH in the body drops (sodas are very acidic, a 2.2 on the pH scale). The body reacts to balance the pH by drawing vital minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium from the bones and other sites to raise the level up towards alkalinity, and then uses water to flush the soda and minerals out of the body. Soda, in my opinion, is the most destructive substance to health ever invented by man.
Toxicity – when exposed to toxins the body goes into a defensive mode. The body gets rid of the poisons introduced. Sometimes it is not successful due to obstructions in the channels of elimination. When this happens the body must protect you from harm. It sends a message to the brain; the brain declares a craving for fat.
The body stores toxins in fat tissues to prevent the toxins from harming you. Note that toxins include household chemicals, environmental toxins, cosmetics, some food addictives and preservatives, and even some foods themselves (refer to “diet”, above).
Water – hydration and water retention play contrasting roles in weight management. Ironically, water retention is sometimes a result of dehydration. The body reacts to improper hydration by storing water, kind of like how sweaty palms and heads indicate water lack. The body uses water to flush out toxins from the body.
Athletes stir up a lot of chemicals and toxins when they exercise, these toxins need to be flushed out of the body or else they may hurt the body. Hydration also opens up some channels of elimination. Without water you cannot flush a toilet, and so proper hydration plays a critical role in weight management.
Learn and practice proper techniques for hydration, and whatever you do drink clean water. Do not substitute with coffee, tea, soda, alcohol, juice or flavored water and sports drinks.
Solutions:
Different sources of weight gain should be addressed cautiously, even though they are very well linked. In fact, addressing one of these sources automatically affects another in a positive way.
Eating according to your blood type (blood typing) alone can effectively address metabolism, diet, pH, and digestion. Herbal supplements like Food Enzymes, Aloe Vera Juice, Psyllium Hulls Combination, and “Gentle Move” are choices. Sugar should be substituted with healthy natural sweeteners like Xylitol, Stevia, and Agave. Turbo charge the process with regular exercise involving weight training.
Menopausal consequences can be addressed by weight bearing workouts that aim at increasing lean body mass and metabolism, therefore burn calories. Accentuate this strategy with herbs like Black Cohosh, a blood type diet rich in Calcium and Vitamin D. Medical conditions such as an extracted gallbladder can be supported with herbal blends such as Hi Lipase. Medications, sleep, hormones, and toxicity can be addressed by herbal supplements.
The best solution for stress is to identify the stressor (e.g. stressful job, or lifestyle) and making changes to avoid stress (quit the stressful job if you have to. Your health is worth a lot more). However supplemental support can be sought with herbal supplements and blends like Kava Kava, GABA Plus, 5-HTP Power, and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Summary of Remedies
Diet – Blood Type Diet.
Digestion – Food Enzymes, Proactizymes
Hormones – Thyroid Support, Thyroid Activator, Dulse Liquid, Target TS II, Evening Primrose Oil, Dong Quai (pronounced don kwy), DHEA, Blue Cohosh, Kelp, etc.
Lack of sleep – Kava Kava, Chamomile, Valerian, Herbal Sleep, Hops, etc.
Medications – Consult your doctor, and go for natural substitutes and herbal alternatives.
Menopause – Black Cohosh, Calcium, Vitamin D, DHEA, Flash Ease, etc
Metabolism – Chinese Mineral Chi Tonic, Vita Wave, Colloidal Minerals, nutrition.
pH – pH Green Zone, Liquid Chlorophyll.
Stress – GABA Plus, Passionflower, Ginseng, Adaptamax, Adrenal Support, Kava Kava, Hops, Stress J, etc
Sugar – seek healthy substitutes: Xylitol, stevia, maple syrup, honey, beet sugar, date sugar, etc.
Toxicity – Detox: All Cell Detox, Enviro-detox, Dieters’ Cleanse, Liver Cleanse Formula, etc
Water – drink purified water up to half body weight in ounces, more if engaging in an exercise program.