Options for Lose Weight
There are three main ways in which your doctor is likely to suggest you lose weight. The first is by suggesting that you diet. Then, if the problem is severe, he or she may suggest one of the following two options.
Weight-loss medication If you’re clinically obese, your doctor may offer you medication, such as the drug orlistat. This medication inhibits the enzyme that enables your body to break down fat, absorb it, and store it. As a result, the fat in your food simply passes through your digestive system and out again without entering your body. Although this sounds like a marvelous solution, the medication will also stop your body absorbing fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are essential for your general health. You may also suffer “anal leakage” (the leaking of an oily, sometimes fecal discharge from the anus), which is prevented only if you adopt a strictly low-fat diet.
Surgery This is typically the last option your doctor will offer you, when all other attempts at weight loss have failed. Surgical options include stomach stapling or gastric bands (to physically reduce the size of your stomach so that you feel full quicker), liposuction which your jaw is wired so that you can’t open your mouth wide enough to eat solid food; the wire is removed only once you’ve reached your target weight). None of these approaches is necessarily permanent, and all of them carry risks.
Your Diet
The only way to successfully and permanently lose weight is to change your eating habits for the rest of your life. Follow good advice on healthy eating, paying particular heed to suggestions on eating unrefined carbohydrates and keeping your blood-sugar levels balanced.
Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, and refined foods and try to follow the principles of a low glycemic index (GI) diet. GI measures how fast sugar hits your bloodstream. A faster sugar-hit is more likely to raise your body’s insulin levels, in turn preventing it from breaking down stored fat. To lose weight you need to be eating foods that give you a steady, slow sugar release so that fat is burned as energy. Whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that are close to their natural state have a low GI. In addition, add protein to each meal. The combination of protein and carbohydrate slows down the rate of your digestion, which means that this combination keeps your blood sugar more stable, making it easier to lose weight. Finally, make sure you get enough essential fatty acids from oily fish (such as anchovies and sardines) and nuts and sees because your body needs essential fats for weight loss.
Supplements
• B-complex vitamins (containing 25mg of each B-vitamin, daily) These essential weight-loss nutrients help the body produce energy, help control fat metabolism, and are important for blood-sugar and hormone balance.
• Chromium (200ug, daily) Your body needs the nutrient to regulate insulin and control levels of blood sugar, fat, and cholesterol.
• Magnesium Citrate (300mg, daily) and Manganese (5mg, daily) Both of these supplements are important for blood sugar balance, while manganese also helps produce energy and metabolize fat.
• Zinc (15mg, daily) This mineral is important for balancing your hormones and controlling appetite.
• Co-enzyme Q10 (25-30mg, daily) This antioxidant supplement is vital for energy production and has been shown to help boost weight loss.
Herbs
When you’re trying to lose weight, herbs that boost liver function are important because a healthy liver is essential for detoxifying the body and for efficient digestion. In addition, try the following.
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) This herb can boost weight loss because it’s a natural diuretic. It encourages your body to release fluids without making it lose vital minerals and other nutrients. Take 1 tsp, tincture in a little water, twice daily; or 200-400mg in capsule form, daily.
Other Natural Treatments
Homeopathy Homeopathic remedies are usually tailored to your individual needs (visit a homeopath for a unique treatment plan), but some good remedies for weight loss include the following, and you can try these at home. Take those that are relevant to you in a 30c potency, twice daily for one week.
• Argentums nitricum if you have problems with cravings for sweet and sugary foods
• Calcarea carbonica if you tend to eat when you’re stressed; it calms down your body
• Graphites if you’re finding that you’re gaining weight because you’re going through menopause
Acupuncture As long as you have good nutritional help at the core of your treatment, acupuncture can give a significant boost to weight loss. It can stimulate the body to release endorphins, the “feel-good” neurotransmitters that help control appetite and, therefore, cravings and overeating. Although a practitioner is likely to focus on your spleen and thyroid meridians to help improve your metabolism and blood-sugar balance, he or she will also tailor your therapy to take into account he root cause of your weight gain (whether the cause is physical or emotional).
Massage Most natural therapies could be recommended for weight loss, but I particularly recommend massage because it can help boost circulation and detoxification. Cleansing your system helps remove fat reserves. If you can, treat yourself to a full-body massage once a month, or even once every two months.
Aromatherapy Grapefruit essential oil may be especially potent for weight loss because research shows that its primary component (limonene) can reduce appetite. Add 15 drops grapefruit essential oil to 6 tsp. carrier oil, such as sweet almond. Use it in a massage at home. Abdominal and thigh massages are particularly straightforward for self-practice. Gently knead the flesh over your abdomen and thighs (back and front), working the oil into your skin.
Self-Help
Chew your food Take your time when you eat and make sure you chew properly –digestion begins in the mouth, and it’s essential that you mix your food properly with saliva. Also, remember that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’ve eaten enough – if you eat too quickly, your brain hasn’t had time to notice that you’re full, leading you to overeat.
