The Quest to Reach Your Ideal Weight
It was late in the day and my next patient I would be meeting for the first time. As the woman entered my office upon introduction I was surprised by her response to my question of how she heard about me. She went on to say it was through an article she read in a regional newspaper about a coach who had become well known for getting his clients to become good losers. Once we had taken seats in my office I asked her, "What can I do for you today?" She answered, "Can you help me to lose weight?" My response stunned her, "Is that all you want me to do?"
You see too many times a potential client is focused on getting started and not on what the finish will be. She went on to say that dieting had become a second career. She described herself being very good at losing weight, but no matter what diet she tried nothing worked for very long and the weight always came back, usually with a few extra pounds tagging along to make matters worse. She saw herself as weak, lacking in discipline and her self-esteem was in ruins. I admired her determination; here she was ready to try again, still hoping after all those years of failure. She said, "I've tried everything; there's something wrong with me." I responded, "There's nothing wrong with you. You've been on diets that are wrong. We don't fail at diets, diets fail us.
Over the last thirteen years I have met thousands of people in the same fix. By the time they come to me, a nutritionist in private practice and known to my clients as The Fat Loss Coach, they have been on every diet imaginable. Their experiences have already proven that diets do not work, but they do not understand why. They come to me searching for a new diet, when what is really called for is a new lifestyle. Why do they need a nutritional coach? They have become good at being overweight and the beliefs and behaviors that support it. It takes more than knowing what to do; you must develop behaviors, which keep you doing what you know.
That was the reason I asked if losing weight was all, she wanted me to help her do. You see, losing weight alone is not enough. To do it right, we would need to make sure the weight she lost was fat, without the loss of lean muscle and bring balance to her metabolism. She commented, "I think my metabolism is dead." After laughing, I responded by saying," She would have to break away from the conventional wisdom, which I have proven is not very wise, metabolism is more than just burning calories. I explained, I would teach her the difference between anabolic and catabolic metabolism. In simple terms anabolic means the building up or repairing of tissue and catabolic refers to the breaking down of tissue. To reach her desired ideal weight she would need to learn how to balance both the anabolic and catabolic process. I pointed out, that each time she had lost weight by dieting; her body became stuck in the catabolic mode. Unfortunately, that is why all diets seem to work only in the beginning.
The problem with her dieting, as she lost weight, was a loss of both fat and muscle. Muscle loss occurred because her metabolism became trapped in the catabolic phase. Her body was shutting down because it was being under fed. She was fighting against thousands of years of hormonal evolution, that when under stress of under-eating the body wants to store fat. I said, "You are fighting an opponent that is not easy to defeat, it's a lot easier to work with your body's chemistry than against it."
Her next response told me she was starting to catch on. She said, "Are you telling me that I am an over-weight under-eater. I smiled and responded, "nine out of ten new clients I meet are just as surprised as you, when I tell them they are under-eaters not over-eaters." She went on to say, I'm afraid to eat, I spend much of my day in front of a computer and I was worried that a job with a low physical activity meant I shouldn't eat more than small amounts at a time and not very often". I said, "foods not your problem, it will become your solution. I will teach you, the secret to managing your weight lies in three changes in eating behavior. To control your hormonal response you must eat the right type of food, in the proper portion, at least four times per day. This will control your blood sugar levels and the insulin, glucagons and cortisol response to what you eat. Like most clients, you are suffering from peeks and valleys in your blood levels. In peeks the pancreas releases too much insulin and the lean tissue or muscles are over-fed and the excess is stored as fat. In the valleys there is too little production of insulin and the lean tissue is now under-fed. This is what caused your desire for snacking during the valleys and your over-eating late in the day. When you eat too little amounts this increases the production of the hormone cortisol due to stress, which causes increased fat storage, combine this with increased insulin levels during peeks in blood sugar and the fat storage is mainly in the abdominal region.
Losing fat without losing muscle begins with not being too aggressive or extreme with your reduction of carbohydrates. You need carbohydrate management, not carbohydrate elimination. Carbohydrates must be controlled in two ways, first is the glycemic index, which refers to how quickly do the carbohydrate turn to blood sugar or glucose. Second is the glycemic load, which refers to how much glucose it turns into. Over the last thirteen years, working with more than 10,000 clients I've found by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily needs and within 48 hours replenishing the glycogen (glucose and water) in the muscle by eating 100% of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows for fat loss, without muscle loss. In essence you have two fat burning days, then a recovery day. By doing this you'll have the best of both worlds. You will experience fat loss that averages between 1-2 pounds weekly, while muscles are being well fed. There will now be a balance between the anabolic, rebuild and repair, and catabolic, breaking down and elimination. The proper amounts of calories you eat on your recovery day will keep the dreaded plateau that most dieters experience.
Her final question was not surprising, she said, "this all makes sense, but how will I be able to keep off the fat I lose? I've never been able to keep it off." My answer however took her by surprise. I said, "You don't lose fat, you shrink it. You do not eliminate fat cells you make them smaller. If you think you lost something, then you don't have to manage something you no longer have. That is why you have never made it your lifestyle." Learning what to eat is half the mission getting to your ideal weight and staying there, you must also develop new eating habits that become your eating character. Managing your weight is a lifestyle, it's someone you become, and not something you try. I will help you form the belief, discipline and passion to manage your new knowledge of eating. I have helped thousands become their ideal weight from the inside out. Working together we can get you to your ideal body composition by transforming your thoughts and disciplining your habits into a lifestyle.
By Charles Remington
Nutritionist
2 Time Mr. Connecticut
charlie@thefatlosscoach.com http://www.thefatlosscoach.com
Charlie is the author of a nutritional software program that has sold over 100,000 units since 1995. He starred in a nationally broadcast television infomercial that in 1997 was recognized by the Jordan Whitney report as one of the twenty five popular infomerical's in the U.S.A. Mr. Remington's expertise and passion has been well demonstrated on several National Television talk shows, as well as regional news broadcasts. He has been the featured guest delivering his message that foods not the problem, it's the solution over national and regional radio talk shows. He has been recognized in publications, radio and television as an expert in nutrition.
one time home cleaning Highland Park .."Polyols" or sugar alcohols are a number of different carbohydrates... Read More
I've worked with hundreds of people who were interested in... Read More
Quick weight loss is promised by diets all the time.... Read More
Be Prepared. For the Boy Scouts it means you are... Read More
It was bad enough hearing almost daily that obesity in... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some fat people can be... Read More
Is this even possible?Well hold on to your seat because... Read More
Many people want to lose a few of those annoying... Read More
Obesity, once seen as akin to laziness and overeating, is... Read More
The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem. There... Read More
1. Quit snacking in between meals. Do not fall for... Read More
In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to... Read More
Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight... Read More
How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day... Read More
All the weight control experts recommend keeping a record of... Read More
Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that are added to certain... Read More
There are several factors in winning at weight loss. Sometimes... Read More
There are many factors that cause us to increase body... Read More
Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat.... Read More
If you've been working out with weights for any length... Read More
New gastric bypass patients say they miss food, they grieve... Read More
Axiom Number One - Nourish your body.Probably the most important... Read More
We have plans for everything these days. That is how... Read More
Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had... Read More
WOW!! Here we are on lesson #10. Hasn't it been... Read More
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..Compulsive eating is characterized mainly by periods of impulsive bingeing... Read More
One common question I receive is, "What do you do... Read More
If I collected a dime for each time I've seen... Read More
There's a two hundred year history of people prescribing both... Read More
If you've been enjoying life after gastric bypass surgery you... Read More
Close kept secrets to weight loss: Give me 9 days... Read More
There are several factors in winning at weight loss. Sometimes... Read More
A distorted body image is one of the symptoms that... Read More
After the post-Halloween sugar surge, everyone coaches you to get... Read More
Telling yourself you have to "struggle with this weight issue... Read More
* Not walking on a treadmill everyday for 45 minutes... Read More
As the holidays approach, a frequent question from my clients... Read More
Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight... Read More
Why Making Small Changes in Your Eating Habits Adds up... Read More
A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some... Read More
Every day you walk down the street it is becoming... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
Are you feeling down and out? Do you feel even... Read More
No One I Know Looks Like a Bathing Beauty, so... Read More
Maybe your doctor suggested it. Maybe your favorite outfit doesn't... Read More
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More
If you are overweight and suffer from pain in your... Read More
Weight loss surgery is fast becoming a very popular way... Read More
As I explained in the first part of this article,... Read More
Are you unhappy with your current weight but aren't "motivated"... Read More
Weight Loss |