Photo courtesy of istockphoto / thinkstock

Step 1:  Build Muscle.

The increased calorie burn from building muscle helps you lose more fat than you would otherwise.  The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, even while you are sleeping!  All forms of exercise help build and sustain muscle, but targeted strength-training programs that include calisthenics, weight-lifting and resistance exercises target muscle building more fully. 

Every year after the age of thirty people began losing muscle mass.  This loss of muscle results in your body burning fewer calories year after year.  Through strength training and exercise you can keep your metabolism working at youthful levels and keep your body looking and feeling great too.

Step 2:  Add High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Don’t be scared away by the words “high intensity.”  This trend in exercising has proven to be effective for weight loss. There are levels of HIIT for everyone.  HIIT consists of exercising vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds to raise your heart rate, then resting for 90 seconds.  You can do HIIT in the form of walking, running, biking or any exercise where you can perform intensely for up to 30 seconds, and then slow down to a restful pace for 90 seconds. To learn more about this type of exercise visit MaxT3.

Step 3:  Eat More Fiber. 

As soluble fiber moves through the digestive track it binds with fats, sugars and toxins and escorts them out the other end, preventing them from becoming absorbed by the body.  Soluble fiber also helps decrease your appetite and lower your cholesterol and blood sugar.  If you want to outsmart fat, concentrate on getting at least 38 grams of fiber per day for a man and at least 25-30 grams per day for a woman.

Good food sources of fiber include beans, peas, lentils, apples, citrus, oats and flaxseeds.  You can also supplement with fiber.  Natural, quality fiber supplements should be taken before you eat with 16 oz. of water.

Bonus Fat Busters!  Stress Reduction & Sleep

Chronic stress and sleep deprivation can cause cravings for simple carbs like sweets and processed flour.  These simple carbs elevate blood sugars and signal the body to store fat.  Stress hormones, triggered during stressful circumstances, also increase fat storage.

A NEW APPROACH TO METABOLIC SYNDROME
By: Michael P. Ciell, R.Ph.,

The Greatest Healthcare/Financial Crisis

Metabolic Syndrome (aka Syndrome X) with its four hallmark symptoms of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia is devastating our country as well as the whole of North America. In March of 2005 the National Institutes of Health and the New England Journal of Medicine published a paper stating that because of this epidemic the current generation is projected to have a shorter life expectancy then the previous one…for the first time in recorded history! Since that paper things have become much worse. Worse, despite the fact we have changed the USDA “Food Pyramid”, developed many new classes of pharmaceutical agents (especially ones for pre-diabetes and diabetes Type II), have taken soda machines out of schools, and even the First Lady’s top priority is the obesity epidemic. This syndrome, with all of its comorbidities (cardiovascular disease, stroke, many cancers, kidney failure, blindness, amputations ,etc.), accounts for the majority of healthcare dollars spent. If the tide is not turned, Metabolic Syndrome will bankrupt our country. This is a fact.

The Pathophysiology of Metabolic Syndrome
In 1987 the late Gerald Reaven, MD, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University’s College of Medicine, first demonstrated that the four hallmark symptoms shared a commonality: hyper-insulinemia coupled with insulin resistance. He coined the term “Syndrome X” to illustrate the point: the four legs of the “X” represent the symptoms (hypertension, central obesity, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia) and the nexus of the “X” being the causal agents of too much insulin along with insulin resistance (the cells’ do not respond to normal physiologic amounts of insulin). This is the standard, accepted medical model of this disease.

The Failure of Current Treatments
We are being ravaged by this syndrome due to the simple fact that we have ignored the model! Instead of focusing our attention on the root cause we have decided to treat each of the symptoms as separate, unrelated diseases. Thus we have new dietary recommendations and “diets d’Jour”, as well as a plethora of exercise regimens prescribed for obesity and of course, the “diet pills”. There too are the myriad of prescription drugs to ‘control’ the other three symptoms. If our attention is on ‘controlling symptoms’ we have admitted, by default, that there is NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR THE CAUSATIVE FACTORS and we will just have to LEARN TO LIVE WITH OUR DISEASE (i.e. ‘it will always be with us, we’ll just control it’). This attitude of acceptance is bad enough and unaffordable in the long run, but that’s the least of it. If we understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome we readily can see why many of these treatments actually make the other symptoms much worse! Hyper-insulinemia means the patient’s pancreas is secreting an exaggerated amount of insulin in response to rises in blood glucose. This can easily be confirmed by doing a fasting insulin level OR the standard glucose challenge test and ordering insulin levels along with glucose levels at time zero, one hour and two hour intervals post challenge glucose administration.

Sadly, the vast majority of practitioners do not even think about such an important marker. So we dwell on just the glucose level or Hemoglobin A1c (merely symptoms ) and prescribe drugs such as the sulfonylureas (i.e. glyburide, glipizide, glimperide) which cause the pancreas to secrete EVEN MORE INSULIN or we actually give them INSULIN ITSELF in an aggressive attempt to control a symptom. If the model is correct then this therapy should make the syndrome worse……and it does! This is the fundamental reason why we have failed to stem the tide (or actually reverse) this seemingly insidious malady.

The Concept of Homeostasis
If insulin just mediated glucose uptake by our cells and did nothing else, we probably would not have this problem. However this is not the case and when the amount of insulin remains consistently elevated it does other things…..and these things are NOT good. Before discussing the effects of hyper-insulinemia, a review of the fundamental concept of homeostasis should be addressed.

The body is an organism that strives to maintain a constant internal environment in the face of constantly changing, often hostile, external factors. Blood pressure, blood glucose, body temperature, acid / base balance, etc. must remain within a relatively narrow range in order to survive. It does so by means of the action/reaction principle, or mechanisms that exert opposite effects so that a balance may be
achieved. Examples are: vasodilation / vasoconstriction, oxidation / reduction, anabolism/catabolism, assimilation / elimination, etc. These systems are exquisitely regulated primarily by the nervous system and the endocrine (hormonal) system. So if the environmental temperature is 125 degrees, our internal temperature remains at 98.6 degrees. Likewise if the temperature drops to 20 degrees, certain mechanisms are in place to make certain our internal temperature remains a constant 98.6. Glucose homeostasis is essential for life as certain cells in the body can only use glucose as an energy source (certain brain cells, the adrenal medulla, red blood cells, etc.). Whether in times of feast or famine, blood glucose must remain in a certain range and insulin and glucagon are the master hormones that control this process (forget about ghrelin, leptin, incretins and all these ‘new mini-hormones’ that are in the literature today…these are subservient to the two masters). The body needs BOTH of these “master hormones” to maintain balance ( as they have exactly opposite physiological functions….if you know what insulin does, then you automatically know what glucagon does…the exact opposite!) and if an imbalance occurs, dysfunction or “disease” will arise.

The Physiological Effects of Insulin
Insulin’s primary function is mediating glucose uptake to muscle cells, and in this way, helps regulate blood glucose homeostasis. However insulin binds to many other receptors in the body and affects MANY other physiological parameters. And here’s the “rub”. If insulin receptors on the muscle cells become resistant to insulin’s effect (and do not uptake glucose in an effective manner) the pancreas will produce more to ensure glucose uptake will occur. But if we increase insulin levels, what happens to OTHER receptors that are not “resistant” yet and modulate other bodily functions? This scenario becomes way more complicated, in that, these receptors become ‘insulin resistant’ at different times. So a ‘typical Syndrome Xer’ presents to the physician with some central obesity, slightly elevated blood pressure, slightly elevated blood glucose and a less than stellar lipid panel. He is told to lose some weight by eating more fruits and vegetables, cut down on fats and cholesterol (have oatmeal instead of bacon and eggs) and do some light exercise. This is standard, first line therapy of lifestyle changes and sounds very reasonable. This compliant patient makes these changes and returns in two months, shocked and disappointed that his symptoms have become worse! Now he is given a low dose ACE inhibitor coupled with a diuretic for his hypertension and placed on metformin and glyburide to help control hyperglycemia. The glyburide tells the pancreas to secrete even more insulin and he gains more weight. Insulin also “ramps up” the enzyme HMG-Co A reductase which basically tells the body to produce even more cholesterol.

Excess insulin also drives the kidneys to retain sodium and waste magnesium,
which is an essential element for insulin receptor sensitivity. Hypertension and insulin resistance worsen. Usually at this point (if not done sooner) a statin is added along with niacin and another oral hypoglycemic and we ‘start the march’ to insulin therapy. This is why many of these patients will find themselves on six to nine prescription drugs and this is the current “Standard of Care” for this syndrome.

Let Your Food Be Your Medicine
Let us now suppose that the above patient visited a Chiropractic physician first. This particular physician is skilled in the use of a ‘muscle sparing’ protein diet, not a hyper protein diet ala Atkins. This diet is also low in fat, particularly saturated fat and is very carbohydrate restrictive (providing about 40 grams of carbohydrates daily mainly from fibrous vegetables). The physician explains the “medical model” of Syndrome X and relates how the overproduction of insulin can contribute to all his symptoms.

Correcting hyperinsulinemia is very straightforward: all carbohydrates (with the exception of fiber) will eventually be turned into glucose….sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. As the glucose is absorbed the pancreas begins to secrete insulin (in this case, too much insulin). By restricting the carbohydrates the production of insulin is immediately reduced. The patient is interested but confides that he can be hypoglycemic at times and is afraid of such a restrictive protocol. The physician relates that hypoglycemia is usually the consequence of an overproduction of insulin, not a lack of carbohydrates. He further explains the body has “three tanks of energy” from which to draw. Glycogen (or our stored glucose), muscle, which can be broken down via gluconeogenesis to supply glucose and fat (triglycerides) which can be turned into glucose (from the glycerol) and ketonic bodies which most of the cells In the body can use for fuel. But the body draws on these compartments in a very specific order. It will always use the glycogen first and only when ‘that tank’ is empty, will it then begin to simultaneously burn muscle and fat.

The physician tells the patient if he keeps “putting fuel in the glycogen tank”, he will never be able to access his fat reserves, thus the restriction of carbohydrates. He also says that we never want to lose muscle, thus the inclusion of the adequate amount of protein to replenish what is lost to gluconeogenesis. During the first three days of this protocol the patient may feel a little tired or weak (as the body depletes its glycogen) but once this is gone and the body ‘switches over to muscle and fat’, he will have plenty of energy and hypoglycemic episodes will be a thing of the past. His patient is interested but asks: “ketonic bodies”, does that mean ketosis…I thought that was bad?” Again the physician explains that ketoacidosis is bad and that is why a Type I diabetic would never be placed on this program. In this case ketosis just means ‘living off your reserves’ and is the reason human beings were able to survive times of famines. His concerns allayed, the patient begins the program.

Six weeks later the elated patient returns to his Chiropractor. He is thirty pounds lighter and says that his medical doctor told him his blood work was fantastic! In layman’s terms the physician tells him: “Well you have actually reset your pancreas, it no longer is pumping out too much insulin and now you can start to put fruits, grains and dairy back into your diet”. After this patient’s glycogen reserves were depleted and carbohydrates continued to be restricted, the body had to ensure proper blood glucose levels were maintained. Under these conditions the pancreas produces more glucagon (which raises blood sugar) and much less insulin (whose primary function is to lower blood sugar).

But there is more to glucagon than this primary function. Glucagon stimulates two adipocyte (fat cell) enzymes (HSL and ATGL) and inhibits a third (Lipoprotein lipase). The result is the release of trigylcerides from the fat cell (to be used a fuel) as opposed to insulin’s effect which is to store fat. Glucagon enhances the entry of free fatty acids across the mitochondrial membranes so they can be used as fuel (insulin inhibits this). Glucagon also greatly inhibits the action of HMG-CoA reductase (along with all the other enzymes necessary for cholesterol synthesis) and forces cells to pull cholesterol from the blood stream via ‘ramping-up’ LDL receptors (1983 Nobel Prize in Medicine). This is why this patient’s lipid panel came back stellar. Finally in the kidneys the retention of sodium (caused by excess insulin) has now been corrected and his hypertension has resolved. The pathophysiology of Syndrome X is predictable. The reversal of this syndrome is also predictable and repeatable! As a matter of fact this exact method is being employed by over 700 chiropractic practices in the United States and Canada as well as many medical practices. Tens of thousands of patients have experienced same benefits described here.

The Top 7 Fat Burning Foods

Posted By Dr. Axe On January 3, 2011 @ 1:00 am In Weight Loss | 6 Comments

^[1]Weight loss is almost always a topic of discussion. With the holiday season just ahead of us, eating, weight loss, and how to shed those unwanted holiday pounds comes up in many conversations. In fact, according to an article in the New York Post the average person gains about one pound during the six week holiday season. Doesn’t sound too bad until you take a closer look at the whole picture.

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine that one pound gained in the short six week period is never lost and accounts for more than fifty percent of the weight the average person gains all year. What’s more is that it was reported in a study out of Tufts University for the USDA that overweight or obese people gain even more weight during the six week holiday season averaging in at five pounds.

You can stop worrying about your waistline when you add these seven amazing little fat burning foods to your daily diet. Of course that doesn’t mean you should give up exercise or eating a diet of mostly ‘real’ or ‘live’ foods. It also doesn’t mean you should overeat.

What it does mean is if you want to maintain the perfect weight for you then adding these seven essentials to your diet is key. When you give your body the right nutrients in the correct amounts it will reward you with a vibrant, youthful body inside and out. The body is created perfectly by Our Maker to balance itself, heal, and live at a healthy weight. Our job is to provide it with the nutrients it needs to do so.

Top Fat Burning Food #1: Cayenne Pepper

Touted by the likes of supermodel Giselle Bundchen and pop star diva Beyonce as weight loss secrets, cayenne pepper or capsicum has been used medicinally for centuries. Originally used by natives of Mexico and Africa this spicy pepper helps the body’s diet induced thermogenisis or production of heat. Studies on cayenne pepper also indicate that it aids in the increase of lipid oxidation. Lipid oxidation is when fat is burned for energy – a highly desirable action for weight loss.

But cayenne pepper’s connection to weight loss doesn’t end there. Cayenne peppers have been linked to decreased appetite and retarding or slowing the growth of fat cells. All of these are important factors in losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.

Top Fat Burning Food #2: Cinnamon

The smells of cinnamon take me to a place of comfort and warmth. This spice was once more valuable than gold and the medicinal uses for cinnamon date back to the days of the Egyptians.

When it comes to weight loss and cinnamon, new research out of a Maryland USDA research center revealed a surprise. Cinnamon was found to lower blood sugar levels. As this discovery was ‘accidental’ the team went on to further investigate cinnamon and blood sugar.

In a separate study conducted on sixty adults diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes the researchers found that taking as little as one-quarter to two teaspoons a day of cinnamon dramatically changed the sufferers blood sugar levels and insulin output. High blood sugar levels are closely associated with weight gain and obesity.

Add this spice to your coffee, tea, and sweet snacks for added flavor and a health boost.

Top Fat Burning Food #3: Ginger

Ginger is traditionally associated with the pickled type you get with sushi. However there’s a lot more to ginger than cleansing your palate. Ginger was once so popular in Europe it appeared on every dinner table as does today’s salt and pepper.

Ginger is a known metabolic activator and has been thought to increase metabolism by as much as twenty percent. Some people swear by ginger’s appetite suppressing abilities too. Although there is no scientific data on ginger and weight loss specifically, adding this to your daily diet is a powerful way to help balance your body. A balanced body is a healthy body.

Ginger can also help improve digestion and even soothe an upset stomach.

Top Fat Burning Food #4: Citrus Fruits

Most people know that citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. And we all know that vitamin C is great to fight off colds and flu’s, but did you know that research reveals that the higher amount of vitamin C found in the blood the lower the body fat?

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that the higher the levels of vitamin C found in adult blood samples, the smaller the waistline of the adult. Vitamin C oxidizes body fat or burns fat which is the theory behind the higher vitamin C levels and slimmer waistlines.

So eat up those oranges and grapefruits, and add some lemons or limes to your water! You’ll not only be fighting off winter sickness, you’ll be burning fat too!

Top Fat Burning Food #5: Berries and Apples

Berries and apples are not only loaded with great nutrients they also come perfectly packaged with pectin. Pectin is a water-soluble complex carbohydrate. Simply put pectin is sort of like a natural gum or gel. When you eat fresh fruits or veggies with pectin the cells absorb it up instead of the fat.

Top Fat Burning Food #6: Wild Salmon

There’s a lot of talk about losing weight with no-fat and low-fat foods. But somewhere along the way we forgot all about the healthy fats that are in fact essential for our well being. Essential fatty acids or EFAs are a key nutrient to keep the body balanced and healthy.

Wild salmon is one of the best sources of EFAs. They work to help fight obesity in a number of ways. One way is that Omega-3 fatty acids found in wild salmon work to decrease the body’s insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a strong factor in weight gain and diabetes.

Additionally, wild salmon’s omega-3’s encourage the body’s production of leptin. Leptin is a component of the body’s natural weight control process. This vital hormone works to burn fat and suppress the appetite. Make it a priority to eat wild salmon, not farm-raised salmon ^[2], a few times a week.

Top Fat Burning Food #7: Garlic

With all the craze for vampire movies these days you’d think garlic was just to ward off these mythical creatures. But as you probably already know garlic offers an abundance of health benefits, including helping to fight obesity.

Garlic acts as a thermogenic in the body which revs up the heat producing process of the body. In addition, garlic has been linked to lower blood sugar levels, and as a fat burning enhancer. Garlic contains allicin which is known to reduce unhealthy fats in the body. Remember when the body has the nutrients it needs, it’s better able to balance and heal itself. This includes maintaining or achieving a healthy weight.

Now, don’t get me wrong, don’t expect to sit in front of the television day after day eating ice cream, chips, and greasy fries then sprinkle some garlic on your pasta the next day and lose weight. But what you can do is continue (or begin) on a regular, daily exercise regimen, eat real foods as much as you’re able, and reduce your intake of fake foods, then incorporate the above seven weight loss super foods into your daily life for an added boost.

These seven foods are highly nutritious in numerous ways and will give your body the additional tools it needs to lose weight. Give it a try and see how you feel.

Sources

USDA (2009) ^[3]

Nutraceutical (1996) ^[4]

National Institutes of Health (2000) ^[5]

New York Times (2007) ^[6]

National Institutes of Health (2003) ^[7]

Arizona State University (2006) ^[8]

Dr. Axe's Action Steps

1. If you want to lose weight, start by kicking the fake foods and eating real foods--foods that come straight from nature and not a box.
2. Start a burst training and weight training routine at least 3 times a week.
3. Get creative with these 7 fat burning foods. Add cinnamon to your coffee, tea, or soup. Shake some cayenne pepper on your steamed vegetables, and pick up that orange or apple instead of the potato chips.

The Grain Manifesto

We’re continuing our “manifesto” series (refer back to dairy and peanuts for earlier offerings) with the one topic most likely to spur controversy – grains. Our Whole30 program doesn’t include grains of any kind – no breads, cereals, pasta, rice, not even fake grains like quinoa or gluten-free substitutes. We’re about to tell you why. (Note, we are well aware that this information may run counter to everything you’ve ever been told by your parents, doctors, personal trainers, government agencies and TV advertisements. For that, however, we make no apologies… because all the people who have been selling you Whole Grains for Health all these years have been just. Plain. Wrong. We understand if this makes you kind of angry. It makes us angry too.. but that’s a topic for another post.)

Why We Don’t Eat Grains

A. Grains provoke an inflammatory response in the gut

Lectins are specialized proteins found in many plants and foods, but are found in high concentration in grains (particularly wheat), legumes (particularly soy), and dairy. The most commonly referenced grain lectin is called “gluten”, but there are many others which are found even in pseudo-grains like quinoa. Lectins serve many biological functions in animals, but foods with high concentrations of lectins are harmful even if consumed in moderate amounts.

Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily, and are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. They migrate through your digestive tract largely intact, and disrupt the intestinal membrane, damaging cells and initiating a cascade of events leading to eventual cell death. (Translation: lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines, leading to small “microperforations” or tiny holes in your intestinal lining.) These holes allow intact or nearly intact proteins, bacteria and other foreign substances to cross into the bloodstream – where they do not belong. As the immune system notices foreign substances in the body, it responds and attacks. The immune response can manifest in an unlimited number of conditions (not just in the digestive tract!) commonly referred to as “auto-immune” in nature.

It’s important to note that these cautions are not just critical for those with a diagnosed Celiac condition. These negative downstream effects happen to everyone who eats grains, to various degrees.

B. Grains spike insulin levels

Grains pack a whopping amount of carbohydrates in a very small package. As most grains are also heavily processed (yes, even whole grains) they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in your body very quickly. A high amount of ingested carbohydrate broken down very fast leads to a spike in blood sugar. The body, demanding homeostasis, then releases a massive dose of a hormone called insulin to pull blood sugar levels back down. This is often referred to as an “insulin spike”.

When too much sugar in the blood (blood sugar) is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat. In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body doesn’t need it. Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.

C. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body

A net acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and systemic inflammation. Grains are one of the highest acid-producing food groups. By replacing grains and grain-containing processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance (and a more positive calcium balance). Recent research out of Tufts University has also shown that a more alkaline diet preserves muscle mass.

D. Grains are “empty calories”

All grains – things like oatmeal, pasta, breads and cereals – have two things in common. They are calorically dense, and nutritionally meager. A small portion of grains packs a whopping amount of calories, almost all in the form of carbohydrates. All those calories, however, contain a very small amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals). Compare the calories, carbohydrates and vitamin profile of two large slices of whole grain bread (100 grams) to one cup of chopped, cooked broccoli (184 grams – nearly twice the mass). (Nutritional stats from NutritionData.com)

Note that we’re not saying there is nothing good to be found in grains. They do contain vitamins and minerals in various proportions and amounts. But the serious down sides of grains far outweigh any potential health benefits. Bottom line – there is NOTHING found in grains that you can’t get from a better source with NO down sides (like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds).  Do your best to eliminate grains from your diet for 2 weeks and watch the weight come off and see your energy and mental clarity rise!