Tag: Weight-Loss

Reality Weight-Loss TV, Is This Degree Of Weight Loss Possible For The Rest Of Us?

Super intensive exercise-based weight loss programs shed pounds and reduce the risk (and sometimes cure) diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol.

But is this intense of a program, as seen on ‘The Biggest Loser’, practical for the obese patient who presents to their Primary Care Doctor?

This reality TV exercise-centric program with only minor dietary restrictions resulted in a mean weight loss of 36% of starting body weight at 29 weeks.

The current belief of experts in this country is to recommend an attainable weight loss goal of only 5-10% for patients presenting to their Doctor for help.

After analyzing the results of 35 contestants from the show that elevated their usual work out times of 20 minutes per day to work outs consuming 3.7 hours per day the results are impressive:

  • 50% of the participants were prediabetic or diabetic at baseline and by 5 weeks all criteria for this had disappeared.
  • 77% were hypertensive (high blood pressure) and 46% on antihypertensive medications and by week 2 all participants were off the medications and normal blood pressures.
  • A mean weight loss of 51.8 kg (109 pounds) from baseline was seen at 29 weeks.

Contestants on the show received multidisciplinary support that is far from reality for the average obese American.

There is not a system in this country that can duplicate what is done on this ‘reality show’.

Can we afford this “Team” approach in the US? Or can we afford not to create a “Team” of allied health professionals to stop an epidemic of obesity that carries the biggest price tag of any other health condition.

There needs to be the development, implementation, and payer coverage of aggressive exercise-centric programs ‘as seen on TV’.

How can you start helping yourself before this “Team” is a reality?

  • Partner up with others to commit to daily exercise. There is always better success in numbers. Make it intense exercise.
  • Calorie count by showing accountability for everything you eat to maintain a reduced calorie diet. Always have calories in less than calories out. No processed foods.
  • Set weight loss goals that are challenging but realistic.
  • Be disciplined. This should be a permanent lifestyle change, not a temporary commitment.
  • Consult your Physician and have regular follow up appointments to assess your success and deal with injuries or issues that arise.

Can Apple Cider Vinegar Help You Lose Weight And Lower Your Blood Sugar Too?

Apple cider vinegar as been marketed in the United States in a variety of forms:

  • Acetic acid
  • Apple cider vinegar plus honey cocktail
  • Tablets
  • Cider vinegar
  • In combination with supplements, botanicals, and food products

Apple cider vinegar is made by pulverizing apples into a slurry and juice pulp, adding yeast and sugar to produce acetic acid.

Purported uses:

  • Weight loss
  • Lower glucose levels in diabetics
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Colitis
  • Food poisoning
  • Gastrointestinal and skin problems
  • Lower cholesterol

Dosage: 2 tablespoons in a cup of water 3 times a day (total dose 2800mg daily)

Recent preliminary studies have shown apple cider vinegar to lower postprandial and fasting glucose levels in type 2 diabetics.

There are also studies demonstrating apple cider vinegar to cause early satiety when taken with meals and resultant weight loss.

Possible mechanisms of action are thought to be slowed gastric emptying, inhibition of gastric enzymes, and inhibition of glucose uptake by muscle.

There is low to no risk to try apple cider vinegar.

Tips On How To Keep That Weight-Loss New Year’s Resolution!

Is your New Year’s resolution to lose weight in 2012?

It is not uncommon to approach resolutions with lots of enthusiasm at the start.

After a couple weeks however, your enthusiasm often lessens and it’s easy to fall back into old habits.

These old habits seem comfortable and easy to fall back into, but they don’t help you lose weight or improve your health.

Before you give up on this year’s resolution to lose weight and even before you start, consider this:

  • Are you ready? Is this a good time in your life to make that commitment? Can you devote time to planning and implementing the changes?
  • Do you have a good plan? Much of your success is in the planning. Write your diet out and make exercise an actual appointment on your calendar you must keep, or else.
  • Can you enjoy the process? Many find that when they exercise and lose weight they feel better. Also, there are lots of great tasting foods that are also healthy and abundant sources to find them.
  • Focus on short term “process” goals while keeping long term “outcome” goals in mind. Losing 40 pounds is done one pound at a time. Examples are committing to eat one more serving of fruits and vegetables every day or walking 30 minutes per day. Emphasize short term process goals to eventually reach the long term outcome goal of losing weight.

Always remember that weight loss can be a slow process. Be patient as there is no “quick fix”.

If you are struggling to keep up a diet and exercise program during the program, your chances of maintaining weight loss diminish considerably after the program ends.

Therefore, by developing sustainable strategies from the beginning, you will likely be able to maintain your weight loss.

Daily exercise should always be a part of a healthy lifestyle along with a healthy diet!