Month: April 2016

I found this list of some common supplements used in weight loss from the Blue Cross of of Massachusetts. This list even includes some warnings where needed:

Chromium Supplement

This mineral, found in tiny amounts in almost all foods, helps the body burn fat, build muscle, and control blood sugar. A little chromium is essential to good health, but does that mean extra chromium must be extra healthy?

Supplement marketers and manufacturers claim that chromium pills are a shortcut to the perfect body, but the benefits are far from certain. For one thing, chromium is a nutrient and not a drug, which means it can only help people who don’t get enough chromium in their diet.

And while a few studies have found that chromium supplements apparently lead to small gains in muscle and modest weight loss (as in roughly 2 pounds of fat lost per month), several recent studies have found no such effects.

Richard A. Anderson, lead scientist at the United States Department Of Agriculture’s Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, has studied chromium supplements in many contexts over the last 20 years, and he’s never seen the supplements change a person’s body weight.

Dr. Anderson summed up his opinion of the supplements in the September, 1998, issue of the journal Nutrition Reviews: “Chromium is only a small part of the puzzle in weight loss and body composition, and its effects, if present, will be small compared with those of exercise and a well-balanced diet.”

Ephedra

Watch out for this one. The Food and Drug Administration has warned that this potentially hazardous herb is the key ingredient in so-called “natural” herbal alternatives to the now-banned prescription anti-obesity drug known as “fen-phen.” The agency considers “herbal fen-phen” products to be unapproved drugs that have not been proven safe or effective — and that contain ingredients linked to numerous injuries.

Ephedra is the natural source of the amphetamine-like stimulant ephedrine. Its key ingredient can act as a powerful decongestant, suppress appetite, and speed the burning of fat, but in diet pills the dangers of ephedra far outweigh the benefits.

Over the last few years, the Food and Drug Administration has logged 1,000 serious reactions that may be linked to ephedra, including 38 deaths. The reactions included soaring blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, tremors, seizures, heart attack, and stroke.

Experts advise against using any weight-loss products that contain the herb. If you do, check the labels to make sure you don’t get more than 8 milligrams of the drug ephedrine in any 6 hour period, and don’t take any ephedra product for more than a week.

You should avoid ephedra completely if you have hypertension, heart trouble, kidney disease, neurologic disorders, diabetes, or an overactive thyroid gland, or if you’re pregnant or nursing.

You should also know that ephedra can’t make a big dent in your waistline. According to a 1995 report in the journal Obesity Research, Danish researchers found that ephedrine combined with caffeine helped obese patients on a strict diet lose an extra 7.5 pounds over six months compared with patients who simply dieted.

Any product that promised to “melt away almost eight pounds in just six months” wouldn’t exactly fly off the shelves.

Editor’s note: On Dec. 30, 2003, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced that the government planned to ban the sale of pills containing ephedra in early 2004, and he urged consumers to stop taking the herbal stimulant immediately.

The ban took effect on April 12, 2004. Thompson’s action to ban ephedra came after years of criticism from consumers and researchers who have documented cases of heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes associated with ephedra.

HCA hydroxycitric acid

HCA, short for hydroxycitric acid, is an herbal extract found in at least 14 commercial weight loss drugs. The chemical, which is distilled from a family of plants native to India, supposedly suppresses the appetite and slows down the conversion of carbohydrates into fat.

While the compound really can help fat rodents slim down, it may not have the same effect of people. In a study published in the Nov. 11, 1998, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Columbia University gave HCA supplements (1,500 milligrams each day) to 66 over patients.

Another 69 patients took a daily placebo, or dummy pill. All of the subjects were on a high-fiber, low-calorie diet throughout the study. Twelve weeks later, patients in both groups had lost , but researchers concluded that HCA failed to produce significant weight loss.

Pyruvate

This natural compound found in all plants and animals has gained wide popularity as a muscle builder and weight -loss aid. Our cells produce pyruvate when we take energy from sugar, and some studies suggest that pyruvate supplements help burn calories.

Marketers claim Pyruvate is a natural alternative to prescription diet drugs such as phentermine and fenfluramine (phen-fen), but a recent report in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition calls such statements false and misleading. There’s no evidence that pyruvate comes anywhere close to matching the weight loss powers of prescription drugs.

In one of the few human studies of pyruvate, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that over patients who took the supplements lost an extra 1.3 pounds over six weeks compared with patients who took a placebo.

You should also be aware that ingesting large amounts of pyruvate can cause intestinal distress, bloating, and diarrhea.

Phenylpropanolamine

PPA. Short for phenylpropanolamine, PPA is the active ingredient in Dexatrim, Acutrim, and several other over-the-counter dieting aids. PPA was the most popular weight loss drug in the country, but it didn’t win that position with astounding results.

According to Robert Sherman of the FDA’s Office of Over the Counter Drug Evaluation, “even the best studies show only about a half pound greater loss per week using PPA combined with diet and exercise.” In October 2000, a panel of FDA advisers concluded that PPA was too dangerous to be available in over-the-counter products and called for makers to stop selling drugs containing it.

Medical experts point out that between 1965 and 1990, the agency learned of 142 serious reactions — including extreme spikes in blood pressure, headaches, strokes, and eight deaths — linked to PPA. Some of these victims overdosed, but two thirds took the drug as directed.

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My family does not own a scale so I only get to weigh myself when I either go to my parent’s house or when I go to the receiving office at my work.

The last time that I weighed myself was back in the middle of December and I was still sitting at 200 pounds, my lowest in a few years.

Yesterday I had a chance to weigh myself using another quality scale at my work and found that my had ballooned over the Spring to 206 pounds.

 My Recent Weight Gain

This recent gain may not seem like a big deal but as I have mentioned earlier on this blog I had it easy over the summer riding my bike to and from work and now I am at a little bit of a loss with driving instead so I am going to have to start riding the exercise bike and getting back to the lifting that I gave back a little while ago.

So now I have to make some changes. Many of you probably know my wife is very health conscious in the kitchen and I follow the ideals closely but not the diet.

I have made a list of the changes I am instituting now for the winter so that I can lose that holiday but more importantly I can gain some muscle and bring back my metabolism. Here are the changes:

1. I am going to reread Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. As I have said in my review this is a great book and it always reminds me of what I am doing wrong.

2. Get back to increasing my water intake. In the winter there is much less water in the air and air conditioning becomes much more a way of life. Also I know how much better I feel when I am drinking lots of water throughout the day and not just in the morning.

3. Weight lifting in the morning. I like the Body for life system of working out in the morning doing half my body one day then cardio on the second day, the other half of my body and on the third and the fourth day cardio and then repeat. The system calls for six days of exercise in a row and then the seventh day off.

So there is a little overlap week to week to mix things up. I can do weights in the morning but will have to do the cardio at night on cardio days as my bike and elliptical trainer share a room with our bed and my wife probably does not want to get up when I do just to watch me workout, then again maybe she does?

4. Start eating six times a day again. At the moment I am eating a bagel with natural peanut butter in the morning and would like to replace this again with my all bran and milk for breakfast to start with. I will post soon about what would be a good six meals but right now I am probably only getting in about four.

5. Cut out refined foods. To me refined foods include things like bread and crackers and other empty calorie type foods. Since I will be pushing my muscles harder I will need all the nutrients I can get and don’t really need any empty carbs.

6. Cut out sugar and pop. These are my two real weaknesses. I have not gone a day without pop and chocolate in at least a few years and not only are these another empty carbs but also these two ‘foods’ are a killer for keeping my blood sugar at an even keel throughout the day which I have had a little trouble with.

7. Stretching twice a day. I always feel better when I am stretching and it always helps to heal sore muscles when doing a lot of hard and heavy lifting. My stretching really only takes about ten minutes a time so it is pretty easy to put this back into my schedule

8. Get my energy and attitude up. When I have a strong, positive attitude I just exude energy and this, although never really proven, I feel really raises my metabolism. When my metabolic rate is higher I burn more calories at rest, have more powerful exercise sessions and have better concentration and mental abilities. This is always a good thing

9. Increase my intake of protein and drop my carbs. This means that I will be getting more of my carbs from fruits and vegetables and replacing my starches with more protein instead.

I could never do an Atkins type diet as I feel there is a real danger to your body to really drop your carbs to zero, but it is also important to get enough protein to recover from hard cardio and lifting workouts. My extra protein of choice? Canned tuna rinsed to get rid of some of the sodium. I am a big fan of canned tuna especially when I mix it with diced cheese and pickles.

10. Sleep in more. In the fall I was sleeping quite well but now again I have fallen back into my bad habit of just getting six or seven hours of sleep a night. I know I personally need eight and that is what I will try to average again.

None of these changes are earth shattering at all but as we all know it is the consistency of the changes in the right direction that makes you healthier.

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Mens Health has a great article on the nutrients and eating skills necessary to lose fat. I usually hate the slant of these articles because I thing the target them at 18 year old kids getting ready to go to the bar but thats just my attitude.

The article is great and I am going to paraphrase the points here as I think there is some knowledge I can add and the article was a little wordy.

9 Tips How To Eat To Lose Fat

1. To lose weight, you must cut calories
The low-fat/low-carbohydrate debate comes down to this: You still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight. Every study I looked at shows this. The perfect weight-loss diet is the one you can live with, whether you cut fat, carbs, or some combination.

2. Take Whey protein
A daily shake made with two scoops of whey protein, fruit (fresh or frozen berries or a banana), and water or crushed ice will decrease hunger. You can buy whey protein at any grocery store nowadays, this is the best option for protein enhancement in your diet.

3. Meat kills fat
Protein takes the most calories to assimilate and digest, followed by carbohydrates, followed by fat. Animal proteins increase thermogenesis more than vegetable proteins, so the best calorie-burning foods are lean meats. Build your dinner around lean chicken, beef, or pork. That way, you’re burning the most calories through digestion at the end of the day, when your metabolism is slower. This is one of the big reasons that I think people are too concerned about their fat intake but at the same time do not eat enough protein.

4. Take Branched Chain Aminos
Try to get at least 10 grams of Branched Chain Aminos a day. Since they’re most abundant in meat and dairy products, you can get the better part of that by following rules 2 and 3. (Two scoops of whey protein and 3 ounces of beef contains 10 g of Branched Chain Aminos.) You can also buy Branched Chain Amino supplements (which, you should be aware, are expensive).

Look for supplements that are 50 percent leucine, 25 percent isoleucine, and 25 percent valine. I personally do not like these as it is the single most expensive way to get your protein.

5. Beware of fried foods
Highly refined carbohydrates, such as fructose-sweetened beverages and low-fiber breads, are a terrible idea. These products raise your blood sugar very quickly and then they burn off very quickly and you end up feeling tired and hungry much sooner than you should. Goodbye diet, hello diabetes.

There is a way to make refined carbohydrates even worse: Fry them. Researchers have found a suspected carcinogen called acrylamide in such products as potato chips and french fries. Anytime I get a chance to talk you out of eating worthless snack foods, I do it.

6. The fullness of Fiber
Fiber’s effect is the opposite of snack foods. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady.

The benefits: You’ll have a more consistent energy supply and less between-meal hunger. You can safely and easily take in more fiber by using a supplement. (MD Labs’ Fiber-Psyll is a good one; go to MDlabs.com.).

Start with 7 to 12g a day, mixing some with water and drinking it before your main meals.

I recommend that you eat some All Bran for breakfast. I love All Bran and it is very high in fiber. A good size bowl of All Bran with milk gives you all the fiber you need. Lately as well I have started taking Flax seed meal and Psyllium Husk.

7. Count on calcium
Recently, nutrition researchers discovered that dairy and other calcium-rich foods help you stay lean, prevent osteoporosis, and possibly prevent colon cancer. The recommendation is to take in 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. (A cup of milk contains 300.)

I have seen a lot of research saying that the calcium from Green leafy veggies is much better for your body than trying to get Calcium from Milk, check it out for yourself if you are not much of a milk drinker now.

8. Get your Omegas
Each year, we learn more about the health benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds, and flaxseed and fish oils. These health benefits–less risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example–are great on their own. But omega-3 fats contribute to a better physique as well.

For example, omega-3s reduce inflammation throughout your body. That not only prevents heart attacks (inflammation in the tissues surrounding blood vessels is a major cause) but also helps your muscles recover faster from workouts.

Bigger, less-inflamed muscles mean a faster metabolism, and speeding up your metabolism is crucial when you’re trying to get lean. If you don’t eat fish twice a week and can’t stomach fish-oil supplements, try eggs high in omega-3s, which are found in the dairy case, next to the regular eggs. You can eat four of them a day without any negative effect on your cholesterol levels.

I just take a Omega 3 vitamin every day. Remember if you are taking Flax Seed oil that it spoils when exposed to air very quickly.

9. Make a plan Set a Goal
Next time you read a weight-loss story in a newspaper or magazine, count the number of disparaging references to popular diets.

Based on the way diet gurus trash their competitors, you’d think there was no plan on earth that actually works. But the truth is that you can’t lose without a diet. You must have a plan.

The more sophisticated it is, and the more tailored to your likes and dislikes, the better. You can’t wing it and expect to see results.

Remember the Basics. I won’t offer you the perfect weight-loss regimen, because research has yet to discover one. But even the worst plan is more likely to succeed than no plan at all.

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