Meal Replacements and Weight Loss

Peter A. McCullough, M.D.
Division Chief,
Nutrition and Preventive Medicine,
Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan

Many patients may develop heart blockages because they have carried excess body fat for years, which contributes to the cardiovascular risk factors of high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated bad cholesterol, depressed good cholesterol, and increased levels of inflammatory factors in the blood. The Beaumont Weight Control Center has featured the use of meal replacement shakes, bars and entrees for many years.

Have you ever wondered what scientific evidence is really behind these products? Despite the popularity of this approach, until recently, there has been a relative lack of randomized prospective trials comparing meal replacements to conventional food diets. This is primarily due to the fact that when patients are at the point of using meal replacements, they have exhausted all attempts at food diets. Thus, conducting trials on this population has been difficult.

In the April 5th, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Pennington CALERIE Team from Baton Rouge, LA, reported the results of a randomized trial comparing four treatments for 6 months: control (weight maintenance food diet); calorie restriction (25% calorie reduction food diet, no exercise); 12.5% calorie reduction food diet with exercise (12.5% calorie restriction plus 12.5% increase in energy expenditure by structured exercise); and a meal replacement program (890 kilocalories per day until 15% weight reduction, followed by a weight maintenance diet-similar to the Beaumont Diet). Patients were mildly overweight to start-averaging approximately 180 lbs.

The meal replacement approach was clearly superior to food diets. In addition, some blood chemistry tests associated with longevity (living a longer healthier life) were improved with weight loss.

Another interesting finding was that those with the higher lean mass (more muscle) burned more calories during the night while sleeping. Collectively, these data suggest that meal replacements (shakes, bars, and entrees) combined with aerobic and strength exercise training to build muscle mass represents the most effective pathway to achieve substantial and sustained weight loss. Moreover, this weight loss method was the only intervention that simultaneously improved multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

Our bodies, our landfills?

By Francesca Lyman
MSNBC contributor

Two recent studies cast dramatic light on the extent to which Americans are absorbing toxic chemicals in their bodies as part of everyday life. They present a striking picture of Americans riddled with low levels of chemicals, the vestiges of eating, drinking, breathing and touching the synthetic products of the industrial world. Given how common these chemicals are, can personal actions and better choices reduce one’s level of exposure in a toxic world?

Click here to view the entire article.

Delicious Discovery

I picked up a pecan pie LÄRABAR when I was out at Earth Fare last week. It has only 3 ingredients in it - dates, pecans, and almonds. Since I never really cared for dates, I was a bit skeptical on whether I would like this or not, but wow ... I love these things. They are simple, nutritious, and absoulutely delicious. Who knew!

LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than six ingredients.

1 1/2 SERVINGS OF FRUIT * NO ADDED SUGAR * UNPROCESSED
RAW * NON- GMO * GLUTEN FREE * DAIRY FREE * SOY FREE
VEGAN * KOSHER

No added sweeteners, no added fillers, supplements or flavorings ... just real, whole food loaded with nature's own minerals and vitamins.

All of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, good carbohydrates and healthy fats are derived exclusively from the whole, raw food.

Uncooked and Unprocessed. The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their natural state. A diet abundant in raw, unprocessed foods is important for health and longevity.

LÄRABAR Site

Ann's 1st 9 Day Results

Just wanted to share my new friend, Ann's 9 day results. Another unbiased testimonial as she is not presently working the business ... just a very satisfied customer! I'm excited for her! She's doing great with this.

Hi Rhonda,

Just wanted to let you know my results. I lost 10 1/2 pounds on the 9 day program. I am so excited!!! I did go off program yesterday because it was a Jewish holiday for me but I am right back on again today. I am going to do another 9 day program because I have another Jewish holiday in 9 days that I will eat on and then after that I will go into the 30 day program. I am very pleased with the results so far. Now I have 40 more pounds to go!!! Hopefully by the end of January because I will be 40 in January and my goal is to lose this weight by then. So just wanted to give you an update.

Take Care,
Ann


I went on to ask her how she felt overall, and she replied ...

...I feel wonderful. Once I got over the first few days I started to feel great!! (She had experienced some fatigue on her first cleanse days, but I let her know that it's normal, and it's just her body letting her know it needs some rest to help with the detox, so if it's possible to get some rest it would be beneficial to do so.)

Unbiased Review of Isagenix

Just wanted to post a testimonial that was shared today on one of the forums I frequent:


Hi folks!

Many of you here know that I have a background in health and nutrition, and that I have owned my own vitamin and herb business (Shepherd's Naturopathic Explorations) selling locally from home for over 15 years now. I am always researching and investigating new things, and came across a system here that I just had to try for myself.

Over the years, I have both used my knowledge of health and nutrition and thrown it aside at various times. I have indulged and succumbed, and gotten back on the right path time and time again. Recently, I had been "off the good nutrition wagon," so to speak, and gained more pounds than I like to admit.

When I began seeing the results folks were having with Isagenix, I took a back seat, and let the information pour in for a while. Then, I decided to try them myself.

I purchased the 30 day cleanse system. After the 9-day cleanse part of this, I had lost 10 lbs. and 15.5 inches all over my body. These are pretty good results for 9 days. I have done many cleanses, fasts, etc. and probably the most I have lost in this time frame was about 6 lbs. With the Isagenix, I had energy -- lots of it! I did not feel weak, like I have with other cleanses. I think that because it is such a nutritionally supportive cleanse, the body does not have these issues. I was only slightly hungry a couple of times on the first day, and it passed quickly as I ate a few of their snacks and drank more water. The most important thing for me was that I did not have any cravings right from the start. I had gotten in some bad sugar & junky carb. eating habits, so I was really surprised that this was so easy. I have never not had cravings during at least the first several days of a fast, cleanse, or diet change before! This was truly exceptional to me!

I am doing well with this. My energy levels are great. I feel great! Anyone who is considering doing this, anyone who has any sort of health issues that have not been fully addressed to your satisfaction, anyone certainly who needs to lose weight, this is a healthy and nutritionally supportive program that will get you what you need. I obviously highly recommend this program!

If anyone has any questions for me, feel free to ask!


To Your Health!


Carla
www.earnvacations.com/cshepherd

Rod Lost 100 lbs in 6 months!

I just have to brag for a moment about my friend Rod. He lost over 100 lbs in 6 months! How awesome is that! He is such an inspiration to me and so many others. He is also using the Isagenix program to lose weight, and he's doing incredible as you can see.

Here's an excerpt from his blog about his progress so far:

Sunday...September 10th...exactly 6 months from start!...

weight = 209.6 Pounds!

yes...I am now UN-officially a new member of the 100 pound club!

Started March 10th at 310 Pounds!

His blog is linked under the heading Winning By Losing over to the left. Be sure to check out his progress pics too which he has linked on his blog. He looks fantastic ... like a whole new man! Congrats to you Rod!!!

TOXINS & OBESITY: Connected at the Hip

Can cleansing your body shed unwanted pounds?
By Cherri Gann

Why are moe and more Americans getting fat? The lastest national Health and Nutritional Examination Surve (2003-2004) by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control indicates that an estimated 66% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, but other studies say that number is as high as 80%. Either way, excess fat is a huge problem in our society, and, according to the studies by the US Department of Health & Human Services, in spite of efforts to turn it around, more Americans are tipping the scales higher each year.

Environmental Effect

What's the cause of all this excess poundage? Is it because we have become couch potates, eating too much and moving too little? Is it the restaurants tempting us with jumbo servings of high-fat entrees, or the fast food joints with their greasy fare and convenient drive-through windows?

Consider also the construct of our "mobile society," which requires us to drive long distances- instead of walking- to work or to go shopping. Due to laziness or time constraints, we literally have anything and everything done for us, which also contributes to our lack of activity.

But what about the people who exercise regularly and try to watch what they eat, yet the pounds still won't budge? There's another complex issue at work here - environmental toxins. We're talking about toxins associated with processed foods, unfiltered water and air pollution. Household chemicals and cosmetics are also a factor. We are assaulted each day by poisons in our air, water, food and homes.

Here is a partial list of toxins found in everyday life:

--Trans-fatty acids (from fast foods)
--Chemical additives in prepackaged food
--Insecticide residue
--Prescription drugs
--Alcohol
--Cigarette smoke
--Formaldehyde (from new carpets & processed wood furniture)
--Hair dyes, cosmetics and deoderants
--Gasoline
--Chlorinated water
--Home cleaning fluids

Toxic Traffic

What does all this have to do with excess weight? It's the key to the obesity epidemic, because these toxins reside in our fat and interrupt our body's natural processes.

In The Body Restoration Plan: Eliminate Chemical Calories and Restore Your Body's Natural Slimming System, Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton argues that our natural weight regulation systems are being poisoned by the toxic chemicals we encounter daily, which make it harder for our bodies to maintain proper weight. These toxins hamper our metabolic and appetite-regulating systems.

For example, livestock headed for market are injected with estrogen to fatten then up and fed pesticide-laden grains. We ingets the meat from these animals, and it affects our metabilism by making it harder for us to realize when we're hungry or when we need to burn off the calories we've taken in.

Even if you're not obese, without a nutritional diet that promotes the cleansing of these substances, the body will lose its strength and vitality. The immune system will become suppressed, contributing to illness and disease. An article in Alternative Medicine Review suggests a toxic system has been associated with several chronic diseases, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's Disease, and Cancer.

Our bodies protect us by using any nutritional substance they can find while eliminating dangerous material. Often, this system becomes overwhelmed, and the body's general response is to encase toxic material with mucous or excess fat, some of which people carry for years.

Many people suffer from diseas, sickness and pain because they aren't properly eliminating poisons, chemicals, preservatives and environmental toxins from their bodies. Years of bad eating habits, low water intake, low-fiber diets, sedentary living and other lifestyle choices slow the sigestive processes.

Clean it up

You can cleanse your system back to health. Cleansing your body by nutritionally supporting your body's organs to rid themselves of impurities and toxic materials is essential for good health.

Cleansing is the way to begin to address these problems. Cleansing can help the body naturally remove harmful substances and return its natural balance with good immune and eliminative functions. some experts believe cleansng can help overcome food cravings, re-establish natural hunger and restore our appreciation for healthy foods.

The physical manifestations of cleansing include increased energy, better sleep, clearer skin, sharpened senses, a cleaner body and increased relaxation. The mental and spiritual aspects include greater creativity, self-confidence, motivation, optimism, and improved mental clarity.

But the positive effects aren't just physical. When the body has eliminated the buildup of harmful substances, we feel healthier, more energized, and better equipped to enjoy life's posibilities.


Article featured in Your Business at Home Magazine
Volume 1, Issue 7, October 2006