THE LATEST “BREAKTHROUGH” WEIGHT LOSS RESEARCH

THE LATEST “BREAKTHROUGH” WEIGHT LOSS RESEARCH – one of the “pearls” of recent nutritional “science”

HOW THE MEDIA AND STUPID SCIENCE PLAYS WITH YOUR MIND

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

The Daily Mail newspaper in England recently published (online version, June 26^th, 2012) the conclusions of a study done at Tel Aviv University which bluntly states that eating dessert for breakfast helps you lose weight. The study, for obvious reasons, made for the BIG NEWS. But before you jump into eating doughnuts and cake for breakfast again, maybe you should at least try to dissect it a little bit further and see if the facts really hold up.

The article starts with: “Good news for dieters – having a sweet treat for breakfast can actually help you lose pounds and keep them off longer” – PERFECT advice! Have some processed sugar, Stupid!

It goes on to say: “Although both diets (there were 2 groups) had the same amount of calories (….) - one included a large breakfast with a sweet treat such as a doughnut, while the other allowed  for a larger meal later in the day”. What an ingenious statement that a bigger meal in the morning makes you fuller and more satisfied for the rest of the day, while being hungry all day and eating most of your calories at night keeps you fat. Did they really need to waste money on research to figure this out? Really???

The author of the study states that “The goal of a weight loss diet should be not only weight reduction, but also reduction of hunger and cravings, thus helping prevent weight gain”. Yes, indeed, that’s a smart statement, but how on earth did they draw the conclusion that you can (or should even attempt to) reduce hunger and cravings with extra sugar is beyond me.

In my holistic nutrition coaching practice I always suggest clients eat at least 25% (if not more) of their daily caloric intake for breakfast. The reason is simple and logical: your body needs most of the calories during the day to maintain a certain level of energy, not at night when it rests. No surprise here. So, if you starve it for the first part of the day, it will slow down its metabolic rate to conserve calories. This will result in fewer calories burnt overall and more calories stored. No surprise here either.

Unless you have been on a ketogenic diet for quite some time (meaning you have been eating mostly protein and fat, with minimal amount of carbohydrates, and your body has had a chance to switch to using body fat as fuel almost exclusively), you will still need some carbohydrates. Depending on your Metabolic Type you will need a lot, a little, or somewhere in between, but you will need them nonetheless for your body and brain to function properly. In the study, the subjects in the group that regained the weight were given not only 50% fewer calories, but of those calories only 13% were from carbohydrates – way too little even for Protein Types. The group that lost more weight was given double the amount of calories, more calories coming from carbohydrates (40%), AND a higher total amount of protein. (By the way, even in that group the ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and calculated 30% fat still kept that group in a moderate carbohydrate/high protein classification – a perfect Zone Diet.)

Why is it then a wonder that the results came out the way they did? One has to be completely blind to not be able to figure out why the higher carbohydrate diet worked better. So, simply speaking, the bigger meal satisfied the body’s energy needs better, by providing more satiating protein, more energy producing carbohydrates, and a sufficient amount of fat to keep the participants’ blood sugar under control. In addition, higher amounts of protein and carbohydrates created a higher level of thermogenesis (amount of heat produced and calories burnt in the process of digestion, assimilation, etc.) since they take more energy to break down and digest than a low-calorie breakfast, whose 52% of calories came from fat, a nutrient with a minimal thermogenic effect.

At this point, I start to wonder why anyone would even undertake a study whose outcome is not only obvious, but at best unhealthy, and dangerous at worst. And who could possibly pay for a stupid science like this? The sugar industry? I would be curious to check the sources that funded it, and I probably wouldn’t be very surprised with my findings.

Another important point, if you haven’t figured it out already, is the fact that the same effects could have been achieved by substituting some high quality, high fiber carbohydrates: vegetables, fruit, whole grains like old-fashioned slow cooking oatmeal, dairy (whose big % of calories come from carbohydrates, e.g. yogurt, etc.), and even small amounts of healthier sweeteners like organic raw honey or unprocessed maple syrup for the "dessert treat". I bet the researchers knew the outcome would have been exactly the same, or better, but the study wouldn’t have made big news.

What bothers me most, is that this is exactly what companies that fund dubious studies like this one count on – masses of readers or listeners, who have absolutely no idea how to evaluate scientific research, and who take whatever is fed to them by the media (and sponsored by the food and drug industries) at face value. If it’s research from some university, it must be valid.

With the overwhelming obesity epidemic in the US and (thanks to commercial CRAP food production driven exclusively by money) spreading quickly to other countries, the last thing we need is scientists telling us to eat more sugar in order to lose weight.

Funny though, the researcher’s conclusions are correct, for the most part:

1. Timing of the meal is indeed an important factor in weight loss success (here having a bigger meal in the am),

2. Diets higher in protein reduce hunger by giving the feeling of satiety,

3. Carbohydrates make people feel full.

But here’s the conclusion I have a real problem with: “dessert kept sweet and fat cravings under control”. Any half-reliable nutrition source will tell you that dessert (or any sugar for that matter) does anything BUT that. As a matter of fact, in most cases, it does the exact opposite: spikes your blood sugar causing your body to release massive amounts of insulin, then making the blood sugar plummet and increasing the cravings for sugar even more.

One thing that researches did not mention is just exactly how many carbohydrate and fat calories in the whole meal came from dessert, were they only from dessert, or were they just a small addition to other, better carbohydrate options – an important factor in the whole equation that should not have been omitted.

By the way, the only reason why sugar might satisfy sweet and fat cravings (though in case of just sugar it is only a short-lasting effect) is when your diet is seriously out of balance, you have nutritional deficiencies, candida or parasites, or you have been working out long or hard without replenishing your glycogen stores by consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrates afterwards. A comment here on sweet breakfast: many people (including yours truly) do not feel like eating meat and vegetables in the morning and would rather have something “sweet”. But that’s when natural foods like fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, wholegrain minimally processed breads, nut butters, honey and low-sugar 100% fruit spreads come in, if that’s what you crave. Dessert, in a true sense of the word, should hardly be a main option for breakfast as part of a healthy diet.

So what conclusion will most readers draw from reading the headlines (which is the only thing a majority of people read these days anyway)? That not only is it OK, but downright advisable, to have sweets for breakfast, because it will help them with their battle of the bulge. And, of course, they will be dead wrong and most will find themselves in even deeper trouble following such an insane advice.

The science and resulting lengthy advice on what to eat for breakfast is beyond the scope of this article (and it will differ from person to person), but one thing is for sure: DON’T TAKE WHAT YOU READ IN THE MEDIA AS GOOD ADVICE, EVEN IF IT CLAIMS TO BE A SCIENTIFIC STUDY (AND ESPECIALLY IF IT DEFIES COMMON SENSE), AND LOOK FOR MORE RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION WHEN YOUR HEALTH IS AT STAKE. This, however, is a whole other endeavor, and a whole other story, since most sources you have been told are trustworthy unfortunately are not.

When it comes to your own health, do the research, and take your own responsibility. The results are worth it.


Here’s the link to the original article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2164976/Dessert-breakfast-HELPS-diet-beating-cravings.html

WEIGHT LOSS - SMOOTH SAILING OR AN OBSTACLE COURSE - PART 2

Physical Reasons

(Continued from May 3^rd, 2011 post)

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WHY YOU ARE NOT LOSING WEIGHT AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

I have promised a while back to spend some time explaining how to get around the weight loss hurdles, and how to address specific reasons why you might not be losing weight. Some of you have been asking for more specific pointers and ideas for quite some time so I will devote the next few posts to this very subject. In this post I am going to start with the explanation of the most basic reasons for failure which, so often, is the source of frustrations for many.

PHYSICAL

1. You exercise too little

This is a very obvious one, yet so many people still can’t grasp the fact that it is NOT enough to follow the minimum daily guidelines for exercise, which is 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity activity, 5 days a week. Yes, if you have been sedentary for years and are totally out of shape, it’s a good start, but this amount is not enough, by itself, to start losing serious amounts of weight. I am going to be very cautious here and refrain from giving specific amount of exercise time recommendations, since all of you are different, eat a different diet, have different metabolism, daily activity level and lifestyle, as well as different conditions that might preclude you from intense or prolonged exercise. Your diet is still at least 80% of your weight loss success, but this does not mean exercise is not important. It is, and very much so. Keep in mind, however, that in order to lose 1 pound of body fat you will need to have a deficit of 3500 calories. An average person weighing 150 lbs burns about 150-200 or so calories during a 30-minute brisk walk (and I mean brisk! – at the speed of about 4 mph). Let’s call it a power walk to distinguish it from a leisurely stroll. If you walk 5 days a week, you will burn +/- 750-1000 calories. That’s not even 1/3 of a pound. The rest has to come from somewhere else. You will still have to cut back an additional 2500-2750. I will talk about the nutritional factors in the following posts devoted specifically to that subject, but in general, cutting your calories too low is not good either, because you will constantly be fatigued and grumpy.  Depending on your initial weight, the best solution is to cut between 250-500 calories from your diet daily (this number will depend on your overall calorie allowance for the day), and make up the rest of the difference in slightly longer, or more intense, workouts. Your weight training sessions should generally not be longer than 1 hour (plus a short warm-up and stretch), and your cardio sessions between 20 and 60 minutes; 20 for those who are total beginners, or those advanced ones who can really push at high intensity; and 60 for those who need to burn some serious calories but are not yet capable of working out doing high intensity interval training. I am generally not a big proponent of endless cardio sessions, (unless you’re an endurance athlete, of course) as they are catabolic in nature, make you lose muscle and, as a result, slow down the weight loss. They also very often lead to overtraining. My advice would be to limit your cardio to no more than 40-45 minutes, but put forward your best effort and really kick up the intensity. Also, do more lean- muscle-building weight training that will shape your body better than any cardio.

2. You exercise too much

This is as bad as doing too little and still quite common. I am not contradicting what I just said in the previous point, but more is NOT always better. Burning fat is very energy consuming for your body and you simply cannot fatigue it to the point where it has none left. Your body will outsmart you any time and will stop losing weight to protect itself from more abuse. You will also most likely find yourself looking puffy and retaining water, since it can’t keep up with clearing all the metabolic waste products out of the system. Use your common sense, listen to your body and let it rest if you feel exhausted. You will have more energy for your next workout and you can make it harder.

3. Your exercise is inappropriate for your age, fitness level and goals

I encourage all of you to invest in a few sessions with a good personal trainer. He/she will be well worth your time and money. Nothing can be more frustrating than wasting your time at the gym and not seeing results. Stop doing things you are not sure of or have no idea about. Your exercise program has to have arms and legs, be appropriate for you at the level you are currently at, be consistent with your goals and be performed according to a well designed plan that will progress you in the right way. Otherwise, not only will you not see much in terms of results, but you will be going in circles, and will eventually give up.

4. Your exercise intensity is too low or too high

Results oriented exercise is actually a science. Many people forget about it completely and think that anything will do. If you’re serious about results, ask someone who is trained in this area to figure out what intensity you should be working out at. This applies as much to cardio as strength training. If the intensity is too low, you are not going to challenge your heart or your muscles enough to get much benefit; if it’s too high, the chances are you will overtrain very fast, and might get injured in the process, which will only delay any possible progress.

5. Your exercise program lacks the proper balance of cardiovascular exercise and strength training

With all the knowledge out there on the importance of both, some people still often choose one over the other. From my observations, it’s usually the cardio lovers that tend to shun strength training and not so much the other way around. Keep in mind that both types of training affect the amount of calories burnt, and have the ability to increase your metabolic rate for quite a few hours afterwards. How much, depends on the intensity of the training itself. Cardiovascular workouts can burn quite a few calories during the session, while weight training builds muscle, and this in turn increases the metabolism overall, since muscle is a more metabolically active tissue than fat. The elevations in metabolism don’t seem very impressive in numbers, but add up considerably over time, so don’t ignore them. As a general rule, however, the more intense the workouts, both cardiovascular and strength training, the more additional calories your body will burn afterwards.

6. You are overdoing cardio

If you want to have a low percentage of body fat and look really lean, stop overdoing cardio. Your body gets very efficient at doing something you subject it to for such long stretches of time and will burn fewer and fewer calories the more you beat it up. Just look at so many “skinny fat” aerobics instructors who, though not heavy in a true sense, have a pretty high body fat. The same goes for long distance runners. Though lean due to pure amount of training, they look like famished skeletons with no muscle at all. Long aerobic workouts almost always guarantee that you will be burning precious muscle tissue, which is the last thing you want if you’re trying to lose weight. Also, it is almost a given that if you can do something for very long, you are not working out intensely enough.

7. Your exercise program is poorly designed or lacks any specific design to begin with

So you have read a few magazines and try to follow a routine described in the latest Men’s Health or Shape. Though some, or even all, exercises may be good, they may not always be the best for YOU. They don’t take all your particular circumstances into consideration and are almost never designed as part of a smart program, based on YOUR needs and goals. Or maybe you have designed your own routine, based on what you have observed in the gym – an even worse approach. Just because someone has a body you would like to have, does not mean you should follow everything they do. Their genetics are different, they may not have muscular conditions or imbalances that maybe you have, and you don’t know what else they do, or what they eat, to achieve the body you’re admiring. Exercise program design is a science and an art. Don’t just guess, or you’ll get nowhere.

8. Your form is incorrect on pretty much everything because you never learned how to perform the exercises appropriately. You think it’s OK because you’ve watched others do it

There is no substitution for working with a qualified trainer, at least for a few sessions. It is very hard to get the right feedback on whether you are actually performing the exercises correctly, especially if you have never done them before. It may seem to you that you are doing things exactly as they should be done, but only a qualified professional can spot where you’re lacking in form.  Invest in a few sessions and learn proper form. Otherwise, you are not going to achieve the results you are looking for.

9. You have no idea about proper intensity, load, sets, reps, tempo, rest periods between sets, etc. and how they affect your workout outcome

As I said in point 7, program design is a science. It takes years to study the human body and how it responds to various ways of training. Do you really know what intensity in a weight training session is? It is a degree of one’s applied strength relative to their current level of maximum strength. Probably not what you thought it was. How about load, tempo or rest periods? Do you know that when you change the rest periods just slightly, your whole program has just changed and you might be getting completely different results than you actually intended? If you plan on working out on your own and not wasting your time, make sure you learn about all the factors that affect your workout BEFORE you hit the weights.

10. You simply don’t have the knowledge when it comes to exercise and workouts

This is a very common problem, yet I see people in gyms all the time that insist on using weights and machines having absolutely no clue how to do so correctly. Please, please spend a few bucks and learn first. It will not only prevent an injury but is the ONLY way for you to get some benefits out of your workout.

11. You lift weights that are way too light to make any significant difference in gaining lean body mass and losing fat

This applies mostly to women, but not entirely so. In order to achieve strength gains, increase muscle size or just shape and tone your muscles, you need to challenge them enough so that they could respond by adapting to the new level of effort and thus changing the way you would like them to. This can only be done with a proper overload. If the weights you’re lifting don’t provide much of a challenge, you are wasting your time. For those women who are afraid of bulking up, I have a few words of assurance: we don’t have enough testosterone to build giant muscles that easily and you would have to lift very heavy weights in order to do so. If, however, you have a sizeable fat layer on your muscles, and you gain even a little bit of lean body mass, without losing any fat, it may look like you’re getting big. Extra muscle is a good thing, but you also have to look at your diet, incorporate cardiovascular exercise and stretch, in order to lose the fat and look really lean.

12. You don’t get enough recovery

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they get too eager to lose weight fast is forgetting that their bodies are not ever-ready batteries. Your muscles, and your cardiovascular system, need a sufficient amount of time to recover. Your muscles grow and change during that time, NOT when you put them through hundreds of contractions under heavy resistance. Remember to allow yourself enough rest days. It’s different for everyone. Some people can work out 5-6 days straight, and then take a day off; others might do 2 very intense sessions and have to rest on the 3^rd day. All depends on your fitness level and your body’s ability to recover. There is no golden rule here.

Stay tuned for Part 3 – the Nutritional Reasons for not losing weight – coming soon.

RECORD WEIGHT LOSS THAT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY – HOW ONE MAN ESCAPED THE PRISON THAT WAS HIMSELF

THE STORY OF STEVE “SIRDROPALOT” NICANDER – THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

                                                  Steve before

I had the honor of meeting Steve Nicander at the recent IDEA World Fitness Convention in Los Angeles. It took me only a split second to decide to do an interview with him. I wanted to know, how someone so close to death, could find in him the inner strength to get up and fight. How someone sentenced to living in a chair or in bed, could find the motivation to “exercise”. How do you even do it when you weigh over 600 lbs?

I hear excuses from people, some of my clients not excluded, that they really don’t have time to exercise, they have this condition or that, the gym is too far away, it is too cold or too hot,  they are too busy, too tired, too everything. How does a person like Steve, manage to lose close to 400 lbs, without being able to really “move”? If anyone could have had excuses, HE should have been the first person to have them, yet once he had made up his mind, he never gave up. I wanted to know more about his journey; what led to his morbid obesity; what was his life like; what made him finally decide to lose the weight for good. I wanted to know more about the impact Dr. Daniel Amen’s book had on him since I met Dr. Amen personally at the IDEA fitness convention.

Here’s Steve’s amazing story:

Contrary to what most people might think, Steve was not a child of obese parents. According to him, they would probably be considered just slightly overweight by today’s standards. Both his mother and grandmother were Old World cooks who relied on simple whole foods for nourishment. Junk food was nonexistent in the house and convenience foods, like sodas and the like, were not allowed. However, the external environment, school being one of the main places, provided enough temptation for the young boy to give into and then hide the facts from his family. As a result, at age 11, Steve was already overweight. From that point on, it only got worse. As it turned out quite recently, part of the initial reason for his weight gain were incorrect hormone levels which were most likely out of balance his entire life. To make matters worse, he was a musician at the time, which made unhealthy lifestyle choices, like drinking and smoking, even more accessible. A combination of low thyroid, as well as low testosterone, created a double whammy, but it was not until depression set in during his teens, that the situation went completely out of control. He turned to alcohol for solace putting in hundreds of empty calories on a daily basis. It was a deadly combination. As hard as it is to believe, at his worst, Steve would consume an entire 0.75L of 100 proof vodka and a half gallon of orange juice every day. He reached his highest weight at age 38, tipping the scales at 638 lbs.

I asked him what factors, in his opinion, led to such morbid obesity: nutritional, physical, psychological, all the above or maybe other. According to him, all three played a significant role, and created a vicious cycle. Asked what inside him allowed this to happen, he responded that depression was the key factor which progressed, along with the weight gain, until he became suicidal and simply stopped caring. He wanted his pain and suffering to cease and was hoping his demise would come quick. He contemplated suicide, but as ludicrous as it might sound, his gun was stored upstairs and he couldn’t get to it, as he was unable to walk up the stairs. When I heard that, I was curious what his life was like during all those years, as it’s easy to imagine that someone with obesity of that level would be hugely limited to just a few basic activities. In Steve’s words, ‘he was barely living at all’. He described his existence as dull and sedentary, with his only links to the outside world being TV, music and computer. One expression in particular, moved me with its incredible sense of reality and tragic: “It was like being trapped within myself and my own internal prison, my personal hell’.

You probably wonder what went through his mind; what feelings stirred inside him; did he hate himself. As you might imagine, there were not many positive feelings: self-loathing, hatred, anxiety, and anger towards himself, society and the whole world. He could not stand getting his picture taken or seeing himself in the mirror for years on end. He didn’t care what other people, including his friends and family, said or thought. Numbness was the overwhelming emotion and the desire for his torturous life of misery to end as soon as possible.

I asked him if he attempted any diets at that time, and if so, were any of them successful. Did he have a plan, if any, for solving the problem? Did he ever ask for help?

Steve, like most people trying to lose weight, tried every single diet he could get his hands on, every Over-The-Counter drug and prescription diet and weight loss pill, as well as cookbooks and various programs. The results were very slight at best – ten pounds here and there, but nothing more. He didn’t have a plan, nor did he care to even think of one. He tried to get some help through information he could find on the computer or in books, but never really reached out to people, except his personal physicians. Those, however, knowing how touchy the subject must have been for him, didn’t even broach it more than a couple times. Steve didn’t really want help, until he was ready to actually do something.

From my own experience with clients, it is never a lack of resources or willingness of others to help, but a lack of willingness on the part of the person in question to accept it. In my opinion, it is useless, in most cases, to try to help someone who is not ready, and Steve was no exception. When I asked him what brought on the final decision to lose weight for good, it turned out it was pain. His neuropathy became so severe that he knew unless he changed his life AND his lifestyle, his health would never improve. At that time, he also suffered from insomnia, and after a 3 week long bout of not sleeping, he finally decided to end the 25 year alcohol addiction, which was a huge contributor to the problem. It was the first step on the path to well-being.

How did he go about the whole process? At the time, he was staying at a physical rehabilitation center following one of many hospital stays. There he bought a laptop computer and started researching the most natural ways of reversing and curing his numerous conditions: morbid obesity itself, as well as all the chronic diseases it brought on. These included COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), arthritis, type 2 diabetes and neuropathy. A couple of months into his journey, his sister Sabrina, who had been his rock through the whole process, bought him a book by Dr. Daniel Amen, entitled “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body”. In it Dr. Amen explains that by giving the brain the right nutrients, as well as some important natural supplements, plenty of water and exercise, the body will actually heal itself, solving the weight issues and reversing disease. The book played a key role in introducing Steve to the concept of whole foods and nutrients they bring. He also used information he learned from Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. David Kessler among others. These are all doctors who use the same approach.

                                  Steve, before the weight loss, with his sister Sabrina

I wanted to know what the first changes he made were, and which made the biggest difference on his road to recovery. The answer didn’t surprise me, and confirmed the one thing I have always advocated to all of my clients – WHOLE, ORGANIC FOODS. Steve completely eliminated processed foods and any “white” foods from his diet, and reduced his sugar intake, bad fats and sodium, THE BIG 3, as he calls them. Since reversal of disease was essential for him, he learned from his research that he had to rely on organic whole foods in order to make the biggest impact on his health and bring on the quickest results. These turned out to be almost immediate – he lost 156 lbs in 4 months and managed to cure his diabetes.

As a Holistic Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach, I deal with the challenges people come across on a daily basis, exercise being one of them. Most are a lot less difficult to overcome than people imagine them to be. This was the first time, however, that I truly saw the magnitude of the challenge, and how much inner strength and determination it must have taken to overcome it. Imagine a body weighing nearly 650 lbs. How can one exercise if one can barely walk? Nearly impossible! Well, Steve turned out to be quite ingenious; he started to improvise by “dancing” in his recliner with wrist and ankle weights and dumbbells, in an effort to raise his heart rate and start sweating in order to burn some fat.

We take so many things for granted. Many people still think that taking a walk outside, or doing a short workout on the treadmill, is torture. Well, sometimes it’s good to see things from a slightly different perspective.

I wondered what Steve’s biggest motivation was then, what it is now and whether it changed at all through the whole process. It turns out, at the beginning it was the weight itself disappearing as quickly as it did, and the 4-month weigh-in that showed a 156 lbs loss. It changed everything for him, because he quickly realized he had basically saved his life. He also saw the potential to help other people, going through the same issues, help themselves. To do that, he started his own Facebook group, Steve’s Massive Weight Loss Fan Page, posting information, articles and various tips on weight loss. By now, it has turned into a life passion he is pursuing by trying to reach as many people across the country and the world as possible.

No matter how successful one might be in as daunting an endeavor as an attempt to lose 450-some pounds, something has to keep them going, since the road is not always easy. Many roadblocks occur on the way, and only the most patient, resilient and committed remain until the end of the race. So what, you might wonder, kept Steve going this whole time? It was the knowledge that other people in need were using his information with great success. Presently, Steve is working on his own reality TV series that he hopes to pitch in the coming months, called Big Dreams. The show will focus on teaching viewers about healthy lifestyle habits that lead to successful weight loss and general wellness. This project has given his life a real purpose. In his own words: "Every time (…) I tell my story, I know I touch people and their lives….his is a huge reason to keep doing what I am now doing!"

One of my questions to Steve was about the dramatic change in his daily life. How different was his life now? What was he actually eating these days? How has his relationship to food changed? The difference between his life now and then is enormous. From bed-ridden, depressed, suicidal alcoholic he transformed himself into a real health activist, safe foods advocate, motivational speaker, moderator, writer and producer of a potential TV show. His life will never be the same mundane existence as years before. Now, every day is a new challenge and a new adventure. And although he was close to death on many occasions, he thinks he was allowed to survive for a reason, and he takes his mission very seriously.

His relationship to food also changed dramatically for the better. Food has become fuel, as it’s intended to be, as well as “medication”. He wholeheartedly believes, as much as I do, in the words of Hippocrates, the Father of Nutritional Healing and Modern Medicine, that state: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Presently, Steve consumes large amounts of vegetables, and moderate amounts of fruit, seeds, and anything Mother Nature produces. What a change! From a malnourished alcoholic to a veggie munching happy camper. J

I am always curious what people learn from their life journeys. What do they learn about themselves? The whole process becomes an important life lesson and, more often than not, it’s a total transformation. Steve’s was no exception. He learned one of the most valuable lessons one can ever learn: that he was a lot stronger and more resilient than he ever gave himself credit for. He quotes one of his favorite sayings: “You never realize the strength of a Man until you see him at his weakest moment”. In the last year he has finally accepted himself and begun to love himself again. Now, he is trying to pay forward that love to others, to make them realize that by making necessary changes, they too, can transform and save their lives. He learned something that I have believed for many years now - that the solution to chronic disease and illness is a lot simpler than medical science is trying to make it out to be; that by removing chemicals from our bodies (which include medications and alcohol), and relying on NATURAL MEANS, like food, water and specific supplements, we can get a handle on the obesity epidemic in America. However, this will only happen when we can finally understand that we have full control of our health. The choices we make have a direct impact on what quality of health we are going to have. Human body was created to exist and thrive in a state of wellness, and when given proper nutrients and much needed movement, it is amazingly brilliant at healing itself. It is what we DO and DON’T DO that leads to disease and ill health.

I asked Steve what advice he would give to people who struggle with morbid obesity or any weight problems in general. Here’s what he had to say: “Realize that each and every one of you has the capability within yourself to make the necessary changes (…) to reverse pain, depression, anxiety, illness, weight gain and disease….” The way to achieve this is to start relying on Whole Food Nutrition, exercise and lots of good quality water. When it comes to exercise, especially in case of people who do not have the capacity to participate in more serious fitness activities, ANY type of consistent movement that allows the metabolism to be boosted will be meaningful. It will help to transform the body, if regular schedule is maintained. FITNESS is essential for optimum health and wellness.

Steve weighs 260 pounds at the moment. It has taken him over 2 years to get there. At the time of the interview (beginning of September), he was 22 pounds away from losing 400 LBS. He still can’t quite believe it. To date, he has done over 400 hours of nutritional research, mostly on his own, and has used the information given to him by experts in the field as well as many extraordinary people he has met during his amazing journey back to health.

Steve’s dream is to see the transformation happen all over America, see the real change in a country that is struggling with an epidemic of not only obesity, but also chronic disease. Ways to address these problems are simpler than many of us realize, or want to admit.

After having been in the health and fitness field for over 20 years, it is my belief, that although people have a free will, our current healthcare and medical system is partially to blame, along with insurance companies, Big Pharma, food industry, agricultural corporations, and advertising industry, just to name a few. This formidable force perpetuates greed to its very core. Greed is an extremely strong driving force for many and very difficult to stop. We have done so much damage already. If something does not change soon, it may be too late. Humans were designed to fight and resist disease, but this country is helping them to fail at every step of the way. Disease is spoon-fed to us from every angle. Instead of promoting disease-causing Franken-foods and chemically laden poison, we should be promoting farmers markets that sell organic food, community supported agriculture and co-ops. We need to promote healthy natural foods in schools all over the country, teach sustainable gardening and farming wherever possible, and rely on Nature to feed us, rather than technology and artificial, processed foods. We should be promoting health by means of prevention, through exercise and fitness in schools, instead of taking them out of the system. We need to fight for the safety of our food supply, and realize that things like pesticides, hormones, unnatural animal feeds and GMOs (genetically modified foods) should be banned before they get out of control and we are left with no natural foods on this planet. There is obviously a reason why so many countries have banned them already. All this is taking a huge toll on our youth, and childhood obesity, along with diabetes, are reaching epidemic proportions. When we create disease so early on in the young, what will this country look like when they become adults? The perspective is scary and the future looks bleak. Now, more than ever, we need all the knowledgeable, empowered people to stand up united and fight back to claim our health. It is not enough to think and talk about it. We have to act upon it and each and every one of us has to take responsibility for our own health.

HEALTH IS NOT A STATE OF MIND; IT’S A STATE OF BEING!

I know Steve agrees with me.

                        Steve after losing 378 lbs, at the IDEA World Fitness Convention

 If you would like to contact Steve, please visit one of his websites or Facebook pages, or call him directly. You can also watch a trailer on his You Tube channel. Here’s all the information:

STEVE NICANDER                                                                                                               

Healthful Hope                                                                                                                       

Health Activist/ Safe Food Advocate/ Motivational Speaker                         www.healthfulhope.com                                                            

www.facebook.com/pages/Healthful-Hope

RealBigDreamsLLC                                                                                                                      

Producer                                                                                                                   www.realbigdreams.com                                                               

www.facebook.com/BigDreamsTV                                                                                                    

Mobile Phone: (704) 928-7055

LINK TO THE TRAILER ON HIS YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr1KZAp06Yg&feature=channel_video_title

AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT AFTER 6 PM?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

Where did this come from? Well, there is some truth to it, but not in such an exact sense. Eating large meals at night is not healthy and not good if you are trying to lose weight. However, if you go to sleep at 11 pm or later (which is not healthy in itself!) eating at 6 would be very counterproductive not only to the way you’d be feeling, but also to the very quality of your sleep. Let’s say you go to sleep at 11.30 pm, as many people do. From 6 to 11.30, that’s 5 ½ hours. That’s way too long for your body with no food. If for some reason you truly need to, or want to, have dinner at 6 pm, because you have little kids, for example, and would like to have dinner with them, make sure to have a small snack later on – not a big one, but something balanced, with some protein, carbohydrate and fat. This way your blood sugar will remain steady during the night and you will have a much more restful night. And here’s the reason: when your blood sugar drops drastically during the night, your adrenals have to release cortisol, because this stress hormone has the ability to bring the blood sugar back up to normal levels. Unfortunately, this is not only very stressful to your adrenal glands, but cortisol is a “wake-up” hormone. In a healthy body, it is produced in large quantities in the early morning hours, to prepare you to wake up and get going. But when you have a sudden surge of this hormone in the middle of the night, it will wake you up unnecessarily, leaving you wound up and exhausted.

As far as eating in the evening is concerned…..a lot of people make the mistake of eating their largest meal at night and then being surprised that they have trouble losing weight.

The clue to successful weight loss is dividing your calories in a smart way throughout the day and eating MORE of your calories in the first part of the day, when your body needs them the most to support all your daily activities.  Breakfast and lunch should be fairly substantial, while dinner moderate. If you really don’t have much appetite for breakfast, have something small and then add a good size mid-morning snack, but never skip it. Research shows that people who skip breakfast have metabolism that is slower by about 10%-15%. That’s a lot, and over time it’s bound to show as unwanted, extra fat.

CAN I JUST HAVE 3 SHAKES A DAY TO LOSE WEIGHT?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

It may work for a week or so, but you will eventually be tired and grumpy, and most likely hungry. Any liquid food gets absorbed very quickly. The body doesn’t have to work breaking it down, digesting, etc. The digestion process actually requires energy.  Absorbing shakes – very little. This causes you to not be satisfied or feel full, and people get off these kinds of diets very quickly. It is also very difficult to get all the important nutrients, minerals and vitamins in a few shakes, so you’re running a danger of being nutrient deficient. If you need to lose weight really fast for some important event AND are able to find a nutritionally balanced shake:  one that has enough good quality protein to spare your muscles, some good fat and carbohydrates to keep your energy levels up, as well as vitamins and minerals, go for it, BUT……only for a very short time. Depending on what’s in the shake already, you might want to take a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement. Shakes, however, will never be able to compete with fresh, whole foods. And they will never be really satisfying. And that’s always a clue to being able to stick to any diet or food regimen – if you get bored with it, you are going to quit.

The exceptions here would be your post-workout recovery shakes, which are designed to enter the blood stream very fast to stimulate protein synthesis and glycogen storage in the muscles, as well as shakes used by people trying to gain big amounts of muscle. In these cases, they do come in very handy in addition to solid food, as it becomes very difficult to eat enough calories to support intense workouts and muscle growth. (Think Hillary Swank in “Million Dollar Baby”.) But these would be in addition to, and not instead of, meals.

CAN YOU JUST TELL ME WHAT TO EAT?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

Well, not exactly. And yes, it is possible, but I like to teach my clients about their bodies and encourage them to experiment with themselves and observe how they are feeling on a daily basis. If I were to just give clients a menu to stick to, it might be OK for a short period of time but it will make them slaves to a particular plan. I like to know that my clients are educated enough about food that they can make good healthy choices no matter where they are and what situation they find themselves in. Giving menus can be very helpful when trying to bring someone’s weight down quickly in a very serious way – let’s say for a bodybuilding competition, but those guys usually already know what they are doing (which is not to say it’s always healthy!). It also sometimes helps for a short period of time, when a client needs to understand what a certain amount of food will look and feel like, or more specifically – what appropriate portion sizes are and how can they actually be sufficient. But in general, I am very against telling people what to eat, because it takes the power of their own choice and responsibility away from them and that usually backfires long-term, when there is nobody to hold their hand and be accountable to. Your health is your own responsibility and I like to teach my clients this simple truth from the very beginning of our relationship.

WHY AM I NOT LOSING WEIGHT?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

How well are you eating? Are you cheating? How many cheat days/meals do you honestly have?

How many times a week do you work out? What kind of workouts are they? Only cardio? Weights? Maybe some intervals?

What’s your activity level outside of the gym – do you sit in the office and car all day or are your daily activities forcing you to be up on your feet for many hours a day?

Are you on medications? Are you under stress? Are you sleeping enough? Do you have heavy metal toxicity? Maybe you eat a lot of fish and seafood, which is full of toxic mercury these days or live in a polluted area, or eat foods loaded with chemicals?

Are there some emotional, unresolved issues in your life that could be contributing to so-called "stuck energy"? All of these factors will play a role to a degree and determine how well and how fast your body will respond to weight loss, fat loss and/or lean body mass gain. If your body is stressed for any reason it will fight off the effort you’re trying to put it through, simply because fat burning is a very energy consuming process and the body has to prioritize what’s more important for your health.

Under ideal circumstances (excellent diet and intense, consistent workouts) it usually takes your body about 2 weeks to start responding to improved nutrition in a meaningful way, and about 6 weeks to see visible results in your body shape and muscle tone. Remember, however, that these are just averages. An obese person will not likely “see” results so quickly, while a fairly lean and fit person might be able to look a lot leaner in a matter of 2-3 weeks. Your starting point, as well as level of commitment will determine the results.

If you are interested in all the different reasons why you might be having a hard time losing weight, please visit my earlier blog: "Weight Loss - Smooth Sailing or an Obstacle Course".