By Dr. Joey Shulman

With so many weight loss books, tapes, programs and claims on the market, it’s often difficult for a consumer to separate the good information from the bad. Despite all of this confusion the weight loss industry continues to grow, generating approximately three billion dollars in revenue last year. I always say the weight loss industry is not a successful, booming industry because it works, but because it doesn’t work!

So what do you do to decipher the good weight loss advice from the latest gimmick? I have decided to lay it all out for you by offering you hardcore nutritional weight loss steps that are scientific and research based. In short—they work! In addition to the steps below, the Truestar weight loss program is the most comprehensive available, providing nutrition, vitamins, exercise, sleep and attitude plans that have been proven to work!   Click here to learn more.

The science of weight loss involves the following facts:

The body stores products made from white flour as though they were from white sugar.
In other words: they will cause weight gain! Similar to white sugar, refined white flour—such as that found in white bread, cookies, cakes, muffins and certain crackers—is broken into glucose in the body. Unfortunately, due to the refining process, white flour has been stripped of its precious fat, fiber and other vitamins and minerals. Fat, fiber and protein act as brakes, slowing down the entry of glucose into the bloodstream. Without them, the glucose from refined flour enters the bloodstream at a rushing speed and causes excess secretion of insulin. If this happens repetitively, such as the individual who frequently consumes refined flours or sugar, the individual is likely to become insulin sensitive and does not properly respond to their body’s secretion of insulin. Once in a state of insulin sensitivity, the body will secrete more and more insulin to try and deal with the sugars being eaten, however, the insulin will not be recognized. In addition to mood swings, fatigue and major fluctuations in energy, excess insulin will result in excess fat storage and a difficulty losing weight.

How do you know if you are insulin sensitive? A crude test is to eat a plate of white pasta without protein or fat. Notice how you feel 1-3 hours after eating the meal. Do you feel sluggish? Tired? If so, chances are that you may be insulin sensitive.

For weight loss success, the best method is to stick to carbohydrates that have not been refined and have a lower glycemic index rating such as vegetables, whole grains, beans and most fruits. In other words, whole foods that still have their fiber intact trickle into the bloodstream and do not signal the body to over-secrete insulin. For slower entry of a food item into the bloodstream it’s also important to have the proper amount of protein and essential fat at each and every meal and snack. Visit the Truestar weight loss section to design personalized weight loss meal plans that have the proper balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates.

Eating your meals out of order will cause you to gain weight
Late night eaters tend to gain more weight than individuals that top load their day with food. One of the theories is that as the light goes down, so does metabolic function. It’s also thought that people who do not eat all day and have a larger dinner tend to pack themselves full with the wrong food such as refined carbohydrates and fast foods.

What’s the answer to this problem? It’s important to make dinner the smallest meal of your day. By simply having a moderately sized breakfast, a larger sized lunch and a smaller dinner you will find you start to shed excess weight. The best approach is to have your last meal no later than 6-7pm. This is often difficult for busy individuals just getting home from work or for shift workers. In these cases, it’s best to pack a dinner and eat it on your way home!

Eating too few meals will cause you to gain weight
In addition to eating your meals at the right time of day, it’s also important to eat frequently throughout the day. Many people skip breakfast because they don’t feel like eating in the morning or they’re trying to save themselves some calories. Unfortunately, this tends to have a backlash effect and can cause even more long-term weight gain. In a recent study, appearing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, it was found that individuals who ate four or more times a day were 45% less likely to be obese than those who ate three times a day or less. In addition, skipping breakfast was linked with a greater chance of obesity. People who skipped breakfast were more than four times more likely to be obese than those who ate breakfast daily.
 
The Truestar meal plans are comprised of three meals and two snacks made up of delicious and tasty food options to fit your lifestyle and taste buds every day. We encourage all of our members to eat the amount of food recommended in order to achieve the greatest weight loss success.

There are safe supplements that can be helpful for weight loss
Recently there has been some bad press regarding weight loss supplements due to the side effects of a weight loss herb called ephedra (a.k.a. Ma huang). In fact, as of December 2003, the Bush administration banned this popular herbal weight-loss supplement  because of health concerns including stroke, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, nerve damage injury, insomnia, tremors, heart attack and death.

There is however very safe and effective ephedra-free products available that have been shown to reduce body fat, boost metabolism and assist in maintaining lean muscle mass. At Truestar, our VP of natural medicine, Natasha Turner, has designed a superior line of weight loss supplements that will help you to achieve your ideal body weight. For a full explanation of what has gone into the weight loss formulation including green tea, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and a high quality multi-vitamin, click here.

It’s important to remember that weight loss takes a multi-faceted approach that includes diet, lifestyle, supplements and attitude. By sticking to the facts above, you’re guaranteed a successful and long-lasting outcome!

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