The Vitamin Deficiency that Prevents Fat Loss

Fat loss is not an easy path. When you lose weight, you want it to be fat and not muscle. Unfortunately, in the USA, a simple vitamin deficiency results in our not being able to lose fat, effectively.

What is the vitamin? Vitamin D. About 75% of our population lacks sufficient levels of this vitamin. Optimal levels are from 55-70 ng/ml. A simple blood test is all it takes.

Researchers studied people who were put on a calorie-restricted diet. The ones that had greater blood levels of D lost more weight than the control group. For every 1ng/ml blood level increase, an extra half pound was lost. If your levels are only 10ng/ml lower than optimal levels, all things being equal, you’d lose 5 fewer pounds.

Sunshine is a natural source of D. However, for those living in the colder climates, it is impossible to get sufficient amounts. Also, at least 70% of the body has to be exposed to 20 minutes of sunshine a day in order to produce enough D. So, what’s the answer?

1. Eat protein high in D (not the fortified kind as the body doesn’t recognize it), such as salmon, mackerel and sardines.

2. Eat more eggs. Eggs are the perfect food. DO NOT eat Egg Beaters!

3. Eat porchini mushrooms.

4. Get some sun everyday, if you can.

5. Get a whole food, purified Vitamin D supplement. Don’t bother with the pharmaceutical brands or cheap brands, your body won’t assimilate them the way they can the whole food variety. Cod liver oil from Standard Process is my recommendation.

Dr. Esther

This Over-Prescribed Medication can Make you Fat....and, Much WORSE!

According to a recent medical study, antibiotics have now been linked to weight gain and even diabetes. According to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, just two doses of antibiotics increases your risk of developing diabetes by 23%! And if you have had 5 or more courses, your risk increases by 53%.

The very worst part of this is that the researchers found this association between antibiotics and diabetes up to 15 years before the diagnosis!  Perhaps, this may be a contributing factor to the explosion Type 2 diabetes in children.

Why the association between antibiotics and fat? Because antibiotics destroy your microbiome-- the trillions of bacteria (microbes) living primarily in your large intestine. These bacteria are responsible for everything from your immune system (70% of the immune system is regulated by our good bacteria), brain function (mood) to your metabolism and weight.

We have a mixture of good and bad bacteria in our gut. The optimal ratio is thought to be 80:20 good to bad. The good bacteria help to keep you trim and healthy while the bad make you fat and sick.

The end result of our good bacteria being wiped out by medications is bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, muscle pain, join pain, anxiety, depression and, of course, weight gain.

So, all you would need to do is to eat yogurt, right? Wrong! All products are devoid of active good bacteria. But, what if the label says there are bacteria in the yogurt? Sorry, any of the good microbes that make it through the heating process die off within a very short time.

 And, studies show that only about 4.5% of microbes in probiotic capsules are still viable by the time they get to the consumer. Let’s add to this the pasteurized sensitivity that your gut has towards toxins that we are exposed to everyday, such as chlorine, fluoride and artificial sweeteners in the water system. 

Yes, all those years of people using artificial sweeteners have now flooded our water systems. Why? Because the body cannot process these chemicals, so the toxins pass directly into our waste water system and they cannot be removed by any process available, today.

Sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?  There have to be reasons why our population is getting sicker and sicker...this bacterial kill-off by our, "better living through chemical medications," looks to be one of them.

Dr. Esther

Bad News for Artificial Sweetener Users...They'll Make you Fat

What if you were counting on certain foods to aid your fat loss and they were actually making you fat? Would you stop eating them?

According to numerous studies, the latest one recently published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, people who eat foods containing aspartame had higher blood sugar values than those who eat regular white sugar!

Higher blood sugar= increased insulin release from the pancreas= more fat depositing in the belly!!

These artificial sweeteners are added to all types of foods, including those labeled as “health foods.” They are like kryptonite for healthy bacteria in the gut. They, literally, wipe out all the good kinds, allowing the overgrowth of bad bacteria...the kind that make us fat and keep us that way. These artificial sweeteners also cause us to crave more fat-producing foods, i.e. simple carbohydrates.

My advice, forget ALL artificial sweeteners and, if you must have something sweet, eat the real thing...sugar, but make it coconut sugar. Of course, coconut sugar is a wonderful sweetener with a glycemic index of only 35. It has been shown to have no significant impact on blood sugar values and can be used, in moderation, by diabetics.

Be sure to read the labels of any pre-packaged foods you buy...they are usually loaded with salt, bad sugars and artificial sweeteners to make up for the reduced fat content. The good fats are our friends. Artificial sweeteners are our enemies.

Dr. Esther

How to Replenish Our Good Gut Bugs

1. Avoid eating all artificial sweeteners, including anything which contains chemicals ending in “lol.”

All artificial sweeteners destroy good bacteria.  So, if you are trying to lose weight by substituting the fake sugar (sorry, no pun intended) for real sugar, it simply will not work.

2. Feed your good gut bacteria. Certain foods will increase the good microbe population. They include all organically grown green and yellow vegetables. Chemical fertilizers destroy good bacteria. So, eating conventionally grown fruits and vegetables will actually cause bad bug overgrowth and increase intestinal inflammation. Eating high fiber foods will increase the microbe population.

Bad bacteria in our intestines, once they run out of food, will feast on the intestines, causing inflammation, which is the basis of all sickness and imbalances within the body.

3. Control your blood sugar by cutting out (or severely limiting) all simple sugars...any white foods, processed foods, sugary drinks (all forms of soda), most grains and corn. If you wish to use sugar, please substitute coconut sugar for refined white and brown sugar.  Your body will show its appreciation by not increasing insulin release from the pancreas, thus keeping blood sugar levels steady.

Dr. Esther

How to Start Losing the Fat

The first step in getting rid of unwanted fat is to stop the bad bugs from growing in the gut and encourage the growth of the good ones.  The ideal ratio is 80/20, good to bad.  Listed below are some generalized instructions.  I'll add specifics, later.

 How do you ensure the good microbes are growing in your gut?

A. Eat foods high in fiber. Fiber is fertilizer to the gut. There are certain foods that are better sources of fiber than others. Some sources will cause weight gain!

B. Eat more resistant starch. It’s starch you cannot digest, thus it has zero calories, but is food for good microbes.

C. Eat food that will increase the population of your native bacteria OR take a full-spectrum probiotic that contains other phytochemicals that offer specific protection to the growth of the microbes. Otherwise, you’re just throwing your money away as research shows only about 4% of the live bacteria survive in capsules before making it to your gut.

3. Avoid the Toxins that kill the Good Gut Flora.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of toxins that kill our good microbes. Here is a list of the worst offenders:

Pesticides

Antibiotics

Chlorine

Fluoride

Antacids

Artificial Sweeteners

As you can see, it is almost impossible to avoid the above, altogether. But here are a few ideas that will help you minimize your exposure.

A. Buy food from your local farmer’s market or farm stand to decrease the exposure to pesticides, herbicides (especially if you can buy from an organic farmer) and antibiotics. Remember, conventionally raised beef, pork and some poultry are all injected with antibiotics. If you’re not sure where to find one, go to www.localharvest.org to find a farm near you.

B. If you need to take an antibiotic, you must repopulate your intestinal flora with a full-spectrum probiotic, remembering that they are not all of equal value.

C. If you experience heartburn, antacids may help, temporarily, but as result of decreased stomach acid, yeast and bad bacteria are able to populate your gut.

D. Minimize your exposure to fluoride and chlorine by filtering your water. I don’t recommend bottled water because you cannot be certain what’s in that water.

E. Avoid eating and drinking any liquids or foods containing ANY artificial sweeteners. If you check the labels of packaged foods, you might be shocked at how much of these sweeteners are used...including in breads, crackers, canned tomatoes and nut butters, let alone breakfast cereals, soda and any “diet” foods. DON’T eat these, period.

Dr. Esther

Are You Ready to Fix Your Slow Metabolism?

If you're serious about losing the fat that has accumulated around your abdominal area over the years, you'll need to do the following:

1.  Cut out certain foods from your diet
2.  Eat specific foods on a daily basis
3.  Avoid certain medications
4.  Never again use artificial sweeteners...EVER!

We'll discuss the specifics to all of the above.  For now, I think it's important that we understand that no amount of diet pills, dieting, organized meetings or foods-shipped-to-your-door will ever result in a permanent fat loss.  Thus, the phrase, "yo-yo dieting."

The goal is to encourage the growth of the "good" or "skinny" bacteria/flora and to discourage the "bad" or "fat" bacteria/flora in your intestines.  It really is that simple....to say.  Not so simple, for most, to do.  It takes understanding (why you need to do it) and commitment (to actually do it).

I suggest you purchase the book, The Cruise Control Diet, by James Ward, for the detailed specifics of this program.

The first step to fixing a slow metabolism involves killing off the bad gut bugs (the ones which cause you to crave and turn the foods you eat into fat) and help the good gut bugs to grow (the ones that turn your food into energy).

This step is critical to a fast metabolism. In fact, those with lots of good gut bugs enjoy much more food without worrying about gaining weight. That's the secret as to why all those naturally skinny people get away with it.

How to replenish and protect our good bugs, will be our next topic.

Dr. Esther

Intestinal Flora and Metabolism

Why is the health of the intestinal flora (bacteria) so important?  Because that determines our health and the way we process the food we eat.  Here's a bit of a crash course on bacterial health.

We have two different types of bacteria in our intestines: one type which is native and one type which is acquired.  The native flora is passed along to us by our mother's when we are born.  The health of her flora determines the health of ours.  If we are delivered by C-section, we are in trouble from the start.  Those born this way only have bacteria from their mother's skin and not from her bowel.  Healthy bowel flora is fundamental to our health.  Those born without the bowel flora are in danger of a life of poor health and immune deficiency.

The acquired flora comes from what we eat and doesn't affect our native flora.  No amount of yogurt will ever replace the native bacteria.  It's the native bacteria which determines our intestinal health. There are only two ways that the native flora can be replenished.  We'll talk about that later.

Our native flora are so important because it is they that mitigate the health of our immune system, digestion, brain function, blood sugar levels and metabolism.  That's why the health of your intestinal bacteria determines the function of your metabolism.

OK, good. Now we have the foundation of understanding to delve into the murky waters (no pun intended) of why our intestines are out of balance and why our  metabolism is not functioning well, anymore.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com

Why This Topic About Fat Loss/Metabolism is So Important

My guess is that if you were to opine about this topic, you would probably think that fat loss is important because of the heart disease, cancer and diabetes that the marketing machine has convinced us that are directly related.  In reality, these disease states are the effect, not the cause, of why fat loss is so important.

I know this sounds a bit confusing, so let me explain.  Directly related to our fat deposits and metabolic rate is the health of our gut, and, specifically, the health of our large intestine.  Over a trillion healthy bacteria should be living in our intestine.  I say, "should," because the state of the health of Americans proves this is not the case.  Healthy bacteria = Healthy body, period.

Every ad that you see trying to convince you that pharmaceuticals are the panacea to every health problem belies the reality that we really are a nation of the walking sick.  In fact, a future topic will expose the fact that one of the most often-prescribed drugs actually is the cause of diabetes and auto-immune disease for many people!

At the foundation of diabetes, auto-immune diseases, depression and obesity is dysbiosis, aka, overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. That is why this topic is so important.  It's not about overweight or over-fat, it's about quality and quantity of life! 

I have written a number of blogs directly related to this topic.  Before we get into the specifics about fat loss, the latest information concerning good vs. bad bacteria will be our next topic.

Dr. Esther

How to Determine if Your Metabolism has been Hijacked

1. Do you gain weight easily?

2. Do you have a difficult time taking weight off?

3. Do you lose and re-gain the same or more weight , aka, yo-yo dieting?

4. Do you experience food cravings, especially at night?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, continue with the next questions

Do you experience any of the following symptoms, regularly?

1. bloating

2. cramps

3. gas

4. constipation

5. diarrhea

6. indigestion or acid reflux

If “yes” continue to the next section:

1. Do you often feel tired or sluggish?

2. Do you have difficulty concentrating or experience lapses in memory?

3. Do you experience mood swings?

4. Do you experience recurrent skin rashes?

5. Do you experience joint or muscle pain?

6. Do you get recurring bladder/yeast infections?

Answering “yes” to any of the questions in the first and second set indicates that you probably are dealing with gut dysbiosis...the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut.

Next time, we'll discuss what gut dysbiosis is and what affect that has on our health.

Dr. Esther

 

The Latest on the Science of Weight/Fat Loss

Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to share with you what I have been learning about the truth behind how and why we gain fat and what can be done to reverse that problem.

If you are interested in losing the fat that has been accumulating around your mid section, there are basic, non-negotiable things that you must do.  If you don't, you will never be able to win the battle of the ever-expanding fat deposits, especially belly fat deposits. 

We'll discuss the additives in food, beverages, the water supply and the medications that all contribute to fat deposits.  I hope you find this as interesting and helpful as I have.  I look forward to any comments or questions you may have on the subject.

Our discussions will all center around the need for us to re-balance and replenish the gut bacteria (microbes) that help to keep us balanced, healthy, energetic and to restore us to a more nearly normal weight.

Our first topic will be: How to Determine if Your Metabolism has been Hijacked.


Dr. Esther