A large weight-loss study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that people who diet typically within 6 months lose between 5% and 10% of their original weight, but about half of them regain more weight than they lost within 4-5 years.
Why is this happening?
First, when we eat foods that cause inflammation in our bodies – like many processed foods, some diet foods, and even some seemingly healthy foods like wheat and soy – our adrenal glands release the stress hormone cortisol. Over time, this chronically high level of cortisol prompts the body to store more fat around the abdomen and vital organs. Our bodies literally “trap” fat as a way to protect against chronic stress and inflammation.
Second, leptin is a hormone that is produced by fat cells and tells the control center in the brain (hypothalamus) that we are “satiated” and have enough energy to function.
Normally, when we eat, fat cells slightly increase in size and so leptin is released, which tells our brain to stop eating. However, when we are overweight or eat processed foods that contain brain-disrupting ingredients such as sugar, monosodium glutamate or aspartame, the hypothalamus becomes resistant to leptin. This means that our brain never gets the message that we have eaten, and so we feel like we want to eat everything we see. Our brain’s “off” button is no longer working properly.
The most important thing we can do to lose weight and keep the effect is to focus on the quality, not the quantity, of the food we eat. When our brain detects enough high-quality nutrients, our appetite automatically decreases, so when we increase the quality of the food we eat, we will want to eat less.
That’s why it’s a good idea to cleanse and nourish your body with high-quality nutrients to get rid of trapped fat caused by stress.
One way to do this is to make sure we are getting plenty of organic green vegetables and seaweeds daily, including enzymes, as well as good quality fats, protein and fiber. At the same time, exclude or reduce wheat and excess sugar, as well as hydrogenated vegetable oils that can cause inflammation in the body, and also reduce pesticide and herbicide levels by buying organically produced foods as much as possible. Also drink 1-2 litres of clean water daily.
The new Lighten-Up! of AquaSource provides a good range of these essential nutrients. Just a few of them are:
Organic almonds, Hawaiian spirulina, Klamath Lake algae, organic barley, organic wheat grass, psyllium husk powder, glucomannan, digestive enzymes, L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, natural coenzyme Q10 and chromium picolinate (see full list below).
Organic almonds, one of the ingredients in the new Lighten-Up! of AquaSource, can have a great effect on weight loss, which for many, may come as a surprise. We tend to think of them as food that makes you gain weight, because they are really fatty and calorie-dense. But they contain healthy fats as well as a host of vitamins and other nutrients that can help stimulate fat-burning mechanisms.
A Spanish study that lasted over 28 months and covered almost 9,000 adults found that those who ate almonds at least twice a week reduced their chance of weight gain by 31% compared to those who never ate nuts. Although nuts are rich in fat, people who frequently eat nuts are on average statistically weaker than those who almost never consume nuts. (Data from the Nurses’ Health Study).
Almonds are a very good source of energy-producing nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin B, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese and copper and contain 18% protein and fiber. These nutrients are important for weight loss as they can help to keep the body active for longer, with less need to get calories from starchy and sugary foods. Although almonds contain more calories than some people like to hear, they have a higher nutrient content than calorie content. They are a fantastic source of protein, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin B2 and other nutrients. The calories in almonds don’t seem to increase weight the way calories from carbohydrate and starchy foods do.
But it’s not just almonds that make the new Lighten-Up! of AquaSource so popular. The great value is in the variety of wholesome nutrients in the ingredients – each twenty gram serving contains Klamath Lake seaweed and barley grass. The quinoa it contains is a protein-rich seed that slowly releases carbohydrates, helping to maintain stable blood sugar levels and giving a longer feeling of fullness. It also contains nutrients such as chromium, which is important for glucose metabolism, and L-Carnitine, which is necessary for fat metabolism. Digestive enzymes such as protease, lactase and amylase aid digestion so that the best can be extracted from the food you eat.
The new Lighten-Up! of AquaSource it can be used as a drink, which would be a very good choice as part of the very famous and successful 5:2 diet, or it can be used once a day as a meal replacement with the full knowledge that our body is getting premium quality food.
Composition: Organic almonds, skim milk powder, organic quinoa, organic apple powder, vanilla, Hawaiian spirulina, Klamath Lake seaweed, Siberian ginseng, organic acerola powder providing Vitamin C, psyllium husk powder, Glucomannan, organic Ascophyllum nodosum algae powder, xanthan gum, organic barley grass, organic wheat grass, protease, lactase, L-carnitine, L-tartrate, amylase, alpha lipoic acid, natural CoQ10, chromium picolinate.
Directions for use. with unsweetened almond or coconut milk. For best results, use an electric mixer.
Regular exercise: exercise is extremely important when we are on a weight loss diet.
It is important to increase muscle mass in order to burn more calories and increase metabolic rate. Cycling, dancing, gardening, housework, walking and swimming are all excellent exercises – something to enjoy!
Sometimes it’s hard to make many changes at once, so it’s good to choose your own pace.
Let’s start with the changes today!
