TriVita Article: Don’t Be Slowed Down by Weight Loss Speed Bumps

by Brazos Minshew, TriVita Chief Science Officer

This is the perfect time of year for an encouraging article on keeping your weight loss goals. Why? Because nearly half of all people in North America make New Year’s resolutions – and the most common resolution is to lose weight.

Within a few weeks the number of people sticking to their resolve declines dramatically. Given the importance of improving our behavior, an encouraging word from an ally may be just the thing we all need to keep our resolve!

Mechanics of weight loss
Let’s review the best advice for weight loss that we have gathered from expert sources over the last several years.

How

• Reduce your caloric intake to match your basal metabolic rate (BMR). BMR represents the number of calories your body needs at rest; in other words, your body burns these calories through basic functions. So, BMR represents the ideal number of calories you should eat in a day.

• Increase your activity to burn one to two pounds of fat per week.

When

• Never eat within two hours of bedtime.
• Morning exercise is a bit better than evening exercise.
• Never consume more than 400 calories in an hour.

What

• Eat according to an organized plan. For example, the South Beach, Ornish and Mediterranean diets all provide customized dieting tools.
• Do both aerobic and resistance exercises most days of the week.

Why

• Your sense of purpose will help drive your success.

Speed bumps
Somewhere along the way you are going to experience discouragement, disappointment or despondency. It may be when:

• You hit a weight loss plateau.
• You see others doing what you used to do and the old habits pull at your heart.
• Your inner voices – I call them my “council of critics” – start to tell you lies about failure and success.

What do you do when you hit a speed bump?

The answer to this question does not lie in the “how, when, what” of weight loss. The answer lies in the “why.” Your personal “why” gives you energy. It inspires you, motivates you, and drives you to complete your goal.

Remember to let your desire fuel your action; let your actions harmonize with your sense of purpose. Simply be resolved to live a life of purpose and you will have the energy to get beyond the speed bumps.

Common setbacks
Unsupportive family: Losing weight with an uncooperative family is very difficult. In fact, diet failure is far more common among people with kids at home than among empty-nesters. A great solution is to turn those sources of distraction into cheerleaders. Recruit your family into your support group. Ask them for help and you may be surprised how helpful a supportive family can be.

Parties and gatherings: Parties and family gatherings are another trigger for setbacks. Food and a festive environment are catalysts for overeating and skipping exercise. Careful planning in advance can really help with food selection and an exercise schedule. And if you do overindulge, remember the “calories in, calories out” rule and increase your exercise for a week or two to burn off the extra calories.

Emotional speed bumps: Depression, discouragement and despondency are also common triggers for diet failure. Remembering TriVita’s 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness can be a good antidote. For instance, Essential #6 teaches us that we need to give and receive love for excellent health. Love moves us to commit ourselves to a life of purpose. Purpose is the reason for action. Therefore, love can help us avoid fear, shame and doubt.

Conclusion
When we commit ourselves to such noble pursuits, do they not deserve our very best attention? We need to define our purpose as the foundation for success. Purpose is an important motivation to help us reshape our thinking. Purpose is the antidote to self-sabotage.

Ponder each of TriVita’s 10 life-changing essentials for healthy living. You will soon see that each of these gems reflect the light you need to see beliefs that no longer serve your best interests. You can confront self-sabotage and slay the dragons that keep you from reaching your goals. Also, learning and living the 10 Essentials provides you with powerful tools to reshape your attitudes into the very ones that can help you to reach your goals, live the life you want and fulfill your purpose.

Source: TriVita Weekly Wellness Report Jan 10, 2009

New Hope For Diabetes Sufferers

Proper nutrition, exercise and vitamin supplementation can help people with diabetes enjoy a healthy, productive life By Dr. Samuel N. Grief, M.D., CCFP, FCFP

Diabetes is a silent enemy

Every year, millions of Americans live their lives not noticing that they have subtle warning signs of diabetes. These less obvious signs, such as change in vision, fatigue, sleepiness and trouble fighting off infections, may not necessarily make you think of diabetes… but they should! It is usually the more obvious symptoms, such as unintentional weight loss, excess thirst and urination and fainting that signal the onset of diabetes and spur people to action.

Remember, if you are diagnosed with diabetes, life does not end! However, change is required in order to correct some of the imbalances that led to the development of diabetes in the first place.

First, take stock of your weight

Obesity causes approximately 60% of all cases of type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes. Losing weight is very likely to lessen the need for prescription medicine to control diabetes. Second, learning to count carbohydrates is necessary for all people with diabetes in order to keep the blood sugar relatively stable and free of any wild fluctuations. Limiting carbohydrate intake may also minimize the need for insulin.

Third, exercise will help improve your body’s natural sensitivity to its own or to any injected insulin you provide. Many people are not sure why they end up with diabetes. For most, a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle habits sets off a slow and steady decline in pancreatic function. This decline is inevitable unless the above lifestyle modifications are introduced. Taking supplements to help keep diabetes away is tempting. But do they really work?

Good news from the scientific world regarding vitamins and diabetes prevention

A recent study of middle-aged and older men and women was undertaken to see whether the rate of developing diabetes would be affected by how much Vitamin C was circulating in the blood among the study population’s participants. Vitamin C is a known antioxidant and promotes the well-being of several organ systems, including the heart, blood vessels, skin, gums, teeth and the immune system. This particular study concluded that those individuals with the highest blood levels of Vitamin C were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over the 12-year study than those with the lowest levels.

This is outstanding news! Translating this news into real-world practical advice, if you or any member of your family would like to lessen the risk for developing diabetes, consider eating more Vitamin C-rich foods. Specific Vitamin C-rich foods include:
• Oranges and other citrus fruits
• Sweet and hot peppers
• Cantaloupe
• Potatoes (baked, not fried)
• Cherries.

Vitamin C can also be obtained through supplements

If you choose to supplement, be sure you take a high-quality one that contains the appropriate amount to boost your blood level. Healthcare professionals recommend anywhere from several hundreds to several thousands of miligrams of Vitamin C per day.

Finally, diabetes is a known risk factor for heart disease, eye disease, skin infections and kidney disease. Fortunately, Vitamin C is known to help improve blood flow and as an antioxidant protects against sun damage to the eyes and skin, as well. The bottom line is this: eat a healthy and balanced diet, stay active and supplement with the right combination of vitamins and minerals to help stave off or keep your medical conditions under control, especially diabetes.

Source VitaJournal November 2008 pg 10.

TriVita’s Vitamin C supplements