Friday, February 1, 2013

February 2013 Newsletter Client Stops Eating Kashi Loses 20 Pounds!



Client Loses 20 Pounds Taking Kashi Cereal out of Diet!

Welcome to February!  The month when America realizes the crash diet and heavy exercise program did not result in the weight loss they expected.  Of course it is no surprise to me, because I hear that most every day with my client.  Just yesterday someone said, “I don’t get it.  I’ve been gaining weight since working with my personal trainer.” So, we have to understand two very important facts:

1.       Perhaps calories are irrelevant (see more on that later).
2.        Stress can be a “trump card” (see below for more on that).

Once we understand this the path is clear.  Don’t count calories, but eat healthy food.  And, manage your stress levels.

But, what is “healthy” food?  If we watch television we know that Kashi is very healthy whole grains.  If you’ve read my past writing about breakfast, you’ll remember that to your body Kashi has more sugar than Fruit Loops. (http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2011/07/not-so-healthy-breakfast.html )  A recent new client came to a public talk I gave at the end of last year.  She had been down the Weight Watchers road and had done well, yet she hit the plateau.  She heard what I said.  She stopped eating Kashi.  She lost seven pounds the first week.  She called me and wanted to learn more.  Now, two months later she is down over 20 pounds and was pleased to report this was the first time in 20 years she was below 200 pounds!


Calories Are Bull%%&$ - Why Taking out the Kashi Resulted in Weight Loss

This was the title of a recent workshop I did in Iowa.  I think it pretty much sums it up.  Here’s the story.  It begins with the First Law of Thermodynamics and the Bomb Calorimeter.  And it ends with the theory that all calories are created equal.  That all makes sense right?  We all know that 75 calories from a hard boiled egg and 75 calories from half a slice of toast and 75 calories from a bit of cake will all act the same way in your body.  Right?  We also know that is you cut out so many calories every week you will lose so many pounds in a certain time period.  That means eventually you will disappear? 

Meet the Trump Card – Stress and Hormones

As mentioned above I’ve had several clients that eat what I consider a healthy diet, yet still cannot lose weight.  I’ve even had one client that gained weight on the purification program!  That should not be.  So, what is going on?  Stress! 
Quite simply our stress response raises cortisol levels.  Cortisol will raise insulin levels and begin a hormonal chain reaction that essentially puts your body in a fat storing mode.  You can do all the running and exercise you want, but if your body is in fat storing mode, you will store fat. 
Also, your body thinks you are running from a tiger.  If you’re running from the tiger you don’t need to digest.  Thus, stress impacts your ability to gain all the nutrients from what you eat.
If you want the full list, but be brave, click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/search/label/Stress%20is%20Evil


Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Mequon, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.