Excess Weight and
Water Retention
Some excess
weight isn't really fat but "false fat."
That's the excess bloat and
water retention that comes from
hypersensitivity to many common foods --
it's weight we don't need to have, and we
feel and look a lot better without it. It
also comes off fastest -- the loss of "false
fat" is one of the reasons people sometimes
lose weight quickly at the beginning of a
new diet.
Here are some
suggestions for losing it. Remember to take
these in the spirit in which they are
intended: Not hard and fast rules for
everyone, but strategies that are worth
trying when you are stuck.
1.
Cut out wheat.
Whenever I recommend that people try this as
a strategy, I invariably get two kinds of
responses. One is from irate dietitians who
chastise me for going against the "wisdom"
of
the food pyramid and warn me of the
"dire consequences" for human health if
people actually followed such a crazy
recommendation and stop eating bread, pasta
and cereal for a while. The other response
comes from people who say this
recommendation changed their lives. Wheat is
one of the seven top allergens, and untold
numbers of people have undetected
sensitivities to it. Dr. C. Leigh Broadhurst,
one of the brightest researchers I've ever
met and the author of the wonderful book
Diabetes: Prevention and Cure, once
told me that if she had to pick one strategy
to recommend to people for weight loss and
health it would probably be cutting out
wheat. Dr. Jeffrey Bland, also no
intellectual slouch, has commented on the
possible long-range implications of gluten
or glidian sensitivity (both are components
of wheat). Eliminating wheat (at least
temporarily) is on the top 10 list of so
many cutting-edge health professionals that
it is foolish not to give it a try.
2.
Eliminate dairy.
Especially cow's milk.
Interestingly, this is something that the
"high protein" folks and the
radical vegans such as Dr. Neal Barnard
agree on, though for somewhat different
reasons. I'm not talking,
incidentally, about the wonderful,
nutrient-rich, unprocessed certified raw
milk that people such as Sally Fallon rave
about, but unfortunately raw milk is just
not widely available. I'm talking about that
stuff on your grocer's shelf. No, you won't
get osteoporosis (which has to do with a lot
more than calcium), and yes, you can
get your calcium from other sources. I
wouldn't necessarily extend this
recommendation to naturally fermented
products such as yogurt and some raw-milk
cheeses, by the way, though some people
might want to try eliminating all dairy at
first. If you're still skeptical, visit
notmilk.com and then talk to me some more.
And remember that the number one source of
nutritional information in this country
comes from
the dairy industry.
3.
Eliminate sugar.
This one is really hard for most people but
is the one that may pay off the most. And
while you're at it, see what you can do
about aspartame.
4.
Try a fruit and vegetable "fast."Three
days on a healthy, rich brew of vegetable
soup plus some low-sugar, high-fiber
fruits (berries, for example) and a daily
portion or three of raw vegetables with a
little olive oil never hurt anyone and will
give your digestive system a needed vacation
from most stressors and toxins. Remember,
though, fasts are scientific and should be
supervised by a trained physician.
5.
Don't drink. The
impact of this recommendation varies from
situation to situation, but there are people
who have lost significant amounts of weight
and bloat simply by
cutting out alcohol. Remember that
alcohol is a kind of super-sugar and can be
a very significant source of calories for
some people. And there isn't a single health
benefit in it that you can't get from fruits
and vegetables. I will always support 1 to
2 (maximum) drinks daily however (especially
red wine) for there calming and stress
relieving effects. Red wine has shown heart
benefits, and beer has actually shown kidney
benefit. The more natural and preservative
free the better.
6.
Try counting calories.
Just for a while, just as a strategy. Though
I've said many times that
calories are not the most important
thing in a diet, they still count. Study
after study has demonstrated that most
people, especially those who are overweight,
consistently underestimate their caloric
intake. And even those who have learned to
"eat right" for their type sometimes fall
into the trap of thinking they can eat
unlimited amounts as long as they're eating
the "right" foods. Use this strategy as a
reality check for a few days. It's all
about calories in versus calories out, and
someone who says they just can't lose weight
has probably never tried actually counting
their calories.
7.
Try the old switcheroo.
If you've been eating high-protein,
try a vegan plan for a few days. If
you've been eating vegan, try higher
protein. Sometimes just a change is all it
takes to move off a plateau, and sometimes
hidden food sensitivities remain hidden
because we tend to eat the same things all
the time. A balanced diet is best, we need
nutrients from protein, carbohydrates AND
fat. There are good and bad sources of all
three!
8. Increase water intake.
The best way to increase the amount of fluid
excreted by your kidneys is to INCREASE your
water intake. This goes against most
people's common intuition that if you are
retaining water you should drink less. But
nothing is a better diuretic than good old
H2O at telling your kidneys and body to
continue reducing its water stores. By
ingesting a GALLON of fresh filtered water
daily, you are telling the body to expect
more water on the way, and to pump it out as
fast as it is coming in. This is excellent
for the body, but don't forget to get your
minerals too. It's hard to believe, but 20%
of your water intake should have the same
mineral content as SEA WATER! This isn't
telling you to go and drink a glass full of
beach water (although there are many
documented health benefits to one glass of
pure unpolluted sea water daily), but people
should get a good dose of minerals rich in
magnesium and potassium among others to
replace what is lost through each day.
9. Exercise.
You may hate it, but use it
or lose it. Calories in versus calories
out, and the only way to get calories out is
to GET ACTIVE. Exercise and lean muscle
mass increase metabolism thus promoting
weight loss. Do anything you enjoy from
pilates to kick boxing, aerobics to tai
chi...just DO IT. Anything is better than
nothing, but shoot for a goal of one hour
everyday, balancing aerobic (cardiovascular)
training with anaerobic (muscle promoting
resistance exercises). There is no other
way!
But
when you're stuck, or you need a change
or you can't figure out what's going on,
these are good starting points for
experimentation.
As always,
adapt what you read here to your own
circumstances, but stay open-minded. Not one
of the above strategies will hurt you, and
you may be amazed at how much they will
help.
