WEIGHT LOSS PART TWO

Unlock your Weight Loss
​For some, despite repeated weight loss programs, countless hours sweating away at the gym and following whichever new super diet is the fashion at the time, efforts to lose weight never materialize. You’d be justified in feeling frustrated. You may wonder, “How can I not be losing weight?!” If this is you, the problem may not be a lack of trying or a lack of willpower. For many, there are problems in the core, interrelated systems of the body, keeping the weight from coming off. In our last newsletter, we reviewed the three hidden obstacles to successful weight loss. In today’s article, we’ll cover strategies to address each of these concerns using only diet, lifestyle changes, and commonly available supplements. In our final piece in this series, we’ll cover a basic diet template that is remarkably effective, once these three obstacles have been addressed. First, let’s review briefly the three weight loss obstacles that we covered in our last newsletter. 


First, blame goes to our chemical laden environment. Compounds like BPA, and brominated flame retardant actively interfere with hormone signaling and metabolism to cause weight gain, and impede weight loss. These compounds deposit in fat stores, where they are so potent in interfering with weight loss that  a new term was coined to classify them: “obesogens” (meaning: “make obese”). The second cause is latent inflammation: by driving up stress hormones, latent inflammation makes the body resistant to insulin and drives the body to store more energy as fat. The third common underlying obstacle to weight loss is hormonal imbalance. Most often, this relates to elevated estrogen compared to progesterone, however, imbalanced thyroid, and dysregulated adrenal hormones can both also hinder weight loss. Any, or all of these three basic physiological imbalances could be getting in the way of weight loss for you, and without addressing them first, weight loss can be very difficult. 


When we work with patients, frustrated with repeated attempts at weight loss, we usually start with a blood panel that identifies how severe these underlying issues may be. This is a valuable step to save time and money. It ensures that our efforts are being focused at the most important aspects. But, even without the insight from a panel of blood tests, there are still some clues that may indicate that one (or more) of these core problems exist for you, which in turn indicates the need for steps you can easily do on your own, with dietary change, some lifestyle interventions, and some simple supplements you can obtain from your local supplement store. Each of these topics are vast, and an entire series could be compiled on each, but in this short article we’ll give you the most effective steps that you can take without getting professional help.


Excessive Burden of Environmental Toxins


In our last article we looked at how an excessive burden of certain types of chemicals called, “obesgens” can interfere with hormone signalling and metabolic function. The best approach to finding out if this is a concern for you is reviewing your personal history. If you have an occupational history or exposure to a wide variety of industrial chemicals, live, or lived, in close proximity to an industrial area, or use a lot of mainstream cosmetic or personal care products, then addressing your body’s detoxification pathways is a worthwhile step towards your weight loss goals. While the links between occupational and industrial areas is clear, the concern around personal care products may be less obvious to some. Many of the personal care products and cosmetics used today contain a variety of synthetic, petroleum based ingredients that are absorbed readily through the skin. Some of these compounds, such as parabens and pthalates are established obesogens. Other compounds are toxic to liver cells and directly affect the ability of the body to clear toxins. These compounds include Hydroxymethylpentylcyclohexenecarboxaldehyde, often referred to, for obvious reason, by its tradename, “Lyral”. Lyral and other compounds like it aren’t directly listed on the ingredient list,they are all clumped together under the heading: “fragrance.” It is an extremely common ingredient, used in the majority of mainstream personal care products, including deodorant, perfumes, shampoo body wash, shaving gel and cosmetics. The accumulated burden of Lyral and related compounds continues to increase over years and decades. Switching to higher quality brands that only use natural ingredients is the only way to be sure that you are not continuing to be exposed to these chemicals.


When you embark on a new weight loss program and begin liberating fat from storage, you are also liberating the toxins stored in that fat. When these toxins return to circulation they further impeded the weight loss process. The more fat you lose, the harder it is to make any progress.


You eliminate fat soluble toxins through the liver. The liver converts these compounds into less harmful forms and expels them through the bile into the intestines to be carried out. Less commonly, the liver also converts them to water soluble forms which are filtered out of the body by the kidneys. Another important pathway for detoxification is through sweating. Both in preparation for, and as you are losing weight, make sure to follow the steps to ensure the burden of toxins isn’t slowing down your process.

1. Ensure sufficient fiber: Once the toxins are expelled into the intestines, they still need to be carried out of the body. The presence of soluble fiber in the intestines helps to bind these toxins, as well as any unwanted cholesterol and carry it out of the body. In a diet with insufficient fiber, these toxins will be reabsorbed and immediately transported back to the liver. I suggest taking a fiber supplement in powder form, rather than relying on diet alone to provide the required fiber. There are many brands out there; some popular forms are psyllium husk, ground flax seed, and hemp seed. 
   
   
2. Support liver detoxification through supplements and foods. Milk thistle is a commonly used cholagogue (meaning a substance that stimulates the liver to expel more bile.) Other supplements with similar actions are turmeric and dandelion extract. Foods like broccoli, asparagus, and brussel sprouts (and other cruciferous vegetables), as well as onions and garlic accelerate detoxification in the liver. Including more of these foods in your diet helps to remove toxins and set the stage for weight loss. 
   
   
3. Stop absorbing new toxins. Ensure cosmetics and personal care products come from companies that only use natural ingredients. Food sources of toxins can be minimized by avoiding conventionally raised meats, and buying all items from the “dirty dozen” list of most contaminated produce, organic. 
   
   
4. Sufficient intake of water flushes water soluble toxins out of the body, and ensures good kidney function. The classical recommendation is to consume half your bodyweight in ounces of water. However, water contained in food, and other beverages also counts towards that. Don’t force it down, but if you find yourself chugging an entire glass when you get home, you didn’t drink enough that day. 
   
   
5. Sweat. Whether from physical exertion, or by using a sauna or steam room, sweating is a great way to improve detoxification. Be sure to replace the electrolytes you are losing with an electrolyte rich (but calorie free) drink. (Many products are available at your local running store. Most are tablets or powders that you can add to a water bottle. THey don’t contain any sweeteners or calories, only the essential electrolytes and natural flavors)
   
   

Address any sources of Latent Inflammation


Even without doing more in-depth testing, there are still some general steps you can take to reduce your background inflammation level. The two main causes of underlying latent inflammation are: smoldering low grade infections (often dental or digestive) and nutritional deficiencies (the body’s ability to quell inflammation is dependent upon the presence of several key nutrients). Here are some simple steps you can take:

1. Improve your fatty acid ratio, specifically the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. An enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase makes inflammatory messengers called eicosanoids from omega 3 and 6 fats. When the process starts with an omega 3 molecule, the resulting eicosanoid results in a net reduction in inflammation. When the process starts with an omega 6 molecule, the result is a net increase in inflammation. By stacking your deck with more omega 3 fats, you make the cyclo-oxygenase enzyme use omega 3 fats more often. When eating a largely plant based diet, free from industrially produced cooking oils and excessive grains, the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is close to 1:1. Unfortunately, this isn’t the diet that the majority of people living in our modern society consume. The typical American diet provides a ratio closer to 18 omega 6 molecules to every 1 omega 3. This imbalance drives inflammation, hampers weight loss and speeds the onset of chronic diseases such as heart disease, autoimmune conditions and cancer. Improving the ratio of omega 3 and 6 to approach 1:1 reduces inflammation in the body. Start by eliminating all industrial seed oils: canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, etc. Next reduce your intake of grains--bread, pasta, crackers, etc. And replace those grain sources of carbohydrates with other forms (good alternatives include tubers such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. This substitution will also improve your insulin sensitivity, but more about that in the next article.)
   
   
2. Supply your body with the fuel needed for methylation. Methylation is a chemical process that happens in all your cells, all the time. Throughout the day your cells are doing a simple chemical conversion by adding a methyl group (a small molecular unit consisting of a carbon and three hydrogens) to precursor molecules either to make them less inflammatory, or to move them down the various pathways of metabolism. This process is what the term, “methylation” refers to. This vital process relies on a constant supply of methy donors (molecules that donate a methyl group). Two important dietary methyl donors are B12 and folate. Ensuring you are getting sufficient amounts of these key nutrients can also help to reduce inflammation. Food sources of folate include leafy greens such as kale, chard, and beet greens. Good sources of B12 include naturally raised meats, sardines, and seafood. Many people (up to 30%) have a variation in the gene MTHFR, which affects their ability to utilize these nutrients in the forms often used by vitamin manufacturers. As with most vitamins, it is important to get them from food as often as possible. 
   
   
3. Avoid irritating foods. If you know you have a problem with a particular food, such as dairy, or gluten, it isn’t enough to just reduce your intake of it to the point where you avoid symptoms. The latent inflammation we are referring to takes place at a level, that is below what you can detect as discomfort or pain. This latent inflammation is still stalling your weight loss, even though you can’t feel it. At least until you have reached the target weight you are shooting for, make sure to completely avoid all foods that are problematic for you. 
   
   

Balance your Hormones


Even without knowing which hormones are out of balance, there are three steps you can take that will have a general effect on balancing your hormone levels. 

1. Avoid xenoestrogens: (Xeno-: “foreign”) xenoestrogens are compounds in our environments that mimic estrogen in the body. They are able to bind to estrogen receptors and send the signal, as if estrogen were there at the cell wall. These are often chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics, but are also found in cosmetics. Avoid microwaving or freezing in plastic, avoid grocery store receipt paper as much as possible (BPA is used in the carbon paper. That’s what create the fine, dusty texture of most receipts). Also follow the instructions in the section on toxins, above for avoiding excessive exposure in your environment. 
   
   
2. Manage stress: Stress triggers the release of adrenal hormones, and alters the synthesis pathway of other hormones. This results in both short term and long term disruption of hormone levels. In order to get stress hormones down and get back to producing the longevity hormones your body needs to feel good and lose weight, you need to calm down. Start meditating, praying, or doing an enjoyable hobby every day.
   
   
3. Take an adaptogen supplement: There are many of these products on the market. I particularly like a product called “licorice plus” by metagenics. (If you have high blood pressure, this isn’t a good product for you however, because the licorice in it can raise blood pressure.)
   
   

If you are embarking on a process of weight loss, it would be best to follow these recommendations for a period of time prior to initiating that weight loss program. Depending on how influential any of these three obstacles are for you, taking 1-4 weeks focussing on the above recommendations before starting would be appropriate. If you want to work on these at a deeper level consider seeing a practitioner to get a closer look at where exactly your system is going wrong. 


Okay, so now you know how to unlock the weight loss process. In the next article we’ll cover a basic template that will result in rapid and easy weight loss for you. ​​