Weigh in and take control
Amino acid supplementation, a workable food plan, exercise and motivation: the keys to weight control
IT’S that time of year! Advertisements cajole you to buy the latest get-slim-quick-fix. Gyms tout their services to ease you into your swimwear. Book reviews scream New Diet at you. You probably buy into it, yet again, because you know you must lose weight, that you’d feel better – mentally and physically – between five or 15 kilos lighter.
Taking control is where it starts. Motivation is the toughest aspect of weight management. Once you start to feel the energy and wellbeing that come from the right balance of foods, it’s easier to be sensible. It’s fundamental to your success to attain a healthy relationship with food that doesn’t involve a love/hate obsession, relentless calorie-counting or starvation. Hypnotherapy is worth exploring (Lorna Firth is a reliable practiser Tel: 99 108563) or join a motivational group (such as Lindsey Patroklou’s ‘Feel Great’ clinic at The Sanctuary, Paphos. Tel: 99 916031).
A workable food plan simply means a ‘diet’ that works for you, one that becomes as natural as breathing. There are dozens of theories: find the one that works for you. You know the foods that add weight – processed meals, pastry, bread, fatty potatoes, chocolate, alcohol, sugar. Halve your meat and dairy intake; fill up on fruit and salads. Stumped for an eating plan? E-mail me as below!
Many overweight people find the thought of exercise daunting. It’s a chicken/egg situation; you want to lose weight first so you won’t feel awful at the gym. Steel yourself! Exercise burns fat and builds body-firming muscle; it’s also essential for a cheerful disposition.
Weight-loss supplements fall into four groups. First: sugar management, which includes cravings and hunger pangs. Try Bioforce’s Helix Slim from Jerusalem Artichoke (www.bioforce.co.uk for information). Add in GTF Chromium, which helps to reduce both sugar cravings and body fat, increasing lean muscle tissue. (Best brand: Viridian Nutrition from Nutriglow).
Then there are the ‘go-faster,’ thermogenic herbs like Guarana and Gotu Kola. Excellent at speeding up the body’s metabolism, but if not combined with Chromium – preferably in the form of ChromeMate™ – they’re an incomplete answer. All that caffeine can make you feel very ‘whizzy’, too. (Recommended: Vitalert: Tel: 0044 800 174545).
Amino acids are my weight-management favourites. Natural duo, Arginine and Ornithine together transport fat cells to the liver where they are metabolised and used for energy. Best taken at bedtime on an empty tum for maximum absorption. Delay breakfast until you’ve spent an hour exercising or rushing around to burn up the fats stored in the liver overnight (best brand: Viridian Nutrition).
Caution – Do not take if you have cold sores/shingles, as it feeds the herpes virus.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a modern amino supplement that’s been tested more in the gym/body-building environment. It manipulates the way the body stores fat and helps utilise it as energy, regulating and lowering body fat percentages and increasing muscle tone. The most effective is Bodylean CLA Plus™, which also includes L-Ornithine and CoQ10 for enhanced metabolism, together with Chromium and Gymnaema – an Ayurvedic supplement (www.healthaid.co.uk).
Caution: Store in a cool environment. Type One diabetics should only – as with any supplement – take it under doctors’ supervision.
Finally, there are the ‘cheats’ – products that inhibit absorption and allow you to stray off your dietary plan occasionally. Fat binders are often touted, but I wouldn’t recommend them as your body needs plant and fish oils for metabolism. Lifesource Phase 2 (Phaseolamin) is extracted from white kidney beans; it helps by binding itself to carbohydrate and preventing 65 per cent of absorption. Equally effective is Garcinia Cambogia, again best formulated with Chromium (Biocare Citrimax Forte). Both available from www.nutriglow.com.
Finally, drink more water! If your body is saying ‘I’m hungry’, it’s most probably thirsty. Before eating, drink a glass of body-temperature spring water.
l If you have difficulty accessing any of the supplements, do e-mail me on [email protected]
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
My hair is an ongoing nightmare. I won’t say it’s falling out in handfuls, but it’s considerably thinner than a year ago. Mrs NA Paphos
You don’t give your age, but if you’re around the menopause, you can expect hormone changes to be reflected in hair health. More than ever it’s important to have a good balance of essential fatty acids from fish, nuts and seeds.
Many women who’ve been – or are – vegetarian, have low blood ferritin levels. My trichologist suggested this might be the cause of my own hair problem and prescribed Lambert’s Florisene, a supplement specially formulated for women. I must say it’s worked for me: I have stocks if anyone wants to try it.
Hair health depends on the products you use to clean and condition it. I’ve covered the foaming, de-greasing agent sodium lauryl sulphate before: if it’s in your shampoo, change it! Check local health stores for shampoo that’s SLS- and SLES-free (mail order/information: www.anousta.co.uk). Ammonia in hair colorants is also exceedingly damaging: there are plant-based products that do the job (www.naturesdream.co.uk). Protect hair from sun, salt and chlorine. Sanotint leave-in restructuring balm with millet might also be helpful. (www.wisofnature.com).
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. Please address your questions to [email protected], PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Tel: 22 818585
