Healthy Permanent Weight Loss – Is It Even Possible?

UltraMeal™ is a medical food, suitable as a meal replacement or for weight-loss/maintenance programs. UltraMeal™ has been studied in comparison to over-the-counter products, specifically, Ultra SlimFast™, and the results are very interesting. The UltraMeal™ program, which was supervised by a doctor, lasted 10 weeks and consisted of 2 meal replacements per day, with one low-calorie meal of lean meat, fresh vegetables and fruit, with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of fresh fruit or vegetables. The Ultra SlimFast™ program was also 10 weeks, but was unsupervised, with no direction as to behavior and diet modification or exercise.

The results are enlightening: 64% of the UltraMeal™ group completed the full 10 weeks; whereas, only 42% of the other group saw the program through to the end. In those who completed the program, differences in endpoint data were analyzed. Both groups lost weight; however, the most striking difference between them was that the UltraMeal™ group lost a significant loss of weight as body fat, while the Ultra SlimFast™ group lost the majority of their weight from muscle protein, not body fat. The Ultra SlimFast™ group actually wound up with a higher ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass than before starting on the program.

The other notable difference between the two groups was that the Ultra SlimFast™ group showed a significant increase in thyroid stimulating hormone levels through the course of the program and indicating suppression of thyroid function while on the meal replacement. The UltraMeal™ group thyroid stimulating hormone levels remained normal. It is generally recognized that the inclusion of high quality, bio-available protein in a weight loss program minimizes the risk of neuroendocrine disturbances. A number of studies have confirmed that extremely low calorie diets induced a decrease in thyroid function. It is the body’s adaptation to a starvation state and conservation of what calories are available.

My take on this research is that UltraMeal™ is superior to any over-the-counter product because it allows for weight loss without loss of muscle mass. It also does not alter thyroid function, making it easier initially to lose excess body fat and then to keep it off.  Since you will have decreased your total percentage of body fat, you will also have an easier time maintaining your weight reduction.

I have an article from the Journal of Nutritional Medicine in my office containing all the data and references. If you would like all the details, send a SASE with the request for the “weight loss article” to the office, and we’ll send you a copy.

So, if you’re looking for a safe, proven weight loss program or simply need a quick, easy nutrition rich meal for breakfast or lunch, give us a call and order UltraMeal™.  A 14 serving container currently costs $31.00.

NB:  This is an update of an article first written in 2001.

Alli™ — Weight Loss Boon or Health Fraud?

I want to comment on the hype around Alli™, the newest, over-the-counter weight loss product.  I couldn’t believe it when it sold out all over the country on the first day of its release.  I would like to inject some sanity into the conversation.

Alli™ is a weaker version of Xenical™, a prescription medication that was introduced about 10 years ago.  I clearly remember the advertisements at that time:  A voice telling you “you won’t look like a supermodel,” while a picture of a model is clearly displayed on the screen.  Then, a picture of a pizza while the voice states, “of course, you can’t eat anything you want.”  And finally, in a very fast, tiny voice, the side effects, including fecal incontinence!  This was a masterful use of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP).  NLP is the study of how people’s brains process information.  The two important rules to apply to the foregoing ad are these:  i) Your brain doesn’t hear negatives; it literally edits them out. And ii) your visual cortex overrides your hearing.  So, the message being communicated is exactly the opposite of the words!!  Talk about misleading!

Now that the product has been around for a while, people are beginning to catch on the side effects, which include:  increased gas and flatulence, oily stools and greasy excretions from the anus.  The package instructions include:  you may want to wear dark pants until you know how this medication will affect you, and you may want to take an extra set of clothes to work!! Excuse me?  Why would anyone subject herself to this indignity?  I suspect because Alli™ is being presented as an “easy solve” to what is really a complex problem.

More seriously, as far as I am concerned, Alli™ blocks the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, including Vitamins A, E and D.  Given the recent research on vitamin D and the increased risk of cancer because of a deficiency state (see my article on this topic.  Click on “Cancer” under “Categories” on the right.), the drug companies are creating a market for their expensive chemotherapy drugs!  Sorry for the cynicism, but it makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

The data on vitamin D is inescapable.  There is a direct relationship between serum vitamin D and the incidence of cancer of the breast, colon and prostate.  In fact, an animal study in 2006, linked the active ingredient in Alli™ to colon lesions believed to be the precursors to colon cancer. (Garcia S, da Costa Barros L, Turatti A, Martinello F, Modiano P, Ribeiro-Silva A, de Oliveira Vespúcio M, Uyemura S (2006). “The anti-obesity agent Orlistat is associated to increase in colonic preneoplastic markers in rats treated with a chemical carcinogen.”. Cancer Lett 240 (2): 221–4. Takayama T, Katsuki S, Takahashi Y, Ohi M, Nojiri S, Sakamaki S, Kato J, Kogawa K, Miyake H, Niitsu Y (1998). “Aberrant crypt foci of the colon as precursors of adenoma and cancer”. N Engl J Med 339 (18): 1277–84)  And, they want you to take this for life?!?

Last, but not least, the weight loss is nominal – only 5% of body weight.  So, if you weigh 250 lbs, you’ll lose 12½ lbs.  Great isn’t it?

A far better option is Coleus forskoli, which is in our herbal product Coleus Forte™.  The dose is two to three per day, based upon your response to the product.  A few people experience diarrhea, which can be handled by reducing the dose.  The side of effects of Coleus include:  lowering your blood pressure, improving your blood sugar by increasing insulin secretion, replacing body fat with muscle mass, inhibiting platelet activation (less clots), increasing the strength of contraction of your heart, while relaxing smooth muscle, and improving thyroid function.  The reason for these wide ranging effects is that Coleus acts directly to increase cyclic AMP, a major regulator of cellular metabolism.

Of course, you will have to watch your portion size and eliminate sugar and white flour (i.e., decrease refined carbohydrates in general).  But, that’s just a healthy approach to eating.  The only people who can’t take Coleus Forte™ are those whose blood pressure is too low to start with (people with severe adrenal problems) and those few people who find their gut becomes too irritable.  In my office, that’s less than 1% of the people who have tried it so far.

So, if you’re interested in a healthy approach to improving your body mass, call and ask for Coleus Forte™.  If you feel you need a more personalized program, you can schedule a consultation and I will be happy to create a personalized plan for you.

Body Mass Index Invalid

Finally! The studies have been done, and it has been proven that the new American standards for obesity are unscientific and — in fact — wrong! The title says it all: “CDC Links Extra Pounds, Lower Death Risk.” (The link to the original article is: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/print?id=686831) I have been upset about this for the last three years, precisely because there was no scientific basis for the change. However, these findings have stirred up a lot of “politically correct” controversy. First, a bit of history: About 3 years ago, overnight, the government declared 1/3rd of the American public obese. This happened because a new standard was adopted by the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) – the BMI, or Body Mass Index. I have tried to find the source data that triggered this change, but haven’t been able to locate any data. I believe the change was instituted because it created a new, government sanctioned, category of treatable disease — obesity related illness. The immediate effect was to make weight loss treatments (such as, gastric bypass surgery, for example) reimbursable procedures under many health insurance plans. Prior to the adoption of the BMI, target weights were based on actuarial tables from the life insurance companies, which correlated life expectancy with body weight and height. That standard also made allowances for bone structure. Large boned individuals’ ideal weight was higher than the average; petite-boned people were to weigh correspondingly less. No comparable studies on weight and its effect on life expectancy were ever done for the BMI standard. Well, now, such a study has been done. And guess what? The BMI standard does not correlate well with life expectancy. This means that the BMI is completely arbitrary, has no scientific basis and using it as a standard for your personal body weight will not improve your health or long-term life expectancy. In fact, doing so might actually be harmful, since the study found that people who were slightly heavier than their recommended BMI actually lived longer! The study was printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and reported by the Associated Press on April 20, 2005. The effect on the statistics for obesity is startling. In January of this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was estimating that 365,000 deaths per year were caused by obesity, making it the 2nd highest cause of preventable death in the U.S. That number was down from 400,000 last fall. The number was reduced after scientists inside and outside the agency questioned the figure, and the CDC admitted making a calculation error! However, the media and the government continued to hype the fact that 2 out of 3 American adults are overweight or obese and are at higher risk for heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. The government, in particular, has spent millions of dollars promoting this message, because it represented a huge policy change. The new data indicate that obesity accounts for 25,814 deaths a year in the U.S. This is a 14-fold decrease, making obesity the seventh, instead of the second preventable cause of death in the U.S. The causes of preventable death in the U.S. are now as follows: tobacco, alcohol, germs, toxins and pollutants, car crashes, guns, obesity, risky sexual behavior and illicit drugs. However, and this is the kicker, the CDC is not willing to make this information official, because of the controversy in the agency. And this, despite the fact that the study (and several recent smaller studies, as well) clearly demonstrates that people who are modestly “overweight” (according to the BMI) have a lower risk of death than those of “normal weight.” In my view, political correctness is the reason for the reluctance of the CDC to publicize their much vaunted “scientific” results. Let’s face it: Our culture is obsessed with thinness — to an unhealthy degree. Any data which contradicts the thought that “thin” equals “healthy” is simply too uncomfortable for many people to confront. No wonder we have so many eating disorders! In alternative medicine, we are constantly told that our therapies are useless, because we don’t have the scientific studies we need to validate our results. Now, the medical profession has such a study and is simply suppressing it because it doesn’t fit the preconceived culturally induced bias. This double standard makes me crazy! To me, it appears that your health is not important to the powers that be; being “politically correct” is the most important consideration. As we age, it is normal that we pick up some weight — it actually extends our life. So, don’t fret. Enjoy balanced meals, and try not to become absorbed by the notion that you must be rail thin in order to enjoy a happy and healthy life.