Weight Loss/Control Glossary of Terms
A Little Help With Some Difficult terms
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Aerobic Exercise. Any activity involving large muscles, done for an extended period of time. Aerobic exercise can be done for weight loss, but it also provides cardiovascular benefits. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, biking, jogging, swimming, aerobic classes and cross-country skiing.
Aloe. Herbal product derived from the aloe plant, it is often added to herbal weight loss products. However, it has not been shown to effectively promote permanent weight loss. Different parts of the aloe plant may be used. Aloe gel may lower blood glucose and keep other medications from being properly absorbed. Aloe leaf lining has more side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, lowering of serum potassium and laxative effects that could be dangerous to individuals not in good health.
Appetite Suppressants. Medications that act upon the brain, “tricking” it into believing that it is not hungry or that it’s full.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. A body composition test that works by sending a small electrical signal through the body, enabling the amount of fat, muscle and other lean tissue to be measured.
Body Composition Test. A test used to determine the current percentage of body fat a person has.
Body Mass Index (BMI). A popular method used to gauge whether or not a person is overweight. BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by his or her height (in meters, squared).
Calorie. A unit of measure for the amount of energy released when the body breaks down food.
Carbohydrate. Any of a large group of sugars, starches, cellulose and gums that the body uses by converting into glucose, a simple sugar, for fuel.
Cascara. A common ingredient used in weight loss products. One of the few herbs approved by the FDA as an over-the-counter drug. It is a strong stimulant laxative.
Catecholamine. A chemical in the brain that affects mood and appetite.
Chitosan (KITE-o-san). A dietary supplement made from chitin, a starch found in the skeleton of shrimp, crab and other shellfish. It has not been shown to contribute to permanent weight loss.
Cholesterol. A type of fat that circulates in your blood. It comes from two sources. the body makes its own regardless of what is eaten and from foods containing animal products.
Dietician or Dietitian. A person who specializes in the study of nutrition.
Diuretic. A drug that promotes the formation of urine by the kidney.
Diuresis. Water loss
Duodenum. The beginning portion of the small intestine.
Ephedrine (Ma-Huang). A common ingredient in herbal dietary supplements used for weight loss. Ephedrine can slightly suppress your appetite, but no studies have shown it to be effective in weight loss. Ephedrine is the main active ingredient of ephedra. Ephedra is also known as Ma Huang, not ephedrine. High doses of ephedra can cause very fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, irregular heart beats, stroke, vomiting, psychoses and even death.
Extensive Gastric Bypass. A gastric bypass operation in which portions of the stomach are removed. The small pouch that remains is connected directly to the final segment of the small intestine, thus completely bypassing both the duodenum and jejunum.
Fat. Organic compounds that are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, it is the body’s most concentrated source of energy. Like protein and carbohydrates, fat is a principal and essential component of the diet.
Fat Absorption Inhibitor. Medications that work by preventing the body from breaking down and absorbing fat eaten with meals.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Government agency whose mission is “to promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring products for continued safety after they are in use.”
Food Triggers. A situation or emotion that causes a person to eat such as stress or depression.
Gastric Banding. A surgical procedure in which a band made of special material is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the larger remainder of the stomach.
Gastric Bypass. A type of operation that combines the creation of a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake and the construction of bypasses of the duodenum and other segments of the small intestine to cause malabsorption (decreased absorption of nutrients).
Glucomannan. Made from the root of Amorphophallus Konjac, an herbal supplement that is said to contribute to weight loss by delaying the absorption of glucose from the intestines.
Guarana. A nervous system stimulant derived from the seeds of a Brazilian plant of the same name, it is often found in herbal supplements that promote weight loss.
Guar Gum. Also known as guar, guar flour, and jaguar gum, it is a dietary fiber obtained from the Indian cluster bean. Used extensively as a thickening agent for foods and pharmaceuticals, it is commonly sold as an herbal supplement to promote weight loss.
High Protein Diet. Diets that recommend receiving up to 30% of calories (or more) from protein as opposed to the recommended 10%-15% from protein. These diets also recommend low carbohydrate consumption and are often high in total fat.
Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing. A body composition test performed by submerging the person in water and then measuring his or her underwater weight.
Jejunum. The middle section of the small intestine.
Ketone. Waste products in the body that are a result of fat burning.
Ketosis. An abnormality of the body’s metabolic process, resulting in an increase of ketones in the blood, which can increase the risk of developing kidney stones. Ketosis is prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Ma-Huang. See ephedrine.
Meridia. See Sibutermine
Metabolism. The amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Metabolism is the process in which nutrients are acquired, transported, used and disposed of by the body.
Monounsaturated fat. A type of fat found in large amounts in foods from plants, including olive, peanut and canola oil.
Mortality. The rate of death.
Obesity. An excess proportion of total body fat. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI).
Orlistat. A commonly prescribed fat absorption medication, it is sold under the brand name Xenical.
Phen-fen. A weight loss drug made up of fenfluramine and phentermine. Its use has been linked to heart valve problems and has been banned by the FDA.
Phenylpropanolamine (PPA). Once a common weight loss ingredient in appetite suppressants, recent studies have linked PPA to an increased risk of stroke. The FDA warns consumers to avoid use of products containing PPA.
Polyunsaturated Fat. A type of fat that is found in large amounts in foods from plants, including safflower, sunflower and corn oil.
Protein. An organic compound that is the “building block” of the human body. Protein builds and maintains muscle tissue.
Pyruvate. Formed in the body during digestion of carbohydrates and protein, some studies indicate that it may help with weight loss. Although it appears to be safe, claims of boosting metabolism, decreasing appetite and aiding in weight loss require further study.
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The level of essential nutrients required to adequately meet the known nutrient needs of practically all healthy persons, according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
Restriction Operation. The type of surgery most often used for producing weight loss. Food intake is restricted by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach where the food enters from the esophagus. Examples of restriction operations include. gastric banding and vertical banded gastroplasty.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RGB). The most common gastric bypass procedure. First, a small stomach pouch is created by stapling or by vertical banding. This causes restriction in food intake. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the duodenum as well as the first portion of the jejunum.
Saturated Fat. A type of fat most often found in animal food products including milk, eggs, meat and butter. Saturated fat is also found in vegetable products such as coconut and palm oil. Studies show that too much saturated fat in a person’s diet increases heart disease risk.
St. John’s Wort. An herb that is primarily used as an antidepressant due to its effects on serotonin. There is limited research indicating its use for weight loss.
Serotonin. A neurotransmitter found in the brain that affects mood and appetite.
Sibutramine. A common prescription appetite suppressant, it is sold under the brand name Meridia.
Vertical-Banded Gastroplasty. The most frequently used restrictive operation for weight control. During it, both a band and staples are used to create a small stomach pouch.
Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). A short-term weight loss diet, VLCDs are commercially prepared formulas of 800 calories or less that replace all usual food intake. Not all VLCD need be formulas; they could just be low calorie meal plans. These diets (in fact most diets less than 1000 calories) are low in essential nutrients and require vitamin/mineral supplementation.
Xenical. See Orlistat
Yerba Mate. Also known as Paraguay tea, this strong central nervous system stimulant is often sold as a dietary supplement. It has not been proven to cause weight loss.
Weight Cycling. The repeated loss and regain of body weight. When weight cycling is the result of dieting, it is often called “yo-yo” dieting.
Source: WebMD
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About The Author
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Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for ageforce.com and several other websites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at [email protected] or if you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at AgeForce.com.
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Breakfast -How Not To Start The Day Part I
Axiom Number Four
To have a great selling diet plan encourage people to do what they want to do anyway, even if they won’t lose weight and may become morbidly obese, get cancer and have a very poor quality of life.
Question from one of our readers …
Just read your letter “Energy That Is Stored -Must Be Utilized” Won’t fasting slow your metabolic rate? Doesn’t your body think you’re starving when you fast and slow down to conserve energy? If not, why are so many of the latest diets centered around several small meals a day instead of 3 square meals?
Unknown reader since they did not leave their email address.
A very important question however!
Just this week in my email I got another article about eating as many as eight meals a day as a way to become thin, in shape and lose weight.
Concept one from this article …
Fasting causes your body to “think” that it is starving which makes your body store fat and slows your metabolism.
Fasting in no way forces the body to “store fat.”To begin we need to clarify that the body “does not think anything.” It is a series of biochemical reactions, much the same as the brain is, although the brain is rumored to “think” in some cases. At this junction I am going to discuss some “elementary biochemistry” with an occasional quote from Stryer’s Fourth Edition Biochemistry. I will leave the math to you -the reader.
fuel reserves in a typical 70-kg man
Organ ************** Available energy (kcal)
************ glucose/glycogen ***** fat ****** protein
blood *********** 60 ************** 45 ******* 0
liver *********** 400 ************* 450 ****** 400
brain *********** 8 *************** 0 ******** 0
muscle ********** 1200 ************ 450 ****** 24000
adipose(fat) **** 80 ************** 135,000 ** 40
from Stryer Biochemistry 4th Edition page 771
check out that 135,000 kcal from fat … without even a “camel’s hump”
The biochemistry of starvation
“A typical well-nourished 70-kg man has fuel reserves of some 1600 kcal in glycogen, 24,000 kcal in mobilizable protein and 135,000 kcal in triacylglycerols. (see above table) The energy need for a 24-hour period ranges from about 1600 kcal in the basal state to 6000 kcal, depending on the extent of activity. Thus, stored fuels suffice to meet caloric needs in starvation for one to three months.” page 775,776 Stryer Biochemistry.
The body does not begin to “starve” in the first 24 hours
As is apparent from the above quote, the body does not even start to “starve” for the first 24 hours since the metabolic needs of the body (especially the brain) can be easily met by the stored fuels. Not eating breakfast, eating your main meal at noon and then skipping dinner -is not starvation, either for you or your body.
Glucagon
Glucagon levels rise only when insulin levels drop. It takes at least two to three hours for the insulin levels to drop sufficiently for the glucagon levels to rise. Six meals a day plus snacks does not equal “flat abs and sexy muscles.” It equals morbid obesity and hyperinsulinism and all the associated lifestyle diseases.
What glucagon does
Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas in response to a “low” blood sugar in the fasting state. It inhibits glycogen synthesis and fatty acid synthesis, just the opposite of insulin which stimulates glycogen synthesis and fatty acid synthesis. In case you don’t understand what this means, it means that you are utilizing / burning fat, with high glucagon (fasting state) levels and you are storing energy (as fat) with high insulin levels (fed) state.
Epinephrine and Nor-Epinephrine (Adrenaline)
High levels of glucagon (fasting state) stimulate increased secretion of adrenalin (epinephrine and nor-epinephrine). Adrenalin in turn mobilizes fatty acids and glycogen. The main difference between glucagon and adrenalin is that the effect of adrenalin is more pronounced in muscle than the liver, where the effect of glucagon is more prominent. Epinephrine also inhibits use of glucose by muscles and facilitates the use of fatty acids by muscle. Thus the old adage about having to burn fat in the marathon. Most people can store enough energy from non-fat sources for about 20 miles, but then you have to switch to fat burning to get through the last six. This is where if you have not trained your metabolism to burn fat (trained in the fasting state), you will not be able to run well. The metabolic pathways will not be there.
Three more “multiple small feedings” concepts …
Eating too much food results in high insulin levels which in turn causes a low blood sugar which in turn forces the body to store fat.
A little truth here -overeating does produce high insulin levels. Anyone here feel that seven meals a day is not overeating, I can’t help you. High insulin levels create low blood sugar only when the food ingested is partial, processed and usually containing sugar. Eating whole foods has yet to produce low blood sugar in anyone. Low blood sugar forces the body to store fat -not according to any human biochemistry I’ve ever read. As discussed above, low blood sugar stimulates glucagon secretion which in turn mobilizes fat / burns fat /utilizes fat!
Concept … Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Sorry, but the “myth” of breakfast is just that -a myth. The only thing I can say for sure about breakfast is that you will never be able to burn fat, if you eat breakfast every day. You are virtually guaranteed of NEVER entering a glucagon state. You will end up with fuel storage tanks all over your body and no way to ever get the energy from the tank to your body since you have never established the metabolic pathways to do so.
Concept … After breakfast you can start eating the remaining six or seven meals for the day followed by a bedtime snack.
When you get done concentrating on the other 6-7 meals for the day, then you can figure out which doctor you are going to see for your obesity, hypertension and cancer. My ex-father-in-law was really excited about the Zone diet because it allowed him to eat as much meat as he wanted. He did lose a few pounds, put it back on soon, and within a year was diagnosed with cancer of the prostate. Don’t mortgage your health just to lose a few pounds.
The rules of health and biochemistry
I didn’t write the rules of health / biochemistry of the human species. Lubert Stryer explains them and The China Study by T. Colin Campbell shows the linear relationship between animal protein and the big three lifestyle diseases here -cancer, heart disease and stroke. We may not always like the rules but they are what we have and any attempt to alter them most often ends with serious compromise of our health.
Please stay tuned for part two of this discussion and a very important point -The Order of Fuel Utilization in the Human.
Reference:
Stryer Biochemistry Fourth Edition
A final quote:
“Our distant ancestors, whose bodies we inherited ate and weighed a good deal less, than we do. They had to "earn" their subsistence by every day scouring the countryside for their scarce food. This checked their appetite and kept them lean, hungry and healthy. Adapted over hundred thousands of years and thereby setting the standards for living normally and healthily, they bequeathed their genes to us. We, not so healthy relative overweights, easily load up our shopping carts once a week at the corner supermarket and simply eat too much for our ~100,000-year-old body design.”
Re-adaptation hypothesis: explaining health benefits of caloric restriction Hans Dehmelt* Department of Physics, P.O. Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560, USA
The MericleDiet
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Thanks for your attention.
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