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MUST READ BEFORE YOU START THIS PROGRAM
VERY IMPORTANT
Adipose Tissue The primary function of this tissue is to act as a fuel reserve of potential energy to help the body survive. When the body’s survival is threatened, it will accumulate this survival energy around its most important organs (in the belly). A very minor function of fat is insulation. Only a healthy gland and hormone system can tap into and utilize this energy reserve.
Obesity [Latin word obesus literally meaning “that which has eaten himself fat” or “to eat away.”]
This means extremely fat and fleshy. Many medical textbooks indicate that the cause of obesity is an imbalance between food eaten and energy expended. They further recommend the consumption of fewer calories than required to reverse the condition. In other words, the assumption is that people are obese because they are consuming more energy than they are able to burn up. This does not, however, explain the variables – many thin people who eat nonstop without gaining an ounce and may overweight people who cut calories gain weight anyway.
The missing component is that the metabolism is directly influenced by hormones. Each individual has specific individual needs for their problem. When dealing with weight loss, you need to look at these hormone interactions and the factors that influence them.
Dietary fat Fat provides essential fatty acids for growth and development of body tissue as well as fat-soluble vitamins. An important factor to know is that excess refined carbohydrates are converted to adipose tissue and cholesterol more than the consumption of dietary fat.
Metabolism This is the sum of the physical and chemical changes in the body. The breaking down of food into body tissue and energy is one of the components of metabolism. Another one is the breakdown of fat and stored sugar use as energy. Metabolism involves two processes: (1) the building up of tissue (anabolism), as in bone or muscle growth and (2) the breaking down of tissue (catabolism) as in the release of fat from the reserves or the breakdown of muscle tissue after exercise. Most metabolism is controlled by hormones.
A stubborn or unchanging metabolism means a problem with hormones. Weight loss is next to impossible without knowing and using the specific triggers of hormones.
Metabolic rate This is the rate of utilization of energy. This is controlled by hormones. The thyroid gland is very important in metabolic rate.
Hormone [This word comes from the Greek word hormone meaning “urging on.”]
Hormones are the language of the body. They are chemical messages, which originate in an organ or gland and are sent through the blood or lymph to another part of the body, triggering an increase or decrease of function.
Examples of hormone functions are: fat-burning, fat-storing, sleep cycles, menstrual changes, hair growth, blood pressure and cholesterol changes. There are several hundred hormones and each one has its own meaning and function. Synthetic hormones are interpreted by the body similar to real hormones, but not exactly. Because it is not identical to the body’s own hormones it adds confusion to the body. Environmental chemicals and toxins can also mimic, block, alter and confuse the body’s hormones.
Endocrine System [This word comes from the Greek word endon meaning “within” krinein meaning “to secrete.”]
This system is the entire collection of glands which produce and release hormones. The entire system communicates through the blood vessels and lymphatic system. Hormones are sent from one gland to another or to a remote tissue creating some effect.
The characteristic feature of the endocrine system is that they glands without ducts. Since the liver does have a duct (bile duct connection to the small intestine), it is not considered a true endocrine gland even though it produces a hormone. This system is the main communication system in the body.
Gland [This word comes from the Latin word glans meaning acorn.] It is an organ or structure which secretes fluid. It might secrete hormones, mucus, sweat, etc.
Calorie [This word comes from the Latin word calor meaning “heat.”] We are using the definition meaning the quantity of energy in a food.
Most people have paid too much attention to calories. Let me explain: Most people understand that different foods of the same quantity contain higher or lower amounts of energy (calories). However, hormones view these foods differently, irregardless of the foods high or low calorie count.
For example: there are approximately 200 calories in each of the following: 1 oz of butter, 1 bagel and 3 oz of chicken. Even though each of them has the same amount of calories, if you were to eat them, they would each be treated differently by your body’s hormones. The bagel triggers the fat making hormone insulin, yet the butter and chicken do not. It is more advantageous to address weight issues from a hormone point of view than a calorie point of view.
Cholesterol This substance is found in foods like egg yolks, meats and dairy products. Cholesterol is made in the liver and many other body cells. It is an important raw material to make hormones. It also supplies the materials to make nerves, brain tissue, and endocrine tissue. Cholesterol allows nerve transmissions, healing and immune system functions. Over 75% of the cholesterol in the body is made by the body. A lot of attention is given to the dangers of high cholesterol, but excessively low cholesterol can lead to a serious weakening of the immune system.
The liver is the most important organ with regard to cholesterol and control the inflow (LDL) and the outflow of cholesterol (HDL). People consider the flow into the liver as bad cholesterol (LDL) and the flow out of the liver (HDL) as good. The key to cholesterol is to have equal inflow and outflow.
Carbohydrate There are several types of carbohydrates: grains, vegetables, fruits and sugars. Unrefined carbohydrates, like vegetables and fruits, provide vitamins and minerals as well as fiber to our diet. Grain carbohydrates are the most difficult to digest and many people have allergies to the proteins in grains. The refined grains in breads, pasta, cereals, crackers, waffles, pancakes, donuts, muffins all quickly turn into sugar which is converted to fat. Whole-grain breads are made with flour that is usually stale. The vitamins from the flour are destroyed within six days of being exposed to oxygen. This is the reason why refined (processed) foods need to be enriched. The problem is that the refined grains are enriched with synthetic and incomplete vitamins. Consuming refined grains can deplete your body of vitamins. When the brain is depleted of vitamins, it can’t turn off the hunger centers and cravings are created.
Fruits are very sweet, especially bananas, dates and dried fruits. A refined fruit in the form of juice becomes a very concentrated sugar and will convert to cholesterol and fat very quickly. It will also block fat burning. More preferable would be whole raw fruits like apples that have lots of enzymes and fiber to buffer the sugar effect. Berries also have fiber and are okay in limited amounts.
Protein Protein makes up 50% of your body cells. Your body requires the complete building blocks of proteins (amino acids) more than just proteins. Amino acids must be available for use to the body. They are used by the body to make muscles, hair, nails, blood, immune system, skin, bone and organs.
All amino acids once absorbed, are processed by the liver. Yet the liver can process only so many amino acids at one time. Taking a dose of 50 grams of rapidly-absorbed amino acids (like in protein powders) exceeds the liver’s capacity. The more damaged the liver, the less it can process proteins. This is hwy a person with liver damage should consume less protein but better quality. Protein triggers fat-burning hormones. Heating or cooking proteins interferes with their absorption.
Diet [The word diet comes from Old French word diete, which means “way of living”]
This is a regulated course of food and drink for weight control.
Enzyme A chemical substance produced in all living plants and animals that acts to speed up (by 100x) the breaking down or the building up of bodily processes. Without enzymes, chemical processes would be very slow. The liver produces enzymes to break toxic chemicals down into harmless substances.
Glucose The simplest form of sugar and carbohydrate. The body uses hormones to change body proteins into sugar. Your body stores glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogen. The body has a preference for glucose fuel over fat fuel if given the choice. This is why it is critical to eliminate sugar to get into fat burning.
Estrogen [Comes from the Greek work oistros meaning mad desire, gennan meaning to produce]. Estrogen is responsible for the female characteristics, menstrual cycle changes of the uterus and breasts. It provides the fat layer around a female body.
Insulin This hormone is made form the pancreas and has a function to lower blood sugar after meals. It will cause the cells to absorb sugar as fuel and convert the rest to fat and cholesterol. In the presence of insulin, you will not be able to burn fat.
Cortisol This is an important hormone produced by the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland counters stress responses. Cortisol also is anti-inflammatory and releases glucose from the liver and muscles into the blood for stress mode. It also suppresses immune cells and is involved in sleep cycles. It is an indirect fat-making hormone in that it releases glucose into the blood so insulin can convert the sugar into fat around the organs in the abdomen.
Growth Hormone (GH) This is a fat-burning, lean muscle-building hormone, which helps you grow. It also builds up cartilage and collagen. Without GH, your joints and muscles fall apart and you age more quickly. GH is active the first two hours of sleep. GH works through the liver, so poor liver function compromises GH function.
Glucagon This is the opposing hormone to insulin. It raises blood sugar and is a fat-burning hormone. It helps regulate blood sugar between meals and is stimulated by proteins and exercise.
Testosterone This fat-burning hormone assists in giving you lean muscles and is involved in sex drive and male characteristics. If a female has high testosterone, she gets facial hair, a deeper voice and male pattern baldness. It is stimulated by exercise.
Mitochondria These are the energy factories in the cells, which regulate metabolism. This is where all the fat is burned into energy. The thyroid gland controls the number and size of the mitochondria.
Body Stress This is caused by eating foods that are devoid of nutrition, cooked foods, refined foods, foods with hormones and chemicals, medications, past infections, and pain or injury. Other types of stress would include: cutting calories, not sleeping sufficiently, the wrong type of exercise for a body type.All these cause the release of the stress hormone, cortisol.
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