metabolism

Tatenda lost 62 pounds

November 30, 2014 by Ajima Jackson Leave a Comment

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Our African sista Tatenda lost 62 pounds. This petite diva’s emotional eating and not exercising resulted in weight gain. She also gained weight during pregnancy. Feed up with the drama that can come with being overweight, she decided to change her lifestyle. Here is what she shared with us…

Tee before and after

Hi, My name is Tatenda. I am a 30 year old woman with one daughter. About three years ago, I had some issues, got into a bad space and I gained 20kgs (44 pounds) because I did a lot of emotional eating. I was a total junk food addict and didn’t exercise. Then, I got pregnant and I gained another 24 Kg (53 pounds) and my total weight then was 112Kg (246 pounds) and I am a short woman. I looked and felt horrible. I gave birth to my baby last year and I felt terrible that I couldn’t fit all my old clothes. I also hated taking pictures because I looked too awful. I started wearing a size 42 (US size 12) yet I had always been a size 34/36 (US size 4/6) in the past.

I tried to go to the gym but after my caesarean birth I had developed a problem with my sciatica nerve so exercise caused terrible backache. I had to focus on my diet but it was very difficult because I was breastfeeding. For several months, I just did bits of walking, drank warm water with lemon juice each morning and over a period of a year I lost about 18kg (40 pounds). A friend of mine had a wedding about two months ago and I was her maid of honor. I thought I had really lost weight. However, when I saw my photos I was taken aback. I knew that I really had to get more serious and claim my body back. That’s when I decided to accelerate things a bit. I reduced my carbohydrate intake and completely cut out junk food, fast food and sugar from my diet. I also went on the 13 day metabolism diet. Exercise wise, I began to do a lot more power walking and in a space of two months I lost another 10kgs (22 pounds).

I have reached the halfway point to my desired weight goal. For almost a year, I had been trying to shed the weight after my caesarean birth but I wasn’t really serious. I gave myself excuses until I decided enough was enough I decided to make some changes and I am still going on! I have about 20kg more to lose to have a normal BMI and I believe I can do it and so can you!

Tee weight loss journey

Is Green Tea Good For Weight Loss?

August 28, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 1 Comment

green tea weight loss

In these days of fad diets and intense searches for the next weight loss miracle, you’ll hear “green tea” come up in health-centered conversations more and more often. Many people take on drinking green tea not knowing if or why it really helps with weight loss. Even though it’s occupying shelves in health and vitamin sections nationwide, I have to wonder “Does it really work?”. Let’s clear up a few misconceptions…

Super Drink

Rest assured, all the rumors are indeed true about this tea being good for you…but it is NOT a miracle weight loss drink. That being said… Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. Overflowing with antioxidants, there are numerous benefits to consuming green tea including how it can help you have a healthy heart and that it has anti-cancer properties.

While the natural supply of vitamins and nutrients in Green Tea can help your body to burn calories and fat, the results don’t come about as quickly as some would expect. This doesn’t take away from its effectiveness as a nutritional supplement. If you read the ingredients of popular weight loss and diet pills, you’re likely to see some form of green tea listed. It works in terms of supporting health, but it isn’t “the answer” in itself to losing pounds. Anything worth having requires some effort, a healthy life included.

How It Works

Green tea works to reduce fat and stimulate your metabolism. The fats and sugars that enter the body are synthesized into a substance known as triglycerides. When digested in healthy amounts, triglycerides provide the body with energy. If they are consumed in excess, they’re stored as fat. The polyphenols in green tea activate enzymes that can help dissolve extra triglycerides. The problem: You have to drink a significant amount of tea or consume it in a concentrated form to even begin to have any real effect on the body. Also, depending on what else is going on with your body, green tea may not have an effect at all.

It seems that green tea is good for so many things and that includes addressing high triglycerides. The catechin flavonoids in green tea can reduce triglycerides by up to 20%. The catch is you need to be a BIG tea drinker to benefit as about 600 to 700 mg of green tea catechins are required to achieve the triglyceride lowering effect (the equivalent of 6 to12 cups per day since the catechin content of tea varies greatly). Alternately, nutritional supplements are available that provide green tea catechins in a more concentrated form. – DiabeticConnect.com

Additionally, green tea contains caffeine, another substance known to aid fat burning in some people. Some avoid the consumption of caffeine because of its strongly stimulating properties. However, many choose to indulge in a hot cup of green tea because it contains a significantly less amount of caffeine than coffee. You’ll still reap the energy increasing benefits without the hyper-sensitive side effects.

Increased Metabolism

Burning fat also means an increase in your body’s metabolism. Recent studies show consuming green tree extract stimulates a process known as thermogenesis. This is the natural increase in your body’s temperature during digestion. Thermogenesis determines how quickly your food will be burned off and recycled into energy. It’s possible to experience this fat burning, metabolism increasing benefit by drinking green tea as a beverage or, for added convenience, you can consume it as a dietary supplement. It’s important to note that the increase will not be significant enough to burn off a lot of pounds all at once and green tea alone is not a long term weight loss solution.

Add It To Your Routine

As previously stated, green tea has been proven to have numerous health benefits but to reap them to their maximum potential, it’s best to incorporate it into your daily health regimen. You’ll see most commercial weight loss supplements include green tea, and all of them suggest a regular exercise routine and healthy eating habits for the best results. Green tea works, just not on its own. Those who take a daily extract supplement burn 17% more fat while exercising than those who don’t (the dosage varies depending on age, weight, etc). Continuous consumption also strengthens the metabolism, creating a constant fat burning routine even after your workout is completed. Do your research on what dosage is best for you.

Whether you’re working toward weight loss or just trying to improve your health, green tea is a great addition to your grocery list. High in catechins (phytochemicals), green tea along with an active lifestyle has been proven to combat obesity and heart defects. A diet high in calories with mild activity won’t yield the best results regardless of any natural supplements. A moderately monitored diet with equally moderate level of exercise usually shows significant progress around 12 weeks. Those who are increasingly active and consume a weight-friendly diet can expect to see results much sooner.

The results may seem to straddle the fence a bit in terms of weight loss, but the overall health benefits outweigh its ineffectiveness when it comes to dropping pounds. Green tea isn’t the final answer for someone looking to lose 25lbs as quickly as possible but for long-term benefits for your waistline and internal organs, green tea is worth adding to your shopping list.

PS: Matcha Green Tea is one of the hottest trends around right now. Learn more about this powerful form of green tea.

6 Tips To Shed Pounds Quickly And Safely

July 18, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 4 Comments

quick weight less Results, results, results! That’s all we want. It’s what we work for. If people don’t start to see results when they want to see them, many people will quit their efforts prematurely. If we aren’t seeing progress, it must not be working, Right? Not at all. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t care how fast the world is moving or what expectations the internet has given us, they move on their own time. When you’re working to drop a few pounds, the scale’s juggling act is enough to drive you mad. At least it can if you let it. You don’t need to burden yourself with unrealistic expectations about quick weight loss. Let’s go over 6 safe tips for slimming down when time is of the essence.

Eat More Raw, Uncooked Fruit and Veggies

With all the deliciously colorful fruits and vegetables available, the easiest way to say good riddance to those extra inches is to significantly increase your intake of fresh produce. When you go to make your plate, a rainbow of fresh vegetables should be the foundation of the meal. Wash and store your produce as soon as you get home from the store. Doing this will help you to prepare for random cravings and urges that would usually convince you to run out for fast food or trick you into indulging with a sugary substitute. Fresh fruit contains natural sugars and fiber that satisfy the occasional sweet tooth while saving the remorse for someone else. Eat frequent servings to stay full throughout the day. As your body breaks down the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies, you’ll see the scales start to tip in your favor. Tip: Eat as many uncooked fruits and veggies as possible and use them to replace starches and wheat based carbs.

Cut the Junk Completely

It doesn’t matter how many hours you rack up at the gym, if you’re fueling your system with fats, fast food and processed sugars, you are wasting your time. A diet full of processed carbs and other unhealthy options is as counterproductive as you can get. If you’re serious about losing the weight quickly and safely, it’s time to end your relationship with processed food. You can give the old, “It’s not you, it’s me” speech to those foods if it makes you happy. The only thing that matters is that you cut all ties (you can go cold turkey or do it over time…but do it). I’m a personal fan of the “cold-turkey approach”. I think it shows that you’re serious about committing to your decision. That doesn’t work for everyone and you have to find your own way. Look at your goals, then compare them to your actions. Throughout the day, you should always ask yourself, “Is this meal/snack helping me reach my goal?” Tip: Create a process where you really start analyzing what you’re eating and make new choices daily.

If you’re honest, you’d be surprised by how many things you start to lose interest in. So…don’t keep putting it off until tomorrow. Give up the cakes, boxed foods, and sodas right now. Make the transition easy on yourself. If you don’t buy them, you can’t eat them. I know it may be difficult for those who have to shop for the whole family. In those situations, you have two decisions. You can explain your position to your family and ask for their support. Or, option #2- suck it up. You have to dig down deep and find the reserve of strength and discipline that gets you through your toughest challenges. You have to make the commitment and resist any temptation or potential distractions. It’s your life, take control of it.

Burn More Calories

Tip: A minimum of 500 calories per day should be your workout goal. As a go-getter who’s serious about achieving their target in the time frame that you’ve allotted, you should really be blowing past 500 calories with ease. If you’re advanced on your weight loss journey, try for 700-900 calorie per day, but remember that if you aren’t eating to fuel that much calorie burn…you could slow down your metabolism. If you aren’t, don’t worry- it’s better to be active and working your way toward your goal than to be stuck in planning mode. A quick run on the treadmill or a trip on the stair climber can help you hit your numbers in no time. If you really want to put your routine on blast, tackle those calories with a few HIIT training sessions. Your increased metabolism will help make powerful fuel out of all those vegetables you’ve been munching on.

Keep Track Of Your Actions

A large part of becoming disciplined is getting organized. Map out what you should be doing and how you plan to get it done- execution will be the easiest step of all. The only way to know if you’re burning enough calories each day is to count your calorie intake and have some idea of how many calories you are burning with exercise. We all know the basic equation. Burn more than you eat. This is true, but it’s not as black and white as it seems. The goal of this article is to teach you how to lose weight safely. Extremes of any sort, be it extreme dieting or extreme exercising won’t give you the results you want. In fact, they’re potentially damaging- both mentally and physically. Don’t shock your body and expect it to respond nicely. The easiest way to lose weight is to work smarter, not harder. For example. if a 140lb person runs one mile every 10 minutes for 45 minutes, they’ve burned 500 calories. If that same person decides to reward themselves with two large slices of pepperoni pizza, they’ll pack on about 596 calories. Without a second thought, they ruined 45 minutes of exercise with a 10-minute meal. Keep a running log of everything you chew or swallow. Write it all down so you can make a plan. You’ll be able to track how well you hydrate your body throughout the day and take a look at any areas of improvement. There are lots of mobile apps and websites that can help you keep track with ease.

Eat Frequent Small Meals

How often have you heard someone give weight loss advice that tells readers to eat more frequently? Hopefully more often than those miracle-commercials offering you a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Tip: Rather than the traditional 3 meals per day, you may need to be eating between 4-6 small meals. This feeds your metabolism over time, keeping it alive and active. Frequent meals also help to detour those diet-destroying cravings that taunt us throughout the day. Full of nutritional ingredients, you’ll train your body to work with you in your weight loss commitment. The idea of mini-meals can be frightening to some. Contrary to popular belief, minimizing your portion size and increasing your meal times won’t leave you starving. In fact, it’ll teach you the difference between eating until you’re full and eating until you’re satisfied.

Be Realistic

You didn’t gain the weigh over the course of 1 month and you won’t be able to lose it in a month. Weight loss takes time, especially if you want to leave and not return 6 months later. Weight loss is all about trial and error. It will take some time to find out what works for you and you have to be willing to do your research, take action and wait to see results. Yes, some results may show up quickly, but you can’t focus on that in the greater scope of things. It’s all about lasting lifestyle change. Also, don’t compare your journey to someone else’s and expect to see the same results. We all have different body types, circumstances and we take different paths to wellness. Your success may not look like someone else’s, but you should own it and celebrate it.

We all want to lose the pounds and we want it to happen as quickly as it can. We are human. As difficult as it may be, anything worth having it worth putting in some effort. You have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run- just trust the process, you’ll get where you’re going.

What is HIIT?

July 7, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 1 Comment

hiit high intensity interval training

HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is rising in popularity amongst the masses at supersonic speeds. Besides body weight training, HIIT is the top fitness trend of 2014. This upbeat, fast-paced method requires dedication, commitment, stamina, and endurance, but the results are well worth the effort.

How Is It Done?

With HIIT you alternate between high intensity exercise and less intense exercises in the same workout. Your intensity would look like hills going up and down if it was mapped out on paper. Your mix of exercises might look like this: (For example, You could alternate and do a high intensity move for 30 seconds then a medium intensity move for 30 seconds.)

High Intensity

Sprinting

Mountain Climbers

Burpees

Lunges/Squats

High Knees

Jumping Jacks

Push-ups

Medium Intensity

Jogging

Walking

Lifting Weights

Walking

Pushups

Crunches

Wall Sit

Strategically planned, high intensity intervals of are balanced with short, less active recovery periods. These spurts of energy encourage your heart rate to stay up while burning calories at record speeds. For some people who love this form of exercise, HIIT has all but eliminated traditional forms of cardio because, in half the amount of time spent in the average 30-minute or 1-hour session, HIIT training can burn more fat and calories while increasing your aerobic and anaerobic stamina. HIIT have been can help speed up your metabolism and has been scientifically proven to burn adipose tissue at least 50% more effectively than low-intensity cardio training.

Examples of HIIT Training

There is no specific form of exercise that is directly associated with HIIT Training. Anything that can be balanced between giving it all you got and taking it down a notch, is HIIT. For example, if you like to go running to stay in shape, do it with all your might for one minute, then power walk for two. Keep repeating the three minute cycle for 15 minutes- that’s HIIT.

Be sure to go through a good stretch and warm-up before getting started. You want to get your heart nice and ready for the high intensity activity rather than instantly shocking it into action. Giving it all you got will increase your body’s need for oxygen, as a result, it’s hungry for more in those recovery intervals. This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC. It opens the door for those calories and that fat to fall off more quickly than normal aerobic exercises.

You’ll find lots of free HIIT workouts on Pinterest and YouTube.

The Benefits of HIIT

Let’s start with how it works on the metabolism. As I mentioned earlier, the balance of high and low intensity interval training creates EPOC, stimulating a metabolism boost for up to 48 hours after a HIIT workout session. It’s one of the only forms of exercise that continues to work for you long after you stop working.

It Works

The fact that it can literally be done anywhere… by anyone…with any style of cardio, makes HIIT a very convenient form of training. This is an added bonus for people who don’t have the time or money to go to the gym. Your living room, backyard, even a locked office can all be the prime location for an excellent workout. Studies show that just 30 minutes of high intensity interval training done three times a week can yield more results than an agonizing hour-long run on the treadmill. Keep it up for two weeks and you’ll advance your aerobic capacity better than you would’ve with 6-8 weeks of conventional endurance. These benefits almost sound too good to be true. Part of the effectiveness behind a HIIT workout comes from your strengthened metabolism.

No Accessories Needed

You don’t have to invest in weights and expensive machinery, for most HIIT sessions, all you need is your own body. The primary focus is speeding up your heart, and keeping it active. You don’t need dumbbells to do that, but you can add wrist weight or dumbbells with moves as appropriate. It’s up to you. If running isn’t your forte, you can easily customize your HIIT routine to fit your strengths. When deciding what to do, target the areas you’d like to improve. Push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, dips, jumps, and burpees can all be included in a high interval routine. If you’re creating your own regimen, be sure to rest for 30 seconds between each high-impact/low-impact interval. You can build muscle, and retain the muscles you already have without ever setting foot in the gym. There are tons of great HIIT videos on YouTube and lots of routines posted to Pinterest.

Traditional cardio done for extended periods of time puts the body in a “steady state”. It gets used to the activity, making it less and less effective the more it is repeated. HIIT introduces a shock factor that keeps your muscles reactive. As soon as it gets used to a low-intensity interval, you snatch it out of the comfort zone and kick things up a notch with a high-intensity spurt.

The convenience and results from a HIIT workout seem like a gift from above. Fortunately, you can’t argue with the facts. It’s about time something came along that will give people the body they want while working around their lifestyle. Responsibilities and demands from work, home- and everything in between- used to be an excuse for neglecting physical activity. Not any more.

Note: Before starting any exercise program, please consult with your doctor. If you have injuries that could be worsened, are pregnant, have knee issues, are suffering neck and back pain or have a chronic illness intense exercise may not be in your best interest. Don’t forget to stretch before and after working out to avoid injuries.

The Number One Drinking Mistake Affecting Your Weight

June 26, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 7 Comments

The Number One Drinking Mistake Affecting Your Weight

What is the number one mistake? Not Drinking Enough Water!

Water – it’s all around us. We see it in rivers and oceans, it flows freely from our faucets, it purges into our basements during violent storms. We’ve always heard how pivotal it is to our overall health and yet somehow most of us fail to get our required daily intake. About 70% of our bodies is water and it is involved in so many essential body functions including flushing waste materials in the body, metabolism, body temperature and digestion.

If you are on a weight loss journey, you should pay close attention to how much H20 you are drinking on a daily basis. People can spend hundreds of dollars on diet food, exercise equipment, and yoga pants but the key to weight control might be in the glass right in front of them the whole time.

Water and Weight Loss

A healthy intake of water doesn’t just maintain your weight loss goals, it actually supports a healthy metabolism so that you can see results faster. Water consumption increases the rate at which you burn calories which means that the exercise that is so vital in trimming your pounds becomes even more efficient. Drinking extra water also helps you to feel more full and you’ll have a better chance at passing on that last helping of carbs.

How Water Helps In Exercising

The first thing water does in helping you exercise is quench your thirst so you can work out longer. Being hydrated helps reduce muscle and joint aches while you’re pumping iron or logging time on the treadmill. In addition, water lubes up your joints and helps keep muscles from cramping. In addition water helps stave off dehydration, which if it sets in reduces blood volume and thus the oxygen supply to your blood falters and you’ll feel tired, nauseated and sluggish.

Water Detoxes the Liver and Kidneys

One thing about drinking a lot more water than you’re accustomed to is that you’ll have more frequent trips to the bathroom – but that’s a good thing. H20 helps to flush toxins out of your kidneys and liver at a quicker pace. One unfortunate thing about burning calories is that the process creates toxins and chemicals, which need to be flushed from your system for optimum health.

Water Promotes a Healthy Metabolism

Having more water flowing through your body helps improve your ability to burn fat and helps metabolism overall. Metabolism is essentially the speed of your body, not how fast you can run the 40-yard-dash but how fast your motor is running, especially at night. The body is burning calories at all times, even while sleeping or lounging while watching TV. This motor needs healthy food for fuel and water to power the body so that the metabolism can increase and thus burn calories and fat at a higher rate. Drinking more water overall is a benefit but water has also been shown to affect the metabolism immediately, like 10 minutes after consumption.

Start by drinking more water and less soda (diet and regular), drinks with refined sugar and drinks with artificial sweeteners.

April Workout Challenge – Day 7 Sample Workout

April 7, 2014 by Ajima Jackson Leave a Comment

Hi Ladies, we are now 7 days in to our commitment to exercise for at least 30 min for 5 days a week. As we spring into fitness during our April Challenge, I want to encourage you to take advantage of all the free workout resources you can find online. YouTube is one of the best places to find workout due to all of the variety. Here is a workout video from the BeFit YouTube Channel that you can use to boost your existing cardio routine.

“30 Day Fat Burn: Cardio Burn Workout is an explosive, 14-minute full body fat-burning cardio workout that is designed to boost the metabolism to maximize your weight loss potential as you build muscle, burn calories, and tighten & tone problem areas through an effective blend of high intensity interval training…”

Brittney lost 113 pounds with weight loss surgery

April 2, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 2 Comments

Proud mom Brittney Joy lost 113 pounds with gastric bypass weight loss surgery. Check out her transformation photos.

Brittney weight loss

“In March 2012, I started my weight loss journey. I had the gastric bypass surgery. I weighed in on the day before the surgery at 255 pounds. That is my weight in the picture to the far left. The middle picture shows my 6 months to a year progression were I weighed 160-170 pounds. My final picture on the far right is my most recent. I currently weigh 142 lbs. I eat and exercise! I find that when I eat often, my metabolism allows my weight to stay steady. I’m so happy at this point. Don’t plan to lose anymore. Ive fell in love with myself and moved on to the next chapter in my life. ……..SISTERLOCKS!!!!”

How to Break Through a Weight Loss Plateau

February 21, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 6 Comments

It happens to everyone. You are going strong with your diet and exercise program and seeing results for the first few months, and then all the progress stops. Welcome to the classic weight loss plateau. It is normal to lose more weight in the first few months per week as you change your lifestyle habits and then to settle into a steady pound a week loss (or for some even less). Here is some info on how to break through that weight loss plateau.

Accept your body shape/family genetics

Make sure your expectations match your reality. If you come from a long line of short people, you can’t make yourself taller. If your family genetics shows you that you are going to be larger than a size zero, accept that. Don’t get caught in the prison of false expectations. Remind yourself that beauty is based in health, not in a Photoshopped image that is touted as what you should look like. That is only done to sell you a product. Real beauty is found in those who are confident, healthy, strong and engaged in life around them. The rest is all just trends and fads.

The block could be mental

You could have a mental block about your weight loss too. One of the problems that everyone faces is that we aren’t able to see our own bodies. Our brains take all sorts of shortcuts to fill in what we should be seeing with what we expect to see, based on experience, in order to make fast judgments. You have to be careful that what you may be calling a weight loss plateau is really that and not a change in weight distribution between muscle and fat that you can’t recognize in the mirror. Things like bloating, medicine and the natural ups and downs of body weight that happen on a daily basis can affect how you see yourself. A good way to get around this is to base your judgment of your shape on measurements, not weight. A tape measure doesn’t lie and can provide evidence that you are still slimming down when the mirror and scale are telling you it’s stopped.

Make sure you are eating enough, especially if you exercise

This may sound like the opposite of what you would expect to cause problems, but if you aren’t eating enough and you are exercising more, you won’t lose weight. If you force your body into a starvation mode where a great deal more energy is being expended than fuel is being taken in, it will start to cling to whatever fat stores it has and be miserly about burning them. This is fundamental info about how your metabolism works. Also, you can run into a problem trying to break through that weight loss plateau if you aren’t eating enough and your body has adjusted to the stress level of your exercise routine.

Monitor your overall calorie intake closer

Break out your food journal or mobile food tracking app and take a closer look at what you are eating and how much you are eating. Chances are there is something in your diet that is holding you back. Often, what was ok when you started losing weight to eat becomes the reason you stop losing weight as your body mass adjusts. Look for foods that are heavier in starches, low in fiber or high in sugar – they are the usual culprits. High consumption of fats can also be an issue.

Change up your workouts

The traditional workout programs are good but they have one consistent flaw, they create a consistent pattern of stress on the body that the body adapts to. Your body is built for stress, under the physical stress of exercise you will lose weight – until the body adapts and you stop losing. This is done to protect you from starvation. To break through that weight loss plateau you need to change up your workouts beyond two days for legs, two days for upper body and a day of cardio. What happens to most people is they change the workout but they don’t change the challenge. Don’t just increase the reps of what you do or the time you do cardio, you have to change the way the whole body is used to increase the challenge and start losing weight again. The bonus is that switching up your routine keeps it interesting to you so you stay committed. Workout DVDs are great for this because you can pick a lot of different workouts and levels of challenge.

What is Insulin Resistance and How Does it Affect Metabolism?

January 31, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 2 Comments

Insulin resistance happens when your body stops being able to properly use the insulin hormone that is manufactured by the body. It is a condition that can affect many systems of your body, as insulin is used for more than just managing glucose levels (key to blood sugar). Insulin plays a role in how well your metabolism works to process carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients like protein. When you develop insulin resistance, your body’s ability to manage energy and to properly process nutrients is seriously impaired.

Causes

While there are known genetic factors that influence a person’s chance of developing insulin resistance, it is also associated with certain medical conditions that may or may not share the genetic profile of someone inclined to insulin resistance. The genetic profile implies that if you are Latino, African-American, Native American or Asian American you have an increased risk for developing the condition. If you are obese you also significantly raise your risk no matter what your genetic profile. Excess weight that is held around the waist area is associated with being at risk. Some of the diseases commonly present prior to the development of insulin resistance include fatty liver, arteriosclerosis, skin tags and women with abnormalities in the reproductive organs are prone to insulin resistance as well. Those with acanthuses nigricans are also considered to be at a higher risk and may not be aware they have the condition. “Acanthosis nigricans is a skin disorder that results in velvety, light-brown-to-black markings that occur in areas including the neck, armpits, groin, and under the breasts.” (source) That is why some overweight people experience a very dark coating in those areas that will sometimes be so thick it can be rubbed off.

Another cause identified for the condition has to do with conditions that may or may not be diseases or disorders but have in common that they place the body’s metabolism under unusual stress – these conditions can include:

being pregnant
taking steroids
having a severe infection or unrelated illness
high levels of stress
high cholesterol
use of steroids (prescribed or illegal)
sedentary lifestyle

Symptoms

There are several symptoms that indicate the presence of insulin resistance; some can only be detected with a fasting blood glucose test performed by your doctor. This test will show whether or not your body is using glucose appropriately and responding to the body’s natural hormone level well. Symptoms that you may notice yourself are increased fatigue after eating, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, kidney problems and increased weight gain around the mid-section of the body. Another sign that you may have developed insulin resistance is if you have heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. Both of these conditions are considered to be symptomatic of insulin resistance rather than accompanying disorders.

Treatment

Treatment for insulin resistance usually consists of a threefold approach of diet, exercise and medication. Medication may be necessary to promote better insulin use within the body while you are creating lifestyle changes that can manage or even reverse the condition. One of the single most important causes of insulin resistance has been identified as obesity coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. Losing weight is not enough to reverse the condition; you have to increase your exercise level to create an impact on the metabolism of your body that is a part of the insulin management process. One caution is to make sure that you have your doctor and a nutritionist be a part of designing any weight loss and exercise program you may choose to start as having insulin resistance can become complicated by further placing the body under stress. With the proper steps in creating change in your lifestyle, you can reduce the impact of insulin resistance on your life if not eliminate it altogether.

Risk Factors

Left untreated, insulin resistance can be a leading contributor to kidney disease, heart disease and high blood pressure. Studies have begun to suggest that the ability of the body to process insulin and manage glucose levels in the blood stream may have an impact on the rate of development of cognitive problems related to aging. Insulin resistance can lead to an increased risk for morbid obesity and all the risks associated with that condition as well.

How it contributes to weight gain and weight loss

Insulin resistance can both cause weight gain and prevent weight loss because it impairs the body’s ability to use glucose as fuel. Without the ability to use the insulin hormone to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins, there is little the body can do with the nutrients it has but to convert them into fat. Unfortunately, this is a very specific type of fat that is stored around the mid-section and has been linked to raised risks of certain types of cancers. While insulin resistance can make weight loss difficult to maintain, the body can self correct the condition given proper diet and exercise. It is a matter of being willing to commit to the protocol of lifestyle changes and medications (if necessary) to allow your body a chance to bring itself back into balance to avoid the risks associated with this condition.

The Basics of Weight Loss

January 9, 2014 by Ajima Jackson 9 Comments

Certain things never change and how to effectively lose weight and keep it off is one of those areas of life. Here are the basics of weight loss that can work for almost anyone*.

Eat Real Food

If you can do nothing else but eat real food, you are more likely to begin to lose weight and see your health improve. The simplest rule of thumb about dieting is if it has been packaged, processed, sealed, doused with chemicals or otherwise prepared by a machine – don’t eat it/avoid it. If you don’t have time to cook every day, find time to cook once a week and prepare your meals in advance. If you can’t eat the most real, natural foods…eat the best quality food that is available to you. Read the labels to know what is in your food. Check out our Clean Foods List and get started today!

Don’t Starve

Restricting calories and starvation diets are two very different things. Don’t’ starve yourself because not only is it unhealthy, it’s a great way to gain weight. Surprised? The body has a self–preservation setting to prevent starvation that will cause it to hoard fat and make fat from whatever it gets if it is not getting nutrition on a regular basis. Starving can also slow down your metabolism.

No Fad Diets

Anything that promises you huge weight loss in a week is not the way to lose weight. You may drop more than 1 pound per week, but it will come flying back on (plus some) because losing more than a pound not only puts your body and mind into survival mode, but it means you aren’t creating a lifestyle change that will support keeping it off. If you can’t see doing the diet as a lifestyle for the long term, you run the risk of gaining all the weight you lose right back.

Allow for Cheating

Cheating happens for a number of reasons but mostly because we all happen to live in real life. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but get back to your weight loss plan as soon as you can. You can cheat the cheating by pre-planning how you will do it. If the Donut shop is your downfall, pick the donuts you can cheat with. It can be surprisingly effective to give yourself permission to cheat with rules as a way to stay on your diet better. Also, don’t do cheat days and cheat the whole day. Try cheat meals twice a month or cheat snacks once in a while.

Count Calories and Read Food Labels

Read the labels on everything you eat and drink. Make sure you are aware of the calories you consume and what ingredients are making up those calories. One thing to pay very close attention to is the amount of servings per container. A product that may advertise that it only has 100 calories may have 4 servings included. If you drink or eat the whole thing, that is 400 calories. It pays to spend some time on the Internet looking up the local restaurants you go to, including the quick cheat stops, to find out the calorie content of their menu items. We have no excuse because we can look up calories and menus on our cell phones in an instant. More info on counting calories and how much food you should eat.

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