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    How to Prevent Weight Gain During the Holidays

Most of us gain on average 1.5 pounds over the month of December. It doesn’t sound like much until you multiply it by 10 years and you have easily gained 15 pounds. Over the last two decades North Americans have become a progressively fatter society. With each new fad diet our rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease have increased dramatically. According to the latest statistics over a third of our children aged 2 to 11 are overweight and of those, half could be considered obese. Knowing that diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are directly linked to the amount of body fat we carry and the types of foods we eat, the prevalence of these diseases are expected to sky rocket.

For all those who are desperately dieting the statistics show diets don't work. One year after dieting, 66 percent of people regain their weight; and after five years the figure rises to 97 percent. Simple lifestyle and diet changes provide the best results for a lifelong weight management strategy.

Why Starving Doesn't Work

When we starve the body we lower our metabolism or in simpler terms we turn off our fat burning furnace. By seriously restricting calories, not eating breakfast and living on cottage cheese or drinking water instead of eating our body goes into conservation mode to protect you from starving. Most of us cannot keep this type of diet up for long and when we start eating again the body stores the food as fat to ensure that you have lots of fat for your next famine. This is a viscous cycle and trains the body to store food as fat. I am always concerned when I hear 110 pound, 18 year olds tell me they are not eating because they want to lose weight - these teens will become the future overweight fighting the battle of the bulge. You have to eat to lose weight.

Tips for Fat Loss

• Eat protein at every meal and eat only protein for breakfast - an egg, a chicken breast, a protein shake, protein powder in yogurt for example. To make it simple the piece of protein should be the size of your palm.
• Stop eating all white foods – white bread, white pasta, white sugar, white flour, white potatoes. If you have a doughy belly then stop eating all grains too. People lose weight fast when they eliminate grains from their diet – sometimes several pounds a week. Grains are starches that convert into sugars.
• Don’t drink fruit juice. You would never sit down and eat 8 apples at a time but when you drink a glass of apple juice, you drink the sugar and water of 8 apples without the fiber. Fruit juice disrupts blood sugar.
• Eat dark green vegetables at lunch and dinner with a palm sized piece of protein. Eat a snack in between and make sure it is protein (like a piece of cheese).  Get a large ziplock freezer bag and fill it every morning with sugar snap peas, broccoli, celery sticks, carrots and more. Eat vegetables throughout the day – your blood sugar will be balanced and you will never feel hungry. Fast weight loss happens when you eat 5 cups of vegetables a day.
• Drink water flavoured with ginger or fresh lemon. Drink herbal teas throughout the day.
• Add two clinically researched nutritional supplements, Glucosmart and CLA Plus, to super charge weight loss and bust belly fat.
• Read my book A Smart Woman’s Guide to Weight Loss (which is also for men and our children)

CLA with Green Tea Extract
Super Fat Burner

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a fatty acid supplement that literally melts fat. CLA has several great studies showing it works even without diet changes. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study published in 2000 in the Journal of Nutrition, CLA users experienced fat loss with an average weight reduction of seven pounds and an increase in lean muscle over a 90 day period with no diet change. There was a 20 percent decrease in body fat. CLA also stops fat from coming back once dieting stops. In June 2009, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on 45 postmenopausal women who were overweight and obese and who also had type 2 diabetes. They took 8,000 mg of CLA per day with food for 16 weeks. The women were told not to diet or exercise any differently during the trial. The researchers found that CLA significantly reduced the women's body mass index (BMI) and resulted in a seven pound weight loss. Just think if they would have eaten for fat loss too! CLA was also studied during the month of December, a time when most of us gain weight. They had one group take 5000 mg of CLA and another group got fake pills. At the end of the 30 days the group taking CLA had a 1.5 to 2.0 pound weight loss and the group getting fake pills gained 1.5 to 2.0 pounds. The participants were told to eat all the regular holiday foods.

CLA Plus with Green Tea Extract Enhances Fat Loss

Take CLA Plus Along With Glucosmart

I love ingredients that work and I love scientifically-backed ingredients. A very well-researched ingredient derived from carob called Chirositol found in Glucosmart has been involved in more than 30 published studies at the Virginia Medical School over the past 25 years. Research on Chirositol, (pronounced kur-au-sit-ol) has shown excellent results in the treatment of insulin resistant conditions like type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and PCOS as well as weight loss and especially belly fat. Glucosmart stimulates insulin activity, helping to regulate glucose levels and push glucose into the cells where it is supposed to be (not leaving it in the blood), which in turn helps to normalize blood sugar levels. Elevated blood sugar after you eat is what causes the weight gain and belly fat.

Why do we gain belly weight? Why do men develop a beer belly and breasts and why do women suffer with rolls of belly fat they can’t budge? Our hormones are the short answer. Throughout life, hormones regulate everything from bone strength, to heart beat, to how quickly food is utilized by the body. Insulin is the main hormone contributing to belly fat. Insulin is produced by the pancreas to push glucose (sugar) into cells and thus decrease your blood levels of glucose. The more glucose in your blood from eating high-carbohydrate, high-sugar, low-protein foods, the more insulin that the hard-working pancreas must produce. Eventually your cells can become resistant to insulin, resulting in excess insulin in the blood and elevated blood sugar that isn’t pushed into the cells. Insulin resistance is a pre-diabetic condition. Skin tags are a common early sign of pre-diabetes due to elevated insulin and blood sugar. Type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as elevated cholesterol and triglycerides ultimately result if elevated blood sugar is not controlled. And all this is what causes belly fat and weight gain.
                                                                                            
Insulin-Testosterone Connection

In women, when insulin levels become high, it also causes an increase in male hormones circulating in the blood, particularly testosterone. When insulin and testosterone are elevated, women develop hormone related conditions like acne, male-pattern facial hair growth (e.g. hair above the lip, on and under the chin), infertility, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Glucosmart has been researched for the treatment of PCOS with excellent results in restoring fertility, reducing weight, and halting male facial hair growth and acne.   

In men, elevated insulin causes testosterone to convert to estrogens (which results in breasts and beer belly) and also causes conversion of testosterone to DHT, a harmful male hormone associated with prostate cancer and hair loss. Glucosmart normalizes insulin and testosterone thereby promoting weight loss.

Reduce Appetite and Elevate Happy Hormones

Chirositol found in Glucosmart has further been shown to reduce appetite and improve serotonin, our happy hormone. Reduced serotonin or poor metabolism of serotonin is linked to increased sugar cravings. So by restoring serotonin, Glucosmart also helps control appetite.

Stress and Belly Fat

When you are under constant stress, your adrenal glands pump out a hormone called cortisol to help you deal with the stressors you are facing. Just as insulin resistance promotes weight gain, so does chronic stress because it triggers the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Elevated cortisol is associated with elevating insulin, blood sugar problems, fat accumulation, difficulty handling stress, insomnia and more. Cortisol also causes our fat cells to change structure and become resistant to fat loss. In short, cortisol makes our fat cell door slam shut and not let the fat out even when we reduce calories and exercise. For these reasons, it is imperative to reduce stressors and to support the adrenals too. Adrenal support nutrients including ashwagandha, rhodiola, suma, and schizandra berries work to normalize adrenal function. These nutrients are found in Adrenasmart. Take 2 capsules at lunch time every day especially during the holidays. New and improved Adrenasmart now contains Sensoril Ashwagandha. Sensoril has over 20 studies looking at its ability to reduce stress and help the body deal with the negative effects of stress including weight gain. You will notice a calm come over you after one week of taking Adrenasmart.

Start Glucosmart and CLA Plustoday. Reduce stress and support your adrenals with Adrenasmart. Eat a diet designed to keep insulin and blood sugar balanced. Make sure you have protein at every meal, eat good carbohydrates including dark green vegetables and salads, along with healthy fats including extra virgin coconut butter and olive oil. Avoid grains and watch that belly fat disappear effortlessly.

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Ward off Winter Depression and Anxiety
During the Holidays with SMILE 5-HTP

Antidepressants can cause up to a 60 pound weight gain in a matter of weeks so only those with clear depression should
be taking them. Too many women are being prescribed
anti-depressants to deal with everything from menopause
to fibromyalgia and arthritis. I want you to know more about SMILE as this very special nutrient can elevate mood without
all the side effects and terrible withdrawal symptoms women
get while taking anti-depressants.­­

SMILE 5-HTP:

• Improves mood
• Enhances serotonin, our happy hormone
• Reduces severity and duration of migraines
• Reduces PMS symptoms
• Aids restful sleep
• Reduces stress
• Provides fibromyalgia relief
• Reduces panic attacks
• Aids weight management

SMILE 5-HTP Enhances Serotonin

5-HTP is a break-down product of the amino acid tryptophan. Proteins in our food provide us with amino acids, one of which is tryptophan. Tryptophan is broken down into 5-HTP and then 5-HTP is converted into serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that makes you happy and tells your brain that you are satisfied so that you do not need to eat anymore. Serotonin deficiency contributes to weight gain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and panic attacks. Low serotonin levels also lead to carbohydrate (sugar) cravings and overeating. 5-HTP reduces appetite while also enhancing mood and increasing energy levels.

SMILE 5-HTP Improves Mood and Sleep

5-HTP has been extensively researched for the treatment of mood enhancement. It also relieves insomnia. 5-HTP allows for natural sleep without the drugged feeling in the morning that can occur in those taking prescription sedatives. Take 200 mg at bedtime to improve sleep.

SMILE 5-HTP Aids Weight Loss

Weight management is another benefit achieved from taking 5-HTP. One well controlled trial using 900 mg a day of 5-HTP in 20 obese individuals found that, during the first 6 weeks of the study where participants ate their usual diet and during the following 7-12 weeks where they dieted, a significant weight loss in the 5-HTP group occurred but not in those taking a placebo.

SMILE 5-HTP Improves Fibromyalgia Symptoms

There is evidence that the body's serotonin pathway does not work in people with fibromyalgia, and 5-HTP has been shown to stop the pain of fibromyalgia. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 90-day study involving 50 patients with fibromyalgia, 5-HTP was found to significantly improve anxiety, pain intensity, quality of sleep and fatigue.

SMILE 5-HTP: A Superior Solution

SMILE 5-HTP has a vegetarian enteric-coating which allows 5-HTP to be absorbed in the small intestine. Many other enteric-coatings are chemical-based and other 5-HTP products are not enteric-coated which causes nausea when optimal doses are taken. Take a high-quality multivitamin with minerals like Multismart, to ensure you get adequate levels of magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin B3 because these nutrients aid 5-HTP conversion into serotonin.

SMILE Contains:

Vegetarian enteric-coated tablet:

Recommended Dosage:

Adults (12 years and older): Take 1-2 tablets before breakfast, dinner and bedtime on an empty stomach or as directed by a health care practitioner. Teens that are 100 pounds or more can use it too.  

Note: If you are taking MAO inhibitors, SSRIs (Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, Effexor, Zoloft) and/or the tricyclic antidepressants (Elavil, Tofranil, Pamelor) or St. John's wort, do not take 5-HTP without discussing it with your health care provider. 5-HTP can be used to wean off antidepressants. Discuss any medication changes with your health care provider. SMILE is an excellent option for those wanting to come off their medications.