May is National Stroke Awareness Month

Strokes don’t only happen to people with weight challenges, but they can happen to anyone who is under stress. Some strokes are silent, meaning they don’t exhibit symptoms that would cause one to be concerned about a stroke. While strokes impact the brain, symptoms can show up in a variety of ways, such as changes in vision, behavior, loss of memory, one sided paralysis, incoherent speech, sudden severe headache, sudden confusion, loss of balance or coordination. Symptoms can be transitory, they may come on and go just as suddenly. Do not ignore these symptoms, if a stroke has occurred, brain damage may not be immediately apparent.

Use STR anytime you suspect someone, even yourself, may have had a stroke:
S-Smile…ask the person to smile
T-Talk…ask them to speak a simple sentence, such as ask them what car they drive or what is their address
R-Raise…ask them to raise their arms above their head.
One other way is to ask them to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is not straight or droops down or slants to one side, that too is an indication of stroke. If the person can’t do any of the steps above, chances are they suffered a stroke and need immediate medical help.

Until help arrives, it is wise to have the person sit or lie so their head and shoulders is above the rest of their body. If they are unconscious, roll to the left side and pull their chin forward so if they vomit, it will drain and not affect breathing. Have someone who knows CPR stay close. Never give a stroke victim anything to eat or drink, the stroke may cause the throat to become paralyzed and they could choke.

There is a known relationship between high blood pressure, snoring and strokes. Biofeedback for stress management may be able to help. Anything that one does to manage stress can help improve quality of life.

hCG is NOT the Miracle Weight Loss Cure

Ever since I lost my weight using homeopathic hCG I’ve been helping select clients do the same.  I have mixed feelings about Kevin Trudeau’s book “The Weight Loss Cure” and I’ll start with the reasons why I liked it:

1.  It was good information

2.  It helped the reader begin to grasp the damage we have done to ourselves by eating the Standard American Diet, with genetically modified ingredients, MSG, Artificial Sweeteners and High Fructose Corn Syrup topping off the list.

3.  It encourages the reader to have hope there is an answer.

4.  It is a medically proven protocol that has withstood the test of time.

Reasons I don’t like the book:

1.  The information he presented is outdated, it’s over 55 years old now.

2.  People will read into it what they want to see, and this opened up a proliferation of self appointed weight loss gurus who advocated a do it yourself mentality to a program that has complicated effects.

3.  Dr. Simeons never intended his protocol to be used as a do it yourself program, yet so many people felt they could do it on their own and failed.  The book did not emphasize enough that this needed to be done under supervision, and should not be tried at home on your own.

4.  The human body is not static. Things have changed. New research has changed the protocol, the foods have changed, yet everyone and everything on the internet refers to the outdated material.  This does not take into account the changes in lifestyle, food sources and resources that have changed since this protocol first was developed in the 1950′s.

5.  hCG has the potential to change your hormone balance and affect the functioning of other organs in your body.  If you have pre-existing medical conditions, you may not be suitable to use this protocol.  If you have certain diseases, you should not use this protocol.

6.  Too many DIY’ers are gaining their weight back as soon as they stop the protocol.  This is a clear sign they have missed a step that a well trained coach or practitioner knows how to address.  You get what you pay for, and too many people are opting for saving money when it comes to a life changing program when they should be investing in themselves instead.  You don’t take your car to your computer tech or your child to your yoga teacher so why would you get your hCG from foreign countries and possibly damage yourself in the process to save a few bucks? Kevin’s book doesn’t make this clear enough.

Medical doctors, Naturopaths, Chiropractors and other Wellness Professionals are conducting ongoing research into what hCG is, does and does not do for obesity and weight release. Because I work with homeopathic remedies and nutritional supplements in my practice, I sought out ways to apply the current research, and create a holistic approach to a medical protocol.

I was able to develop a program that takes Dr. Simeons old protocol and put us into the 21st Century. All without drugs or needles, surgeries or outdated ways of understanding hCG.

hCG is not the miracle it has been touted. People who are taking hCG on their own, without supervision and coaching from a well trained practitioner sets themselves up to fail.  It is a complicated program that I have made easy to understand and follow because I have done all the work for you.  You should work with someone who understands the latest research to help guide you to success. There are diverse and complicated causes of obesity and weight gain today that didn’t exist in Simeons era and that changes the results he experienced during his research.

Chemicals in our food, air and water impact our hormones, as does excess hormones and antibiotics in our food.  Unmanaged Stress is a key concern, causing the body to increase its Cortisol output which can lead someone to become Insulin reactive which can lead to higher Estrogen levels which can lead to higher Cortisol levels which leads to deeper stores of belly fat. That is NOT a do it yourself situation.

A program that supports you through gentle cleansing, the diet phase itself and most importantly, being able to help you return to normal eating without weight regain is the key to a successful hCG diet. It is not for everyone and it is not for just anyone.

Taking the wrong amount of hCG, regardless if it is through self injection or homeopathic can have unintended consequences for some people.  For that reason, I work with a licensed naturopathic physician who tests all my clients hormone levels and monitors them throughout my program. This improves their chance of success greatly. People will do what they will do, and they may unwittingly be destroying the very elements of hCG that could be helping them change their life.  Taking advice from unreliable resources to save money is foolish.

Why would someone take a chance and inject themselves with what could be nothing more than bacteria free water by the time they have finished mixing their solution and expect to have successful results?  A 500 calorie diet is a starvation diet.  If you are gaining your weight back as soon as you stop the diet, it might be because you weren’t getting hCG in your shots!  But a 500 calorie diet utilizing the right form of hCG can be life transforming.  You have to decide if it is worth it to you to do it right the first time.  Don’t be like the disappointed young lady who contacted me recently asking for help because she had been through 5 self directed rounds of hCG injections without results.  First off, I fail to understand why anyone would go through the program 5 times without seeing results and still be a fan of the protocol, but more importantly, she may very well have set her body up to fail at ever losing weight because she was more than likely starving herself instead of getting actual hCG.  Wake up and realize that this is not as simple as Kevin makes it sound in his book and it does not have to be complicated either if you work with a qualified coach.  Invest in yourself, invest in your body and you are investing in your future.  Now you just have to decide if you are worth it.  Be well.

D.I.E.T. or Die Trying

The reality of being fat….DIET or die trying.

D.I.E.T.

D stands for Don’t

I stands for Ingest

E stands for Everything

T stands for Toxic

If a 3rd grader can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it

If a dog won’t touch it, maybe you shouldn’t either

If your grandmother never heard of it, toss it

If your favorite food has an ingredient that ends with “ose” it’s a processed sugar, you may be addicted.

If your favorite restaurant orders their supplies from a traditional major food supplier, it is processed and may have more chemicals than real food in it.

If you can start with baby steps and just add 1 fresh fruit and 1 fresh vegetable a day to your meals, you can start getting a handle on your weight.

If you can add 2 fresh fruits and 2 fresh vegetables a day to your meals, you will start seeing changes.

If you can stop believing that you can’t live without your processed, chemicalized, toxic packaged goods that masquerade as real food, you have the best chance of success.

If you think there is a magic pill, potion or spell that will make you instantly thin without having to commit to the process, you are setting yourself up to always have a weight problem.

If you think you are always going to be fat because nothing has worked so far, you may be right.

If you think you have had it with being fat and are ready to get the weight off once and for all, you may be right.

Bottom line is if you eat for:

Convenience and Speed – chances are high you will be fat

Nutrition and Health – chances are high you will never be fat again

When all else fails….make up an excuse!

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? When all you can do is struggle and fight to keep your head above water as your world sinks around you, dragging you into a deep sense of despair that you can’t see a way out of? I just had a client meeting with someone like that and it was not pretty. This woman came to see me about my Holistic Weight Release Program. She was, by rough guestimate, about 230 pounds overweight. She walked in and handed me a list of her medications, all 14 of them, and proceeded to recite a long list of diseases and illnesses she’s been diagnosed with, starting with Congestive Heart Failure, COPD, Sleep Apnea, Diabetes, Unmanaged Blood Pressure, and a host of other issues. She was very uncomfortable in the small office chair as she leaned back, then to her side, then bent forward and back again in an unconscious dance of discomfort with her body and her “self”. She admitted that she struggles with a chronic yeast infection between her thighs that never goes away. She mentioned that she has been on long term prednisone and she believes that caused her kidney damage, which is down to only 15% and her doctor has told her she will need to begin Dialysis if it drops further. Then she proclaimed it was the Prednisone that damaged her kidneys and if she had to do it again, she’d never have taken it. “It put 125 pounds on me too!” She was clear that gaining the weight was definitely not entirely her fault.
I gently guided her away from her focus about “her diseases” and asked her about what it is she would like to accomplish with my weight release program. I explained that I do not call the program a weight loss program because that implies the desire to “find” it again and when it comes to excess weight, I prefer that we allow ourselves to “release” it. She looked confused. Her indoctrination has always been diet and weight loss. These new concepts were clearly throwing her for a loop. I was asking her to think outside the box, to move beyond the comfort zone of failed diets and comfortable excuses for not letting the weight go. She squirmed. I persisted. Finally, she admitted that she would like to be able to breathe again, to be able to eliminate the thigh rubbing yeast growing discomfort and to be able to get down to 130 pounds. Then she quickly laughed and made excuses why that can’t happen. “I don’t think I can afford your program.” I answered that she already knew how much the program cost before she came in to see me because she has 2 friends who also belong to her weight loss group who have successfully released their weight with my program. “I have to go home and talk to my husband, I can’t spend this kind of money without talking to him.” I can certainly understand and honor that, but tell me, does your husband have weight to lose? “Why no, he’s slim and trim” she replied. So your husband would support you in your weight release efforts, I asked. She deflected by telling me that her sister lost 50 pounds all on her own last winter, but she has a high metabolism she added. I did not respond. So she continued by telling me her brother also lost a lot of weight on his own, but men are easier to lose their weight. Again, I say nothing. She added “My dad tells me I should be able to lose ten pounds a month if I’d only try but I do try and it doesn’t happen.” I explained to her that fourteen medications may have something to do with her dilemma and that when we can get her body to start releasing excess fat, her doctor will be able to monitor her medications for changes that can be made. I added that in my experience, people who take a lot of medication experience a slower weight release response but it can still work if they are committed. “Are you committed to your goals?” I asked her. “Yes I am” she instantly replied. “Well then, let’s get started” I gently encouraged her……but the brake lights came on, I could see her brain turning, as she worked out in her mind all the reasons why she can’t do it. Finally, I could see I had lost her. She had fallen back into her abyss of despair and I could not get her to focus long enough to see her way out. Money was the excuse for staying overweight but I saw the real reason in her eyes. She was stuck in fear. Fear will keep you in a rut, it will keep you repeating the same mistakes while you insanely hope for a different outcome “this time” and fear will focus your attention on all the reasons “why not” which keeps you, guess what…..yep….repeating the same cycles.
I walked her to the door and told her “When you are ready, I’ll be here to help you. You already know that doing it on your own doesn’t work. I will coach you, I will be available to you 24/7 and I will guide you to success. I want you to be successful, but you have to want it to. When you have had it with failure, give me a call.” When all else fails, I try to give hope. Even when all they can do is make excuses, she made herself feel better that at least she tried. We both know that she didn’t really, she just pretended to. I understand fear. It controls more of our actions than anything else we do in our life. Fear closes off your ability to hear the truth. All I can do is smile and encourage the fear to let go. Maybe one day they’ll hear me.

Weight Loss is like a bad penny!

I vow never to say the words “weight loss” again.  When we lose something, that implies it is in need of being found again.  So why call it weight loss, when really,we want to release it, set it free and hope it NEVER comes back?   From now on, when I speak of losing weight, I will call it weight release.  Such a simple tweak in terminology but after 10 years of working with the connections between the body/mind/spirit,  I know that subtle shift can make the difference between success and failure, especially when it comes to long term weight management.

“Weight release”, now that has a smoothness that rolls off the tongue, like Guilt-free dessert or Happy Meal only without the trauma left in its wake.   It conjures up a happy picture in your mind.  Can’t you just see fat dripping off the body, releasing itself, dissipating into nothingness as it is released.

Weight Loss makes me think of the hounds being put on the scent to find it again.  I don’t want to find it.  I’ve been there done that with weight.  I’m done losing it only to have it come back to me plus drag along a few extra friends named “pounds” join them.  Nope, Loss bad, Release good.  I’m going for it!  Won’t you join me?