The Secret to Lose Weight

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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I have written about how we may be producing fat children by praising babies and toddlers for eating well, finishing off their bottles and cleaning up their plates. I argued that once we set the pattern that eating is an activity worthy of praise, we are asking for trouble because the world just doesn't continue to praise people for eating! Quite the contrary in fact.

So what do we do if we realise that we are fat and want to do something about it? Will I give away the great secret of losing weight here and now on this website - and for no charge?

Oh alright then, here it is I'll tell you how to maintain a healthy weight (the big challenge) and how to lose weight until you reach your ideal weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight:
Only ever eat if you are hungry. Never eat for entertainment purposes alone. If you know you are going to attend a celebratory feast of any kind, then eat a very light snack for the meal before. When it comes to the feast, you will be feeling very hungry and will be ready for a larger-than-average meal. Then you can really enjoy the feast! But only eat until you no longer feel hungry. Eat slowly, savouring every mouthful and really enjoy the feast without guilt. If you overeat, then eat very little at your next meal to compensate. Simple stuff, but few do it. Ever notice a thin person really getting stuck into the food at a party? It could be you

Losing Weight:
Now for the big one, the secret of how to lose weight. You may not like what I have to say here, but if you want to lose weight, this philosophy does work!

The main thing to accept is that you have to accept being hungry for a while, without doing anything about it. When you are hungry and delay gratifying that hunger, you lose weight as your body looks for, finds and uses internal stores of nutrients. Once we accept this truth, losing weight is simple, if not easy. The problem is that we don't want to accept being hungry, we feel we must eat whenever we are hungry. So we use drinks that give a sensation of being full, we try to suppress the hunger with medications and now they are talking about using anti-depressants to help curb binge eating. This time it's the men in white coats at the University of Cincinnati who conducted a trial of the anti-depressant, citalopram and concluded that it did help people binge less and lose weight. I find this sort of research hard to accept although very depressed people who eat to feel better for a while, might benefit from it.

So the secret of losing weight: Delay gratifying your hunger for a few hours. Observe your hunger and know that you are losing weight by not eating. Hunger does not mean you must eat immediately, but many people feel deeply emotionally deprived if they don't. That is the problem. The part of us that feels entitled to gratify hunger immediately, is the problem that needs to be worked on. Relax and think about it

To Lose weight AND keep the weight off your best approach is a combination of exercise and nutrition, like The Bodydoctor's personal fitness training programme which you do yourself with the fitness book and DVD.

Homeopathic Tip

While the scientists are thinking about using an anti-depressant to help people lose weight, the homeopathic doctors are interested in people who claim to put on weight easier than others and also struggle to lose it. It's true that some babies seem to be born 'chubbier' and stay that way. Homeopaths have reported promising results with the remedy, Calcarea carbonica which is described in the text books as suiting people who are 'fair, fat and flabby'. As always, I recommend a visit to a homeopathic doctor, but it would be safe enough to take some Calcarea carbonica 6c, one pill twice a day for a couple of weeks if you think you fit into that category. But never forget: If you want to lose weight, hunger is your friend, not your enemy. Have a good summer!

Dr Kaplan's personal website is: www.drkaplan.co.uk and his practice website is www.140harleystreet.co.uk and he can be contacted on (020) 7487 3416