Red's Health Tips

The measurements are in today.  I lost one-quarter of an inch around my neck – it is now 16.25 inches.  I lost one-half inch around my chest – it is now 45.0 inches.  I lost one inch around my waist – it is now 43 inches.  I lost one inch around my hips – it is now 42 inches.  I have never measured early during a program, except maybe for my waist only.  I expected a half-inch to an inch around my belly, but not an inch off my hips also.  I am pleased.

I have cut way back on my simple sugars (carbohydrates).  I have increased my complex carbohydrates and fiber.  My protein intake is about the same as it was before I started the 28-day Fast Start Program.  The only difference is the lifestyle choice of not putting ‘seconds’ or ‘thirds’ on my plate.  My seconds and thirds were primarily non-protein foods.  I have also stopped eating snacks late at night.  I believe that is the biggest factor in my sudden weight loss.

When I started the Adkins Diet back in the mid-90’s I didn’t lose much weight at all the first week.  Then it started dropping quickly.  I still believe that the first five to ten pounds is water weight and not fat loss.  A low carbohydrate diet allows your body to get rid of excess water before burning fat.

I’ve mentioned this in blogs and in my book.  I used to live in Germany (for a couple of years) in the late 90’s.  I would travel a lot on business a pleasure.  Whenever I visited Italy I would ‘pig-out’ on Italian pasta, bread and wine.  I would leave on a Friday after work and return on Sunday night.  I would gain ten to twelve pounds on that trip.  Two weeks later, returning to my normal Adkins-type diet, I would return to my pre-trip weight.

I mentioned vitamins and minerals yesterday.  Don’t go out and buy a bunch on new vitamins and minerals if you have some at home already.  Use up what you have first.  If you don’t have a particular vitamin or mineral that you might need, then invest it that one.  When I travel, which occurs frequently, I used to take a bag of bottles, containing vitamins and minerals with me.  It got to be a hassle for a two or three day trip.  We would arrive late and not take anything that night and then get home late and not take anything that night.  They were buried in the truck and they were out of mind.

I now take a few that easily fit into my suitcase.  I ensure that I have my fish oil, vitamin D3, vitamin B complex, beta-carotene, vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc, vitamin K2 and maybe one or two others that escape my mind right this minute.  Most of these are fairly small bottles and are easily packed in my bag.  In the summaries of each of my chapters I specify which vitamins, minerals and other supplements are good for you in relation to the chapter focus.  I started taking coconut oil last month.  I take four tablespoons a day.  I eat a half-dozen to a dozen cashews, peanuts, and/or pistachios each day for manganese, magnesium and vitamin E.  Some days since I started my 28-day Fast Start Program, I splurge and have a double helping of nuts.

There are many foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals.  Red, yellow, orange, purple, black and green fruits and vegetables are packed with lots of vitamins and minerals.  Raw is better than cooked to preserve the quantity and quality of the vitamin or mineral in the fruit or vegetable.  Steaming is better than frying.  If you sauté, leave the flame a little lower.  It will take an extra minute or two, but you reduce the advanced glycation end products that high temperatures produce.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies hurt you in more than weight loss.  In my next book about aging I will go into a lot of detail regarding the vitamins, minerals and supplements necessary to act like an 18 year-old when you are approaching 100 years of age.  I am researching that book right now.

Another important facet of your life you should be concentrating on this week (and from now on) is your sleep.  You need good quality sleep.  That means that you need enough sleep to allow you body to recover and repair itself.  And, you need uninterrupted sleep.  My daughter works mornings, afternoons and evenings – a mix-bag of shifts on a weekly basis.  The important thing I tell her is to get uninterrupted sleep whenever possible.

Two thing really quickly before I fall over the 1000 word blog barrier that I set for myself.  I mentioned that you need to start doing exercise.  Exercise in the context that I am referring to is not to burn calories to lose weight.  I believe some people can lose weight by exercising, but the vast majority of us cannot.  However, exercise is critical to stopping or slowing down certain biochemical reactions in your body that are needed to support fat loss.  In my chapter on exercise I point out the types of exercises that produce the types of results you need to stimulate weight loss initiation within your body – those biochemical support groups that are hard to get started when left alone.

The second thing is to reduce (not eliminate) omega-6 fatty acids from your diet. Omega-6 fatty acids are needed (essential) for your health. Essential fatty acids are those you body cannot produce by itself.  The problem with the American diet is that we get too much omega-6 fatty acids.  Most omega-6 fatty acids (oils) are concentrated in vegetable oils.  Sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil and grapeseed oil are sources of omega-6 fatty acids.  Walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds and cashews are rich sources of omega-6 fatty acids.  Seeds from flax, hemp, sunflower, sesame, pine nuts and pumpkin are rich in omega-6 fatty acids.

The approach I have taken is to reduce as much as possible the need to use vegetable oils in the foods I prepare.  I use coconut oil for cooking and baking.  I use olive oil for cooking.  I rely on fresh products rather than packaged, when I can find what I enjoy eating.  Yes, I still open a package of something, more often than I want to, but I eat significantly less of whatever it is today than I used to.  I am cutting my total calorie intake on a daily basis.  I am striving for a Calorie Restricted lifestyle to live longer in better health.

Red O’Laughlin

Your Prosperity Professor

281-437-8114 H/W   281-687-1188 C