Red's Health Tips

I did my measurements today after completing my 28-day Fast Start program. I excited that I continue to lose weight and inches, but not with the actual numbers. I, like many people, aren’t easily satisfied with incremental results.

I lost one pound during Week 4 – down to 189 and a total of 14 pounds from 203 four weeks ago. I lost one-half inch off my waist, now 41.0 inches down a total of three inches from four weeks ago. That number I am happy about. I can actually fit into some of my clothes much easier. My hip measurement remained the same at 41.5 inches – down a total of one and a half inches in four weeks. I didn’t realize I had that much extra fat around my hips. More importantly, my hips are larger than my waist – and I think that is a big deal. It’s been a long time since my waist was a smaller circumference than my hips.

My chest remained the same as last week, 44.0 inches – down only a total on one and a half inches from four weeks ago. An inch and a half from both my chest and my hips and three inches from my waist is encouraging to me. My neck measurement was down a quarter of an inch from last week and a total of one inch from four weeks ago. I noticed this last Friday when I went to a ‘black tie’ event and my bow tie was listing slightly to one side. That wasn’t normal for me. Usually it stays where I align it. I studied it in the mirror to see what might be the cause and I noticed right away my bow tie was very loose – hence falling down on one side. I hadn’t thought about tightening it because I was losing weight.

Would I change anything in my 28-day program? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Regardless of my successes or failures on my 28- day Fast Start program, I believe that I made significant progress. Obviously most people use their results as an absolute in their assessment of any program they are on. My program is not a diet – a short-lived process where you change your food sources. It is a lifestyle program. I kept asking myself, can I live this way for the rest of my life? That was the real criteria that I was comparing my daily and weekly results to.

It wouldn’t have mattered if I lost twice as much weight or inches if I could not sustain 90% or more of what I had been doing. You do things that you enjoy doing, or things that don’t really upset your norm. Can I say that eating only when I was hungry was uncomfortable – No! Did I enjoy it? Not really enjoyment, but more of a monitoring mode to see how hunger affected me. As long as I had instant access to fluids, it didn’t matter that I was not eating. I was extremely tenacious to ensure that I was maintaining my nutritional balance – something that is an absolute when going on a calorie restricted regimen.

My mental clarity was never challenged during the last four weeks. I think that is important. I was never fatigued. I was tired on three or four occasions. In the past I would take a short nap – initially planned for fifteen minutes and would routinely end up at thirty minutes or longer. I would wake up as tired as I was when I started my nap. During my 28-day Fast Start program, I took maybe one quick nap each week – usually a little later in the day than I had reviously. I would set my phone alarm for ten minutes and actually use that nap time for focusing on ‘how can I do a particular task’ that I was planning to do. I would wake up with the alarm and reset it for ten minutes. On each occasion I would never make it to the second alarm, but would wake up about five minutes into the second sleep cycle. I would get up and would feel more relaxed than I did when I started my nap. That was definitely noticeable.

On my Atkins lifestyle I noticed that I did not have any endurance when I went running. I did not run during my 28-day program. I did do several 30+ minute cardio routines and did not feel drained or truly exhausted afterwards. I normally raised my pulse rate above 150 when running and that may be the difference. On the cardio equipment I could only raise my pulse into the 130’s – so the intensity was not the same. The duration was longer than my runs in the past on Atkins, but I don’t believe my endurance was really tested on any of the equipment I chose to use during my 28-day program.

I switched over to running sprints about three years ago and I notice that running a 5K race with my daughter and/or grandson is much more tiring than it has been in the past. I enjoy the sprints and I truly believe that they are better conditioning exercises than long runs with a constant pulse rate.

The quality of my sleep has definitely improved. I believe part of that is the forced nutritional balance that I adhere to daily. In the past, I would notice a ‘not so good night’s sleep’ could be corrected by correctly any vitamin or mineral deficiency that I allowed to happen more than a few days. Doing something each day is easy to do – and, it is easy not to do. Taking vitamin/mineral supplements is easy to do – and, it is easy not to do. I know that it helped the quality of my sleep in the past. Adhering to a daily regimen of balanced nutrition definitely helped the quality of my sleep.

I hadn’t thought about getting a blood test before and after I started my program. I wish I had. It would have been interesting to see the results internally of nutritional balance and reduced calories. I will continue to report on my progress as I continue to maintain a low total calorie and balanced nutrition lifestyle. I will report periodically on my progress. After 30 days habits become fixed. It really did not seem challenging to me to adopt an ‘eat when I am hungry’ lifestyle. I will continue to monitor my progress and report accordingly.

Thanks for following my progress.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

I am completing my 28th day of my 28-day Fast Start Program. I’ve broken some habits and still have one or two minor ones that need additional attention. My biggest revelation was the ability to completely transition overnight from eating three or more meals a day to eating only when I am hungry. I still find in difficult not to eat when I am not hungry and I’m ready to go to bed in a few hours. I still think that I must have something before going to bed to quench my hunger during the night.

I noticed also that I could control my hunger much more easily at home. I think that is because I can control my fluid intake – something that I might find more difficult at work – or for me attending multiple meetings or events during the day. When I am hydrated, I am not hungry. When I don’t hydrate throughout the day, I find my hunger announcing itself. Is that good? I want to eventually transition to an effective calorie restricted lifestyle. I wanted to see if my ability to transition to a ‘eat when you are hungry’ lifestyle was attainable. I learned it was much easier than I thought it would be.

Now the challenge will be to develop the right nutritional plan and begin transitioning to a more planned meal program with less total calories and nutritionally balanced. I had a meeting late this afternoon – a one-on-one with another guy who will be reviewing my weight loss book. He asked me if I thought about writing a cook book. I told him that I had not and immediately took a note. I’ve given it a lot of thought and it makes sense. It would be a wonderful thing if I could analyze the needed nutritional requirements for ‘x’ amount of calories and develop an appropriate meal plan.

One of the things I wanted to blog about was a subject I touched on at last Saturday’s presentation. Each one of us needs to become a subject matter expert (SME) on the nutritional content of foods and understanding food labels. If we want to make wise choices in the foods we choose, then we should know exactly what benefits we are deriving from the foods we choose. Yes, we can pick and choose certain proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but do we know exactly what nutrients are in each and how that combination of foods benefits our bodies?

Allow me a few moments to briefly cascade through each week and comment positively or negatively on each of the requirements I set forth in the 28-day Fast Start Program. Make goals – definitely needed. Promise yourself – definitely needed. Visualize your end results – definitely needed. You must know where you are going and you must get your subconscious mind aligned with your journey. You also must understand that a new lifestyle is not temporary. Every change you make will become your norm in the future. Yes, things will be tweaked as needed, but you cannot go back to the lifestyle you had chosen that allowed you to gain the weight you did not want.

Measure yourself – definitely needed. Plan your meals in advance – definitely needed. Learn how to ready food labels – yes and more – as I mentioned a moment ago, you must know the nutritional complement of each food you eat to stay healthy. Hydration – absolutely mandatory. Portion control – you cannot succeed without it. Chew your food thoroughly – another absolute. I’m still having problems with this new habit. When I don’t think about it I revert to my old habit of eating very quickly. Eliminate/reduce fructose – another absolute.

Add tea to your dietary options – some people don’t like the taste of tea, but you need fluids to keep hydrated – choose your own liquid without sugar or artificial sweeteners. Yes, you have time to wean yourself off the artificial sweeteners, but you really need to do this for a healthy lifestyle. My last item from Week 1 is to eliminate alcohol. As with any requirement to eliminate an item, there are always options to ‘celebrate’ with a ‘coke’ or glass of ‘wine’ or a bottle of ‘beer’. Moderation is absolute! You must be balanced in your choices and you must adhere to moderation even when you splurge on that one day every couple or so weeks.

Nutritional balance with vitamins and minerals – an absolute, whether in the foods you eat or the supplements you take. Antioxidants to fight oxidative stress and inflammation – another absolute requirement. Increase omega-3 fatty acids – yes, much of our population is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Reduce omega-6 fatty acids – this is mandatory from an inflammation perspective and for the fact that the majority of the United States is overdosed on omega-6 fatty acids already. Add stress relief methods (yes plural – methods) to your daily life, even when you don’t think you need them. You must reduce cortisol and stress relief is one way. Get better quality sleep – mandatory for a better life.

Exercise program – I wish I had exercised more during my 28-day program. I probably average about 2.5 times to the gym during the week and maybe one day at home that might qualify for minimal strength training. I know the gurus tell us to spend ‘x’ hours/day for ‘y’ days/week doing cardio and this and that. The real objective is to develop a habit of exercise to help your overall brain and heart health – not to lose weight. Vary your exercise to gain strength, flexibility and endurance. It doesn’t have to be excessive, but doing something nearly every day develops the habits you need for your new lifestyle.

Add fiber to your diet – anytime you reduce your total carbohydrates you need fiber – through supplementation or through food choices. I try to obtain fiber first from foods and then balance it out with supplements. I chose psyllium husks, chia seed and inulin as my primary soluble fibers. I chose not to use an insoluble fiber during my first 28 days because I wanted to stay with the products I already had on my shelf. As I begin to restock in the near future, I will chose an insoluble fiber, such as Chitosan (which I’ve used extensively in the past) to supplement my fiber choices. There are several fibers that I need to explore further before making my final choice. Add prebiotics to your diet – another absolute requirement.  

Week 3 focused on hormones. The first is insulin. Reduce total insulin – a desired outcome, especially if you have insulin resistance. Secondly, to concentrate on changing your insulin resistance – if you have it. Third, to increase your overall insulin sensitivity – restore it back to your more youthful days. Increase free testosterone – yes, definitely needed, especially if you have abdominal visceral fat stores. Decrease excess estrogen – same reason as free testosterone. Increase fat absorption. Something I did not do during my program. You have to be selective when you take a fat absorber to not conflict with the good fats you need in your diet. I choose very carefully which fats I choose to eat and made a decision that I didn’t need the fat blocker. I stay away from omega-6 fatty acids and load up on omega-3 fatty acids, omega-9 fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) such as coconut oil – which I used extensively for cooking and daily intake – 4 tablespoons a day minimum.

Week 4 focused on toxin removal. You must remove as many toxins as you can from your daily lifestyle. They are dangerous and can affect your health in ways you have no idea about yet. I’ll be writing a book on that subject in the near future. Improve your self-image – this dates back to Week 1 when the focus was on aligning your subconscious mind with your goals. Your self-image is just as important as any food you choose to eat.

Increase carbohydrate absorption was not something I spent much time doing since I significantly reduced my carbohydrate intake. I tried to stay in the 50-80 grams/day of carbohydrates to keep my body periodically replenished with fuel (blood glucose), but not to a level that I could not enjoy burning fat for the majority of the day. I personally find it extremely easy to avoid carbohydrates completely, but I realize that your body needs some on a daily basis for optimum health. Choose your carbohydrates wisely.

Increase your serotonin levels – yes, this is critical if you are obese. It’s a good thing to do if you are not overweight. Eliminate vitamin deficiencies and you will have more essential amino acids available to convert to serotonin. Improve your thyroid health is mandatory. You need your thyroid working for you to stay healthy and thin. Consider a calorie restricted lifestyle is an option. I haven’t done it yet, so it is still an option, but from everything I have read, it is one of the best things you can do for a healthy long life.

I will report my weight and inches in the morning for my 28 days and see what successes I have. Until then,

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

It’s interesting how things can surprise you. I’ve been pitching my book to friends and I received a response last night that was surprising. My friend said he wasn’t interested in my book because he didn’t read.  And, that he is getting older and it wouldn’t benefit him that much. I thanked him for his honesty and discussed it briefly with my wife before going to bed. Yes, I can understand some people who prefer not to read. Their days are jammed with too many things attacking their time from every direction. They really don’t have the time to read. Some people prefer not to read when given the opportunity. Some people prefer to read those things that interest them.

The reading part surprised me a little, but the getting older comment was totally out of left field. We are all getting older – every day, so to speak. We don’t have an option on getting older. Most people, like my friend, assume that they don’t have any control over their physical age. I’ve noticed that people typically have at least three separate and distinct ages. The first is their chronological age which started on the day they were born. The second age is your mental age. It’s how old your brain operates at on a daily basis. Most of us have a mental age somewhere in the twenties. My mental age is 24 years old. I think very much like I did when I was in my mid-20’s.

A person’s biological age is a combination of their internal and external physiological ages. Some people look older or younger than their chronological age. Other people look older or younger than they feel they are. Take an average 50 year old man for an example. He is chronologically 50 years of age. His mental age may be 25 years of age. He may look like a 55-60 year-old and feel older than that. From my own personal surveys, most people look and feel older than they are. Some of them actually look younger than their age, but they feel older than their chronological age.

I look younger than my age by at least ten years (from what people tell me) and feel nearly twenty years younger than my chronological age. I’m sure part of my physical aging is genetic. But, I believe that a person’s nutrition and attitude impact their biological age. Proper balanced nutrition gives your body the reserves it needs to operate efficiently. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to early aging. I believe a sedentary lifestyle makes you feel older since you are not as active as you can be – or should be. I’ve noted in my chapter on exercise that exercise is not an effective method for losing weight. However, it is needed for brain health (more oxygen flowing through your brain improves your memory and clarity) and heart health (exercise improves heart muscle strength).

My Week 1 concentrates on aligning your subconscious mind to help you achieve your weight loss goals, but more importantly, to effectively change your lifestyle. It’s extremely important to get your subconscious mind on your side to achieve any goal. Your subconscious mind helps immensely to reduce your biological age. I use a mantra every day (many times a day actually) that I learned from Dr. Deepak Chopra. It’s simple. Every day and in every way I increasing my mental and physical capacity. My Biostat is set for a health ______ year-old. I look and feel like a health ________ year-old.

Regardless of my biological age I am telling my subconscious mind that I am younger than my chronological age. Your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between real and imagined. If you visualize and imagine you are younger, slimmer, trimmer, stronger, more powerful, more active, more muscular, etc, you can train your subconscious mind to overlay your new thoughts on top of your older views of yourself – your old self-image.

I’ve been doing these affirmations (and others) for several months. I can tell that I walk differently that I did before I stated. By walk differently, I mean that I feel different – more confident, more graceful, more quickly, stronger, etc. It’s a little thing, but it is noticeable. I’ve always been a pretty clear thinker. Maybe it has gotten better, but I have perceived no distinct difference from before until today. I firmly believe that the communication with my subconscious is making me younger and healthier on a daily basis.

As you transition into your new lifestyle, every trick in the book to make you feel better, look better, etc is needed to be able to take full advantage of your ‘later’ life. You want to be in good health and able to do the things that you want to do.

I am looking forward to the last day of my 28-day program – which is tomorrow. It’s been interesting and I’ll comment on those lessons learned along the way of my journey to my new lifestyle.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

What does it take to fail? If you had to prove in a court of law that you failed to lose weight on a diet, what would your evidence consist of? I heard this question from a CD recently; however, the topic was failing at your MLM business. It got me to thinking about failure in the things we do – intentionally, or by default. I applied this question to the presentation I gave Saturday and asked it rhetorically. I had a limited time to speak and I couldn’t afford the time to solicit answers from the audience and still make my next lecture ten miles away.

There are obviously things that you do to fail at losing weight. Allow me to list a few of them – choose to eat the wrong kinds of foods, choose to eat the more food than you should, eating when you are not hungry, not exercising, not getting enough sleep, not doing anything about the stress in your life, not getting balanced nutrition from your foods or supplements. You develop habits based on your lifestyle. You choose to live in a comfort zone and eat comfort foods and live the same day after day. You also did not choose to change your mindset. Your subconscious mind can defeat you faster than any food, drink, exercise program, supplement or anything else.

You need to start with the right mindset. I don’t mean that “I want to lose weight!” will automatically change your mindset. It took years, and maybe even decades, to develop your current mindset for food, exercise and nutrition. Your health habits have been established – in spades, so to speak. It takes a concerted effort to begin changing your mindset to equal your new lifestyle.

There are however, many things that happen to you that you might now know about and have not taken any action to counter. Allow me to list a few of them – growing older, degradation of your bodily processes and functions, imbalances, deficiencies, absorption issues, inflammation, oxidative stress, allergies, genetics, shift in sensitivities.

Your body starts out fully efficient and gradually degrades over time. You can stop a lot of that degradation by taking preventive steps before it happens, or by taking corrective measures after the fact. Most people do not know what is going on chemically, or biochemically in their bodies. Most don’t care. They would rather be told to do this or that than to know the ‘what’s’ and ‘why’s’ of how your body works.

I use the calcium example in many of my speeches. It’s not simply a matter of taking a calcium pill and having calcium deposited into your bones. You need the right kind of calcium plus magnesium, plus vitamin D3, plus vitamin K2 to actually get calcium deposited into your bones. If you are missing any of those other factors, then you are depositing your calcium into your toilet or into your arteries – neither a good place – in one case it’s a waste of money, in the other case it’s a potential health hazard.

My book explains a lot of the processes that happen in your body – maybe to some in more detail than they want. You are responsible for your health, which includes your weight. Your weight can contribute to many health issues as you grow older. I’ve met a couple of people recently and presented my four questions to them. They weren’t interested. They were happy with their lifestyle – even if they were approaching morbidly obese status. Their comfort zone would not even allow them to consider changing.

There are things that happen to us that catches our attention. Maybe it is a close call with a disease or accident. Maybe it is a close call with a family member or very close friend. Dr. Morris Massey did a series of training tapes initially called You Are What You Were When. He talked about how our values were formed based on when we grew up. He also postulated that we don’t change unless there is a significant emotional event (SEE) in our lives.

Other motivational gurus tell us that we choose either to avoid something bad or to select something good. There are triggers than compel us to change – overnight. How many times have you made a reasonable New Year’s Resolution only to see it broken within days or weeks? Once broken, then there is no need to consider trying to accomplish it anymore.

The problem with waiting until a significant emotion event or another compelling reason to take action is that you might be beyond the point of no return. It’s different when you want to do something and you fail along the way. It’s much different when someone forces you to do something and you don’t want to do it at all. Our sedentary lifestyle is an example. We hear from many health professionals to exercise. However, we don’t. We prefer to sit on the couch and watch television. Exercise is not an efficient or effective way to lose weight. It is a necessary process that should be taken to remain healthy in later life.

It’s easy to fail. We all do it. Our subconscious mind files it away and reminds us every time we try to do something outside our comfort zone. Our past history is consulted every time you want to exercise, to eat smaller portions, to eat a different food, to have than extra cookie or glass or wine or bottle of beer. Our past drives our decision processes in our subconscious minds. However, your past does not have to be your future.

Your subconscious mind has one prime directive in life – to protect you from injury or embarrassment. If you have failed at something in the past, then when you want to do it again, then your subconscious mind will decide for you whether you will succeed or fail before you ever begin. There is no such thing a will power. Your subconscious mind has flaws. It doesn’t know the distinction between right or wrong – or, between real or imagined. It’s the imagined part that you can take to the bank and cash it in for ‘new’ experiences (successes) to file in with your past failures. When your overriding history is clearly one of failing every time you attempt a diet, then you have to begin adding imaginary successful experiences to file on top of those old failures so that they begin to cancel them out. Once you get enough of those old memories blurred, then you can begin having your subconscious mind work for you instead of against you.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

Your brain produces serotonin which helps you to cope with stress, depression and anxiety. Your body needs tryptophan to produce serotonin. Tryptophan comes from the foods you eat. A deficiency in serotonin makes it more difficult to lose weight. Low serotonin levels also manifest symptoms of eating and sleep disorders. Ironically obesity exacerbates low serotonin levels. Your body fat creates an inflammatory cytokine called interferon gamma which activates the enzyme, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. This enzyme degrades tryptophan so that you have less of the source material to produce serotonin.

Low levels of serotonin mask your real satiety from eating a meal. Normally you would be ‘full’ after a meal and the low serotonin levels don’t turn on that ‘full’ alert to your brain. You continue to eat even though your body is full. You ‘feel’ hungry when your body is not in need of food. Obesity drives your eating patterns to eat more than you should because you are constantly hungry.

Studies show that obese people will decrease their consumption of carbohydrates if they take an L-tryptophan supplement before eating. L-tryptophan is one of twenty essential amino acids that you body needs to be healthy. Double blind studies with L-tryptophan supplements before eating resulted in weight loss for obese patients.

There was a scare in 1989 and L-tryptophan was taken off the market. It was later discovered that there was contamination in one machine at one manufacturer and twenty plus years later (in 2001) L-tryptophan was approved again for manufacture and distribution in the United States.

A big problem with serotonin production is vitamin deficiency. L-tryptophan is the least plentiful of the amino acids and there is a fierce competition for it. It takes 60 mg of L-tryptophan to produce 1 mg of vitamin B3 in your liver. This priority of producing vitamin B3 over serotonin is why much of the tryptophan you eat doesn’t get used by your brain. A deficiency in vitamin B6 also robs available L-tryptophan away from serotonin production. As a result, vitamin deficiencies usually take up 99% of the available L-tryptophan before any is sent to your brain to make serotonin.

As you age, your body produces tryptophan-degrading enzymes in your brain which results in trouble losing weight and getting good quality sleep. L-tryptophan is available in pharmaceutical grade with additional nutrients that can block or neutralize tryptophan-degrading enzymes. Week 4 has a focus to address any tryptophan to serotonin issues. You should have adequate levels of all vitamins and minerals to allow more tryptophan availability for your brain. You should also consider adding a pharmaceutical grade supplements to provide additional tryptophan and protection against tryptophan-degrading enzymes.

I returned home tonight just before midnight. I had a ‘black-tie’ event that my wife and I attended earlier in the evening. I’ve been to this event many times over the years. Drink flows freely and the dinner is a large piece of prime rib with green beans and red potatoes. I knew what to expect. I conditioned myself to drink only two 3/4 full glasses of wine and to patiently chew every morsel of food I ate tonight. The prime rib was excellent. My wife always gives me half her prime rib and I do everything in my power to eat it also. I was thinking and not thinking about what I was eating.

My portion control had been excellent since the first of January. Every meal I’ve had has been much smaller than I normally eat. However, this evening I abandoned all sensibility and chowed down on some excellent beef, potatoes, green beans and wine. Fortunately any single meal will not affect the outcome of any diet or lifestyle change program. I thought I had the verve to maintain portion control, but, alas, I did not. It happens. I accept it and move on to the next meal.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

It was a very busy day today. I started out this morning talking to an MLM Company about weight loss and what works. I was the opening speaker and had arranged with the host to leave immediately after speaking. I had committed earlier to be a trainer for a Toastmaster event. I made another presentation of the duties of the VP of Membership. I then returned to the half-day seminar on weight loss products and attended as a regular member.

I sold a couple of electronic books and answered several questions. It was an enjoyable experience and look forward to doing it again. Last weekend in New Orleans I did a similar presentation, but I included some general health issues in additional to weight loss.

Weight loss requires a lifestyle change. It will not happen with a diet and/or exercise. Part of my new lifestyle change is to eat only when I am hungry. I’ve been experimenting with it and have noticed some interesting things. I am not as hungry as I used to use before I started this new lifestyle. In fact, I’m not hungry for most of the day. Yesterday my first meal of the day was at 7:30 p.m. – the prime rib meal I talked about last night.

Why am I not hungry? I’ve been wondering that myself. Protein reduces your appetite. I’m not eating that much protein compared to what I have done previously. I’m still eating a healthy amount, but in the big scheme of things, it is generally less than my normal. Has my body adapted that quickly to a near-fast-like eating I have been doing lately? Again, I don’t know. It’s a first for me not to be hungry for long periods of time.

In retrospect as I was thinking about the near-plateau that I’ve been on for the past two weeks (I’ve only lost four pounds – which is reason in most diet scenarios, but a bit frustrating considering what I have not been eating and the level of exercise I have been doing). My metabolism is most likely adjusting for the significantly reduced food intake. That would explain a long near-plateau situation better than any thing else I can think of presently.

When I was on Atkins, I didn’t bother to eat less total food than I had before – I just didn’t eat any carbohydrates. It was a great diet plan – everything I loved to eat and as much as I could find. Now I am eating slightly more carbohydrates and significantly less total calories. I wrote a chapter on Calorie Restricted eating (with proper nutritional balance) and many good health results have been logged from eating less total calories. Maybe I am being a little more paranoid than I should, but in the interest of my readers, I want to be as truthful about my lifestyle transition as I can.

It is quite possible that one or more people may elect to do something similar to mine and they can read my blogs in advance and get an idea of what to expect. Even after my 28-day Fast Start plan, I will continue to blog, but most likely not every day. I believe it is important to track my program to a reasonable period of time and see what results from the actions I am taking.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

I was talking with a friend, Willie Jackson, today about an upcoming event he is hosting for his MLM Company. He asked me a question about the difference between whey protein and vegan protein. I told him that I didn’t know much about whey protein; however, there is a difference between meat protein and vegan protein. I told him that meat protein contained all the essential amino acids needed that your body does not make. Vegan protein does not contain all the essential amino acids.

I gave it some thought as I went to the next two events in my schedule today. When I got home I did a little research just to satisfy my curiosity. There are five factors that define the ‘efficiency’ of dietary protein, that is, the protein we eat. The first is the relative amounts of a needed essential amino acid. The second is the size and structure of the actual protein molecule. The third addresses the quantity of branched chain amino acids (BCCAs). The fourth is how the protein is packaged with other molecules in the food source. The fifth is availability of required enzymes to digest or breakdown the specific protein.

Before I go further, allow me a moment to clarify BCCAs. BCCAs are metabolized in your muscles rather than your liver, as the remaining essential amino acids are. Proteins with a high concentration of BCCAs are more ‘bioavailable’ to your body – they are more easily absorbed and used. Leucine, isoleucine and valine are the three BCCAs.

Meat protein contains all nine essential amino acids that can’t be manufactured by your body. That’s good! Meat is non-allergenic compared to some vegan foods. Meat is not nutrient dense compared to some vegan protein sources. On the average, meat contains about 20% usable protein by weight. You would prefer a grass fed meat source because it does not contain (or very little) antibiotics, pesticides and hormones. Non-grass fed meat sources typically have higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratios, which is undesirable. In a 3 ounce beef serving, you will have approximately 23 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat. The biological value of beef is valued at 73. The biological value is the measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from the food source which actually becomes used as protein in your body.

Three ounces of poultry protein (without the skin) has 27 grams of protein and a little less fat. Organic or range fed poultry is also very low in antibiotics, arsenic and other contaminants. The biological value of poultry protein is 80. Fish protein has less saturated fat and five grams of protein and fat. However, it is higher in omega-3 fatty acids. Some fish sources can high levels of mercury and other pollutants. The biological value of fish protein is 80.

Milk can be allergenic to some people with lactose intolerance. Milk protein has around 25 grams of protein 8 grams of fat in an 8 ounce serving. It has a biological value of 85. Whey protein has a biological value of 95 and whey concentrate has a biological value of between 100 and 150. It is also high in BCCAs. Whey protein is more easily and quickly absorbed by your body. Whey protein is also allergenic to some people. Whey protein also has higher than normal levels of cholesterol.

Egg protein has a biological value of 100 – it is the benchmark from which all other biological values are measured. Eggs are allergenic to higher percentage of people than milk or whey. The allergenic part of the egg is the egg white. Whole eggs are more bioavailable than egg whites. Whole eggs are more nutrient dense than egg whites. Egg yolks contain the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. It is best to eat free range chicken eggs to reduce your exposure to contaminants and toxins. Cholesterol concerns about eggs are highly overrated.

Soy protein is highly allergenic. Soy has been shown to block the absorption of minerals such as calcium. Soy contains high levels of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are good in small amounts, but not desirable in higher amounts. The biological value of soy protein is 75. Soy interrupts digestion by inhibiting the enzymes needed for digestion.

Spirulina protein has more protein than almost every other naturally-derived protein source. Whey protein is higher, but it is processed. Spirulina is cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae) found in many lakes. It is farmed commercially. Protein in spirulina is 90% digestible and almost instantly absorbable since it has no cellulose in its cell walls. 30% of the world’s population is allergic to spirulina because it absorbs contaminants and toxins from the water.

Chlorella is a single cell green algae. Chlorella is a great detoxifier because it binds to heavy metals and pesticides. Chlorella is also allergenic – almost to the same degree as spirulina. There are other protein sources, such as hemp seed protein, buckwheat protein, millet protein, bean protein, rice protein and pea protein. Hemp seed is a great food but not a good source of protein. Grain proteins can be considered as a ‘whole’ or ‘complete’ protein source, but they are unbalanced in their amino acid ratios compared to most other proteins. You would have to eat them in exact proportions to gain the full value of their protein ingredients. Grains are good food sources, but not considered to be good protein sources.

Rice contains only 6% protein on the average. Rice protein has a biological value of 75. Rice protein is easily digestible. Yellow pea protein is one of the better tasting non-meat proteins. What rice proteins lacks (lysine) yellow pea protein makes up. Used in combination they supply a slightly lower level of BCCAs than whey protein. Rice and yellow pea protein are less allergenic than dairy and egg proteins.

Moderation is needed in our lives. Essential amino acids are needed for our health, but too much of a good thing can cause a problem. Many protein sources contain little or no fiber to keep your food moving through your colon. Some protein sources contain large amounts of sulphur which your body converts to gas. Many soluble fibers produce gas also. Interestingly enough, I read an article a couple of months ago stated that many Americans are deficient in protein. It implied that vegan diets were most likely, but not definitively responsible. Vegan diets can contribute to protein and other deficiencies. Many vegan diets are deficient in calcium, iron, riboflavin, vitamins B6 & B12, and zinc.

Be careful what you asked for Willie!

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

I ended Week 3 on an up note! I did not lose as much weight as I wanted to lose, but I was happy with the results. I lost two pounds – I’m now at 190 lbs – not bad for starting at 200+ three weeks ago. I lost a half-inch in my waist – from 42.0 to 41.5 inches – a total decrease of 2.5 inches in three weeks. I lost a half-inch in my hips – now 41.5 inches – a grand total of 1.5 inches in my hips in three weeks. My neck measurement remained the same, 15.75 inches – down 3/4 of an inch in three weeks. I lost one inch in my chest – now 44.0 inches – down 1.5 inches in three weeks. I am losing inches and weight – the best of both worlds.

I am not tired – I haven’t been since I started my lifestyle change. I have clear vision – at least, if not better, than when I started. My memory is the same – at least, if not better than when I started. My endurance at the gym has picked up. My attitude is always, yes, always, fantastic. I enjoy every day and look forward to the next. I still have some frustrations that creep in periodically, i.e. my book transformation to electronic format. I’ll overcome that obstacle and move on. I had a successful presentation in New Orleans last weekend and will be talking this weekend in Houston on Why Diets Don’t Work.

Week 4 concentrates on several areas. Number one is to reduce, as much as possible, toxins. Toxins are present in nearly every skin care product, as well as processed foods. Almost every processed food contains preservatives, artificial colorings and/or artificial flavorings. My daughter bought some ‘gummy fiber’ pills (inulin), for lack of a better word. They were multicolored. I looked at the label (you should devour the food label of every thing you eat before you eat something – it’s in your best interest to become an expert on food labels) and found that all the colorings were made from plants/fruits.

Toxins are insidious in that they affect your weight and health and most people don’t even know about them. There are a few personal care products that are safe or nearly safe, but they are difficult to find. I use Bert’s Bees’ products. My book tells you how to add foods or supplements to your daily diet to increase the efficiency of your organs (lungs, kidneys, etc) as well as your lymphatic system, blood and even your subconscious mind (more on that shortly). Labels tell you a lot about the product. The higher on the list of ingredients, the more of that ingredient is contained in that food/product. Many ingredients, especially skin-care products, contain nano-technology. The particles are so small that they penetrate the skin without effort. If they are the wrong kind of chemical (toxin), that can become a problem.

I’m not saying to throw out every skin-care product in your home. Awareness is first. Know what you have. Limit or reduce the usage. That’s key! Replace it when you can with something more natural. It will take you a little effort to find replacements products, but it is worth the time and cost.

I mentioned your subconscious mind a moment ago. Your self-image is a major factor in weight loss. If you have a poor self-image, and many people do, you must begin a transitional program to upgrade your self-image. Visualization, affirmations, imagination, EFT, etc can help you change your vision of yourself. It is critical for your new lifestyle that you see yourself as successful, victorious, triumphant, thriving, prosperous, healthy, strong, fit, wholesome, attractive, fine-looking, stunning, delightful, charming, wonderful, pleasing, lovely, etc. You get the ‘picture’. You want to be a new you. Even if your self-image is not poor, it can be improved. Spend some time every day working on improving your self-image.

I mentioned the term carbohydrate absorbers to my friend, Vince, the other day. He had not heard of them. Carbohydrate absorbers reduce your insulin response. You eat a certain amount of carbohydrates and without anything to absorb them, your insulin will respond as it always has. With a carbohydrate absorber, you can eat the same amount of carbohydrates and have a reduced insulin response. This is a good deal for someone trying to seriously reduce their carbohydrate intake.

There are two primary processes to ‘absorb’ carbohydrates. The first is to actually absorb the carbohydrate molecule and not let it become transformed into a blood glucose molecule. Fiber, particularly beta-glucans, does this function well. Another type of carbohydrate absorption affects the downstream action of blood glucose formation. Alpha amalase and alpha-glucosidase inhibit the conversion process of carbohydrates into glucose. Maitake mushrooms, white kidney bean extract, chlorogenic acid, etc are good examples of inhibitors that reduce the conversion process of carbohydrates into glucose.

There are a few more things that will be the focus of Week 4; however I am wrapping this blog up early today to address some high priority projects before it’s too late.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

Here I am at the end of Week 3. I am looking forward to stepping on the scale tomorrow morning and checking my status. I know that losing weight is especially difficult when you make an abrupt change in your eating habits. I mentioned yesterday that plateaus happen for a number of reasons. I had been exercising at a minimal level before I went to New Orleans. The seminar was form 9 am to 9 pm on both Friday and Saturday. I was unable to exercise during that trip and even after I returned. I finally managed to get to the gym this morning and I could tell it has been a while – maybe even a week since I set foot in a gym and did some serious strength training or cardio.

Yes, I know that I can do some of that stuff at home. I don’t need to go to the gym. However, I didn’t do it at home either. My mindset is changing, but not keeping up with my plans. It happens to all of us. We plan something and get distracted – or, obstacles get in the way. I was listening to a Jerry Clark CD (recorded on my iPod) in the sauna today talking about this very thing. I reflected on his main points and agreed that I have been allowing non-productive things to take up my time.

I am publishing a book on multiple electronic bookstores at the same time that the rest of my life is ongoing. Many obstacles have been presented that have given me some unique insight into electronic publishing. My next book will be published in a fraction of the time.

However, when I think about my weight loss program, there are obstacles and distractions that can take away our focus and commitment. I heard an interesting thing on Jerry’s CD this morning. It was phrased in the context of a home business. What if you truly failed in whatever business you are in? What proof would you have to convince others that you really failed? That’s a pretty interesting set of two questions!

I was thinking about that while I was driving today and rewrote it for a weight loss program. What is you really tried to lose weight and didn’t? What proof would you have to convince others that you really succeeded at not losing weight? A lifestyle change is a mindset change. Yes, actions are more measureable than thinking about something. However, your mindset has to be firmly shifted and established in what you need to do.

You should have a daily action plan for success for any business you own. Why waste time each day doing something unproductive? You have short-term and long-range goals for your business to be successful. You probably have short-term and long-range goals for your weight loss program. I do. My short-term goal is to complete my 28-day program and see noticeable results in both weight lost and inches lost. I’ve succeeded already in both those categories already. Is the progress I’ve made to day reasonable and expected? I believe they are reasonable. I expected more, but I always expect more. Is my expectation too high? Maybe.

Everyone would love to get on a new lifestyle change program and lose tons of weight overnight. We all know that that doesn’t happen. I know that I am shocking my body by changing a major aspect of my eating pattern. I eat now when I am hungry, not just because of what the time is on the clock. I’m still having problems because I am not really hungry as night approaches. I have been altering my plan to eat something earlier in the evening so that I won’t have a meal disrupting the quality of my sleep.

Side note: I normally have poor sleep whenever I sleep on a new bed (at a hotel or visiting family). I spent two nights in New Orleans at two different hotels and slept exceptionally well. I was surprised.

I haven’t tried (yet) to just go through the evening and see if I really get hungry after dark. I might be planning for a condition that doesn’t happen – or doesn’t happen that often. When we are hungry, we will eat. My old lifestyle told me to eat at certain times whether I was hungry or not. My new lifestyle is trying to adopt a ‘eat when hungry’ philosophy. I am finding it easy and difficult to accomplish. Easy in that I am not hungry for several hours after awakening. Difficult in that I am hesitant not to eat before going to bed when I am not hungry.

I tracked my weight every day when I was on the Atkins Diet (1994). I didn’t lose anything for several days. Then I lost weight and felt pretty good about it. Then I hit a plateau that made me question what I was doing. I wasn’t paying attention to anything but carbohydrates. I still ate according to the clock. Hunger was never an issue for when I ate, unless it just happened to occur at the same time. My life was on autopilot and at noon I ate lunch. Same with other meals.

I was thinking about the success plan and applying it to weight loss. What is productive to be doing each day to ensure that you are trending in the direction of weight loss? Hydration, moderation, portion control, and nutritional balance are part of each day. Nutritional supplements to combat insulin resistance or excess estrogen or low levels of testosterone should be added to that list. Exercise is also a factor to be considered for daily success. A good night’s sleep and repetitive stress reduction sessions are critical also. There are many things for daily success that don’t include the actual food that you eat.

We tend to focus on food only when we are on a weight loss regimen. It is tangible and relatively easy to measure. Yet, most of us don’t even know the vitamin and mineral content of what we eat. What vitamins and minerals are present in the foods you eat on a daily basis? You get better quality vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat compared to the pills you might taken. Google is a great source of information on food nutrition. Make a list of the foods you regularly eat and find out the nutritional content of each. You might be surprised that you could be deficient in vitamins or minerals and not even know it.

A major portion of our population is deficient in many vitamins and minerals. As we age, our vitamin and mineral deficiency increases because our digestive absorption ability decreases. Probably the biggest vitamin deficiency we have is vitamin D3. We cover up and don’t go outside to ‘soak up’ the sun. We might supplement, but at levels far below what is needed. Vitamin B (most) is another common deficiency. Vitamin C, believe it or not is another common deficiency. Iron, selenium, magnesium and zinc are also typical deficiencies in the American diet.

Sit down and make a list of what nutrients you should have and what you are actually obtaining on an average day. It might surprise you. To be successful in your new lifestyle you must ensure that you have nutritional balance.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C

I mentioned my book to two people today. They told me that they had tried diets (not lifestyle changes) in the past and it worked for a short while and then they hit a plateau and didn’t lose any weight for weeks. It was interesting that these two conversations were nearly back to back and at two different places.

A weight loss plateau is caused by your body responding to your lower caloric intake. It can last days or weeks. Your body knows what your energy intake and output are and tries to balance the load. It will actually reduce your body’s metabolism to respond to a rapid decrease in calories. It is your body’s protective mechanism to keep you from starving. It makes total sense.

How do you counter a weight loss plateau? If you reduce your total calories by a little versus a lot, then you probably won’t see much, if any plateau. A slight reduction is ignored by your body. You are trending down slightly and your body will continue at its current energy output and you will gradually (very slowly) lose weight. However, if you drop your caloric intake significantly, then you can expect to be on a weight loss plateau.

It is not difficult to get off the plateau, but it will take effort from you to counter your body’s natural response to lowered calories. What happens when a young person goes to a military boot-camp? They are exercised until they are tired beyond belief and they are fed a balanced meal, albeit smaller portions than they typically ate at home. What happened? They had an abrupt change in diet and exercise. This startled their metabolic system and it had to increase to meet the demands of their physical exercise. The lower caloric intake resulted in lost weight.

You have to do something similar. If you have been spending 20 minutes doing cardio, then you have to change your routine. Maybe you increase your intensity, or lift weights, or extend your cardio session. You must change something in your energy pattern to make your body burn more fat – hence increase your metabolism. Once your metabolism responds to the increased energy needs, then you will start losing weight again.

Weight loss is an interesting subject. I’ve read hundreds of articles about weight loss and nutrition, exercise and a myriad of other related and not so related subjects. Weight loss is not just a simple eat less and exercise more. It is very complicated, especially the older you get. Your body systems literally degrade – they don’t operate as efficiently as they did when you were younger. Weight loss is more difficult when you are older.

I’ve been on plateaus in the past with Atkins and with other types of diets. I’ve had some great success and some not-so-great success. I recommend that a change in protein type helps. It did for me. On the Atkins Diet I ate beef primarily with a little chicken. I changed to fish and my plateau disappeared. I had been on a plateau for a week or longer and I really don’t know if I had kept doing what I was doing that I would have crashed through that plateau or not. It may have been coincidental that eating fish caused me to lose weight immediately (within a couple of days I was losing a half-pound to a pound a day).

What I did not know at that time was the relationship between your body and energy income/outgo and metabolic readjustment. It makes total sense to me today that your body will protect you as much as it can. If you were stranded some place without food, your body would pull in the reins on your metabolism to keep you from starving faster than you would otherwise. Therefore, you have to overcome that mechanism to break through your plateau.

I’ve noticed in the past that you may have more than one plateau. The first one comes when you burn through your excess water weight and begin burning fat. That fat burning process appears to initiate a change in your metabolic system for self-preservation. Whether you ride it out or bust through your plateau makes no difference. Once you are through it, you are losing weight again.

At some time in the future you may encounter another plateau. Is this plateau equal to the real calorie intake and calorie expended equation of your body? It might be. If you are approaching your desired weight, it may very well be the right place to plateau – at or near your goal. If not, then you may have to ‘trick’ your body again by making changes to stimulate your metabolism.

Stimulating your metabolism is done usually through exercise, but it can also be done with fasting. Specifically intermittent fasting – stop eating for a 24 hour period. Intermittent fasting speeds up your metabolism, lowers your insulin levels, reduces oxidative stress and slows down your aging processes. Intermittent really means intermittent – not extended (more than 24 hours at a time).

I have not done an intermittent fast in a long time. I think the last ‘planned’ intermittent fast was in my preparatory days for Vietnam. We had an Escape and Evasion Course in beautiful downtown Warner Springs, California. There was nothing beautiful and there was no downtown. It was all scrub tree and desolation. I didn’t eat except for what our instructors were able to catch and kill. I learned one thing very well during that five-day event – that I could survive on water and feel great about it.

Ever since that course, I have eaten something every day. Some days get extended so that I’m not sure I went over 24 hours or not. However, with my new lifestyle I personally think that a 24 hour liquid replenishment session makes sense. By liquid replenishment I mean lots of water, tea and maybe a soup or two.  This, of course, includes nutritional supplementation to make up for lost nutrients contained in the foods I would normally eat.  I would also probably include a fiber or two to keep the plumbing working.

I honestly have not been that hungry on my current lifestyle change program and I eat primarily when I feel hunger pangs. Those hunger pangs are not very strong. And, in reality, I am eating many times to avoid potential hunger pangs because it is getting late and I don’t want to have something to eat just before I go to bed.

As I am writing this, I am thinking to myself that it might be advantageous to try a 24 hour water/tea fast just to see what it feels like and record the results in my blog. More on that thought as I approach the end of my 28 day Fast Start Program.

Red O’Laughlin
Your Prosperity Professor
281-437-8114 H/W 281-687-1188 C